Basketball

LaVar Ball -- the father of basketball stars Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball -- had his foot amputated after suffering a serious medical issue, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the Ball family patriarch underwent a recent procedure to have his right foot removed ... but despite it all, he is in great spirits and doing well.

LaVar made a name for himself with his grandiose plans for his sons -- he created the Big Baller Brand, which developed signature shoes for all three hoopers.

Mac McClung says he'd be perfectly content with never suiting up in the NBA dunk contest ever again ... but won't entirely slam the door on the possibility of another title defense -- telling TMZ Sports he's keeping his options open.

We caught up with the 26-year-old as he was working an honorary shift at Raising Cane's in Orlando on Wednesday ... and asked all about his future in the annual competition.

While he is at peace with his potential retirement from the event, he said it's been hard to ignore the outcry from fans hoping to see him run it back.

Vince Carter is the undisputed king of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest ... but there's one guy who believes he actually deserves the crown without ever winning the competition -- Aaron Gordon.

The Denver Nuggets forward was asked for his take on the contest's history during his appearance on "Run It Back" on FanDuel TV ... which comes on the heels of the league paying tribute to the 25th anniversary of Vinsanity's historic outing.

Gordon's incredible 2016 duel with Zach LaVine was also mentioned frequently ... and when Michelle Beadle asked where their showdown ranked among the best, he stated he felt it surpassed the 2000 competition.

Seven Chilean nationals believed to be behind the Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow burglaries have been charged ... and they're accused of taking more than $2 million in valuables from several big-name athletes' homes.

The feds unsealed a criminal complaint this week ... which names alleged South American theft group members Pablo Cartes, Ignacio Cartes, Bastian Freraut, Jordan Sanchez, Bastian Morales, Alexander Chavez and Sergio Cabello as defendants.

The members are charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property ... and face a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars.

Anthony Edwards doesn't care who you are -- he'll make damn sure you put respect on his name ... just ask Barack Obama!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar exuded all the confidence in the world when speaking with the former POTUS at the Team USA 50th Anniversary event in Las Vegas last summer ... when No. 44 chopped it up with several members of the 2024 Olympic squad.

Barry O started chatting with Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid about Ant's game ... saying, "He can hoop a little bit, huh??"

Kyle Kuzma and Winnie Harlow have taken their relationship to the next level -- they got engaged!!!

The Milwaukee Bucks forward proposed to the model in a romantic way ... revealing he popped the question with a poem while they were flying to Turks and Caicos for an All-Star Break getaway on February 13.

Harlow, 30, told VOGUE the last line of Kuz's poem read, "Will you be my wife?" ... and she, of course, accepted!!

Marcus Jordan is hoping to start on his dad's good side on his 62nd birthday ... wishing his pops a Happy Birthday weeks after dropping his name during the traffic stop that led to his DUI arrest.

The 34-year-old shared the shoutout on his Instagram Monday afternoon ... writing a simple "Happy Bday Dad" alongside some photos of His Airness' playing days.

Just three weeks ago, Marcus had a run-in with cops down in Florida after getting his car stuck on some train tracks. As they patted him down ... Marcus broke out the famous dad card -- telling cops he was the son of the six-time NBA champion.

Drake's not letting up on NBA star DeMar DeRozan ... a fan proved the beef is still going strong after seeing his jersey get tossed!!!

The Boy was performing during his first Sydney show of his "Anita Max Wynn" Australia tour Sunday when a DeRozan jersey was flung in his direction as he performed "Rich Flex."

After straightening out the wrinkles and realizing it was a DD jersey, Drake switched sports and spiked the shirt like a football straight off the stage!!!

LeBron James had a bunch of people pissed off during All-Star Weekend ... after the Lakers superstar backed out of Sunday's four-team tournament just hours before tip-off.

The four-time MVP and 21-time All-Star announced his status for the festivities two hours prior ... saying he was hoping to be able to go, but a nagging foot and ankle injury forced him to sit out the contest for the first time in his career.

With such short notice, the league wasn't able to fill Bron's spot with a fresh face ... which rubbed some people the wrong way.

The "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special wasn't about to come and go without a couple shots at Bronny James ... with the Lakers rookie's name getting dropped for laughs during the show.

The 20-year-old was targeted toward the beginning of "Weekend Update" ... with Michael Che uttering a wisecrack about bringing his own form of nepotism to the staple sketch.

"Me and Colin [Jost] are actually the longest serving 'Weekend Update' anchors," Che said. "I've done 'Weekend Update' for so long, next season I'm co-hosting with my son, Bronny."

The NBA's new All-Star Game format took a ton of heat on Sunday night ... including from Warriors superstar Draymond Green, who said on live TV the event straight up "sucks."

Adam Silver's new look for this year's midseason showcase featured a mini-tournament of four teams playing in three games -- instead of the traditional one-contest exhibition -- and from the jump, there weren't many who were happily vocal about the way it was going down.

Hoop heads clowned it all on X throughout the evening ... and when Green -- a four-time All-Star who was helping broadcast this year's iteration for TNT -- was asked for his thoughts, he held nothing back.

Natalia Bryant's not a little kid anymore ... she's a woman who might have a new beau -- 'cause she was spotted with a guy on Valentine's Day.

The daughter of Kobe Bryant -- who turned 22 just last month -- hit the Los Angeles streets for a fun Friday night with a good-looking dude ... leaving e. baldi --a popular Italian joint in Beverly Hills not to be confused with Rihanna's favorite eatery, Giorgio Baldi.

The two were photographed outside the restaurant ... talking and laughing -- with some light PDA happening too. Natalia's got her hand on her maybe friend, maybe something more's chest in at least one pic.

Tristan Thompson's bouncing back from his recent on-court scuffle with the Toronto Raptors ... announcing he's looking to the future off the hardwood -- with a new role in a massive artificial intelligence endeavor.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star was named the Chief Content Officer and Lead Advisor for TracyAI -- a new project involving Virtuals Protocol, a leader in the A.I. space.

TracyAI -- announced in San Francisco during this weekend's NBA All-Star Game festivities -- will provide new real-time analysis for sports broadcasts ... enhancing the way fans of the sport get to see and understand the game.

The Mavericks fan who got tossed from a game this week for a heated exchange with Mark Cuban tells TMZ Sports he feels like his rights were violated ... and he's now considering taking legal action.

The clash with Cubes went down on Monday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas ... after Chris Taylor decided to try to start an anti-Nico Harrison chant during the Mavs vs. Kings tilt.

As Taylor -- who was upset over the way the Dallas GM traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month -- began riling up a crowd around him ... Cuban got up from his courtside seat and told him to stop.

Shaquille O'Neal had a bit of potty mouth while live on "NBA on TNT" on Thursday night -- but he wasn't apologizing for it ... in fact, he defended it in hilarious fashion!!

The funny scene all unfolded as the Lakers legend, Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Charles Barkley were breaking down the first half action of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves tilt.

The guys were broadcasting from Northern California in anticipation of this weekend's All-Star festivities ... and after they did their customary "race to the board" -- which was a bit farther than usual due to the outdoor setup -- Shaq returned to his seat and let a cuss word fly.

Te'a Cooper hasn't logged minutes in a WNBA game in nearly four years ... but she tells TMZ Sports she's hopeful that all changes soon!

The former Los Angeles Sparks star is currently playing overseas for Tarbes Gespe Bigorre -- a pro team in the French Women's Basketball League -- and she tells us the goal of getting shots up over there is to one day return to the W.

Cooper, of course, played in the WNBA in the 2020 and 2021 seasons ... but left to take care of her hair business as well as to help raise her and Alvin Kamara's daughter, Stori.