Basketball

Jeremy Lin might be retired from the NBA, but he sure as heck isn't done making highlights -- the former hooper had a "mini twerk sesh" onstage at the Jackson Wang concert ... and in his words, the pressure nearly made him crap himself!!

The ex-New York Knicks guard was a special guest at the Got7 members' show in China over the weekend ... and at one point in the set, he found himself right in the middle of the action.

Lin explained what led to him getting thrown in the spotlight ... saying, "POV: @jacksonwang852g7 tells you to dance in front of almost 20,000 people..........almost s*** my pants."

Paul Pierce is opening up on his DUI arrest ... and he's chalking the whole ordeal up to being "old" and "tired."

The NBA legend was taken into custody late Tuesday night ... after the California Highway Patrol said officers found him asleep at the wheel of a Range Rover SUV in the middle of U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles.

Pierce said in a statement on Threads on Thursday the CHP's decision to close lanes for nearly an hour to investigate a crash is what led to the whole issue.

Loyola-Chicago legend Sister Jean -- who became a national sensation as the chaplain and superfan of the university's men's basketball team -- has died.

Loyola University Chicago announced in a statement Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt passed away on Thursday.

Mark C. Reed -- the university's president -- says, "In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff."

Lakers fans still reeling over the Lebron James "Second Decision" madness now have an even bigger headache to deal with ... the King has been ruled out for the start of the NBA season with an injury.

The team revealed on Thursday James will be sidelined for the next three to four weeks as he deals with sciatica -- an issue that causes pain, numbness and tingling in the lower back and down the leg.

The recovery timeline means the 40-year-old forward will miss L.A.'s home-opener vs. Steph Curry's Warriors on Oct. 21. It likely means he's out for the Lakers' tilt with Anthony Edwards' Timberwolves on Oct. 24 as well.

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was arrested on Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol said.

According to the CHP, authorities found Pierce asleep while he was in the driver's seat of his Range Rover as it was in the middle of traffic on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.

Cops say lanes had been closed on the highway while a crash investigation occurred ... and the sleeping Pierce was discovered following their reopening at around 11:35 PM.

LeBron James sent fans into a frenzy by teasing a retirement announcement only for it to be an ad ... and JJ Redick can't believe people thought it was anything else -- telling reporters, "You guys are idiots."

Redick was meeting with the media when he was asked about James' "Second Decision" rollout ... which was a big promotion for Hennessy.

While fans were scrambling to scoop up tickets to catch King James in action one last time, the Lakers head coach thought it was obvious.

Marcus Jordan celebrated a big milestone this week ... he just revealed Monday was the six-month anniversary of his sobriety.

Jordan noted the achievement in an Instagram post ... writing in a caption, "6 Months Sober🚱🚯🚮 & Still The Life of The Party🥳 #180Days 🫡."

He also included a carousel of recent pictures of him chilling with friends and hanging with his famous dad, Michael Jordan.

Liz Cambage has a message for WNBA players -- if they really wanna make a buck, they're gonna have to find it outside of their salaries ... 'cause she sure as hell didn't buy her mink coat and blinged-out teeth with a game check!!

The former Los Angeles Sparks star turned to OnlyFans after leaving the W ... and it wasn't long before she made more dough on the subscription-based platform than she did on the court.

She reportedly made more than a million bucks in no time. Remember, the supermax in the W is just over $200K -- an obvious reason why she jumped on OF ... and she tells us other players should follow her lead and earn a living in other ways on top of their day jobs.

The 2025 WNBA Finals are underway as the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces duke it out for a title ... but this year, it's not just the players bringin' the heat.

Their loved ones are also turning up the temperature ... including Aces star A'ja Wilson's boyfriend, Bam Adebayo, who is about to start his 9th season with the Miami Heat, but makes time to support his lady.

In fact, the NBA star surprised Wilson at the Aces' practice with her fourth WNBA MVP trophy last month.

DiJonai Carrington is getting candid about her recent career setback -- the Minnesota Lynx guard told TMZ Sports she's feeling "down right now" after her significant foot injury.

We caught up with the shooting guard at LAX this week prior to having surgery on her left foot ... an ailment that happened right after Carrington was traded from the Dallas Wings to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

She said this latest injury is "super disappointing" ... which is understandable, considering it's not her first hurdle in her basketball career. Carrington suffered injuries at Stanford, Baylor, and throughout her WNBA journey so far.

12:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports is told Sophie Cunningham is planning to donate all of the proceeds from the GoFundMe to a Ronald McDonald House charity.

Sophie Cunningham just launched a GoFundMe for a good cause -- raising money to help pay for all her fines from the WNBA ... and it got some folks all worked up before they peeped the fine print.

The Indiana Fever guard shared the campaign on her X page on Thursday ... with a goal of $26,000 to settle her debt with her employer due to penalties she received during the season.

"I could use your help with my fundraiser on GoFundMe," Cunningham said. "Please share, support, or donate -- every small action counts. Might as well have fun with it, huh?"

Rudy Gobert's ex, Julia Bonilla, penned an emotional message to her future child on Wednesday ... saying despite their family's drama, "You are proof that even after betrayal, after storms, after pain, life can still grow in light."

Bonilla posted the note on Instagram alongside a black and white photo exposing her growing belly ... making it clear no matter where things stand between mom and dad, the baby was "wanted," "chosen," and "meant to be."

TMZ Sports broke the story back in May ... our sources said Gobert abruptly ended things with Bonilla shortly after they learned they would be welcoming a second child together, telling her to move out of their home in the process.

Brittany Renner wants a court to increase P.J. Washington's child support payments to her -- saying in a new filing this week $5,500 a month is just not enough.

Renner made her case to the judge in documents that TMZ Sports has obtained ... asking for "at least $35,000" a month from Washington in an effort to raise their 4-year-old son in a manner suitable to a kid with such a rich father.

She claimed in the docs when she and the NBA player first agreed on the $5.5K number, they lived together in North Carolina -- but things have drastically changed since she and the toddler moved to California late last year.

Napheesa Collier didn't exactly hold back about her views on the WNBA's brass in a post-season exit interview -- and she had some choice words about the league's commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, to boot.

The Minnesota Lynx star went scorched-earth in her statement, and claimed the WNBA managed to have "the worst leadership in the world" despite having some of the best players and fans out there, according to CBS Sports.

Collier claimed the WNBA's brass, including Engelbert, wasn't looking out for their players' best interests and described the attitude taken towards athletes' concerns as "dismissive."

The athlete claimed she'd had a conversation with Engelbert in February in which the latter brushed off her concerns about issues with officiating games.

Oh, and she also alleged the commissioner stated Caitlin Clark should have been "grateful" to play in the league despite her official salary not being reflective of the popularity she brought to the WNBA.

It reportedly only took a few hours for Engelbert to respond to Collier's comments, and the commissioner claimed she was "disheartened" by the athlete's remarks.

LeBron James claims he isn't going to continue his NBA career just to have the chance to play with both of his sons -- the Lakers superstar revealed his retirement plans don't revolve around Bryce.

The 21-time All-Star discussed his basketball future at media day a few minutes ago ... when a reporter asked James if he'd hold out on retiring to have a chance to play alongside his second-oldest kid, who's gearing up for his freshman year with the University of Arizona basketball team this fall.

"I'm not sitting here ... no, I'm not waiting on Bryce," James laughed.

Donovan Mitchell is opening up on his recent engagement to Coco Jones ... telling reporters being able to call the singer his future wife is a true "blessing."

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar was asked about his now-fiancée during team media day ... and he couldn't help but gush about what makes her such a special partner.

"Man, that’s my dog. I love her to death. She’s amazing. She’s an amazing human being. She brings me peace."