Basketball

Mavericks fans looking for any semblance of positive news on Monday just got some -- Metta World Peace tells TMZ Sports he does NOT view Dallas as a loser in the Luka Doncic trade.

The former NBA star sat down with us just hours after Big D sent LD packing to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis ... and while the sports world shouted from the rooftops that Texas got fleeced in the move, Metta wasn't so sure.

The ex-Lakers forward said the Mavericks got a helluva player in AD ... and he should help guys like Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson get far more open looks from the three-point line now.

De'Aaron Fox is breaking his silence following the trade that sent him from the Sacramento Kings to the San Antonio Spurs ... thanking the city and the fans for the last eight seasons in northern California.

The 27-year-old posted the letter on his social media accounts Monday morning ... saying, "The love for the city is unmatched."

"To the fans - y'all deserve the best," Fox said. "I wanted to end my career here and never expected it would end this way, but I'll always be grateful for your support."

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were a couple thousand miles apart on Sunday, but their outfits sure seemed to indicate they were thinking about each other nonetheless.

As Swift rolled to the Grammys in Southern California in a Chiefs-red outfit adorned with a "T" chain on her leg ... Kelce touched down in New Orleans for Super Bowl week in attire that appeared to be an homage to his popstar girlfriend.

Check it out ... the Kansas City star's tracksuit was all gold -- a seeming nod to the six trophies Swift was nominated for Sunday night.

The Luka Doncic trade was so big, it even got brought up during the biggest night in music ... with Jim Gaffigan making a joke about the blockbuster deal at the Grammys!!

The silly comment came early in Sunday's event at Crypto.com Arena -- which just so happens to be Luka's new home -- when coming out of a commercial break, the comedian took the mic and said Trevor Noah was no longer able to lead the show.

"During the break -- I don't know how to say this -- Trevor Noah was traded to the Dallas Mavericks," Gaffigan said.

LiAngelo Ball is looking to capitalize off his newfound success in the music industry ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to drop a project with NBA YoungBoy!!

We caught up with the baller-turned-rapper at LAX on Thursday ... just hours after Ball dropped a music video for his viral debut song, "Tweaker."

Gelo -- who signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Def Jam -- has been getting looks from a ton of names in the rap game who want to work with him in the booth ... but when we asked him who's at the top of his own list, he's got one name in mind.

Tristan Thompson is facing some heat for referring to ex-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian's niece Dream as his "oldest daughter" ... especially from the little one's mama, Blac Chyna.

ICYMI ... the NBA player caught some flak on social media after he filmed himself sending love to his "2 daughters," Dream Kardashian and True Thompson.

Many online felt it was inappropriate of Tristan to claim Rob Kardashian's daughter as his own, especially since he isn't blood-related to the 8-year-old, and is NOT dating Dream's aunt.

Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart is getting honored with his own bobblehead at Friday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks -- which is pretty cool ... except he won't be there.

The NBA handed down a one-game suspension on the 23-year-old hours before tipoff ... as a result of the flagrant foul he committed during Wednesday night's contest against the Indiana Pacers.

With 8:45 left in the second quarter of Motor City's 133-119 loss to Indy, Stewart lowered his shoulder and leveled Thomas Bryant to the hardwood.

Washington Wizards fans piled on the sarcasm during Bronny James' minutes on Thursday ... mocking the Lakers rookie with "MVP" chants after scoring a tough bucket.

The scene went down late in the Lakers' 134-96 win over the Wizards Thursday night in the nation's capital ... with less than 10 seconds left in the contest.

After being sent to the free throw line for an and-one attempt, the Capital One Arena spectators hit LeBron's kid with tongue-in-cheek praise, which even drew chuckles from the announcers.

Gilbert Arenas' son, Alijah, a five-star high school basketball recruit, has officially decided on his future ... announcing his commitment to the USC Trojans!!

The 6'6" guard revealed his choice on Thursday during his dad's "Gil's Arena" podcast ... by calling his future coach, Eric Musselman, to let him know he's joining the program.

Alijah then removed his jacket to show off his new Trojans jersey ... solidifying his spot as Coach Musselman's highest-ranked recruit at USC.

LiAngelo Ball just dropped the visuals for his hit single, "Tweaker" ... and his NBA brothers, LaMelo and Lonzo, got in on the fun!!

The video was released on Thursday ... just weeks after the rap song premiered on the internet and quickly gained popularity.

The video starts with a nod to LiAngelo's basketball dreams ... before shifting to a shot of him joyriding in a Hummer with Melo and Zo.

Stunning revelation from Dwyane Wade ... the NBA legend says he had to have nearly half of one his kidneys removed from his body in order to rid himself of a cancerous mass.

The 43-year-old Hall of Famer said on the most recent episode of "The Why with Dwyane Wade" he had the procedure done roughly 13 months ago ... after he went to a doctor for a checkup.

Wade said he had been having some cramping issues in his stomach -- and he'd also been battling some problems with his urine stream. After some testing, the former Miami Heat guard said doctors told him they found a tumor on his right kidney.

Bad news ... the Steph Curry vs. Caitlin Clark shootout won't happen, barring an unforeseen last-minute change, 'cause the WNBA superstar has reportedly told the league she ain't interested!

All-Star Weekend is set to tip off at the Chase Center in San Francisco in just 2 1/2 weeks ... and The Association had hoped to involve the dynamic WNBA Rookie of the Year in the festivities.

Think Steph vs. Sabrina Ionescu's in a 1v1 showdown -- which was a huge hit last year. The NBA was looking to expand on that, in addition to CC, also throwing Klay Thompson into the mix.

If the BYU crowd was extra loud Tuesday night, thank Conor McGregor for the raucous atmosphere ... The Notorious was in the house as the school's hoops team beat Baylor, and he had the student section FIRED UP!

Mystic Mac was courtside for the Cougars game vs. the Bears at the J. Willard Marriott Center ... and it sounds like McGregor had a blast!

"I've always wondered what the college game would be like, and I am very, very, very impressed," McGregor said.

A wild melee broke out toward the end of the VCU vs. Saint Louis men's basketball game on Tuesday ... with full-grown men toppling on top of each other, flooding over several rows of seats and into the aisle -- forcing the contest to be delayed for several minutes.

The violence went down with 1:10 left in the Billikens' 78-69 win over the Rams ... when out of nowhere, the cameras cut to a guy throwing his body weight onto another spectator and forcing them to the ground.

Several others -- as well as police and security -- tried to get involved to break it up ... but it only got more chaotic from there.

The high school basketball player who dropped 102 points in a game isn't too bothered with people questioning the team's sportsmanship after the record-breaking performance ... telling TMZ Sports if others had the opportunity, they would have done the same thing!!

We caught up with Mesrobian High School seniors Nick and Dylan Khatchikian after their wild outing last week ... in which Nick ran the score up while Dylan lobbed up 35 assists in their 119-25 victory over Waverly High School.

While tons of people couldn't believe the stat line -- including LeBron James -- others questioned if it was disrespectful. Nick shared his side of things ... and he feels the final score could have been even more lopsided.

The L.A. FireAid concert is getting massive contributions from the biggest names in the music industry ... but now the event is getting a financial boost from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who will match every donation during the event livestream!!

Event organizers made the announcement Tuesday morning ... saying the former Microsoft CEO -- who has a net worth of $129.4 billion -- and his wife, Connie, will help double the impact of the benefit.

This contribution is on top of the $15 million donation the couple pledged a few weeks ago to assist those impacted by the L.A. wildfires.