Basketball

LiAngelo Ball says his decision to fire up a rap career was purely money-motivated ... the NBA G League's puny paychecks couldn't satisfy this grown-ass man!!!

The "Tweaker" rapper recently joined DJ Clue, Esso World, and Hynaken on the "BagFuel" podcast, where he admitted that just because his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo Ball were rich, it didn't mean that he was.

LiAngelo -- who raps under his nickname Gelo -- told the hosts that the G League only paid him $3,000 every month, and once he learned he could make real money from Hip Hop, he split!!!

Megan Rapinoe and her fiancée, Sue Bird, jumped into the viral Coldplay concert cam trend headfirst -- but the couple added a twist -- and they had the whole arena cracking up!

The legendary soccer player and Bird -- who retired from the WNBA in 2022 -- pulled off the stunt on Tuesday during the 2nd quarter of the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm game at Climate Pledge Arena.

During a break in the action, Rapinoe -- seated courtside -- was shown on the big screens in the arena ... when cameras cut to Bird, who was cuddling up with the Storm's mascot, Doppler.

A WNBA game was once again put on pause due to a flying sex toy.

The latest incident went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday night ... as the Caitlin Clark-less Fever were taking on the Sparks.

In the second quarter of the action, just after Kelsey Plum nailed a free throw, a neon-green pleasure stick was hurled onto the court by a fan in the stands.

A former Miami Heat security officer has been charged with a felony after he allegedly stole millions of dollars worth of items from the team, including over 400 game-worn jerseys.

The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida claimed on Tuesday that 62-year-old Marcos Thomas Perez stole items when he had access to the Kaseya Center equipment room during his time as a Heat staffer -- and later, an NBA security employee -- from 2016 to 2025.

"This equipment room stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys," the feds said, "and other memorabilia that the organization intended to display in a future Miami Heat museum."

Haley and Hannah Cavinder have new sets of boobs, but they've clearly got the same attitudes ... as they showed off their new assets on Tuesday with a side of their signature sass.

The famous basketball-playing twins posted two videos to their social media pages ... flaunting their surgically enhanced breasts while going after haters who've been critical of their size decisions.

In nothing but tiny workout tops, skin-tight spandex shorts and little jackets ... the 24-year-olds danced in front of a camera and made it clear they're not listening to the trolls in their comment sections.

Lamar Odom's demons totally wrecked his marriage to Khloé Kardashian -- the love of his life -- and he's breaking it all down in our documentary, which is now streaming on YouTube.

The NBA champ opens up like never before about the height of his sex addiction and drug use in our no-holds-barred doc "TMZ Presents: Lamar Odom -- Sex, Drugs, & Kardashians."

But it’s not all doom and gloom -- Lamar’s journey to sobriety and how he's managed to bounce back in a spectacular way is just as raw and real.

Our doc dives into the ups and downs of Odom’s career, his personal life, and the ultimate overdose that almost ended it all. But, like his iconic NBA comebacks, Lamar isn’t just surviving -- he’s thriving.

Kawhi Leonard made a visit to Rwanda unforgettable for the youth in the area ... by surprising them with a brand new outdoor basketball court -- personally designed by the NBA star himself!!

The Los Angeles Clippers forward unveiled the amazing gift during the Giants of Africa Festival, an event he co-headlined with pop singer Ayra Starr, during his four-day trip in the country.

The court, located at St. Ignatius School, displays Leonard's designs, including vibrant art and some motivational messages like "Play Hard, Have Fun," "Be Great" and "You Are Stronger Than You Think" written across the surface.

Tristan Thompson went to the White House to celebrate an NBA title almost a decade ago, but the star hooper was recently back at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ... chopping it up over all things cryptocurrency with a top Trump administration official!

34-year-old Thompson, host of the "Courtside Crypto" podcast, travelled to D.C. late last month for an interview with Bo Hines, Executive Director of the W.H. Digital Assets Council ... where the men discussed the government's headfirst dive into the sector.

"One thing about myself, the people at home, and the people in the trenches, they were so excited when President Trump said, 'We're gonna be the crypto Bitcoin president of the United States.' That made people so excited," Tristan told Bo, explaining how pumped he was over the gov's involvement.

What do you do when you ink a fat, new deal?? For Luka Doncic, there was only one answer -- hit up Las Vegas for the Backstreet Boys concert with Lakers execs!!

The two sides agreed to a massive three-year, $165 million extension Saturday to keep him in Purple and Gold through 2030 ... and before the ink was even dry, they made their way to Sin City to catch the legendary boy band at the Sphere.

Videos of the Lakers superstar attending the performance began to make rounds on social media ... and it's clear the vibes were at an all-time high after putting pen to paper.

If Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook had stayed together in Oklahoma City, there would be a couple more championship banners hanging in the Paycom Center rafters ... at least, that's according to Serge Ibaka.

The former Thunder center -- who played alongside the trio of future Hall of Famers during their stint in OKC -- told TMZ Sports out at LAX this week he's sure they all would have some more championship bling in the jewelry cases if the team had just found a way to keep everyone together.

"Minimum two," he told us.

Ex-NBA player Danilo Gallinari's pregnant wife experienced the "worst day" of her life while vacationing in Puerto Rico ... revealing she was attacked by a shark.

Eleonora Boi -- a TV reporter who got hitched to 36-year-old Gallinari in 2022 -- opened up on the terrifying incident on Instagram ... saying, "I never thought I could get attacked by a shark and I was near the shore and on a super crowded beach."

Boi stated she and the baby on the way are "fine" following the incident at the Carolina Resort beach ... although she had to undergo surgery to mend her leg.

Stephen Curry is one of the most clutch players in NBA history ... and he's got those skills off the court, too -- 'cause he's taking a hands-on approach to celebrating his wedding anniversary.

The superstar's wife, Ayesha -- a businesswoman and chef -- shared a series of PDA-filled pics on her Instagram on Friday ... fresh off their 14th anniversary on July 30th.

"Screaming I LOVE YOU to my baby @stephencurry30," Ayesha said in the caption. "14 year wedding anniversary and 17 years attached at the hips and the lips."

Gilbert Arenas is making it clear he has no plans to return to jail after his arrest this week ... saying he plans to sing like a canary, and save his own ass!

The former NBA star, who is accused of running an illegal gambling operation, spoke about the crazy situation on a live stream Thursday night, and it's obvious Gil ain't sweatin' the charges.

"Good luck in court. I'm pretty sure I ain't gonna be there when it's starting to go, cause, yeah, I'm snitching."

WNBA star Napheesa Collier's made plenty of strides on the court as the Minnesota Lynx's power forward ... and a large part of her success story involves her husband, Alex Bazzell.

The basketball player and her spouse have been together for several years, and their personal connection's carried over to their professional lives as well.

We're going to check out how the athlete and her partner started a family together ... and how they're working on creating a lasting legacy within the sports world.

Bazzell and Collier's love story goes way, way back, because he met the athlete during her senior year of high school, according to People.

The sports industry figure and the athlete evidently stayed in touch afterward, because he acted as her trainer when she was a student athlete at the University of Connecticut.

The pair began dating when she was a junior in college, and Bazzell popped the big question in October 2019.

You know that old rhyme, first comes love, then comes marriage? That doesn't really apply in this case ... because the couple welcomed their daughter Mila in May 2022 before they tied the knot that October.

Remember how we said Bazzell trained Collier when she was in college? Turns out, she's not the only person he's trained over the years -- do the names Carmelo Anthony or Kyrie Irving ring any bells?

The sports executive was associated with Kobe Bryant, as well as his daughter Gianna -- who he trained -- and he told People the Los Angeles Lakers star was "the biggest mentor I've had."

Bazzell said the late athlete showed him how to remove the "pressure" for his daughter to follow in the footsteps of her parents and pursue an athletic career.

Oh, and he's spent a little bit of time on the court as well, as he briefly played professional basketball in Germany, according to his LinkedIn.

On top of their personal connection, Bazzell and Collier are professionally involved, as they've both worked on the development of the Unrivaled women's basketball league.

Collier co-founded the league alongside fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart, and Unrivaled serves as a venue for professional female basketball players to play the sport in the offseason.

Bazzell, who serves as the league's president, provided a statement to CNBC Sport, saying the league would "fill a gap in the calendar" for numerous athletes, and described Unrivaled as "extending the runway of professional basketball."

Officials are pushing back on Marcus Morris' claim he went "51 hours" without something to eat or drink in jail ... telling TMZ Sports there is video proof he was delivered meals and beverages while behind bars.

Morris, 35, made the accusations on his Instagram this week ... after he was released from jail in Broward County. He was arrested over the weekend for allegedly writing $260,000 in bad checks to two Las Vegas casinos in 2024.

"24-hour lockdown," Morris said while addressing his alleged treatment in the slammer. "No food or water for the whole 51 hours."

Winnie Harlow and Kyle Kuzma are making sure their birthday festivities don't come and go in just a day -- the engaged couple is keeping the vibes going on a fancy yacht in the Mediterranean!!

The 30-year-old NBA hooper -- whose special day was on the 24th -- was spotted out on the water with his model fiancée this week ... and it sure seemed like a joint celebration, as she blew out 31 candles on the 27th.

The pair appeared to be as happy as they could be aboard the boat with friends near Formentera ... and Harlow didn't shy away from putting her incredible figure on display with a bikini.