NBA

Sorry, he ain't sorry.

Charles Barkley says if Michael Jordan is still waiting for an apology ... he better not hold his breath.

The NBA legend appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic where he talked about the infamous beef with MJ -- which originated when Barkley publicly criticized the way Jordan was running the Charlotte Bobcats.

Matt Barnes is officially a single man ... and all it cost him was HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Craig Sager's legacy just got the ultimate big up from a huge L.A. street artist ... being immortalized on some Tinseltown bricks right next to fellow Jimmy V award winner Stuart Scott.

The artist's name is Jonas Nevers ... who's done art of other sports figures like Vin Scully, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson ... but made headlines for his Stuart Scott piece last year.

We're told the Sager art -- painted on the brick wall of Melody Bar & Grill -- was finished just moments ago ... and the decision to put him next to Scott was made to honor two iconic voices that cancer took too soon.

Pure awesome ... R.I.P. Craig Sager.

Lamar Odom was inspired to turn his life around by a prisoner serving hard time for attempted murder.

The former NBA star flew to Delaware back in Sept. to visit childhood friend William Gregory, who's serving a 26 year sentence.

One shot for the fate of the world ... which New York Knick gets the ball?

That's the question we posed to Ex-Knicks President Dave Checketts ... and the answer is gonna raise a couple eyebrows up in the Big Apple for sure.

Checketts presided over the Knicks during the early '90's when Patrick Ewing was king ... so we asked the same question the locker room is asking ... who's king now, Melo or KP (sorry, Derek)?

Kenny Smith says his good friend, Craig Sager, gave him marching orders for his funeral in case he lost his battle with cancer ... wanting anyone who showed up to dress as colorful as Sager did.

We talked to Kenny ... who worked with Craig for years as part of the TNT basketball crew ... and asked him if there was any specific way Sager wanted the crowd to look at his homegoing.

"He told us to dress loudly."

Of course, Sager was known for his crazy suit game (and his professionalism and dignity), so the fact that he wanted his service to look a little lively is no surprise at all.

You gotta hear Kenny talk about it though ... clear how much love he had for the guy.

Memphis Grizzlies fans were PISSED when the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to sit their Big 3 earlier this week ... and Krayzie Bone doesn't blame 'em one bit.

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love took the night off in the Cavs' 93-85 loss to the Grizz ... and the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member is siding with the fans on this one, despite his love for The Land.

K.B. shares the reception he'd get if he tried to pull the same thing at one of his concerts ... and he's definitely got a point.

Dennis Rodman's former business manager was busted for allegedly defrauding several pro athletes out of millions of dollars.

According to the Houston prosecutor's office ... Peggy Ann "King" Fulford was taken into custody Friday in New Orleans and charged with 8 criminal counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering.

Former NFL star Ricky Williams and 3 other pro athletes are the victims.

Rodman's name is not on the list, but we broke the story -- the Worm's attorney, Bradford Cohen, fired Peggy, accusing her of being a total fraud. Clearly, he's no longer alone in that boat.

Peggy's scheme allegedly included 7 aliases and falsely telling victims she was a Harvard-educated financial adviser. Prosecutors say she used the athletes' money to splurge on herself.

If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

Ex-WWE star and recovering addict Kurt Angle says his new addiction management app could "save" Lamar Odom by putting him on the path to healthy and sober living.

NBA great Gary Payton will remember the late Craig Sager for his positive personality, courage, and, of course ... his flashy suits.

The Glove -- who grew close to Sager throughout his career in the Association -- says he was heartbroken when he heard that Sager lost his battle with cancer at age 65.

"Craig was always funny. He always wanted to be jokeful ... he was so genuine about us. He liked the players and we liked him. That's what made him so close to us."

Beloved sportscaster Craig Sager has died after a long battle with a form of leukemia.

Turner Sports announced his passing on Thursday. He was diagnosed back in 2014, but continued working for TNT and TBS, covering NBA and MLB games through this past summer ... including a game of the NBA Finals.

He worked for Turner for more than 30 years.

Craig was one of the most popular sports reporters with fans and the superstar athletes he covered -- who loved to playfully mock his fashion sense. Craig was famous for his bold and colorful wardrobe choices on the sidelines.

Steve Francis and his estranged wife are hammering out a divorce settlement ... even though she's calling him out with allegations of drug abuse.

In divorce docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Shelby Francis claimed Steve has "severe substance issues" ... and asked a judge to order him to undergo random drug and alcohol testing. She also claims Steve's been to rehab "prior to and during the divorce" ... which was filed in June 2015.

The ex-NBA great has dealt with rampant speculation about possible drug use -- and, in fact, vehemently denied there was an issue when he talked to us last year.

Shelby's lawyer, Chad Pinkerton, tells us the exes reached an agreement through mediation last week. He says final docs haven't been filed, but they're close.

It's been an up-and-down season for the Boston Celtics ... but that's not keeping superfan Mark Wahlberg from staying positive ... saying the Celtics will finish with one of the best records in the East.

Boston was predicted to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference ... but currently sit just a couple games above .500 at 13-11.

So, when we saw Mark in NYC promoting his new movie "Patriots Day," we asked about the teams less-than-stellar start.

Mark ain't worried though ... saying it's WAYYY too early to freak out, predicting that the Celts will finish with either the 3rd or 4th seed in the East.

The L.A. Lakers have reportedly 86'd plans to stay at the Trump SoHo hotel on road trips to NYC ... citing "security concerns" as the reason they can't lay their heads on Trump's pillows.

According to a report by the L.A. Times, the Lakers were concerned about protests happening outside the hotel ... so they opted to take their business elsewhere.

TMZ Sports spoke to the NYPD ... who told us they have no "knowledge of security threats to that location" ... adding it's "all clear down there."

FYI -- 3 NBA teams have publicly ceased business relationships with Trump hotels due to politics ... however, an unnamed source told the Times the Lakers' decision is NOT "politically motivated."

Kobe Bryant's third feat got the triple B treatment.

TMZ Sports has obtained a copy of Kobe and Vanessa's brand new baby certificate and it lists her full name -- Bianka Bella Bryant! She was born at exactly 4:09 PM at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach.

DeAndre Jordan was a very happy man on Friday after being awarded joint custody of his 1-year-old son ... the latest in a custody war with his baby mama.