Basketball

The Nike sneakers Kobe Bryant wore during one of the most iconic moments of his career are up for grabs ... and TMZ Sports has learned the one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia could go for more than half a million dollars!!

The size 13 Kobe 8 Elites Bryant wore during the Lakers vs. Warriors game on April 12, 2013 are hitting the auction block ... the same matchup where the late Hall of Famer tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter, but nailed two free throws before limping off the court.

It was a true display of Bryant's toughness ... as he clearly was down for the count, but made sure to do his job at the charity stripe to tie the game at 109 with three minutes left.

A Los Angeles home belonging to NBA player Ty Jerome was burglarized last week, and cops tell TMZ Sports they're still on the hunt for the supects.

We're told the break-in happened at around 7:30 PM on Jan. 17 ... when thieves gained entry to the residence through a broken glass window.

Cops say the criminals took off a short time after getting in -- and as of now, it's unclear what -- if anything -- was taken. Jerome has been away from the area in recent days while on the road playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Taylor Swift and her man Travis Kelce are one step closer to the NFL's ultimate stage ... and, it looks like Taylor's made a new athletic friend, too!

The game ended moments ago ... with Kelce's team stomping the squad from H-Town 23-14.

Taylor was filmed throughout the game jumping up and cheering while sitting in her suite with close friends and family ... and, she even jumped up to hug WNBA star Caitlin Clark a few times.

Vanessa Bryant is personally helping Los Angeles recover from the devastating wildfires, hitting up Dodger Stadium on Friday to pass out some Nikes to those in need.

Kobe Bryant's widow was seen at the ballpark in a red Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation sweatshirt ... helping Angelenos score some sneakers, socks and other essential items in the wake of the devastating blazes that began tearing through L.A. last week.

Vanessa appeared to be in great spirits as she passed out items ... flashing a big smile to all those who stopped by her setup.

Bryce James had his Senior Night on Thursday, and with the Lakers on an off day -- both LeBron and Bronny made it out to celebrate!

The two L.A. stars -- wearing matching sweatshirts -- drove to Sierra Canyon H.S. to watch Bryce's final home game ... and they were joined by Savannah and little Zhuri too.

They all had some sweet seats for the affair -- sitting right on the court -- and they even got to take some pics with Bryce before his tilt to commemorate the special night.

The 6-foot-4, four-star prospect then went on to put on a show in front of his family -- ending the evening with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in an 84-42 win.

The sound of the buzzer didn't mark the end for Florida State and Pitt ... 'cause the two sides nearly came to blows after the Panthers head coach took exception to a last-second dunk!

It all went down during the postgame handshake line after FSU beat their ACC rival by a final score of 82-70. Jeff Capel, head coach of Pitt, walked up to junior forward Malique Ewin ... who had just slammed a two-handed dunk as time expired.

It's unclear what Capel said to Ewin, but he wasn't whispering sweet nothings ... as players and coaches from both sides converged, attempting to keep the peace. There was a lot of pushing and shoving ... and cops even got involved, directing Pitt players back to their locker room.

Noah Scurry -- a high school basketball star in Pennsylvania -- tragically died this week after he was shot just steps from his home.

The Philadelphia Police Department said the fatal shooting happened at around 7:15 AM on Tuesday ... revealing Scurry was on his way to Samuel Fels High School when he was gunned down.

He was just 17 years old.

LeBron James' presence brought a young courtside fan to tears at a Lakers game Wednesday ... and the King was so moved by her emotions, he just had to meet her after he wrapped up the win.

The heartwarming scene all unfolded during L.A.'s tilt with the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena ... when James waved at a little girl who was wearing his jersey.

The youngster couldn't help but break down in tears after seeing her idol acknowledge her ... and James told reporters after the game he became aware of her reaction at halftime -- so he decided to spend a few moments with her following L.A.'s 117-108 dub.

Another legal issue has just cropped up for Conor McGregor ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the UFC superstar has been sued over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman during an NBA game back in 2023.

The suit was filed in a federal court in Florida on Tuesday ... by a woman ID'ed only as "Jane Doe."

She alleges in her court docs that at some point during the Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets playoff game on June 9, 2023 at the Kesaya Center in Miami, McGregor led her into a men's restroom near the arena's nightclub, and sexually assaulted her inside of a stall.

LeBron James is waving the white flag in the battle for Christmas Day ... admitting the NFL whooped the NBA's ass in the ratings department -- but claiming Beyoncé played a huge role in the L.

The King chopped it up with Jason and Travis Kelce on the newest episode of their "New Heights" podcast this week ... and at one point in the convo, they asked LeBron about his famous deceleration following the Lakers' 115-113 victory against the Warriors -- in which he stated Dec. 25 belonged to Adam Silver's organization.

Unfortunately for James, the viewership numbers didn't back his claim -- as the NFL drew in 65 million U.S. viewers for its two games ... which was much more than the NBA got for its five games throughout the holiday.

Shedeur Sanders added a bit more fuel to all of the Deion-to-the-Dallas-Cowboys speculation on Tuesday night ... as he made a somewhat peculiar appearance at the Mavericks game in Big D.

The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback scooped up courtside seats for Dallas' tilt with the Nuggets at American Airlines Center ... and even though he's a native of Texas, the timing of his decision to hit the town sure got Cowboys fans buzzing.

Jerry Jones' team, of course, is looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Mike McCarthy on Monday -- and a whole lot of internet detectives wondered out loud if Shedeur's emergence in Dallas this week means his dad could very well be Jerry's next man up.

The Miami Heat are in Los Angeles this week to face the Clippers and Lakers ... and Bam Adebayo made the most of the business trip, spending time with his rumored girlfriend, WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson, who went out on a date!

The All-Star center and Wilson were seen around Beverly Hills on Tuesday, including at Novikov, where they stepped out of the Mediterranean and Italian restaurant together.

Even though they weren't captured together on camera, we're told they left in the same car.

Date night went down the day after the Clippers and Heat played ... although Adebayo didn't see the court because of a lower back injury.

Michael Lewis -- the man accused of stalking Caitlin Clark -- appeared in court on Tuesday and immediately made waves ... exclaiming he was "guilty as charged" before the proceedings even got started.

The bizarre scene all unfolded inside of an Indiana courtroom ... just two days after Lewis was arrested in Indianapolis on allegations he sent harassing and disturbing messages to Clark throughout December and January.

The 55-year-old Texas native -- wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs -- was escorted into the courtroom by authorities ... and as he sat down -- he said out loud he was "guilty as charged."

A girls youth basketball coach was arrested in Connecticut over the weekend after he allegedly mowed down a man with his car following a verbal dispute ... and it was all caught on video!

The crazy incident occurred in a parking lot after a basketball game just after 11 AM on January 11 at the Horace Porter School in Columbia, CT -- roughly 10 miles south of UConn -- prompting a response from Connecticut State Police.

When troopers arrived, they spoke with the alleged victim who claimed the coach "intentionally ran into them, causing them to go over the roof and hood of the vehicle before falling onto the ground."

The NBA community is rallying behind JJ Redick's family after losing their home in the L.A. wildfires ... with Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama gifting his kids signed, game-worn jerseys to restart their sports memorabilia collection.

The Lakers -- who had their last two games postponed due to the blazes -- hosted the San Antonio Spurs in an emotional night at Crypto.com Arena ... with the Purple and Gold ultimately falling to the visitors, 126-102.

In lieu of a usual postgame jersey swap with opposing players, CP3 and Wemby handed over their game-worn jerseys to Redick's kiddos, Knox and Kai -- and posed for a picture with them.

JJ Redick was sentimental as he addressed the media after the wildfires claimed his Pacific Palisades home ... with the Lakers head coach reflecting on the tragic week in Los Angeles.

The first-year head coach spoke with reporters at practice on Friday -- one day after the fires forced the NBA to postpone L.A.'s home game against the Charlotte Hornets -- where he went into detail about what the last few days have been like for his family.

While Redick was in Dallas getting his squad ready for a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks ... he said his wife, Chelsea, was out with friends when she spotted the fire, and rushed home.