NBA

Michael Carter-Williams has traded in jump shots and chest passes for jabs and body blows -- he's a boxer now -- and he tells TMZ Sports he's gunning for a knockout in his first time on the mat later this month!!

The ex-NBA star -- the 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft -- has formally made the transition to the fight game since the end of his hooping career ... and his first official match will go down at the Broad Street Brawl on May 29 at the Leman Ballroom in New York.

His opponent is Sam Khatib -- an amateur boxer who's 36 -- and it will be a three-round affair with proceeds from the tilt going to a good cause.

Natalia Bryant's all grown-up and leaving school behind for now ... 'cause she just graduated from USC's prestigious film department.

The daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant walked across the stage in her cap and gown Saturday ... and, dozens of photographers were on-hand for her special moment.

One caught her walking with her entourage back to her car with her mom ... decked out in her all white gown and a bright red stole.

Fans went wild after the Knicks upset the Celtics in the star-studded Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- and nearly pulled Timothée Chalamet out of his car!

Check out the vid ... thousands of fans took to the streets of NYC after the big win and a few lucky ones caught a glimpse of the equally thrilled actor. He took a few moments to celebrate -- and ended up in a passionate hug that appeared more like a headlock as he hung out his car window.

The "Dune" star was just one of the famous faces who showed up for the big game. Our gallery shows TC locked in on the game while sitting next to Bad Bunny ... while Pete Davidson and his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt -- who are now living together -- flashed a smile at the camera.

7:34 PM PT -- Rudy Gobert is now sharing his side ... claiming "inaccurate information" is being thrown around, though he offers no specifics.

Gobert did confirm he is no longer in a relationship with Julia, but still plans to "keep supporting the well-being of all the people that I care about."

5:15 PM PT -- Julia Bonilla just addressed the situation in a lengthy social media post ... calling the whole ordeal "one of the most painful times in my life."

"I considered Rudy the love of my life," Bonilla said minutes ago. "I left everything for him. I gave him a child and poured my heart into our relationship."

"Despite how I have been treated, I choose to protect his name for the sake of my children," she added.

Bonilla also noted she has "NEVER EVER been unfaithful to the father of my children" ... adamantly denying cheating played a role in the split.

Rudy Gobert broke up with his pregnant girlfriend, told her to move out of his home and take their one-year-old son with her right at the start of the NBA playoffs, TMZ Sports has learned.

Folks are dropping serious coin to be at Game 6 of the New York Knicks' series against the Boston Celtics -- TMZ Sports is told one fan paid a whopping $20,000 for one seat at Madison Square Garden for the huge playoff matchup!!

Our friends at popular ticket platform SeatGeek gave us an inside look at the demand for Friday's contest ... and despite everything going on in the Big Apple, it's clear what's at the top of everyone's list.

"The anticipation for Game Six at Madison Square Garden is at an all-time high with demand reaching record levels, making it the most sought-after ticket in New York right now," Chris Leyden, SeatGeek's Director of Category Marketing, told us.

Babyface Ray has been an integral part of Detroit's hip hop stock rise in the past few years and he isn't being humble about his contributions ... he's carving his own name on the 313 Mt. Rushmore!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Babyface Ray outside LAX this week and he tells us he fits all the criteria to be immortalized in his city -- along with Eminem, Big Sean and the late Blade Icewood for his Mt. Rushmore picks.

And just like Sean, Ray's also delusional hopeful that the Lions and Pistons will win championships next year!!! Gotta root for the home team.

While Babyface did acknowledge Detroit would need a few hundred Mount Rushmores to properly honor its music history, he reveals he's excited to hear from a most valuable transplant ... Pistons star player Cade Cunningham!!!

Ray says he and Cade have a mutual studio engineer and he's been told the stuff in the vault has been fire ... so it's only a matter of time before they cross-over styles.

If Diddy needs a couple hours to take his mind off his ongoing criminal trial, he will be allowed to watch the Knicks' pivotal playoff game Friday night, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells us ... Diddy will have access to a television with basic cable after he heads back to MDC Brooklyn following the conclusion of Friday's court proceedings.

It's, of course, unclear if the 55-year-old will tune in -- he's obviously got a lot bigger things on his mind at the moment -- but he was known to be a Knicks supporter during his time as a free man.

Jaylen Brown grabbed more than just rebounds last night ... he got a handful of Josh Hart's junk, and the Knicks star's wife wasn't a fan of grab, calling it "weird."

The bizarre incident happened during game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston. Hart set a screen on the Celtics star, and whether intentionally or not, Brown's hand found its way to Hart's privates, which he then appeared to grab.

Josh wasn't a fan of the cup-check ... shoving Brown away from him, which led to a technical foul being issued to both players.

Big praise for Timothée Chalamet from Amar'e Stoudemire -- the former New York star tells TMZ Sports the actor's been such a good Knicks fan, he's ready to dub him "the next Spike Lee!!!"

Chalamet, of course, has put his blue and orange support on full display this spring -- just as Lee has done for years -- attending Knicks games regularly, and even appearing to miss out on The Met Gala to catch one of New York's postseason matchups against the Celtics.

Stoudemire told us Tuesday he's noticed it all -- especially when he saw it up-close at Madison Square Garden during NY's huge Monday night victory over Boston ... and now, he's ready to give Chalamet his flowers.

Jayson Tatum's playoff run is over -- the Celtics just announced he had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles.

The Boston forward sustained the injury late in Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden -- when he went down while trying to leap for a loose ball.

Initially, all of Boston had hoped it wasn't too serious ... but the Cs said Tuesday that Tatum had "successful surgery" on his ruptured right Achilles and will have a lengthy rehab to get back to the floor.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks to their biggest playoff win in decades Monday night ... but celebration aside, the star hoopers expressed concern for Jayson Tatum, after suffering a devastating injury in the game's closing minutes.

The heartwrenching injury happened during the final minutes of the pivotal game at Madison Square Garden ... after 27-year-old Tatum appeared to suffer a non-contact injury to his lower right leg/foot area, with many fearing he tore his Achilles.

Tatum immediately fell to the floor, clutching the area, clearly in a great deal of pain.

Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet were in basketball mode Monday night, showing up at the Knicks-Celtics matchup in NYC — with Kylie's sister, Kendall, in tow.

The trio sat courtside watching the Knicks do battle with the Celtics during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. And what a game it was with the Knicks beating the Celtics 121-113, which made Timothee's night.

During each quarter, the actor - who's also a Knicks superfan — was all about rooting on his team, jumping out of his seat at one point and clapping wildly after a Knicks player sank a basket.

Former NBA star Zach Randolph is currently at the center of a police investigation ... after cops say a woman told them he roughed her up during a 2024 incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... the woman alleged the attack went down in September -- after the two had gotten into an argument at a Los Angeles-area home.

It's not yet clear why the woman waited multiple months to report the claims -- though we're told she did present authorities with photographs of the injuries she said she suffered at the hands of Randolph.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen still can't see eye to eye in the year 2025 ... something one of their former Bulls teammates thinks is quite ridiculous -- with Bill Cartwright telling TMZ Sports their ongoing feud is "nonsense."

The friction between MJ and Pippen became public after the release of the Jordan-produced documentary, "The Last Dance," in 2020 -- when Scottie took issue with how he was portrayed in the project.

Pippen's been sneak-dissing Jordan ever since ... even going as far as saying LeBron James is his NBA GOAT over His Airness.

His Airness is now His Airwaves -- Michael Jordan has joined NBC's NBA coverage team as a special contributor, the network announced Monday.

The Peacock is returning to pro basketball as part of the 11-year, $76 billion broadcasting deal with Disney and Amazon ... and it's clear they're not messing around by bringing in the NBA GOAT to its roster.

Unclear what exactly this means for No. 23 -- he doesn't really have much experience in TV ... so the announcement is pretty surprising to say the least.

The sky is falling in L.A. following the Lakers' disappointing playoff run ... but Vlade Divac ain't exactly reaching for his umbrella just yet -- as he expressed optimism about his former team to TMZ Sports this week.

The ex-Lakers big man chopped it up with us following a dinner at Craig's -- and while he described Los Angeles' opening-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves as "not good," he's still excited for the future.

He told us he "definitely" sees Lebron James returning for 2025-26 ... and added he saw no drop-off in the 40-year-old's game this year.