Basketball

Pat Riley says he expects to see Meyers Leonard back in an NBA jersey at some point ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the hooper's basketball career ain't over despite his previous use of an anti-Semitic slur.

The former Heat center has been out of the league since he was filmed on a live stream dropping the k-word ... but he's worked tirelessly to educate himself on the Jewish community since.

The 29-year-old famously met a bunch of kids at a synagogue in Boca Raton in June ... and also teamed up with an anti-hate organization to speak at a virtual seminar back in August.

Riley has clearly taken note of Leonard's actions ... and he guaranteed the 6-foot-10 basketball player would get a second opportunity in the NBA in the future.

"He's going to play basketball again," the Miami Heat president told us out at LAX. "He will."

Riley, though, said he wasn't sure if that opportunity would come from the Heat.

Deron Williams says it's amazing to see fellow class of 2005 draftee Chris Paul still crushing it at 36 years old ... telling TMZ Sports he's amazed by the guy's longevity, but admits he's a bit jealous.

"I'm a little jealous he's still out there shining," 37-year-old Williams said this week. "And, you know, it's fun to watch."

"He's a special player, one of the best to ever do it and he's defied time."

Of course, this is CP3's 16th season in the league -- he's played for 5 teams, including the Suns ... who he just led to the NBA Finals last season.

Williams applauds Paul's ability to succeed everywhere he goes.

"Seems like every team he goes to he makes them instantly better because there's nobody who predicted the Suns to be in the Finals last year," D-Will said.

"He was a huge part of that."

D-Will also admits that he misses the game since he last played for the Cavaliers in 2017 -- but an NBA comeback is not in his plans.

"To be out of the league for four years and just to go back on that, I'm smarter than that. I realized that ship has sailed so I have to let that go."

Ex-Atlanta Hawks forward Chandler Parsons says he's still trying to rebound from the serious injuries he suffered after getting hit by an alleged drunk driver in 2020 -- telling TMZ Sports his recovery process has been "intense."

The 33-year-old NBA player was in his 2017 Rolls-Royce when he was struck by another vehicle on Jan. 15, 2020.

Parsons was seriously hurt in the wreck -- his attorneys say he had a brain injury, disc herniation and a torn labrum -- and the hooper hasn't been on an NBA roster since.

So, when we got Parsons out in L.A. earlier this week -- almost two years since the accident -- we had to ask if he's trying to make an NBA comeback.

"We'll see," Parsons said. "Working out, staying in shape, but trying to still recover from the car crash last year, so we'll see."

Parsons says the recovery process has been hard ... adding, "Still kind of managing everything but still trying to work out."

While the rehab has clearly been a grind ... he's still gotten some great news through it all -- 'cause he and his fiancee, Haylee Harrison, just had a baby!

And, Parsons also shared an update on the couple's upcoming nuptials -- telling us his wedding is set to go down next October in Mexico.

The Boston Celtics and the NBA continue to honor the late Terrence Clarke -- this time, with a brand new basketball gym at a community center featuring his name.

The newly renovated gym will be at the Boston Centers for Youth & Families Vine Street ... which is where Clarke grew up playing basketball.

It's an amazing tribute ... featuring the former Kentucky guard's initials and #5 jersey in a blue heart at center court and an honorary banner.

It also has a quote from Clarke on the sideline -- saying,  "I want to be that guy for everyone in the city."

There's also a Terrence Clarke memorial inside the entrance with a wall mural and a locker.

The Clarke family -- plus Celtics players, personnel, New Balance and BCYF -- will unveil the TC gym on Nov. 21.

As we previously reported, the 19-year-old baller was killed in a car crash in Los Angeles on April 22 -- just months before the 2021 NBA Draft.

Clarke -- who averaged 9.6 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds at UK -- was projected to be drafted.

The NBA paid tribute to Clarke by making him an honorary pick at the Barclays Center during the draft ... with commissioner Adam Silver saying, "His extraordinary talent, commitment and dedication to the game deserved to be recognized on this stage."

L.A. Clippers' Brandon Boston Jr. -- who was there when the fatal crash happened -- paid tribute to his Kentucky teammate by tatting a portrait of Clarke on his leg.

THIS IS AWESOME, BABY!!!

Dick Vitale just announced he's returning to the broadcast booth next week after doctors gave him the green light to call college basketball games again between his chemotherapy treatments.

Vitale is slated to provide color commentary for the huge UCLA vs. Gonzaga game on Nov. 23 in Las Vegas ... and in an emotional video that he posted on Friday, he said he's PUMPED for the night.

"I'm on cloud nine right now," the 82-year-old said ... "I can't wait. Tuesday night, I will do my first game, and what a game to do! No. 1 Gonzaga versus No. 2 UCLA."

"There's nothing that will be better medicine than sitting at courtside, meeting all my buddies down there, having a blast."

As we previously reported, the legendary broadcaster was diagnosed with lymphoma in October -- just months after surviving a battle with melanoma.

Dickie V said part of his treatments to beat the disease would be six months of chemo -- and he had hoped he could call games during the treatments.

Now that Vitale -- who just had a chemo treatment earlier this week -- is able to do that, he said it's provided him a big boost.

"It's going to be special, special for me," Vitale said. "The best medicine that I could receive."

Vitale -- who's been calling games since the 1970s -- also thanked his family, friends, coworkers and fans for sending prayers and giving him strength.

Memphis hoops coach Penny Hardaway says he's devastated by Young Dolph's murder -- explaining in an emotional video message Thursday he's hurting badly over the rapper's death.

"A guy that came from Memphis, 901 born, in the city all the time, giving back to his community," Hardaway said ... "to get murdered like that, it just doesn't sit well with me, man."

Dolph was killed inside of a local cookie shop in Memphis on Wednesday ... just minutes before he was set to give away Thanksgiving dinners in his old neighborhood.

Hardaway -- who was born in Memphis and has coached men's basketball at the university since 2018 -- is clearly angered by it all ... and flat-out floored this could happen in his hometown.

"We have to do better," Hardaway said. "This is a guy that was coming back to give back to his community."

"I just don't get it," he continued. "My condolences, my prayers, but we just as a people just have to do better."

No word yet on if Hardaway's program is planning to honor the slain 36-year-old at an upcoming game -- we've reached out to the school for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Tristan Thompson went OFF after losing to the Timberwolves on Wednesday ... unleashing a passionate rant in which he said, "I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me!"

The Kings' big man unloaded in the postgame press conference following the 107-97 defeat ... after a reporter had asked if the team needs more inspiration from Luke Walton and the Sacramento staff.

"No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire them, point blank period," a visibly pissed-off Thompson said. "You can put that in all capitals."

"No one should ever need a coach to inspire you."

Thompson then started cussin' -- saying, "I'm not with that s***. My teammates aren't with it."

"This is not no frickin' 'Glory Road' s***," he continued. "No, you gotta be ready to play. Your number is called -- you in the damn game -- I don't need no f***ing coach to inspire me."

"Never that. Never have. Never will. The day I need a coach to inspire me, is the day I'm f***ing retiring. I'ma go play with my kids in the park."

It's not hard to see why Tristan was so frustrated ... the Kings had entered last night's game losers of 4 of their last 5 games -- and are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference.

It's been six years since Kanye West dropped his famous "Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman" lyrics -- but the rapper says it STILL has Michael Jordan furious with him.

Ye made the revelation on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs" this month ... saying MJ had big beef with him after he released "Facts" in 2015 -- and is still holding a grudge over it all.

"Jordan still won't meet with me," Kanye said. "I'm trying to meet with Michael Jordan. I'm like, 'Man! It's a song, man!'"

Ye's '15 hit is filled with Swoosh disses -- West raps over and over again in the song, "Yeezy, Yeezy, Yeezy just jumped over Jumpman." -- and, of course, Jordan took exception to it.

West, though, tried to apologize to His Airness in 2016 ... writing in a tweet that it wasn't meant at all as a shot at MJ -- but rather a top Nike exec Mark Parker, who Kanye had issues with stemming from their previous collabs.

"I'm sorry Michael Jordan," Ye wrote in the tweet. "I love and respect you. My beef was with Mark Parker. I respect you so much."

Kanye, though, says the apology still hasn't been accepted all these years later.

"Michael Jordan said this thing like, 'Why y'all acting like Virgil made me hot? These shoes is hot!'" West said. "This is from somebody that met with Michael Jordan that used to work with me."

West, who clearly wants to repair things with the NBA legend, still continued to take shots at Nike nonetheless ... saying, "Nike really ain't had s*** since the Yeezys."

The Staples Center's name change will NOT erase the history Kobe Bryant made inside the building ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports fans will get over the big switch once the Lakers build a statue honoring the Black Mamba.

The iconic venue will officially be referred to as Crypto.com Arena starting Christmas Day ... as part of an insane $700 million deal.

While it's good news for the team (that's a LOT of money), some fans are livid with the move ... especially because Staples is often referred to as "The House That Kobe Built."

We spoke with the "Inside The NBA" analyst about the switch ... and he thinks Laker Nation will forget all about the gripe once Kobe gets honored outside the venue -- no matter what it's called.

"The statue outside with Kobe in front, that’ll settle everything down," The Jet told us Wednesday. "Still, the name of the arena always changes, but what happens inside of it never changes."

Of course, Kobe is the first Laker to have two jerseys retired in the organization ... with both #8 and #24 hanging in the rafters.

The debate over the NBA's anniversary team rages on ... this time Tracy McGrady has big beef with the list -- saying he believes it's insane that Anthony Davis made the squad over Dwight Howard.

“You're trying to tell me if Anthony Davis was to retire right now he has a better career than Dwight Howard?!" McGrady said this week. "No way."

The former NBA superstar went in on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team to Sports Illustrated ... saying Howard's exclusion from the list is a straight-up "travesty."

"Dwight Howard deserves to be on that list," McGrady said. "For eight straight years that kid was extremely dominant. And I just can't believe some of the guys they have on the list."

The former Magic and Rockets great -- who also did not make the list -- made it clear that he wasn't shading AD with his comments ... saying he means "no disrespect" to the Lakers star.

But, he did add, "Before [Davis] got to LeBron James and won that Championship with the Lakers, I mean ..."

The league revealed their highly controversial list at the beginning of this season ... and some of the snubs had players like Howard and Klay Thompson furious.

Howard claimed he was kept off due to politics ... while Thompson questioned if he was naive to think he's earned his spot.

Mike Krzyzewski is clearly upset over his grandson's weekend arrest ... 'cause the Duke coach told reporters Tuesday he considers it a "violation of our standards."

The 74-year-old -- who's in his final season as the Blue Devils' head man -- spoke for the first time publicly about Michael Savarino's Sunday arrest ... and he promised he and his team will "handle that."

Unclear what any sort of punishment will be -- but it should be noted, Savarino, who's been playing for Coach K since 2019, was not spotted at Duke's game Tuesday against Gardner-Webb.

"We're already handling it," the coach said after beating Gardner-Webb, 92-52. "But, it's a violation of our standards. That's it."

As we previously reported, Savarino was arrested after cops say he showed signs of impairment during a routine traffic stop Sunday at around 1:10 a.m.

Authorities say the 20-year-old blew a .08 while in custody ... and was ultimately hit with three charges, including DWI.

His passenger, Duke star Paolo Banchero, was also hit with an aiding and abetting charge over the incident ... but unlike Savarino, Coach K allowed Banchero to start Tuesday.

The freshman forward played 26 minutes in the win, scoring 10 points.

"It's two different situations," Coach K said of why he started Banchero but sidelined Savarino. "Two entirely different situations. Headlines might make it look like it's the same -- it's not."

Krzyzewski added, "The decisions we made are in conjunction with our authorities -- our superiors. We're taking action. We took action and we will continue to take action."

Staples Center is no more ... the iconic building that the Lakers and Clippers have called home since 1999 is getting a new name -- Crypto.com Arena.

Officials announced the stunning name change Tuesday night ... explaining the rebrand will take effect on Christmas Day next month.

The new name will stick for the next 20 years as part of the new agreement, officials say ... and the new deal will all reportedly cost the cryptocurrency app around $700 MILLION.

Of course, the announcement was hardly met with joy from L.A. fans -- as the building has only been known as Staples Center for YEARS to Kings, Sparks, Lakers and Clippers fans.

Still, officials were pumped over the move nonetheless ... sending out a mock of how the new signage will look on the top of the building in 2022.

In the announcement of the new deal, officials also promised "large-scale, premium branding and signage throughout the interior and exterior" of the new Crypto.com Arena.

Mike Krzyzewski's grandson -- a member of the Duke U basketball team -- was busted for DWI early Sunday morning ... along with his future NBA star teammate, Paolo Banchero, who was also cited for aiding and abetting.

TMZ Sports has confirmed that 20-year-old Michael Savarino was pulled over by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol around 1:10 AM in Orange County, NC ... after cops say he blew a stop sign.

During the traffic stop, police say Savarino -- whose mom is Coach K's oldest daughter -- showed signs of impairment ... so he was arrested.

While in custody, Savarino blew a .08 BAC, cops say.

Savarino was ultimately charged with Driving While Intoxicated and released. He also received a ticket for failing to stop at the stop sign.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Banchero -- a projected top 5 pick in next year's NBA Draft -- was a passenger in the car.

He was cited for Aiding and Abetting DWI.

It's unclear what exactly cops allege Paolo did to aid and abet.

Coach K -- coaching his last season at Duke before retiring -- addressed the incident involving his grandson and star player.

"We are reviewing a legal matter involving two members of the men's basketball team, Any further actions as a result of this situation will ultimately be determined by the Vice President/Director of Athletics and University officials."

Both men were scheduled to play in #7 ranked Duke's game Tuesday night against Gardner-Webb at Cameron Indoor ... but their status is now unclear.

A topless Iman Shumpert lifted his partner over his head AND shouted out LeBron James in his "Dancing With The Stars" routine Monday -- and it was epic!!

The former Knicks star -- who became the first ex-NBA player to advance to the finals of "DWTS" this week -- pulled it all off during his jazz dance with Daniella Karagach.

The two grooved to Kanye West's "Dark Fantasy" ... opening up the performance with Shumpert hoisting Karagach over his head before walking her down the stairs and onto the stage.

The duo put on quite the show ... and then Shumpert broke out LBJ's signature "Silencer" celebration.

Check out the clip, you can see Shump -- who won a championship with LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2016 -- pushed his hands down violently, like James does, before beating his chest in classic LBJ-fashion.

The two scored a 38 out of 40 for the work ... and are now set to compete for the Mirrorball trophy with three other couples next week.

Amazing news from Asia Durr -- the New York Liberty guard just announced that she got the green light to return to the court ... after missing two WNBA seasons due to COVID-related symptoms.

"I have been cleared to play basketball! Yeaaah! Let's go!!!" Durr said on her IG live on Monday.

Remember, Durr -- the #2 overall pick in the 2019 draft -- was diagnosed with COVID in June 2020 ... and was sidelined for the entire 2020 season.

And, she had serious health issues ... saying on HBO's "Real Sports" earlier this year she lost 32 pounds and major lung problems due to the virus.

The symptoms didn't go away and the 24-year-old also missed the entire 2021 season ... but after an extensive amount of testing, AD is officially good to go for 2022.

"I will be training every single day to play next year. I'm officially cleared to work out," Durr said.

"Man I remember when I was so sick, bro. I remember praying and asking God for this day like 'God, if I can just see one more if I can play again'. Literally."

Her prayers were answered ... and AD gives big credit to her family and fiancée, Ashley, for helping her get through it all -- getting tears in her eyes as she thanked them.

"God has really blessed me with a strong support system. I feel like if I didn't have them, I don't know where I would have been. I'm getting choked up talking about it, for real."

Several WNBA stars like Sabrina Ionescu congratulated Durr on her recovery -- as well as NBA star Donovan Mitchell, saying "YESSSSIRRRRRRR"

Durr was drafted by the NY Liberty in 2019 after four seasons with the Louisville Cardinals, where she was a 2-time ACC Player of the Year.

In the 2019 season, she averaged 9.7 points per game with a 46% shooting percentage.

Enes Kanter has a strong message for President Joe Biden -- ahead of POTUS' scheduled virtual summit with Chinese prez Xi Jinping -- do what you promised and "Prioritize Human Rights".

Joe and Xi will take part in a 2-day online summit, starting today. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders will discuss relations between the countries, but added Biden won't avoid difficult topics.

"Throughout, President Biden will make clear U.S. intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns with the PRC," Psaki said.

But, the 29-year-old Boston Celtics center -- a 12-year NBA vet -- isn't so sure that'll actually be the case.

"@potus Stop playing games with bullies & do what you promised to the world! Prioritize Human Rights!" Kanter wrote on social media.

"Will Joe Biden ask about Uyghur Genocide or assault on Tibetans in Hong Kong?", continuing ... "Or will they pat each other on the back?"

It's interesting ... talking about China in an unfavorable way has become a third-rail issue for the NBA.

Daryl Morey, then Houston Rockets GM, was forced to apologize in 2019 after he tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong. Even after saying sorry, Morey -- who now works for the 76ers -- is on China's bad side. The country doesn't feature Philadelphia's games or highlights for its 1.4 billion citizens.

But, Enes -- who has long been outspoken about human rights issues across the world -- clearly isn't intimidated.

Kanter specifically pointed to the Uyghur population in China ... a group of over 1 million mostly Muslims who have been kept in "re-education camps," according to the BBC.

He also raised human rights issues facing Tibetans.