Babyface Ray has been an integral part of Detroit's hip hop stock rise in the past few years and he isn't being humble about his contributions ... he's carving his own name on the 313 Mt. Rushmore!!!
TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Babyface Ray outside LAX this week and he tells us he fits all the criteria to be immortalized in his city -- along with Eminem, Big Sean and the late Blade Icewood for his Mt. Rushmore picks.
And just like Sean, Ray's also delusional hopeful that the Lions and Pistons will win championships next year!!! Gotta root for the home team.
While Babyface did acknowledge Detroit would need a few hundred Mount Rushmores to properly honor its music history, he reveals he's excited to hear from a most valuable transplant ... Pistons star player Cade Cunningham!!!
Ray says he and Cade have a mutual studio engineer and he's been told the stuff in the vault has been fire ... so it's only a matter of time before they cross-over styles.
Collaborations are big part of the city's movement ... it's Detroit vs. Everybody!!!
Jalen Brunson'sgame-winning shot to send the Knicks to the second round of the NBA playoffs sent New York into a frenzy ... including former star Stephon Marbury-- who went bonkers over the massive victory!!
The Brooklyn native went live on his Instagram for the final few minutes of the Knicks' Game 6 matchup against the Detroit Pistons ... and we're happy he did -- 'cause the reaction was priceless.
Like the rest of New York, Marbury was on Cloud 9 when Brunson hit the go-ahead three-point shot with 4.3 seconds to go ... and he couldn't contain his excitement.
Detroit is riding high after snapping its 15-game playoff losing streak against the New York Knicks on Monday ... but former Piston Ben Wallacetells TMZ Sports the current squad isn't a bunch of "Bad Boys" -- they've earned their own identity!!
We caught up with Big Ben out at LAX on Tuesday ... and while he knows there's a ton of basketball left, he believes his old team can pull off the first-round upset with the series tied at 1-1.
"The guy's been playing well," he said. "The guy's playing hard, playing together. We're gonna go out there and just see what happens. I think the guys are excited about being out there, being able to be back in the playoffs. We know anytime getting to the playoffs, anything's possible."
Josh Hart asked and he received -- Suni Lee returned to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks' playoff game ... but unlike her last visit, the Knicks fell short this time around.
Game 2 of New York's first-round series against the Detroit Pistons went down on Monday ... and the stunning six-time Olympic medalist had a courtside seat for the matchup.
4/18/25
Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart
Her appearance comes after Hart jokingly pleaded for her return in a convo with Jalen Brunson on their "Roommates Show" podcast ... when he claimed their teammate, OG Anunoby,plays better when she's present -- after all, he had 32 points when she observed his game on April 6.
Life can be hard as an NBA rookie ... a lesson 22-year-old Bobi Klintman learned the hard way -- after his Pistons teammates FILLED HIS CAR WITH POPCORN!!!
The night started out swell for Klintman ... his squad earned a big win over the New York Knicks in Detroit. But, things were about to take a turn.
As the 2nd round pick made his way to the players' parking lot at Little Caesars Arena, Jalen Duren began filming (the first clue something was up). When Klintman got to his matte Mercedes Benz SUV and opened his passenger side door, popcorn spilled out EVERYWHERE.
The NBA just handed down several punishments in relation to Sunday's Pistons vs. Timberwolves brawl ... with Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart getting the the stiffest penalty.
NBA Executive VP and head of basketball ops Joe Dumars announced the consequences of the scuffle on Tuesday ... saying Stewart is banned two games for "escalating an on-court altercation," adding his history of "unsportsmanlike acts" played a role in the length.
A handful of one-game suspensions were also shelled out for Detroit's Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser ... as well as Minnesota's Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Pistons vs. Timberwolves game turned into fight night on Sunday ... with both sides getting into a massive brawl that flooded into the stands -- leading to a whopping seven ejections.
The chaos broke out in the second quarter ... when tensions were already high after Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart got T'd up for bumping Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo.
Shortly after, Detroit's Ron Holland slapped the ball out of Minnesota forward Naz Reid's hands as he was driving the lane -- who responded by getting in his face and waving his finger.
Detroit Pistons hooper Malik Beasley is moving on after his split from Montana Yao ... 'cause he just hard-launched his new girl after Wednesday night's win.
Instagram model Natalia Garibotto shared a pic of the two walking out of the Kaseya Center after his 116-113 victory over the Heat in Miami -- which the 28-year-old reposted on his own Story.
She also showed Beasley running over to her after the final buzzer.
Jordan Poole must've been having Draymond Green flashbacks Tuesday night ... 'cause the Wizards guard QUICKLY retreated after pushing a much bigger Pistons player during an on-court scuffle!
The incident went down at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit ... when the teams began pushing and shoving about midway through the first quarter. Poole decided he was going to get involved in the scrap ... walking up to Jalen Duren and pushing him in the chest.
Duren, who is 6'10" tall, quickly shot Poole a stare as he began walking towards 6'4" Poole, who started to retreat, clearly wanting no smoke.
Andy Isaac -- a popular Detroit sports fan -- has passed away after a nearly two-decade battle with cancer.
The announcement was made to his X account Thursday morning ... with his loved ones saying, "Andy passed away peacefully this morning beside his loving family. We thank you all for your support and love over the years."
Good morning . Andy passed away peacefully this morning beside his loving family. We thank you all for your support and love over the years. This was a genuine space of laughter and kindness. Please carry this spirit on in honor of Andy. As always, Faturday forever and FTB .
The news comes on the heels of Isaac announcing he was entering hospice care, as his battle with the disease "has finally taken its toll on me, it has finally stripped me of my quality of life."
Jared Goff and Christen Harper spent one of their final baby-less days taking in some ball -- they hit the Intuit Dome Wednesday night for the Clippers vs. Pistons matchup -- and the former L.A. Rams star made it clear his allegiances are firmly with Detroit.
Goff sported a Tigers ballcap for date night with his pregnant wife ... and even though the two were clearly rooting against the home squad, the Lions quarterback sure felt big love inside Steve Ballmer's new building.
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Fans begged him for autographs ... and, at one point, he got to go onto the court to snap some pics with Pistons legends Rip Hamilton and Jalen Rose.
Time to start double-checking those X handles again ... NBA parody account NBACentel is back up and running after it went offline yesterday for unknown reasons.
The account announced its return Thursday morning in a post responding to Stephen A. Smith, who tweeted, "RIP Centel" -- with Centel sharing a clip of a man coming back to life.
Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart is getting honored with his own bobblehead at Friday night's game against the Dallas Mavericks -- which is pretty cool ... except he won't be there.
The NBA handed down a one-game suspension on the 23-year-old hours before tipoff ... as a result of the flagrant foul he committed during Wednesday night's contest against the Indiana Pacers.
It wasn't quite the Malice at the Palace, but fists were nearly flying during the Pistons vs. Jazz game in Detroit, with Jordan Clarkson and Ron Holland squaring up to fight during the game!
The altercation occurred Thursday night during the 3rd quarter of the Jazz vs. Pistons game at the Little Ceasars Arena (The Palace of Auburn Hills was demolished in '20) ... when Pistons center Paul Reed bumped and shoved Clarkson while running up the court after a layup, which Jordan didn't appreciate.
Reed's teammate, 19-year-old Holland, then stepped to Clarkson ... and both guys squared off, just feet from one of the referees.
Ex-NBA player Kyle Singler'srecent social media posts have many people concerned for his safety and well-being... so much so, it actually caught the attention of the NBA Players Association -- who said they are in contact with his family.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the NBPA said they've been in touch with the family of the 36-year-old hooper, but did not offer any specifics on what they talked about ... nor did they provide any updates on Kyle.
"As with all current and former members of the NBPA, we offer any and all support to players, whether through their biggest successes or times of challenge," the NBPA said.
Scary scene on the NBA hardwood Tuesday night ... Pistons wing Tim Hardaway Jr. terrifyingly slammed his head on the ground -- and needed a wheelchair to leave the game.
The scene all unfolded in the third quarter of Detroit's matchup with the Heat at Little Caesars Arena ... when Hardaway Jr. attempted to play some physical defense against Tyler Herro.
The wheelchair comes out for Tim Hardaway Jr., who took two hard hits to the head on the same possession. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hcbqeoEbML
The 32-year-old stepped in front of the driving Miami star in an effort to draw a charge ... but Herro was coming in with so much speed, he knocked Hardaway Jr. to the floor.
