Basketball

A Black high school basketball player is being met with an "outpouring of encouragement and support" after a fan hurled the N-word at him during a recent game ... and TMZ Sports has learned he's even back on the court, despite the ugly incident.

The disgusting moment happened in the second quarter of last week's Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinal game, when a Goodrich High School fan yelled a racist slur at a Flint Kearsley High player.

The incident, which was captured on a live stream of the game, predictably sparked outrage ... but also a whole bunch of love and support for the player, especially from his teammates, classmates, and the community.

Iman Shumpert is speaking out for the first time about Kayla Nicole's public feud with his ex-wife, Teyana Taylor ... revealing the influencer reached out to him to apologize after the shade sparked backlash.

Quick refresher ... Nicole was on Angel Reese's podcast in 2024 and admitted a guy she was dating dumped her for a popular singer/actress. While Nicole never name-dropped, she did say she dressed up as the woman for Halloween to be petty.

Social media detectives figured it out ... the costume was Taylor's iconic outfit from Kanye West's "Fade" video.

Shocking and disturbing moment at a high school basketball game ... a student yelled the N-word at a Black player as he was shooting free throws, and it was all captured on video.

The racist moment happened last Tuesday during the Flint Metro League boys basketball semifinals matchup between Goodrich High School and Flint Kearsley High.

In the second quarter, a Kearsley player was preparing to set up to the charity stripe ... and that's when a fan from the Goodrich student section abruptly shouted the N-word.

The crowd immediately reacted, making it clear they were disgusted by the slur.

Former NBA star Chris Bosh is opening up on a recent medical emergency ... revealing he was getting ready for a date night with his wife when he blacked out and woke up in a pool of his own blood.

The Hall of Famer shared the news with his followers ... saying he was walking into his bathroom when a numbing sensation shot down his left leg.

When he came to, Bosh said he was covered in his own blood and his wife was on the phone with emergency responders. He said he tried to move his body, but was unsuccessful.

Justin Bieber took a break from Coachella prep to catch some NBA action ... hitting Crypto.com Arena to watch the Lakers on Tuesday -- and getting a cool moment with LeBron James in the process!!!

The Biebs is just 45 days from taking the stage in Indio for his first big solo gig since 2022 ... and things seem to be going well, 'cause he was in great spirits throughout the Purple and Gold's contest against the Orlando Magic.

JB rocked a green hoodie with white polka dots and some shades for the outing ... so it wasn't hard for King James to find him in the crowd for a quick dap before tipoff.

Ex-Univ. of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro says he told the "idiots" at the NCAA to pay players a decade and a half ago ... and while he's pleased the day has finally come, he tells TMZ Sports it was long overdue!

Of course, Shapiro was at the center of a big NCAA scandal involving the Hurricanes football program, where he allegedly provided cash, gifts, and parties to players, and he was widely ridiculed.

Fast forward to today ... with an NIL policy that now allows athletes to be paid for their name, image, and likeness, we asked Shapiro if he'd consider working with college athletes once again.

LaMelo Ball was in no mood to be seen after his car crash in Charlotte ... new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows the Hornets hooper quickly dipping into a Lamborghini that pulled up to the accident scene to pick him up, as his '22 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 sat wheel-less in the street.

An eyewitness captured the video from a building overlooking uptown Charlotte on Wednesday, not long after Ball's big truck collided with a Kia Sedan at an intersection in the heart of the North Carolina city.

We're told the black Lamborghini pulled up about 10 minutes after the crash ... and there's no time wasted. The clip shows a man in a black puffer vest with an orange sweatshirt open the passenger-side door of the vehicle before LaMelo quickly emerges from his Hummer and slips into the waiting $250K-plus Lambo SUV.

UCLA men's basketball coach Mick Cronin was so ticked off watching his team get blown out by the 15th-ranked Michigan State Spartans, he literally kicked one of his players out of the game after picking up a flagrant foul!

It all went down late in the second half of Tuesday's contest, when the Spartans were up, 77-50, over the Bruins ... after Spartans' center Carson Cooper was set to slam down a dunk off a lob pass, when redshirt senior Steven Jamerson fouled him hard.

SJ was eventually assessed a flagrant one foul ... but Cronin was not happy with his player after the penalty. He started grabbing his jersey and instructing a staff member on the bench to take him back to the locker room.

Los Angeles Lakers star Deandre Ayton was temporarily detained at a Bahamas airport as authorities searched his posessions for marijuana, but was eventually released after the search came up empty, TMZ Sports has learned.

The Central Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force told us Ayton -- a native of the Bahamas -- was searched at the Lyden Pindling International Airport after he was allegedly spotted smoking weed on the premises.

But when reached by phone Tuesday evening, his attorney, Devard Francis, painted a different picture.

Francis tells us his client was briefly held by authorities who searched his bag for weed. After, DA was released, and no charges were filed. Francis said Ayton is on his way back to L.A. to rejoin the Lakers as they get ready to kick off the second half of the NBA season.

It's been about a week since Megan Thee Stallion threw Klay Thompson an epic birthday bash ... and now the 4x NBA champ is repaying the favor to his boo, with the rapper thanking her man for a beautiful bday trip, and a new Bentley!

The three-time Grammy Award-winning artist shared some pictures from her 31st birthday trip, which saw the two hit a tropical destination while Klay was in the middle of the NBA's All-Star break.

Her Instagram recap also featured a blue Bentley with a blue ribbon -- which she has said is her favorite color. Fans online speculated that Thompson bought her the new whip, and TMZ Sports confirmed with a source that he did indeed purchase the luxury vehicle.

It's been a fun few weeks for the couple, who just recently got back from celebrating the current Dallas Mavericks guard's 36th birthday -- and based on the pics, Thompson seemed to be loving every second.

Former NBA star Lamar Odom is staying sober and feeling better after spending weeks in a rehab ... this, according to sources close to the situation.

We're told Lamar is "doing really good" and "feeling amazing."

An insider tells TMZ ... "This time was different because Lamar checked himself in," and says the athlete's family and friends have been extremely supportive.

We’re told Lamar has about a week left before he completes his treatment program at iRely Recovery in Los Angeles.

Shaquille O'Neal lived up to his "Diesel" moniker this weekend, driving a big ol' bus into the heart of Beverly Hills, where he handed out candy to the shocked fans!

O'Neal, with Michael Babcock along for the ride, navigated the streets of Los Angeles ... as the legendary big man gave an impromptu concert, singing the O'Neal remix of "Love 'Shaq,'" the B-52s hit, and rapping DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win."

In between belting out the carpool karaoke hits, the Big Fella threw bags and bags of his Shaq-A-Licious candy to passing cars.

At a red light, Shaq even went four-for-four ... proving he can, in fact, shoot.

O'Neal eventually pulled the bus over near Melrose Place, and it wasn't long before fans swarmed the area ... with cars pulling over, and people jumping out for a chance to snap a pic with the Hall of Famer.

Dozens of pics later, and with significantly less candy on board, Shaq was out with this parting message ... "It looks like I'm still the king of L.A.!"

FYI, it's been 22 years since O'Neal last won an NBA championship, but he's clearly still beloved in the City of Angels.

Michael Jordan is being criticized after what should’ve been a champagne-soaked celebration at the Daytona 500 … but instead of talking trophies, many on social media are dissecting a viral video involving MJ and Tyler Reddick's young son.

Jordan's 23XI Racing team won the season's biggest race, and while the confetti was falling, cameras captured a brief interaction between the NBA legend and Beau Reddick, son of the winning driver.

In the viral clip, MJ appears to playfully grab or tap the child during the chaotic celebration ... repeatedly pinching his lower back and brushing his leg.

Chris Paul -- a 12-time NBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer -- is officially retiring, bringing an end to an era!

Paul announced his decision on Friday, just shortly after the Toronto Raptors released him following a three-team trade with the Clippers last week.

"This is it," Paul started. "After over 21 years, I'm stepping away from basketball."

"While this chapter of being an 'NBA player' is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the NBA of my life. I've been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It's crazy even saying that!!!"

Nikola Topić -- the Oklahoma City Thunder first-round draft pick in 2024 -- made his NBA debut four months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer ... receiving a standing ovation from the crowd!

The powerful moment all went down with under two minutes left in the first quarter of Thursday's contest. Topić was set to inbound the ball when the Paycom Center erupted in cheers for the 20-year-old after his long-awaited return to the court.

Topic tapped his heart in a gesture towards the crowd before inbounding the ball and getting the action back underway. In 12 minutes of action, he scored two points with one assist and one rebound.

Klay Thompson just celebrated his 36th trip around the sun -- and the hooper says it was the greatest one yet -- thanks to his girlfriend, Megan Thee Stallion!

"Best birthday ever thanks to my baby. I’m still on cloud East 99," the 4x NBA champ wrote on social media.

Thompson also shared a bunch of photos from the celebration, showing the Dallas Mavericks guard cheesin' with Meg and friends in the pics.

Klay also posted video on stage with the legends, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, as they performed some of their hits.