NBA

Kevin Durant wants to make it crystal clear his old team deserves ZERO blame for his NBA Finals injury ... saying the Warriors didn't mishandle his calf injury and no one forced him to play.

KD is finally addressing the ruptured Achilles he suffered during game 5 against the Toronto Raptors ... saying Golden State didn't pressure him to come back early from a calf strain he sustained earlier in the playoffs.

“Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

"Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back ... Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5."

"Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. Sh*t happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that sh*t because I’m going to be back playing.”

There ya go, critics ... straight from KD's mouth.

Durant also addressed the claims that Raps fans were applauding his injury ... saying he was in a daze and didn't hear anything, but added, "It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals."

Of course ... the 30-year-old is slowly recovering from the injury ... and TMZ Sports even spotted him walking without crutches last week.

As for his decision to leave the Dubs for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets ... KD's reason is very simple.

Rich Paul's peers are coming to his defense in the wake of a new NCAA rule that seems to be aimed at him ... with NBA agent Daniel Hazan saying the NCAA is making a terrible mistake.

The NCAA's new rule -- dubbed the "Rich Paul Rule" -- is geared toward dissuading players from working with agents who don't have a bachelor's degree, among other requirements.

Long story short ... the NCAA says it will not allow players with remaining eligibility to return to college to play IF they establish a professional relationship with a non-degree holding agent.

The most famous NBA agent without a degree is Rich Paul, who represents everyone from LeBron James to Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, John Wall ... you get the point.

Enter Hazan -- who at the beginning of his career was the youngest NBA agent to sign a client -- and currently reps a slate of pro ballers.

Not only does Hazan explain why the rule is bad for young agents, but says it will ultimately hurt the NCAA by driving players out of college basketball.

Hazan thinks young players will be more motivated to find other avenues to the NBA -- whether it's playing overseas or other semi-pro leagues in the U.S.

Remember, we just spoke with Al Harrington -- who's a part-owner of a pro team in Australia -- and he says he's gunning to recruit guys to plays for him INSTEAD of playing college ball because he'll cut fat ass checks that the NCAA refuses to do.

Hazan says he doesn't think the rule will last more than a year before the NCAA realizes its mistake.

LeBron James is taking shots at the NCAA's new agent certification criteria ... claiming the organization is directly attacking his partner, Rich Paul, but "nothing will stop this movement."

The NCAA sent out a memo to NBPA certified agents on Monday ... saying any players looking to test the NBA Draft waters must be repped by an NCAA approved agent -- if they want to keep the door open to return to college.

The criteria to become an approved agent ... a bachelor's degree, certification from the players' association for at least 3 years, and pass an in-person exam at NCAA headquarters.

These guidelines will preclude Paul -- who reps Bron, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and other huge names -- from repping this group of college players ... 'cause he doesn't have a bachelors degree.

In a memo sent by the NCAA to agents, obtained by the Athletic, the NCAA's reasoning behind the rules is to "protect collegiate eligibility of their athlete clients."

LeBron -- who dubbed the new criteria the "Rich Paul Rule" -- doesn't see it that way ... tweeting "Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD and Scared. Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry.."

As for Paul's roster of superstar clients ... the new rule will have no effect on their representation.

Steve Kerr says he's legitimately fearful a shooter could walk into Warriors practice and start "spraying" him and the team ... after the latest massacres in Dayton and El Paso.

"I think about it all the time," the Golden State head coach said this week. "Somebody could walk in the door in the gym right now and start spraying us with an AR-15."

"They could," he added. "It might happen because we’re all vulnerable."

Kerr -- in a sit-down interview with the Bay Area News Group on Monday -- candidly revealed his concerns after at least 31 more people died in mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and Ohio.

The head coach says all of the violence has made him feel he's not safe anywhere ... including in an NBA gym.

"We’re all vulnerable," he said, "whether we go to a concert, a church, the mall or go to the movie theater or a school."

The 53-year-old says there's only one way to fix the issue ... saying American citizens need to "demand change from the gutless leadership that continues to allow this to happen."

Steve adds the country's leaders need to reevaluate the second amendment, saying, "The only thing that second amendment is doing is leading to mass murder right now. This is all just insanity."

Kerr does believe there's momentum building among America's citizens to force a change ... and he's ready to see the day where gun ownership is more heavily regulated.

Metta World Peace says people don't want to see him in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame ... despite the fact that he, and other NBA greats agree that he TOTALLY deserves it.

MWP sat down with Van Lathan on 'The Red Pill Podcast' when Lathan asked if the former Defensive Player Of The Year felt he deserves to be in the Hall.

"Off my defense, definitely."

Metta, who made the NBA all-defensive team 4 times and was an All-American in college, said it's not just him who believe he's one of the best ever ... some of the best ever believe it too.

"When you get Reggie Miller saying, 'He's the best defender ever.' You get Kobe saying, 'He's the best defender ever on the wing.' Michael Jordan [praised me] early on in my career, it's documented."

Despite all that love, Metta says people don't want him enshrined ... and he knows why.

"A lot of people don't wanna see me in that Hall of Fame. I never really was afraid to speak my mind. I never submitted to being that corporate person. I never gave a f*ck. So, It's gonna be hard to get in."

Peace last played in the NBA in 2017 -- so he's eligible for enshrinement in 2020 ... which will be here before you know it.

The G.O.A.T. is on a boat -- Michael Jordan is competing in a massive fishing tournament this week ... and he's doing it in style, on his "Catch 23" yacht!!!

Our solid fishing sources (yeah, we've got those) tell TMZ Sports ... His Airness took his talents to Ocean City, Maryland for the White Marlin Open where he's facing off against some of the best anglers in the WORLD!!!

FYI -- this event is huge and there's more than $6 MILLION in prize money at stake. The competitors are fishing for everything from white marlin to blue marlin along with tuna, wahoo, dolphin (usually mahi-mahi) and shark.

The 56-year-old NBA legend hasn't had much luck so far -- the official stats show his boat has yet to reel in anything.

As for the Catch 23 yacht -- it's 80-feet long and decked out in MJs famous elephant print from his Air Jordan 3 sneakers.

There's still time though -- the tourney goes through Friday ... and if we know anything about this guy, it's that he always comes through in the clutch.

It's that time of year ... Magic Johnson's annual MEGAYACHT ITALIAN VACATION -- and this year, he's on the most expensive yacht yet!!!

Magic -- along with LL Cool J, Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete and others -- are sailing off the Amalfi Coast on a yacht called the Aquila ... a 281-foot ship that costs $950k per week to rent!!!

The ship is INSANE ... it's like a floating mansion/hotel all in one -- with a crazy gym, dining room area, movie theater, hot tub, massive outdoor deck, 2 massage rooms and its own NIGHTCLUB!!!

The ship officially fits 12 guests and has a crew of 28!!!

Usually, Magic's Italian vacations last around 6 weeks ... so if ya do the math, we're talking $6 MILLION!!!!!

And, of course, Magic usually hosts a rotating group of super famous and wealthy friends including Samuel L. Jackson and Steve Harvey ... so keep your eyes out for them.

Back in 2017, Magic and the rest of the Johnsons sailed on a ship called the Siren, which runs about $700,000 per week -- chump change for Magic.

What's funny about this story ... Magic quit his job with the Lakers this year (which reportedly paid $10 mil per year) and he's STILL balling out like a boss!!! Bigger than ever!!!

Al Harrington is now the part owner of an Australian pro basketball team -- and he's hoping to recruit major high school talent to skip college and play for him ... because he PAYS!!!

39-year-old Harrington, along with Josh Childress and Zach Randolph, have all purchased ownership stakes in the South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australia's NBL, the top pro league Down Under.

So, when we saw the former NBA star leaving Craig's on Monday night, we had to ask him why he decided to make the move.

"I always wanted to own a basketball team, brother ... I'm living my dream."

He then joked, "Sucks that I gotta go all the way to Australia to do it though!"

Then, Al got serious and raved about the league ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks it should be a better pipeline to the NBA than the current NCAA system.

In fact, when we asked Al how he planned to recruit some of the top prep players in the country to go to Australia instead of schools like Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, etc ... he had a compelling argument.

"Go to college for free ... or make $20,000 to $40,000 a month playing for me."

Sounds good to us!

Some major stars are already skipping college to play ball in Australia -- including LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton.

The question remains ... will the move help their NBA Draft stock and really make them more prepared for the Association?

Ben Simmons was NOT racially profiled or denied entry from a famous casino in Australia on Monday ... this according to a rep for the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Remember, the 23-year-old NBA superstar -- who was raised in Australia -- made a video with several fellow men of color claiming they were hassled by casino security and ultimately denied entry because of their race.

"They didn’t let me in, or him or this guy. Wow, we got a long way to go," Simmons said while showing the Crown Casino security members who allegedly shut them down.

But now, a Crown spokeswoman says Simmons is simply not telling the truth -- and she's providing an explanation.

"Crown strenuously rejects reports that it discriminated against a group of visitors last night," the statement said.

"Crown's internal security policy requires our security officers to check identification of those persons they believe to be under the age of 25, this is an enhanced safeguard to ensure that no one under the age of 18 is permitted entry to the Casino Floor as required by Law."

"The group subsequently provided identification and were permitted entry. Crown is an inclusive workplace."

Crown's story is completely different than Ben's -- with the biggest part being they claim they ALLOWED Ben and his friends to enter the casino.

Meanwhile, Simmons has doubled down on his racism claims -- saying in a new statement Tuesday morning, "As you know an incident happened last night at Crown and my friends and I felt personally singled out."

He added, "No one likes to feel like this. I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up even if it means having uncomfortable conversations."

Dikembe Mutombo says he's almost numb to the news of MORE mass shootings in America -- telling TMZ Sports he's seen it so often since moving from Africa that "nothing shocks me anymore."

The 53-year-old NBA legend touched down at Reagan National Airport in Virginia (where he got tons of love from fans BTW) and made it clear he's disappointed the United States hasn't taken a stronger approach to eliminate gun violence.

"The people have spoken enough, nothing has been done," Mutombo says.

Mutombo moved to the U.S. from the Congo back in 1987 -- and says he's pretty much been desensitized to the terrible gun-centric headlines that have been dominating the news.

"Nothing shocks me anymore in America ... when you've been living in America 30 years, nothing shocks you anymore."

More than 293 people have been killed in mass shootings in the United States in 2019 alone -- from Virginia Beach to Gilroy, CA ... and of course, Ohio and Texas over the weekend.

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Ben Simmons claims he was DENIED entry into a casino in Australia ... and strongly suggested it all had to do with race.

The 23-year-old was trying to go to the Crown Casino in Melbourne early Monday morning with some friends, but claims they were all turned away by security ... well, all but ONE who happens to be white.

"I find it so crazy that the only guy who doesn’t get checked to go into the casino is this guy,” Simmons said while pointing to his Caucasian buddy.

"I get checked, Mike gets checked and Taj gets checked," Ben added. His white buddy then chimes in, "Not me!"

While showing the security guards, Ben says, "Thank you, Crown Casino."

He wasn't done -- Ben showed some of his pals, all who appear to be men of color, and continued, "They didn’t let me in, or him or this guy. Wow, we got a long way to go."

What's even more shocking about the alleged racial profiling ... Ben is insanely famous in Australia, where he grew up and became a national celebrity playing basketball.

We're reaching out to both Ben and the casino for comment -- stay tuned.

Chris Brown isn't just good at basketball "for a celebrity" -- he's got world-class talent and could've competed in the NBA ... so says Metta World Peace.

Metta sat down with Van Lathan on 'The Red Pill Podcast,' and was asked how he feels about rappers and entertainers actually trying to play professional basketball.

"I support that actually. I thought Chris Brown should've been in the league. Before, 10 years ago when I was playing with Chris? Yeah, definitely. He was better than a lot of people."

This isn't fake love. MWP, one of the best defensive players in the history of league, says CB's game was LEGIT, and he saw upper-level, elite hoops talent in him.

"He was very smooth, he could penetrate, really good penetrator, really good at attacking the basket."

Brown's hoops prowess is well known, he's been getting it in on celebrity games for years now, but this level of praise from this level of player we haven't heard.

Plus, Brown famously balled out in the Drew League -- playing with legit NBA superstars like John Wall, Paul George, DeMar DeRozan and he more than held his own.

Carmelo Anthony says there's no question he still belongs in the NBA ... and claims his absence from the league is more about politics than talent.

35-year-old Anthony has been out of the league since he was cut from the Houston Rockets back in November ... and there's been a public campaign by his NBA peers to get him back in the league ever since.

Melo sat down with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday to discuss rumors of wanting a "farewell tour" similar to Dwyane Wade's last season in the league ... and he says that's simply not true ... because he's still got a lot left in the tank.

"I feel like I still can play, I know I still can play. My peers know I still can play," Melo says.

"I don't think it's about basketball anymore. I think it's about me as a person willing to accept certain roles on basketball teams. Am i willing to accept a certain role on a basketball team? Yes."

Melo says he was willing to accept smaller roles with OKC and Houston ... but got cut from the Rockets before he could prove he was willing to come off the bench.

"That's major, major ego hits. So, that was a whirlwind for me over that year and a half. But, I got to a point in Houston where I can accept that, I'm going to do that."

Jeremy Lin is getting public support from one of his Toronto Raptors teammates -- with Fred VanVleet telling TMZ Sports he believes Lin will get another opportunity to show he can ball.

Lin just made headlines because of an emotional speech in China -- where he cried when talking about the terrible season he had in Toronto.

Long story short, Lin says he hit "rock bottom" in Toronto during the championship 2018-19 season -- where he had the worst shooting performance of his career. In fact, Lin says at one point, he missed 17 3's in a row and because of that, he BARELY saw any action in the NBA Playoffs.

Lin also questioned his NBA future ... and said he felt the league has "kind of given up on me."

So, when we saw VanVleet -- a key member of that Raptors championship team -- we asked if he thought Lin was being too hard on himself.

"He was great, man," Fred told us on his way out of Catch restaurant in L.A. "He's gonna be alright. He's gonna land on his feet. He's gonna be alright."'

As for his future, VanVleet says it's ultimately up to Lin to decide if he wants to continue playing pro ball ... "He's got enough talent."

For the record, Lin has made more than $65 MILLION during his 9-year NBA career after being an undrafted free agent ... which in itself is pretty amazing.

But, Lin has said he's embarrassed of the way he played last season and doesn't feel he deserves to be called a champion because he was essentially a non-factor for the Raps.

Anthony Davis says Nike told him to kick rocks when it came to getting the #23 jersey from LeBron James ... saying the footwear giant said, "We don't care who you guys are, it's too much money!"

Davis says in a dinner date only a few days after he was traded from the Pelicans to the Lakers ... LeBron offered him his famous #23 jersey as a "Welcome to L.A." gift.

The problem? AD said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this week, Nike told him it would cost the company WAY TOO MUCH CASH ... and said the jersey swap ain't happening.

Davis was clearly bothered by the whole ordeal, saying, "I was a little hurt."

But, AD says his solution to the problem was simple ... fire up NBA 2K and try on other jersey numbers!!

Davis says he eventually landed on #3 because it looked nice ... and it was also the digit he rocked when he first started hoopin' in elementary school.

Kevin Durant seems to be making great progress -- because the NBA superstar was out in Los Angeles on Wednesday ... cruisin' around the restaurant scene WITHOUT crutches!

Remember, Durant tore his right Achilles on June 10 during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals ... but the recovery is expected to be so tough, he could miss the entire 2019-20 season.

Which is why we were so impressed when we saw KD walking out of Catch restaurant in L.A. -- sure, there was a little hitch in his giddy up ... but overall, he was moving pretty well.

Durant didn't have much to say when we asked him about his comeback, but his legs did all the talking for him.

Of course, the last time we saw Durant ... he was leaving an office building in NYC with his leg bandaged and a medical scooter in tow.

Despite the injury, 30-year-old Durant signed a MASSIVE new contract with the Brooklyn Nets ... 4 years, $164 million.

If he does make it back for next season, Durant will join Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan on a Brooklyn team that could be VERY dangerous.