Basketball

Babyface Ray has been an integral part of Detroit's hip hop stock rise in the past few years and he isn't being humble about his contributions ... he's carving his own name on the 313 Mt. Rushmore!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Babyface Ray outside LAX this week and he tells us he fits all the criteria to be immortalized in his city -- along with Eminem, Big Sean and the late Blade Icewood for his Mt. Rushmore picks.

And just like Sean, Ray's also delusional hopeful that the Lions and Pistons will win championships next year!!! Gotta root for the home team.

While Babyface did acknowledge Detroit would need a few hundred Mount Rushmores to properly honor its music history, he reveals he's excited to hear from a most valuable transplant ... Pistons star player Cade Cunningham!!!

Ray says he and Cade have a mutual studio engineer and he's been told the stuff in the vault has been fire ... so it's only a matter of time before they cross-over styles.

If Diddy needs a couple hours to take his mind off his ongoing criminal trial, he will be allowed to watch the Knicks' pivotal playoff game Friday night, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells us ... Diddy will have access to a television with basic cable after he heads back to MDC Brooklyn following the conclusion of Friday's court proceedings.

It's, of course, unclear if the 55-year-old will tune in -- he's obviously got a lot bigger things on his mind at the moment -- but he was known to be a Knicks supporter during his time as a free man.

Former Knicks star Chris Childs isn't ready to name Kylie Jenner New York's good-luck charm just yet ... but good news for Timothee Chalamet's girlfriend -- there's a game later Friday that could just sway his mind!!

Jenner, of course, has been spotted alongside her man at Madison Square Garden throughout New York's postseason run this year ... and because the Knicks seemingly win every time she locks in, some have taken to social media to wonder if her KarJenner magic is helping the orange and blue.

Childs, though, wasn't quite on board with that theory just yet ... explaining he's still giving credit to the players on the floor -- for now.

Here's a new excuse -- Larsa Pippen is blaming Covid for her rendezvous with Malik Beasley ... admitting in a new interview that hooking up with the NBA player was a mistake.

Pippen and Beasley became a thing back in 2020 while he was still married to Montana Yao, who later said she was "blindsided" by the affair.

Pippen, 50, and Malik, 28, split a short time later ... and he reconciled with Yao after publicly apologizing to her and their son.

Jaylen Brown grabbed more than just rebounds last night ... he got a handful of Josh Hart's junk, and the Knicks star's wife wasn't a fan of grab, calling it "weird."

The bizarre incident happened during game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston. Hart set a screen on the Celtics star, and whether intentionally or not, Brown's hand found its way to Hart's privates, which he then appeared to grab.

Josh wasn't a fan of the cup-check ... shoving Brown away from him, which led to a technical foul being issued to both players.

Big praise for Timothée Chalamet from Amar'e Stoudemire -- the former New York star tells TMZ Sports the actor's been such a good Knicks fan, he's ready to dub him "the next Spike Lee!!!"

Chalamet, of course, has put his blue and orange support on full display this spring -- just as Lee has done for years -- attending Knicks games regularly, and even appearing to miss out on The Met Gala to catch one of New York's postseason matchups against the Celtics.

Stoudemire told us Tuesday he's noticed it all -- especially when he saw it up-close at Madison Square Garden during NY's huge Monday night victory over Boston ... and now, he's ready to give Chalamet his flowers.

Jayson Tatum's playoff run is over -- the Celtics just announced he had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles.

The Boston forward sustained the injury late in Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden -- when he went down while trying to leap for a loose ball.

Initially, all of Boston had hoped it wasn't too serious ... but the Cs said Tuesday that Tatum had "successful surgery" on his ruptured right Achilles and will have a lengthy rehab to get back to the floor.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks to their biggest playoff win in decades Monday night ... but celebration aside, the star hoopers expressed concern for Jayson Tatum, after suffering a devastating injury in the game's closing minutes.

The heartwrenching injury happened during the final minutes of the pivotal game at Madison Square Garden ... after 27-year-old Tatum appeared to suffer a non-contact injury to his lower right leg/foot area, with many fearing he tore his Achilles.

Tatum immediately fell to the floor, clutching the area, clearly in a great deal of pain.

Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet were in basketball mode Monday night, showing up at the Knicks-Celtics matchup in NYC — with Kylie's sister, Kendall, in tow.

The trio sat courtside watching the Knicks do battle with the Celtics during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. And what a game it was with the Knicks beating the Celtics 121-113, which made Timothee's night.

During each quarter, the actor - who's also a Knicks superfan — was all about rooting on his team, jumping out of his seat at one point and clapping wildly after a Knicks player sank a basket.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen still can't see eye to eye in the year 2025 ... something one of their former Bulls teammates thinks is quite ridiculous -- with Bill Cartwright telling TMZ Sports their ongoing feud is "nonsense."

The friction between MJ and Pippen became public after the release of the Jordan-produced documentary, "The Last Dance," in 2020 -- when Scottie took issue with how he was portrayed in the project.

Pippen's been sneak-dissing Jordan ever since ... even going as far as saying LeBron James is his NBA GOAT over His Airness.

His Airness is now His Airwaves -- Michael Jordan has joined NBC's NBA coverage team as a special contributor, the network announced Monday.

The Peacock is returning to pro basketball as part of the 11-year, $76 billion broadcasting deal with Disney and Amazon ... and it's clear they're not messing around by bringing in the NBA GOAT to its roster.

Unclear what exactly this means for No. 23 -- he doesn't really have much experience in TV ... so the announcement is pretty surprising to say the least.

The sky is falling in L.A. following the Lakers' disappointing playoff run ... but Vlade Divac ain't exactly reaching for his umbrella just yet -- as he expressed optimism about his former team to TMZ Sports this week.

The ex-Lakers big man chopped it up with us following a dinner at Craig's -- and while he described Los Angeles' opening-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves as "not good," he's still excited for the future.

He told us he "definitely" sees Lebron James returning for 2025-26 ... and added he saw no drop-off in the 40-year-old's game this year.

The Celtics and Knicks series is shaping up to be an exciting one -- and, it brought out some of the biggest stars in the world to Madison Square Garden.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals took place Saturday in New York City ... and, Timothée Chalamet made his presence felt at the arena -- appearing at the game just days after making his red carpet debut with Kylie Jenner in Rome.

Chalamet sat courtside ... blue knicks jacket on -- eyes glued to the action. No Kylie this time, though she has attended basketball games with him in the past.

The Catholic Church has a new Pope, and not only is Leo XIV the first American to occupy the position, he's also a Villanova alum ... and one former star hooper is hoping the Holy Father can find some time to return to campus for a basketball game!

TMZ Sports spoke with NCAA Tourney hero Kris Jenkins shortly after conclave ended ... and we asked him about the Pope's Nova roots.

"These East Lancaster bullies have been creeping out a lot these past couple days," Kris said. "They've been showing sightings in Boston, Massachusetts. Now we're making our way to the head of the Catholic Church."

The Knicks have inspired belief and confidence in their fanbase after going up 2-0 on the Celtics ... but legendary film director and diehard backer Spike Lee believes there’s a more divine reason the New York fans can expect a title this season -- the new Pope!!

Apparently, Spike is all about Leo XIV because Robert Francis Prevost is a Villanova grad. Villanova -- the only Augustinian Catholic university in the United States -- is also the alma mater of three Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.

If you ask Spike -- a regular at Knicks games -- the 'Nova connection is a sign from God his squad is going to win it all this season.

The LeBron James haters are out in full force after the Lakers were abruptly booted from the postseason ... but the King doesn't seem to be fazed one bit -- claiming he's not losing any sleep in his early offseason.

The four-time champion opened up during a chat with Steve Nash on the "Mind The Game" podcast ... when the Hall of Famer asked James about the narratives surrounding the team's early elimination.

Nash asked one of the main questions on everyone's minds -- how did the Lakers lose to the Timberwolves when they have James and Luka Doncic, one of the top players in the league, on the same roster??