Basketball

The daughter of ex-NBA player Corey Benjamin was involved in another on-court fight just weeks before her viral sucker punch ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The violent altercation went down in mid-September in Del Amo, Calif. -- just two months before she sucker punched a girl during a youth basketball game near Anaheim last weekend.

In the footage, you can see the teenager was jockeying with another girl to try to gain position inside the key ... when she suddenly snapped.

Video shows Benjamin's daughter threw several punches at the girl -- before sprinting toward another girl on the court and throwing even more haymakers.

We're told officials later hit her with an indefinite ban from the venue over the altercation.

You'll recall, Benjamin's daughter was hit with a similar punishment following her actions during a game this past Saturday.

In that incident, the girl laid out her opponent after she felt she was fouled on a jump shot. The mother of the teenager who was punched tells us she has filed a criminal report against Benjamin's daughter over it all.

Benjamin has issued an apology over his daughter's actions, telling NBC L.A. this week, "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

Jim Hayford -- Seattle University's men's basketball coach -- has resigned from his position ... after he allegedly used the n-word on multiple occasions.

Hayford was initially placed on administrative leave last week ... after Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman reported that the coach had used the racial slur during a scrimmage.

According to the report, Hayford -- who is white -- said the n-word last Thursday after a player had used it.

Goodman reports this was not the first time Hayford had been accused of using the term around his team.

Hayford reportedly apologized to his squad over it all on Nov. 6, but according to Goodman, some players refused to accept the mea culpa, and ultimately vowed to never play for him again.

Seattle U's Athletic Director, Shaney Fink, issued a statement Thursday announcing Hayford's resignation, saying, "It is clear to me that coach Hayford is no longer able to effectively lead this team."

"The top priority within the Athletic Department is, and always will be, to support the wellbeing and success of our student athletes -- in and out of the classroom and in their chosen sport."

Fink continued, "We are committed to advancing an athletic community that is inclusively excellent. We will take additional steps to ensure any concerns within the program are addressed and that all our student athletes are seen, heard, and supported."

Andre Iguodala believes Kyrie Irving is the 4th greatest point guard of all time ... and you can keep your comments to yourself, 'cause he says it's not up for debate!!

The Warriors forward recently told The Athletic that in his mind, Kyrie has cemented his spot as one of the top 20 NBA players EVER -- and on top of that, he's cemented his spot on the Mount Rushmore of point guards in NBA history.

"Magic (Johnson), Steph (Curry), Isiah Thomas. They're the only guys that I will allow you to say are better than Kyrie," Iggy said, adding he's open to the idea of adding Chris Paul to the mix ... but makes it clear his pick is Uncle Drew.

The list of greatest point guards is always a topic of discussion ... but Iggy is leaving out some legends that will certainly have some folks up in arms over the comments.

We're sure Jason Kidd, John Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson and many more would like to have a word with Iggy ... 'cause they didn't make the cut.

It's possible Dre is speaking from recency bias or personal experience ... 'cause he knows firsthand just how skilled Kyrie is ... his ridiculous crossovers and scoring ability make him one of the most exciting players in the NBA.

After all, he got to witness up close and personal in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Corey Benjamin -- former Chicago Bulls guard -- is apologizing for his teenage daughter after she blindsided an opponent, clobbering her with a punch to the head during a basketball game last weekend.

"This is not how I raised my daughter," Benjamin said.

TMZ Sports published video earlier this week showing Benjamin's teenage daughter flattening her 15-year-old opponent with a haymaker for seemingly no reason during a basketball game in southern California on Sunday.

Alice Ham, the mother of the girl who was punched, tells us her daughter sustained a concussion as a result of the punch.

The former 1st round draft pick in 1998 -- who played 4 seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.5 points for his career -- spoke to NBC LA ... and it's clear the former hooper knows his daughter really screwed up.

"To the young lady who was punched by my daughter during a youth basketball game, I sincerely apologize to you and I am praying for your complete healing both physically and emotionally," Benjamin said.

"To her family, I deeply apologize and regret that this happened to your daughter as she did not deserve this to happen to her. Finally, I apologize to all of those who have been impacted and hurt by the actions of my daughter as well as those of her mother. I am here for your family and wish only the best for you."

It's interesting ... Corey also said sorry for the mom of his daughter ... who is seemingly heard on video directing her kid to hit the 15-year-old just seconds before the attack.

Corey continued ... "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

"My daughter made a mistake. One that she will need to make right. I am committed to getting my daughter any help she may need and support her in taking accountability for her conduct."

But, the apology from Corey might not be enough ... 'cause Ham has lawyered up, hiring attorney Kevin Hahn.

Did you know Shaquille O'Neal could have been John Coffey in "The Green Mile?!?"

It's true ... so says the NBA legend, who revealed on the "The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast" this week that he was initially offered the star role in the 1999 film but turned it down.

The Tom Hanks flick is one of the greatest ever -- and Coffey, ultimately played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, is one of the most iconic movie characters in cinema history.

And, Shaq says he was initially tabbed to play the part before Clarke Duncan, but says he "turned it down."

"I didn't want to play the down-South African American guy during slavery," Shaq explained. "I didn't want to play that role."

Shaq, who was still with the Lakers in '99, added he has no regrets over it all -- especially considering Duncan shined in the part.

"The guy who played it did a wonderful job," Shaq says, "He's no longer with us, he passed away. Michael Clarke Duncan did an excellent job."

The Big Diesel's not wrong, Clarke Duncan went on to win three awards for best-supporting actor.

Kevin Garnett is debunking one of the most infamous NBA stories of all time, claiming he NEVER told Carmelo Anthony his then-wife, La La, "tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios" ... and he has no clue where the rumor came from.

Quick refresher -- the alleged exchange went down during a game in January 2013 between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks ... when KG was playing for the former and Melo was on the latter.

Both guys were going at it in the 4th quarter of the matchup ... and their beef even made its way to the Madison Square Garden tunnel after the game, when Melo confronted KG in a heated standoff.

Now, 8 years later, Garnett is opening up on all the drama in an interview with GQ ... and he made it clear he would never stoop that low when it comes to trash talk.

"I’ve never said anything about anyone’s family. I’ve never said anything to Melo about La La," KG said.

Oh, and as far as Honey Nut Cheerios go -- "I’m a Frosted Flakes man. I’m not a Honey Nut Cheerios guy."

Garnett added, "I never knew where that came from. Let me clear that up."

La La -- who filed for divorce from Melo this June -- spoke about the fight in her 2014 book called "The Love Playbook" ... and also claimed the Cheerios comment was never made.

"Kevin Garnett in fact had never said that I tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios," she said at the time. "I tried to figure out how this big lie was turned into a media firestorm. I still can’t answer that one."

"Melo and Kevin are cool today. And now it’s nothing but a faint memory."

Kyle Kuzma stabbed Cavs fans in the heart with a game-winning shot on Wednesday ... and then twisted the knife with his postgame comments, saying, "Without LeBron (James), Cleveland wouldn't be s***."

Kuz's trey with just over 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter helped secure the 97-94 win over the Wine & Gold ... and after the game, he blamed Cavs fans for motivating him to knock down the shot in the clutch.

"I was just ready, I was ready for it," Kuz told reporters. "Plus, there was some hecklers during the game, talking to me. It was their fault, really. It was their fault."

Kuz -- who won a championship with the Lakers in 2020 -- points out a few fans in particular who had a sign that read, "LeBron won Kuzma his ring" ... and he didn't hold back when addressing them directly.

"I said, 'Without LeBron, Cleveland wouldn't be s***' ... so, they chose violence and I just kept going. So, thank you guys, I appreciate it."

In fact, Kuz rubbed it in fans' faces after the W ... taking a Sharpie and autographing the sign that inspired him to nail the dagger at the end of the game.

Of course, it's no secret the Cleveland Cavaliers organization owes everything to LeBron for ending the city's 52-year drought ... but considering Kuz averaged 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists in the Finals for the Lakers, let's not pretend he doesn't also owe a ton to the King.

Aside from the jab, the Cavs seem to be showing promise for the first time in a post-Bron era -- they're currently 7-5 with guys like Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and even Ricky Rubio balling out so far this season.

Adam Abdul-Jabbar, the son of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has just been sentenced to jail ... after pleading guilty in the stabbing of his neighbor.

Adam -- who had been accused of slamming a blade through the head of a man after the two had quarreled over trash cans in 2020 -- entered guilty pleas to four total charges, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, at a hearing earlier this week.

Adam had been facing YEARS behind bars over the charges ... but the judge sentenced him to just 180 days in jail -- and also hit him with two years probation.

Prosecutors said afterward they were furious with the sentence, claiming the punishment did not fit the crime -- and adding that there's a chance Adam could ultimately serve his sentence as home confinement.

"This slap on the wrist is an absolute miscarriage of justice,” Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer said in a statement to TMZ Sports. "The Orange County District Attorney’s Office vehemently objected ... because we believe the complete disregard for human life over a dispute over trashcans is so egregious it warranted prison time."

As we previously reported, Adam and then-60-year-old Raymond Windsor got into an altercation in June 2020 in Southern California after Windsor had urged the 29-year-old to help an elderly woman with bringing in trash cans.

Prosecutors say Adam was so furious with Windsor, he stabbed his neighbor multiple times in the head, neck, back and side.

In a civil lawsuit filed by Windsor against Adam, Windsor claimed he nearly died from his injuries.

"The victim in this case has not only suffered serious physical issues, he is suffering from the trauma of having to relive this violent attack every day he walks out into his front yard," Spitzer said. "This is nothing short of appalling."

A teenage girl was leveled by a sucker punch in the middle of a basketball game Sunday ... and the violent swing was all captured on video.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the incident went down during a youth basketball game in Garden Grove, Calif. -- after a 15-year-old had bumped into a girl following her jump shot.

In footage of the play, you can see as both girls got back to their feet after the collision -- someone from the crowd appeared to yell, "You better hit her."

That's when the girl in the all-black uniform swung a massive left haymaker that connected with the other girl's throat and face area.

Immediately, the girl crashed to the floor in pain ... and we're told the game was stopped and then eventually canceled over the incident.

The punch victim's mother tells us the girl was injured on the play -- and is suffering from the after-effects so much, she still has yet to return to school.

The girl's mom also tells us she went to cops over it all ... though it's unclear if a criminal investigation is underway.

Kobe Bryant's legacy could be entering the wine industry -- Vanessa Bryant just filed four new trademark applications for a wine named after the late NBA Hall of Famer.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Vanessa submitted docs on Nov. 5 to secure trademarks that indicate her aspirations to enter the wine business ... with "Mamba Vino," "Mamba Vino 2024," "Mamba Vino 8," and "Mamba Vino 24" among the phrases listed, as first reported by Josh Gerben.

Kobe Bryant, LLC -- which is run by Vanessa -- is listed as the applicant on the filing ... with Bryant signing off on all the paperwork.

This move is the latest in a series of business moves by Vanessa ... as we previously reported, last month she filed a trademark for digital collectible items, websites, training camps, broadcasting platforms, podcasts, TV shows, movies, documentaries and music ... as well as sports cards, food/drink containers and t-shirts.

All four new trademark names include one of Kobe's many nicknames, "vino" ... 'cause many people thought his game got better with age.

The names also pay tribute to the numbers Kobe wore -- 8 and 24 -- of course, both numbers are retired by the Lakers and hang in the rafters at the Staples Center.

NBA star Nikola Jokic could be facing a lengthy suspension ... after he injured Markieff Morris on Monday night with a violent cheap shot.

The play all went down at the end of the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' game against the Heat ... when Jokic felt he was fouled by Morris while dribbling the ball up the court in a 111-94 game.

In video of the incident, you can see right after Morris threw his body into Jokic's -- the 6-foot-11, 284-pound center charged at Morris' back and hurled an elbow that caused the Heat player to crash to the ground.

Immediately, players and coaches got into a scrum -- and at one point, Miami star Jimmy Butler appeared to challenge somebody on the Nuggets to a fight at center court.

Eventually, everybody was separated and Jokic was ejected ... but Morris appeared to be really hurt on the play.

In fact, a stretcher was brought out for the 32-year-old, but fortunately, he was able to walk off the court.

The Heat announced Morris was dealing with a neck injury as a result of the foul -- and his status going forward is unclear.

For his part, Jokic -- whose Nuggets went on to win 113-96 -- called the play "stupid" and said he shouldn't have reacted the way he did.

NBA fine, and possibly suspension, coming for Jokic in 3 ... 2 ...

Delonte West is fighting back in his resisting arrest case -- the former NBA player has pled not guilty to three charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court documents show West's attorney entered the not guilty pleas on Monday ... less than 3 weeks after Delonte was accused of drunkenly arguing and scuffling with officers in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Police say on Oct. 19, West was yelling and banging on a local station's doors while holding two open containers of booze.

The cops say when they went to detain West -- he was non-compliant at times ... and they eventually arrested him.

Body cam footage of the incident appears to show West hurling anti-gay slurs at the officers ... and claiming he was Jesus Christ and the President of the United States.

West was also heard on camera saying he was a better basketball player than LeBron James.

West was ultimately hit with three misdemeanors over the incident -- obstruction/resisting without violence, open container, and disorderly intoxication.

There's a simple solution for Zion Williamson's reported weight issues ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports all the Pelicans star needs to do is focus and eat less.

Sounds easy enough, right??

There have been reports that the former #1 overall pick's weight has inflated to north of 300 pounds during the offseason as he battled an injury ... and even Kenny's "Inside The NBA" co-hosts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have been joking about the situation.

But, when we spoke with Smith at LAX this week, we got real about Zion ... asking how he can shed the extra pounds and get back to game shape by the time he's back to 100%.

"Every player in their career... they're going to get hurt at some point if you have a long career," Kenny told us. "In that time, you gotta figure out how to stay in shape and stay into a basketball body."

Kenny says he's confident the 21-year-old will figure it out ... and it won't be as hard as people think.

"The easiest part is he'll figure out how to eat less. It's not hard when it's your profession. He puts the hours in to become a great basketball player. He'll figure out those hours he needs to keep his body right."

"It's not hard, just eat less."

We also talked to The Jet about Scottie Pippen's recent comments about Michael Jordan only making "The Last Dance" doc to prove to the youngins that he's still the G.O.A.T over LeBron James ... and he sets Pip straight.

If this is Lou Williams' last year in the NBA, a big music career could be part of his retirement plan ... 'cause rapper 2KBABY tells TMZ Sports he's spent hours in the studio with the hooper -- and they have a bunch of songs ready to drop!!!

The 35-year-old Atlanta Hawks guard recently spoke out about his future in the league ... saying 2021-22 could very well be the last time we see Lou Will on the court.

Of course, Williams has dropped music in the past -- he even has a tribute track to the late Kobe Bryant -- but 2KBABY says there's much more on the way ... and he knows that because he's on the tracks!!!

"Shoutout Lou Williams, though," the "Luigi" rapper told us in L.A. this week. "That's my n****, bro. Me and Lou, we locked into the studio when I was in Atlanta."

"Me and Lou got some tracks."

Okay, so they have some songs together ... but is the 3-time 6th Man of the Year any good?!? 2KBABY says hell yeah -- "Lou can spit!!!"

Ron Artest III just revealed to TMZ Sports that he had a pair of Kobe Bryant game-worn kicks ... and instead of keeping them safe and sound, he used 'em to play ball.

... and, completely destroyed them!!!

The 22-year-old hooper -- and son of ex-NBA's Ron Artest aka Metta Sandiford-Artest -- says he's a huge Bryant fan and even mimics his moves on the court.

And, you would think, with his dad being Bryant's former teammate, that he got exclusive workouts with the late Hall of Famer -- but that's not the case.

"I seen Kobe a lot like in the practice facilities and the games," the 6-foot-7 forward tells us, "but I was always scared to go up and talk to him. So, I never really went to talk to him."

Artest did get something else, though ... a pair of Kobe's game-worn sneakers that he ended up destroying playing basketball!

Here's what happened ... "One time after a game, I was sitting outside of the locker room and he walked in. A security guard came out and gave me the shoes he just wore."

"As soon as I got those shoes, the next day I went to the court and started playing with them and just tore 'em up."

Artest added, "Instead of trying to hold on to them, I was like nah, I'm playing in it."

"Game-worn shoes. I felt like 'Like Mike' -- the movie. I played in 'em and tore 'em up."

Hopefully, when the free agent from Cal State Univ. signs to a team, he won't ruin any more Kobe's -- or any sneakers for that matter.

Baron Davis seems to believe the troubling allegations against Robert Sarver are true ... 'cause the ex-NBA star tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Suns owner "is a piece of s***."

The former Golden State Warriors guard said he sat next to the 60-year-old at some point during the NBA lockout in 2011 ... and he clearly got a bad vibe from the dude.

"Are you surprised?" Davis said out at LAX on Friday of the racist and misogynistic accusations against Sarver. "God damn, man. Look at that motherf***er."

Sarver has been accused of using the N-word on multiple occasions over the course of his 17 years with the Suns, according to ESPN, and he was also allegedly sexist with employees and others as well.

Sarver has vehemently denied most of the claims against him ... though he did admit to using the N-word one time "many years ago."

When we asked Davis about it all on Friday -- you can see in the clip, the former hooper really despises the guy.

"I don't care about that man," said Davis, who didn't want to go into detail about his interactions with Sarver. "He's a piece of s***."

Davis certainly seems like he wants to say more ... but tells us he's keeping it for his "Who Got Game" podcast.