Basketball

It ain't Sheryl Swoopes or Maya Moore ... no, the WNBA's G.O.A.T. is Diana Taurasi -- at least, that's according to former UConn guard Jen Rizzotti.

The Huskies hooper -- who's currently the president of the Connecticut Sun -- gave Taurasi the crown this week ... just days after the Phoenix Mercury star announced her WNBA retirement.

"She's the ultimate winner," Rizzotti told TMZ Sports, "and she's proven that she can win championships no matter what jersey she has on."

A Lakers fan walked out of L.A.'s big win Thursday night $100,000 richer after nailing a half-court shot during a break in the action ... and he tells TMZ Sports he plans to use the earnings to help recover some cash from his wedding!!

We caught up with lifelong Purple and Gold supporter Mike Ball after his whirlwind 24 hours ... and he told us all about the highlight from his POV.

Bell admitted he blacked out after the ball went through the net ... but luckily, there was plenty of footage to capture the moment.

While he didn't want to disrupt the players huddled up while it went down, he said he was able to celebrate with some of the big-name celebrities courtside for the contest against the Knicks.

7:07 AM PT -- Stephen A. Smith just revealed the pregame squabble with LeBron James stemmed from previous comments the ESPN hoops analyst had made about Bronny James.

Stephen A. said the Lakers superstar was furious over "what he thought he had heard" him say about his eldest son on his "First Take" show ... and he explained The King's language was so vulgar, he couldn't repeat it on national airwaves.

Stephen A. made it clear he wished LeBron had talked to him about the issue in a more private setting ... though he added he understands where 'Bron was coming from as a father.

Things are gonna be pretty awkward at the ESPN office holiday party next year ... 'cause Charles Barkley went off on the network and future coworker Kendrick Perkins in a passionate rant on Thursday's "Inside the NBA" -- calling the ex-NBAer a "fool" and an "idiot."

The Chuckster unloaded on Perk and the network as a whole ... claiming they're putting way too much focus on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors this season -- when they SHOULD be talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Barkley set his sights on Perkins initially while talking with Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith ... before opening fire on the same company that will house his beloved show next year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to make a fan-favorite phrase their own ahead of the NBA playoffs -- the team submitted paperwork to trademark the term "Cavalanche."

According to the USPTO, the filing was made on Wednesday ... the same day the team beat the Miami Heat to became the first in the Association to punch a ticket to the playoffs this season.

The filing stated it would be used for clothing items -- most likely once the NBA postseason kicks off in a few weeks -- but no additional details were provided.

Eli Manning ain't just a GOAT killer on the gridiron ... he's apparently one on the hardwood too -- as he just eviscerated Caitlin Clark in a game of mini-hoops.

The New York Giants legend -- who famously beat Tom Brady in two Super Bowls -- took on the WNBA superstar in a game of Pop-A-Shot to kick off his most recent episode of "The Eli Manning Show" ... and check it out, Peyton's little bro dominated.

Eli sank basket after basket -- and ended up winning the contest, 76-51.

Jared Goff and Christen Harper spent one of their final baby-less days taking in some ball -- they hit the Intuit Dome Wednesday night for the Clippers vs. Pistons matchup -- and the former L.A. Rams star made it clear his allegiances are firmly with Detroit.

Goff sported a Tigers ballcap for date night with his pregnant wife ... and even though the two were clearly rooting against the home squad, the Lions quarterback sure felt big love inside Steve Ballmer's new building.

Fans begged him for autographs ... and, at one point, he got to go onto the court to snap some pics with Pistons legends Rip Hamilton and Jalen Rose.

A true piece of basketball history is about to hit the auction block!

Michael Jordan AND Kobe Bryant's first game-worn NBA jerseys will soon be available to bidders at Sotheby's ... with experts estimating the two tops could combined fetch up to $20 million!

TMZ Sports has learned that Jordan's Bulls jersey is from his NBA preseason debut on October 5, 1984 ... where His Airness dropped 16 points at the Peoria Civic Center in Illinois.

Barack Obama took in a Clippers game Wednesday night in Los Angeles, without his better half by his side.

The former prez was seated courtside with L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his spouse, Connie Snyder, but Barack's famous wife -- Michelle -- was nowhere to be found.

Still, Barack had a good ol' time watching the Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 123-115 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

LeBron James made the buckets, but it's a lucky fan who will reap the reward ... 'cause Topps has created a 1-of-1 trading card, complete with the NBA legend's autograph, and a piece of his arm sleeve from the historic game!

The collectible company showed off the rare piece in a tweet on Wednesday -- hours after Bron surpassed the mind-blowing milestone -- a card that contains James' John Hancock and part of his white Nike shooting sleeve.

LeBron also inscribed "50K Points" under his signature.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and a bevy of other A-listers pulled up to the Lakers game Tuesday night and were treated to history ... as LeBron James became the first-ever NBA player to score 50,000 points right before their eyes!!

The milestone was reached in the first quarter of the Lakers' 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena ... when James hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Luka Doncic.

DiCaprio, Maguire, Orlando Bloom and Floyd Mayweather were all just feet away from the shot ... glued to the action in their courtside seats.

Jennifer Hudson was nearly drilled by a stray basketball at the Knicks game Tuesday night -- and while Common did his best to save the day ... she still appeared to end up with quite the ouchie.

The singer/actress cruised to Madison Square Garden with her boyfriend to catch New York's tilt with Steph Curry and the Warriors ... but unfortunately for the two, they got a little too close to the action in the tilt's second quarter.

Miles McBride attempted to steal a basketball right in front of the courtside couple -- but instead of corralling it, he knocked it right near Hudson's noggin.

LiAngelo Ball's building quite the roster of big-name rap collabs ... first Lil Wayne, now GloRilla!!

Gelo's brother, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo, gave fans a sneak peek of the middle Ball's upcoming music video on his Instagram story on Tuesday ... which shows Glo -- one of the hottest female rappers out right now -- on camera with the "Tweaker" artist.

This will be Gelo's second single since his debut song ... which reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reportedly generated almost $640k.

1:22 PM PT -- Kyrie Irving just went live on Instagram to address the bad news ... saying while it's not the outcome he would have hoped for, he's fully committed to recovering and getting back on the court.

Uncle Drew seemed to be in good spirits as he showed off propped-up leg in a compression wrap ... and thanked his fans for their support following the ailment.

Their teams might be on the opposite ends of the wildest trade of the season, but LeBron James and Luka Doncic are sending positive vibes Kyrie Irving's way ... after the Mavericks star suffered a torn ACL during Monday's game.

The heartbreaking moment went down with under three minutes left in the first quarter of the Mavs' contest against the Kings. As Irving drove to the hoop, his knee buckled and he fell to the ground in pain.

Even with Kyrie struggling to put weight on his left leg, the 36-year-old knocked down two free throws before exiting the matchup ... which the team called a "left knee sprain."

It was later revealed on Tuesday his season was over after tearing his ACL.

Angel Reese doused Kevin Durant dating rumors back in September ... but the NBA superstar might have just reignited them with a sly pregame comment over the weekend.

In the leadup to the Phoenix vs. Minnesota game in Arizona on Sunday, Suns players were asked to shout out their favorite female athlete of all-time to honor the start of Women's Empowerment Month.

Most of the guys went the chalk route -- choosing legends like Diana Taurasi and Serena Williams. Others showed love to their college's alumni ... while Grayson Allen picked his wife, former pro soccer player Morgan Reid Allen.

The hits keep coming for Dallas Mavericks fans ... just a couple weeks after the org. shockingly traded away superstar Luka Doncic, it revealed its now jacking up its ticket prices too.

The Mavs said in a statement Monday because of "ongoing investments in the team and fan engagement" ... they're raising prices for 2025-26 season tickets by about 8.5 percent.

The team insisted fans will still be getting a deal if they purchase the tix instead of going to the secondary market -- claiming Mavs supporters can save up to 23 percent by locking in for the long haul.