Basketball

Ex-NBA star Rip Hamilton says Chauncey Billups is gunning to be the next head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers ... telling TMZ Sports his good friend really wants the gig.

44-year-old Billups -- an assistant coach with the L.A. Clippers -- has been mentioned as a top candidate for teams in need of a new head coach this offseason ... including the Blazers and Boston Celtics.

Superstar Damian Lillard even listed Billups on his short wish list to replace Terry Stotts ... and Rip says the feeling's mutual.

"Me and Chauncey was actually just talking," Hamilton said on Rodeo Drive on Monday.

We asked if his old teammate told him he wants to coach the Blazers ... and Rip responded, "Yeah!"

"Chauncey wants to coach right now. Hopefully, he gets his opportunity."

Of course, the Blazers won't be able to reach out to the 2004 NBA Finals MVP until after the Clippers' season is over ... but The Athletic reports Billups is the "likely" choice to end up in Portland.

Dirk Nowitzki's time as the greatest Dallas Maverick ever has come to an end ... Luka Doncic now holds that crown -- so says the NBA legend himself!!!

The ex-Dallas great made the revelation to TMZ Sports while heading into Staples Center on Sunday to catch the Mavs-Clippers Game 7 ... and, yeah, it's BIG praise!!!

"He's playing unbelievable," Dirk said after explaining Luka "already has" eclipsed him as the greatest Mav ever.

Of course, Luka went on to lose the big game against the Clips in front of Dirk ... but the 22-year-old arguably STRENGTHENED the big man's claim despite the L.

Luka went bananas in the elimination contest -- dropping 46 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds ... so maybe Dirk's got a point???

As for if Dirk was just being nice ... we're sure that's the case, Luka's been amazing -- but he's got a loooooooooong way to go to catch Nowitzki.

Dirk's a 14-time All-Star, a league MVP AND a Finals MVP ... and he averaged 20.7 points per game over a 20-YEAR span.

Here it is -- college hoops superstar Cade Cunningham's first TMZ moment ... and it's adorable as heck!!

Of course, the 19-year-old point guard is widely projected to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft next month ... after averaging more than 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

So, what do you do when you're about to be an instant millionaire?? You hit up one of L.A.'s hottest dinner spots with your cute daughter, of course!!

Cunningham brought along his 2-year-old, Riley, for a fancy dinner at Craig's in West Hollywood ... and even chopped it up for a bit with us as he arrived.

We chatted about how he was handling the hype leading up to the draft ... and Cunningham said, "I feel great, man. It's all blessings, for sure."

We also had to ask if there were any teams, in particular, he was eyeing ... but naturally, he handled the question like a pro.

BTW -- Cunningham was an All-American during his one year in college ... and was voted Freshman of the Year by several outlets.

What do you get a man who has everything?!? How about being immortalized with a statue -- 'cause Chris Duhon says Mike Krzyzewski deserves the honor after announcing his retirement this week.

Of course, Duhon was part of the incredible 2001 Duke national championship team -- one of 5 Coach K-led squads to win it all.

We spoke with the former Duke star about his beloved coach deciding to hang it up after the 2021-22 season ... and he's already got ideas on how the Blue Devils can preserve his legacy.

"I think a statue is next and they already named the court -- the only thing I can think is if they ever think about remodeling Cameron, it would be under his name," he tells us. "That's the only thing I think you could do left."

Coach K was honored with the court naming at Cameron Indoor Stadium back in 2000 ... after his 500th win at Duke.

"They've done everything, he's accomplished pretty much everything. So, I don't know much more you can do to honor him."

But, the Blue Devils will be in good hands after this season -- Duhon says he LOVES the decision to go with former player Jon Scheyer moving forward.

"I think it was the right call, excellent call," Duhon says. "Jon has a great basketball mind and obviously being under the tutelage of Coach K for all these years, ya know, coach was just kinda grooming him."

NBA fans gotta keep the water bottles, spit and popcorn to themselves ... so says NFL tight end Gerald Everett, who tells TMZ Sports the wild spectators need to cut the crap and keep sports a peaceful place for everyone.

There have been several instances of fans crossing the line at NBA games over the past week -- with superstars like Trae Young, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook having objects -- or liquids -- hurled in their direction.

On top of that, one fan even ran on the court during Game 5 of the Wizards vs. Sixers matchup on Monday night ... before getting absolutely leveled by arena security.

We spoke with 26-year-old Everett about the rise in fan-related incidents over the past week ... and he says it's extremely important to keep sports a fun place for everyone -- especially during tough times.

"Man, we just gotta realize that it's a team sport," Everett told us at LAX. "We're doing it to bring everybody together and it's just like a crazy time right now -- coronavirus and everybody's still tryna make it through."

"Sports is the only thing we have left so we have to use that as a key element to bringing people back together."

Everett says he's excited for fans to be back in NFL stadiums this season ... that is, if everyone behaves.

LeBron James getting smashed by the Phoenix Suns does NOT affect his legacy ... so says Ohio governor John Kasich, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers star is still "the king."

Kasich was candid with our photog out in Beverly Hills on Friday afternoon ... explaining this week's Lakers playoff exit means NOTHING for Bron.

"He's the greatest, you know," Kasich said. "He's the king."

Kasich went on to say the first-round bouncing doesn't affect James' claim to "G.O.A.T." status over Michael Jordan either.

In fact, Kasich tells us LeBron's window for winning titles is still WIDE open!

"He's not done yet," the 69-year-old politician said. "Nope, not yet."

As for what needs to change next year ... Kasich stated the obvious -- Anthony Davis needs to get healthy, and the Lakers need to get those two more help.

Drake's 3-year-old son got a taste of Lakers playoff basketball, and even though it wasn't very good ... he didn't look like he cared too much.

Billboard's Artist of the Decade brought Adonis to the Staples Center Thursday night to watch L.A. take on the Phoenix Suns and try to avoid elimination.

Dad kept him a little farther away from the action than courtside -- we're guessing it's a safety thing -- but did sit with him for a bit to point out some players on the court ... and probably give some fatherly hoops advice.

Adonis was decked out in a dope LeBron jersey and headphones as he entered the arena with Drake. We don't know if he was listening to hype music for the Lakers, but if so ... it didn't work. They got trounced 113-100.

So, Bron and the Lakers won't be repeating as NBA champs, but this father-son basketball outing's still pretty cool. Best of all ... no tears this time!

Minnesota Timberwolves star Malik Beasley will likely have to watch the rest of the NBA playoffs from jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed he just started his 120-day sentence.

Jail and court officials tell us ... Beasley was booked into Wright County Jail in Minnesota on Tuesday -- ready to serve his punishment stemming from that bizarre gun incident in Sept. 2020.

You'll recall ... prosecutors say Beasley exploded on a family after they had been in his driveway -- alleging the 24-year-old NBA player pointed a gun at the people and ordered them to scram.

Beasley was initially hit with 2 charges over it all -- felony threats of violence and felony drug possession -- but he cut a deal with prosecutors months later to close out the case.

Beasley pled guilty to the threats charge ... and in exchange, the drug charge was dropped and Beasley was ultimately sentenced to 120 days in jail.

Initially, Beasley was set to begin the sentence on May 26 ... though a court official tells us it ended up being pushed to June 1.

Beasley posed for a mug shot when he was booked ... and you can see, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be behind bars.

It's been an eventful last few days for the NBA player ... remember, he just issued a public apology to his wife and family for his fling with Larsa Pippen.

Talk about sore losers ...

A couple of bitter Lakers fans thought they would take out their disappointment by heckling Kendall Jenner at Staples Center ... right after her boyfriend, Devin Booker, DESTROYED the Purple and Gold.

The idiot fans cussed out Kendall as she walked to her car -- saying things like, "Get the f**k outta here!" and "Go back to Phoenix, you're not welcome."

One of the guys shouted out TMZ -- but NONE of the people involved have any sort of affiliation with us. At all.

For her part, Kendall didn't even acknowledge these idiots ... and probably went on to celebrate the momentous victory with her superstar BF in some sort of awesome mansion.

In other words ... the Lakers fans couldn't be more wrong -- SHE'S WINNING AT EVERYTHING.

In case you didn't know ... Devin Booker DOMINATED the Lakers on Thursday night, dropping 47 points in a 113 to 100 victory over L.A., eliminating LeBron James' squad from the playoffs.

After the game, Booker said he felt Kobe Bryant's spirit in the building at Staples Center.

Magic Johnson is NOT happy about his beloved L.A. Lakers getting knocked out of the playoffs Thursday night ... admitting "You know I'm mad."

Magic and his wife, Cookie, were leaving the Staples Center after LeBron and the Lake Show suffered a 113 to 100 loss to the Phoenix Suns ... eliminating L.A. from the playoffs.

It's the first time in Bron's career he's ever been eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round.

So, what happened??? That's what the photogs asked Magic after Game 6.

"I want you to ask those players what happened," Magic told the snappers

When one pap asked if he was upset over the situation, Magic responded -- "Yeah, I'm mad! I love the Lakers! You know I'm mad."

Part of the issue ... DEVIN BOOKER WAS UNSTOPPABLE.

The 24-year-old dropped 47 points on the Lakers -- helping the Suns build a 29-point lead in the first half!!

When the second half started, the Lakers looked like a defeated squad -- and the Suns rolled to victory.

Another issue for the Lakers ... Anthony Davis.

He was medically cleared to play in Game 6 after tweaking his groin in Game 4 -- but tweaked the injury in the opening minutes and never returned to action.

Now, the Lakers are out ... Magic is upset and LeBron says he's already focused on next year.

"The #1 thing for us is getting AD healthy," Bron said after the game ... "If we get big fella healthy ... that will put us in the best possible chance to be successful next year."

Vanessa Bryant says Nike shoes she designed to honor Kobe and Gianna have been leaked ... and she's outraged over it, claiming they should have NEVER been made.

VB explained the situation early Thursday morning ... saying during recent talks with Nike, she helped create a version of the Kobe 6 Protro that was meant to honor her two loved ones who tragically died in a 2020 helicopter crash.

Vanessa says the shoes featured a black and white colorway, Gianna's #2, and other specific marks like a butterfly, wings and a halo.

The problem? Vanessa says after her split with Nike this spring, approval for the shoes to be made was NOT given -- but she claims they've somehow been leaked anyway and posted a photo of someone holding the shoe in their hand!

"Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls," Vanessa said in a statement.

"I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi, and we don't. I hope these shoes did not get sold."

Vanessa added she wanted the shoes to be sold "to honor my daughter with ALL of the proceeds benefitting our @mambamambacitasports foundation."

Vanessa then asked her followers to track down the shoes ... writing on social media, "If someone can share how they have these shoes in their possession, that would be great because my daughters and I don’t have any of Gigi’s MAMBACITA shoes."

An Instagram user, brandon1an, who originally posted professional photos of the "Mambacita" shoes nearly 3 weeks ago, claims Nike is the one responsible for the shoe leak.

"I just want to make it clear that I don't own a pair of those Mambacita Kobes," the IG user said in a statement Thursday morning.

"The pictures I posted are official product pictures from a Nike authorized retailer."

The user continued, "Unfortunately for [Vanessa Bryant], Nike clearly sent pairs to this retailer (as well as others) with the intent of selling pairs."

Grizzlies star Ja Morant's mom will NOT be in Utah to watch Memphis take on the Jazz on Wednesday ... after fans made disgusting and racist remarks towards their family earlier in the playoff series.

3 Jazz fans were banned indefinitely for comments made to Morant's parents during Game 2 on May 26 ... with Ja's dad, Tee, telling ESPN the harassment was "straight up disrespectful."

Jazz owner Ryan Smith apologized to the Morants and offered courtside seats, transportation and a hotel to Game 5 for family and friends ... but Tee says Ja's mother, Jamie, will not be in attendance due to their recent experience at Vivint Arena.

"She said her anxiety couldn't take it," Tee told the outlet ... while adding it was a "nice gesture" for the Jazz to offer their services for Wednesday's game.

Tee also spoke about the harassment experienced during Game 2 ... saying, "It was unfortunate. It was just a few fans -- most of them were great and cheering right alongside with us."

Ja denounced the Jazz fans' actions on Twitter last week, saying, "my family should be able cheer for me & my teammates without getting inappropriate s*** said to them."

Smith added ... "Memphis Grizzlies and Morant family... we are embarrassed and sorry. The @utahjazz have zero tolerance for offensive behavior. We are committed to creating a respectful, competitive environment."

It's the end of an era ... legendary college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is retiring after this upcoming NCAA season, completing 42 seasons at Duke.

WHOA.

The news was confirmed by college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, who says an official announcement is expected soon.

Goodman also says 74-year-old Coach K is expected to be replaced by Jon Scheyer, a former Duke player who's currently an asst. coach with the Blue Devils.

Scheyer will have MASSIVE shoes to fill -- Coach K has coached 5 national championship teams and has led the Blue Devils to 12 Final Four appearances.

Coach K became the first Div. I men's coach to reach 1,000 victories ... and he currently has 1,170 total.

Krzyzewski became Duke's head coach in May 1980 ... after serving as Army's head coach for five seasons.

Coach K is widely considered one of the best coaches EVER ... and has the most career NCAA tournament victories (97).

Over the past 41 seasons, Krzyzewski has coached 9 national players of the year and 28 NBA lottery picks ... including guys like Jason Williams, J.J. Redick, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Jabari Parker and more.

Coach K has also led the bench for the national team ... winning 6 gold medals with Team USA.

Kyrie Irving was the target of another idiot fan Sunday night who almost beaned the b-baller in the head with a water bottle ... and this time the culprit was arrested.

The incident went down in Boston at TD Gardens ... as Kyrie was walking out, you see the bottle come within a hair's breadth of his head. His teammates were outraged, and Tyler Johnson scoped out the crowd and ID'd the culprit.

A fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Iriving as he was leaving the court, he was then arrested.

Cops say the fan in question is 21-year-old Cole Buckley, who is now charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Yeah, a water bottle in the wrong hands is a dangerous weapon.

An eyewitness says he saw Buckley throw a Desani water bottle in Irving's direction. Buckley was wearing a Kevin Garnett jersey as he was taken into custody and removed from the arena.

Irving said after the incident ... "You're seeing a lot of old ways come up... just underlying racism and treating people like they're in a human zoo. Throwing stuff at people, saying things. There is a certain point where it gets to be too much."

Kevin Durant also chimed in ... “Have some respect for the human beings and have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn,” Durant said. “So grow the f**k up and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."

Just days earlier ... a fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook during the NBA playoffs as he walked off the court injured. Afterward, Westbrook said players need protection from out-of-control fans.

Orlando Magic player Terrence Ross says someone STOLE his super expensive Lamborghini from the dealership ... AND THEN SMASHED IT INTO A BUILDING!

Yeah, what a horrible Tuesday!!

Here's the deal ... the 30-year-old former Slam Dunk champ says he got a call Tuesday morning from the Orlando PD saying they found his beloved orange Lambo Urus, a fancy SUV that starts at $220k!

Ross -- the 8th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft -- was confused because he had dropped it off at the Fields Motorcars of Florida dealership recently to fix a flat tire ... and thought it was safe!

But, cops explained the situation to Ross this way:

"Two guys broke into the dealership, smashed through a glass, went through desks, grabbed keys, go out to the lot and start seeing which key works and the key that they stumbled upon was MY key."

"They take this car and they start driving ... [the cops] find these dudes cruising around like Winter Garden in my whip. They start the chase, the dudes take off IN MY WHIP, smash it, lose control of it and crash it into the side of a building. Completely totaled."

"So, now I'm pretty much without a car ... so now we back to basics. Car shopping. I'm so sick right now. So goddamn sick -- that was the greatest car I've ever had! And, now it's gone. Gone! Can't even get it back so I'm sick right now. I'm sick."

Cops confirmed the Lambo was eventually recovered in Maitland, Florida.

The good news ... Ross has reportedly made more than $67 mil during his NBA career ... so he'll be okay.

Plus, he's got insurance.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela just went HAM on the New York Knicks ... calling out the players for trying to "play tough" and guaranteeing to boot them from the playoffs!!!

The Knicks vs. Hawks series has been chippy and rough through 4 games to say the least ... and when the 27-year-old baller was asked about the Knicks playing physical, Capela unloaded.

"They try to play tough, push our guys around and talk s***, but we can do that, too," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"We show them as soon as they came back here. We can push guys around, too. We can talk s*** as well, so whatchu gonna do about it? -- and we can get a win with it."

Capela insists the Knicks' style of play hasn't posed a serious threat ... and guarantees a victory in Game 5 to send the Knicks packing on Wednesday.

"And now we’re coming to your home to win this game again and send you on vacation."

DAMN, CLINT!!! Tell us how you really feel!!!

There's more ... Clint had words for Knicks star Julius Randle shoving Danilo Gallinari during Game 4 as "retaliation" for hitting Reggie Bullock's neck on the previous possession.

"You’re trying to look physical, but it’s not working. It’s the last solution," he added.

"You don’t get your star player making dirty plays. Of course, that was a dirty play, retaliation or not … we all can shove someone. You can play hard but within the game."

As for the Knicks ... they're not taking the bait.

Randle responded shortly after, saying, "Why would I give a hell what Clint Capela has to say?"

Derrick Rose added ... "I’m 32 years old. I’ve never talked s*** like that in my life."

"I’m too old for that."

Knicks and Hawks tip-off at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Getcha popcorn ready.