Basketball

Luka Doncic's $5,000 just went a long way -- the DTLA mural honoring the late Kobe and Gigi Bryant that was defaced amid an apparent beef between street artists has been restored.

The tribute piece received a new paint job and was returned to its former glory this week ... after it was spotted last month covered with white paint and a graffiti tag.

The fresh mural now looks like its original ... and features Kobe holding a baby Gigi, the L.A. skyline and the phrase "Mamba Forever."

Timothée Chalamet brought along his good luck charm Kylie Jenner for the Knicks-Pacers playoff game Thursday night, but they didn't seem to catch much of the on-court action because they were too busy making out.

The famous couple -- and diehard Knicks fans -- had some of the best seats in Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- although it didn't really matter since they were mainly focused on their own personal activities.

Check out the shots of  Kylie sucking face with Timothée, which practically went on all night. Every time a camera zeroed in on the lovebirds, it appeared they were locking lips. A video was also posted to Instagram by Page Six that showed Kylie and Timothée smooching with their hands all over one another.

As for their fondness for the Knicks, Timothée wore a blue and orange jacket to match his favorite team's colors. Kylie was sporting a Knicks cap at one point in the night with a tight white shirt and black leather pants.

Despite all their PDA, the pair didn't miss the entire Knicks' 111-94 victory over the Pacers. Photos showed them periodically watching and rooting for their team.

This isn't the first time Timothee brought his good luck charm to a Knicks game. You may recall, Kylie and her sister, Kendall, joined Timothée at the Knicks-Celtics semifinal game earlier this month -- and the Knicks ended up with the big win.

The New York Knicks are on the brink of elimination, but if they want to climb back from down 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers ... they gotta stop what they're doing and listen to Robert Horry!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Big Shot Bob at LAX on Thursday -- hours before Game 5 tips off at Madison Square Garden -- and picked his brain on what the home team will have to do in order to stay alive.

Of course, Horry knows what it takes -- he was part of the 1995 Houston Rockets team that clawed back and defeated the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals and eventually won the Finals over the Orlando Magic.

Pat McAfee's WWE-style promo against famous New York Knicks fans during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals isn't sitting well with John Mellencamp ... who seems to be calling out the former Colts punter for his antics -- dubbing it "poor behavior."

The 73-year-old shared ahead of Game 5 between the Pacers and Knicks that he was disappointed "Hoosier hospitality" was not extended to the NY guests at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

"I was embarrassed when somebody, under whose direction I don't know, called out some of the people who had made the trip from New York to support their team -- and in turn, support our team," Mellencamp wrote on X.

The Minnesota Timberwolves season ended after a 3-1 series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night, but you won't catch Anthony Edwards moping around about the loss ... Ant Man's pumped to run it back!

Edwards, alongside Mike Conley, met with the media after the T'Wolves playoff exit ... where they were asked to reflect on the season, and asked to talk about the pain of failing to reach the Finals for a second straight year.

"It's exciting," Ant said. "I don't know why people think it would hurt. I mean, it's exciting for me. I'm 23, I get to do it a whole bunch of times. I'm hurt more so for Mike. I came up short for Mike."

3:06 PM PT -- Stiller weighed in on Pat McAfee's antics ... and said the ESPN host is welcome to attend Game 5 -- if he dares.

Pat McAfee went all WWE on famous Knicks fans' asses on Tuesday ... cutting a promo to hype up Pacers fans during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- and given the outcome, it might've helped Indiana get the dub.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter was handed the mic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to inject more energy into those in attendance during the pivotal matchup ... and with his time in the spotlight, he politely pointed out the big-time visitors -- including Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet -- who were courtside with hopes the Knicks would tie up the series.

What came out of his mouth next wasn't exactly PG.

Former NBA star Shawn Kemp just reached a plea deal with prosecutors to close out his parking lot shooting case, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A rep for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office tells us ... Kemp appeared in court on Tuesday morning and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of assault in the second degree.

Kemp, of course, had been facing one count of assault in the first degree in the case ... after law enforcement claimed he fired a gun during a March 2023 dispute in a Tacoma, Wash. shopping mall parking lot.

Steph Curry has range both on the court and off it -- 'cause the NBA superstar was hitting the high notes during Benson Boone's BottleRock set over the weekend!!

Video of the Golden State Warriors guard's jam session at the music festival in Napa Valley made rounds recently ... showing the four-time NBA champion documenting the singer's passionate rendition of his viral track, "Beautiful Things," on his phone -- all while crooning along!!

It looked like Curry was having an absolute blast ... rocking a stylish hat and smiling as he gazed up at the performance. No word on whether he went home to rehearse Boone's signature onstage flip -- but for Dubs fans' sake, we hope he didn't.

Law enforcement clearly took Brittney Griner's "Gay Baby Jail" note concerns seriously ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows two cops intently investigating the matter.

The bizarre scene unfolded back on Feb. 17 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland ... after Griner told officials at the hotel she had discovered a handwritten message in her room that she found to be threatening.

Prince George's County Police body camera footage shows just a couple hours after the WNBA superstar hastily bolted from the area over the letter ... two officers rolled into the lobby in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.

The New York Knicks once again welcomed some of the biggest names in Hollywood to NYC's Madison Square Garden last night ... only to be upset by the Indiana Pacers for a second time.

It's an underwhelming outlook as the Pacers take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals ... but the Knicks would likely prefer we don't focus on that.

Instead, we're taking note of the A-Listers who showed their support in the Big Apple. Check out our gallery and you'll see the usual famous fans -- including Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call related to Gregg Popovich's medical emergency last month ... and it's shedding more light on just how dire the situation involving the NBA legend was.

In the audio, you can hear a man tell law enforcement back on April 15 that Popovich -- who he didn't ID by name on the call -- had just passed out at a San Antonio-area Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Initially, the man said the former Spurs coach, whom he described as a restaurant "guest," was "non-responding" ... though he later amended his words to note that Pop was actually "barely responding."

Dwyane Wade certainly doesn't mind being the butt of a joke -- he revisited the fake quote heard around the world this week ... saying while the whole ass-eating debacle was fugazi, he did crack up a bit over it.

Back in 2017, before the days of NBA Centel, a bogus quote graphic sent shockwaves on social media ... which claimed Wade saw the silver lining in the Cleveland Cavaliers' early season struggles at the time -- 'cause at the end of the day, he got to go home and have some freaky time with his wife, Gabrielle Union.

Wade quickly denied the validity of the statement ... quote-tweeting it and saying, "So we're making fake quotes up now. Oh wait that's what everyone does nowadays. Carry on with the tomfoolery."

Wanna feel old?? LeBron James' second son, Bryce, is officially a high school graduate ... and the entire family was present to watch the future Arizona hooper walk the stage!!

The Lakers superstar, Bronny, Savannah and Zhuri were all at Sierra Canyon's 12th Grade Commencement ceremony at SC Stadium on Thursday ... with the four-time champ electing for a sharp black suit, and his wife choosing a black and white pinstriped look for the occasion.

17-year-old Bryce sported a cap and gown (duh) ... and the 20-year-old rookie donned a light T-shirt as he supported his baby bro.

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.