Basketball

Time to start double-checking those X handles again ... NBA parody account NBACentel is back up and running after it went offline yesterday for unknown reasons.

The account announced its return Thursday morning in a post responding to Stephen A. Smith, who tweeted, "RIP Centel" -- with Centel sharing a clip of a man coming back to life.

Its return was met with tons of excitement, with tons of people leaving comments welcoming the parody profile back to the platform.

Kentucky narrowly avoided a road loss AND a flying beer can on Wednesday ... with Wildcats players getting targeted with a fan's trash following a nail-biting finish against Oklahoma.

It all went down after the No. 17 Wildcats ended the unranked Sooners' hopes at an upset by securing an 83-82 win ... with a bit of drama breaking out after the final buzzer.

Wildcats sophomore forward Brandon Garrison got in the face of Sooners freshman Jeremiah Fears ... which led to players and staffers from both sides to rush over. Luckily, the two were separated before the situation escalated further.

Luka Doncic knows how to get on his new fan base's good side -- he hooked up Laker Nation with free parking for L.A.'s big matchup with the Dallas Mavericks!!

The dope gesture from Doncic (and Jordan Brand) was revealed before the Slovenian hooper's "revenge" game on Tuesday ... which marked the first time he lined up against his former team.

Tons of spectators flocked to Crypto.com Arena for the tilt  ... and some who drove to the venue were met with a pleasant surprise -- "Free Parking. Courtesy of Luka Doncic."

Diana Taurasi -- widely regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players ever -- has decided she is retiring from the WNBA.

The Phoenix Mercury star broke the news with Time on Tuesday ... saying she has mentally and physically achieved her dreams during her 20-year WNBA career.

"That's probably the best way I can describe it," the 42-year-old said. "I'm full and I'm happy."

Ex-NBAer Patrick Beverley is being sued for chucking a basketball at a pair of Indiana Pacers fans during a playoff game last year ... with the spectators claiming the incident is still affecting their lives to this day.

Pat Bev -- who was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks at the time -- threw the ball into the Pacers crowd twice in the closing minutes of the May 2024 matchup ... a contest that ultimately ended his team's season.

Two women -- Jessica Simmons and Katie Lanciotti -- claim Beverley's actions were completely unprovoked ... and being hit by his tosses resulted in mental and physical pain -- including medical expenses.

LeBron and Bronny James are adamantly denying they did anything wrong ... after the superstar father-son duo were sued in late 2024 over an alleged car accident.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Bron and Bronny "deny each and every allegation contained in the complaint" ... which was filed by two women, April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen, in Los Angeles County on October 22, 2024.

The plaintiffs claim the James' were responsible for a November 13, 2022 automobile accident that resulted in injuries requiring medical attention.

The IU Indy men's basketball team bus erupted in flames on the way home from a road game on Sunday ... but luckily, everyone made it out unharmed.

The terrifying incident happened after the Jaguars' 71-67 loss to the Northern Kentucky Norse at the BB&T Arena.

As the team and coaches took the two-hour ride back to campus, the bus suddenly caught fire on the I-275 loop near Lawrenceburg.

Alex Rodriguez proved he's a baller on the baseball diamond and the hardwood ... 'cause he tossed up a shot Sunday from halfcourt and made it -- helping out one lucky student in the process.

The former Yankees third baseman was in attendance to watch Army take on Bucknell University Saturday afternoon in basketball ... and, during halftime he was invited to take a huge shot from the middle of the floor.

Check out the vid ... A-Rod -- clad in a bright orange Bucknell t-shirt -- tosses the ball up, hits the backboard and the ball goes straight through the hoop.

LeBron James just launched his own E1 Series powerboat racing team this year ... and one of his drivers believes the NBA superstar's involvement will attract a whole new audience to the up-and-coming sport.

The Los Angeles Lakers champ revealed his investment in the water sport on January 23rd ... announcing that the AlUla team will join Tom Brady, Will Smith, and others in the E1 all-electric powerboat racing series for the 2025 season.

His team includes two drivers -- Catie Munnings, who is also a rally driver, and Rusty Wyatt, who told us he's hyped to be a part of James' crew.

Luka Doncic was once the face of the franchise, but now the Dallas Mavericks refuse to even show his mug -- with the team editing the Slovenian hooper out of a hype video weeks after trading him to Los Angeles.

The Mavs dropped a new promo on Friday to seemingly get heartbroken and shocked Dallas backers to care about the team again ... but the big takeaway was the fact that any clips featuring Doncic included lazy editing -- like turning his body into a shadow and throwing a logo over his face for good measure.

While the plan might have been to get folks to focus on the players still on the squad, the effort had the opposite effect ... as fans quickly shared screenshots to call the team out.

LaVar Ball's clearly not down in the dumps over his medical situation ... in fact, he's already joking about it!!

The Big Baller Brand co-founder filmed a Cameo on Thursday for one of his biggest fans -- TikTok user "Primby" -- and in the message, he cracked a joke about his recent amputation surgery.

Ball said to the camera that he was aware everyone's "heard what happened" to his right foot ... but then he laughed off the matter.

JJ Redick couldn't help but sing LeBron James' praises after a 40-point performance ... to the point where he knew his admiration would come off as "glazing."

The Los Angeles Lakers coach spoke at length about King James' impressive outing in the Purple and Gold's 110-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday ... saying the 40-year-old simply isn't "normal" -- mentally or physically.

"I believe I saw the other day that he's a billionaire," Redick said. "And he's playing on the second night of a back-to-back at 40 after 22 years with every freakin' record and every accolade."

Donovan Mitchell lost his train of thought during his postgame interview on Thursday ... and it was all thanks to Darius Garland breaking out in song.

The hilarious interaction went down after the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a 110-97 road win over the Brooklyn Nets ... when Spida was trying to weigh in on Evan Mobley's impressive outing -- but Garland had other plans.

During Mitchell's response, Garland was heard in the background jamming to Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR's "Gimme A Hug" .... and it's clear it wasn't the first time he belted out the tune.

Ayesha Curry just made it clear that her relationship with Steph is always the top priority -- even when it comes to their kids -- as a healthy partnership sets the tone for a happy home.

The businesswoman and chef shared her mindset in a recent interview with PEOPLE ... when she discussed balancing her 13-year marriage to the Golden State Warriors star and being a mother to four young children.

"I think for us, our relationship always comes first," the 35-year-old said. "Then we're parents."

Ja Morant had more than $1 million worth of items taken from his home back in December ... with the Memphis Grizzlies superstar getting hit in the same burglary sting that affected Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow and more.

Local outlets report the 25-year-old guard was "Professional Athlete 6" named in the federal complaint that was unsealed earlier this week ... which stated valuables were jacked from the crib while Morant was at the FedExForum to play against the Golden State Warriors.

Morant had nine points that night ... with the Grizzlies beating the Dubs, 144-93.

Devastating blow for the San Antonio Spurs -- the team is expected to be without superstar big man Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season due to a blood clot in his shoulder.

The team announced the news just minutes ago ... saying 21-year-old Wemby was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

The Spurs added the condition was discovered after the French baller returned from All-Star Weekend in San Francisco ... after scoring six and 11 points in Team Chuck's two games in the four-team tournament.