Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal is clearing the air on his infamous bathroom emergency on "Inside the NBA" last month ... admitting once and for all he had to take a dookie.

Yes, someone is getting paid to write this.

The NBA legend let it all out during his appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday -- after initially insisting his rush from the TNT desk was to drain the snake, he revealed it was a dire situation involving clenched butt cheeks.

Lamar Odom found himself on Thursday night in the crosshairs of a couple dozen protestors ... who were so furious with the former NBA star for attending a Donald Trump-hosted gala, they actually booed the hell out of him right in the middle of a street.

Odom -- along with around 200 other crypto enthusiasts -- flocked to Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, to dine with POTUS and hear about his bitcoin plans ... but as the ex-hooper made his way to the event space, he wasn't greeted warmly.

Video from the scene shows people heckled him non-stop as he headed to the property's gates ... with some screaming, "Shame on you, Lamar!"

Blood was shed during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday ... but we're not talking about any Timberwolves or Thunder players -- it was referee Scott Foster who was left worse for wear!!

The accident happened just over a minute into the contest -- during a jump ball between Lu Dort and Julius Randle. The former's arm came down and hit Foster right in the nose ... and he started oozing.

The longtime official -- who also appeared to take a bit of a kick to the gut from Randle -- rushed over to the scorers booth for a towel ... and got his nostril plugged up.

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.