Basketball

Russell Westbrook was LIVID after a fan dumped popcorn on his head Wednesday -- calling the person's actions straight-up "bulls***" -- and even LeBron James is pissed over it all now too.

Westbrook was on his way to the locker room after injuring his ankle during the Wizards' playoff loss to the 76ers in Philly ... when a fan poured their bucket all over the NBA star.

You can see in footage of the incident ... Westbrook could not have been more heated as the kernels bounced off his head -- with the D.C. point guard trying HARD to get to the stands to confront the fan.

Russ, though, was eventually calmed down and ushered into the locker room ... but after the game, he said the fan absolutely crossed the line.

"To be blatantly honest, man, this s**t is getting out of hand, especially for me," Westbrook told reporters. "The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f**k they want to do, it's just out of pocket, man. It's out of pocket, seriously."

Russ went on to say if the incident had happened in "any other setting," he insinuated he would've fought the person.

"A guy wouldn't come up on the street and pour popcorn on my head because he knows what would happen," Russ said.

Westbrook then pled with the NBA to "start protecting the players" ... adding, "We'll see what the NBA does."

LeBron James rushed in to defend his pal on Twitter shortly after ... saying he wanted the fan ID'ed and punished ASAP.

"WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!!" LeBron wrote. "There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]. #ProtectOurPlayers"

So far, no punishment from the NBA has been announced yet ... though high-ranking Wells Fargo Center exec Valerie Camillo did call the incident "classless" and "unacceptable" after the game.

It's unclear, meanwhile, if Russ' ankle injury will keep him out of Game 3 ... the series is set to return to Washington on Saturday with the Sixers up 2-0.

IT AIN'T OVER YET!!

That's Clippers player Ivica Zubac staying positive about his team's chances against the Dallas Mavericks, despite being down 2-0 in their playoff series.

"They gotta beat us 4 times," Zubac told us outside of Avra in Beverly Hills ... "We're gonna fight and we got a chance to win the series. We're not giving up."

Clipper fans have been down in the dumps since the team gave up the first 2 games AT HOME -- and now, they're traveling to Dallas for games 3 and 4 and it ain't lookin' good.

But, Zubac says the Clips are going there to win -- and they're confident they can get it done.

"We're going there to win games, that's it … they gotta win 4."

Dallas will have a packed house full of fans for Games 3 and 4 -- and Zubac says he's fired up about that, too!

"That's great, we haven’t played in front of that many fans in 2 years … gonna be fun!"

YOWWWCH!!!

Anthony Davis' foot had a meeting with Suns forward Jae Crowder's baby maker during Tuesday night's game ... and it looked just as painful as it sounds.

It all went down less than a minute into Game 2 of L.A. and Phoenix's 1st-round matchup in the NBA playoffs ... when AD kicked his right leg out while attempting a deep 2-point shot -- and made solid contact with Crowder's groin.

Understandably, Crowder immediately fell to the court in pain ... but to add insult to injury, the guy was called for a defensive foul while contesting the shot!!!

To even things out ... Davis also got called for a flagrant 1 foul, which gave Crowder 2 free throws and the Suns the next possession.

Of course, Davis' move looked similar to one of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green's infamous groin kicks -- something TNT analyst Reggie Miller referenced during the game broadcast.

However, Miller pointed out he believed Davis' kick was unintentional ... which set Green off on Twitter.

"So it’s unintentional now @ReggieMillerTNT?," Green said Tuesday night. "You referenced me as if mines was also unintentional? None of y’all said that during the time. Clarify your point? Would love to know..."

He added ... "Because if you’re saying mines was unintentional, there’s a lot of cowards that just went silent? And if you’re saying it’s intentional on my behalf but not here, then I shouldn’t have been referenced @ReggieMillerTNT just curious."

Davis finished the game with 34 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers tied up the series at 1 game apiece with the 109-102 win.

The Brooklyn Nets are heading to Boston to continue the playoff series with the Celtics ... and Kyrie Irving REALLY hopes the fans can cheer without being racist.

Yep. You read that correctly.

Of course, Kyrie spent 2 seasons with the Celtics from 2017 to 2019 and is pretty familiar with how the fans roll over there.

So, now that his Brooklyn Nets are heading to TD Garden for Game 3 of their NBA playoff series on Friday, Irving is hoping the fans in Boston -- which has a reputation for being one of the more racist cities in America -- will find something other than race to fuel their trash talk.

"It's not my first time being an opponent in Boston so I'm just looking forward to competing with my teammates and hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball," Kyrie said.

"There's no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling s**t from the crowd. But even if it is, it's part of the nature of the game and [we're] just gonna focus on what we can control."

When asked if he's heard racist trash-talking in Boston in the past, Kyrie responded -- "I'm not the only one that can attest to this but it's just, you know -- it is what it is!"

Forget Bitcoin ... Kevin Durant's Nets debut jersey could be the next hottest thing in the investment game -- it just hit the memorabilia stock market, and it could net ya a small fortune down the road!

Here's the deal ... the threads KD rocked in his first-ever game as a Net on Dec. 22, 2020 just hit the investment app Otis, and fans can now purchase shares of the uni for $10 apiece.

Reps for the app tell TMZ Sports once all of the initial shares are sold ... it'll go up for trading, and the owners who bought in can hold onto the shares or sell them -- just like a stock.

The current value of the jersey is estimated to be $47,600 ... but experts say it could go up way higher in just a matter of weeks.

After all, Durant's debut with the Nets was a special one ... he put up 22 points in a victory over his former Warriors squad -- and if he's able to win a ring with Brooklyn this summer, the uniform's worth could obviously skyrocket.

In fact, reps for Otis say it's not uncommon to see a 150% to 400% increase on pieces like these.

Just when you thought the trash talk in the Hawks vs. Knicks series couldn't get any better ... here's NYC mayor Bill de Blasio throwing more fuel on the fire, shading the hell out of Trae Young!!

The 60-year-old -- rockin' a NY Knicks ball cap -- took time out of his daily press briefing Tuesday to take shots at the Atlanta star ... and it was aggressive!

The mayor accused Young of crying for calls ... and told him to straight-up stop.

"Stop hunting for fouls, Trae," de Blasio said. "I want to quote Steve Nash -- great player, great coach -- he says, ‘That’s not basketball.'"

de Blasio continued, "Trae, that hawk's not going to fly in New York City. Come on. Play the game the right way."

Of course, Trae ripped the soul out of the Knicks during the first game of their playoff series on Sunday ... hitting a game-winning floater and talking all kinds of smack to the crowd at Madison Square Garden afterward.

Even Trae's Dad got involved ... puffing out his chest and celebrating BIG-TIME after the shot.

NY fans -- who chanted "F*** Trae Young" throughout the game -- have since fired away all over social media ... and it's all getting REALLY good.

Clearly, de Blasio thinks his Knicks can back up all the talk, though ... he continued to Trae during his rant Tuesday, "I think the Knicks are going to teach you a lesson."

The sports world is honoring George Floyd on the one-year anniversary of his death .... with the NFL and NBA releasing powerful messages on continuing to fight for change throughout the country.

Both leagues paid tribute to Floyd and his family with statements on Tuesday -- acknowledging the work that has been done since he was murdered by a Minneapolis PD officer on May 25, 2020 ... and calling for more action.

"One year ago, the killing of George Floyd advanced a global reckoning around systemic racism and inspired a movement for social justice," The NBA said in a statement.

"Today, and every day, members of the NBA family stand united in working for change and a future that provides true equality."

The NFL added ... "As we mark one year since the murder of George Floyd, our thoughts are with the Floyd family and all who have been affected by his death."

"This has been a year filled with reflection and reckoning, one that has renewed our commitment to build and strengthen our communities. The work for equitable justice must continue and the NFL and its clubs are proud to work alongside NFL players to build a more just society."

The NFL also shared a video of stars like Texans safety Justin Reid and Saints linebacker Demario Davis, who reflected on the tragedy and the protests that followed.

Floyd's death sparked massive movements in both leagues over the past year ... with the NBA adding the words "Black Lives Matter" on the courts for the remainder of the 2020 season ... and allowing players to wear social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys.

The NFL followed by adding the words "end racism" and "it takes all of us" on the fields ... and allowing players to honor people impacted by police brutality by wearing the names of victims of their helmets.

Jordan Bohannon -- the University of Iowa's all-time 3-point shot-maker -- was sucker-punched in a bar Sunday morning in a brutal attack captured on video.

Now, school officials say the 23-year-old is "recovering well" after suffering a "serious head injury" during the incident ... and police are now involved.

The video shows Bohannon hanging outside at DC's Sports Bar bar in Iowa City when suddenly he was blindsided with a brutal shot to the face.

You can see Bohannon sprawled out on the ground in the aftermath of the attack and his friends and other patrons try to figure out what the hell happened.

There was some pushing and shoving as Bohannon slowly picks himself up off the ground.

Police are investigating the incident -- but so far, it's unclear if they've identified the attacker or made any arrests.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery issued a statement on the incident saying, "Thankfully, Jordan is recovering well after being attacked by an individual he did not see coming at him."

"We were made aware of the incident immediately. We are grateful that friends who were with Jordan at the time kept the incident from escalating. His health is our number one concern."

Bohannon made headlines before the attack when he announced he would be returning to Iowa for a 6th season -- since the NCAA is allowing athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic.

The basketball star was named Iowa's Mr. Basketball in 2016 -- and during his college career, he set the record for career 3-pointers with 364.

The NBA says LeBron James was not blocked from playing after violating the league's COVID protocol because officials decided he was NOT a risk to spread the virus.

In fact, the league says investigators determined everyone who was allowed at the May 17 event for LeBron's tequila company -- the event that triggered the violation -- was either vaccinated or tested negative for COVID before being admitted.

The event was attended by some massive celebrities including Michael B. Jordan and Drake.

There was some outrage after the league announced LeBron had attended the event -- with some calling for the NBA superstar to serve a mandatory quarantine before being allowed on the court out of fear he could infect someone else ... especially since he refuses to publicly confirm or deny if he's been vaccinated.

But, the NBA says there's nothing to fear ...

"LeBron James briefly attended an outdoor event last week where participants were required to be vaccinated or return a negative test result," a league spokesperson said Monday,

"Under these circumstances and in consultation with medical experts, it was determined that his attendance did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine was necessary."

The NBA also says LeBron did NOT receive special treatment because he's a superstar.

"Over the course of this season, there have been numerous similar violations of the league's Health and Safety Protocols, which were addressed with the player's team in a similar fashion."

Then, the league added this line ... which makes it sound like Bron HAS been vaccinated.

"Under current NBA rules, vaccinated players are permitted to engage in outside activities including their individual commercial arrangements, such as sponsor appearances or ad shoots."

Regrets, he's had a few ...

Malik Beasley has issued a public apology to his wife and son -- after he ditched the family for a fling with Larsa Pippen in late 2020.

"I wana say sorry for putting you in the situation you were put in the last few months," the 24-year-old NBA player wrote to Montana Yao on Instagram ... "my head wasn’t were it was supposed to be."

As we previously reported, Yao felt "blindsided" by photos of her husband holding hands with 46-year-old Larsa Pippen during a Nov. 23 outing in Miami.

Yao -- who married Beasley in March 2020 -- filed for divorce in December. They have a 2-year-old son, Makai, together.

Around the time she filed for divorce, Montana ripped Malik on social media ... saying she and her son were "told to leave our family home 10 days ago and just like you all I'm pretty confused."

She continued, "There have been no public or private addressing of the situation nor any type of apology."

Now, seems Beasley is finally ready to reconcile ... and though he never mentions Larsa by name in his IG post, it's obvious he's referring to her.

"I was looking for more when it was right here that whole time," Beasley said ... "I’m telling the world and you that there’s no body like you for me."

Beasley also claims he was the one who broke things off with Larsa -- saying, "For the record I was the one who ended my last relationship off the fact that there is no one like you."

He added, "Also for the record i wanted to do my own ish cuz I just left u guys and I def ain’t the type to set up pictures at the mall n ish .. as that’s some childish ish and I’m trying to grow individually and grow a family .. a real family."

Beasley says he's not "looking to be judged I’m looking for forgiveness."

"To forgive me for hurting my family the way I did. At the end of the day I’m a lover boy and I miss holding y’all and loving y’all.. I love you mu shi .. I love you kai Kai. My family over thing."

Question now ... is the apology coming too little, too late? Or will Montana take him back?

Nobody loved Trae Young's game-winner more than his dad ... because Pops celebrated his son's huge feat like a little kid -- and the awesome reaction was all caught on video!!!

Just seconds after the Atlanta Hawks superstar plunged a dagger into the Knicks by hitting a floater with .09 ticks on the clock ... Trae's father, Rayford Young, called out to his boy.

"Trae! Trae!" Rayford yelled.

And, as soon as Trae acknowledged the love -- Rayford went crazy!!!

Check out the clip ... Dad couldn't have been more proud -- smiling, laughing, slapping hands with friends and family, and even letting out a "f*** yeah!" scream!!!

Trae, of course, loved the moment too ... because after he had been serenaded with "f*** Trae Young" chants all game long -- he let the crowd at Madison Square Garden have it as well!

He shushed them and then screamed, "It's quiet in here!"

Cameras caught him talkin' more smack on his way back into the locker room after the 107-105 win, too ... with Trae saying, "It got real quiet in there!"

It was a HUGE night for Young -- playing in his first-ever playoff game, he scored 32 points and logged 10 assists and 7 rebounds.

Dominique Wilkins says he was straight-up denied service at an Atlanta restaurant because of the color of his skin, but the restaurant shot back, saying it was simply enforcing a dress code that was colorblind.

The basketball Hall of Famer says he was denied service at Le Bilboquet restaurant, saying, "In my many years in the world, I've eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world, but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta in @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack."

The restaurant denied it had anything to do with race, saying, "We, at Le Bilboquet, do our best to accommodate all of our guests. However, we have received consistent complaints from our patrons regarding other guest's wardrobe choices.  As a result, to protect our restaurant's culture, we installed a minimum standard in our 'business casual' attire dress code which includes jeans and sneakers but prohibits baseball caps and athletic clothing including sweat pants and tops."

Wilkins, who played between 1982 and 1994 for the Hawks, wasn't buying it, saying, "They looked me up and down ... and to add insult, talked about how my clothes were not appropriate when I was wearing designer casual pants and a shirt."

Lakers guard Ben McLemore was involved a single-car accident in the hours following his team's huge win over the Warriors ... but, thankfully, he was uninjured -- TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us sometime Thursday morning -- shortly after the Lakers beat the Warriors in their play-in game Wednesday night -- cops responded to a 911 call for an accident in Playa Vista, Calif.

We're told when officers arrived on the scene, they found McLemore and his crashed Ford truck ... and conducted a field sobriety test.

Sources say the 28-year-old, though, passed all their tests and did NOT appear to be drunk.

We're told McLemore explained to officers he had accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes and crashed into a gate arm.

McLemore -- who had no injuries -- was not arrested and not issued any sort of ticket, we're told.

The former Kansas star played in 21 games for the Lakers this season ... averaging 8.0 points per contest.

He did not play in the team's win over Golden State due to a coach's decision.

Kyle Kuzma appears to have found the PERFECT way to avoid NBA playoff prep stress -- his smokin' hot GF, a tiny bikini and a beautiful backyard!!

The Lakers star hit up somewhere with really nice weather with his model GF, Winnie Harlow, on Friday ... and you can tell by the pic the couple shared -- there's no basketball stress here!

Despite the Lakers coming into the postseason as the #7 seed and under immense pressure to repeat as champs ... Kuzma clearly ain't doing any hand-wringing ahead of the games.

Check out the photo he and Winnie posted ... she looks great, he looks happy -- and yeah, what pressure again???

Kuzma won't be asked to do too much while LeBron James and Anthony Davis shoulder most of the load for the Lake Show ... but he's still going to have to play well for L.A. to make another run to the title.

LeBron James says he was damn near BLIND during his game-winning shot Wednesday night ... explaining to reporters his eye injury had him seeing "3 rims!"

The Lakers superstar had been poked in the left peeper just minutes before he uncorked a 3-pointer to beat the Warriors in their play-in game at Staples ... and Bron said the injury was so bad, he barely had any vision when he pulled up for the big shot.

"The first thing I did when KCP kicked it out, I looked at the shot clock," LeBron told reporters after his team's huge 103-100 victory.

"The second thing I saw was three rims from being poked in the eye on that previous possession when I drove to the hole and then in transition. So, I just aimed for the middle one."

The shot was incredible -- it was about 5 feet beyond the 3-point line -- and when ya factor in the pressure AND what his face had just gone through ... it's pretty big time.

Even Drake loved it!!!

As for the injury going forward, LeBron was clearly fortunate to have escaped serious issues ... 'cause after he was jabbed by Draymond Green on the possession prior to the game-winner, things did NOT look good for L.A. or its superstar.

But, LeBron -- with his eye clearly watering and swelling -- said after the game he expects to be all right as the Lakers move on into the playoffs.

For the first time in more than 2 months, Deshaun Watson has posted on social media to remind everyone he's still an elite NFL quarterback.

... and yeah, he looks good.

The last time we heard from DW was on Twitter back on March 16 -- when he posted a statement to try and get ahead of the sexual misconduct allegations that were coming down the pike.

Watson denied wrongdoing and proclaimed his innocence -- saying, "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect."

He added, "This isn't about money for me -- it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

After that, the Houston Texans QB went radio silent -- and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has been doing all the talking ever since.

But, as the NFL season draws closer, Watson is clearly trying to remind teams -- including the Texans -- that he's still focused on football and ready to play.

There are a few issues ... the NFL is still investigating the sexual misconduct allegations against Watson from more than 20 accusers who say the QB crossed a line during what were supposed to be routine massage therapy sessions.

If the league finds he violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, he could be suspended -- which could make teams nervous about trading for him.