Basketball

The New York Knicks can stop their head coaching search ... 'cause Metta World Peace says he's the guy for the job!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former NBA star following the shocking firing of Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday ... and MWP explained he's dead serious about leading the N.Y. sidelines.

"I would love the opportunity just to coach," the 45-year-old said. "I'm not interested in nothing else. I've been preparing for this."

The New York Knicks fell just short of making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 ... but they'll be looking to build off their recent playoff run without head coach Tom Thibodeau next season -- the team has relieved him of his duties.

The Knicks announced the news minutes ago ... saying days after losing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was time to take the franchise in a different direction.

"We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each & every day of being the New York Knicks head coach," Knicks president Leon Rose said. "He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories."

Rudy Gobert's ex, Julia Bonilla, took some apparent shots at the Minnesota Timberwolves center in a series of social media posts over the weekend ... going as far as sharing a message about having the ability to "destroy" someone's image -- but choosing not to.

The interesting Instagram Stories come just a few weeks after TMZ Sports reported the four-time Defensive Player of the Year broke things off with the mother of his one-year-old son and asked her to move out of their home ... all while pregnant with their second child.

Bonilla kicked off her activity by reposting a text graphic that said, "You have every right to speak your truth -- to share what happened and how it affected you. Their discomfort isn't your responsibility. If they wanted to be seen in a better light, they should've treated you better."

Robert Horry tells TMZ Sports he knows he fits the criteria to be in the Hall of Fame ... but at the end of the day, he's not sweating it if the powers that be think otherwise.

We caught up with Horry out at LAX this week ... and asked him all about how he's still waiting for his spot among the all-time greats.

While his stat line isn't comparable to Michael Jordan's or Larry Bird's, Horry says people need to realize the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame highlights more than just one's NBA career.

7:47 PM PT -- Kylie's not so lucky after all. Pacers win 125-108.

Kylie Jenner's embracing her role as the New York Knicks' good luck charm ... heading all the way to Indianapolis in hopes of keeping her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet's favorite team's championship dream alive.

The actor and the mogul sat courtside together Saturday night as the Knicks took on the Paces in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals ... both decked out in Knicks blue and orange at the biggest game of the year.

Check out the clip ... Kylie's so excited to be there with her man -- wrapping her arms around him and trying to get him hyped while he throws up a peace sign for the camera.

Moriah Mills -- the influencer/model who claimed to have a fling with Zion Williamson back in 2023 -- has contacted Tony Buzbee ... and is mulling a lawsuit against the NBA superstar, TMZ Sports has learned.

Buzbee -- the famed attorney best known for representing Deshaun Watson and Diddy accusers -- told us on Friday just hours after a Jane Doe filed a rape suit against Williamson in Los Angeles that Mills has reached out to him over the potential of filing her own litigation against the 24-year-old New Orleans Pelicans forward.

Buzbee stated for now, he is in the process of "evaluating her claims."

SuperSonics legend Nate McMillan isn't actively rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Finals ... instead, he tells TMZ Sports he's pulling for Adam Silver to do the right thing and bring a franchise back to Seattle.

We caught up with the current Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach at LAX ... and we had to ask, considering the Thunder used to be the Sonics, how he felt about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co.'s chances at getting it done.

While he said OKC has a good squad, he was more focused on what he thinks the league needs to do to his old stomping grounds.

Turns out all those Timothée Chalamet Knicks sightings might not be about basketball at all -- and everything to do with heating things up off-court with Kylie Jenner.

After Kylie joined die-hard hoops fan Timothée on Thursday to watch the Knicks beat the Pacers, she went full Samantha Jones -- reposting a very telling "Sex and the City" clip that had fans connecting all the steamy dots.

The HBO Max repost showed Kim Cattrall’s iconic Samantha Jones dishing on her lover Don, saying, "I don’t get laid unless the Knicks win" -- and fans are now convinced Timothée’s got a playoff performance clause in their sex life ... and that the Knicks aren’t the only ones on a hot streak.

Zion Williamson is adamantly denying claims made in a bombshell rape lawsuit filed this week ... with the NBA star saying it's nothing more than a money grab!

In a statement to TMZ Sports, the 24-year-old hooper's attorney called the allegations totally bogus, promising to fight back against the "defamatory" claims.

"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless," Zion's attorney told us, adding ... "This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance."

Pat McAfee isn't holding back after John Mellencamp crapped all over his antics at Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indiana ... telling the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to "shut the f*** up."

The former Colts punter took time to respond to the 73-year-old at the start of "The Pat McAfee Show" Friday morning ... and he ripped the statement to shreds from top to bottom.

"The graphic, the quote, the timing," he said. "You're two days late, John! You're two days late, bub!"

10:56 AM PT -- Zion Williamson's attorney released a statement on the lawsuit ... calling the claims "categorically false and reckless."

A woman claiming to be one of Zion Williamson's exes has filed a lawsuit against the NBA star ... alleging he raped, kidnapped and terrorized her on multiple occasions throughout their yearslong relationship.

The explosive suit, which has been obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in Los Angeles on Thursday by a Jane Doe, who says she began dating Williamson in 2018 ... while he was playing for the Duke men's basketball team.

The woman alleges that in 2020, a little over a year after Williamson left the Blue Devils to join the New Orleans Pelicans, the basketball player raped and assaulted her in Southern California.

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."