Basketball

The Boston Celtics are off the market ... the 18-time NBA champions have been scooped up for a whopping $6.1 billion -- making it the largest sale for a sports franchise in North American history.

Bill Chisholm -- the managing partner at Symphony Technology Group -- was the man to submit the winning bid for the 2024 NBA champs. The $6.1 billion price tag surpasses the number previously set by Josh Harris when he purchased the Washington Commanders in 2023 for $6.05 billion.

The Celtics hit the market not long after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Their current owner -- 63-year-old Wyc Grousbeck -- announced plans to sell his stake for "estate and family planning considerations." Grousbeck intended to sell 51% of the team by late 2024 or early 2025, with the rest closing in 2028.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have kept a low profile since the Super Bowl thrashing, but there's a chance the superstar couple may soon reemerge at the World's Most Famous Arena to catch a Knicks game!

Trav and bro Jason chopped it up with Ben Stiller on this week's episode of "New Heights," with the actor telling the story of meeting Swift at a game a decade ago.

"I was there with my son," Stiller said. "We FaceTimed my daughter, who is a huge Swiftie. She's 23 now, we had the best time. She was incredible."

The biggest honor in entertainment means nothing to Ben Stiller -- at least in comparison to his beloved New York Knicks' success ... 'cause the actor said he'd rather have an NBA title than an Oscar!!

The comedy legend and "Severance" director admitted just how crazy he is about his basketball team on the latest episode of Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast ... when he admitted he'd be perfectly content with never getting a statuette in his trophy case -- as long as Larry O'Brien comes back to New York.

Stiller joked a Knicks title is a lot more likely ... so he's "definitely down" for it to play out like that.

Take notes, Common ... Warriors forward Kevon Looney just gave a masterclass on how to protect the oblivious from loose basketballs on NBA floors!!

Just days after the rapper failed to save Jennifer Hudson's noggin from a tipped pass at a Knicks game ... Looney showed everyone how it should be done while he was giving a pregame interview Tuesday night.

The Golden State big man was chatting with Kerith Burke at the Chase Center just ahead of his team's matchup with the Bucks ... when a ball came careening straight for the media member's head.

Gelo Ball's going from BBB to TNA -- the hooper-turned-rapper just released the visuals for his new track with GloRilla ... and it's chock-full of strippers.

The video for "Can You Please" is set in a strip club ... showing Gelo arriving at the joint in a Ferrari and rocking a jacket from his brother LaMelo's LaFrance clothing line.

The vid gets crazy from there ... with a bunch of women dancing on poles and twerking in front of Ball and his crew.

LaVar Ball is opening up on his recent amputation ... revealing this week complications with his diabetes were what caused him to lose a significant portion of his right leg.

LiAngelo, LaMelo and Lonzo's father broke down his medical situation with SLAM on Tuesday ... and explained his health began deteriorating in January.

He stated right around the time Gelo's hit single, "Tweaker," was going viral ... he got an infection on his foot "that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes."

Tracy Morgan's medical emergency Monday night all stemmed from some bad grub he had eaten earlier in the day.

The comedian said in an Instagram post Tuesday morning he projectile vomited all over the Madison Square Garden floor during the Knicks vs. Heat game because he was dealing with food poisoning.

It's unclear what he ingested to cause the ailment -- but Morgan fans can breathe a bit easier knowing the issue wasn't anything more sinister.

Angel Reese is takin' a jab at her WNBA salary ... joking (we think) about the paltry paycheck she receives compared to some other super high-paid athletes!

Here's the deal ... 22-year-old Reese played in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 hoops league (though she missed time with an injury), and her Rose BC team won the 'chip, with a 62-54 victory over Aliyah Boston's Vinyl team, securing a $50k bonus.

After securing the bag, Reese went to X and wrote, "50K NEED DATTTTT" ... prompting WNBA star Sydney Colston to respond with a joke, asking if she could hold some cash.

The college basketball world is busy looking for solutions after teams like West Virginia and Indiana were left out of the Big Dance in favor of North Carolina ... and Dan Dakich gave TMZ Sports his fix for the selection process -- let Las Vegas decide!!

Babcock spoke with Dakich, host of Outkick's "Don't @ Me," on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) after the Selection Sunday drama ... and he said the Tar Heels getting in over the Mountaineers and the Hoosiers is "shady."

"I have always thought that there has been nefarious things because it is adults, there's money involved," he said. "Anytime you get adults with money, there's an opportunity for stupidity and corruption."

Tennis star Mirra Andreeva credits LeBron James for being the motivation behind her recent success ... and now the King himself is weighing in on her back-to-back wins -- giving her high praise after her hard work paid off!!

The 17-year-old Russian athlete defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Indian Wells Open on Sunday ... and weeks before that, she won the Dubai Championship.

Before her most recent victory, Andreeva mentioned how she had listened to an old interview involving James that resonated with her.

"He was saying that even if you don't play 100% or even if you don't feel 100% physically, I'm gonna choose 100% mentally," Andreeva said.

Bubba Cunningham -- University of North Carolina athletic director and chairman of the NCAA selection committee -- is responding to backlash over the Tar Heels sneaking into March Madness after a tough 2025 season ... claiming he had nothing to do with it!!

Cunningham and the vice chair of the selection committee -- Keith Gill -- spoke with CBS Sports after the 2025 bracket came out ... and he said there was no funny business going on when UNC got its number called to go dancing ... despite a 22-13 record and an unimpressive resume overall.

"I was not in the room for any of that," Cunningham said.

Cameron Brink has seen all the memes about the L.A. Sparks holding tryouts for male practice players ... and she's praying to the basketball gods that whoever makes the final cut isn't a creepy horndog.

The WNBA team sparked uncomfortable reactions after announcing its plans to welcome dudes into its training facility to compete against its athletes during workouts ... with a bunch of guys joking about how they would handle one-on-one time with Brink, Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum on the court.

The former No. 2 overall pick explained the team previously brought in folks from USC for the job ... but now she has serious concerns about who will be walking in those doors.

The West Virginia men's basketball team was left out of the NCAA Tournament field, and the Mountaineers squad is "heartbroken" over the perceived snub, saying they're flat-out better than some teams who made the cut!

WVU, after finishing the season 19-13 (with a 10-10 record in the Big 12), hoped -- maybe even expected -- to hear their names called during the Selection Show on Sunday, but it didn't happen, and they're crushed.

"Heartbroken for @WVUhoops," AD Wren Baker said after the show. "I can’t comprehend this team being left out."

Things got heated between the USC men's basketball team and some University of Purdue fans at the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday ... and the conference tells TMZ Sports it's taking swift action to ensure it doesn't happen again.

The tense moment went down following the Trojans' 76-71 loss to the Boilermakers in the second round ... with cameras catching the team being restrained in the tunnel.

According to a Big Ten spokesperson, "There was a verbal exchange near the entrance to the tunnel between members of the Trojans staff and a handful of fans ticketed in courtside club seats who also had access to the area."

The Luka Doncic trade news blew up the internet ... and it apparently nearly broke Shams Charania's phone, too!!

ESPN's senior NBA insider joined "The Young Man and The Three" podcast this week and told the show's hosts, Kenny Beecham, Cam Johnson and Tommy Alter, that after he was first to report Dallas had jettisoned its superstar to Los Angeles -- his phone was "a mess."

"I had up to, like, 300 text messages," he said.

12:19 PM PT -- Take a deep breath, everybody -- Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer updated reporters on Flagg's status after the game ... saying he suffered a sprained ankle and X-rays came back negative.

10:32 AM PT -- Duke fans can exhale at least a little bit ... Cooper Flagg just walked gingerly back onto the floor to join his teammates on the bench.

While it seems unlikely he returns to action Thursday -- it's obviously a positive sign that he's now moving around under his own power.

Look away, Blue Devils fans ... Cooper Flagg just hurt his ankle -- and based on how he needed a wheelchair to maneuver around after suffering the injury, Duke faithful should be holding its collective breath.