Basketball

Terrelle Pryor just hooked up an entire boys high school basketball team with brand spankin' new Nike basketball shoes ... and it's pretty awesome.

30-year-old Pryor -- a former star athlete at Jeannette H.S. -- hooked up his alma mater's boys' basketball squad with Paul George 4's ... just in time for the district playoffs.

TMZ Sports talked to head coach Adrian Batts -- who coached the NFL stud back in the day -- and he tells us Pryor promised the kids he'd get all 12 players on the squad new kicks if they made the playoffs.

Jeannette went 15-7 (they won 14 of their last 15 games) and made the playoffs ... so true to his word, Pryor went shopping for PG4's.

Coach Batts says the kids were super-happy and appreciative of Pryor.

And get this, it's not the first time TP got gifts for the team ... he set the kids up with new LeBron's last month.

Vanessa Bryant says Kobe's charity will have a new name -- the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation -- and she says it's all to honor Gianna Bryant.

"Because there is no #24 without #2, we have updated the Mamba Sports Foundation to now be called the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation," Vanessa said Thursday.

It's an amazing tribute ... especially because Vanessa says the foundation's goal of helping young people through sports "remains the same -- and stronger than ever."

If you're unfamiliar ... Kobe's charity has helped more than 10,000 kids as well as hundreds of veterans -- with the org saying they have over 1,000 volunteers lending a hand.

The charity has been flooded with donations since Kobe and Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 -- and Vanessa says she's overwhelmed by the love.

"Thank you all for the outpouring of support and your kind donations to date as we carry forth Kobe and Gigi’s legacy," Vanessa said. "We hope to empower young athletes in a world they left us all to help shape."

A memorial for Kobe and Gigi has been set for Feb. 24 at Staples Center ... and we're told proceeds from the tickets will be donated to charity.

It's unclear which orgs will get the benefits ... but it seems safe to assume the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation will be one of the organizations to get money.

What does the greatest basketball player on planet earth eat to maintain his god-like physique??

A crap ton of french toast smothered in syrup!!! So says Tristan Thompson ... who claims LeBron James has "the worst f*cking diet ever."

TT revealed Bron's eating habits to The Athletic ... saying it's unbelievable how much he can scarf down without losing his chiseled look.

"Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like five french toasts, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas," James' old teammate says.

But, that's just the beginning -- "Then he has like a four-egg omelet and then he goes and just f*cking dunks on somebody. It doesn’t make sense."

Of course, there are reports that LBJ spends more than a million dollars a year on his fitness -- from trainers to a chef to massage therapists.

Spending that huge amount of dough must explain why James can eat whatever the hell he wants ... and those who don't focus so much on fitness can't keep up.

"I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn’t work out," TT says. "I started gaining weight and said, 'F*ck this.' I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It’s crazy how his body just burns it."

"He’ll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn’t make sense. He’s really a specimen. He eats like sh*t."

The Ohio H.S. basketball player who had her hair pulled and hit her head during a game suffered a severe concussion and may not step on the court again ... this according to the player's dad.

As we previously reported ... the incident went down during the first quarter of the Bellevue and Norwalk basketball game on Saturday ... when a Lady Red senior guard grabbed and pulled her defender's hair after attempting a 3-pointer.

The Bellevue player was not called for a foul during the game ... but was later suspended one game for her actions.

Now, the Norwalk player's dad is speaking out on the incident ... saying his daughter is still recovering with a severe concussion and needs a brain scan to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding. He claims his daughter is experiencing neck pain, a headache and blurred vision.

The father makes it clear the player and her family have reached out and apologized for the incident, and have plans to meet face-to-face.

The dad says his daughter -- despite her condition -- does not want the Bellevue player's career ruined because of the hair-pulling ... as she has committed to play Div. 1 ball at Kent State next season.

The player released a statement of her own on Twitter, saying "My intentions were never to hurt anyone."

A one-of-a-kind basketball card with an NBA logo patch from Michael Jordan and LeBron James' jerseys just sold for $900,000!!

Yes ... that's no typo. This is legitimately the most expensive basketball card, EVER.

TMZ Sports has learned Ken Goldin from Goldin Auctions sold the card at a private sale this week ... and he tells us it was a historic purchase.

The 2003-2004 Upper Deck "Exquisite Collection" card is awesome ... and features actual NBA patches from game-worn Bron and Jordan jerseys.

Only one of these exists in the world.

The $900K sales price blows the previous record out of the water ... a 1969-1970 Topps Lew Alcindor card that went for just over $500K in 2016.

Master P ain't a politician, but he's lobbying the peeps who run H.S. basketball in Minnesota ... pleading with them to change a rule that limits players from crossing state lines to hoop.

TMZ Sports got P -- and his star 17-year-old H.S. hoops playing son, Hercy Miller -- in Beverly Hills on Tuesday ... and we asked them about the younger Miller's basketball career.

P tells us Hercy's Minnehaha Academy squad is killin' it (they beat Bronny James' Sierra Canyon team a few weeks back) ... but says if a rule instituted by the body that governs H.S. sports isn't changed, the team won't get to compete for a national title.

"Minnesota is a great place. A lot of great talent, and I think [the law's] gonna have to change real soon," Master P says.

"This is just high school basketball. This is not a crime or nothing like that. The law should be changed. These kids should have the opportunity to go to other states and play and compete."

Here's the deal with the rule ... high school athletes in Minnesota can only travel one state away to compete, thanks to a rule instituted by the Minnesota State High School League.

FYI, it's not just Hercy and his teammates that are affected ... the girls from Hopkins H.S. -- one of the top-ranked teams in the nation -- also are barred from competing.

But, P says people looking to fight for the kids aren't powerless ... and offer some advice on how to help.

"Man, y'all go out there and protest. Call your local legislator, get the government and all these different places to say, 'give these kids a chance to compete for the national championship.'"

The national tourneys are coming up ... so there's not much time left, but P hopes Minnehaha has a chance to compete.

This is the best video you'll see all day ... nearly 200 students from LeBron James' I Promise school network found out they were getting FREE college tuition, and the moment's awesome!!

The junior class from Bron's program was told they were going on a college visit to Kent State University in Northeast Ohio ... but when they arrived on campus, they got a whole lot more than a tour.

School officials revealed that all 193 kids would have all 4 years of their schooling paid for ... as well as, 1 free year of room and board.

Naturally, the kids freaked out!!

It's not something to take lightly ... tuition for in-state students is around $11K a year. 193 students attending for 4 years costs over $8 million.

While the school won't have to front all that money ... it's still a huge chunk of change.

It's not just a handout for the students ... they have to maintain a good standing with the school by attending class, getting good grades, and volunteering in the community.

Dwyane Wade's oldest son, Zaire, is making it crystal clear he will always have his sibling's back ... posting an emotional message to Zaya after coming out as transgender.

The NBA legend appeared on 'The Ellen Show' Tuesday and revealed his 12-year-old identified as female ... and shared how his family is supporting her.

18-year-old Zaire is now speaking out on the announcement ... saying "I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years."

"We did everything together...we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried. But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind... "

Zaire continued ... "I’ve told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth."

"I don’t care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there’s no love lost on this side."

Zaire's always been supportive of Zaya ... and even went with her to the Miami Pride parade last year.

As for Zaya, she spoke out against those who may disagree with her announcement ... saying "What's the point of being on this earth if you're gonna try to be someone you're not? It's like you're not even living as yourself, which is like the dumbest concept to me."

NBA teams in need of a 5'10" point guard need to look no further ... 'cause Quavo says he's available and ready to make a jump to the Association, telling TMZ Sports he's the next Master P!!

Of course, the Migos rapper balled out with Justin Bieber, Sheck Wes, Drake and more in NYC last week  -- and Huncho was in full BEAST MODE scoring at least 15 points!!

So, when we caught up with Quavo, we had to ask who really has the best skills outta the celeb bunch on that court ... and he gave us a far from humble answer.

"It gotta be me," Quavo says. "We beat OVO. I ain't even have my team with me."

Beating Biebs and Drizzy is one thing ...  going against NBA stars like LeBron, Kawhi and KD is another. But, Quavo says he's up for the challenge to make it to the league!!

"I could be the next Master P! Ima go for it!"

FYI,  Master P was signed to Charlotte Hornets in 1998 and Toronto Raptors in 1999 ... but never made it to the court for a regular-season game.

A disgusting play went down during a girls H.S. basketball game in Ohio over the weekend ... when a player violently grabbed her opponent's hair and dropped her to the ground -- and it was all captured on video.

The incident went down during the first quarter on Saturday night ... when the Bellevue H.S. Lady Red faced off against the Norwalk H.S. Lady Truckers.

In the clip, the Bellevue senior guard -- a Kent State University commit -- is seen attempting a 3-point shot and immediately reaching for her defender's hair and pulling down.

The defender appears to hit her head HARD on the court ... but somehow, the player wasn't called for a foul.

The defender did not return to the game ... and family members tell WTOL 11 she is still recovering from the incident.

A rep for Bellevue released a statement on Sunday, saying, "We are aware of the incident and working to gather all the information before determining how we will proceed."

We've reached out to the player's family and the Ohio High School Athletic Association for comment ... so far, no word back.

Justin Bieber started a trend with some cartoon Kobe Bryant tribute art ... and now Kobe's foundation is reaping a sizable benefit.

Here's the deal ... Justin bought some fresh Kobe-inspired artwork from Idiot Box Art owners Emily Bright and Tamara Martin, and then the artists started making and selling miniature versions for $200 a pop, with 24 percent of the profits going to the MambaOnThree Fund.

The cartoon Kobe art is pretty cool ... it's a teddy bear wearing a Mamba hoodie under Kobe's #8 Lakers jersey, palming a basketball and rocking some of Kobe's signature Nikes.

Justin dropped $1,200 for a bigger piece -- one of only 5 ever made -- and hung it up in his crib next to some skateboard decks.

Lots of folks apparently share Justin's eye for Kobe art ... because Idiot Box ended up selling 260 mini Mamba bears during a 2-day limited sale, which was enough to make a $12,480 donation to Kobe's foundation.

MambaOnThree was created to support the families of the 7 other victims, besides Kobe and Gigi, who died in the crash.

The Kobe and Gigi Bryant public memorial has been set for Monday, Feb. 24 at Staples Center -- with organizers expecting a MASSIVE turnout, and Vanessa Bryant just announced it.

The date (2/24) is significant -- #24 was Kobe's jersey number and #2 was the number his daughter, Gigi, wore. Worth noting, Vanessa's IG post announcing the event has 24 butterflies.

We're told the event will take place in the morning -- because the Clippers have a game against the Memphis Grizzlies later in the evening. Our sources say the Clippers had to sign off, because, technically, they have Staples rented for the whole day.

We're told owner Steve Ballmer, and head coach Doc Rivers gladly agreed because there's such solidarity and love for Kobe and his family. Plus, the significance of the 2/24 date was not lost on them.

The other issue will be crowd control around Staples. When Michael Jackson and Nipsey Hussle's memorials were held there ... all the surrounding streets were shut down to anyone who didn't have a ticket. You simply couldn't get near the arena. They haven't announced yet how it will work for Kobe and Gianna's memorial.

Event organizers had been discussing a venue for days -- going back and forth between Staples and The Coliseum over concerns about the size of the crowd.

Staples -- where Kobe played for most of his 20-year NBA career -- only holds about 20,000 people. The Coliseum in Downtown L.A. holds closer to 80,000.

As for the event itself, we're told several high-profile people will speak about Bryant -- but organizers are still nailing down the official list.

Kobe and Gigi passed away in a helicopter crash on Jan 26 in Calabasas, CA., along with 7 others.

The Lakers held a massive tribute for all of the victims before and during the Lakers' January 31 game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Not only was the arena filled with fans -- all wearing Kobe shirts -- but outside, hundreds of people packed the surrounding area to remember the Lakers legend.

A high school basketball coach in New Jersey was violently attacked in front of his own school in a disturbing incident caught on video ... and now, cops say it was his own players who delivered the beating.

Police say at around 9 PM ET Tuesday, they responded to a call at Malcolm X Shabazz H.S. in Newark, N.J. regarding an assault of a school employee. Multiple reports identify the victim as a coach on the basketball team.

You can see in video of the alleged incident ... the victim was kicked and punched REPEATEDLY by at least four people.

Cops say after they saw the footage ... they identified the attackers as members of the school's basketball team -- but wouldn't release the names of the suspects because they're all minors.

Police say the teens jumped the man after they got off the team bus upon returning from a road game ... but they say the victim declined medical attention when they arrived.

Now, cops say a criminal investigation is underway.

"Our detectives are investigating this incident to identify and to appropriately charge those individuals involved," Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose says ...

"Those found to have participated in this senseless act of violence will face criminal charges."

Did you know Quavo can SERIOUSLY ball?!?!?!

It's true ... the Migos rapper hit the court with a bunch of other A-list celebs (including Justin Bieber and Drake) on Thursday ... and the dude put on an absolute clinic!!

Huncho scored from all three levels -- his left-handed jumper was as buttery as an NBA pro's -- and his passing was top notch too!!

It's unclear why all the guys were together for some run at the famous court at Summit NYC in New York City ... but the clips from the games were pretty legendary.

Quavo stole the show scoring 15 points in this vid alone ... but Bieber put his skills on display too -- looking like a mini-Steve Nash!!

Drake also hit some 3s, Sheck Wes knocked down his shots ... and good times appeared to be had by all.

"This game is better than the 2020 NBA Celebrity Game!!!" said NBA skills coach Chris Brickley, who witnessed the game with his own two eyes.

Yeah, heads up, LeBron and Giannis ... good luck topping this next week.

Shaquille O'Neal made a video to help sell his L.A.-area home -- but what it shows is the NBA star has honored 3 late rappers with some VERY cool art.

Of course, Shaq is a BIG rap nerd -- not only has he dropped albums, but he LOVES the genre and has a particular affinity for guys like Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac.

So, when he posted a brand new video tour of the Bell Canyon mansion he put on the market for $2.5 million ... the art on the walls caught our eye.

He's got two Biggie pieces along with a portrait of Pac and a newer image of Nipsey Hussle -- three great rappers who are all gone, but not forgotten.

If you're interested in the actual property, yeah -- it's pretty sick!!

5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, 5,217-square-feet with a chef's kitchen, wet bar, media room, sick pool, wine closet ... and it's all walking distance to the community center gym and tennis courts.

Andre Drummond says he's learned a very important lesson about the NBA -- "there's no friends or loyalty."

The 6'11" All-Star -- who's been with the Detroit Pistons since he was drafted in 2012 --ripped the team moments ago after learning he was just traded to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2nd worst team in the NBA.

"If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty," Drummond said.

"I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons, and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business!"

Drummond added, "I love you Detroit. You will always have a special place in my heart! But on to the next @cavs hope your ready! Let’s finish the year off the right way."

The 26-year-old center is a stud -- he's a 2-time All-Star who's currently leading the league in rebounds. In fact, he went off Wednesday night against the Suns scoring 31 points and 19 boards in that game.