NBA

Dwyane Wade is going after his ex-wife again over her decision to try to block their daughter's name and gender change ... this time calling Siohvaughn Funches-Wade's objection to the court petition both "libelous" and "nonsensical."

Wade spelled it all out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying his 15-year-old daughter, who is transgender, should be allowed to legally change her name and gender ... despite Funches-Wade's objection filed earlier this month.

Wade argues in the docs it's all in Zaya's "best interest" ... saying, "A court order affirming her identity will allow Zaya to live more comfortably and honestly in all aspects of her life -- from simple introductions and food orders, to applying for a driver's license and filling out college applications."

He added in the docs, "This petition is about allowing Zaya to take on the milestones of being a young adult with confidence and joy."

Earlier this month, Funches-Wade argued in court documents that the move should barred ... alleging, among other things, that Dwyane "may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies."

Dwyane called the allegations B.S. in a social media post shortly afterward ... and he expounded on that opinion further in Tuesday's filing.

"Siohvaughn's allegations are libelous at their core, and are, at best, nonsensical," Wade's attorneys wrote in the docs. "Dwyane filed this Petition because Zaya asked him to."

A fan had the time of his life at the Lakers game on Monday night -- he hit an epic half-court shot, won $75,000 ... AND got a hug from L.A. superstar Anthony Davis!!!

It all went down at Crypto.com Arena during the Lake Show's contest with the Pacers ... when L.A. officials invited a man wearing a black Lakers-fitted cap to shoot his shot at a $75K cash prize during a break in the action.

The fan took one dribble, got a running start -- and then heaved up the basketball that somehow found nothing but the net!

The dude then did his best Justin Jefferson impersonation, hitting "The Griddy" all over the court ... while high-fiving courtside fans.

AD was so happy the guy got the cash ... the Lakers big man had to join in the celly too -- throwing his arms around the fan near center court.

Unfortunately for the guy and the rest of the Lakers supporters in attendance, the half-court shot was just about the only highlight of the evening ... as L.A. blew a 17-point lead to lose the game 116-115.

A U.S. Marine Corps vet was the star of the show at the Laker game on Monday ... when she filled her prosthetic leg with beer and chugged it on video!!

The whole thing was displayed on the scoreboard during L.A.'s matchup against the Indiana Pacers ... when Annika Hutsler took advantage of her very first NBA game in epic fashion.

The fans in attendance clearly loved the stunt ... cheering her on as she downed her drink.

The move resulted in Hutsler earning the title of "fan of the game" ... which came with a $100 gift card.

Hutsler -- who enlisted in the USMC in 2017 -- decided to have her leg amputated in 2019 after several attempts to have a tumor removed from her foot ... and has since transitioned to careers in acting, modeling and sports.

In fact, she won silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter wheelchair races at the U.S. Department of Defense Warrior Games.

Kobe Bryant's 19-year-old daughter is getting court-ordered protection from an alleged stalker ... who her team says has an obsession with her and with guns.

Natalia Bryant got a judge to sign off on a temporary restraining order against 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp.

TMZ broke the story ... Natalia claims Kemp has been under the delusion they're in a relationship ... she says the harassment has been going on for 2 years, and escalating. She says he recently showed up at USC, creeping around buildings where she's taking classes. He's even shown up at her sorority house.

What's especially scary ... according to court docs, Kemp has been convicted of at least 4 crimes, including one involving a firearm. Cops say he's in the process of buying a gun, and he's made clear on social media he's interested in an AK-47 and/or a fully automatic Glock.

Natalia says Kemp once sent her a DM with an image of her late father Kobe and wrote, "Thankful For Him Birthing You, Hopefully We Can Birth Him… 'Kobe,'" adding a red heart to the message. The docs say Kemp had the hopes of having "a Kobe-like child together."

Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker are dunzo -- the model and NBA superstar reportedly split up recently ... and it's all due to their hectic schedules.

KJ and D-Book first went public with their love on Valentine's Day in 2021 ... but as TMZ Sports previously reported, they became an item after spending a ton of time quarantining together in 2020.

Aside from a brief breakup, they held strong for well over two years ... and packed on a ton of PDA at numerous events throughout their relationship.

People reports Jenner and Booker's romance fizzled out as they focused on their respective careers ... and ultimately, it wasn't the right time for them to try to make it work.

The outlet says the split was amicable and mutual ... and they will remain in touch.

The timing is understandable -- Booker is in the heart of his 8th NBA season, and Jenner is tied up with her modeling career and 818 tequila company.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan got an earful from a troll at the Chargers game on Sunday ... when a heckler went after the reality TV star for dating Michael's son -- and it's all on video.

48-year-old Pippen and Jordan, 31, were posted up in some solid seats during their date at SoFi Stadium ... but at one point, a fellow spectator decided to share his two cents on Larsa dating Scottie's nemesis' son.

"Hey Larsa, that's what you're doing?" the fan said. "You're with the boy, Mike's son? You a cold motherf***er, ain't you! You're cold as a motherf***er, homie."

The couple appeared to take it in stride ... with both brushing off the verbal jab. Ex-NBAer Chandler Parsons had a close look at the whole thing ... but seemingly thought it best to mind his own business.

Of course, the heckler is referring to Scottie and MJ's ongoing beef ... which was reignited following the release of the "Last Dance" series.

Pippen was miffed over the doc ... saying he deserved much more credit for his role with the team, and claiming MJ used the show to persuade the younger generation of hoop fans into believing he was better than LeBron James.

Their relationship is so bad ... their former teammate, Charles Oakley, believes the two sides will never speak to each other again.

Now that Larsa and Marcus have gone public with their romance, some have called her out for dating someone close to her ex's biggest enemy.

But, we're told that doesn't really matter to the couple ... as they've gotten really close over the past few months -- which was made clear with cozy trips to Rolling Loud and, more recently, the beach in Miami.

Kyrie Irving, suspended since November 3rd, has rejoined his Nets teammates and is expected to play Sunday night ... nearly a month after posting a link to a controversial movie.

30-year-old Irving was at Nets shootaround Sunday morning -- hours before BK plays the Grizzlies at Barclays -- once again told reporters he wasn't antisemitic.

"I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that is going against the human race," Irving said.

"I feel like we all should have an opportunity to speak for ourselves when things are assumed about us and I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions, because there was a way I should have handled all this and as I look back and reflect when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone that felt threatened or felt hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all."

Of course, it was way back on October 27th Kyrie tweeted a link to the movie "Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" ... a film full of antisemitic tropes.

Irving eventually deleted the tweet ... but refused to apologize for giving the movie attention. After multiple missed opportunities to apologize, the Nets suspended Kyrie on November 3, saying he was "unfit" to be a Net.

But, after meeting several criteria ... including a face-to-face with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the Nets organization believes Kyrie has done enough.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince is breathing easier heading into the holiday season ... TMZ Sports has learned he will not face charges stemming from his drug arrest.

According to court documents, a grand jury declined to charge him with possession of a controlled substance last week. Days later, prosecutors dismissed the gun charges he was facing related to the case as well.

Prince was initially pulled over by the Arlington Police Dept. in Texas back on May 19 ... after officers said he was driving with an expired registration. During the stop, cops say the basketball player told them he had two handguns in the car ... so officers asked him to get out of the vehicle.

During an effort to retrieve the guns from the car, cops say they found a vape pen ... and searched his ride further. They say they then found a canister with marijuana inside.

Following test results on the vape pen, cops obtained a warrant for Prince's arrest -- and in Miami in August, the 28-year-old was taken into custody over it.

"The charges were dropped because the search was clearly illegal," Prince's attorney, Kent Schaffer, told us in a statement on Friday. "On top of that, carrying a gun is legal in Texas, if not encouraged, and the amount of marijuana alleged to be in the vehicle was probably les than a usable quantity."

Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to practice free throws after his Bucks squad lost to the 76ers ... and when several arena employees got in his way, he lost it, knocking over a 10+ tall ladder.

And the whole incident was captured on video by some fans who were still in the Wells Fargo Center Friday night in Philadelphia.

The Bucks lost to the Sixers, 110-102 ... and Giannis dropped 25 points. But, he was awful from the free throw line, shooting 4-for-15 (27%) from the charity stripe.

So, after the game, Antetokounmpo clearly wanted to work on his free throws. But, several employees (unclear if they're with the arena or team) were standing next to a large ladder, seemingly about to do something to the hoop.

Giannis walked up to the ladder and pushed it under the basket. A worker, appearing confused, moved the ladder back near its original spot. Antetokounmpo, clearly pissed, approached the ladder again, emphatically yelled something to the guy, and tossed the ladder, causing it to fall.

The video ends a few seconds later as GA is putting up a free throw.

Another video on social media appeared to show Sixers forward Montrezl Harrell's reaction to Giannis ... and he was hot.

Luka Dončić continues to break records on and off the court ... his 2018 National Treasures Rookie NBA Logoman Patch card, a 1-of-1, just sold for $3.12 million at auction!

The ultra-rare card sold at a PWCC auction Thursday night ... and set a new all-time record for a basketball card sold at a public auction.

The card features an image of the 23-year-old hoops star on the front, along with an actual patch from a jersey he wore during his rookie year and an autograph. The back has a quote from Luka's rookie season ... when he joked he'd retire if he dunked on LeBron James.

"This is the highest price ever realized for a basketball card sold in a verified public auction," said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC Marketplace.

"When this card went to the block, we purposefully avoided speculation on a price because this was an important moment for the market to decide on the value of Luka's best trading card."

In 2021, this same Luka card reportedly sold at a private sale for $4.6 million, but PWCC's auction was the first chance bidders had to acquire the commodity on the open market.

Speaking of LBJ ... the all-time record for a basketball trading card is $5.2 million -- which a collector paid in a private sale (not at auction) for an Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James card.

As for Dončić -- he's again having an MVP-caliber season in Dallas, and it's clear Lukamania isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The therapist who claimed Joshua Primo exposed himself to her on multiple occasions has now settled her lawsuit with the former San Antonio Spurs player and the NBA org. ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The woman's attorney, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement Thursday afternoon all parties "agreed to resolve this matter." Details of the settlement were not released.

The lawsuit was initially filed just two weeks ago in Bexar County, Texas -- and in it, Hillary Cauthen accused Primo of wrongdoing nine separate times.

She said he would expose his genitals to her during individual private sessions -- each time growing "progressively more extreme."

Cauthen claimed in her suit that she complained about Primo's behavior to Spurs officials, but said they turned a blind eye to it and refused to punish the 19-year-old because he was an up-and-coming player with big potential.

She sued for unspecified damages.

For Primo's part, his attorney William J. Briggs II, said in a statement shortly after the lawsuit's filing that the basketball player never intentionally exposed himself to Cauthen. He called her allegations "either a complete fabrication, a gross embellishment or utter fantasy."

The Warriors are in an absolute tailspin this season solely because of Draymond Green ... so says Greg Anthony, who revealed Wednesday he thinks DG's preseason punch has caused massive problems for the champs.

The NBA TV analyst made his opinion known loud and clear following the Dubs' 130-119 loss to the Suns, explaining he believes that when Green rocked Jordan Poole during a practice dispute in October, it changed everything for Golden State.

"That is a seminal moment for me," Anthony said. "When that stuff gets out in the public, and it's there for all to see, it hits differently."

The Warriors are now 6-9 this season and have yet to win a game on the road. And, outside of Steph Curry -- who had 50 points in Wednesday night's loss -- nobody, including Green and Poole, is playing all that well.

Anthony clearly believes it's all due to the big practice blow.

"I still think this group is dealing with that," Greg said.

"They're going to say all the right things, but the real proof is when you watch them play. This is not a cohesive unit. They don't seem to have the same level of fire or trust, particularly on the defensive end."

The team is still obviously one of the most talented in the Association ... but according to Anthony -- it could get worse from here, saying he thinks opposing teams are no longer fearing the Dubs.

"The rest of the league is licking their chops," the former NBA point guard said. "They're looking forward to playing them now."

Drake was toting a camcorder for weeks leading up to his and 21 Savage's No. 1 album "Her Loss," and now that footage's coming out in their "Rich Flex" music vid -- a party romp featuring various celebs and pro athletes.

The visual lives up to his exorbitant billing -- Drake captured A-1 activities ranging from courtside at a Toronto Raptors game with head coach Nick Nurse and DeMar DeRozan to soaking up Jack Harlow's “Come Home The Kids Miss You Tour" ... where the "First Class" rapper stopped the show to give him a special shout out.

Brooklyn Nets hostage Kevin Durant, comedian Druski, 2 Chainz and plenty of strip club singles help round out the star power for the Drake-shot clip.

Drake also got exclusive footage of Lil Wayne's grill during his surprise set at this year's Weezyana Fest, and Lil Yachty is also spotted in the clip ... having brought the Wock back from Poland.

Drake and 21 might have royally pissed off Megan The Stallion, Serena Williams, Nas and Kodak Black with their album rollout, but their antics paid off in Billboard and streaming numbers.

Their "Her Loss" debut was the biggest for an R&B/hip-hop album in 2022 with 404,000 equivalent album units -- making it Drake's 12th No. 1 album and 21's third.

LaMelo Ball might be out for the foreseeable future after he reinjured his ankle stepping on a courtside fan's foot ... and it's now got a lot of people wondering, is it time to push spectators back at NBA arenas??

Melo was attempting to corral a loose ball late in the Hornets' game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night ... when he accidentally landed on a man's foot who was parked just inches away from the court.

You can see in broadcast replays of the incident, as Ball was coming down on the guy's shoe, his ankle turned awkwardly ... and he was left in a heap of pain.

The 21-year-old -- who had previously missed time this season due to an injury on the same ankle -- raced to his bench while grimacing, before he eventually needed assistance to get back into the locker room.

Charlotte ended up losing the game, 125-113. Afterward, Hornets coach Steve Clifford did not have an update on his star's status.

It's the second time in less than two weeks that a participant on an NBA floor has had a mishap with a courtside fan. You'll recall, on Nov. 7, Meek Mill accidentally tripped a ref while his legs were extended in his seat.

Patrick Beverley says an OKC ball boy was so furious he injured Russell Westbrook during the 2013 NBA playoffs the guy actually threatened to kill him over the controversial play!

Beverley told the story during a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast ... sharing the wild story with his co-host, Rone, and guest Dave Portnoy.

PB says it all went down during the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs ... when the Rockets played the Thunder.

During the 2nd quarter of game 2, Westbrook, who was taking the ball up the court, was about to signal for a timeout when Bev, guarding Russ, lunged in an attempt to steal the ball, inadvertently contacting Russ' knee.

Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus, ending his season, and turning Beverley into public enemy #1 in the eyes of many OKC fans, including the ball boy, who presumably blamed Pat for the injury.

"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me over the Russell Westbrook injury," Pat said. "I get to OKC the next game, the police officers in front."

"They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel, I'm on the floor by myself. They passing out papers of a young guy's face ... he threatened to kill me."

Pat says his head coach at the time, Kevin McHale, warned him Westbrook's injury had become a hot topic ... and the attempted steal was at the center of the controversy.

But, despite at least one threat to his life, Beverley says he was never phased and was actually upset he didn't come face-to-face with the ball boy.

Karl-Anthony Towns' birthday dinner wasn't short on booze ... 'cause the NBA star was sippin' on some good stuff throughout the night -- including a cognac that comes with an insane price tag!!

The Timberwolves star was surprised by his family and friends when he arrived at a venue with his longtime girlfriend Jordyn Woods on Tuesday -- his 27th birthday.

The place was decorated nicely for the occasion ... from a massive "27" sign to a ton of balloons and sparklers -- and a birthday cake featuring his T-Wolves jersey.

The bash also had hookah, several bottles of lavish Chateau and a high-priced Louis XIII cognac which, according to sites, sells between $4k to $10k!!!

It didn't stop there ... Woods -- who went official with the 3-time All-Star in 2020 -- gifted him a dope bracelet with his name engraved in diamonds.

"Your heart is what I fell in love with and your enthusiasm is what keeps me going," Woods said in a touching post on Instagram.

"I could go on forever but they already know I don’t play about YOU! Happy Birthday to my baby @karltowns ❤️ I love you!"

Looks like KAT had a blast ... and will be able to sober up before Wednesday night's game.