NBA

Isaiah Austin -- the ex-college basketball star who was diagnosed with a rare heart condition before the 2014 Draft -- says his doctors have finally cleared him to play again ... and it sounds like he's gunning for the NBA.

The 23-year-old was a stud at Baylor -- but his basketball career came to a screeching halt when he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and doctors told him it was too risky to play pro ball.

Austin was an honorary draft pick that year -- and Isaiah told TMZ Sports NBA Commish Adam Silver offered him a job with the league after he got his degree.

But now, Austin told Cassy Athena's Thru The Lens that doctors gave him the green light 4 months ago to get back on the court ... and I.A. says he got very emotional when he got the news.

He never straight-up says his goal is to play in the NBA ... but it seems pretty obvious he wants a shot.

Congrats!

Iman Shumpert says he would boycott Donald Trump's White House if the Cavs repeat as NBA champs and are invited back to 1600 Pennsylvania.

The Cavs star was speaking with Complex when he was asked if he would boycott Yeezys after Kanye West expressed support for the President-elect.

"I understand people’s stance on Trump. I can’t get caught up in the racial, sexist bulls**t he’s got going on. That’s his personal thing, ya dig."

He added, "I do think he’s crazy -- straight up."

Complex followed up with the White House question:

Complex: "Will you go to Trump’s White House if the Cavs win the championship again this year?

Iman: "I’m not going to the White House."

Looks like the band isn't getting back together just yet ... 'cause Charles Barkley says his chilly friendship with Michael Jordan hasn't been re-warmed after all.

Barkley appeared on "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stu Gotz" on ESPN radio and spilled some Hall Of Fame tea ... saying the picture of him and Michael side hugging last month was nothing more than a photo op.

"We just happened to be at the same place at the same time. I love him like a brother but we are not back to where we used to be."

The third man in the photo, Kenny Smith, had told TMZ Sports Barkley and Jordan did in fact bury the hatchet that day ... but clearly, it ain't that buried.

As for the origin of the beef, Barkley says Michael got upset at criticisms CB made publicly about MJ's performance as the chairman of the Charlotte Hornets.

Barkley says he misses his friend -- but he's a professional analyst and won't apologize for doing his job.

Snoop Dogg was all about the victory trash talk after his Lakers beat up on 2 Chainz's ATL Hawks this weekend ... telling the rapper, "Y'all can't f*** with us!"

The Doggfather made a video in the aftermath of the young Lakers' 109-94 win over the Hawks ... seizing the opportunity to rub it in Tity Boi's face, who had floor seats at the game.

We'd give you some of the quotes here ... but there aren't enough symbols on the keyboard for us to substitute for Snoop's trademark colorful language, so your best bet is just to enjoy the video.

Earmuffs when necessary.

A New York Knicks superfan, who's also linked to another NYC landmark, is stiffing the team on her super expensive courtside seats ... according to Madison Square Garden honchos.

MSG, which owns the Knicks, just sued Terry Klein, wife of the former co-owner of the legendary Carnegie Deli, for 10 Knicks season tickets she enjoyed using -- and allegedly reselling -- during the 2015-16 NBA season. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Terry either used or resold more than 90 percent of the tickets she was given.

Dwight Howard might have been at the end of his rope when a Lakers fan called him a "bitch" Sunday night -- because just last week, another heckler told him his mother is a "whore."

It all went down on Nov. 23rd after Dwight's ATL Hawks beat the Pacers in Indiana -- when a fan leaned over the tunnel to the locker room and said, "Good game, Dwight. Have a nice evening. Your mother's a whore!"

Dwight clearly heard it -- but turned and walked away.

But fast forward to Sunday night at Staples ... when ANOTHER heckler leaned over to Howard and said, "Kobe all day! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!"

Howard -- who was signing autographs for fans -- handled that heckling situation with a smile and a wave.

Of course, the straw that broke the camel's back went down a few hours later, after the game, when Howard went off on a fan who called him a "bitch."

Hey, a guy can only take so much ...

Dwight Howard doesn't like being called a bitch -- and was physically restrained when he got into it with a Lakers fan after the game Sunday night.

TMZ Sports has footage in which you can hear a man shouting obscenities at Howard after the Lakers beat the Hawks 109-94 at Staples Center.

At one point the man -- who we're told appeared to be in his 20s -- says, "You're a bitch!"

Dwight -- who was on the way to the locker room -- stopped in his tracks and jawed back at the heckler, "Come back here and say it."

A team official grabs Howard and starts physically pushing the 6'11" superstar back toward the tunnel ... as he continues to challenge the fan.

It's not the first time Howard's been heckled at Staples -- the former Laker was taunted last year with a "Kobe" chant during a playoff game against the Clippers. He wasn't happy then either.

As if the Cleveland Browns season couldn't get any worse ...

Robert Griffin III's girlfriend claims a valet at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ransacked the wallets they left in their car during Sunday's game ... and stole all of their cash.

Grete Sadeiko -- who has been publicly dating RG3 since the summer -- said she left her car with a valet in the "players and family garage" to watch the Browns take on the Giants ... and when she returned, the money had been taken out of their wallets.

Grete posted about the alleged incident on Twitter -- and when people began to question why she left their wallets in the car in the first place, she roared back.

"Ain't about why we left wallets in the car we parked in PLAYERS AND FAMILY PARKING GARAGE! I should be able to leave anything I want there."

We've reached out to Cleveland police -- who say they have no record of a report being filed about the incident.

Master P has his first celebrity supporter in his bid to be an NBA coach ... his old pal Snoop Dogg ... who says P would be an absolutely awesome sideline boss if the league ever gave him the chance.

P revealed his desire to coach an NBA squad during a recent interview on TMZ's "Raq Rants" ... saying he's put so many guys into the league through his youth team ... he thinks it's a logical next step.

We got Snoop out in L.A. and asked him about P's hoop dreams ... and Snoop -- who was an artist on P's No Limit Records -- says coaching is actually P's DUTY ... 'cause he has knowledge to give the youth.

You hear that, Romeo? Don't put your basketball down just yet.

Sad news for ex-NBA star Darius Miles ... who's in danger of losing a bunch of his prized possessions in his bankruptcy case -- including his signed LeBron James jersey.

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs filed in Illinois where 35-year-old Miles -- who made more than $60 MILLION in the NBA -- filed for Chapter 7.

R.I.P. to any chance of seeing Derek Fisher suit up for an NBA team again ... 'cause the 5-time champ says his playing days are OVER -- despite rumors of a comeback.

There were reports the 42-year-old was making a serious push to get back in the league back in the summer. Fish also posted impressive basketball training videos with the hashtag "Imnotdoneyet."

So, when we saw Derek and his family serving up food to the needy at the L.A. Mission Wednesday, we asked him to give the truth on the situation ... and it sounds like he's really done for good.

Just give him the Slam Dunk trophy now.

Here's Minnesota Timberwolves star Zach LaVine hitting a 360 dunk from the free throw line ... just because he felt like it.

His teammate, Andrew Wiggins, captured the whole thing on his Snapchat ... and yeah, it's nuts.

Ex-NBA star Steve Francis has been released from jail after his Saturday drunk driving arrest -- but was ordered by the judge to install a breathalyzer system into his car.

As we previously reported, cops say Francis reeked of booze and vowed revenge on officers during his arrest ... in which a bunch of weed was also allegedly found in the car.

After he bonded out Wednesday morning, he returned to court -- where the judge told him he's not allowed to drink or take drugs unless prescribed by a doctor.

He will also undergo random drug and alcohol testing.

The judge also said he can't leave the state of Texas without permission -- unless he's going to Florida to turn himself in on an unrelated burglary charge (he has 30 days to do that).

Here's a photo of Bruce Springsteen ... finally knowing what it's like to be the odd man out.

A bunch of super famous people gathered at the White House Tuesday to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama ... including Vin Scully, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Cool photo, right?

Byron Scott gon' cry in the car ... 'cause Julius Randle is giving 100% credit to new coach Luke Walton for the team's surprising start ... saying the young coach is pressing all the right buttons.

The Lakers are 7-7 this year -- not exactly World beaters -- but when you consider they only won 21 games ALL OF LAST SEASON ... the start is pretty impressive.

So when we got Randle out in L.A. and asked him what was making the Lake show great again ... he gave props to the new sheriff in town.

Dennis Rodman has just been charged with 4 misdemeanor criminal charges -- including hit-and-run -- stemming from a late-night wrong way freeway crash in July ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Orange County District Attorney has charged Rodman with ... hit-and-run with property damage, driving a car across the divider, giving false info to a cop and driving a car without a valid license.

If convicted on all counts, Rodman faces up to 2 years in county jail.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Rodman was driving an SUV on the 5 Freeway around 12:30 AM on July 20th ... after partying at a karaoke bar.

We're told Rodman was driving northbound in the southbound carpool lane.

A car driving the RIGHT way was forced to swerve to avoid a head-on collision and crashed into the center divider. That person called 911.

Dennis allegedly fled the scene before cops arrived and never exchanged info with the other driver.

Cops investigated the incident -- and officials say Rodman lied to investigators.

A rep for Rodman said, "We agree that if anything, this is a misdemeanor traffic matter, and certainly not a felony. We appreciate the district attorney evaluation and know that it should resolve successfully when all facts are considered."