Basketball

San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich left a local restaurant in an ambulance Tuesday night ... after officials say they received a call for an elderly person who had "fainted" while eating dinner, TMZ Sports has learned.

We've obtained video of the 76-year-old on a stretcher as he was placed into the back of an emergency vehicle outside a San Antonio steakhouse around 8:20 PM.

Our sources tell us Popovich appeared to still be dealing with the effects of the mild stroke he suffered in early November while at the establishment ... and was there for close to two hours before suffering the medical emergency.

The woman who designed Kiki Iriafen's stunning WNBA draft night dress has seen her pockets grow a little fatter since the ex-USC star rocked the look ... with TMZ Sports learning her business is now surging!

The mind behind the amazing 'fit is Nneka C. Alexander ... and when we spoke with her in the days after Iriafen's gold-and-bronze get-up went viral, she said her DMs have been going crazy.

She told us people have been hitting her up seeking some custom pieces -- similar to the one Iriafen rocked on Monday.

Seems JuJu Watkins' coach doesn't have much worry her star player will be back to her normal self soon -- Lindsay Gottlieb tells TMZ Sports the 19-year-old is "doing great" in her rehab ... and attacking things with a laser focus.

Watkins, of course, tore her ACL on March 24 in an NCAA tournament game ... but Gottlieb told us out at LAX this week she's showing plenty of signs that she's going to be all right.

"She's doing great," the Trojans sideline manager said. "She's doing great. She's in focus mode, rehab mode."

Karmelo Anthony has not withdrawn funds from his nearly $450,000 GiveSendGo fundraiser ... even after he walked free from the slammer on a $250K bond Monday.

Jacob Wells, cofounder of the popular crowdsourcing platform, tells TMZ no funds have been distributed, as the company receives "clarity from the campaign recipient on use of funds so that the people that have given can be confident in how their donation is being used."

The revelation comes while folks question how Anthony satisfied his $250,000 bond -- which a judge reduced from $1 million -- and how his family is covering his legal costs as the 17-year-old faces a first-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf at their Frisco, Texas track meet earlier this month ... all while allegedly living in a $900,000 rental home.

LaVar Ball was keeping tabs on his son's rapid rise in the rap game despite his recent serious health issues ... 'cause the famous pops had a special FaceTime with Gelo from his hospital bed in between multiple surgeries that led to the Big Ballers' foot being amputated.

TMZ Sports broke the story earlier this year -- LaVar had his right foot amputated after complications from an infection ... and in a video of his chat with his middle son, it's clear his love and pride for his family helped him during the rough time.

The 57-year-old shared the video with us ... which shows Gelo excitedly telling his dad about all the updates with his music career, including landing a set at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles.

The Paige Bueckers effect is already taking over Dallas ... 'cause ticket sales and prices have seen a major spike since the Wings took the UConn star with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

Bueckers -- who won the 2025 NCAA championship with the Huskies -- was the first name called in Monday night's event ... which was quite the no-brainer for the organization.

Ever since Paige walked the stage, platforms have been overwhelmed with Wings fans trying to get their hands on game tickets ... including SeatGeek, which told us the sales are up 11x compared to five days before the draft.

Hailey Van Lith had a lot to celebrate at the WNBA Draft -- not only was she the 11th name called Monday night ... but she also sealed it with a kiss from her NBA boyfriend, Jalen Suggs!!

The sweet moment happened after the former college basketball guard was selected by the Chicago Sky ... a move that reunited her with former LSU teammate Angel Reese.

Van Lith -- who stunned in a sleek, black dress -- was all smiles after the pick ... and hugged her parents before taking the stage to shake hands with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Paige Bueckers is taking her talents to Big D! The UConn superstar and NCAA champ was just selected with the number one overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Choosing the UConn Huskies star with the first pick was a no-brainer for the Dallas Wings ... as she was widely considered the best player in the entire '25 class -- just what Dallas needs after a horrible 9-31 season.

The 6-foot guard averaged 19.8 points and 4.6 assists per game in four seasons at the Connecticut school. She also helped the Huskies win their 12th NCAA championship title earlier this month.

Finally, something positive for Dallas Mavericks fans ... Kyrie Irving is droppin' new KAI 2 kicks featuring the team's colorway as a tribute to the franchise!

Irving -- who was traded to the Mavericks in 2023 -- and the brand ANTA unveiled the latest sneakers this week, featuring colors that honor his home, Dallas ... a city he's come to love.

The KAI signature kicks come in Mavs' blue and white -- symbolizing unity and loyalty that Kyrie says define him and the city -- along with a spiral design inspired by Dallas' Thanksgiving Square.

Mike Budenholzer is out in Phoenix ... the Suns have axed their head coach after just one disappointing season at the helm.

Shams Charania broke the news Monday morning ... a day after reports indicated the organization was going to take the drastic step of firing their coach.

Budenholzer signed a 5-year deal worth $50 million last offseason ... and expectations were high with MB on the bench. but the org. was clearly in no mood to be patient.

LSU hoops star Aneesah Morrow is ready to make an instant impact in the WNBA ... telling TMZ Sports she's ready to grab boards and play lockdown D -- no matter where she's drafted!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 22-year-old forward from a Raising Cane's restaurant in NYC ... when we asked her to provide a self-scouting report -- as we're just days away from the WNBA Draft, going down from the Big Apple on April 14.

"Somebody that's gonna come in and work hard every day. I'm going to work hard to get on the boards, be able to rebound, and defend," Morrow told us.

The last home game of the Los Angeles Lakers regular season brought out some Hollywood elite -- including one star who couldn't help show but show off her long legs.

The Lakers played the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena Thursday night ... and, several bold-faced names came out to see the purple and gold.

Bruce Springsteen sat courtside ... jeans and a brown coat on -- chatting with a couple of his seatmates.

The Chicago Bulls already clinched a spot in the NBA's Play-In tournament, so their final home game tonight against the Wizards doesn’t mean much for the team ... but for one longtime fan, it'll be the most meaningful game in Bulls history.

95-year-old Ida has been a Bulls fan going back decades ... but has never made it out to a game in person. Well, Friday’s fan appreciation night in Chi-Town, and the Bulls had a big surprise for their ride-or-die supporter -- tickets to her first-ever game!

The Bulls posted video of Ida’s reaction to the news … and grab your tissues folks, because it’s an emotional one!

Ja Morant is making it clear that his grenade-style celebration is here to stay ... telling reporters he has no plans on scrapping it -- before once again breaking it out on Thursday!

Morant addressed his new explosive celebration during a team shootaround on Thursday, making it known that we shouldn't expect him to retire the grenade throw until someone says something to him.

"That's my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I'll find another one," he told local reporters.

Life can be hard as an NBA rookie ... a lesson 22-year-old Bobi Klintman learned the hard way -- after his Pistons teammates FILLED HIS CAR WITH POPCORN!!!

The night started out swell for Klintman ... his squad earned a big win over the New York Knicks in Detroit. But, things were about to take a turn.

As the 2nd round pick made his way to the players' parking lot at Little Caesars Arena, Jalen Duren began filming (the first clue something was up). When Klintman got to his matte Mercedes Benz SUV and opened his passenger side door, popcorn spilled out EVERYWHERE.

Hours after Luka Doncic's emotional return to Dallas ... he was still in the city while his team was already back in Los Angeles -- attending a local meet and greet with fans instead of jetting back with the team.

Doncic swung by a local Dicks store on Thursday to promote his newly released Jordan Brand sneakers. The 26-year-old did it all ...  signed autographs, talked with some local kids and even checked some lucky patrons out at the register.

It marked the first time Doncic was back in Big D, the city he called home for nearly seven years, until Nico Harrison and co. traded him to L.A. in one of the most shocking moves in NBA history.