Basketball

Justin Bieber's first Twitch live stream is shaping up to be a slam dunk ... 'cause he showed off his basketball prowess during his debut on the popular platform.

The singer-songwriter fired up his account for the first time Wednesday ... and, it captured him enjoying a shootaround with some pals -- tossing the rock up toward the basket.

When they finished with that, Bieber took to playing some pool ... so, it looks like the dude's in a gaming mood while hanging with his buddies in what appears to be a large warehouse -- complete with a ramp for skating.

The Oklahoma City Thunder unveiled their 2025 NBA championship bling ahead of Opening Night ... and technically, they got two rings in one!!

The champs' new hardware features more than 800 custom-cut gemstones set in 14-karat white and yellow gold. They have diamonds throughout ... as well as blue and orange sapphires to represent the Thunder colors.

The rings feature the OKC logo, the Larry O'Brien Trophy and "NBA Champion" all in diamonds. Their 68-14 record is also etched into the jewelry.

LeBron James did not suit up for the Lakers' season opener -- the first time he's missed a Game 1 in his NBA career ... and his good buddy Draymond Green couldn't help but roast his "old ass" for the absence.

The four-time NBA champ was out as L.A. hosted the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night ... marking the first time in 23 years the NBA tipped off without the King.

While fans were sad to see James in street clothes on the bench due to his injury, Green saw it as a perfect chance to clown his rival ... joking about Father Time with reporters.

Kevin Durant took his cold reception in Oklahoma City in stride ... clapping back at a fan's jeers ahead of his debut with the Houston Rockets -- telling the spectator, "boo you, too, motherf***er!!"

K.D. -- who played eight seasons for the Thunder -- visited the reigning NBA champs in the season-opening matchup at the Paycom Center on Tuesday ... and even though it's been nine years since he left the organization for the Golden State Warriors, at least one person in attendance wanted to make it clear they haven't forgiven him just yet.

Instead of getting pissed about the boo birds, Durant sent them right back with a smile on his face ... while also including the F-bomb.

His Airness has apparently been grounded for good.

Michael Jordan revealed on Tuesday night just before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season that he no longer plays basketball -- not even occasionally in a random gym or driveway.

The iconic hooper, working in his new "MJ: Insights to Excellence" role at NBC for the first time, told Mike Tirico he actually hasn't picked up a ball "in years" -- outside of one free throw attempt during last month's Ryder Cup.

Justin Bieber was "poppin' his s***" on the hardwood Thursday night ... showing off his unlimited range in another basketball game!!

JB and Team SKYLRK took on Master P's son, Hercy Miller, and LRG as part of The League at SRGN Studios in Los Angeles ... and the "Bad Honey" crooner had the folks in attendance going nuts throughout the contest with his deep three-point shots.

While Bieber's team ultimately lost in a 107-88 result, the vibes were high with the 31-year-old papa ... as he chopped it up with teammates, opponents, and VIP guests with a big grin on his face.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Adem Bona learned the hard way to listen to his teammates ... 'cause his actions led to a car full of popcorn!!

The squad's veteran center, Andre Drummond, showed off the damage of the classic prank in a TikTok on Thursday -- Bona's Genesis was filled to the brim with some popped kernels ... and one of his tires was placed in front of his locker.

So, what did the 22-year-old do to deserve this?? Drummond claims Bona was told "to get off the table" and he needed to learn to "follow instructions."

Megan Thee Stallion is officially in her NBA WAG era ... the rapper made her courtside debut at the Mavericks' preseason finale in Las Vegas on Wednesday to support her boyfriend, Klay Thompson.

The "Bigger In Texas" spitter was spotted at T-Mobile Arena for Dallas' exhibition tilt vs. the Lakers ... and she had one of the best seats in the house to catch her man do his thing on the hardwood.

Fans were excited to see Meg supporting Klay, including ESPN's like Kendrick Perkins, who applauded the Mavericks star while live on air for getting a girl like her.

Don't tell Amen Thompson and Jose Alvarado preseason games don't count ... 'cause the two NBAers had to be pulled apart from each other during a fight in the Rockets vs. Pelicans matchup!!

Things got physical in the second quarter of the contest at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama ... when the two guards battled for a rebound.

Alvarado started to lose his balance in his attempt and grabbed Thompson's jersey to break his fall. Thompson tried to push him off ... but Alvarado kept tugging away, forcing him to collapse -- irking him in the process.

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.