Basketball

UConn star Azzi Fudd says she believes her Huskies got an assist from the Mamba and the Mambacita during their title tilt last weekend ... telling TMZ Sports she felt Kobe and Gianna Bryant "watching down on us" during the big game.

Some five years after the NBA legend and his daughter -- who was a massive UConn fan -- passed away in a tragic helicopter accident ... Fudd says she felt their presence as she and her teammates were taking down South Carolina in the national championship in San Antonio.

She told us it all became crystal clear to her when someone pointed out a few Bryant-related numbers in the matchup's box score.

It seems everyone wants to roll with the winners -- 'cause the UConn Huskies were spotted hanging out with none other than Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz after their national championship victory!!

Stars like Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Kaitlyn Chen commemorated the massive accomplishment in the best way they knew how -- a dinner at world-renowned Asian fusion restaurant Sei Less in Manhattan ... but the party got even more hype with Alicia and Swizz!!

The musical power couple rented out the whole joint to celebrate one year of Alicia's Broadway show, "Hell’s Kitchen" ... and from the looks of it, the UConn girls were more than happy to join in on the fun.

Travis Scott got some R&R before his highly anticipated Coachella set by catching the L.A. Clippers game on Wednesday -- and unlike past experiences, he had no issues with security this time.

Celebrities flocked to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood for the Clippers' home contest against the Houston Rockets ... including names like Floyd Mayweather, Draya Michele, Steve Ballmer and La Flame himself.

Scott -- a Rockets fan -- was courtside with his Cactus Jack artist Sheck Wes ... and while he had great seats for the outing, we take it he was also thinking about closing down the massive music festival on Saturday.

Luka Doncic's return to Dallas started with tears ... and ended with a win -- and a whole lot of points for the former Mavs superstar!!

The new Laker was back in Big D on Wednesday night for the first time since Nico Harrison and Co. jettisoned him to Los Angeles ... and while it was emotional, the 26-year-old showed what his old team was missing in a 112-97 rout.

The Mavericks played a special tribute to him before the game got underway -- and Doncic cried over the piece. He, though, quickly set his emotions aside and went out and eviscerated his former team.

Dallas Mavericks fans are still livid the team traded away their superstar, Luka Doncic ... and a group of fans are taking their displeasure to the streets -- 'cause TMZ Sports is told a billboard calling for general manager Nico Harrison's job is making its way around town before Wednesday's highly anticipated matchup with the Lakers.

Dallas Billboards -- in partnership with Southwest Mobile Advertising -- tells us an anonymous batch of donors reached out to them to commission the sign in opposition to the front office staffer and team owners, the Adelson/Dumont family.

The group told the companies they are "All for firing Nico and selling the team as a means of asking for accountability for the worst trade in the history of basketball."

Jaylen Brown just got something incredible to complement his Celtics championship ring ... a $250k chain with an emerald centerpiece right before his quest for another title!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Boston star wanted to get a special accessory to embody his  mantra, "The energy is about to shift," so he hit up Eric The Jeweler for the job.

Of course, there's a double meaning here ... as a green emerald symbolizes energy, while also a nod to his team's iconic colors. Eric, who has also worked with rapper Playboi Carti, executed the task to perfection.

The Dallas Mavericks want to show love for Luka Doncic ahead of his big return on Wednesday ... making shirts to share their appreciation for his time with the organization -- despite shipping him off to Los Angeles in a mind-boggling trade earlier this season.

The team revealed the fan giveaway hours before tipoff against the Lakers ... which read "Hvala za vse" -- Slovenian for "Thanks for everything."

The Mavs also plan to honor Luka with a tribute video at some point in the evening.

Nearly a month after he upchucked his dinner onto the floor at Madison Square Garden ... Tracy Morgan was back courtside watching his Knicks -- and this time, there were no stomach issues in sight.

The 56-year-old comedian pulled up to New York's Tuesday night tilt with the Boston Celtics for the first time since his now-infamous March 17 incident ... and his favorite team welcomed him back with open arms.

They showed him on the jumbotron, and fans roared with applause when they saw he was back. Morgan responded with some blown kisses and a "Go Knicks!" message.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells was stretchered off the court after a brutal fall during a dunk attempt in Tuesday night's game ... and while he suffered a broken wrist as a result of the tumble, he's fortunate it was not more serious.

The frightening incident happened during the second quarter of the Grizzlies' road matchup against the Charlotte Hornets ... when Wells -- averaging 10.4 points this season -- went up for a one-handed slam.

Once Wells was airborne, he took a hard foul from Hornets guard KJ Simpson ... causing him to plummet onto the Spectrum Center court and seemingly hitting his head in the process.

2:53 PM PT -- The NBA just announced it's rescinded the technical foul that sparked Tuesday night's drama.

Luka Doncic got the boot from an important Lakers game Tuesday night ... because an official with a quick whistle couldn't delineate fan trash talk from referee chirping.

The bizarre scene all unfolded in the fourth quarter of L.A.'s road tilt with Oklahoma City ... after Doncic hit a floater in the lane to give his team a 108-107 lead.

After making the basket, the 26-year-old turned toward the crowd and began mouthing off -- but a ref thought the chatter was aimed at him ... and Doncic -- who had been hit with a technical foul just a few minutes earlier for arguing a call -- was immediately ejected.

Ja Morant went to his weapon wheel for his latest celebration ... electing for a "grenade" instead of his go-to "gun" gesture in Tuesday night's game.

The Memphis Grizzlies star debuted the move against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center ... days after he was handed a $75,000 fine for pretending to unload a firearm on multiple occasions in competition, which the NBA publicly warned him to stop doing.

Morant apparently can't help but channel his inner "Call of Duty" as he goes to war on the court ... 'cause he mimicked the explosive-tossing stunt throughout the night -- acting like he was pulling a pin with his teeth and covering his ears.

Michael Malone is no longer the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, it was announced Tuesday.

The move is nothing short of shocking -- the Nuggets are a playoff team this season ... and could end up with as high as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

Just two seasons ago, Denver won the whole damn thing under Malone's leadership.

Ashton Hall became an internet sensation with his insane daily routines, but he elected to stay out way past his early bedtime on Monday ... thanks to his courtside seats at the Miami Heat game!!

Don't worry, though -- he still got up at the ass crack of dawn for his Tuesday morning workout.

Hall -- who recently went viral for his bizarre 4 AM exercise regimen -- was captured sitting with his feet on wood at the Kaseya Center in Miami for a contest against the Philadelphia 76ers ... and his fans were shocked to see him being a night owl.

College basketball star Hailey Van Lith is trading her jersey for some beachwear ... putting her athletic figure on display for her big debut with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit!!

The TCU hooper -- who was Big 12 Player of the Year this past season -- teamed up with the publication for a digital cover photoshoot at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas ... rocking several one and two-piece swimsuits as she posed for the cameras.

HVL spoke about the cool opportunity ... saying it's all about feeling comfortable in her own skin.

Gators fans stormed Florida streets on Monday night to celebrate the school's national championship ... causing mayhem on roadways near the university's campus for hours.

Check out some of the visuals from downtown Gainesville ... there was a sea of people who left their homes to party with fellow UF supporters after the men's basketball team beat Houston, 65-63, in San Antonio.

For the most part, the crowd seemed behaved ... although there were people seen climbing on light poles -- including a man with a lower leg injury.

Dan Hurley wishes he had his most recent postgame outburst back ... admitting he really could've used some help keeping his cool after falling in the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies coach shared his side of the now-viral incident on Monday's episode of the "Dan Patrick Show" ... hours before the title game between Houston and Florida -- the team UConn lost to in the second round.

During their almost 18-minute discussion, Hurley reflected on the f-bombs he directed to Baylor players about officiating ... which was sparked by a call he didn't agree with during the contest.