NBA

The sale of the Los Angeles Lakers is getting a big stamp of approval from one of the organization's biggest stars ... with Luka Doncic saying he's ready to win some championships under new owner Mark Walter.

"The Lakers are an amazing organization," the 26-year-old Slovenian hooper said Thursday. "I'm looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future."

As we previously reported, the Buss family is giving up their majority stake in the historic franchise ... but Jeanie will remain as team governor for years to come, which Doncic was thrilled about.

3:17 PM PT -- Lakers legend Magic Johnson is speaking out about the Buss family agreeing to unload their majority ownership stake in the Lakers ... congratulating them for striking "an incredible deal" and choosing the best person to carry the team's legacy going forward.

Jeanie Buss and her family have agreed to unload their majority stake of the Lakers, selling the team to L.A. Dodgers owner Mark Walter -- the largest sale of a sports franchise in history!!

Shams Charania broke the news Wednesday afternoon, revealing the Busses -- who own 66% of the organization -- reached a deal to sell the team to the 65-year-old businessman on an approximately $10 BILLION valuation.

Jerry Buss, Jeanie's dad, purchased the team for a paltry $67.5 million in May 1979. Under his tenure, the Lake Show became one of the most popular, successful, and culturally relevant American sports franchises ... exploding in value.

Former NBA star Eric Bledsoe was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly struck a woman in the face ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The California Highway Patrol tells us officers placed Bledsoe into custody at around 2:30 AM following an investigation into a report of a domestic violence incident that occurred on a Los Angeles-area freeway.

According to the CHP, officers' probe into the matter led them to a gas station near US-101 ... where they found Bledsoe and a woman who was suffering from "bruising and swelling to her face."

The WWE is collecting NBA stars like Infinity Stones at this point ... 'cause the promotion's official video game just added Jalen Brunson into the mix!!

The news was revealed on Wednesday ... when "WWE 2K25" dropped a new trailer featuring the Knicks guard as part of the upcoming "Dunk & Destruction Pack."

In the clip, the two-time NBA All-Star does a walk-out entrance to the wrestling ring ... wearing the same shirt he rocked when he was in the actual WWE ring last year.

File under "We can't believe it's not Centel" -- Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird is pumped the WNBA is being featured on the NBA's most popular parody page ... claiming it's actually a good sign for the league!!

The Hall of Famer shared her take on Cameron Brink's "Straight to Cam" podcast ... when at one point in the episode, they pointed out the infamous account's recent joke that Sparks practice was delayed because the former Stanford star and Kelsey Plum arrived in the same outfit, which led to a feud.

The post racked up 11.6 million views ... and while some people online aren't happy the page is now making fun of the W -- Bird sees it differently.

Dwight Howard and Lance Stephenson’s highly anticipated BIG3 debut took a chaotic turn over the weekend when the former NBA teammates got into a heated scuffle that erupted into the crowd.

The fight broke out during a matchup between the Los Angeles Riot and the Miami 305 on Saturday, after a scuffle near half-court involving Stephenson and another player from the Riot.

Tensions escalated when Howard approached Stephenson courtside and shoved him, setting off a physical altercation that spilled into the stands.

Lakers fans hoping to see more of the King and Knecht might get their wish ... 'cause Dalton Knecht tells TMZ Sports he and LeBron James could absolutely "run it" in L.A. for another half-decade plus.

Knecht, of course, was almost dealt to Charlotte in a trade last season ... but when we got him out at LAX on Friday, he told us despite the near move, he definitely wants to remain in the purple and gold.

And, he said he can see a scenario where he does that for several more seasons with James.

There's one person who might be taking Wednesday night's Game 3 results harder than the actual Oklahoma City Thunder players -- rap mogul Jay-Z, who lost a whopping $1 MILLION after the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

TMZ Sports reported ahead of the series the 25-time Grammy-winning artist was so confident in OKC's chances against the Eastern Conference champions, he placed the hefty wager through the Fanatics Sportsbook that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. would hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy after five games.

We're sure Hov was sweating just a little bit after Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot in Game 1 ... but when the Thunder stormed back the next contest, his bet was looking solid again.

Tom Thibodeau is breaking his silence a week after the New York Knicks kicked him to the curb after falling a round shy of the NBA Finals ... but he's not blasting his former team, he's thanking everyone in a heartfelt newspaper ad!

Thibodeau took out an advertisement in Wednesday's edition of The New York Times, and if there's any bitterness about his firing, you would never know.

"To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you," he wrote. "When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that the dream has become a reality."

DeMarcus Cousins got himself booted from the remainder of the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League season ... with the organization handing down swift punishment after the former NBA center had a wild altercation with fans over the weekend.

The four-time All-Star -- who was playing for the Mets de Guaynabo -- was hit with the lengthy ban and a $4,250 fine for the whole ordeal ... and it could go up to $10,000 total if he can't make a case for the initial penalty.

As we previously reported, it all went down when Cousins' team faced Bayamon at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez arena.

Diddy's ex-girlfriend "Jane" says a threesome they had with a male escort had them feeling like NBA ballers ... testifying she and Diddy compared themselves to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

During cross-examination Tuesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial, Jane told jurors Diddy referred to a particular three-way as a "trifecta" and compared them to three NBA Hall of Fame basketball stars.

Jane -- who's testifying under a pseudonym to protect her identity -- said the trifecta included a male escort, Paul ... and she told jurors in this scenario she was Kobe, Diddy was MJ and Paul was Shaquille O'Neal.

Ben Stiller's still feelin' the pain from the Knicks' crushing defeat to the Pacers ... and with no NBA Finals game to attend at MSG, the actor threw on his finest tux and hit up the Tony Awards just a handful of blocks from the arena, where the actor lamented the loss in front of the A-list crowd!

Stiller's mini-therapy session went down Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall -- the biggest night in theatre -- when Stiller was on stage to present the award for Best Play.

"I'm so honored to be here because theatre is my passion. The place where I feel most at home. The stage has been a constant sanctuary for me, dating all the way back to last week when the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals." Ben said, drawing a big laugh from the audience.

College basketball phenom Cooper Flagg is expected to go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft ... and one guy who knows what that's like has some solid advice for the former Duke star -- Hall of Fame inductee Dwight Howard!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 6'10" center ahead of the June 25th event at the Barclays Center ... and we asked what words of wisdom he'd give Flagg, since he was also the first pick in 2004.

"Just go hoop, enjoy the games," the 39-year-old said. "Don't let the politics take away the passion ... and have fun."

Either the Thunder or the Pacers will earn their first-ever NBA championship this month ... but before the players take the Larry O'Brien Trophy and celebrate the momentous occasion, get acquainted with some of the wives and girlfriends they'll be running off with!!

Tyrese Haliburton's partner, Jade, has already made her presence felt earlier in Indiana's postseason run ... garnering a ton of headlines last month for the way she made a clever pun about her man's big shot against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Myles Turner's girlfriend, too, has become quite popular with Indiana fans ... as Aysia Janelle has continuously brought the heat with her amazing Pacers 'fits at games.

Jay-Z will have an extra close eye on the NBA Finals this year ... 'cause the hip-hop mogul just placed a gigantic wager on the Oklahoma City Thunder winning the 'chip in five games!

TMZ Sports has learned Hov threw down $1 MILLION with his good friend Michael Rubin's Fanatics Sportsbook ... and if he's right, he will profit $2,300,000, on top of the milli he wagered (he'll walk away with $3.3m total).

The Thunder, led by this year's NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are heavy favorites to beat Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers.

But, Jay's bet isn't as simple as picking the overwhelming fav to win ... it's gotta be in five games, meaning the Thunder cannot lose more than once in the best-of-seven series.

It's a bit of a longshot ... though if Jay-Z ultimately loses the wager, don't cry too hard for his bank account. He's worth around $2.5 BILLION, according to Forbes.

The Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural in downtown L.A. -- just restored last week following previous vandalism -- has been defaced again ... and now the artist tells TMZ Sports he's likely going to move the artwork to a new location.

The mural, located (at least for the time being) on the side of a building at 14th and Main in DTLA, was targeted by vandals on Tuesday evening ... and we have video of the aftermath, showing white spray paint scribbled across the artwork.

The damage comes just four days after the artist, Sloe Motions, fixed his mural after an earlier incident of vandalism ... the apparent result of a feud between rival street artists.