Basketball

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is about to make the jump to elite status ... so says Wendell Carter Jr., who tells TMZ Sports there's no doubt in his mind his teammate will contend for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award this season.

The 21-year-old former No. 1 overall pick improved in nearly every statistical category in his sophomore outing ... earning himself All-Star honors after averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists -- and leading his Magic to the playoffs.

Many expect the former Duke standout to build off that momentum in his third season --  including Carter, Jr., who spoke highly of the young hooper while out at LAX this week.

Christian Koloko -- who had a career-threatening blood clot issue earlier this year -- says he's ready for a fresh start with the Lakers, telling TMZ Sports he's optimistic he can play this season!

We spoke with Koloko at LAX just days after he signed a two-way contract with the Purple & Gold ... a 7-foot-1 center that could provide valuable depth with Anthony Davis prone to injury.

"I feel amazing," the Cameroonian athlete said.

Caitlin Clark's breaking records on and off the court ... her autographed WNBA draft rookie card just sold at auction for a record-breaking $84,000!

The Panini Instant one-of-one card features the No. 1 draft pick holding up her Indiana Fever jersey on stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York ... moments after she was selected.

The Blue Viper rookie RC card was also signed by Clark, "guaranteed" authentic by Panini America.

NBA champ Iman Shumpert and Amber Rose stripped down to their swimsuits and enjoyed a day in the Miami heat ... but before ya get any ideas -- TMZ Sports is told it was nothing more than a platonic gathering.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard and model/personality were spotted lounging on some beach chairs on Wednesday ... smoking what appeared to be some ciggys as they chopped it up near the water.

Rose rocked a black halterneck suit for the occasion ... and Shump sported some light-colored trunks.

Shaquille O'Neal still adamantly denies he's the big man in the photo burning up social media, using a Shaggy hit to get the word out ... this after the woman shared evidence she claims proves she was with the Big Fella!

52-year-old Shaq shared a video on Instagram ... where the Hall of Famer, sitting alongside Peter Gunz, lip-synced to Shaggy's 2000 hit, "It Wasn't Me".

The video is a response to a woman named Maria Ozuna Teachey ... who earlier in the week shared a now-deleted Rated-R photo with a giant dude who many assumed was O'Neal (the person is so tall their head is out of frame).

LeBron James is rallying behind Bryce Young ... telling the second-year quarterback to stay focused on his goals after losing his starting job with the Carolina Panthers.

King James -- a fellow No. 1 overall pick himself -- went to X to show support for the young signal-caller on Tuesday ... making sure his 53 million followers saw his encouraging message.

"Bryce Young hold ya head Young 🤴🏾!! Rooting for you and know this ain't on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail! 🙏🏾👑"

Social media detectives can relax ... Shaquille O'Neal says he is NOT the man in the PDA photo making the rounds all over the internet Tuesday.

If you haven't seen it yet ... the selfie was posted by Maria Ozuna Teachey to her 200K-plus followers on Instagram earlier this week -- and it featured her in front of a mirror with a large man's arms wrapped around her.

Because of the dude's size, many believed it was the Big Diesel -- after all, the dude appeared super tall and really buff -- and he seemingly had big hands and feet as well.

Michael Jordan has finally found a buyer for his near-$15 million mansion in a Chicago suburb ... after sitting for 12 years!!!

The 56,000-square-foot estate is currently listed as "contingent," indicating the would-be buyer and MJ have a deal, but it's contingent upon several conditions being met.

The property is located in Highland Park, Illinois ... and it's got a bunch of amenities, including the iconic No. 23 gate, nine bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a cigar room, a library, an indoor gym, and of course, a full-sized basketball court.

Caitlin Clark has a lot to celebrate this week ... 'cause shortly after she broke the record for most points by a WNBA rookie, her boyfriend got a new job at Butler -- as a coach!

The university announced on Monday it's hiring Connor McCaffery -- who previously worked on the Indiana Pacers staff -- to be an assistant on its men's basketball team ... and it said in a statement it's thrilled to welcome him to Bulldog Country.

Clark -- who started dating McCaffery when they both played ball at Iowa -- was also pumped for her man ... congratulating him with a sweet message on Instagram.

NFL teams in need of a quarterback might want to see what Caitlin Clark's up to on off-days ... 'cause the WNBA star threw out some swag at the Fever game Sunday -- and it's clear, she's got a cannon!!

Check out video Indiana posted to its social media pages following its 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings ... you can see the 22-year-old signed some mini-basketballs, and then hurled them into the stands like she was Patrick Mahomes.

One after another, she rifled them to people who were sitting in Gainbridge Fieldhouse nosebleeds ... and people were left in awe of her right arm.

A'ja Wilson celebrated her new record for most points in a WNBA regular season ... by spending the day with NBA star Bam Adebayo!!

TMZ Sports obtained photos of the two basketball centers making their way downtown in Indianapolis on Thursday -- just hours after Wilson secured the single-season scoring title against the Indiana Fever.

The six-time WNBA All-Star and Miami Heat hooper were among a group of people on a stroll down Market Street ... and they appeared to be multitasking, as they had some grub in hand.

Ex-NBA player Mitchell Wiggins -- the father of Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins -- has died, his family announced. He was 64 years old.

Details surrounding his passing were not released.

Mitchell was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 23rd overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. He played in the Windy City for one season before being traded to the Houston Rockets -- where he remained until 1987.

Jenn Tran isn't done putting the full-court press on Cleveland Cavs player Max Strus ... 'cause one day after professing her crush on the hooper, she was caught double-tapping on his recent thirst trap.

As we previously reported, the "Bachelorette" beauty gushed over the sharp-shooter on "The Viall Files" podcast released Thursday ... saying after finding out Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was off the market, she wouldn't mind if Strus slid into her DMs.

The shout-out could very well work in her favor ... 'cause as it turns out, the two follow each other on social media. It's unclear if it's a recent development, or if Tran had been on Strus' radar all along.

Greatness recognizes greatness ... and Tom Brady did just that on Thursday -- giving WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson a major shoutout after breaking the single-season scoring record.

Brady -- who is arguably the GOAT of the NFL -- gave the Las Vegas Aces center her flowers on X ... singing her praises for accomplishing the feat in just 35 games.

"There are so many incredible players in the WNBA right now," Brady said minutes ago. "But there’s only one A'ja Wilson!"

"Bachelorette" star Jenn Tran is looking to move on from Devin Strader with a hunky NBA player ... revealing her celebrity crush is Cleveland Cavaliers hooper Max Strus -- and she wants him to hit her up ASAP!!

The gorgeous reality TV star spilled the beans on her dating life on the most recent episode of "The Viall Files" ... where she said she's not looking to get back on the market after her disastrous split from her ex-fiancé.

Tran said she'd make an exception if Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was interested ... that is, until she was informed he's currently boo'd up with singer Ella Mai.

Taylor Swift wasn't the only megastar to throw her support behind Kamala Harris after Tuesday night's debate ... Caitlin Clark sure seemed to show she's got the VP's back in the race against Donald Trump as well.

Check out Swift's now-famous Instagram post -- Clark put a big ole heart on the love letter to Harris ... suggesting she, too, will be casting her vote for the Democratic Party's nominee in November.

The 22-year-old WNBA phenom hadn't previously indicated which way she'd go.