NBA

Atlanta Hawks hooper John Collins has high hopes for his clothing line ... telling TMZ Sports he wants his brand to reach iconic heights like Adidas and Supreme.

24-year-old Collins recently launched his very own line -- "The Baptist" -- which recently hit the shelves in places like Foot Locker and Champs.

The former Wake Forest star tells us he's just getting started ... and his dream is to make his business a household name among some of the biggest clothing brands in the industry.

"I wanna be looked at like Supreme," Collins tells us. "I wanna be looked at like Adidas ... I wanna be looked at in that sphere, so I just gotta keep working. Be consistent."

As for whether he's been speaking with any designers who have come before him, Collins says he's taken inspiration while also being true to himself.

You can tell the guy's seriously passionate about the brand -- Collins says he's as hands-on as they come ... making every choice from design down to the fabrics.

As for who he'd like to model his Baptist clothing line on the runway?!? He's got some huge names in mind.

WNBA star Angel McCoughtry says Becky Hammon taking the Aces' head coaching job shouldn't be looked at as a "step back" ... telling TMZ Sports both the WNBA and the NBA are on "the same level."

"Why is that considered a step back?" the WNBA forward said at LAX this week.

"She's coaching elite women that are just as good as LeBron, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry. These women are just as good."

Hammon became the Las Vegas Aces' HC last month -- and some have perceived it to be a disappointment, considering many believed she deserved to be an NBA HC right now.

After all, she served eight seasons as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio ... and did have interest from NBA teams with vacant head coaching jobs this past offseason.

But, McCoughtry believes going to the WNBA is by no means a "setback" ... telling us straight up, "The WNBA and NBA are not two separate things."

McCoughtry added that she believes Hammon will ultimately end up being the first female HC in the NBA one day regardless.

The 5x WNBA All-Star added that the 44-year-old's new contract with the Aces -- which made her the WNBA's highest-paid coach in history -- should be groundbreaking for female athletes and coaches moving forward.

"Great thing for our league, for her and breaking barriers with the pay," Angel said. "That's a record because at the end of the day, she's opening it up for players to have record contracts as well."

Julius Randle was so pissed with Knicks fans on Thursday night ... the star forward ran down the court and gave the sellout crowd the thumbs down gesture -- explaining after the game it was to meant to say "shut the f**k up."

"I really don't give a f**k what anybody has to say, to be honest," Randle said of the hand sign. "I'm out there playing. Nobody knows the game out there better than I do, compared to what everybody has to say."

"So, I really don't give a s***. I just go out there and play."

Randle -- who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award last season but has struggled to replicate the same play this year -- has had a rocky relationship with Knicks fans this season ... and it all came to a head during NY's game against the Celtics on Thursday.

Randle made a tough basket and then turned to the Madison Square Garden crowd and pumped his thumb downward.

And, even though the Knicks ultimately came back from a 25-point deficit to win the game, it was clear afterward that Randle is still furious with his fan support -- or lack thereof.

Randle's gesture was ultimately panned by the guys on "Inside the NBA" ... with Kenny "The Jet" Smith telling the Knicks vet that fans cheering and booing are a part of the game.

"Honestly, I wouldn't do that anywhere. New York -- that could be on Mars," Kenny said of Randle's gesture. "I'm not engaging in the 19,700 that's in Madison Square Garden. I'm engaging with the 12 dudes on that other team."

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen a high-profile New York athlete rub sports fans the wrong way with a hand gesture -- just last summer, Mets shortstop Javy Baez gave fans at Citi Field the thumbs down after they booed the team during a slump.

Like Randle, Baez was also criticized for the move ... and he later issued an apology over it all.

Shaq is back on the mic -- the NBA legend just teamed up with EDM superstar Steve Aoki to drop a new banger ... and the song is 🔥🔥🔥!!

Shaquille O'Neal -- AKA DJ Diesel -- dusted off his notebook and came up with some words for "Welcome to the Playhouse" ... rapping about being at the top of the game and partying like crazy.

"Do you know what the cost to be the boss is? 'Til you got more endorsements than loses," the Hall of Famer raps ... adding, "Do you want Shaq to put you in your place? I'll make Steve throw a cake in your face."

Aoki was clearly pleased with Shaq's performance ... sharing a behind-the-scenes vid of when he first heard the verse.

O'Neal even sprinkled some hoop terms into his verse ... saying, "Turn your wrist overshoot a jump shot. Follow through then you won't get blocked."

FYI -- Aoki had been teasing the collab all week ... posting a pic with Shaq (but cropping the big man's head out).

As we previously reported, Shaq has been welcomed with open arms in the DJ universe ... with Diplo telling us back in 2019 the ex-Laker has all the skills needed to kill it in the industry.

Now that the new song is out, it's time to rage -- and just in time for Shaq's annual Funhouse Super Bowl bash in L.A. next month.

Tyler Herro and Jusuf Nurkic's tussle just cost 'em a chunk of change -- the NBA has fined both players $25,000 for their involvement in an on-court altercation, league officials announced Friday.

It all went down during the 4th quarter of Wednesday night's Heat vs. Blazers game ... when Nurkic set an on-ball screen on Herro, knocking him to the hardwood floor in the process.

A frustrated Herro got up and ran after Jusuf -- shoving him in the back from behind. Nurkic retaliated by swiping at Herro's face with his left hand.

In video of the incident, you can see right after Nurkic -- the 7-foot, 290-pound center -- hopped over Tyler's body ... the 6'5" sharpshooter made a direct dash towards the Blazers big man.

Both players were ejected for the scuffle ... and on Friday, the Association handed down more punishment.

"Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic and Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro have each been fined $25,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation," Byron Spruell, NBA prez of league operations said.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt or injured -- players from both teams and officials were able to diffuse the situation before it could escalate further.

Kendall Jenner is putting on the full-court press for her basketball star boyfriend ... telling her 242 MILLION social media followers to vote Devin Booker into the All-Star Game!!

Jenner -- who's been dating D-Book since 2020 -- posted a campaign on social media Friday ... calling for everyone to get the Phoenix Suns baller a trip to Cleveland for the 2022 festivities.

"y'all know i wanna see #DevinBooker play in the All-Star Game #NBAAllStar," Jenner tweeted.

Booker -- who's averaging nearly 24 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season -- is currently trailing big names like Stephen Curry, LeBron James and even Klay Thompson ... who hasn't played a minute of hoops this year due to an injury.

Thompson currently has 367,743 votes (fourth among guards) ... and D-Book has 338,526 votes, ranking him one spot behind Klay in the voting process.

The good news?? The All-Star game won't be played until Feb. 20, 2022 ... so she's still got plenty of time to rally people to vote for her man.

Jenner and Book have been one of the hottest couples since officially going public on Valentine's Day in 2021 -- taking lavish trips and showing a ton of PDA.

Wizards analyst Glenn Consor is under fire for jaw-dropping comments made about Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. during Wednesday's game ... with LeBron James seemingly calling for his job.

The moment took place after KPJ hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat the Wizards, 114-111 ... with Consor saying, "Kevin Porter Jr. -- like his dad -- pulled that trigger right at the right time."

The issue??? Porter's dad, Kevin Porter Sr., was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993.

Porter Sr. claimed at the time he accidentally pulled the trigger -- which a witness later backed up -- but he spent more than 4 years behind bars as a result of the incident.

Porter Sr. later died in 2004 ... after he was shot 5 times in an incident at a bar.

Considering the Porter family's history, social media erupted in frustration over Consor's statement during the game ... including LeBron, who went off on the analyst early Thursday morning.

"Oh he thought this was cool huh!!??," James said on Twitter. "Nah we ain't going for this! Sorry but this ain't going to fly!"

He added ... "How insensitive can you be to say something like this. Beat it man! I pray for you but there's no place in our beautiful game for you!"

Others who spoke on the comments are hoping Consor mistakenly thought KPJ's father was former NBA player Kevin Porter, who led the league in assists 4 times during his 11-year career.

Porter Jr., Consor, the Wizards and the NBA have yet to comment on the situation ... but we'll keep you updated as soon as someone talks.

Kyle Lowry was so pissed off after being ejected from his game Wednesday night -- the NBA star appeared to call a ref a "p***y" repeatedly ... and loudly.

The heated incident all went down in the second quarter of the Heat vs. Blazers game ... after Lowry was tossed for lightly throwing a ball toward a ref.

You can see in footage of the play, after Miami was called for a foul ... Lowry threw the basketball underhand at an official, who clearly didn't love the act.

The ref called a technical on the Miami star -- and because it was the second one he had received during the evening, Lowry was booted from the game.

The 35-year-old, though, didn't leave quietly -- cameras caught him screaming at the ref on his way off the floor, appearing to call the man a "p***y" at least three times.

After the game, crew chief Derek Richardson explained Lowry was assessed his second technical foul "for continuous complaining and throwing the ball at a game official in an unsportsmanlike manner."

Despite losing Lowry, the Heat went on to win the game, 115-109.

A fine for Lowry, meanwhile, is likely coming in 3 ... 2 ...

Wanna own a piece of NBA history?!?

Well, here's your chance -- the actual basketball that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to score his 38,387th point in his final regular-season game just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports is told it could sell for as much as $500,000!

Of course, KAJ scored the monumental basket on April 23, 1989 -- the last regular-season game of his legendary career -- when Kareem's Lakers took on the Seattle SuperSonics at the Forum in Inglewood.

Abdul-Jabbar played 26 minutes ... scoring 10 points on 5-6 shooting. He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot.

Those 10 points put Kareem's career regular-season total at 38,387 ... leaving him thousands of points ahead of Wilt Chamberlain, the second-leading scorer at the time.

FYI, Wilt's now 7th on the list behind ... (6) Dirk Nowitzki, (5) Michael Jordan, (4) Kobe Bryant, (3) LeBron James, and (2) Karl Malone.

Abdul-Jabbar is 1,459 points ahead of The Mailman.

Back to the basketball. After the game, Kareem autographed the Spalding Official NBA ball. It's also inscribed with "Last Reg. Season Game Ball 4/89" and "38,387 PTS Lifetime."

Kareem was one of the greatest hoopers of all time over his 20 season career. He was a 6x NBA champion, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 6x NBA MVP, 19x NBA All-Star.

The ball -- which comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Kareem -- sold a few years ago for $270,050.

Kyrie Irving is finally back with the Brooklyn Nets -- the star guard just made his first on-court appearance of the season Wednesday night ... and his presence was met with a mixed reaction from the crowd.

Uncle Drew was introduced over the PA just minutes before tip-off against the Indiana Pacers ... and while some fans showed support for the point guard, others voiced their frustrations.

Of course, Irving's return is such a big deal -- he hasn't played a single game with the Nets this season as he remained sidelined for his refusal to get vaccinated.

The Nets initially played hardball with KI ... telling him to stay home if he refused to get the jab and be forced to sit out home games and select away games due to vaccine mandates.

But after several players on the roster went down with COVID-19, the Nets made an exception for Kyrie to bring him back for whatever games he can get into.

Despite a 23-12 team record, Brooklyn has dropped its last three games ... so Kyrie's return comes at a good time for a struggling Nets team.

Tristan Thompson's rough week got a bit worse Tuesday night ... with his good friend LeBron James talking serious trash right in his face during the Lakers vs. Kings game.

It all went down in the closing minutes of L.A.'s matchup with Sacramento at Crypto.com Arena ... when LBJ drove the lane for a clutch and-1 layup to put the Lakers up 118-112 late in the game.

After the play, Bron headed right to the Kings' bench and yelled, "I'm a motherf***ing problem, bitch" ... with Tristan -- who didn't play in Tuesday night's game -- standing just feet away.

One of the game's announcers clearly thought it was a message directed for his ex-Cavs teammate ... saying James "looked right at him."

Tristan's reaction is priceless ... giving a sheepish look as the Lakers went on to take the win, 122-114.

Now, LeBron and Thompson have remained tight for years -- they played 4 seasons together (winning a title in 2016) ... and have remained close since LBJ joined the Lakers in 2018.

It's been a difficult stretch for Thompson -- on Monday, he revealed he fathered a child with a Houston woman and publicly apologized to his ex, Khloe Kardashian, and daughter, True, in the announcement.

A bunch of counterfeit Milwaukee Bucks title rings have been seized by the feds ... who say if the bogus bling had made it past them, it could have cost U.S. residents a small fortune.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over the past few months, 56 shipments of 1,382 fake sports championship rings and trophies were intercepted by officers in Cincinnati.

The feds say in addition to the fraud Bucks memorabilia, there were also rings with Dodgers, Red Sox, Univ. of Kentucky and NASCAR images on them.

Authorities say the shipments also included fake Lombardi Trophies and more ... and add that it would have all been worth around $1 million if it had been the real deal materials.

"The money profited from selling fake merchandise such as championship rings, is used to damage the United States economy and fund criminal enterprises," Cincinnati port director Richard Gillespie said in a statement Tuesday.

"I am proud of the officers in Cincinnati, they work hard to protect our domestic businesses and stop illegal shipments."

Before admitting to fathering a third child and apologizing to Khloe Kardashian, Tristan Thompson was in dad mode, picking up True from gymnastics with dozens of roses.

We got video showing TT outside the class Monday, about an hour before his lengthy post where he revealed he was the father of a baby boy. Tristan sat in a waiting SUV while someone from inside the class brought out what we're told was close to 100 roses.

A source close to Thompson tells us the flowers were for True, who he hadn't seen in a few days -- The Sacramento Kings are in town to play the L.A. Lakers Tuesday.

As we reported, Tristan says a paternity test proved he's the father of Maralee Nichols' baby boy, born last month in Houston. The two had been locked in a nasty back and forth in court, but now the NBA star says, "Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son."

He then turned things to Khloe -- who he was publicly dating when he got Nichols pregnant -- saying, "You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don't deserve the way I have treated you over the years."

Tristan concluded, "My actions have certainly not lined up with the way I view you."

Tristan Thompson is officially a dad of three -- revealing he's the father of a baby boy recently born to a woman from Houston after getting the results from a paternity test -- and apologizing to his former girlfriend and mother of his child, Khloe Kardashian, in the process.

The NBA star posted Monday, saying, "I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son. I sincerely apologize to everyone I've hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately."

He then turns his attention to Khloe, with who he has daughter True, saying, "You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don't deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions have certainly not lined up with the way I view you."

He continues, "I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry." Khloe and Tristan split in the summer.

It's an about-face for Tristan ... as we reported, he and Maralee have been duking it out in court over the paternity of the baby boy. As we told you ... Maralee Nichols sued Tristan for child support and claims he tried to pay her $75,000 to keep quiet about the baby.

Tristan's alleged messages claimed he's retiring after this NBA season, making him unemployed -- and, at least according to him -- requiring him to pay a smaller amount in child support.

TT asked a judge just last month for an emergency gag order to silence Maralee talking about the paternity case.

It's Tristan's third known child, and according to Maralee's timeline ... he was still publicly with Khloe when they hooked up back in March.

Both TT and KK have publicly supported each other since the split, and are co-parenting their daughter.

The gym formerly known as Mamba Sports Academy is suing the company that owned the doomed helicopter in the Kobe Bryant crash ... claiming the copter co. should be forced to pay over $100K in costs related to the death of one of the passengers on board.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which an insurance company and the gym now known as Sports Academy are suing Island Express.

In the docs, the Academy and the insurance co. claim that because Christina Mauser -- a girls basketball coach -- was employed by the gym at the time of her death in the crash ... they paid "death benefits and burial expenses" to her family that exceeded $127,000.

In the docs, the plaintiffs argue that Island Express should be on the hook for that bill ... claiming the crash and Mauser's subsequent death were the result of the helicopter company's negligence.

The plaintiffs are asking for a reimbursement of the amounts already paid plus any additional workers' comp payments that may come due in the future.

As we previously reported, Mauser and eight others -- including Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- died in the helicopter crash in January 2020.

After a lengthy investigation, NTSB officials concluded that the crash likely happened due to a multitude of reasons, including, "Island Express Helicopter Inc.'s inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes."

Two Kobe Bryant and LeBron James game-used jerseys just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned they're so unique, they're expected to bring in over $100K apiece.

The white Bryant one is ultra-rare -- it's a "Noche Latina" Lakers uni that the Mamba wore when he played against the Bulls back in 2013.

The jersey features "Los Lakers" stitched onto the front for the Latin-themed night -- and, on the back, Bryant signed his name in white inside of the 2.

The jersey also features some significant patches -- there's a "JB" on the front to honor Jerry Buss, and there's also a "Noche Latina" emblem placed on the chest. A "Noche Latina Latin Nights" logo sits on the front tail, too.

James' jersey, meanwhile, doesn't come with an autograph ... but what makes it so unique is that it's a uniform he wore several times during his first season as a Laker.

The guys at Goldin, which is running the auctions, tell us the 37-year-old actually wore the uni for six games in the 2018-19 season -- recording three triple-doubles and a 36-point game with it on.

Both pieces are now on the auction block -- and we're told the Bryant jersey may go for $125k while James' could go up to $150k.