NBA

Bronny James silenced some of his critics with his performance in the Lakers game on Thursday night ... 'cause the guard dropped 17 points in Crypto.com Arena -- a career-high for the rookie.

The 20-year-old got his opportunity to play for more than a few minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks ... thanks to several key players like LeBron, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and more out with injuries.

Despite the Lakers' 118-89 loss, Bronny had 17 points, his first career double-digit game and tying fellow rookie Dalton Knecht to lead the team in scoring. He also had five assists and three rebounds.

Lakers fans hoping for a Dwight Howard reunion can uncross their fingers and let out their breath ... the former NBA superstar tells TMZ Sports there's simply no chance he re-signs with Los Angeles.

Many purple and gold backers, of course, have been urging L.A. to go after the big man following its Anthony Davis-for-Luka Doncic swap ... but when we got Howard out in the City of Angels this week, he said it just isn't going to happen.

Despite appearing to express some interest in re-joining the squad on X after the big trade went down, he told us at LAX he's now four years removed from an NBA roster ... and is currently content spending his time at home with his children.

Detroit Pistons hooper Malik Beasley is moving on after his split from Montana Yao ... 'cause he just hard-launched his new girl after Wednesday night's win.

Instagram model Natalia Garibotto shared a pic of the two walking out of the Kaseya Center after his 116-113 victory over the Heat in Miami -- which the 28-year-old reposted on his own Story.

She also showed Beasley running over to her after the final buzzer.

Bronny James is addressing all the negativity surrounding his NBA career ... saying despite people thinking he's a "f***ing robot," he does have feelings -- and the criticism is motivating him to prove the haters wrong.

The 20-year-old NBA player spoke out in a feature with The Athletic ... on the heels of a confrontation between LeBron and Stephen A. Smith at the Lakers game earlier this month -- which was sparked due to the ESPN talent's comments on the four-time champion's son.

Bronny said all the outside noise doesn't go unnoticed ... but instead of letting it hurt his pride, it's actually having the opposite effect.

The Boston Celtics are off the market ... the 18-time NBA champions have been scooped up for a whopping $6.1 billion -- making it the largest sale for a sports franchise in North American history.

Bill Chisholm -- the managing partner at Symphony Technology Group -- was the man to submit the winning bid for the 2024 NBA champs. The $6.1 billion price tag surpasses the number previously set by Josh Harris when he purchased the Washington Commanders in 2023 for $6.05 billion.

The Celtics hit the market not long after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Their current owner -- 63-year-old Wyc Grousbeck -- announced plans to sell his stake for "estate and family planning considerations." Grousbeck intended to sell 51% of the team by late 2024 or early 2025, with the rest closing in 2028.

Marcus Jordan is now admitting he has a substance abuse problem ... weeks after he was arrested for possession of ketamine and driving under the influence.

In a new court filing, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jordan and his attorneys revealed the 34-year-old has been dealing with "challenges" related to his "alcohol/substance use" ... and now, he wants a judge to order him to complete a Pre-Trial Substance Abuse Education and Treatment Intervention Program in an effort to help him with these issues.

Jordan's attorneys argued the program would "not only benefit him personally but also serve the community by reducing the likelihood of future offenses." They added in the documents that Michael's son "is amenable to treatment."

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have kept a low profile since the Super Bowl thrashing, but there's a chance the superstar couple may soon reemerge at the World's Most Famous Arena to catch a Knicks game!

Trav and bro Jason chopped it up with Ben Stiller on this week's episode of "New Heights," with the actor telling the story of meeting Swift at a game a decade ago.

"I was there with my son," Stiller said. "We FaceTimed my daughter, who is a huge Swiftie. She's 23 now, we had the best time. She was incredible."

The biggest honor in entertainment means nothing to Ben Stiller -- at least in comparison to his beloved New York Knicks' success ... 'cause the actor said he'd rather have an NBA title than an Oscar!!

The comedy legend and "Severance" director admitted just how crazy he is about his basketball team on the latest episode of Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast ... when he admitted he'd be perfectly content with never getting a statuette in his trophy case -- as long as Larry O'Brien comes back to New York.

Stiller joked a Knicks title is a lot more likely ... so he's "definitely down" for it to play out like that.

Take notes, Common ... Warriors forward Kevon Looney just gave a masterclass on how to protect the oblivious from loose basketballs on NBA floors!!

Just days after the rapper failed to save Jennifer Hudson's noggin from a tipped pass at a Knicks game ... Looney showed everyone how it should be done while he was giving a pregame interview Tuesday night.

The Golden State big man was chatting with Kerith Burke at the Chase Center just ahead of his team's matchup with the Bucks ... when a ball came careening straight for the media member's head.

Gelo Ball's going from BBB to TNA -- the hooper-turned-rapper just released the visuals for his new track with GloRilla ... and it's chock-full of strippers.

The video for "Can You Please" is set in a strip club ... showing Gelo arriving at the joint in a Ferrari and rocking a jacket from his brother LaMelo's LaFrance clothing line.

The vid gets crazy from there ... with a bunch of women dancing on poles and twerking in front of Ball and his crew.

Steven Spielberg’s daughter had a front-row seat to an unforgettable moment at her first-ever courtside NBA game Monday night—sitting next to Tracy Morgan as he threw up all over the court at the New York Knicks game.

Destry Allyn Spielberg took to Instagram on Tuesday to make light of the awkward moment ... sharing a hilarious photo of herself looking absolutely disgusted as she sat one seat away from the 'SNL' star while he got sick.

She jokes that she "had a great time" in her first meme-worthy photo, then followed up with a snap of Tracy spewing vomit, overlaid with a shrugging emoji. Hey, s*** happens!

Anthony Davis isn't ready to get back on the NBA court just yet, but here's a good sign for Dallas Mavericks fans -- the Brow was able to hit the golf course and work on his game on Tuesday.

A clip of AD's round was shared to social media ... with the 6'10" baller -- who went down with a left adductor strain on Feb. 8 -- appearing to gear up for a chip shot.

Davis rocked shorts, a t-shirt and a vest for the occasion ... and it looked like he had a stogie in his mouth.

LaVar Ball is opening up on his recent amputation ... revealing this week complications with his diabetes were what caused him to lose a significant portion of his right leg.

LiAngelo, LaMelo and Lonzo's father broke down his medical situation with SLAM on Tuesday ... and explained his health began deteriorating in January.

He stated right around the time Gelo's hit single, "Tweaker," was going viral ... he got an infection on his foot "that started spreading through my blood due to not paying attention to my diabetes."

Tracy Morgan's medical emergency Monday night all stemmed from some bad grub he had eaten earlier in the day.

The comedian said in an Instagram post Tuesday morning he projectile vomited all over the Madison Square Garden floor during the Knicks vs. Heat game because he was dealing with food poisoning.

It's unclear what he ingested to cause the ailment -- but Morgan fans can breathe a bit easier knowing the issue wasn't anything more sinister.

Tracy Morgan caused a lengthy delay at the Knicks game Monday night ... after he upchucked all over the floor.

The troubling scene unfolded during the second half of New York's tilt with the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden ... when the comedian suddenly got sick in his courtside chair.

Images taken by fans at the arena show Morgan vomited near his feet ... and so much came out of his stomach, some of the contents actually splashed onto MSG's playing area.

Tennis star Mirra Andreeva credits LeBron James for being the motivation behind her recent success ... and now the King himself is weighing in on her back-to-back wins -- giving her high praise after her hard work paid off!!

The 17-year-old Russian athlete defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Indian Wells Open on Sunday ... and weeks before that, she won the Dubai Championship.

Before her most recent victory, Andreeva mentioned how she had listened to an old interview involving James that resonated with her.

"He was saying that even if you don't play 100% or even if you don't feel 100% physically, I'm gonna choose 100% mentally," Andreeva said.