Basketball

LaMelo Ball is adamant he's not a bigot ... telling reporters Sunday that even though he used some anti-gay language earlier in the weekend, he has "love for everybody."

Ball was fined by the NBA just prior to his Sunday evening meeting with the media ... after league officials deemed the "no homo" comment he made in a postgame interview on Saturday "offensive and derogatory."

Ball told journalists following the Hornets' 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers that he "really didn't mean anything" by the remark ... and he doesn't "want to offend anybody."

Just because Bronny James is bouncing between the NBA and G League doesn't mean his hoops career is cooked ... so says Metta World Peace, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers rookie is getting a great opportunity to develop.

James -- the 55th overall pick -- was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Nov. 7 ... after the guard averaged 0.7 points, and 2.7 minutes of playing time in six games with the big dogs.

It's not your average move, though ... as Bronny will only play home games for South Bay and continue to travel with his pops and the rest of his Lakers teammates for NBA games as well.

Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, is calling on everyone to keep the jokes and memes coming about the Miami Heat legend's new statue ... telling TMZ Sports all the silly comments only make it that much more of a must-see attraction!!

We caught up with the future Hall of Famer's oldest out at LAX this week ... and asked him what the fam REALLY thinks of the team's permanent tribute to Dwyane outside the Kaseya Center -- especially after all the reactions it got on social media.

It turns out D-Wade wasn't lying when he said he loved it ... 'cause Zaire doubled down and said that's how they all feel about the honor.

Like father, like son!!

Kiyan Anthony just announced he'll be playing college basketball at Syracuse -- following the footsteps of his former NBA superstar dad, Carmelo!

The 17-year-old guard revealed his decision between USC and 'Cuse on Melo's "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast on Friday ... with his dad and mom, La La Anthony, by his side.

The Long Island Lutheran High School star thanked the USC and Syracuse coaching staffs for the recruitment process ... before taking out an Orange cap and putting it on his head.

Nearly getting run over by a Knicks player apparently has a place alongside Oscars and blockbuster movie credits for Anne Hathaway ... 'cause she just revealed her scary encounter with OG Anunoby earlier this week was actually on her "bucket list!"

Hathaway took to her Instagram page on Thursday night to address the close call she had on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden ... and she was surprisingly jovial about it all.

In a selfie video, she said "I almost got crashed into last night!" before adding, "I always wanted that to happen!"

Cameron Brink peeled back the curtain on her big Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue debut ... sharing a few behind-the-scenes pics of the photo shoot -- and she looks fantastic!!

The WNBA star posted the snaps on Instagram ... documenting what she's been up to recently -- including her recent collab with the popular magazine.

Brink flashed her athletic physique in the shots ... which showed her interacting with all the staffers on hand.

A college basketball game was delayed several minutes on Thursday night ... because a player upchucked all over the floor!!

The gross scene unfolded just a few minutes into Eastern Michigan's matchup with IU Indy ... when Jalin Billingsley got so sick while trying to run back on defense, he vomited right on the hardwood.

Take a look at a replay from the game (only if, of course, you haven't had your breakfast yet!) -- Billingsley can be seen appearing to throw up while in a full sprint ... before he stops and hunches over.

Carmelo Anthony says Stevie Wonder -- who, newsflash, is blind -- once told him he loved WATCHING him play basketball.

The hilarious revelation came on Melo's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast ... when the hooper was asked by co-host The Kid Mero for the name of someone famous who expressed their fandom of the future Hall of Famer.

That's when Melo began to tell the story of his 2011 meeting with the legendary musician over All-Star Weekend.

A New York Knicks fan infiltrated a family-friendly event with some adult humor on Wednesday ... making use of his time on the kiss cam by doing something a bit, uh, different than locking lips with his significant other.

The surprising moment happened during a break in the action at the home team's matchup with the Chicago Bulls ... when the Madison Square Garden cameras focused on an apparent couple enjoying their date night.

The woman was seemingly ready to give her man a smooch ... but the dude had other plans. As she leaned in for a peck, he grabbed her head and pushed it down toward his lap -- and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the message he was trying to convey.

Desmond Mason -- the 2001 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion -- was jailed in Oklahoma on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

An Oklahoma County Detention Center official tells us ... Mason was thrown behind bars on a charge of contempt of court just before noon. He was released several hours later -- at around 9:34 PM -- on a $50,000 bond.

Court documents we obtained showed the booking stemmed from Mason's divorce case with Andrea Mason. Officials allege in the docs the former hooper did not appear at a court hearing, despite being ordered to do so.

Anne Hathaway's courtside seats Wednesday night might have been just a little too courtside ... 'cause she nearly got a faceful of a sprinting Knicks player!!

Check out video from the first quarter of New York's tilt with Chicago at Madison Square Garden ... OG Anunoby almost crashed right into the actress and her son as he hunted for a loose ball.

The 6-foot-7 232-pound forward tipped a Josh Giddey pass -- and then ran after it ... but thankfully, he was able to put the brakes on before he did damage to Hathaway.

Ex-NBA player Kyle Singler's recent social media posts have many people concerned for his safety and well-being... so much so, it actually caught the attention of the NBA Players Association -- who said they are in contact with his family.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the NBPA said they've been in touch with the family of the 36-year-old hooper, but did not offer any specifics on what they talked about ... nor did they provide any updates on Kyle.

"As with all current and former members of the NBPA, we offer any and all support to players, whether through their biggest successes or times of challenge," the NBPA said.

Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke earlier this month ... but thankfully, the legendary coach is expected to make a full recovery.

The San Antonio Spurs shared the update on Wednesday ... saying Pop experienced the medical scare at the team's Frost Bank Center on Nov. 2.

According to the statement, Pop has already kickstarted a rehabilitation program in the days following the stroke ... and although there's a strong belief he'll get back to 100%, a timeline for his return has yet to be determined.

Shaquille O'Neal is keeping his foot on the gas when it comes to Joel Embiid ... continuing to go after the Philadelphia 76ers superstar and saying if he doesn't make some serious changes, he'll never win a championship.

Shaq's blunt assessment came during halftime of the Sixers' matchup with the New York Knicks ... after Embiid put up eight points through two quarters -- all of which came from the free-throw line, as he was 0-3 from the field.

Diesel was clearly unpleased with Embiid's season debut -- especially after the big man expressed his desire to take games off to preserve his health for the playoffs -- and didn't sugarcoat how he felt on the whole situation.

Klay Thompson returned to The Bay for the first time as a Dallas Maverick -- facing the Warriors -- and after knocking down a big 3, the 4x NBA champ mimicked his old teammate Steph Curry's infamous shimmy.

But, the Chef got the last laugh.

The intense game went down Tuesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Thompson's first matchup against his former team since trading him in July after 11 seasons.

There's nothing wrong with Caitlin Clark's jump shot, but her golf swing clearly needs some work ... check out video of her on a course Wednesday -- she nearly drilled a gaggle of spectators with an errant shot!

Clark is participating in this week's pro-am at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida ... and in one of her first holes of the day, she almost took out some fans who were following her around.

Take a look at a clip shot by golf reporter Beth Ann Nichols, Clark teed up her ball and took a whack at it ... but mishit it badly.