Basketball

Geno Auriemma isn't just the most decorated women's basketball coach ever ... his former UConn player, Jennifer Rizzotti, tells TMZ Sports he might just be the best of any sport!!

We spoke with the ex-Huskies guard -- who's now the president of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun -- following Auriemma's historic 1,217th victory on Nov. 20 ... and she raved about all of his accomplishments.

She called him "the best to ever do it" in women's basketball ... but then took it a step further -- and said he might have a claim to the throne of greatest coach period.

Gilbert Arenas' high school superstar son, Alijah, tells TMZ Sports he'd wreck pops in 1-on-1 right now ... but the only problem?? He claims the ex-NBA star is ducking him!!

We caught up with the Arenas fam at LAX recently ... and asked who currently holds the bragging rights on the court.

"You gonna answer that?" Gilbert asked Alijah with a smirk. "He ain't got a win yet!"

Jalen Rose wasted no time letting the zingers fly on the "Inside the NBA" set ... cracking a joke about Drake's UMG lawsuit in his debut on the iconic show -- and his cohosts ate it up!!

The funny moment happened at halftime of the Lakers and Suns' NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday ... when Kendrick Lamar's new track, "tv off," started playing on the broadcast.

Just like K. Dot does on the song, Shaquille O'Neal immediately yelled out "Mustard!!!!!!" ... and Rose -- who was filling in for Kenny "The Jet" Smith -- made the quick quip.

Comedian Shane Gillis can't get enough of TikTokkin' Sixers rookie Jared McCain -- in fact, he says he pours his heart to the hooper when he's drunk ... but so far, he's being left on read.

The "Tires" actor made the hilarious admission during a recent episode of "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" ... when he said he's a huge fan of how McCain can balance being a professional basketball player and social media sensation at the same time.

"There's a bro I like right now," Gillis said. "His anima is fully liberated. Jared McCain for the Sixers. He's the guy doing the f***ing TikTok dances. His anima's out. He does not care."

Caitlin Clark and Connor McCaffery had the best seats in the house for the Indiana Pacers game on Monday ... sitting courtside with Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend for the matchup!!

The former Iowa basketball players were spotted at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Pacers' home contest against the New Orleans Pelicans ... and they appeared to be in great spirits.

The Fever star's presence certainly didn't go unnoticed ... as fans in attendance chanted her name.

Scottie Pippen is now shooting his shot in the apparel industry ... TMZ Sports has learned the former hooper is launching a new clothing line.

The Chicago Bulls legend gave us a statement on Monday, saying he created a menswear brand called "Unguarded."

Pippen says it'll feature high-end garments that will have "classic silhouettes with modern thinking" ... and he's clearly pumped for its debut.

7:04 AM PT -- The Sixers apparently caved to the trolling ... 'cause the post was just scrubbed from the team's X account.

The Philadelphia 76ers got a lesson in Graphic Design 101 on Sunday ... when the team used a throwback font to share the final score of the game on social media -- but it ended up being the butt of countless jokes.

The Sixers' X account -- which utilized retro theming to match the squad's classic jerseys worn for the matchup with the L.A. Clippers -- posted the end results of the contest.

Instead of focusing on the 125-99 defeat, many noticed the word "final" in the graphic looked a lot like "anal" ... and naturally, plenty of users pointed it out.

Charles Barkley is making it clear -- he hates the way the Lakers are handling Bronny James' rookie season ... calling it flat-out "stupid."

The Round Mound of Rebound went in on L.A. during an appearance on "The Bettor Angle" over the weekend ... after he was asked if he liked the Lakers' G League plan for LeBron's oldest son so far.

If you've missed it, the 20-year-old has been playing home games for the South Bay Lakers ... before joining Dad's squad for road tilts.

UConn's live goat gift to Geno Auriemma on Wednesday night has infuriated animal rights activists ... with PETA telling TMZ Sports it didn't think the scene was cool at all.

Officials for the organization said in a statement to us on Thursday it was apparent to them the goat was under duress as a handler brought it onto the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion court to celebrate Auriemma's 1,217th career victory.

PETA claimed the goat "was visibly anxious" -- and to make matters worse, it said the person leading it "either didn't notice or didn't care that his collar was digging into his neck."

A major piece of LeBron and Bronny James history is up for grabs ... with the jerseys the father-son duo wore in their season-opening game hitting the auction block TOGETHER -- and, yeah, they ain't gonna come cheap.

The one-of-a-kind memorabilia set is available via Sotheby's ... and has already reached $70,000 with almost two weeks left for bidding.

Both jerseys are believed to have been worn for the Lakers' first game of the 2024-25 campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 ... which L.A. won 110-103. LeBron scored 16 points in the contest ... adding four assists and five rebounds.

Cleveland Cavaliers legend Austin Carr is known for his trademark "Get that weak stuff outta here" phrase ... but he accidentally released the unedited version on Wednesday -- letting an S-bomb slip on live TV!!

Mr. Cavalier -- the team's longtime broadcast commentator -- was chatting with Tristan Thompson and Georges Niang after the Wine and Gold's 128-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans ... and at one point, he asked the former his thoughts on one specific moment during the outing.

"Tristan, it looked like you got a little upset, the guy was trying to shoot the ball right in front of your face, it was like, 'Get that s***' -- oh, I mean ..."

UConn found the perfect way to honor Geno Auriemma as the G.O.A.T after becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history ... by surprising him with an actual goat!!

The celebration took place at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday evening ... after the UConn Huskies whooped FDU, 85-41.

The victory marked Auriemma's 1,217th win ... making him the only coach to secure that many victories in women's and men's college basketball.

Heartbreaking news from Isaiah Thomas -- the NBA player just announced his older sister has passed away.

The 35-year-old point guard mourned the loss Wednesday evening ... posting an Instagram story tribute to LaQuisha Baldtrip.

"Ima miss you, big sis!!!" Thomas said on the post. "Damn, how you leave me too?"

Philadelphia 76ers' rookie Jared McCain still makes time for social media and Spotify streaming -- and is adding his 2 cents to the All-RapCaviar Teams debate!!!

RapCaviar's editors recruited JM to vote for his 2024 Rapper and Rookie of the Year ... likely a much more fun task than Tuesday's team meeting where the 76ers argued about being last place in the Eastern Conference!!!

Arguments are flying left and right over the selections ... Drake is Spotify's top rapper in terms of streams but was only selected to the 3rd Team, and the 2024 Rap Wars were an undeniable factor!!!

Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love has passed away following a battle with cancer, the team announced. He was 81 years old.

"Bob is one of the original Bulls greats," Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Bulls chairman, said in a statement. "During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Bob became a cornerstone of the franchise, and his tenacious defense set high standards for competition and toughness."

"Toughness was not only a trademark of Bob’s play on the court, but also apparent in his resiliency throughout his basketball career."

The concerning videos that former NBA player Kyle Singler has been posting to social media this month have caught the attention of local authorities, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Medford Police Department in Oregon tells us ... cops "are aware" of the vids Singler's been putting up on his Instagram page this past week -- though the rep did not release any further information.

"We are not going to make any comment on any mental health matter with our citizens," the spokesperson said.