Basketball

Donald Trump may have just endorsed his successor ... 'cause he says Stephen A. Smith has all the necessary skills to be POTUS -- most especially, entertainment value.

The president gave a phone interview on NewsNation Wednesday night ... chatting with Bill O'Reilly, Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. -- when Bill asked him what he thought of Stephen taking a shot at the highest office in the land.

ICYMI ... last month, Smith blasted the Democratic Party and claimed he had "no choice" but to consider running for the job in 2028.

Alijah Arenas is out of the hospital just days after his serious Cybertruck crash ... and while it's fantastic news, the family says he is at the beginning of his recovery process.

TMZ Sports has obtained a statement from the Arenas and Govan families ... which states the 18-year-old USC commit is "now resting comfortably under close watch."

"While his journey to full recovery is just beginning, his spirit remains strong, and he is surrounded by love and support," the family said Wednesday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't beat the Pacers on Tuesday night, but he sure laid the smackdown on their team's best player's father afterward -- ripping Tyrese Haliburton's dad for his actions following Indiana's big win over Milwaukee.

Giannis and Haliburton's pops, John, got into it immediately after Indy took down the Bucks, 119-118, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tyrese had just hit the game-winner, and in order to celebrate, John raced onto the floor and waved a towel with his son's face on it in front of Giannis.

11:30 AM PT -- There's a happy ending to this story ... as TMZ Sports has learned Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has donated $5,000 to help restore the mural.

It's an incredible gesture ... as that is the total amount the fundraiser was hoping to rake in for the effort.

A tribute to the late Kobe and Gigi Bryant was defaced with graffiti ... with the mural becoming a canvas for an apparent beef between street artists.

The vandalism was spotted recently ... with a piece depicting the Lakers legend in uniform and kissing his young daughter on the cheek being covered in white paint and a graffiti tag.

In the top corner, where the original artist's name "Sloe Motions" appeared, it looks like someone scribbled out the tag and wrote "Keep running your mouth, p***y."

Kevin Love and his former teammate Tristan Thompson shared an emotional and powerful moment before Monday's Cavs-Heat playoff game, following the recent passing of Love's father, his "first Hero."

The touching scene went down before the Cavs' 138-83 blowout dub vs. the Heat at the Kaseya Center in Miami, when Love and Thompson -- who played together in The Land from 2014 to 2020 -- reunited on the court.

It was all caught on the broadcast ... showing Thompson hugging and comforting Love, who is mourning the death of his father, Stan, who passed away on Sunday.

Alijah Arenas' condition is improving to the point where he has been able to walk and talk after wrecking his Cybertruck last week ... but the 18-year-old still has a lengthy journey before getting back to 100%, according to the young hooper's loved ones.

A rep for the Arenas and Govan families tells TMZ Sports ... "Although Alijah has shown significant improvement following the traumatic experience, he still has a long road to full recovery due to severe smoke inhalation."

"He was able to walk on his own and speak with his mother, Laura Govan, and his father, Gilbert Arenas, by his side. Alijah remains hospitalized under close observation, with additional testing still underway. The families continue to ask for privacy and ongoing prayers during this critical time."

Damian Lillard's 2024-25 NBA season has come to a brutal end ... as the Milwaukee Bucks superstar will miss the rest of his team's playoff run after suffering a torn left Achilles.

The news broke Monday morning ... with ESPN saying an MRI revealed the extent of the ailment following the team's 129-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of their first-round matchup.

The injury occurred during the first quarter of the contest when Dame went to grab a rebound. After falling to the ground, he reached for the back of his ankle before getting up and being helped to the locker room.

Kevin Love shared the heartbreaking news of his dad's death with an emotional goodbye on Sunday ... saying he was "so proud to be" former NBA player Stan Love's son.

The 36-year-old Miami Heat forward -- who has spent time away from the team due to personal reasons -- said his dad "fought for a long time," and although it was painful to watch him "deteriorate" in his final days ... he still viewed him as his a "Giant," his "Protector," and his "first Hero."

"Your only wish was to be at home surrounded by your family when you took your dying breath," Kevin said. "That breath came. And now it’s time to rest."

Most Dallas fans still haven’t figured out what the heck Nico Harrison was thinking when he traded away franchise player Luka Doncic ... but one former Maverick seems to understand the move at least a little bit -- Brendan Haywood!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 2011 Mavs champ at LAX this week ... and asked him all about the transaction that sent shockwaves through the league back in February.

Haywood said he's looking at the entire picture ... telling us, "Defense wins championships, that’s what Nico's talking about."

Alijah Arenas' Cybertruck ended up wrapped around a tree in an L.A. suburb early Thursday morning -- and the cause is still a mystery -- but investigators do NOT believe alcohol or drugs were a factor.

TMZ Sports spoke with our law enforcement sources ... and we're told LAPD didn't observe any signs of intoxication at the scene, just moments after the 18-year-old 5-star recruit was pulled from his burning vehicle around 4:55 AM.

After Arenas was transported to a local hospital, cops followed up ... but the soon-to-be USC basketball star was already intubated (tube down his throat), so no blood draw was done.

Lisa Leslie is adding a few more assists to her stat sheet -- by surprising small businesses with $20,000 checks!!!

The WNBA legend made the special announcement in honor of Small Business Hero Day. Leslie, alongside Intuit QuickBooks and Intuit Mailchimp, presented three mom-and-pop shops with financial support at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

"It actually gives me great pride to be able to tell your stories," she said during the event. "It really warms our heart and inspires us."

Kate Hudson may know a thing or two on "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days," but do you have what it takes to win the switch-ups in these two pics?! You better grab a rag to dab your forehead, 'cuz Kate's heatin' up!

Earlier this week, Hudson hit up the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves game here in L.A., looking game-ready. Courtside and all, the actress-singer donned this ensemble, but it appears she was a smidge dehydrated.

Can you bag up the changes? You got this!

The serious car crash that sent 5-star hooper Alijah Arenas to the hospital with serious injuries was likely caused by excess speed, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

The Los Angeles Police Department was on the scene of the 5 AM crash, which occurred along a two-lane residential roadway in the Winnetka neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, in a 40 MPH zone.

18-year-old Alijah was alone in the Cybertruck -- owned by his father, ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas -- at the time of the accident ... which was a single-vehicle wreck.

Incredible update on Alijah Arenas -- the high school basketball star and USC commit is out of his coma and making strides in his recovery just 24 hours after his terrifying Cybertruck crash.

An Arenas family rep shared the positive news just minutes ago ... saying the 18-year-old's development has been "remarkable and hopeful."

The statement said Arenas remains intubated ... but at one point, was able to open his eyes and write on a piece of paper to ask if anyone was hurt as a result of the accident.

12:37 PM PT -- According to high school hoops insider Tarek Fattal, Alijah Arenas was placed into the induced coma due to smoke inhalation ... and did not suffer any broken bones.

12:26 PM PT -- Alijah's mom, Laura Govan, appeared to address the news in an Instagram post ... pleading with her 1.5 million followers to send wishes.

"I NEED ALL YOURE (sic) F***EN PRAYERS," Govan said minutes ago.

High school basketball phenom Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas, was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after crashing his Tesla Cybertruck early Thursday morning ... TMZ Sports has learned.

It's unclear what caused the wreck, but the luxury vehicle was completely mangled on the side of the road of a Los Angeles neighborhood based on images we have viewed.

We're told emergency responders raced to the scene at 4:55 AM -- after fire personnel responded to a "trapped patient" ... but when help arrived, everyone inside the vehicle had already made it out.

Kristaps Porzingis is embracing the bloody injury he sustained in Game 2 of the Celtics vs. Magic NBA Playoffs series ... saying despite needing five stitches as a result of the shot to his head, he loves his "WWE moments!"

The 7'2" center spoke to the media about the gruesome gash he sustained late in the third quarter of Wednesday night's matchup at TD Garden in Beantown.

In case you missed it, Porzingis -- who was traded to Boston in 2023 -- took an elbow to the forehead when Magic big man Goga Bitadze went for a rebound off a missed Paolo Banchero shot.