Basketball

The holidays really did come early for college basketball legend Dick Vitale -- he just revealed the results of Thursday's medical tests ... and he's "clean of cancer!"

Vitale provided the awesome update on social media ... saying he's considering the news from his doctors an extra-special Christmas gift.

Dickie V documented his entire throat cancer journey leading up to his PET scan ... saying he had Dec. 12 circled on his calendar, as that's when he'd find out if the 30 rounds of radiation since July 2023 worked.

Bill Belichick checked in with the greatest Tar Heel ever before taking the UNC head coaching job ... revealing Thursday he had a convo with Michael Jordan just days before he formally put pen to North Carolina paper.

The former New England Patriots sideline manager said His Airness was one of a few UNC legends he chatted with before officially accepting his new gig -- telling media members at a news conference in Chapel Hill he also picked the brains of Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.

It's unclear what exactly the GOATs all talked about ... but Bill said he got blessings from all of them.

Michael Jordan has officially parted ways with his Chicago mansion ... and the new owner got it for a bargain -- $9.5 million!!

The 56,000-square-foot property has been on and off the market since 2012 ... and was initially priced at $29,000,000 before it dropped to $14.8 million in 2015.

As we previously reported, a buyer was found earlier this year ... however, the deal was "contingent" on several unknown factors.

Anthony Edwards' potty mouth just cost him some dough -- the NBA just fined the Minnesota Timberwolves star $25K for using "profane language" during a postgame interview.

Joe Dumars, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, announced the punishment on Monday ... three days after AE dropped the f-bomb while analyzing the Wolves' 107-90 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Even though the words were complimentary of his teammates, Dumars said the two-time All-Star's comments wouldn't fly ... resulting in the hefty fine.

Shohei Ohtani didn't seem fazed about losing his title of highest-paid player in baseball on Sunday ... 'cause he was busy enjoying the Los Angeles Lakers game with his stunning wife!!

The Dodgers superstar and Mamiko Tanaka left their adorable pup, Decoy, at home for a date night at Crypto.com Arena ... and with LeBron James out for the contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shohei provided plenty of star power.

The 30-year-old and his former hooper bae had great seats for the Purple and Gold's 107-98 victory ... and at one point in the night, they were shown on the scoreboard to a massive ovation.

Zach Collins better get ready to open his wallet ... 'cause it's likely going to cost him big time for flipping off a referee after being ejected from Friday's game.

Here is the deal ... the Sacramento Kings dominated the Spurs in San Antonio with a 140-113 victory ... but it was what happened while the game was still in reach that's making headlines.

Zach -- the Spurs' power forward -- flew off the handle after he was ejected following a series of fouls ... and he got so pissed over it, he flipped referee Michael Smith the bird.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis' pursuit of his dream body in prison might be a little tougher than he imagined ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained the menus from his first couple weeks in the slammer -- and they featured a whole lot of carbs.

Davis entered into FPC Duluth in Minnesota back in October ... after he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that defrauded the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

Just a few months before he began his sentence, he told us he was going to use his time in isolation to get jacked ... but check out the options for some of his first meals in the pen -- some weren't exactly the most bodybuilder-friendly.

Hercy Miller -- Master P's son -- is one step closer to having his name cleared in his refrigerator theft case ... prosecutors tell TMZ Sports they've filed documents to drop the felony charge he had been facing.

A spokesperson for the Iron County Attorney's Office tells us ... they submitted a motion to dismiss Miller's case in court on Friday afternoon. If a judge ultimately signs off on it, Miller will be in the clear.

A formal ruling on the matter is expected to come down by the end of next week.

Jaylen Brown is paying the price for how he celebrated his insane dunk over Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart ... with the league hitting him with a hefty fine over it all.

The play in question went down with 12 seconds to go during the Celtics' win over Motor City on Wednesday night, with Brown hitting a nasty poster on Stewart to get the TD Garden going crazy.

In the moment, the 28-year-old emphasized the highlight by making a throat-slashing gesture toward Stewart -- and it turns out the NBA wasn't a fan of the move ... 'cause the league announced he will need to fork over $25K for "making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court."

The New York Knicks' national anthem singer gave quite the memorable rendition on Thursday ... when her performance was derailed by an overly excited fan -- but she bounced back and finished strong!!

The singer -- Liceli -- was only a few seconds into her performance when a spectator started shouting in a quiet Madison Square Garden. While it's unclear what the fan said, it was loud enough for her to pause in her tracks to figure out what was happening.

Even though she got tripped up, Liceli handled it like a pro -- picking up where she left off like nothing happened -- with the Garden faithful giving her a strong applause after she got going again.

LeBron and Bronny James' jerseys from the season opener have a new owner ... with the father-son duo's threads selling at auction for more than $100k!!

As we previously reported, the unique package was made available via Sotheby's last month ... with both items believed to have been worn when the Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 -- the same night Bron and Bronny made NBA history.

It was the first time a father and son shared the NBA court together in a regular season game ... and they did it on the same team.

Adrian Wojnarowski, former NBA insider extraordinaire, just revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Woj -- who spent more than two decades as one of the most plugged-in people around the NBA -- shared the news during an interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, saying he learned of the diagnosis in February after a blood test during a routine physical showed his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels were elevated.

Doctors did a biopsy ... confirming the early-stage cancer.

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka went scorched earth on the referees after his team lost to the Kings on Tuesday, saying it's about time the officials "get some f***ing glasses!"

[Large fine incoming!]

Udoka's frustration began mounting long before the clock hit 00:00 ... when his team lost 120-111 at the Golden 1 Center.

Kiss the days of the family-friendly Kiss Cam goodbye ... there was another NSFW moment, courtesy of two Sacramento Kings fans, who used their screen time for nefarious reasons!

The moment occurred during a break in the action during the second quarter of the Kings vs. Houston Rockets game Tuesday night in Sac Town ... with the team showing couples from around the arena on the Kiss Cam.

While most fans stayed on script ... one woman took it to a much more raunchy level, mimicking oral sex on her man.

Luka Doncic wasn't just droppin' buckets on Tuesday ... the NBA star seemingly mouthed a soap-worthy phrase after receiving a controversial technical foul.

The apparent remark happened during the NBA Cup matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center ... when a referee whistled a foul on the 6'7" guard as he was defending Ja Morant.

Doncic disagreed with the call and waved off the ref ... and the gesture resulted in his fifth tech of the season.

Everybody has something to say about Bronny James ... but when it comes to his teammates, it sounds like they have nothing but glowing reviews -- with Armel Traore telling TMZ Sports he's got serious love for his fellow rookie.

We caught up with the Lakers' two-way player out at LAX ... and asked him what it has been like spending time with Bronny.

"He's my guy," he said. "And I like everyone on the team, we're a family."