Basketball

Marcus Spears Jr. might be the No. 1 basketball recruit in the 2027 class -- and according to his dad, former NFL star Marcus Spears, the kid has already taken over the family court.

So much so that Dad has officially retired from playing the five-star prospect one-on-one.

“The one-on-one is over,” Spears told TMZ Sports over Super Bowl weekend. “If I play him one-on-one, I’m setting myself up for failure. I’m done with that.”

Swagu said the turning point came when his son was just 15 years old and already pushing the ESPN NFL analyst to the brink -- and the kid has only gotten better since.

The Big 12’s flashy court experiment didn’t even last the whole tournament.

Conference commissioner Brett Yormark announced late Thursday the league is ditching its much-hyped glass LED court for the rest of the tournament ... meaning the semifinals and championship of the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament will be played on a traditional hardwood floor instead.

The abrupt switch came the same day Christian Anderson -- a star guard for Texas Tech who leads the conference in assists -- slipped multiple times on the court and left the Red Raiders’ quarterfinal game with an injury, putting the controversial playing surface in the spotlight.

Dwight Howard is officially walking away from basketball ... claiming while he still has gas left in the tank, the sport made the decision for him -- and now it's time for family.

The 40-year-old No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft released a lengthy statement on Thursday ... acknowledging that most folks might think he already handed in his retirement papers, but that wasn't the case.

DH12 -- who last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season before taking his talents overseas -- is now going to put all his energy into his family and the community.

Bam Adebayo, fresh off one of the most impressive scoring performances in NBA history, had one very important order of business post-game ... praise his WNBA superstar GF A'ja Wilson, calling her his inspiration!

The Miami Heat big man put on a show at the Kaseya Center, posting the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history, surpassing Kobe Bryant, who famously scored 81 in 2006.

After the Heat's 150-129 win over the Wizards, Adebayo shared a special moment with his girlfriend, Wilson ... and even brought her along to his post-game presser, where he had some heartwarming words about his lady.

Dillon Brooks went to social media to let his fans know his focus is all on ball after his DUI arrest ... sharing footage from a workout to his Instagram page.

Brooks posted several clips Friday afternoon ... showing him putting up shots at the Phoenix Suns' practice facility with trainers by his side.

It's unclear when exactly the workout took place -- it could very well be from Friday ... which would mean he wasted no time getting back to normal after he was booked hours earlier.

Philadelphia 76ers hooper V.J. Edgecombe put it all on the line Sunday night ... 'cause at one point in the game, he dove head-first into the stands to keep a ball in play ... but he accidentally kicked a woman right in the kisser in the process.

It all went down as the 76ers were taking on the Boston Celtics in Beantown. As Edgecombe attempted to save the rock from going out of bounds, he launched into the fans sitting courtside, with his left foot catching a poor woman as he flew over her.

The 20-year-old was quick to check in on the lady, with cameras catching the two embracing before he made his way back to the floor. While the woman seemed to be taking it in stride, she did have a mark left on the right side from the shoe.

The USBL is going to bat for Jontay Porter -- telling TMZ Sports the league believes in “second chances” as it welcomes the banned ex-NBA big man.

Porter, who was banned for life from the NBA in 2024 following a gambling scandal that torpedoed his career, signed last week with the Seattle SuperHawks in the relaunched United States Basketball League.

While some leagues might shy away from the baggage, the USBL is leaning in.

Kysre Gondrezick might be sidelined with an injury, but it certainly hasn't slowed her down in the content department -- the pro hooper just dropped a super-hot selfie showing off her toned tummy and major underboob.

The former WNBA star shared her 'fit on Instagram ... featuring black pants and a 3/4-length sleeved shirt pulled up to expose her abs.

Of course, 28-year-old Gondrezick isn't shy about showing off her body -- she recently posed nude for Playboy, which was a big hit for the publication and her fans.

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.