Basketball

Jimmy Butler had one more opponent to go up against after beating the Boston Celtics on Monday -- the Miami Heat star came face-to-face with a bumblebee during his postgame press conference ... and his reaction is hilarious!!

It all went down shortly after the Heat finished off the Cs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 lead ... but before he could put his focus on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, Jimmy had a much bigger problem on his hands.

As the series MVP was answering a question about his upcoming matchup in the NBA Finals, he abruptly paused his response to address an intruder.

"Oh my God, y'all saw that?!" a shocked Butler asked as he put his hands up in defense. "Goddamn bumblebee."

To Butler's credit, he quickly regained his composure to finish his answer ... but understandably, that was the end of his media availability.

It wasn't the only viral moment of Butler's night -- he was also spotted rejecting the Eastern Conference Finals Championship trophy from his teammate, Bam Adebayo ... appearing to say "I'll hold the next one" during the postgame ceremony.

LeBron James has tons of free time now that he's out of the playoffs, including family time -- which he soaked up this weekend with yet another graduation drop-in.

The Lakers superstar attended Chaminade High School's ceremony Saturday in West Hills, CA -- where his "nephew," Auston Mims, was all set to walk across the stage in a cap and gown as part of the Class of 2023. Mims played football there, and LBJ is close with the kid ... having attended games of his in the past. Although it's unclear if they're actually related.

Auston appears to be the son of LeBron's longtime friend and business partner Randy Mims. In any case, Bron was front and center to watch Auston receive his high school diploma.

Check out these videos, obtained by TMZ, where you can see the King is trying to lay low as the names are called, checking out his phone and keeping his head down. In these clips, he seems to be alone ... but eyewitnesses tell us he was actually there with family and friends.

Of course, he totally stands out -- at about 6'9", no less -- so, eventually, he parked it and had a seat. That didn't stop people from approaching him and fanning out a bit, though.

At one point, a young guy walking by spotted him ... and tapped him on the shoulder for a little handshake -- which Bron obliged and reciprocated. There was even an adult who came over to say hello ... but it kinda seems like LBJ just wanted to keep to himself here.

Anyway, this is the second graduation (that we know of) that LeBron's gone to in recent weeks. Remember, he was just at his own son's Thursday ... and was one proud papa.

The backdrop of all this is the question of whether he's going to hang it up on the court and retire from basketball. He suggested he might in his Game 4 loss presser ... noting he had a lot to think about in the offseason. Stuff like this might be at the forefront of his thoughts.

Fact is, if he was still playing ... it's possible he might have missed these types of moments. Certainly possible, but if a game was scheduled to be played on a Saturday ... it'd probably be tough to do both. Lucky for him, he was able to catch all the big days this year.

Boston Celtics fans were partying like they won the championship Saturday night ... celebrating in the streets of Beantown after the team's miraculous buzzer-beater win against the Miami Heat.

Local Boston reporters captured video of fans honking their horns, dancing, and even climbing street poles moments after the Celtics big win.

If you think the celebration is over the top ... then you probably weren't watching the game. Trailing by one with less than a second left on the game clock, Derrick White tipped in the go-ahead shot to save the Celtics season.

The Celtics are now on the brink of making NBA history ... becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series, and the city is feeling it!

No question the Celtics will be feeding off fan energy ... star forward Jayson Tatum told the press, "I've never been so excited to go back to Boston in my life."

High school hoops star Mikey Williams has lost his partnership with a sports technology company, TMZ Sports has learned ... one month after he was arrested in Southern California.

As we previously reported, Williams -- who committed to play for the Memphis Tigers last November -- was jailed on April 13 after authorities alleged he was involved in a shooting near his San Diego County home in March.

Lace Clips, one of the first companies to ink the basketball player to a name, image and likeness deal, told us they will no longer work with Williams after the arrest.

"We are not continuing our partnership with Mikey Williams," said Jonathan Nussbaum, the president of Lace Clips.

Nussbaum also claims that Williams wasn't holding up his end of the bargain after they gave him a multiyear contract in 2022 ... adding that their relationship was deteriorating even before his arrest.

"He is not someone that will be associated with our brand going forward," Nussbaum said.

We're told Williams' partnership with the sports tech company -- which makes wearable smart activity trackers that attach to shoes -- will cease at the end of May.

Gilbert Arenas is believing the hype around future NBA star Victor Wembanyama ... telling TMZ Sports the French hooper is a "generational game-changer" ... but there's one thing that could keep him from his full potential -- his feet.

We spoke with Agent Zero about the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, and he says if the 19-year-old possesses the basketball I.Q. like fellow international stars Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić ... he will thrive in the league.

But while Gilbert says Wembanyama checks off so many boxes, the one thing that concerns him is the 7'2" giant's dogs ... admitting foot issues could potentially impact his promising NBA career.

"That's the only thing I think will slow him down is [his] feet," Arenas said. "Other than that, as long as he's healthy, I don't see anyone stopping the progression in his dominance."

While Wemby has had a number of injuries in his short career, he hasn't had any foot ailments as of yet. But unfortunately for big men, foot injuries have historically been a pain in the ass -- just ask Yao Ming, Joel Embiid, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Chet Holmgren to name a few.

Aside from Wemby's feet, Gil isn't worried that Victor's thin frame will affect him in the pros ... explaining he's been playing against people stronger than him his whole life and turned out fine.

The Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery ... meaning they can select Wembanyama with the first pick in June -- and it sounds like Arenas thinks San Antonio will be getting a future all-time great if they take Victor.

Scary moment during the LSU women's hoops team's visit to the White House on Friday -- freshman forward Sa'Myah Smith passed out during President Joe Biden's speech ... but thankfully, head coach Kim Mulkey says she's doing okay.

The incident happened just minutes ago ... when Biden was at the podium honoring the Tigers' historic NCAA title win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in April.

The White House's stream of the ceremony showed several players suddenly look toward the middle of the group as Biden spoke .. and seconds later, staffers rushed onto the stage.

The stream was quickly cut off, but the audio was still running ... and you can hear Biden say, "Folks, it's okay."

After a brief delay, the stream was live again ... and Coach Kim Mulkey provided an update on Sa'Myah's status.

"For those of you who are concerned, Sa'Myah is fine. I'll assure you of that," Mulkey said at the podium.

"She's kind of, right now, embarrassed. She doesn't want to leave. She wants to stand with us, but she needs to be checked out."

After everything calmed down, LSU star Angel Reese handed Biden and the First Lady custom Tigers jerseys ... and even gave Jill Biden a hug.

It was an interesting moment for Reese and Jill. Remember, Reese was initially hesitant about going to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave after FLOTUS showed interest in inviting Iowa as well.

Reese later changed her mind ... and said she was excited to go along with Coach Mulkey, Flau'Jae Johnson and her teammates.

In fact, Reese, Flau'jae and Mulkey pulled up with some iced-out watches ... and showed 'em off while inside the White House.

LeBron James' team may have been eliminated this week, but he still has something to celebrate ... his son Bronny is now a graduate of Sierra Canyon School.

LeBron and his wife Savannah James, along with Bronny's grandma Gloria, were front and center on Thursday at the graduation ceremony.

As we reported, Bronny has tapped USC for his next move. The high school basketball star clearly has his sights set on following in his dad's very large footsteps -- as in joining the NBA.

The proud papa posted, "Continue to fly high,” with a crown emoji.

As for LeBron ... he seemed to leave the retirement option open but most people think he's just signaling to the Lakers .... get better players.

Lamar Odom is adding another assist to his stat line -- the ex-NBA star is stepping up to help a local rehab center that fell on hard times recently ... by raising money to keep it from closing its doors forever.

TMZ Sports is told ... Lamar's recent decision to acquire three California treatment centers has garnered the attention of several facilities in serious need of assistance after being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We're told Lamar met with the family-owned Wavelengths Recovery out of Huntington Beach back in April ... and he felt compelled to partner with the center to help keep its lights on for good.

To get the ball rolling, Lamar has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for food, payroll, renovations and more ... and plans to hold a silent auction, with all profits going toward Wavelengths.

As we previously reported, the 2-time NBA champion recently launched the Odom Wellness Treatment Centers to fight substance abuse ... a cause he has vowed to fight for following his near-fatal overdose in 2015.

Odom previously invested in facilities in San Diego, El Cajon and Lemon Grove ... and he's determined to help save as many lives as possible.

In fact, he even offered his services to "Jackass" star Bam Margera back in April ... although it's unclear if the two were able to connect.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis isn't ready to give up on first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla just yet ... telling TMZ Sports if the Celtics are able to come back and beat the Heat and advance to the NBA Finals, he deserves to keep his job.

We got Davis out at LAX just hours before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off at the TD Garden in Boston ... and the NBA champ said Mazzulla's future with the team is contingent upon whether or not he can rally Boston from down 3-1 to beat Miami in the ECF.

"If you pull this off, you get to stay," Davis said. "If you don't, you're outta there buddy."

FYI -- no team has EVER been able to come back from trailing three games in NBA playoff history ... but after winning Game 4 on Tuesday, the Celtics are hanging on by a thread.

Davis also weighed in on why the Celtics have been inconsistent this season ... and he's pointing the finger at former head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended by the team following an infidelity scandal last year.

"It f***ed the whole team up," Glen said. "They just had to go get another coach. It kind of f***ed 'em up a little bit."

Udoka, who was engaged to Nia Long, was suspended by the Celtics for the entire 2022-23 season ... even after the first-year head coach led the Cs to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Although Udoka is no longer with the team, Davis still views the 2-seeded Cs as a good team ... but said Boston's dynamic duo of Jayston Tatum and Jaylen Brown needs to play better.

"Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown. They better get that s*** in order, got dammit -- at least a good fight," Davis said. "We can come back. I truly believe. Miami hasn't been good all year. They haven't been consistent. They're playing well right now. We just gotta get on the same level."

Nike might not be distancing itself from Ja Morant over his recent gun-flashing incident after all -- the shoe giant just released his latest signature sneaker on Thursday ... and it sold out in minutes.

The scheduled Ja 1 "Hunger" colorway drop was seemingly up in the air after Nike erased all his shoes off its site last week ... which led to speculation about whether the brand was potentially going to suspend the sale -- or even its relationship with the All-Star guard altogether -- due to his off-court issues.

Luckily for sneakerheads, the kicks still dropped on Nike's SNKRS app ... and quick-acting fans were able to purchase them for $110 before they sold out, as reports claim there was an incredibly small supply.

Despite all the controversy, the shoes were clearly a hot commodity ... with a ton of people going to Twitter to express their frustrations over missing out on the drop.

In fact, one fan tweeted a photo claiming their size was sold out within three seconds of launching on the app.

Of course, hopeful buyers can always go to reseller sites like GOAT and StockX ... but they'll end up paying a bit more than the retail price. Right now, the shoes are selling for around $200.

Nike has been radio silent following Ja's second video ... which is a stark contrast from the Swoosh's statement in support of its athlete following his initial incident in March.

Ja signed a multi-year deal with Nike in 2019 ... and was introduced as its first Gen Z signature athlete.

Houston Rockets star Jalen Green wants his fans to know he's no Ja Morant ... assuring his followers he didn't have a gun as he vibed out to NBA YoungBoy on Instagram Live on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old guard was riding in his car and listening to the rapper's "Bitch Let's Do It" as thousands of fans tuned in ... and given the eerie similarities to Ja's most recent gun-flashing video, plenty of users begged Green to not pull out a weapon.

"Don't flash no gun," one follower said ... as another added, "Don't pull a Ja and pull the gun out."

Jalen noticed the comments and laughed ... before putting all concern to rest by letting everyone know he wasn't strapped.

"Everybody's commenting, 'Don't pull no pistol out,'" Green told a passenger in the car. "They wildin', my n****, man."

"I don't got no gun."

The clip comes as Ja faces serious backlash for his second gun-related video in three months ... which has resulted in a suspension from all Grizzlies activities and an NBA investigation.

Hours before Green's live stream, Morant posted a cryptic message on his Instagram ... which had fans concerned over his well-being and led to cops making a welfare check on the All-Star.

Kyrie Irving sneakers could return to a store near you soon ... 'cause the NBA superstar just teased a new deal is on the horizon after his fallout with Nike.

The 8-time All-Star revealed it might not be long before fans can get their hands on some new Kyrie kicks ... discussing the matter during an Instagram Live session on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm really excited," the 31-year-old said. "I will be signing my new shoe deal very, very soon. I'm 'bout to blow this stuff out the water. I'm so excited about it."

Is it SIA Collective? Musiq Soulchild did tell us he heard Kyrie was talking to the new shoe company last December ... but Irving mentioned no names during the stream.

Uncle Drew was with Nike dating back to 2011, but the Swoosh cut ties with the hoop star after his controversial tweet sharing an antisemitic film in 2022.

The point guard -- who last played for the Dallas Mavericks -- also said to be on the lookout for his free agency decision ... and urged fans not to listen to analysts, TV personalities, or sports influencers who claim they know his next move.

"I'm a free agent this summer, but I am in no rush to make a decision," Irving said.

"When they speak on my name and they're talking about potential teams that I'm going to, can y'all please, respectfully, I'm asking, please stop paying attention to that."

Of course, many speculate Irving could join his old teammate LeBron James in Los Angeles, especially after the guard was spotted sitting courtside at a recent Lakers playoff game.

Despite the rumors, Irving swore up and down no one knows what he's going to do -- just him.

Police tell TMZ Sports officers did a welfare check on Ja Morant following his cryptic social media posts on Wednesday ... and, thankfully, they discovered he is not in any danger.

A spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said cops went to the NBA star's home in Tennessee shortly after Morant shared the concerning messages on his Instagram page ... and they say he told them simply "that he is taking a break from social media."

"He is fine," the spokesperson added.

In Morant's posts, he shared pictures of him with his mom, dad, and daughter ... before writing a caption that said nothing more than "bye." The posts were deleted a short time later.

Of course, given the turmoil that's surrounded him since he was seen brandishing a gun on video for the second time in less than three months ... his fans expressed big worry for the 23-year-old basketball player.

Fortunately, though, seems everything is OK.

Morant has said very little publicly since the second gun video was posted ... releasing just one statement that read, in part, "My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself."

An NBA investigation into the clip remains ongoing.

Ja Morant has fans concerned over a cryptic note shared to his social media account on Wednesday ... after the Memphis Grizzlies star showed love for his family before simply saying, "bye."

The messages were quickly deleted from the All-Star's Instagram page just minutes ago ... but screenshots have been shared all over, which have sparked thoughts and prayers being sent from his supporters.

Ja posted four different Instagram stories ... with tributes to his mom, dad and daughter before sharing the farewell note.

It's unclear if the post is a goodbye to social media or something much more serious ... as there's speculation he could be on hard times following his second gun-flashing video in just a few months.

23-year-old Morant was suspended last weekend after the second video surfaced ... and the NBA is currently investigating the matter. There's belief he could be facing a lengthy punishment from the league.

Commissioner Adam Silver said he was "shocked" by Morant's actions ... and while the league's still looking into the video, he's "expecting the worst."

We've reached out to reps for Morant, as well as local authorities -- so far, no word back.

Derek Jeter's on full-time daddy duty, but that didn't stop him from catching some playoff basketball, pulling up to Game 4 of the Heat vs. Celtics series in Miami with his wife Hannah ... just 18 days after their son was born!

And, HJ looks amazing!

Cameras captured The Captain throughout the evening ... as he chatted with his wife as the Celtics looked to avoid the sweep at the hands of Jimmy Butler's Heat squad.

Of course, DJ and Hannah -- who got married in 2016 -- have been on cloud nine since announcing their son, Kaius Green Jeter, was born on May 5.

The couple now has 4 kids.

Derek and Hannah weren't the only celeb in the building ... PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, actor Jeremy Piven, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards were there, too.

Derek's former Yankees teammate, Alex Rodriguez, a minority owner with the T-Wolves, was also at the game.

What's interesting ... no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but it has happened in baseball.

Ear muffs, Yankees fans.

Jeter and A-Rod starred on the infamous 2004 NYY team that blew a 3-0 lead to the Boston Red Sox, the first time in MLB history.

Carmelo Anthony says he's unbothered that he's retiring without an NBA championship on his resume ... 'cause, at the end of the day, he feels he's "won at life" by simply making it to the league!

The 38-year-old forward announced his retirement on Monday after 19 seasons in the NBA, and despite all his accomplishments, including becoming a 10x All-Star and scoring champ, he never won a ring.

Many sports fans and even some media refuse to label a player an all-time great if they haven't won a ring. For years, it's been said about guys like Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley, because neither earned a chip.

Obviously, if you watched Chuck play, you know he's one of the best players to step foot on a basketball court.

Championships are also used to compare players ... like Michael Jordan (6 titles in 6 appearances) and LeBron James (4 titles in 10 appearances).

"I’m at peace," Melo said to Sports Illustrated after the announcement.

"That doesn’t bother me no more; that idea that you’re a loser if you don’t win a championship."

But, Melo -- who won an NCAA Championship with Syracuse 20 years ago -- said he's been a winner since the day he was selected as the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, making it out of Brooklyn.

“For me, I’ve won. I won back in 2003, the night I shook David Stern’s hand on that [draft] stage," Anthony said. "I made it out of Red Hook. I’ve won at life."

"The ring is the only thing I didn’t get. It would’ve been a great accomplishment, but I don’t regret it, because I feel like I did everything I could to get it."

Melo said he's now focused on his 16-year-old son, Kiyan, who received several offers to play college basketball ... including from Melo's alma mater, Cuse.

In fact, Melo admits Kiyan is the only reason why he signed with the Lakers for the 2021-22 season ... or he would've retired back then.

"I always told him, ’When you get to high school, I’m retiring.’ That was always our thing," Melo said.

"Then [as he started high school] the Lakers called, and he told me, ‘Dad, I’ll be O.K., you should go.’ Even with LeBron there, I wouldn’t have done it without Kiyan pushing me."

"So to be able to spend time with him in the gym, on his work ethic? With school? I can be a father to him every day. It’s perfect timing.”