Basketball

Kobe Bryant's last NBA game was iconic ... and now the warm-up the Lakers legend rocked before dropping 60 points on the Jazz is on the auction block!

The famed game went down on April 13, 2016 at Staples Center ... when a 37-year-old Bryant led his Lake Show squad to a second-half comeback after trailing Utah by 15 points.

Mamba went 22 for 50 from the field, and 10-12 from the free throw line ... and he was unstoppable late in the contest. It was the last time Bryant was on the hardwood as a player ... capping his nearly unmatched 20 season career.

A Team Japan supporter used Caitlin Clark's absence from the Olympics to direct some trash talk toward the Red, White and Blue on Monday ... with the clever fan making a sign referencing the team's decision not to bring the Indiana Fever star along for the ride.

The little poster was spotted ahead of A'ja Wilson and Co.'s opening matchup against Japan in the preliminary round of the 2024 Paris Games ... and it read, "You need Caitlin Clark to beat us!"

Some of the Team USA players peeped the diss ... including Brittney Griner and Wilson, who pointed it out and had funny reactions during warmups.

Angel Reese is causing a stir amongst WNBA fans even during the league's break ... the star rookie just posted some posted photos of herself in a tiny pink bikini -- and they're steamy!!

The Chicago Sky forward is clearly enjoying her time away from the hardwood as the W continues its pause on its season so its stars can compete in the Olympics -- check out the pics and vid, she looks as happy as ever.

Unclear where exactly the 22-year-old is -- she was spotted in Paris last week -- but it's possible she's jetted off to a more exotic location for even more R&R.

LeBron James and Coco Gauff didn't let rain ruin their big moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony ... the two raised the American flag high and proud on the Team USA boat -- with big smiles on their faces!!

The tennis superstar and future basketball Hall of Famer were selected to be the flag bearers earlier this week ... and when it came time to shine on the Seine River on Friday -- they didn't disappoint.

The pair rocked white Ralph Lauren Olympic fits -- and despite sleeting rain -- they grabbed the Star-Spangled Banner and led the way for all of the Americans who will compete in the upcoming Games.

TNT isn't about to lose its media rights deal with the NBA without a fight ... it just sued the basketball org. -- claiming it has a "contractual right" to continue to broadcast its games going forward.

The media company -- whose parent organization is Warner Bros. Discovery -- filed the lawsuit in New York on Friday ... just days after Adam Silver revealed the NBA is moving on with Amazon Prime Video.

In their suit, TNT officials claim the NBA legally cannot accept Amazon's deal -- as they say they matched the offer to a T.

Charles Barkley is finally speaking out on the NBA's breakup with TNT ... and it's clear as day, he's pissed over the split.

The former Phoenix Suns superstar unloaded on the Association in a statement on Friday morning ... nearly two days after Adam Silver's league decided to move on from Turner Sports in favor of a new media rights deal with Amazon Prime Video.

Barkley -- who's been a part of TNT's wildly popular "Inside the NBA" program for decades -- called the league's decision greedy ... while accusing its officials of never really giving TNT a fair shake in the negotiation process.

Gilbert Arenas is issuing a direct mea culpa to Luol Deng for his xenophobic comments about South Sudan's men's basketball team ... this after the African former NBA star released a powerful statement addressing the whole ordeal.

As we previously reported, Arenas faced a ton of backlash for going on an offensive rant on Saturday ... shortly after LeBron James and Team USA squeaked by South Sudan prior to the Olympics. Celtics legend Paul Pierce also found himself in hot water for making similar remarks during an appearance on "Undisputed."

The ex-Bulls and Lakers forward -- who serves as the president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation -- broke his silence on both Arenas and Pierce's controversial words directed at his native country's team ... saying he wasn't upset or angry by their words, but more "disappointed" it came from two former colleagues he's always respected.

Caitlin Clark clearly ain't all that upset about missing out on the Paris Olympics ... check out how she looked on Wednesday -- the only thing she was sweatin' was the sweet Mexican sun!

The 22-year-old sharpshooter -- who just missed the cut last month for the Team USA Olympic roster -- headed south this week with a few of her Indiana Fever teammates to get some much-needed R&R as the WNBA put a pause on its season for the Games.

Clark, Lexie Hull and Katie Lou Samuelson all jetted off to Cabo ... and as you can see, it wasn't long before the ladies threw on bikinis and hit the water.

A 13-year-old basketball player viciously stomped on his opponent's head in the middle of a game over the weekend ... and now, the whole incident is under police investigation.

It all went down during a matchup between Payton's Place and Tumakbo United organizations at the College of Alameda in California on Sunday ... when the players were battling for possession of the ball.

During the action, a 13-year-old athlete for Tumakbo United fell to the ground as he tried to maintain control over a defender ... when out of nowhere, another Payton's Place player got involved and forcefully used his foot to put the kid's head to the hardwood.

The WNBA's growing popularity is resulting in some seriously historic merchandise numbers for the organization ... and Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese deserve a ton of credit, 'cause the two superstars lead the entire league in sales.

Fanatics -- the W's official retail partner -- tells TMZ Sports it has seen a 500% surge in business during the first half of the season when compared to the same time period in 2023.

In fact, there's been an 1,000% increase in player-specific merch sales, and Clark and Reese are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Gilbert Arenas went on a rant filled with xenophobic tropes following Team USA's win over South Sudan ... and he's now facing backlash for the remarks, including from Joel Embiid, who's calling the comments "disappointing."

The former NBA star unleashed the offensive tirade on Saturday ... just after LeBron James and Co. squeaked by South Sudan in an Olympics tuneup, 101-100.

James' squad was supposed to win big at O2 Arena in London -- they were, after all, 43-point favorites -- but instead, they needed a last-second layup from the Lakers superstar to get them by.

The Olympic gold medal that Clyde Drexler won as a part of the famed 1992 "Dream Team" can now be all yours ... and while you don't have to be a baller like The Glide to get your hands on it -- ya better have some deep pockets!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the piece of basketball history just hit the block at Goldin Auctions on Monday -- and with a starting bid of $250,000, it's expected to fetch a small fortune when the final gavel comes down.

Unclear why Drexler parted ways with the piece -- but he did fill out a letter of authenticity back in April proclaiming he had no intentions of fighting to get the prize back at any point in the future. He also stated in the LOA that he'll never seek a reproduction of it through the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The medal is now being sold by a consigner.

The college football season hasn't yet started ... but Carson Beck's already winning -- the UGA star quarterback just confirmed he's dating Hanna Cavinder!!!

The 22-year-old signal-caller -- who many believe could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft -- subtly shared the news on his Instagram page on Monday ... showing off a photo of him holding hands with the Univ. of Miami college basketball player.

The pic was all part of a batch of summer photos Beck had recently collected ... and, fittingly, he captioned it by writing "gvo" -- good vibes only.

LeBron James can add yet another accomplishment to his extensive résumé -- the Lakers superstar was just revealed as a flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics ... becoming the first Team USA men's basketball player to receive the honor.

King James -- who was nominated by Stephen Curry and the rest of the national team -- got word of the selection on Monday ... and he said it's something he isn't taking lightly.

"It's special in the fact that you get an opportunity to represent your country in another fashion," Bron said.

"Parks and Rec" star Aubrey Plaza entered WNBA All-Star Weekend with two healthy knees ... but she left it with just one after an unfortunate mishap amid all the festivities.

According to the All-Star Game's broadcaster, Ryan Ruocco, Plaza suffered a torn ACL while playing in a spirited game of "Knockout" at the Phoenix Mercury's practice facility just hours before Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson tipped off their Team WNBA vs. Team USA exhibition clash.

Plaza still somehow mustered up the strength to catch the game at the Footprint Center ... although she needed an ice pack and a crutch to get through the night.

Kobe Bryant fans have an opportunity to get their hands on a truly rare piece of memorabilia ... the Black Mamba's Staples Center locker -- and it could sell for over a million bucks!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the locker -- which was set to be destroyed during renovations at the Staples Center in 2018 -- was saved by a maintenance worker who realized it belonged to the Hall of Famer.

The worker kept it in storage for years until an American collector, who had the locker nameplate, purchased it to reunite the two pieces.