NBA

Blueface will be looking to break face on July 30 -- the rapper is slated to fight ex-NBA player Nick Young in a boxing match.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the "Thotiana" MC and NBA champ are going to face off in the ring at Crypto.com Arena as part of the Social Gloves event starring YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib.

Blueface has a bit of history in the ring -- he beat up on TikToker Kane Trujillo in July 2021 ... and ended up having to throw hands that same night after a fan attacked him in the ring.

Young is less experienced ... but he's never shied away from calling people out for a fight in the past. He's previously voiced interest in boxing Logan Paul, Gilbert Arenas and Chad Ochocinco.

We broke the story -- ex-NFL star Le'Veon Bell is also slated to take a fight on the same card ... although his opponent has not been announced.

Paul Pierce is being sued yet again ... this time a man is alleging the NBA legend borrowed a bunch of cash to play in poker games, but lost most of it all and never paid it back.

In the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Stephen Carmona says he was hosting a poker game at his home on Jan. 27, when Pierce showed up and asked Carmona to lend him some money so he could play.

Carmona claims he gave Pierce $150,000, and alleges the former Boston Celtics great -- who reportedly made over $195 million in his playing career -- promised to pay him back within seven days.

In the suit, Carmona says Pierce went on to lose $140K in the game and only returned $10,000 to him.

A week later, Carmona says he hosted another poker game at his home, and Pierce showed up again and requested another loan to play, despite not paying off the initial debt.

Carmona claims he handed over another $40,000 to the ex-NBA hooper, with the promise that he'd pay that off in addition to the $140,000 that he owed Carmona from the previous week.

Carmona says in the suit Pierce went on to lose the $40,000 that night ... and never paid it or the prior loan back.

Carmona says he's now out $180,000 -- and "despite multiple requests for repayment," Carmona says Pierce won't pay off the debt.

In the suit, Carmona is asking for $180,000 plus interest.

Pierce has yet to publicly comment on the allegations.

This is far from the first time the ex-NBA hooper has faced a civil lawsuit -- following the 2018 Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, he was sued for allegedly calling a security guard "racist."

Hollywood Harlow in full effect -- Jack Harlow is on set for his acting debut in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

As we previously reported, the "First Class" rapper landed the gig after crushing his first-ever audition ... playing Billy Hoyle, which was Woody Harrelson's role in the original film back in 1992.

The project appears to be well on its way ... as Harlow was spotted making his rounds on set at a basketball court in Venice.

Of course, Harlow is working alongside Sinqua Walls in the flick ... who was picked to play Wesley Snipes' Sidney Deane role, despite Quavo's hopes of getting his name called.

The project is backed by Kenya Barris, NBA star Blake Griffin, NFLer Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein of Mortal Media ... and is directed by Calmatic.

Other actors on board include Lance Reddick, Teyana Taylor, Andrew Schulz and Laura Harrier ... so some of those names were probably on set as well.

George Thompson, one of the greatest players in the history of Marquette basketball, has died at 74 years old, the school announced on Wednesday night.

The university shared the sad news in a tweet ... saying Thompson passed away due to complications from diabetes.

"George made a tremendous impact, not only on the program, but the entire Milwaukee community after his arrival on campus," school officials said. "RIP Brute Force."

The Brooklyn native was a standout at Marquette from 1966 to 1969, playing under legendary coach Al McGuire. In 87 career games at the school, spanning three seasons, he averaged 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

He went on to be selected by the Boston Celtics in the 5th round of the 1969 NBA Draft ... but chose to start his pro career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association.

George spent 5 total seasons in the ABA -- playing for the Condors/Memphis Tams for 2 years -- before taking his talents to the NBA to play for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 3-time ABA All-Star only played one season with the Bucks, but his iconic #24 jersey hangs in the rafters at Fiserv Forum thanks to his storied career at Marquette.

Thompson -- a member of Marquette's Hall of Fame -- was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

LeBron James wants to head to Sin City one day with his billion-dollar net worth -- the superstar just revealed he's gunning to buy an NBA team in Las Vegas.

The King -- who just recently earned his membership in the 3 Comma Club -- is already describing his plans to build his business portfolio even further ... saying on "The Shop" he wants to be the guy to bring pro men's hoops to Vegas.

Of course, Bron already has a stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox among other franchises ... and previously said his goal is to own an NBA franchise "sooner than later"

Bringing an NBA team to Vegas has been talked about for years -- the Association already hosts Summer League games in the desert -- and it would certainly be a success.

The city has already welcomed the Aces, Golden Knights and Raiders in recent years ... so it's just a matter of time before the NBA joins the Vegas fam.

A Chicago memorabilia shop was burglarized on Memorial Day and rare sports cards -- including high-priced 1986 Michael Jordan rookie cards -- were stolen ... and the heist was all caught on camera.

According to the Chicago Police Dept., the store was robbed on May 31 at 3:44 AM when a male suspect removed metal bars from the business and broke in through a back window.

When the suspect made entry, cops say he stole several items and fled on foot.

The business's owner, Ronnie Holloway, released video from inside of the store at the time of the theft this week -- showing a man behind the counter rummaging through a ton of sports cards.

Holloway tells TMZ Sports the suspect got away with over $100k worth of merchandise ... including an unopened Fleer packet of MJ rookie cards -- which he says is worth $25k alone. Holloway added that other rare cards of Babe Ruth, Larry Bird, Jackie Robinson and Walter Payton were also taken.

"These are high-end cards," Holloway said. "Trying to replace it is gonna be hard -- vintage cards can't be replaced."

Holloway tells us he believes the suspect scoped out his place a few days before the heist ... saying, "He knew where they were. He must've planned this out."

"Over the holiday weekend, too, so perfect opportunity. Well-orchestrated."

Holloway -- who's owned the store for 30 years -- has put out a $10,000 reward for "an arrest or conviction of this person."

Klay Thompson is straight-up pissed over the "F*** You Draymond" chants that rained down on the Warriors on Wednesday night ... ripping Celtics fans for the vulgar words and calling Boston supporters "real classy."

While Boston was up big late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden, their fans let Draymond Green have it -- chanting "F*** You" over and over again at the star after the Golden State forward had ruffled feathers in Games 1 and 2 of the series.

In fact, the shouts were so loud, the game's announcer, Mike Breen, had to mention it on the broadcast ... saying, "And Draymond Green hearing it from the crowd with an obscene chant,"

After the game, Klay was asked about it all -- and he made it clear, he wasn't a fan of Cs supporters.

"We've played in front of rude people before," Thompson said. "Dropping F-bombs with children in the crowd. Real classy. Good job, Boston."

Dubs head coach Steve Kerr also chided the Celtics fans for the chant ... adding in his postgame news conference, "Classy. Very classy."

Green himself actually didn't seem to have an issue with it -- he told media members he expected it -- and, in fact, he himself dropped a cuss word in his presser while his son sat next to him.

As for Green's wife, she clearly didn't love it ... calling the chants "disgusting" in a lengthy social media post following the Warriors' 116-100 loss in Boston.

"My kids were at the game tonight hearing that mess!" she said, before adding, "Just shameful!"

Tip-off for Game 4 of the series is slated for Friday ... will the Warriors' vocal issues with fans stop the chants then?

Anthony Edwards might have a future in Hollywood -- the young NBA star showed off his acting chops in the LeBron James-backed "Hustle" flick ... and the dude's impressive!!

The film is based on Adam Sandler's character -- an NBA scout with the Philadelphia 76ers -- who discovers a super-talented hooper in Spain in hopes of saving his job.

20-year-old Edwards spends the majority of the flick antagonizing Juancho Hernangomez's character -- Sandler's golden ticket and one of the movie's stars -- playing the villain role in natural fashion.

Ant's appearance in the movie is getting a ton of praise on social media ... with some folks saying the hooper needs to be in more movies.

The movie is filled with some of the NBA's biggest names -- Kenny "The Jet" Smith has a significant role as sports agent Leon Rich ... and stars like Julius Erving and Mark Cuban also make cameo appearances.

Trae Young, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Middleton, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey also had roles in the movie.

Dwyane Wade says he's scared to death for his transgender daughter's safety ... saying as more states implement anti-trans sports laws, his fear grows even stronger.

The Miami Heat legend spoke about his concerns at the TIME 100 Summit in NYC this week ... when he was asked -- as the father of 15-year-old Zaya -- about the current struggles for trans youth in this country.

"As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves our house," Wade said.

"And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world."

Wade gave a passionate response about his fears ... while also blasting the idea of trans sports bans -- calling out lawmakers for making rules on things he says they know nothing about.

"To me, it’s a joke," Wade said, "This is our life. We live this."

"When you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this and you're not living this and you're just out there signing away and making laws, that's not right. That's a joke."

FYI -- Louisiana just became the most recent state to pass a bill preventing trans women from competing in women's sports ... joining states like Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and more.

Wade added, "Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her."

Wade says he is frustrated that we're "losing the humane side of us" ... claiming in reality, he believes people should take the opportunity to educate -- instead of being dismissive.

"We're not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual transgender -- we can't close the book on that!"

The NFL will have to wait for its first black team owner -- the Denver Broncos just sold for a record $4.65 BILLION to Walmart heir Rob Walton and his family ... which is sad news for Magic Johnson and Kanye West.

The Broncos and the Walton-Penner family announced the deal late Thursday night ... which is believed to be the biggest deal for a North American franchise in sports history.

Walton -- who has a reported net worth of $59 BILLION -- will also take the throne as the richest owner in the league BY FAR -- David Tepper, the owner of the Carolina Panthers, has a net worth of $16.7 bil.

As we previously reported, the Lakers legend was part of a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris ... although it's unclear how far along their bid made it in the process.

The agreement also means Yeezy's Donda Sports will not be part of a historic sale ... after Antonio Brown previously told TMZ Sports the company was "extremely serious" about buying the Broncos back in March.

It's worth mentioning -- it's unclear if Donda ever actually brought a bid to the table.

Walton spoke about securing the deal ... saying, "Having lived and worked in Colorado, we've always admired the Broncos."

"Our enthusiasm has only grown as we've learned more about the team, staff and Broncos Country over the last few months."

He added ... "We look forward to earning the confidence and support of the NFL as we take the next step in this process. When the necessary approval procedures are met, our family is excited to share more with Broncos fans, the organization and the community."

YouTuber and boxer Austin McBroom is looking for redemption when he puts on his next boxing event at Crypto.com Arena in July ... enlisting Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell and a former Lakers star to fight on the card.

TMZ Sports spoke with the social media superstar ahead his July 30 fight -- a professional bout against AnEsonGib -- and he's dropping some major hints on the huge names involved.

Among those names include the former Steelers star, some high profile musicians and even a popular ex-NBA hooper ... but aside from Bell, McBroom was tight-lipped on revealing who exactly he was talking about.

Of course, McBroom's Social Gloves' first attempt at the boxing game -- the Battle of the Platforms -- resulted in lawsuits and fighters claiming they didn't get paid ... but the 30-year-old says he's learned his lesson and is ready to put on a hiccup-free show.

"This time around, we're working with people who have been doing this for a while. We have a new team, new streaming partner, everything is new," McBroom tells us. "Guys that are really experienced and I've been very blessed and fortunate to have another shot at this."

"Everything in the past is behind us -- no lawsuits, fighters are paid and we're ready to do this thing the right way and put on a show how it was supposed to be put on the first time around."

McBroom is hellbent on making this a great experience for everyone involved this time around -- hoping to sell out the arena and sell around 300,000 Pay-Per-Views.

As for his own fight, McBroom says he's expecting to make light work out of Gib ... which he hopes will pave the way for a fight against Logan Paul's old opponent, KSI.

Metta Sandiford-Artest is a huge fan of Rasheed Wallace joining the Lakers as an assistant coach ... praising the ex-player as a hoops genius.

The 2010 NBA champion talked all things Purple & Gold after leaving Craig's in L.A. this week ... and when he was asked about 'Sheed joining the bench, Metta says the move could pay huge dividends for the Lake Show.

"I think Rasheed is brilliant, smart," Sandiford-Artest said ... adding Wallace is "as good as it's going to come when you talk about a basketball brain."

'Sheed joins the Lakers with previous coaching experience -- in 2013, he was a member of the Detroit Pistons coaching staff ... and last year, he was a member of the Memphis Tigers coaching staff under Penny Hardaway.

Wallace, who played for 6 different teams over his 18-year career, earned a reputation for being a savvy player on the court ... something Metta can attest to due to their battles over the years.

Sandiford-Artest admittedly said he won't be keeping up with the Lakers' offseason moves -- like whether they will try to get Zach LaVine -- but come October, he'll be tuned in to see what 'Sheed and newly hired head coach Darvin Ham do with the team.

Speaking of the team ... Metta said he's not bailing on the Russell Westbrook experiment in L.A. just yet ... amid pleas for the superstar point guard to be shipped out of town.

Rasheed Wallace is coming back to the NBA -- this time, as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers!!

The news broke on Monday ... Shams Charania of The Athletic announced the former NBA star has agreed to join the Lakers staff as an assistant coach under new head coach Darvin Ham.

FYI, Wallace and Ham -- who signed with L.A. last week -- played together on the Detroit Pistons from 2004 to 2005.

This won't be Wallace's first gig as an assistant coach -- he held the same position with the Pistons from 2013 to 2014 ... and last season with the Memphis Tigers.

In fact, Tigers' head coach Penny Hardaway hinted to a local reporter in Memphis that Wallace was likely to sign with the Lakers.

Before his coaching career, Wallace played 16 seasons for the then-Washington Bullets, Blazers, Hawks, Pistons, Celtics and Knicks.

The 4x All-Star's most notable years were with the Blazers and Pistons ... where he won an NBA championship in 2004.

Michael B. Jordan turned to Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jayson Tatum to help get his mind off his recent split with Lori Harvey ... hitting up the Celtics-Warriors Finals game on Sunday night.

The 35-year-old "Creed" star sat courtside at the Chase Center for Game 2 of the series next to his good buddy Cordae ... roughly 24 hours after it was reported the actor and Harvey had called things off.

The two dated for over a year -- and cameras appeared to pick up signs from Jordan that he wasn't feeling too hot after the breakup.

His eyes looked watery, and many on social media noticed his mega-watt smile wasn't as bright.

The dude, though, did at least have a great performance from the Dubs to distract him if he was feeling down -- Curry scored 29 points, and Golden State blew out the Celtics, 107-88.

Game 3 tips off on Wednesday ... but it's in Boston, meaning if Jordan is looking for another NBA distraction this week, he'll have to hop on a lengthy plane ride to get it.

A one-of-a-kind LeBron James Triple Logoman card -- which many experts consider the most coveted modern collectible in the world -- is hitting the auction block ... and we're told it could sell for OVER $6 MILLION!!

TMZ Sports has learned that the card, which features 3 NBA logo patches from jerseys worn by the King, is expected to rival the all-time record of $6.6 million -- which a wealthy collector paid for a Honus Wagner T-206 card -- when it hits the block at Goldin Auctions on June 8.

Just the fact the Bron card is being talked about in the same breath as the T-206 Wagner -- considered the "Holy Grail" of trading cards -- is pretty incredible, but to think the Logoman could go for nearly $7 million is insane.

“The LeBron James Triple Logoman card is the undisputed holy grail of modern cards,” said Goldin founder Ken Goldin.

The three NBA logo patches on the front of the card come from a Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers jersey ... each of James' three teams.

Triple Logoman cards are super rare ... only five were made by Panini as part of their 2020-21 "Flawless" collection. Only one LeBron TL exists.

The back of the card features a small certificate of authenticity ... and details LBJ's four NBA titles.

How badly do collectors want the card? Drake purchased 10 cases (at $46K each) as he attempted to track down the Triple Logoman Bron.

Drizzy -- who has gotten heavy into card collecting -- pulled several Michael Jordan rookie cards, but unfortunately, no dice on the LeBron.

Rap legend E-40 isn’t concerned his Warriors gave up a double-digit lead and lost game 1 of the NBA Finals at home … telling TMZ Sports Golden State will absolutely still be champions.

"This gonna be a good series, but I got us in 6. And if it goes 7, we’ll win," 40 says without hesitation.

Of course, the Warriors, who entered the 4th up 12, were outscored 40-16 in the final quarter … on the back of Al Horford. The vet scored 26 points in the game … with 11 coming in the last 5 minutes of the game. Boston won 120-108 over GS.

"We had them. 4th quarter come, them boys would not stop hitting them 3s."

But, the rap legend says that's unlikely to continue ... and that's why GS should still win the series.

"As long as they shooting like that throughout the whole series we gonna be straight. That was very rare. They was hitting and we was bricking.”

We asked 40 if game 2 was a must win for the GSW … 'cause going to Boston down 2-0 isn’t far less than ideal.

"I think [game 2's] very important. The home team advantage is always the best. As long as we show support, we get louder in there, we show them we’re right there with 'em. I think we’ll win [game 2], and I think we'll win a couple of games on the road. I think we’re gonna surprise everybody. We just had a bad 4th quarter man."

And, if the Warriors need any more motivation to win themselves rings … 40 says he’s going to hook up the MVP with a bunch of liquor, wine and champagne from his Earl Stevens Selections.

Check out the clip -- we talk to E-40 about a bunch more basketball-related topics ... from the cost of his courtside tix (yes, 40 pays!) to celebs like Jay-Z showing up to watch the Celtics and Warriors hoop.