The NBA Dunk Contest is on relevancy life support ... but Julius Erving, the first-ever winner in the event, has a way to save it -- telling TMZ Sports it's time for the league's biggest stars to brush up on their history.
We caught up with the Hall of Famer in NYC this week ... and considering he has countless iconic slams to his name, we had to ask about the state of the All-Star Weekend staple.
It's no secret fans are starting to roll their eyes at it ... with randos competing against each other instead of franchise players. Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon and G League star Mac McClung have certainly helped the cause ... but overall, it's been a dud for quite some time.
Congress may be throwing elbows on Capitol Hill ... but once the suits come off, some lawmakers are apparently more focused on jump shots than cheap shots!
Our TMZ DC crew caught up with Rep. Shomari Figures and a few other congressmen, including Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick, in the aftermath of the Congressional Basketball Game Tuesday night ... where Democrats and Republicans hit the court together in a rare display of bipartisan teamwork.
Check out the clip ... Figures tells us the game came down to the wire and he gave props to fellow Representatives Suhas Subramanyam and Blake Moorefor balling out.
But when we asked what it’s like sharing the court with members of the opposing party amid all the political chaos in D.C. ... the Alabama Democrat pushed back on the idea that lawmakers are constantly at each other's throats.
It’s no longer a question of “Who’s the baby daddy?” … because Paul Pierce is admitting he fathered Princess Santiago’s child.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the NBA legend told the court he was the biological dad to 2-month-old King Rafael Santiago Pierce. He asked for joint legal and physical custody.
As we’ve previously reported, she’s asking for sole legal and physical custody -- plus a hefty $29,811 per month in child support, $100K in legal fees, and nearly $19K in pregnancy-related expenses. Santiago filed a paternity suit in California back in January.
She’s also made sure to highlight Pierce’s massive NBA earnings -- claiming he pulled in close to $200 million during his career -- as justification for the sizable monthly ask.
Princess Santiago tells TMZ ... “For nine months, I went through this pregnancy alone — no financial support, no in-person presence from Paul. Now that the DNA test confirms he’s the father, he’s seeking joint custody?”
LaMelo Ball is facing a ton of criticism for tripping and injuring Bam Adebayo in a Play-In Tournament matchup on Tuesday ... but the Charlotte Hornets star claims the incident was the result of getting hit in the head.
The play went down early in the second quarter of the elimination game ... when Heat forward Simone Fontecchio blocked Ball's shot, and Adebayo tried to save it from going out of bounds.
Bam Adebayo headed to the locker room after landing on his tailbone
Ball found himself lying out on the hardwood during the sequence ... and he reached out and grabbed Adebayo's leg, forcing him to join him on the ground.
Lamar Odom spent time in Africa with his girlfriend, Rachel Bradley ... and TMZ has video of their epic adventure involving watching gorillas and meeting with local politicians.
The athlete and his arm candy flew to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, for the presidential election with friends, former NBA stars D.J. Mbenga and Trevor Ariza.
Lamar and his pals hung out with Rodrigue Nguesso, who works with high-ranking officials, and they stayed for the election on March 15.
J. Cole is reflecting on his impressively brief Chinese basketball experience ... explaining his time with the Nanjing Monkey Kings was cut short due to visa issues.
The rapper and part-time hooper played just eight minutes of action in one game for the pro team ... but the initial plan was to make three appearances before the paperwork hiccup got in the way.
Devastating health update from Dick Vitale ... the college hoops legend revealed he's been diagnosed with cancer in his lung and liver cavity -- but Dickie V says he'll again kick the disease's ass!
Vitale, 86, shared the bad news Monday afternoon through ESPN public relations.
"Today, my oncologist, Dr. Brown, informed me that my biopsy results confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in my lung and liver cavity. I will be starting immunotherapy shortly and I plan on winning this battle."
Pope Leo XIV remembers the good old days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on his hometown Chicago Bulls ... and, he's clearly got some skills with the rock ... or at least some great teachers.
The head of the Catholic Church welcomed the Harlem Globetrotters to St. Peters' Square Wednesday ... and they showed him how to spin a basketball on his finger.
Check it out -- one of the athletes starts spinning the ball while he gets the pope's finger into position ... then passes it off to him ... sorta.
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 GenoAuriemma and DawnStaley is still buzzing … but PaigeBueckers isn’t piling on her old coach.
TMZSports 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.
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. Colesigned 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.
Waiting for your permission to load the Twitter Tweet.
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."
