Boston Celtics

Paul Pierce is glad Villanova is refusing to visit Trump's White House to celebrate their NCAA basketball title ... saying the tradition is dumb and overrated.

Nova's coach Jay Wright, announced Thursday the team would not visit 1600 Pennsylvania this year -- as NCAA winning teams have traditionally done for years.

In fact, Villanova visited Obama's White House after winning the title 2016 -- but Wright explained, "Two years ago it was the experience of a lifetime for all of us. It’s just a different time."

Fast forward to Thursday night outside Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills -- where we asked Pierce (who visited George W. Bush's White House with the Celtics in '08) if Nova was making a mistake.

"I think that's overrated," Pierce explained ... "Why you gotta visit the White House? You got your trophy, you won your championship."

Paul tells us it's a digital time -- so a simple congratulatory tweet should more than do the job.

Then, he started questioning why the tradition even started in the first place -- strongly implying the tradition is just dumb and unnecessary.

"I don't know why we go to the White House," Pierce said ... "Why did people even start going there?"

BTW ... when Pierce went to the White House a decade ago -- he called it "truly an honor" and even brought gifts for No. 43.

2:03 PM PT -- This is what we're told happened in regards to Paul facing off with security. People present tell us that Paul appeared at the top of the stairs and was trying to get back down to his seat, but was unable to produce a ticket to the guard at the entrance. A verbal dispute occured between the two, and Paul continued down the stairs. The guard called for backup, which is when the two other security guards eventually intervened. We're told not all of the guards on his way down were on the same page as to what had happened up top, but eventually, stadium staff told metro police to stand down once he was at his seat.

Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce got into it with a security guard Saturday night at UFC 229 in Vegas.

Paul was trying to get to the first floor of the arena when apparently a security guard questioned if he had a ticket to be in the area.

The two exchanged words, and at one point the guard puts his hands on Pierce to block him from walking.

Staff eventually intervened and the two separated, you hear Pierce call the guards racist before walking back to his seat.

The incident was mild compared to what happened later in the evening, after Khabib submitted Conor McGregor in the fourth round, jumped into the crowd and attacked Conor's camp.

Members of Khabib's camp then attacked Conor inside the Octagon.

BTW ... we got Paul on the way out after the fight, and while he was mum on his own confrontation ... he definitely had some thoughts on McGregor vs. Khabib.

Gordon Hayward just confirmed what you already knew ... he WAS kinda disappointed when pink balloons popped outta his baby gender reveal box earlier this summer.

You'll remember ... the Celtics star -- a father already to 2 girls -- went instantly viral in July when he couldn't hide his ... excitement ... over adding baby girl No. 3 to the fam.

"Is daddy happy?!" His wife, Robyn, asked as the pink balloons flew up.

"Daddy's always happy," Gordon says, booting one of the balloons.

Well ... Gordon hit the barbershop for a vid with YouTuber BluMaan and explained he is and always has been, in fact, trying like hell to add a baby boy to the family.

"Desperately trying to get a boy in there," Hayward says.

Just one problem now ... Hayward tells BluMaan he's gotta decide whether gambling for a FOURTH time is worth it.

"Three girls is a lot to deal with," he says.

Paul Pierce says the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is officially back on ... with Kyrie Irving playing the Bird/Pierce role -- and LeBron James playing the Magic/Kobe role!!

We got Paul out at LAX this week and, as one of the key players in the historic NBA clash -- he declared to TMZ Sports the two teams can finally have a real tiff again now that Bron's in L.A.

"It's on. It's on," the Celtics legend tells us. "The rivalry is back. For sure. It's official."

Pierce tells us LeBron and Kyrie will fill the leader-of-the-team roles well ... and he seems stoked to see it this season.

By the way ... if you were wondering if Pierce has any inkling to come back to the NBA and be a part of that rivalry one last time -- he says no chance.

12:45 PM PT -- Bird released a statement apologizing for the incident, saying, "I'm taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused."

"The information that has been released does not tell the full story. I do not condone violence against women. I am hopeful that in due time and process, I will be able to regain everyone's trust."

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird choked out his girlfriend so badly during a Sept. 7 incident that she lost consciousness ... according to prosecutors.

24-year-old Bird appeared in court in Boston on Thursday where prosecutors laid out the case against him ... and the allegations are horrifying. WBZ-TV's Beth Germano got a photo of Bird in court.

Officials say the alleged victim claims Bird terrorized her for 4 hours at his Brighton apartment -- where she tried to get away from the NBA player by hiding under her bed and locking herself in her bathroom.

During the alleged altercation, the woman claims Bird strangled her at least 12 times.

She claims she tried to escape, but Bird grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her away from the door.

Officials say Bird appeared to be having "seizure-like" symptoms during the end of the attack -- and that's how she was able to leave.

Afterward, she claims Bird texted her that he would kill himself if she didn't return to the apartment.

He was eventually arrested for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping.

Bail was set at $50,000 -- and he's been ordered to pay in cash, as that's all the court accepts.

We spoke with the Suffolk D.A., Dan Conley, who tells us, "Anyone living in fear of domestic violence can count on our office for a safe, supportive, victim-centered environment."

"As this case illustrates, a trusted figure in a survivor’s life can make disclosing abuse to law enforcement easier."

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird is behind bars after being arrested for reportedly assaulting, strangling and kidnapping someone.

Cops say it was a domestic incident, but were not more specific.

Law enforcement says Bird is undergoing psych evaluation in a Boston-area hospital.

Cops say Bird is "currently being guarded" at a Boston-area hospital. The victim is being treated at another hospital.

Although details are scarce, the Celtics are clearly concerned, issuing a statement ... "We are aware of the incident involving Jabari Bird and are taking it very seriously. We are actively gathering information and will reserve further comment at this time."

Bird, who was drafted last year, will appear in court Monday, where he will be officially charged.

The Big Ballers ain't gonna like this ...

Ex-NBA star Al Harrington says the Lakers made a HUGE mistake in the 2017 NBA draft ... because he thinks they should've taken Jayson Tatum.

You know how it went ... the Lakers took Lonzo Ball with the #2 pick, while Tatum fell to the Boston Celtics at #3.

Thus far, it's been a win for the C's, as JT was a finalist for last year's Rookie of the Year award, and Lonzo had a solid but inconsistent season.

Harrington says he LOVES Tatum's game ... and thinks if you re-drafted the class today, he'd go #1.

"Yes, the Lakers made a horrible decision ... That kid is the goods."

Harrington says it's not just the game either, telling us he likes what Tatum has between the ears.

"That kid wants to be great, you know what I'm saying ... sky's the limit for son."

Here's Gordon Hayward getting the news he's about to have a 3RD baby girl -- a blessing, obviously -- but, he REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted a boy.

At least, that's the way it comes off in his new gender reveal video -- in which his wife and 2 daughters give the Boston Celtics star a box with colored balloons inside.

When he opens it up and sees pink, he can hardly contain his ... excitement?

"Is daddy happy?!" His wife, Robyn, asks.

"Daddy's always happy," Gordon says as he kicks a balloon.

Guess if he wants a baby boy eventually -- he's gonna have to make it like he does at TD Garden ... and keep on shooting.

Remember, Chris Paul gave advice to Kobe Bryant a few years ago when Mamba learned he was having a 3rd girl ... "Keep going 'til you get a boy."

Celtics star Jaylen Brown is officially the John Wick of the NBA ... because's he's vowing REVENGE on a fellow association player over a heinous popcorning incident from his rookie year.

We got Brown out in NYC and asked him a very simple question ... what's the best locker room prank he's seen in his young NBA career?

That's when JB revealed he's a victim ... telling us his car was filled up with popcorn his rookie year by veteran Amir Johnson, and then promising to deliver some get back for the transgression.

"Amir Johnson, I'm coming for you."

Kevin Garnett's younger sister is in serious trouble after cops say she tried to rob THREE check cashing stores in South Carolina ... while making bomb threats.

It all started on Monday ... cops say Ashley Danyelle Phelps tried to rob a Check Into Cash in Greenville -- and told employees she had a bomb. Someone pressed a panic button and Phelps fled without any loot.

The next day, cops say Phelps tried to hit another Check Into Cash store -- but failed so she went to an Advance America shop instead and once again told employees she had a bomb.

Police responded and 37-year-old Phelps was captured a short time later.

She was formally charged with 2 counts of armed robbery, 2 counts of making a bomb threat and 1 count of attempted armed robbery.

She's currently being held in Greenville County Detention Center after a judge denied her bond.

"Get Out" star Lil Rel Howery is a Boston Celtics fan ... but he says there's a silver lining to the team losing a couple games, and he's telling TMZ Sports his glass-half-empty theory.

If you're asking why Lil Rel is a Celtics fan in the first place, he says it's because he developed a kinship with Kyrie Irving while the two men were shooting Irving's upcoming "Uncle Drew" movie.

Rel says it's that friendship that makes it kinda okay ... hell, he almost even likes it ... that the C's seem to be struggling to beat LeBron with no go-to NBA superstar.

"I've been watching all these stories about how the team is better without Kyrie and all this dumb sh*t and I was like, ah, no, this is superstar time."

"So, I'm just saying like, Kyrie, that's his team, man. So, don't ever question that sh*t again. It's his f*cking team. He's a superstar. They need to win with him."

Brad Stevens might be the best young coach in the NBA ... but is he on the level of Bill Belichick?

He's certainly on the way ... according to Celtics and Patriots superfan Mark Wahlberg ... who told us "that's a very, very good comparison."

TMZ Sports saw Wahlberg in L.A. ... and asked if the Celts head coach was "the new Belichick of Boston."

(Yeah, we know Boston is a part of New England -- but you get the point.)

It's high praise for a guy who's only been on the job for a few years ... considering B.B. has 5 'chips and is believed by some to be the best damn football coach ever.

But, Mark says there is still 1 thing Stevens has left to do.

Kevin Hart had a very serious scare while landing in Boston for the 76ers game -- when the tire on his private jet blew out as the plane touched down on the runway.

Miraculously, the pilot was able to safely land the plane despite the tire drama -- and emergency personnel rushed to the jet to help out upon landing.

"My first airplane scare on the runway," Hart said ... "We caught a flat as we touched down."

You can see the tire is almost all the way blown off. It's a miracle no one was hurt.

"Ya boy got angels on his back," Hart said ... "I got real-life angels on my back."

Here's a couple of VERY rich guys hanging out -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft taking in the Boston Celtics game Monday night with team owner Wyc Grousbeck.

Kraft and Grousbeck have been hanging out a lot lately -- they were also together at the Celtics game Saturday night with another member of the Boston Billionaire's Club ... Red Sox owner John Henry.

The Celtics beat the 76ers on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Kraft and Grousbeck were high-fiving on the court during the end of the game.

So, who's got the biggest bank between the three? According to Forbes, Kraft's worth $6.2 billion and John Henry's valued at $2.5 billion ... but Grousbeck's net worth isn't listed.

With the Celtics valued at more than $2 billion, he ain't poor either.

Here's Celtics rookie stud Jayson Tatum learning the hard way that he hasn't completely made it yet, getting rejected -- more than once -- at one of the hottest clubs in Tinseltown.

It went down Wednesday night when the 19-year-old -- who's a Rookie of the Year contender -- tried to get his turn up on at Warwick in Hollywood, a 21 and over joint.

Warwick is known for sticking to its guns when it comes to the age requirement ... after all, D'Angelo Russell got denied in 2016 when he was just months from turning 21.

We're told J.T.'s teammate Kyrie Irving got through the door without a hitch ... which makes sense 'cause he's 25.

Oh BTW, Celtics did beat the Clippers earlier that night ... so at least there's that.

With LeBron James and Steph Curry picking the teams for the NBA All-Star game, we asked Kyrie Irving if he'd be upset if his old teammate didn't pick him first.

Ya gotta see what Kyrie says when we spotted him at Delilah in West Hollywood.

For the record, Irving is having a killer season with the Boston Celtics -- averaging 24.5 points per game and carrying the team on his back. He's definitely an MVP candidate.

So, Bron's GOTTA pick him first, right?! We'll see ...