NBA

Megan Thee Stallion's taking advantage of Klay Thompson's summer off-season ... the NBA legend was cryptically spotted in her new IG post -- and it's because they're dating!!!

The "Hiss" rapper has a win-win situation with her social media posts doubling as promo for her Hot Girl Summer swimwear line ... but Klay's "Where's Waldo"-esque cameo in the background of her poolside shot was hard to ignore!!!

Meg knows her way around the hardwood ... she was linked with Chicago Bulls player Torrey Craig up until her Coachella performance in April -- but seems like all plays are running through Klay now.

We reached out to Meg's team ... no word back yet, but given her Houston hometown and Klay's current slot with the Dallas Mavericks, seeing each other shouldn't be an issue!!!

AVP took on TMZ ... and it ended up being a TKO.

Volleyball superstars Chase Budinger and Brandie Wilkerson popped by the TMZ offices on Wednesday ... and to warm up for their games at the AVP League Event in Los Angeles this weekend, they played a few of our staffers on our sand court.

Budinger, a former NBA star, and Wilkerson, a Paris Games silver medalist, faced off with TMZ Sports' Edward Lewis and Conor Hurley in Game 1 ... and while the first point went the journalists' way, it was total annihilation from there.

2:51 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained more details on the split ... with docs showing March 24, 2025 for their date of marriage and June 15 for their separation.

The reason behind the divorce was listed as "irreconcilable differences."

Docs show Gelo is asking for joint custody and visitation ... and wants to terminate spousal support for both parties.

LiAngelo Ball has filed for divorce from Rashida Nicole ... just days after the influencer announced she was pregnant with the couple's child.

Court records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the "Tweaker" rapper requested the split at a Southern California courthouse on July 3.

It's unclear when the two actually tied the knot -- though we did see the duo leaving the same SoCal courthouse back in February wearing all-white outfits and carrying a large envelope.

The King's new palace is taking shape ... check out some recent images of the mega-mansion LeBron James is building in Beverly Hills -- it's getting closer and closer to completion.

The latest video of the Southern California property was shot a couple weeks ago ... and it shows the home LBJ will one day move into is going to be a massive one.

There appear to be two structures on the 2.5-acre land ... and both look like they'll have plenty of space for the James Gang, their cars and a friend or six.

Former NBA player Ben McLemore was sentenced to 100 months in prison after he was convicted of raping a woman in 2021 when he was hooping for the Trail Blazers.

The more than 8-year sentence was handed down on Wednesday, a week after a jury found the former Blazers guard guilty of sexual assault and rape in a Clackamas County courtroom.

The incident happened in October 2021 at the home of former Blazer's player Robert Covington, where McLemore was accused of raping a 21-year-old woman during a party.

11:40 AM PT -- NBA 2K general manager Zak Armitage opened up on the decision to feature Angel Reese on this year's cover ... telling TMZ Sports, "NBA 2K26 is celebrating the bold, the confident and the visionaries -- and WNBA All-Star Angel Reese carries all that on and off the court."

"In her sophomore year in the WNBA, Angel Reese has made waves, created impactful conversations, and inspired the next generation. She’s a storyteller and has helped the WNBA grow its audience."

Armitage went on to praise Reese for making her presence known "on the biggest stages, including in gaming," and the crew is honored to have her join the 2K family.

Angel Reese has reached "cover athlete" status -- the Chicago Sky hooper was just revealed as the face of the NBA 2K26 "WNBA Edition" ... leaving some folks wondering if Caitlin Clark's invite got lost in the mail.

The popular video game franchise announced the slate of stars who would join NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the honor for the upcoming installment ... with Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony landing the "Superstar Edition" cover.

The decision to go with Reese over the Indiana Fever guard has folks weighing in ... and it's breathing new life into the biggest rivalry in women's basketball in the process.

Larsa Pippen's got a thing for basketball players -- and apparently coaches, too -- 'cause Scottie's ex just opened up on a brief romance she had with a 47-year-old before linking up with her new boyfriend, Jeff Coby ... and he was a real whistleblower.

The reality TV star peeled back the curtain on her dating life on the latest episode of Angela Yee's "Lip Service" podcast ... when the topic of age being just a number was raised.

"I dated a guy that was 47 years old, before I dated Jeff, and he was so immature," Pippen said.

Dwight Howard's wife, Amber Rose Howard, has filed for divorce ... just six months after she tied the knot with the ex-NBA superstar.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the rapper and reality star -- known widely as Amy Luciani -- requested the split from the basketball player at a Georgia courthouse on July 1.

Amber wrote in the docs "The marriage is irretrievably broken," adding, "there are no prospects for reconciliation."

October won't just feature pumpkins, ghouls and goblins this year, it'll also mark the first time in forever that "Roundball Rock" will be on NBA broadcasts ... and the man who created the iconic jingle tells TMZ Sports he couldn't be more fired up for it!

We caught up with John Tesh out in Los Angeles last week ... and he could hardly contain his excitement when talking to us about the song's return to airwaves.

The tune, of course, was a staple of NBC's coverage of the NBA throughout the 1990s ... but when the network lost the rights to broadcast Association games roughly two decades ago, the melody went on hiatus.

While NBA general managers are frantically working the phones to build championship rosters, Victor Wembanyama is continuing to knock out his side quests -- this time, he was spotted having fun at a nightclub in Japan!!

TMZ Sports obtained video of the 7'3'' center hanging out at 1OAK Tokyo early last Sunday morning ... where we're told he was chilling with some players from Japan's pro basketball league as "Get it Sexyy" by Sexyy Red blared on the speakers.

Our sources tell us Wemby was super friendly and welcoming to all the ladies and men around him ... and hung around for about 90 minutes before heading out.

Shaquille O'Neal was back on the set of "Gravesend" Tuesday ... filming scenes for the mob drama while looking far more like a crime boss than a lovable basketball legend.

Check out these images TMZ Sports has obtained ... the 15-time NBA All-Star was decked out in a huge gold chain, a black track suit and some specs as cameras rolled on him for his part in the Amazon Prime series.

Playing "Mustafa," he chatted away with businessman and producer, Jas Mathur, who also has the role of "Miguel" in the hit show.

Damian Lillard's time in Milwaukee has come to an abrupt end -- the Bucks are releasing the star guard amid his torn Achilles recovery.

The surprising move occurred during the first full day of free agency on Tuesday ... when Milwaukee let go of the 9-time All-Star to financially make room to sign ex-Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year deal worth $107 million.

The Bucks will now pay Lillard the remaining $113 million of his contract over the next five years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's offseason just got $285 million sweeter ... the NBA champion just locked in a super max contract with the Thunder -- making him the highest-paid NBA player ever!!

The blockbuster four-year deal was announced on Tuesday, keeping the NBA MVP with the champion Thunder through the 2030-31 season.

Doing the math ... it means SGA will earn $71.25 million per year, making it the NBA's highest annual salary in league history.

EA Sports ... It's (Back) In the Game!

Electronic Arts revealed big news Monday morning, announcing the return of another fan favorite, their college hoops game, EA College Basketball!

"Bring the Madness. Let's run it back," the company wrote in an X post.

It's been 16 years since EA Sports last put out the last college basketball game, which featured then-Oklahoma Sooners star Blake Griffin on the cover in 2009.

Malik Beasley is the subject of a federal investigation related to gambling on NBA games and prop bets ... this according to ESPN.

The nine-year NBA veteran is facing allegations connected to the 2023-2024 season ... when he played in 79 games for the Milwaukee Bucks.

According to the outlet -- citing an anonymous source -- at least one major sportsbook detected unusual betting interest in Beasley's stats starting in January 2024.

Sauce Gardner is peeling back the curtain on his love life ... telling TMZ Sports things are pretty "cool" with Ice Spice -- and as it turns out, LeBron James had a role in their coupling!!

We caught up with the New York Jets star out in L.A. this week ... and asked him all about his budding romance with the rapper.

While Sauce didn't sing like a bird, he did say he liked how things were going ... and raved about all they have in common -- being based in the Big Apple, experiencing success at a young age and having their fair share of haters.