Basketball

Collin Sexton's latest rival wasn't wearing a jersey -- it was bolted to the backboard.

The freshly traded Chicago Bulls guard went viral after a heated free-throw sequence during Monday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets ... when Sexton missed his first shot from the stripe, locked eyes with the hoop like it personally betrayed him, then knocked down the second attempt.

That’s when things got spicy.

The attorney who represented Jaxson Hayes' ex-girlfriend in a domestic violence lawsuit against the Lakers' big man is ripping the NBA after it handed down a suspension for shoving a mascot ... telling TMZ Sports he feels the league doesn't have its priorities in order.

Hayes was hit with a one-game ban for his run-in with the Washington Wizards' mascot on Jan. 30 ... and Waukeen McCoy is scratching his head at the Association's swift action.

"They gave him a one-game suspension, that's ridiculous," McCoy said.

Jaxson Hayes found himself in a bizarre beef with a giant bird -- and the NBA just ruled in the mascot’s favor.

The league announced Wednesday that Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for shoving the Wizards’ costumed character, G-Wiz, in pregame introductions before the Lakers’ 142-111 win on Jan. 30 in D.C.

Video of the bizarre moment shows Hayes decking the mascot to the floor while the character was exiting the court -- a move the league clearly didn’t find funny.

G-Wiz wasn’t injured in the scuffle, according to a report by The Athletic ... but the NBA still ruled the behavior crossed the line and slapped Hayes with the punishment anyway.

Noah Vonleh's war with his former sports agency appears to be over -- and the ex-NBA lottery pick didn't get the W.

Pensack Sports scored the final bucket in a multi-year fight with the 30-year-old hooper over agent fees tied to his overseas basketball contracts.

The agency first hauled Vonleh into arbitration in 2023 ... claiming he stiffed them on commissions from deals he signed while playing in China.

A year and two days after Anthony Davis was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history ... the Brow is on the move again -- getting dealt to the Washington Wizards in another deal.

According to Shams Charania, Davis is among the three players being sent to D.C. -- with D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum and Jaden Hardy also being thrown in the move. In exchange, the Wizards are sending Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley, two first-round picks and three second-rounders to Dallas.

Davis played his last game for the Mavericks last month, putting up 21 points in 35 minutes in a 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz. He ended up playing 29 games for the Mavs ... averaging 20.2 points, 3.3 assists, and 10.8 rebounds.

Draymond Green is staring down trade rumors head-on ... and instead of throwing punches, he's throwing gratitude.

The four-time NBA champ got brutally honest after the Warriors' 113-94 loss on Tuesday to the 76ers when asked about speculation he could be moved before Thursday's trade deadline.

"I've been here for 13-and-a-half years," Green said. "That's longer than probably 98% of NBA players have been in one place. I don’t know if it ends ... but what a f***ing run it’s been. I'll take the fine for it. What a f***ing run it’s been."

Derek Fisher isn’t predicting a Ja Morant trade before next week’s deadline ... but if it happens, he says buckle up.

TMZ Sports caught up with the five-time NBA champion at LAX recently and asked him about the possibility of the Memphis Grizzlies trading their dynamic star.

Fisher weighed in on the rumors ... admitting there’s no obvious landing spot if Morant is moved -- but stressed that being traded is something even the game’s greats have had to endure.

The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers power forward Paul George for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug program, the NBA announced Saturday.

His suspension begins immediately and will bench him for Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

George said the situation is a big mix-up in a statement to ESPN, but is taking full responsibility for the error. He explained ... "Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication."

Cleveland went full feels during LeBron James' return on Wednesday ... and "Inside the NBA" immediately turned it into a comedy sketch.

During an in-game timeout in the Cavs' 129-99 win over the Lakers, the team's arena host Ahmaad Crump and mascot Moondog put on pink tutus, rolled out a hot pink exercise ball and launched into a slow, dramatic dance set to Adele’s "Hello."

Emotional vocals, moody pacing ... and balancing a giant workout ball front and center.

The grace, the pageantry -- the instant fuel for mockery. It immediately went viral on social media.

Here's hoping Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu has a good dental plan ... 'cause the big man took an elbow to the face Wednesday night during the team's clash with the Celtics, leading to his teeth getting knocked out!

It all went down during the fourth quarter of the Hawks' 117-106 win over the Celts. As Jaylen Brown attempted to keep the ball away from Okongwu, his elbow connected with the right side of his face, drawing a flagrant foul.

When he stepped to the free-throw line ... you saw the full extent of the damage to his money maker.

LeBron James’ homecoming hit different Wednesday night … and it might’ve been a final bow.

After the Lakers got smacked 129-99 by the Cavaliers in Cleveland, James didn’t sound like a guy planning many more trips back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The 41-year-old flat-out admitted the thought crossed his mind that this “very well could be” his last game ever in The Land.

And yeah, it showed.

Tuesday night in the NBA looked more like Fight Night ... with players in not one, but two games getting feisty on the hardwood, with one hooper having to be restrained all the way through the tunnel to the locker room!

The first scrap of the evening involved the reigning NBA champs (and '26 frontrunners), the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were playing the New Orleans Pelicans. Immediately after the final buzzer sounded ... OKC's Lu Dort and New Orleans' Jeremiah Fears got into a benches-clearing skirmish, where Dort put up a fist as the two were grabbing each other's jerseys.

Once they were able to separate the two players, members of the Pelicans staff had to hold Fears all the way back to the locker room, with Zion Williamson seemingly looking to catch up and calm him down.

Kevin Durant is well aware of the countless social media posts about his dry skin ... but the joke's on the haters behind the tweets -- 'cause he's laughing to the bank!!

The Houston Rockets superstar sat in front of a camera and read some mean posts ... while providing some classic clap-backs in the process.

KD gave props to the funny and creative jabs ... but he came out on top overall -- since the whole clip was part of an ad with CeraVe.

A  moment of silence for Alex Pretti was held at the Minnesota Timberwolves' home game on Sunday -- and as soon as it ended, some fans in attendance used it as an opportunity to shout "F*** ICE" for all to hear.

As we previously reported, the Wolves' matchup with the Golden State Warriors was postponed following Pretti's death to "prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community" amid all the unrest that followed the fatal incident.

When the two teams took the court a day later, tensions were clearly still high. In a recorded video of the tribute, multiple people are heard voicing their opposition to ICE.

That wasn't the only moment during the game that had people talking. During a break in the action ... the Target Center put on a dunk show with the fans ... with the dunkers wearing "ICE OUT" t-shirts.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won't be tipping off this afternoon against Steph Curry's Warriors -- the NBA has postponed the matchup -- after a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement spurred on civil unrest Saturday morning in Minneapolis.

"The National Basketball Association game scheduled for today between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed," the NBA announced a short time ago.

"The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community."

The shooting occurred shortly after 9 AM local time, when 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was involved in a confrontation with a group of feds ... which turned deadly.

A little kid had the guts to ask Jordan Poole what folks have been wondering for years -- how did it feel to get punched by Draymond Green during practice in 2022?!?

A TikTok was posted showing Poole and Pelicans teammates chatting it up with some youngins at a meet and greet ... and the impromptu interview started pretty innocently, with questions like who his favorite teammates were when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.

The 26-year-old listed names like Kevon Looney -- who he now plays with in NOLA -- along with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.