'Fire Nico' Mavericks Fan Claims Phone Taken, Smashed After Incident Plans To File Police Report
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The Dallas fan who screamed "Fire Nico" in Nico Harrison's face on Monday night says his phone was taken and thrown to the ground shortly after the incident ... and now, he tells TMZ Sports he's planning to file a police report over the whole ordeal.
Chris Taylor said the wild, phone-smashing scene went down at American Airlines Center during the Mavs' tilt with the Nets ... roughly an hour or so after he got in Harrison's grill and stated he should be canned.
Taylor told us team and arena officials approached him and were furious with him over his interaction with Harrison. He says later, a man who he believes was affiliated with them sat down behind him ... and got physical with him when he whipped out his phone to video the scene.
Pistons-Timberwolves Brawl Five Suspended Stewart Gets 2 Games
The NBA just handed down several punishments in relation to Sunday's Pistons vs. Timberwolves brawl ... with Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart getting the the stiffest penalty.
NBA Executive VP and head of basketball ops Joe Dumars announced the consequences of the scuffle on Tuesday ... saying Stewart is banned two games for "escalating an on-court altercation," adding his history of "unsportsmanlike acts" played a role in the length.
— . (@dphoop2425) March 30, 2025 @dphoop2425
A handful of one-game suspensions were also shelled out for Detroit's Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser ... as well as Minnesota's Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo.
NBA's Jalen Suggs Rocks Van Lith Jersey At TCU Game
Jalen Suggs resumed his role as Hailey Van Lith's biggest cheerleader at TCU's NCAA tournament game on Monday ... this time, he rocked the hooper's jersey to further full-send their apparent relationship.
The 6'5" Orlando Magic guard was captured on video at the Horned Frogs' Elite Eight matchup against the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC ... and his wardrobe made it clear which side he was rooting for.
Jalen Suggs rockin' Hailey Van Lith's jersey at TCU's Elite eight game 🐸 pic.twitter.com/7lV1c1NXlx
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 31, 2025 @YahooSports
Suggs was sitting near the TCU bench in a No. 10 jersey ... electing to wear it backward to show the Van Lith name.
Dallas Mavericks Fan Yells In GM's Face ... 'Fire Nico!!!'
Dallas Mavericks fans clearly still loathe Nico Harrison for trading away Luka Doncic ... one actually yelled right in the GM's face on Monday, "Fire Nico!" -- repeatedly!
The scene unfolded just before the Mavs' tilt with the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center in Dallas ... as Harrison -- who jettisoned Doncic to the Lakers back on Feb. 1 -- was saying hi to some people who had shown up for the game a bit early.
The 52-year-old shook one person's hand, and then as he turned to go back to Dallas' locker room area -- a Mavs backer yelled that he should be canned.
Lakers' JJ Redick Helps Kids Impacted By L.A. Fires ... Special Basketball Clinic!!!
Sweet gesture from Lakers head coach JJ Redick -- he held a special basketball clinic on his day off on Sunday for kids who have been impacted by the recent wildfires in L.A.
Los Angeles' sideline manager put on the one-of-a-kind camp in conjunction with his LA Strong Sports foundation ... inviting a bunch of little tykes to help learn ball at the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo.
Redick spoke to the campers before giving them pointers on jump shots and defense ... and check out some of the pics the Lakers shared from the event -- everyone seemed thrilled.
Pistons vs. Timberwolves 7 Ejected After Wild Brawl
The Pistons vs. Timberwolves game turned into fight night on Sunday ... with both sides getting into a massive brawl that flooded into the stands -- leading to a whopping seven ejections.
The chaos broke out in the second quarter ... when tensions were already high after Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart got T'd up for bumping Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo.
— . (@dphoop2425) March 30, 2025 @dphoop2425
Shortly after, Detroit's Ron Holland slapped the ball out of Minnesota forward Naz Reid's hands as he was driving the lane -- who responded by getting in his face and waving his finger.
Mark Cuban I Was Supposed To Run Mavericks New Owners Screwed Me!!!
Dallas Maverick fans are still pissed about Luka Doncic getting traded to the Lakers ... but Mark Cuban is reiterating he had NOTHING to do with it -- claiming he was promised he'd maintain control of basketball operations when he sold the team, but that didn't happen.
Cuban -- who has a net worth of $5.7 billion -- took time to respond to a fan on Facebook who said he should be "run out of Dallas" as a result of the shocking transaction ... firing off in the comment section to defend himself.
He told the fan that when he sold the team 16 months ago to Miriam Adelson, he expected to run basketball operations for the squad, but "Someone obviously changed their mind."
LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith Get Fight Offer Settle Your Beef In Boxing Ring!!!
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LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith can end their feud once and for all with their FISTS ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a popular boxing promotion is drafting an offer to make a fight happen!!
King James and the ESPN talent have exchanged verbal blows ever since their infamous confrontation at the Lakers game earlier this month ... and on Wednesday, the argument turned to hypothetical violence -- with SAS claiming if LeBron put his hands on him, he would've retaliated with a punch.
After LeBron trolled the hell outta Smith by posting his old training vids, Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman immediately got to work ... and started making calls to rich investors in hopes of putting together the funds needed to lock down a matchup of this caliber.
Stephen A. Smith Admits Mistake Amid LeBron Beef ... Sorry For Saying He Skipped Kobe Memorial!!!
Stephen A. Smith is owning up to a mistake he made as his LeBron James feud intensifies ... apologizing for claiming the Lakers superstar didn't attend the memorial service for Kobe Bryant.
The ESPN host incorrectly stated during his passionate rant on Thursday's "First Take" that James was nowhere to be found when the basketball community mourned Bryant's tragic death at the then-Staples Center following the Hall of Famer's tragic death in 2020.
According to multiple reports, James was, in fact, in the building ... but requested not to be shown during a livestream of the emotional event.
Russell Wilson Sits Courtside For Knicks Game ... After Signing W/ Giants
Russell Wilson put pen to paper on his New York Giants contract less than 24 hours ago ... but he's already getting some reps in -- throwing passes to fans while sitting courtside at a Knicks game!
Mr. Unlimited made the trip across the Hudson River to catch some hoops at the Garden, with New York welcoming James Harden and the Clippers into town.
giving @DangeRussWilson a New York welcome 🤝 pic.twitter.com/bQSSEsc0hA
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 27, 2025 @nyknicks
It was a warm reception for the Giants' newest signal caller ... who tossed an autographed ball a few rows up.
Austin Reaves Sneaker-Themed Gender Reveal ... Brother Loves It!!!
Austin Reaves got creative for a gender reveal for his big bro ... surprising him by wearing pink sneakers during Wednesday's Lakers game -- and Spencer absolutely loved it!!
The L.A. star delivered the exciting news to his brother and his pregnant wife, Casey, right on the court during his game against the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Reaves made his way to the hardwood rockin' pink and white kicks, signaling the baby is a girl.
LeBron James I'm Not Scared Of Stephen A. Smith Look How He Punches!!!
UPDATE
7:27 AM PT -- We knew this was coming -- Stephen A. Smith opened Thursday's "First Take" going off on LeBron ... saying his nemesis' real issue stems from the fact he refuses to consider him the greatest NBA player over Michael Jordan.
Smith made it clear he's never going to back down from his stance ... and he's not going anywhere.
As for his colleague Pat McAfee giving his rival a platform, SAS doesn't blame him one bit -- saying no one would pass up on an interview with James.
Smith also addressed James' trolling with his boxing vid ... and he even admits it wasn't his best work, but claimed he would've looked much better if he wasn't injured at the time.
LeBron James hit the game-winning shot for the Lakers on Wednesday, but the real dagger came on Instagram later in the night ... when he ruthlessly clapped back at Stephen A. Smith AGAIN by mocking his fighting skills.
The King added another chapter to the beef after L.A. beat the Indiana Pacers ... clearly getting wind of the ESPN host claiming earlier in the day he would've "swung" on the four-time champ if he had put his hands on him during their Crypto.com Arena confrontation a few weeks back.
Even though SAS admitted it probably would've resulted in getting his ass whooped, LeBron made sure the talking head knew how he felt about the comments ... sharing an old video of one of his boxing sessions, which didn't necessarily mimic a Ryan Garcia left hook.
Seth Curry Cooper Flagg's 'Special' ... I See a Bright NBA Future!!!
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Duke fans better enjoy Cooper Flagg while they can ... 'cause Seth Curry tells TMZ Sports it won't be long before the Blue Devils baller is starring on NBA courts.
Flagg's currently got Duke rolling into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament ... but on Wednesday, Curry told us he has no doubts the freshman phenom will be lighting it up in the Association soon.
Steph's younger brother -- who played at Duke from 2010-2013 -- said Flagg can score and play defense with the best of them ... and he didn't push back when we said it certainly looks like the 18-year-old will be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft.
Stephen A. Smith I Would Have Gone Will Smith On LeBron!!!
Stephen A. Smith says he and LeBron James could have been the next Will Smith and Chris Rock ... if things got physical during their infamous courtside quarrel.
The TV host just hopped on his podcast and responded to LBJ dissing him on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show."
Stephen A. says if LeBron would have put hands on him when he confronted him at Crypto.com arena, "I would've immediately swung on him. Immediately."
LeBron James Shades Stephen A. Smith ... He's 'On A Taylor Swift Tour Run' After Our Spat
The beef between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is still clearly sizzling ... the Lakers superstar just shaded his nemesis on live TV -- with a Taylor Swift quip!
The King joined Pat McAfee on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" for a lengthy sit-down interview ... and at one point, his now-viral, in-game spat with Stephen A. came up.
Damn LeBron stepped to Stephen A Smith👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ZJIDcPU4dL
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) March 7, 2025 @LegendOfWinning
James quickly took a dig at the ESPN analyst to kick off the topic ... dissing the 57-year-old for the way he's gone on multiple television shows to talk about their March 6 Crypto.com Arena quarrel.
Grizzlies' Desmond Bane Shoves Teammate In Heated Timeout
Things got intense on the Grizzlies' bench in a matchup with the Jazz on Tuesday ... with Desmond Bane forcefully shoving his own teammate during a timeout.
The incident went down early in the contest at the Delta Center ... when Utah came out the gates strong offensively.
They getting heated out here in Utah pic.twitter.com/SxoXlfwE8D
— AndrewWigginsHim (@AndrewWiggsHim) March 26, 2025 @AndrewWiggsHim
As Memphis called for a break in the action, Bane was caught on video yelling at Santi Aldama to get a stop on defense ... and then extending his arms to push him into a seat.