Basketball

3:17 PM PT -- Lakers legend Magic Johnson is speaking out about the Buss family agreeing to unload their majority ownership stake in the Lakers ... congratulating them for striking "an incredible deal" and choosing the best person to carry the team's legacy going forward.

Jeanie Buss and her family have agreed to unload their majority stake of the Lakers, selling the team to L.A. Dodgers owner Mark Walter -- the largest sale of a sports franchise in history!!

Shams Charania broke the news Wednesday afternoon, revealing the Busses -- who own 66% of the organization -- reached a deal to sell the team to the 65-year-old businessman on an approximately $10 BILLION valuation.

Jerry Buss, Jeanie's dad, purchased the team for a paltry $67.5 million in May 1979. Under his tenure, the Lake Show became one of the most popular, successful, and culturally relevant American sports franchises ... exploding in value.

The WWE is collecting NBA stars like Infinity Stones at this point ... 'cause the promotion's official video game just added Jalen Brunson into the mix!!

The news was revealed on Wednesday ... when "WWE 2K25" dropped a new trailer featuring the Knicks guard as part of the upcoming "Dunk & Destruction Pack."

In the clip, the two-time NBA All-Star does a walk-out entrance to the wrestling ring ... wearing the same shirt he rocked when he was in the actual WWE ring last year.

Caitlin Clark had a rough night Tuesday ‘cause she wound up on her ass after getting into one helluva fight with some players from the opposing team.

It all started in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun's matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The Fever's phenom locked horns with Sun point guard Jacy Sheldon and tensions boiled over in a big way.

Check out video, which shows Clark -- also a point guard -- dribbling the ball with Jacy aggressively blocking her from getting anywhere close to the basket.

File under "We can't believe it's not Centel" -- Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird is pumped the WNBA is being featured on the NBA's most popular parody page ... claiming it's actually a good sign for the league!!

The Hall of Famer shared her take on Cameron Brink's "Straight to Cam" podcast ... when at one point in the episode, they pointed out the infamous account's recent joke that Sparks practice was delayed because the former Stanford star and Kelsey Plum arrived in the same outfit, which led to a feud.

The post racked up 11.6 million views ... and while some people online aren't happy the page is now making fun of the W -- Bird sees it differently.

Brittney Griner is finally addressing the speculation she called Caitlin Clark a "f***ing white girl" during a game last month ... and she's adamant those words never left her mouth.

On Sunday -- both before and after her Atlanta Dream squad took on the Washington Mystics in D.C. -- Griner was peppered with questions about the viral May 22 incident.

The WNBA superstar admitted she was upset over a foul call that a ref made -- but she was steadfast she never brought anyone's race into the mix.

Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson’s highly anticipated BIG3 debut took a chaotic turn over the weekend when the former NBA teammates got into a heated scuffle that erupted into the crowd.

The fight broke out during a matchup between the Los Angeles Riot and the Miami 305 on Saturday, after a scuffle near half-court involving Stephenson and another player from the Riot.

Tensions escalated when Howard approached Stephenson courtside and shoved him, setting off a physical altercation that spilled into the stands.

Lakers fans hoping to see more of the King and Knecht might get their wish ... 'cause Dalton Knecht tells TMZ Sports he and LeBron James could absolutely "run it" in L.A. for another half-decade plus.

Knecht, of course, was almost dealt to Charlotte in a trade last season ... but when we got him out at LAX on Friday, he told us despite the near move, he definitely wants to remain in the purple and gold.

And, he said he can see a scenario where he does that for several more seasons with James.

DeMarcus Cousins is breaking his silence after a wild fan altercation ended his basketball season ... issuing a brief message expressing his regret to his supporters.

"I want to apologize to the fans of Puerto Rico for my actions," Cousins said on Thursday via his Instagram Story.

"I have so much love and respect for the island."

There's one person who might be taking Wednesday night's Game 3 results harder than the actual Oklahoma City Thunder players -- rap mogul Jay-Z, who lost a whopping $1 MILLION after the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

TMZ Sports reported ahead of the series the 25-time Grammy-winning artist was so confident in OKC's chances against the Eastern Conference champions, he placed the hefty wager through the Fanatics Sportsbook that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. would hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy after five games.

We're sure Hov was sweating just a little bit after Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot in Game 1 ... but when the Thunder stormed back the next contest, his bet was looking solid again.

Tom Thibodeau is breaking his silence a week after the New York Knicks kicked him to the curb after falling a round shy of the NBA Finals ... but he's not blasting his former team, he's thanking everyone in a heartfelt newspaper ad!

Thibodeau took out an advertisement in Wednesday's edition of The New York Times, and if there's any bitterness about his firing, you would never know.

"To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you," he wrote. "When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that the dream has become a reality."

A highly anticipated matchup between Angel Reese and Sabrina Ionescu brought out some celebs on Tuesday night -- including Vanessa Bryant and her daughters -- and the WNBA superstars sure didn't disappoint while in the spotlight.

Kobe's wife -- joined by Natalia, Bianka and Capri Bryant -- hit Barclays Center to catch the big Liberty vs. Sky contest ... and they were treated to some fun WNBA action.

While New York ended up steamrolling Chicago, 85-66, Reese, Ionescu and Breanna Stewart each gave their fans something to cheer about. Reese logged 17 points, Ionescu dropped 23, and Stewart poured in 18.

DeMarcus Cousins got himself booted from the remainder of the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League season ... with the organization handing down swift punishment after the former NBA center had a wild altercation with fans over the weekend.

The four-time All-Star -- who was playing for the Mets de Guaynabo -- was hit with the lengthy ban and a $4,250 fine for the whole ordeal ... and it could go up to $10,000 total if he can't make a case for the initial penalty.

As we previously reported, it all went down when Cousins' team faced Bayamon at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez arena.

Ben Stiller's still feelin' the pain from the Knicks' crushing defeat to the Pacers ... and with no NBA Finals game to attend at MSG, the actor threw on his finest tux and hit up the Tony Awards just a handful of blocks from the arena, where the actor lamented the loss in front of the A-list crowd!

Stiller's mini-therapy session went down Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall -- the biggest night in theatre -- when Stiller was on stage to present the award for Best Play.

"I'm so honored to be here because theatre is my passion. The place where I feel most at home. The stage has been a constant sanctuary for me, dating all the way back to last week when the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals." Ben said, drawing a big laugh from the audience.

College basketball phenom Cooper Flagg is expected to go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft ... and one guy who knows what that's like has some solid advice for the former Duke star -- Hall of Fame inductee Dwight Howard!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 6'10" center ahead of the June 25th event at the Barclays Center ... and we asked what words of wisdom he'd give Flagg, since he was also the first pick in 2004.

"Just go hoop, enjoy the games," the 39-year-old said. "Don't let the politics take away the passion ... and have fun."

Either the Thunder or the Pacers will earn their first-ever NBA championship this month ... but before the players take the Larry O'Brien Trophy and celebrate the momentous occasion, get acquainted with some of the wives and girlfriends they'll be running off with!!

Tyrese Haliburton's partner, Jade, has already made her presence felt earlier in Indiana's postseason run ... garnering a ton of headlines last month for the way she made a clever pun about her man's big shot against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Myles Turner's girlfriend, too, has become quite popular with Indiana fans ... as Aysia Janelle has continuously brought the heat with her amazing Pacers 'fits at games.

The Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural in downtown L.A. -- just restored last week following previous vandalism -- has been defaced again ... and now the artist tells TMZ Sports he's likely going to move the artwork to a new location.

The mural, located (at least for the time being) on the side of a building at 14th and Main in DTLA, was targeted by vandals on Tuesday evening ... and we have video of the aftermath, showing white spray paint scribbled across the artwork.

The damage comes just four days after the artist, Sloe Motions, fixed his mural after an earlier incident of vandalism ... the apparent result of a feud between rival street artists.