Basketball

Sophie Cunningham was as unfiltered as it gets in her defense of Caitlin Clark ... claiming anyone who doesn't think her Indiana Fever teammate is the face of the WNBA is "dumb as f***."

Cunningham -- known for her passionate defense of Clark on the court -- proved she's just as loyal off it in her new podcast, "Show Me Something," this week ... explaining to her cohost and Bravo star West Wilson why she gets so worked up over the debate surrounding the superstar's impact on the W.

The 28-year-old made her stance crystal clear -- "It pisses me off when people are like, 'She’s not the face of the league.' What? ... When people try to argue that she’s not the face of our league or that our league would be where we’re at without her — you’re dumb as s***, you're literally dumb as f***."

The offseason adventures of Klay Thompson and his new boo, Megan Thee Stallion, continue ... as the NBA star took the rapper out on the open waters for a fishing trip!!

Klay shared their excursion on his Instagram on Wednesday ... with Meg calling herself the "first mate" to his "captain."

Before the two even left the harbor, the 12-year NBA veteran was feeling some type of way ... saying "you're so fine, baby" as she sat on his lap.

3:34 PM PT -- Federal prosecutors say Gilbert Arenas pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment on Wednesday afternoon and was released on $50,000 bond.

A trial date was set for late September.

Former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas was arrested in Southern California on Wednesday after authorities say he ran an illegal gambling business.

Federal prosecutors claim the ex-Washington Wizards guard, along with five others, rented out his Encino mansion to hold high-stakes card games from September 2021 to July 2022.

Luka Doncic has turned plenty of heads this offseason thanks to his noticeably leaner frame ... and it's now gotten to the point where he's being asked if he's using Ozempic.

The 26-year-old joined "Today" on Wednesday morning to discuss a number of topics ... and when the conversation shifted to his fitness, Craig Melvin surprised viewers by asking, "No Ozempic, none of those shots or anything?"

Doncic quickly shut it down ... saying his new look was the result of diet and exercise. He even revealed he took a full month off from basketball to focus solely on fitness, something he's never done before.

Marcus Morris is opening up on his arrest and the allegations he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from two Las Vegas casinos ... and he's adamant the whole ordeal is just one big misunderstanding.

The NBA player took to his Instagram page on Wednesday morning to share his side of the story for the first time since he was thrown behind bars in Florida on Sunday ... and in a lengthy post, he explained the drama all stemmed from when he recently took "out a marker to gamble" in Vegas.

Morris, who said he's been spending big cash in Sin City for over a decade, admitted to taking the dough from the casinos ... but thought he had more leeway when it came time to pay it back.

Caitlin Clark's groin injury has stopped her from shooting basketballs, but not kicking soccer balls ... and some of her fans are pissed!

A video surfaced showing Clark at McCombs Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, where she was seen playing with kids, including kicking around a soccer ball.

Some fans were left stunned after watching the clip -- and not in a good way.

Angel Reese might've just added John Kruk to her Hater List -- she apparently clapped back at the former MLB catcher for shading the hell outta her during Tuesday night's Phillies game.

Kruk's comment came during the Phils' win over the Chicago White Sox ... when his co-announcer, Tom McCarthy, gave a birthday tribute to one of his buddies' wives -- pointing out the guy "played at Rider and Monmouth. It's all because I missed a lot of shots and he cleaned them up."

Kruk then hit back with a bit of a zinger ... replying, "I don't want to say anything, but there's someone here in Chicago that does that a lot."

A WNBA game on Tuesday night was delayed several minutes ... because of a flying sex toy.

Seriously.

The wild scene -- click here if you wanna see it -- unfolded late in the fourth quarter of the Valkyries vs. Dream matchup at the Gateway Center in College Park, Ga. ... when a fan decided to hurl a neon green dildo onto the court as the two teams were tied at 75 with one minute to play.

Tyrese Haliburton has made plenty of strides in his basketball career, but he's still got lots of of time for his personal life -- because he just got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Jade Jones!

The Indiana Pacers' star point guard popped the big question at their alma mater, Iowa State University, and he shared the big news by sharing a photo of the proposal on his Instagram account.

We're going to take a look at the background of the professional athlete's soon-to-be wife and see where their relationship's going.

The NBA star and his now-fiancée first met at Iowa State University, where she was a cheerleader, while he stood out on the institution's basketball team.

Jones studied education while in college, and she's since pursued a career as an elementary school teacher.

The athlete's partner opened up about her dedication to her craft in a post that was shared on her Instagram account in 2018, where she showed her gratitude toward one of her very first classes.

She affectionately credited her young students with "showing me the reason why I am pursuing my dream of teaching."

Jones and Haliburton started dating in 2019, and she celebrated her sixth anniversary with the athlete by sharing a collection of photos featuring him.

She also wrote a short message to publicly show her affection for the athlete, and wrote -- to him, of course -- that she was "so lucky to spend life by your side."

The professional athlete's partner also described him as "so special to me" and described him as her "best friend forever and ever."

Oh, and if none of that convinced you they're in it for the long run ... they got a dog named Ames in 2021, and he's shown up in plenty of their Instagram posts, too!

Like we mentioned earlier, Haliburton and Jones got engaged at Iowa State -- on the court of Hilton Coliseum, where he played for the university for two years.

The NBA star had a large lit-up sign that read "Will You Marry Me," which was surrounded by dozens of roses ... now that's going the extra mile!

The two shared a collection of photos from during and after the professional athlete's proposal on their respective Instagram accounts, and added they were starting their "next chapter" right where "our story started."

Congrats are in order for Tyrese Haliburton and Jade Jones -- the Indiana Pacers superstar dropped to one knee and popped the question ... and she said "yes!"

The couple shared the emotional moment to their Instagrams on Monday ... with Haliburton taking Jones back to the site where they first met -- Iowa State University.

"The place where our story started, and where our next chapter begins," Hali's caption read.

The Tulane basketball community is mourning the loss of forward Gregg Glenn III ... after the school revealed he died over the weekend.

The school shared the news Monday morning ... with the school's Vice President of Student Affairs, Sarah Cunningham, saying, "We have lost a cherished member of our university community, Gregg Glenn III, who died in a tragic accident this weekend."

"He was a talented student-athlete who enriched our lives with his spirit, dedication, and passion for both sports and academics."

Marcus Morris Sr. has been arrested on a fraud charge in Florida ... TMZ has learned.

The 13-year NBA veteran was taken into custody Sunday in Broward County, Florida, according to online booking records.

Florida authorities released his mug shot ... and, he's not one of those celebrities who's flashing a smile for the camera -- he's staring straight ahead, no expression on his face.

GloRilla may have found herself a baller ... she and NBA star Brandon Ingram were seen getting close at a Cabo nightclub -- and left together in the wee hours of the morning.

In new footage -- obtained by TMZ -- the rapper is seen all over the Toronto Raptor ... wrapping her arms around his neck as they swayed together on the dance floor early Monday morning.

We're told GloRilla was celebrating her birthday -- which is today -- at a nightclub called Balam ... and an eyewitness tells us when she and her crew took over an entire section as soon as they arrived.

Mercy Miller -- rap legend Master P's son -- is gearing up for his second season at Houston ... and Cougars legend Otis Birdsong is expecting BIG things from the sophomore -- telling TMZ Sports, "He's already something special."

We caught up with the former All-American out at LAX ... and he explained Mercy paid his dues absorbing information from head coach Kelvin Sampson last year, and is now better because of it.

"In coach Sampson's system and culture, you got to wait your turn," he said. "He had to learn the system, learn the culture. He's tougher, he wants to be there, he wants to compete for a starting job."

With the BIG3's $5 million offer to Caitlin Clark never coming to fruition ... could a lucrative Angel Reese proposal be up next for the hoops league?

Don't count on it.

TMZ Sports caught up with Ice Cube at LAX this week ... and the BIG3 honcho said there will be no deal put in front of Reese anytime soon.

Amaya Espinal got a hero's welcome in the Big Apple after her winning run on "Love Island USA" ... including shaking it with a few of the New York Knicks' finest.

The 'LI USA' season 7 winner pulled up to Sei Less -- a fine-dining Asian Fusion restaurant in Midtown Manhattan -- Friday night after months in the villa ... and, she and some friends decided to go all out at the celeb hot spot.

Our sources say Sei Less is one of Amaya's fav restaurants, a place she frequented before achieving fame on 'Love Island' ... but, yesterday was a change for Espinal, who got a private dining room and was mobbed by fans while walking through the joint.