Basketball

WNBA player Sophie Cunningham is the latest athlete to join the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit family ... and there are a LOT of happy basketball fans as a result.

The Indiana Fever guard is following in the footsteps of Sue Bird, Te'a Cooper, Cameron Brink and Angel Reese ... fellow hoopers who have graced the magazine pages over the years.

Cunningham was photographed in Ft. Myers, Florida at South Seas for her debut in the 2026 issue ... with photographer Katherine Goguen snapping away as she posed in a white bikini.

The fallout from the NCAA Women's Final Four dust-up between Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley is still buzzing … but Paige Bueckers isn’t piling on her old coach.

TMZ Sports caught up with the ex-UConn star outside LAX on Monday -- and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year is keeping the focus where she thinks it belongs. She admitted that while the handshake line situation wasn’t ideal, the real shame is that the controversy stole attention from the play on the court.

“It’s unfortunate,” Bueckers said, pointing out there was “so much good basketball being played” across the tournament … shouting out each of the Final Four teams that ended up taking a backseat to the noise.

The Michigan Wolverines are partying like it's 1989 -- they just became the 2026 NCAA champions, their first title in almost four decades ... and they had every reason to celebrate after a hard-fought run to the top.

The Wolverines claimed the crown at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday night, sealing the win as the final buzzer sounded with a 69-63 score.

The Wolverines lost their minds after the clock hit zero, delivering their first national title since 1989 -- when future NBA champion Glen Rice led the team and took home the MVP honors.

The Chi Barbie is set to become the ATL Barbie ... 'cause Angel Reese is heading down south to Atlanta in a trade from the Sky to the Dream.

Taylor Rooks reported the news Monday morning, saying Chicago and Atlanta have agreed to terms that will unite the two-time All-Star with Brittney Griner, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard.

In exchange for Reese, the Sky will be receiving two first-round picks from the Dream, with one in 2027 and the other in 2028.

The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is gunning to return to the championship game for the first time since losing to Villanova back in 2018 ... and Trey Burke has a message for the squad ahead of their showdown with Arizona in just a few hours!

"Staying in the moment," Burke told TMZ Sports. "It's easy to think about what could happen, win or lose, you know, get caught up just in the festivities and just realizing you're actually here."

"I think the biggest thing is staying in the moment, really enjoying the moment and getting lost in the game. It is one of those games that you can't really go back in time and redo."

The Washington Wizards are apologizing for an April Fools' prank that left folks more pissed than amused ... claiming everyone involved in the skit knew it was staged.

The team made it seem as if a random fan named Jackson had a chance at winning $10K during a break in the action Wednesday night -- all he had to do was nail a half-court shot while blindfolded.

Unfortunately for him, he missed -- but the MC and the mascots all acted like he drilled the shot ... and Jackson seemed pretty convinced.

It sure sounds like it, but this is no April Fools' Day joke -- J. Cole signed with a Chinese Basketball Association team on Wednesday ... and wasted no time getting to work.

The award-winning rapper inked a deal with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, according to ESPN's Shams Charania ... and dropped his first video on Doyin, a Chinese short video-sharing platform, saying he was "excited" to be in the vicinity.

He was also caught on video at the Monkey Kings' practice ... doing drills and going through pre-game warm-ups, while fans showed him plenty of love -- high-fiving J. Cole as he made his way into the arena.

Jaden Ivey's wife, Caitlyn, is breaking her silence after the former Bulls player claimed she cut off communication after Chicago released him following his anti-Pride comments ... disputing what she calls a "lie" from her husband.

"We were communicating all morning of that day," she wrote on Instagram. "People say things for attention, do not be deceived."

The drama between the couple started the day after the Bulls cut Ivey loose, when he revealed, "my wife in here, and she not even texting me."

Jaden Ivey jetted out of town after the Chicago Bulls cut him following his anti-Pride comments ... with the hooper going live to discuss the situation as he waited to take off, before a flight attendant made him turn off his phone.

The 24-year-old's destination was unknown, but he was on a commercial flight when he started streaming to some of his 219K Instagram followers ... loudly discussing religion and sin.

As Ivey spoke, the safety briefing played in the background. A flight attendant eventually approached him, asking him to wrap things up as the cell phone could interfere with the communication system.

Tristan Thompson can't get his ex, Khloe Kardashian, out of his mind ... at least according to a revealing podcast interview with Stephen Miller's wife, Katie.

When asked to name his favorite memory, Tristan was quick to list his first date with Khloe. And he remembered everything she had on!

He said, "She had leave-in conditioner in her hair, she had one of those hats we used to wear -- the Smokey the Bear hats -- body suit, Good American jeans on."

Hollywood marched their sexy selves right onto Instagram this month -- crushing the selfie game .... and capitalizing on their fit physiques and fame ...

Sexy stars like Livvy Dunne put up a slam dunk with her "Baywatch" shot, and Hailey Bieber and Dess Dior's booty thirst traps will bust all your brackets!

AJ Dybantsa is headed for NBA superstardom … but he’s clearly not rushing out of college life just yet.

The potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick didn’t just attend Thursday’s BYU women's basketball’s WBIT matchup with Stanford -- he made sure it was a scene.

After firing off a pregame tweet calling on fans to pack the gym, Dybantsa pulled up with his teammates -- Rob Wright III, KJ Perry, Khadim Mboup, Abdullah “Bido” Ahmed, Dominique Diomande and Xavion Staton -- and planted himself in the front row, leading chants and jawing at the Stanford bench like he was part of The ROC himself.

10:25 AM PT -- The University of Alabama issued a statement on Friday about Aden Holloway after he was granted permission to travel outside the state this weekend.

"Nothing has changed with regard to Aden's status with the team.”

Alabama hooper Aden Holloway just got a green light from a judge … but don’t expect him to magically reappear on the court Friday night.

TMZ Sports has obtained court documents that show Holloway asked for -- and received -- permission to leave the state of Alabama after his recent arrest on felony marijuana charges. Because of his bond conditions, he needed approval just to travel … and a judge signed off Friday morning.

The plan? Head to Chicago and return Monday -- right as Alabama gears up for its Sweet 16 matchup with Michigan in a matter of hours … and a possible Elite Eight game if the Crimson Tide advances.

The viral courtside clash between Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese and star player Oluchi Okananwa didn’t just light up social media -- it might’ve actually outshined a national title.

Frese told TMZ Sports the now-infamous third-quarter moment -- where she got in Okananwa's grill, pointed and said “I believe in you, but you’ve got to want this moment!” -- has generated more attention than Maryland’s 2006 championship run.

“We didn’t get this many views back then,” Frese said … noting the clip has racked up tens of millions of eyeballs online.

It wasn't going down in the DMs between Shaquille O'Neal and Sabrina Carpenter ... so says the NBA legend who is addressing the now-viral messages, with the Big Fella insisting he's got way more game!

The drama all started when screenshots of an alleged exchange between O'Neal and the pop star hit social media, which Diesel not only addressed but read aloud during his "Big Podcast with Shaq."

"Damn, baby. I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day," O'Neal repeated.

Another of the alleged messages ... "I can't be horny and want some of that Snow Bunny kitty for myself?!" and "My meat would have you in the hospital."

The party's not over for Haley Cavinder and Jake Ferguson -- the couple's bachelor-bachelorette celebration went to overtime in Vegas, where Haley and her twin, Hanna, turned heads in teeny bikinis at one of the hottest dayclubs in Sin City!

Haley and the Dallas Cowboys tight end got engaged in April 2025 and kicked off their bachelor/ette festivities earlier this month with family and friends, starting with a trip to the Bahamas.

They've since moved on to Vegas for the grand reopening of the famed Marquee Dayclub ... where the Cavinder twins showed up over the weekend, and stole the spotlight, wearing barely-there swimsuits.