Basketball

Doc Rivers says he's in constant communication with Giannis Antetokounmpo ... telling TMZ Sports the two sides talk "all the time" amid speculation the Milwaukee Bucks superstar could be interested in taking his talents elsewhere.

The current Bucks coach was asked a handful of questions about his best player after dining at Avra in Beverly Hills on Thursday ... and while he wouldn't get into specifics on Giannis' current status with the organization, he made it clear he's not getting ghosted.

"Guys, I'm not doing all that," he told the cameras. "I talk to him all the time. You can move on now, thank you."

The Knicks had an extra hand in their thrilling Game 1 matchup with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday ... but unfortunately for the home team, Jon Hamm's assist couldn't help them to victory.

The "Mad Men" actor had courtside seats for the contest at Madison Square Garden ... but Hamm apparently wasn't satisfied with sitting back and observing -- 'cause in the second quarter, he took matters into his own hands when the rock came flying in his direction.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton seemingly felt like he could've saved the ball to keep it in play ... and rushed to Hamm's section in hopes of deflecting it back onto the court.

WNBA player Sophie Cunningham is adamantly denying she ever hooked up with Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein ... calling the claims made in a recent lawsuit "untrue and extremely hurtful."

The current Indiana Fever guard was named in bombshell court documents filed by former Suns and Mercury employee Gene Traylor earlier this month ... and among the numerous allegations laid out, he stated he heard of an affair between the hooper and exec when she was still on the team.

In the lawsuit, Traylor said he was notified of the inappropriate relationship by coworker Cornelius Craig, the organization's VP of security and risk management.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went from beating the Timberwolves to cute father/son time on Tuesday -- hitting the court with little Ares after the Thunder's big Game 1 win!!

The adorable moment happened on the Paycom Center hardwood in Oklahoma City ... fresh off the home team's 26-point win over Minnesota to kick off the Western Conference Finals.

SGA greeted his family in the crowd after the win ... but his son, Ares, apparently wanted to show his pops he's not the only one with skills.

Angel Reese is speaking out after the WNBA launched an investigation into allegations of racist comments being directed toward her during a game ... thanking the league and her team for the support she's received.

The 6'3" Chicago Sky forward broke her silence after Tuesday's team practice ... when reporters asked her about the W announcing it was looking into claims of inappropriate behavior directed at Reese during Saturday's game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

"Obviously, there's no place in this league for that," the 23-year-old said.

Karl-Anthony Towns set the internet ablaze Sunday night when he was spotted at Yankee Stadium rocking a shirt that threw shade at the Boston Celtics ... and the man who gave birth to the iconic meme behind it is still in shock over the whole thing!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Jason Dantona to get his reaction to the viral moment from the final game of the Subway series ... and he told us he initially thought he was getting trolled when he was first notified of KAT's wardrobe choice.

"I thought they were messing with me," he said. "I had known the shirt was released a couple of weeks ago before we knew that we were playing the Celtics, but I didn't really expect any of the players to wear it on them."

Gilbert Arenas says the fiery wreck his son, Alijah, was involved in late last month all happened because the teen's Cybertruck malfunctioned.

During a recent interview with Matt Barnes on "All The Smoke," Arenas claimed that as his 18-year-old high school basketball phenom offspring was driving his luxury Tesla ride in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley on April 24, his "steering wheel went limp."

Arenas said as a result, Alijah lost control -- and plowed into a fire hydrant, before he barreled into a tree.

The Pacers fan who was battered by a bunch of Knicks supporters last week is getting a hookup from Tyrese Haliburton, who just made sure the man and one of his pals will have some sweet seats for an upcoming Indiana playoff game!!

Haliburton, Indy's best player, appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday to personally thank Hans Perez for his fandom -- after it earned him quite the beating at the hands of some rowdy Knicks fans last week.

Haliburton said he and his teammates saw the video of Perez getting trash thrown on him as he walked New York City streets in a Haliburton jersey following NYK's big Game 6 victory over Boston -- and he wanted to make sure Perez was rewarded for his dedication.

Denver Nuggets coaches and players are drawing up their vacation plans after their season ended at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder ... but Nikola Jokić already knows one thing he'll be doing -- throwing back some cold ones!!

The Nuggets superstar met with the media after Denver's Game 7 loss to the Thunder ... and was asked how he'll utilize his time away from the court.

While he's still figuring all the details out for the whole offseason ... it sounds like he'll be channeling his inner "Stone Cold" Steve Austin the next few days.

Rudy Gobert wants to make it abundantly clear he's not abandoning his son after splitting from his pregnant partner, Julia Bonilla ... sharing a picture of them spending time together to get his point across.

The 32-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves center posted the snap of him lying shirtless in the grass with one-year-old Romeo and included the caption, "Great day" ... an apparent break from preparations for the Western Conference Finals this week.

The timing is interesting -- Gobert's currently going through a split amid the NBA playoffs ... and sources told TMZ Sports last week he instructed Bonilla to move out of his home and take their kid with her.

Slide over Jack Nicholson and hang back a bit, Flea ... cause there is a new breed of young famous faces taking over the courtside seats at all the must-see NBA games this season.

Timothee Chalamet is taking center stage as the new Knicks hype man ... while a revolving door of Hollywood Gen Z are high key taking the reins to all the latest Lakers games.

It's not just the cool East Coast / West Coast teams that are getting hit by all the young and pretty people ... other big cities like Atlanta and even Salt Lake City are getting their fair share of hotties.

Larsa Pippen and her boyfriend Jeff Coby aren’t hiding their romance.

"The Real Housewives of Miami" star and former pro basketball player were spotted sharing a passionate kiss inside their car after a romantic dinner at Craig’s in West Hollywood on Saturday night.

The two looked cozy and comfortable as Pippen leaned in for the kiss in front of all the cameras while parked outside the celebrity hot spot restaurant.

Michael Carter-Williams has traded in jump shots and chest passes for jabs and body blows -- he's a boxer now -- and he tells TMZ Sports he's gunning for a knockout in his first time on the mat later this month!!

The ex-NBA star -- the 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft -- has formally made the transition to the fight game since the end of his hooping career ... and his first official match will go down at the Broad Street Brawl on May 29 at the Leman Ballroom in New York.

His opponent is Sam Khatib -- an amateur boxer who's 36 -- and it will be a three-round affair with proceeds from the tilt going to a good cause.

Natalia Bryant's all grown-up and leaving school behind for now ... 'cause she just graduated from USC's prestigious film department.

The daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant walked across the stage in her cap and gown Saturday ... and, dozens of photographers were on-hand for her special moment.

One caught her walking with her entourage back to her car with her mom ... decked out in her all white gown and a bright red stole.

Fans went wild after the Knicks upset the Celtics in the star-studded Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- and nearly pulled Timothée Chalamet out of his car!

Check out the vid ... thousands of fans took to the streets of NYC after the big win and a few lucky ones caught a glimpse of the equally thrilled actor. He took a few moments to celebrate -- and ended up in a passionate hug that appeared more like a headlock as he hung out his car window.

The "Dune" star was just one of the famous faces who showed up for the big game. Our gallery shows TC locked in on the game while sitting next to Bad Bunny ... while Pete Davidson and his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt -- who are now living together -- flashed a smile at the camera.

7:34 PM PT -- Rudy Gobert is now sharing his side ... claiming "inaccurate information" is being thrown around, though he offers no specifics.

Gobert did confirm he is no longer in a relationship with Julia, but still plans to "keep supporting the well-being of all the people that I care about."

5:15 PM PT -- Julia Bonilla just addressed the situation in a lengthy social media post ... calling the whole ordeal "one of the most painful times in my life."

"I considered Rudy the love of my life," Bonilla said minutes ago. "I left everything for him. I gave him a child and poured my heart into our relationship."

"Despite how I have been treated, I choose to protect his name for the sake of my children," she added.

Bonilla also noted she has "NEVER EVER been unfaithful to the father of my children" ... adamantly denying cheating played a role in the split.

Rudy Gobert broke up with his pregnant girlfriend, told her to move out of his home and take their one-year-old son with her right at the start of the NBA playoffs, TMZ Sports has learned.