Basketball

Jeremiah Fears' latest ink had social media abuzz ... and it turns out the NBA rookie already has All-Star-level patience -- 'cause the body art took more than 10 hours to complete!!

The former Oklahoma Sooners guard -- who was the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft -- went to his go-to artist, Joseph McCormick, for the job ... and he told TMZ Sports Fears wanted to pay homage to his hoops career, both past and present, with the tattoo.

McCormick said Fears pulled up to his Ink Plug Tattoo Co. shop in Oklahoma City this week ... where he brought the massive tribute to life.

Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Edey -- the 7-foot-4 phenom -- cut a deal with prosecutors on Wednesday to close out his reckless driving case, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records we obtained show the 23-year-old admitted to a speeding infraction and agreed to pay $639.50 ... and in exchange, officials dropped the misdemeanor reckless driving charge he had been facing.

The case stemmed from a May 1 encounter the basketball player had with Indiana State Police in West Lafayette.

Draya Michele and Jalen Green are setting the record straight on how they ended up together -- the NBA star admitted he is the one who slid into the DMs!!

The couple appeared on Whistle for a Q&A about their controversial relationship (due to their age gap) ... with many accusing Michele of manipulating the young basketball star.

Well, that's not the case. Green -- who was traded to the Phoenix Suns in July -- revealed he was the one who made the first move.

LeBron James and Drake's severed friendship is past the point of no return -- the Lakers superstar was spotted rapping to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in Cannes this week ... and to make matters worse for the 6ix God, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were vibing along, too!!

The video is making rounds on social media on Tuesday ... showing Bron's table -- including his wife, Savannah, and business partner Maverick Carter -- jamming to K. Dot's famous Drizzy diss while vacationing in France.

While LeBron elected not to go entirely word for word, especially during the most damning anti-Drake lyrics, Savannah yelled "A minorrrrrrr" with her whole chest.

One half of the Cavinder Twins is providing another update on their recent boob job operations ... with Haley taking to Instagram to show off her new look -- and the comment section couldn't contain its excitement!!

Haley shared the photo on Monday ... showing her rocking a tiger-print shirt with a pair of blue jeans -- with the caption "#selfie."

As her sister put it in the comments, it was a casual update to the procedure they underwent last week.

Shaquille O'Neal is clearly not impressed with Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson's new romance ... 'cause he believes they'll be broken up long before the NBA season rolls around.

The NBA Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on the coupling on a recent episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq" ... after co-host Adam Lefkoe brought up the new relationship between the "Savage" rapper and Dallas Mavericks hooper.

O'Neal, 53, didn't have much to say ... but made it clear to all his listeners where he stands on the couple.

WNBA star Courtney Williams thought Diplo was boring the crowd with his EDM setlist during an after-party -- and demanded he play some hip hop pronto!!!

The wild scene happened at Sports Illustrated's All-Star after-party on Saturday night, where Diplo was the enlisted paid DJ, but Courtney didn't think he was doing his job properly.

Courtney confronted Diplo in the middle of his set, bombarding him with song requests, which he didn't seem to grasp in real time, but he eventually changed things up -- much to the approval of Williams.

Diplo didn't take it personal -- he's been a pro DJ for eons and later posted Courtney jamming to the GloRilla "TGIF" track he dropped to make her happy.

The WNBA All-Star Weekend festivities will go on without its biggest star -- Caitlin Clark just announced she will not be competing to allow her body to rest after suffering an injury.

The Indiana Fever guard confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday ... saying even though she was stoked for her home city to host the whole slate of events, she is "sad and disappointed to say I can't participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game."

"I have to rest my body."

Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson's romance tour continues -- this time, the new couple turned heads at a fancy event ... and the "Mamushi" rapper gushed about how special her hooper boyfriend is to her.

The pair was spotted all dolled up at the inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala in New York City on Wednesday ... a bash for Megan's nonprofit organization that provides resources for women, children and the elderly in underserved communities.

It's the second time the lovebirds have been spotted showing PDA in public since their Instagram hard launch ... and the shindig was a perfect opportunity to open up a bit about their hot love story.

Caitlin Clark's frustrations with recent officiating boiled over on Tuesday -- the WNBA superstar went off on a referee during the Fever vs. Sun game, forcing a coach to step in and pull her away.

It happened in the third quarter of the contest at TD Garden in Boston ... when Clark and referee Michael Price were going back and forth on the court.

It's unclear what Price said to Clark, but whatever it was struck a nerve ... turning a calm exchange into a heated one.

It's been decades since Dwyane Wade's mom was in prison, but he just revealed to TMZ Sports he still has all the notes she sent him from her time behind bars ... and he still reads them to this day.

The NBA legend opened up to us about being pen pals with Jolinda Wade while she was incarcerated earlier in his life, and he explained why it was super important to both of them to keep in contact despite her situation.

He told us he wanted to let her know "we wasn't judging her. We wasn't pointing fingers at her. We just loved her and we just wanted her to come home to us."

Swin Cash is all-in on the WNBA coming back to Detroit ... telling TMZ Sports the city and its fans deserve it -- no matter what the haters say!!

We spoke with the three-time champion at the Taylor vs. Serrano fight on Friday ... and asked her about the W's announcement that Motor City -- where Cash played from 2002 to 2007 -- would be home to a pro women's hoops team once again in 2029.

Of course, the Shock relocated to Tulsa in 2009 ... and eventually settled in Dallas in 2016.

LiAngelo Ball's soon-to-be ex-wife, Rashida Nicole, claims the hooper/rapper's former partner is trying to make her life a living hell amid her pregnancy ... unloading on the woman in a scathing social media post.

Nicole shared the note on her Instagram Story late Sunday night ... saying she tried to stay quiet to focus on her baby on the way, but she can no longer take it.

"I am sooo tired of this bish keep talking about me," Nicole wrote. "So let's talk about it!!! It's giving obsessed!"

The Caitlin Clark effect hate is real ... so says Nancy Lieberman, who tells TMZ Sports players need to embrace the "cash cow" and stop being petty.

We spoke with Lieberman after the All-Star voting results were released ... which showed Clark as the 9th-ranked WNBA guard in the player vote.

Keep in mind, CC has been suffering from injuries ... but has managed to earn 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game.

Forget about his moves on the basketball court -- LeBron James showed off his dancing skills at the opening night of Bad Bunny's Puerto Rico residency!

The Los Angeles Lakers star entertained the roaring crowd at the Puerto Rican-born superstar's concert in San Juan Friday night ... hopping on stage as he got down to the music.

LeBron, decked out in blue joggers, a floral-print button down and a yellow bucket hat, seriously looked like he was having the time of his life as he vibed to "Titi me preguntó" and recorded the experience. He hasn't posted any footage he shot on his phone yet ... but he clearly took home some serious memories.

Chase Budinger was able to successfully transition from the NBA to pro volleyball ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's yet to see a single hooper who could repeat his feat.

The ex-Houston Rockets forward swung by the TMZ offices this week to give some staffers a lesson or two on how things are done in the sand ... and afterward, he explained just how tough it is to be an AVP player.

He told us his opponents can "jump out of the gym," and "it's even more crazy, because they're doing it on the beach."