Basketball

Minnesota Timberwolves star Malik Beasley will likely have to watch the rest of the NBA playoffs from jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed he just started his 120-day sentence.

Jail and court officials tell us ... Beasley was booked into Wright County Jail in Minnesota on Tuesday -- ready to serve his punishment stemming from that bizarre gun incident in Sept. 2020.

You'll recall ... prosecutors say Beasley exploded on a family after they had been in his driveway -- alleging the 24-year-old NBA player pointed a gun at the people and ordered them to scram.

Beasley was initially hit with 2 charges over it all -- felony threats of violence and felony drug possession -- but he cut a deal with prosecutors months later to close out the case.

Beasley pled guilty to the threats charge ... and in exchange, the drug charge was dropped and Beasley was ultimately sentenced to 120 days in jail.

Initially, Beasley was set to begin the sentence on May 26 ... though a court official tells us it ended up being pushed to June 1.

Beasley posed for a mug shot when he was booked ... and you can see, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be behind bars.

It's been an eventful last few days for the NBA player ... remember, he just issued a public apology to his wife and family for his fling with Larsa Pippen.

Talk about sore losers ...

A couple of bitter Lakers fans thought they would take out their disappointment by heckling Kendall Jenner at Staples Center ... right after her boyfriend, Devin Booker, DESTROYED the Purple and Gold.

The idiot fans cussed out Kendall as she walked to her car -- saying things like, "Get the f**k outta here!" and "Go back to Phoenix, you're not welcome."

One of the guys shouted out TMZ -- but NONE of the people involved have any sort of affiliation with us. At all.

For her part, Kendall didn't even acknowledge these idiots ... and probably went on to celebrate the momentous victory with her superstar BF in some sort of awesome mansion.

In other words ... the Lakers fans couldn't be more wrong -- SHE'S WINNING AT EVERYTHING.

In case you didn't know ... Devin Booker DOMINATED the Lakers on Thursday night, dropping 47 points in a 113 to 100 victory over L.A., eliminating LeBron James' squad from the playoffs.

After the game, Booker said he felt Kobe Bryant's spirit in the building at Staples Center.

Magic Johnson is NOT happy about his beloved L.A. Lakers getting knocked out of the playoffs Thursday night ... admitting "You know I'm mad."

Magic and his wife, Cookie, were leaving the Staples Center after LeBron and the Lake Show suffered a 113 to 100 loss to the Phoenix Suns ... eliminating L.A. from the playoffs.

It's the first time in Bron's career he's ever been eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round.

So, what happened??? That's what the photogs asked Magic after Game 6.

"I want you to ask those players what happened," Magic told the snappers

When one pap asked if he was upset over the situation, Magic responded -- "Yeah, I'm mad! I love the Lakers! You know I'm mad."

Part of the issue ... DEVIN BOOKER WAS UNSTOPPABLE.

The 24-year-old dropped 47 points on the Lakers -- helping the Suns build a 29-point lead in the first half!!

When the second half started, the Lakers looked like a defeated squad -- and the Suns rolled to victory.

Another issue for the Lakers ... Anthony Davis.

He was medically cleared to play in Game 6 after tweaking his groin in Game 4 -- but tweaked the injury in the opening minutes and never returned to action.

Now, the Lakers are out ... Magic is upset and LeBron says he's already focused on next year.

"The #1 thing for us is getting AD healthy," Bron said after the game ... "If we get big fella healthy ... that will put us in the best possible chance to be successful next year."

Vanessa Bryant says Nike shoes she designed to honor Kobe and Gianna have been leaked ... and she's outraged over it, claiming they should have NEVER been made.

VB explained the situation early Thursday morning ... saying during recent talks with Nike, she helped create a version of the Kobe 6 Protro that was meant to honor her two loved ones who tragically died in a 2020 helicopter crash.

Vanessa says the shoes featured a black and white colorway, Gianna's #2, and other specific marks like a butterfly, wings and a halo.

The problem? Vanessa says after her split with Nike this spring, approval for the shoes to be made was NOT given -- but she claims they've somehow been leaked anyway and posted a photo of someone holding the shoe in their hand!

"Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls," Vanessa said in a statement.

"I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi, and we don't. I hope these shoes did not get sold."

Vanessa added she wanted the shoes to be sold "to honor my daughter with ALL of the proceeds benefitting our @mambamambacitasports foundation."

Vanessa then asked her followers to track down the shoes ... writing on social media, "If someone can share how they have these shoes in their possession, that would be great because my daughters and I don’t have any of Gigi’s MAMBACITA shoes."

An Instagram user, brandon1an, who originally posted professional photos of the "Mambacita" shoes nearly 3 weeks ago, claims Nike is the one responsible for the shoe leak.

"I just want to make it clear that I don't own a pair of those Mambacita Kobes," the IG user said in a statement Thursday morning.

"The pictures I posted are official product pictures from a Nike authorized retailer."

The user continued, "Unfortunately for [Vanessa Bryant], Nike clearly sent pairs to this retailer (as well as others) with the intent of selling pairs."

Grizzlies star Ja Morant's mom will NOT be in Utah to watch Memphis take on the Jazz on Wednesday ... after fans made disgusting and racist remarks towards their family earlier in the playoff series.

3 Jazz fans were banned indefinitely for comments made to Morant's parents during Game 2 on May 26 ... with Ja's dad, Tee, telling ESPN the harassment was "straight up disrespectful."

Jazz owner Ryan Smith apologized to the Morants and offered courtside seats, transportation and a hotel to Game 5 for family and friends ... but Tee says Ja's mother, Jamie, will not be in attendance due to their recent experience at Vivint Arena.

"She said her anxiety couldn't take it," Tee told the outlet ... while adding it was a "nice gesture" for the Jazz to offer their services for Wednesday's game.

Tee also spoke about the harassment experienced during Game 2 ... saying, "It was unfortunate. It was just a few fans -- most of them were great and cheering right alongside with us."

Ja denounced the Jazz fans' actions on Twitter last week, saying, "my family should be able cheer for me & my teammates without getting inappropriate s*** said to them."

Smith added ... "Memphis Grizzlies and Morant family... we are embarrassed and sorry. The @utahjazz have zero tolerance for offensive behavior. We are committed to creating a respectful, competitive environment."

It's the end of an era ... legendary college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is retiring after this upcoming NCAA season, completing 42 seasons at Duke.

WHOA.

The news was confirmed by college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, who says an official announcement is expected soon.

Goodman also says 74-year-old Coach K is expected to be replaced by Jon Scheyer, a former Duke player who's currently an asst. coach with the Blue Devils.

Scheyer will have MASSIVE shoes to fill -- Coach K has coached 5 national championship teams and has led the Blue Devils to 12 Final Four appearances.

Coach K became the first Div. I men's coach to reach 1,000 victories ... and he currently has 1,170 total.

Krzyzewski became Duke's head coach in May 1980 ... after serving as Army's head coach for five seasons.

Coach K is widely considered one of the best coaches EVER ... and has the most career NCAA tournament victories (97).

Over the past 41 seasons, Krzyzewski has coached 9 national players of the year and 28 NBA lottery picks ... including guys like Jason Williams, J.J. Redick, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Jabari Parker and more.

Coach K has also led the bench for the national team ... winning 6 gold medals with Team USA.

Kyrie Irving was the target of another idiot fan Sunday night who almost beaned the b-baller in the head with a water bottle ... and this time the culprit was arrested.

The incident went down in Boston at TD Gardens ... as Kyrie was walking out, you see the bottle come within a hair's breadth of his head. His teammates were outraged, and Tyler Johnson scoped out the crowd and ID'd the culprit.

A fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Iriving as he was leaving the court, he was then arrested.

Cops say the fan in question is 21-year-old Cole Buckley, who is now charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Yeah, a water bottle in the wrong hands is a dangerous weapon.

An eyewitness says he saw Buckley throw a Desani water bottle in Irving's direction. Buckley was wearing a Kevin Garnett jersey as he was taken into custody and removed from the arena.

Irving said after the incident ... "You're seeing a lot of old ways come up... just underlying racism and treating people like they're in a human zoo. Throwing stuff at people, saying things. There is a certain point where it gets to be too much."

Kevin Durant also chimed in ... “Have some respect for the human beings and have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players or spitting on players or tossing popcorn,” Durant said. “So grow the f**k up and enjoy the game. It's bigger than you."

Just days earlier ... a fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook during the NBA playoffs as he walked off the court injured. Afterward, Westbrook said players need protection from out-of-control fans.

Orlando Magic player Terrence Ross says someone STOLE his super expensive Lamborghini from the dealership ... AND THEN SMASHED IT INTO A BUILDING!

Yeah, what a horrible Tuesday!!

Here's the deal ... the 30-year-old former Slam Dunk champ says he got a call Tuesday morning from the Orlando PD saying they found his beloved orange Lambo Urus, a fancy SUV that starts at $220k!

Ross -- the 8th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft -- was confused because he had dropped it off at the Fields Motorcars of Florida dealership recently to fix a flat tire ... and thought it was safe!

But, cops explained the situation to Ross this way:

"Two guys broke into the dealership, smashed through a glass, went through desks, grabbed keys, go out to the lot and start seeing which key works and the key that they stumbled upon was MY key."

"They take this car and they start driving ... [the cops] find these dudes cruising around like Winter Garden in my whip. They start the chase, the dudes take off IN MY WHIP, smash it, lose control of it and crash it into the side of a building. Completely totaled."

"So, now I'm pretty much without a car ... so now we back to basics. Car shopping. I'm so sick right now. So goddamn sick -- that was the greatest car I've ever had! And, now it's gone. Gone! Can't even get it back so I'm sick right now. I'm sick."

Cops confirmed the Lambo was eventually recovered in Maitland, Florida.

The good news ... Ross has reportedly made more than $67 mil during his NBA career ... so he'll be okay.

Plus, he's got insurance.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela just went HAM on the New York Knicks ... calling out the players for trying to "play tough" and guaranteeing to boot them from the playoffs!!!

The Knicks vs. Hawks series has been chippy and rough through 4 games to say the least ... and when the 27-year-old baller was asked about the Knicks playing physical, Capela unloaded.

"They try to play tough, push our guys around and talk s***, but we can do that, too," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"We show them as soon as they came back here. We can push guys around, too. We can talk s*** as well, so whatchu gonna do about it? -- and we can get a win with it."

Capela insists the Knicks' style of play hasn't posed a serious threat ... and guarantees a victory in Game 5 to send the Knicks packing on Wednesday.

"And now we’re coming to your home to win this game again and send you on vacation."

DAMN, CLINT!!! Tell us how you really feel!!!

There's more ... Clint had words for Knicks star Julius Randle shoving Danilo Gallinari during Game 4 as "retaliation" for hitting Reggie Bullock's neck on the previous possession.

"You’re trying to look physical, but it’s not working. It’s the last solution," he added.

"You don’t get your star player making dirty plays. Of course, that was a dirty play, retaliation or not … we all can shove someone. You can play hard but within the game."

As for the Knicks ... they're not taking the bait.

Randle responded shortly after, saying, "Why would I give a hell what Clint Capela has to say?"

Derrick Rose added ... "I’m 32 years old. I’ve never talked s*** like that in my life."

"I’m too old for that."

Knicks and Hawks tip-off at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Getcha popcorn ready.

Ex-NBA star LaMarcus Aldridge says he's struggling in his post-basketball life ... admitting he's been depressed since abruptly retiring due to a health condition.

Remember, 35-year-old Aldridge walked away from the sport back in April ... after a health scare involving his heart following a game against the L.A. Lakers.

As it turns out, the 7-time All-Star played his entire 15-year career with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes a rapid heartbeat.

Aldridge says he learned about the condition back in 2006 but was able to play a decade and a half without any major issues. However, after his "scary night" against the Lakers, he realized it was time to retire.

"My heart was beating different or as weird as it has ever been before. I never experienced how slow, fast … it was just crazy how it was going that night," Aldridge told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

"Basically, that night being so freaked out -- and knowing I have kids, my mom, a lot of people depending on me and a lot of people that I want to see going forward -- I just felt like I was blessed by God to play 15 years with this condition, and I didn’t want to push it anymore."

Aldridge says he's had a tough time adjusting to life away from basketball ... which has taken a toll on his mental health.

"I’ve been depressed, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate through not competing on the floor, learning not to be depressed."

"I still love basketball. I still feel like I have a lot to give. But, even now, I’m still trying to find myself. When you go from doing something you love for so long and you lose it overnight, it’s a shock."

Despite the hardships he's faced, Aldridge says he knew he made the right decision ... and the Brooklyn Nets and his teammate Kevin Durant were supportive in his choice.

"I never felt any pressure to come back or make a decision based on the season. It was always: We fully understand what you’re going through, and so if this is what you want to do, you have our support."

Russell Westbrook's moment with a fan on Monday went WAY better than last week's popcorn incident ... 'cause the NBA superstar gifted the sneakers right off his feet to a kid after a huge Game 4 win.

The dope gesture was caught on video ... when the Washington Wizards guard took off his "Why Not? 0.4" sneaks and hand-delivered them to the young fan in a #4 Westbrook jersey before heading into the locker room at Capital One Arena.

It's easy to see why Westbrook would be in the giving mood -- he prevented the Wizards from getting swept by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 122-114 win ... earning a triple-double with 19 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists in the process.

It's a completely different interaction than what went down during Game 2 in Philly on Wednesday -- when a fan threw popcorn on Westbrook as he headed to the locker room to tend to an ankle injury.

Westbrook was LIVID when it happened ... and even tried to confront the fan in the stands but was held back by Wizards staffers.

The 32-year-old guard said after that game that "this s*** is getting out of hand" when it comes to fans disrespecting players -- and the 76ers banned the fan "from all events".

But, despite all the issues Brodie faced over the past week, the guy was kind enough to make the young fan's day on Monday with the incredible gesture.

On today's episode of "NBA Fans Gone Wild" -- some idiot rushed the court during the Wizards vs. Sixers game on Monday ... and not only did he get wrecked by security, the guy is now BANNED from the arena.

So ... was it worth it, dude?!?

It all went down late in the third quarter of Game 4 of the first-round playoff series ... when the fan sprinted from the stands and onto the court -- flailing his arms and tapping the backboard before getting leveled by Capital One Arena security with a Ray Lewis-type hit.

Naturally, the players and coaches were pissed -- Sixers center Dwight Howard even walked over to the detained fan and stared down as he squirmed on the court.

The Wizards released a statement on the incident ... saying, "During this evening's game, a fan was apprehended by Capital One Arena Special Police after attempting to breach the court."

"He will be banned from the arena and charges are being pursued with DC MPD."

The NBA has had a serious issue with disrespectful fans over the past week -- from a spectator spitting on Trae Young to Kyrie Irving getting a bottle thrown at him to Russell Westbrook getting doused in popcorn ... and, unfortunately, several more incidents.

The fan from the Wizards/Sixers game has not been identified ... but we'll keep you posted.

Kawhi Leonard's Spurs jersey from game 6 of the '13 NBA Finals -- when Ray Allen knocked down the most clutch 3-pointer ever -- just hit the auction block ... and with a big enough bank account, you can own a piece of NBA history.

Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs, June 2013. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and R. Allen battling Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi. It was one of the most unforgettable series ever.

Now, the actual jersey Leonard -- only 21 years old at the time -- wore during game 6 and 7 is available at sports memorabilia auction website, Lelands.

Kawhi was great in games 6 and 7 ... recording a double-double in both games. In game 6, Leonard scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. In game 7, KL dropped 19 points and grabbed 16 boards.

Unfortunately for the Spurs, Allen -- with the Heat trailing by 3 -- knocked down an improbable game-tying trey with only 5.2 seconds left in game 6.

Miami went on to win the game in overtime ... before wrapping up the series -- and winning the NBA title -- in game 7.

As for the actual jersey -- which Lelands tells us has been expertly photo matched -- the threads are size 2XL and features an NBA Finals patch.

Bidding for the jersey ends on Friday.

Dominique Wilkins now has even more reason to be upset with a restaurant that turned him away, because Lamar Odom enjoyed a meal at the same spot -- wearing a similar outfit to Wilkins -- just months before.

We got this shot of the former Lakers star at Le Bilboquet in Buckhead, GA taken back in  February. Lamar was wearing a white track suit and sneakers during a friendly meal with local recording artist Morgan Reilly and a mutual guy friend.

As for why it matters? Dominique ripped the restaurant last week, accusing it of turning him  away because he's Black. However, LB said it wasn't about race ... it was only enforcing a "business casual" dress code, and Wilkins' "designer casual pants and a shirt" didn't cut it.

LB did issue an apology to the Hall of Famer, and said it's considering a revision of the dress code, and will try to be more consistent in enforcing. it. When ya take Dominique's situation and Lamar's wardrobe, it's pretty clear there was NOT consistency.

Russell Westbrook just scored another W over an NBA heckler -- the $100 million lawsuit filed against the NBA superstar has been thrown out ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs, a judge ruled in favor of Westbrook on Thursday ... saying he didn't defame anyone by clapping back at a couple who harassed him during a 2019 game in Utah.

As we previously reported, Westbrook was sued by Shane Keisel -- a U.S. Army vet who got into it with the then-OKC Thunder player during a March 11, 2019 game against the Jazz.

In his suit, Keisel admitted he tried to heckle Westbrook by telling the NBA star “that he should just sit down and ice his knees.”

But, Keisel claimed Westbrook misheard him ... and interpreted his words not only as a homophobic insult, but also "racial."

Westbrook said he thought he heard, "get down on your knees like you used to.”

The point guard then went nuclear on Keisel and his girlfriend, Jennifer Huff -- and it was all caught on video.

"I’ll f*ck you up," Westbrook was heard saying. "You and your wife. I’ll f*ck you up."

Keisel said he was only not only banned from Utah Jazz games for life, but was fired from his job, kicked out of a pilot training program and received death threats.

Keisel and Huff sued Westbrook and the Jazz for $100 MILLION for defamation, among other things, claiming he was wrongly being painted as a racist homophobe.

But, in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge in the case rejected the arguments, explaining Westbrook's statements were just opinions, not defamation.

The judge explained, "whether a person is racist or whether a statement is racial is a matter of opinion which cannot be verified as true or false."

The judge added, "It is only in the free expression of these ideas that the nation can hope to heal the historic wounds of slavery and racial injustice that fester still today. That healing cannot occur if public dialogue about racism is silenced under threat of defamation liability."

The court also noted Westbrook’s in-game threats were "coarse and offense" ... but were not extreme and/or outrageous enough to recover damages.

The judge also said Keisel and Huff remained in the arena to watch the rest of the game and there was never any real risk that Westbrook would make good on his threats.

Danny Ainge says in the 26 years he's been playing and working for the Celtics ... he's "never" heard any racist remarks from fans at TD Garden -- but he did say he's taking Kyrie Irving's comments "seriously."

If you missed it ... Irving implored Celtics fans to treat him with respect when his Nets team arrives in Boston for its playoff games this weekend, insinuating he's been called racist things at the Celtics' arena in the past.

But, when Ainge was asked to comment on that on the 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday ... the Boston GM said he's simply never heard that kind of vitriol from people at the Garden before.

"Quite honestly, I've never heard any of it," 62-year-old Ainge said. "I'm not saying the city of Boston -- I'm saying [TD Garden]. I think our fans are very respectful."

Ainge, though, did say he'd look into Kyrie's comments ... explaining the team won't just brush them off.

"I think that we take those kinds of things seriously," said Ainge, who was the GM during Irving's 2-year Celtics tenure in the 2017 and 2018 NBA seasons.

"I never heard any of that, from any player that I’ve ever played with in my 26 years in Boston. I never heard that before from Kyrie, and I talked to him quite a bit. So, I don’t know."

As for whether or not Celtics fans will just plain boo Kyrie ... Ainge thinks that might be a little bit of a different story, saying, "Fans will do what they want to do."