Basketball

Think your new J's are the s**t? Nah, think again ... 'cause somebody just copped a real deal pair of Michael Jordan's worn underwear, and they cost about 3 grand!!

We're serious ... a lucky Jordan fan just bought a one of a kind pair of boxers at Lelands Auction Saturday night ... with the final bid coming in at $2,784.

As we previously reported, the gray and black boxers hit the auction block in August ... and the company says the trunks have evidence of "definite use" by the G.O.A.T. himself.

It's not what ya think ... there are some loose threads and a dry cleaning tag attached to the drawers.

While you may think most people wouldn't want to get their hands on these skivvies, think again ... there were 19 bids!!!

Lelands secured the garment from Jordan's buddy and bodyguard John Michael Wozniak, who you might remember from "The Last Dance" documentary.

Woz also gave the company other items worn by MJ -- suits, coats, dress shirts and ties that were included in the auction lot.

Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert says the NBA can come knocking on his door any time it wants ... telling TMZ Sports he ain't scared of the league's "random" drug tests!!

Of course, it's become quite the trend in the Association -- you post a jacked pic on Instagram, you get "randomly" hit up for a test.

Just ask Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox, who posted a shirtless pic showing off his buff bod in the gym earlier this month ... and then got contacted the very next day.

Before that, then-Lakers player Alex Caruso was "randomly" selected to test just one week after a photoshopped pic of him looking like the Hulk went viral on social media.

Are ya starting to see the trend here??

Gobert could be the next guy to fall victim to the NBA's far-from-sneaky ways ... 'cause the 3-time defensive player of the year posted a snap looking absolutely shredded on social media earlier this week ... so when we saw him out at LAX, we had to ask if he was worried.

"No, I'm not worried," Gobert told us. "I'm all clean, all organic, all-natural, all work."

The journey has been long and grueling, but Isaiah Austin has officially made it to the NBA -- the ex-college hoops star has received a fellowship to work for the league’s front office this season!!

Remember, Austin was a talented center coming out of Baylor and was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft ... until his medical reports showed an underlying condition of Marfan Syndrome, which affects the connective tissue in the body.

At the time, this would put a halt to his league aspirations ... but the NBA showed love by giving him an honorary draft pick.

After 2 years away from the game, another medical evaluation allowed Austin to play professionally overseas in Taiwan, China, Serbia, Puerto Rico and Lebanon. He even scored the opening point of the 2021 BIG3 season.

Now, Austin is happy to move on from his playing career and start his life off the basketball court in retirement.

"Here I am, in year five, and I’m ready for the next stage of my life," Austin told Shams Charania.

Austin says he's out to prove he's willing to start from the ground-up and earn a living by learning the ropes in each department the league has to offer.

Austin’s fellowship will start October 4 and last a full year ... and he’ll be looking to work with an official team by next season.

LeBron James may not want to talk about it, but the NBA superstar did get -- or is getting -- the COVID-19 vaccine ... so says GM Rob Pelinka, who claims the whole Lakers roster will be fully vaxxed by the start of the season.

King James has danced around the question for months ... electing to keep his vaccine decision a family matter.

But, Pelinka revealed L.A.'s entire roster will, in fact, be at 100% vaccination status when the season kicks off ... and in case you didn't know, LBJ is on the Lakers.

"On opening night, all of the players that are currently signed on our roster will be deemed fully vaccinated," Pelinka told reporters Thursday. "We’re grateful for that."

Pelinka says it's a sigh of relief to know the team and staff members will not face any setbacks due to people within the organization being unvaccinated.

Of course, LeBron previously brushed the topic off ... calling it "not a big deal" back in May.

"Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family for the majority or 99.9% of that," James said at the time.

"It’s about the health and safety of my family," he added. "That’s what it came down to. Being available to my teammates on the floor is about taking care of my body and me doing everything I can to make sure I’m available both mentally, physically and spiritually as well."

"But, anything of that nature is all family talk."

There was strong indication Bron had been vaccinated prior to the first round of the NBA playoffs last season ... when the league explained he would not have to quarantine following an appearance at an outdoor event.

Had he not been vaxxed, James would have been forced to stay away from the team for a period of time.

Dwight Howard says his own mother was shocked while watching her fave show -- "The Masked Singer" -- because she found out her baby boy was the "Octopus!!!"

The NBA veteran, and current L.A. Lakers star, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us all about his experience on the Fox show -- and why he went to great lengths to keep his appearance top secret from his mom.

It's super sweet ... Dwight says she was just like every other viewer across the country, watching his unmasking after he'd dropped a pretty good version of the Little Richard classic, "Tutti Frutti."

Keep in mind, he pulled that off while being 6'10" and draped in his heavy costume and headgear.

Unfortunately for the Howard fam, Dwight was eliminated at the end of Wednesday night's season premiere, but it sounds like she'll continue watching even though he got the boot.

It turns out ya can't really say ANYTHING about a player without breaking the NBA's anti-tampering rules ... 'cause Warriors owner Joe Lacob just got hit with a $50k fine this week -- for basically saying he's not interested in landing Ben Simmons.

The Warriors have been named as one of the potential landing spots for the 25-year-old ... after the struggling Philadelphia 76ers star demanded a trade this offseason.

Lacob was asked about the team's potential interest in Simmons during an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle this week ... and it definitely didn't sound like they were jumping head-first into the Simmons sweepstakes.

"I think we are always looking at everything to see if we can improve our team," Lacob said.

"We would always look. In some ways, [trading for Simmons] doesn't really fit what we're doing. He makes a lot of money."

Lacob also said Simmons is very talented, but questioned whether he can finish games down the stretch and if he would fit well with Draymond Green.

In other words, Lacob's not salivating to bring Simmons to the Bay ... but, nonetheless, he was hit with a $50k slap on the wrist on Wednesday.

Introducing the newest member of the Orlando Magic ... a 6'2" guard from Fayetteville, North Carolina ... J. Cole!!!

Okay, so maybe not quite ... but the superstar rapper DID work up a sweat with a bunch of Magic players at a workout this week -- and he looked GOOD!!

Of course, Cole is known for his skills on the mic AND the court ... and rap legend/former NBA hopeful Master P told us back in 2020 the rapper was interested in pursuing a career in the league.

Now, Cole was able to put his skills to the test against guys like Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton ... with the Magic posting footage of the squad hooping on Wednesday.

The vid is impressive -- Cole holds his own against the pros by draining three-point shots and dishing dimes.

Cole even got to chat it up with the guys after ... saying, "Any time I get to act like a kid around professionals, I appreciate it."

The Magic even gave Cole his own custom #15 jersey to top it all off!!

But, does Cole really have what it takes to be in the NBA?? Ex-pro Larry Sanders certainly thinks so -- he told us back in August 2020 the dude could legit make it if he worked at it.

Keep ballin' out, J.!!

A huge LAPD police union is going scorched earth on the Los Angeles District Attorney after he decided NOT to charge Jaxson Hayes with a felony, following the arrest of the New Orleans Pelicans star in July.

"George Gascon's latest criminal's first airball puts a target on the back of every police officer in Los Angeles," the Los Angeles Police Protective League tells TMZ Sports.

The LAPPL -- which reps over 9,000 cops in L.A. -- continued, "Gascon's refusal to prosecute Jaxson Hayes for violently attacking and injuring an officer during his n-word laced tirade is nothing more than a declaration that it's open season to attack cops and it's shameful."

The union is livid that Gascon's office decided against charging Hayes with any felonies ... despite the fact he seemingly pushed an officer on video.

FYI, Gascon is a polarizing figure. His critics have accused him of being soft on crime ... and failing to protect law enforcement officers.

Still, Hayes isn't totally out of the water criminally ... it's still possible the city attorney could levy a misdemeanor charge(s) against Jaxson.

We broke the story, 21-year-old Hayes -- the 8th overall pick in the 2018 draft -- was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer after Jaxson got physical with a cop who was investigating a domestic violence call after Hayes' GF allegedly said she was scared her hooper BF was going to physically harm her.

Police released body camera footage ... and it seems Hayes pushed an officer, injuring him in the process, according to LAPD.

What happened next has caused some controversy.

Cops eventually got Hayes to the floor, but the struggle continued. An officer deployed his taser at least once. At one point during the arrest, Hayes said he couldn't breathe.

As a result, LAPD launched an investigation to determine if excessive force was used. That investigation is still ongoing.

As for the LAPPL, they weren't done ... they also went in on the NBA for failing to discipline Hayes, or condemn his actions.

"As for the NBA, their silence is deafening when it comes to one of their players assaulting an officer and thwarting a domestic violence investigation. Apparently, their policy on preventing domestic violence was created more for SportsCenter than it is to actually hold its players accountable. Real classy."

We reached out to the DA's office ... but they declined comment.

Ben Simmons' time in Philadelphia appears to be all but over -- the NBA star will reportedly bail on Sixers training camp next week ... and has given the team the cold shoulder for more than a month.

The 25-year-old has been rumored to want out of the City of Brotherly Love this offseason ... and according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons appears to be standing his ground.

Woj also says Simmons is fully prepared to be fined or suspended until he is shipped off to a new team.

If it is, in fact, the last time the guard plays for Philly, his last appearance will leave a bad taste in fans' mouths -- he averaged 9.9 points a game in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks this past postseason.

Despite the offensive struggles, NBA/BIG 3 star Joe Johnson told us last week BS' jump shot is NOT broken ... and said it's a confidence issue more than anything.

Great news for Cedric Ceballos ... the former NBA star says he's finally home after battling COVID-19 in the ICU for weeks.

The 1992 NBA Dunk Champ first announced he was in the ICU for 10 days on Sept. 7 by posting a photo of himself with an oxygen mask on -- saying COVID was "kicking my butt".

And, even after testing negative for COVID a week later, he was still in the ICU with breathing issues linked to the virus -- and asked everyone to pray for him.

Well, the prayers apparently worked ... Ceballos thanking everyone -- including medical professionals -- on Tuesday for getting him back home alive.

"Hello everyone, after 20 straight days on death row, through his grace and your well wishes and prayers, I AM HOME," Ceballos said on his social media.

"I can not thank each and every one of you enough for your help. The doctors and nurses did a great job especially in my darkest days, when I needed that extra push."

Ceballos added, "There are two things that get you through something like this whether you were vaccinated or not. 1, your will to fight and want to live and 2, your health care, because you are treated way different if you are covered, than not."

"Thanks again everyone and I will see you soon…."

The 52-year-old played in the NBA for 11 season with the Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, Pistons and Miami Heat -- mostly known for his blindfolded dunk in the 1992 Slam Dunk competition.

Ceballos also made the 1995 All-Star team and played overseas after retiring from the NBA.

JJ Redick is stepping away from the game of basketball -- the longtime sharpshooter just announced he's retiring from the NBA to focus on his family and start the next chapter of his life.

37-year-old Redick -- who averaged nearly 13 points over 940 career games -- broke the news on his "The Old Man And The Three" podcast Tuesday ... saying hoops is no longer his #1 priority, and he knew it was time to walk away.

"Today, I am officially retiring from the game of basketball," Redick said in an accompanying Instagram post.

"Thank you to EVERYONE who was a part of my journey and career. I started playing basketball 30 years ago in my backyard on an uneven path of dirt, gravel, and grass. It was on that court that my dreams began to form."

"Reality has far surpassed my dreams!! So thankful for 15 years in the NBA and all the amazing relationships and memories along the way."

Of course, Redick was a college superstar at Duke ... and eventually went to the Orlando Magic with the #11 overall pick in 2006. He also played for the Bucks, Clippers, Sixers, Pelicans and Mavericks during his career.

Redick led the NBA in 3-point percentage in 2015-16 ... going 47.5% from behind the arc.

Redick says he's now looking forward to spending more time with his wife and kids ... as well as repairing an Achilles injury he's been dealing with.

Drake's jumper clearly still needs some work ... 'cause cameras have caught him airballin' yet another shot on the court -- this time in a 1-on-1 game with Tory Lanez.

The whiffed shot all went down in Miami (unclear exactly when) ... when Drake was getting in some run with his fellow rapper.

You can see in some footage of the two musicians' workout, Aubrey pulled up from deep against Lanez, shot the rock ... and then hit nothing but court.

To his credit, he didn't seem too downtrodden after the shot -- and Lanez somehow didn't even talk smack!

Of course, missing rim, backboard and net is nothing new for the "Certified Lover Boy" rapper ... 'cause, you'll recall, back in 2014, he famously missed a shot while in a layup line with the Kentucky men's basketball team.

WNBA star Angel McCoughtry says she's down to help Odell Beckham Jr. with his ACL recovery ... telling TMZ Sports she's willing to hook him up with the "secret sauce" to an early return.

The Las Vegas Aces baller came back from the horrific knee injury in just 4 MONTHS -- and when we asked her out in L.A. this week if she'd drop an assist to OBJ (who's still trying to make it back to the field after tearing up his knee in 2020) ... she said of course!

... under one condition.

"Tell him if he really, really want the secret, he gotta call me," AM told us. "Holla at me Odell, I'll tell you the secret! The secret sauce."

She added, "There's secret sauce, but you can't give it out. Those who want it will seek it."

All kidding aside, McCoughtry says she's confident OBJ -- who tore his ACL in Week 7 of the NFL season last year -- will make it back to the Browns' lineup sooner than later.

"He knows what to do," Angel said. "He knows how to come back."

Any NBA team in need of a 7-time All-Star, look no further ... 'cause Joe Johnson tells TMZ Sports he's not ready to retire anytime soon -- and he wants to compete!!

40-year-old Johnson hasn't played in the Association since 2018, but there's no question the guy can still hoop -- he reportedly just won his second BIG3 MVP in 2021 after scoring 182 points in the regular season.

Given all his recent success in the 3-on-3 league, we had to ask if his focus is solely on Ice Cube's org. ... or if he's still got gas left in the tank to ball out in the NBA -- and he's clearly not thinking about riding off into the sunset just yet.

"No, I'm not done. We'll see what happens here ... We'll see, man. We'll see. I don't have nothing definite to tell you, to be honest with you. But, I'mma be out here to try to get things done."

JJ has had a helluva career so far -- he averaged 16 points a game since joining the league in 2001. He had a shot with the Detroit Pistons after the 2019 BIG3 season ... but was eventually waived before taking the court.

As for his incredible 2021 season, Johnson has a simple, yet perfect, reaction.

L.A. Sparks hooper Erica Wheeler continues to do her opponents dirty with her filthy crossover ... and Atlanta Dream guard Odyssey Sims was her latest victim, getting dropped Thursday night.

... and Wheeler did it in front of the ATL fans.

The Sparks played the Dream in College Park, GA Thursday night ... winning 74-68 in a must win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Brittney Sykes and Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with a combined 32 points -- but the highlight of the game was Wheeler's nasty crossover on Sims.

The 5-foot-7 guard sent Sims flying across the court after a nasty step back and finished it off bankin' in a wide-open jumper.

And, Wheeler recently did the same thing to Sue Bird ... one of the greatest WNBA players ever!

EW broke her ankles Sunday ... sending the Seattle Storm guard to the floor, nearly smacking her head on the hardwood.

Sheesh!!

The Sparks need all the momentum they can get ... they're fighting to make playoffs -- sitting in the ninth spot -- half a game behind Washington Mystic.

Ben Simmons does NOT have a problem with his jumper -- it's a CONFIDENCE issue -- so says NBA and BIG 3 sharp-shooter Joe Johnson, who tells TMZ Sports the Sixers guard will be just fine.

Simmons has struggled to find his rhythm with jump shots since entering the league in 2016 -- most recently, he was criticized for going 35% from the charity stripe and averaging 9.9 points a game in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Not ideal for a former #1 overall pick ... but Iso Joe -- who's known for his clutch shooting -- isn't worried at all, saying he knows the 25-year-old will find his way.

"I honestly don't think nothing's wrong with it," Johnson tells us. "You see him playing pickup basketball shooting jumpers, fadeaways, threes ... so we all know it's there."

It's true -- Ben put in work with Rajon Rondo earlier this offseason ... where he was recorded on video drilling threes.

"He just has to take that same confidence that he has in pickup and translate it into an NBA game," Johnson adds. "That's it. You're gonna miss and make shots, you can't care about the misses. He's just got to continue to take them."

Johnson says the talent is clearly not the problem ... but when BS takes the court, he's got to remember that he's that dude.