NBA

LeBron James duped his fans into thinking he was going to make a major announcement on his basketball career this week ... and as it turns out, it was just another ad.

The King (of crying wolf) had fans freaking out on Monday ... when he teased "the decision of all decisions" was coming in a matter of hours -- even recreating the infamous Boys and Girls Club scene he used to announce his move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami Heat back in 2010 for the stunt.

But no, the four-time champion didn't say he's retiring after his NBA-record 23rd season ... he's just promoting booze.

After almost five years as a ring girl for Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, Kourtney Hartenstein is hanging up her glittery two-piece 'fits for good ... telling TMZ Sports her main focus now is more time with her family.

Hartenstein -- who is married to NBA champion Isaiah Hartenstein -- opened up about her future this week ... after initially sharing her decision with her 654k followers on Instagram.

"I need to focus on family," the 34-year-old said. "My husband has a second championship ring on his mind and that starts this week, so we've got a lot going."

Kenny "The Jet" Smith just added another highlight to his reel -- the "Inside the NBA" host popped the question to his girlfriend -- and she said YES!

The NBA champ's new fiancée, Tia Jurcic, revealed the engagement on her Instagram ... showing off a huge diamond ring on that finger with a beautiful beach view serving as the backdrop.

"YES to you forever! 🤎," Jurcic wrote on Thursday.

Rudy Gobert's ex, Julia Bonilla, penned an emotional message to her future child on Wednesday ... saying despite their family's drama, "You are proof that even after betrayal, after storms, after pain, life can still grow in light."

Bonilla posted the note on Instagram alongside a black and white photo exposing her growing belly ... making it clear no matter where things stand between mom and dad, the baby was "wanted," "chosen," and "meant to be."

TMZ Sports broke the story back in May ... our sources said Gobert abruptly ended things with Bonilla shortly after they learned they would be welcoming a second child together, telling her to move out of their home in the process.

Brittany Renner wants a court to increase P.J. Washington's child support payments to her -- saying in a new filing this week $5,500 a month is just not enough.

Renner made her case to the judge in documents that TMZ Sports has obtained ... asking for "at least $35,000" a month from Washington in an effort to raise their 4-year-old son in a manner suitable to a kid with such a rich father.

She claimed in the docs when she and the NBA player first agreed on the $5.5K number, they lived together in North Carolina -- but things have drastically changed since she and the toddler moved to California late last year.

Shaquille O'Neal is denying he's romantically involved with OnlyFans model Sophie Rain ... claiming he doesn't like to date young women -- but older moms are most certainly on the table.

The Big Aristotle recently ran into the internet star at her 21st birthday bash ... an appearance that many speculated wasn't the coincidence Sophie made it out to be.

After the two posed for a pic together, the rumors went wild that they were an item ... but Shaq put an end to all the chatter in the comment section of a video breaking down the matter.

Liz Cambage is setting the record straight on her love life -- telling TMZ Sports she's not dating Kevin Durant ... this after an Instagram post had fans convinced the two hoopers were an item.

The former WNBA star -- now an OnlyFans creator and overseas baller -- addressed the buzz at LAX this week ... and while she looked happy as ever posing with the Houston Rockets superstar at a recent Drake concert, she explains it wasn't anything more than some buds enjoying each other's company.

"You think I'm gonna hard launch a relationship shooting a jump shot at a Drake concert?!" Cambage laughed.

3:54 PM PT -- LeBron had one final gift for Kai … a haircut. He shaved off his signature braids.

Kai Cenat saved the best celebrity guest for last for "Mafiathon 3" ... landing none other than LeBron James to make an appearance -- and the future Hall of Famer came bearing gifts!!

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar and his daughter, Zhuri, pulled up to Cenat's livestream on Tuesday ... in the final hours of his 24/7 broadcast that's been going on for 30 days.

Cenat and LBJ chopped it up for the chat ... and outta nowhere, James surprised Kai with a Lakers-colored Audemars Piguet watch!!

New court documents TMZ Sports has obtained show NBA star P.J. Washington has been ordered to pay Brittany Renner $5,500 a month in child support.

According to the docs, Washington was required to make the payments as part of a consent order issued in Mecklenburg County, N.C., back in November 2024.

The docs state Washington additionally was ordered to pay a lump sum of $130,000 to satisfy "any and all existing child support accruing prior to the entry of this consent order, as well as for [Renner's] attorney's fees."

LeBron James claims he isn't going to continue his NBA career just to have the chance to play with both of his sons -- the Lakers superstar revealed his retirement plans don't revolve around Bryce.

The 21-time All-Star discussed his basketball future at media day a few minutes ago ... when a reporter asked James if he'd hold out on retiring to have a chance to play alongside his second-oldest kid, who's gearing up for his freshman year with the University of Arizona basketball team this fall.

"I'm not sitting here ... no, I'm not waiting on Bryce," James laughed.

Donovan Mitchell is opening up on his recent engagement to Coco Jones ... telling reporters being able to call the singer his future wife is a true "blessing."

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar was asked about his now-fiancée during team media day ... and he couldn't help but gush about what makes her such a special partner.

"Man, that’s my dog. I love her to death. She’s amazing. She’s an amazing human being. She brings me peace."

Spencer Dinwiddie's time in Calabasas is coming to an end -- the former Laker just listed his mansion for a little over $6 million after signing with the Hornets this offseason.

The 6'5" guard put his house back on the market this week with Josh & Matthew Altman of Douglas Elliman ... a 7,269 square foot property that's close to the Malibu coast and has breathtaking views of the Santa Monica mountains.

The 2021 custom-built property has it all ... an open layout with wide oak hardwood floors, Italian fixtures, balconies, two elegant staircases and a three-car garage.

Wilt Chamberlain's game-worn uniform from his epic 1969 NBA Finals battle with Bill Russell's Celtics is on the auction block ... a piece of basketball history that'll almost certainly rake in over 7 figures!

The iconic jersey and shorts combo -- worn by the NBA legend during the regular season AND in two games during the Finals --  is currently being auctioned by Sotheby's, and will close Tuesday afternoon ... where it's expected to sell for over a million bucks, and potentially much more.

The current bid is $320K.

Is LeBron James' tenure in the Purple and Gold worthy of a statue?? Lakers legend Byron Scott can't see it happening as it stands right now ... telling TMZ Sports the King hasn't had enough success in L.A. -- yet.

We caught up with Scott -- a three-time NBA champ -- earlier this week while hosting KiKi Shepard's 7th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic in the City of Angels ... and asked the former Lakers guard how he felt about a potential "LeBronze" figure outside Crypto.com Arena.

"I think if he gets another one, then he has a chance," he said. "But right now, if you look at the players that have statues in front of Crypto.com [Arena], these are long lifers. They've been with the Lakers for almost their entire career, and they've had multiple championships."

It's no secret Stephen Curry's a beast on the court ... although Killer Mike apparently learned the hard way the NBA star's just as deadly in a comments section!

The pro basketball player recently defended his wife, Ayesha, from a comment shared by the rapper in September 2025 -- and it didn't exactly seem like the Golden State Warriors player was too happy about the performer's words.

Here's a look at what led up to Mike making his comment ... and what Steph thought of the statement.

Before we get to the comments, let's cover some ground about Stephen and Ayesha -- who first met when they were just teenagers, according to People.

The pair eventually reconnected in 2008, and they dated for two years before the NBA star popped the big question.

Stephen and Ayesha tied the knot in North Carolina in 2011, and they started a family with the birth of their first daughter, Riley, the following year.

The athlete and the influencer welcomed a second daughter named Ryan in 2015, and she gave birth to sons Canon and Caius in 2018 and 2024, respectively.

The conflict between Killer Mike and Stephen stemmed from a comment Mike left on a video shared by rapper Bookie Woodz on Instagram in September 2025, according to Us Weekly.

Mike claimed Ayesha had been "struggling with trying not to cheat on her husband," then compared her to GloRilla.

Mike apparently found the clip funny, and began his now-deleted message by writing "My n**** Said She Wanna Go Be Glo!!!" in a reference to Ayesha.

The rapper then appeared to show a bit of sympathy for Stephen, and wrote the athlete "doesn’t deserve the embarrassment frfr. God bless him."

Mike's comment didn't exactly sit well with Stephen, who shared a comment of his own -- which has since been deleted -- in response to the rapper's views about his wife.

The NBA star claimed he was fine "stating and letting these other clowns have their moment" after writing "naaaaa not you Mike."

The Golden State Warrior wrote he thought the rapper was "better than that" and told the performer to "stay in your lane and let God keep blessing me like he is."

Marcus Jordan -- Michael Jordan's son -- has entered into an agreement with prosecutors to close out his DUI case ... and part of the deal includes a stipulation where he must write an apology letter to one of the cops he berated during his arrest.

Court documents TMZ Sports has obtained show on Sept. 12, Marcus signed a pretrial intervention contract in Orange County, Fla. with the goal of having his criminal charges dismissed.

According to the docs, Marcus must meet multiple conditions over the next 12 months ... and if he does, prosecutors have agreed to enter a nolle prosequi on the three charges -- possession of ketamine, resisting officer without violence and DUI -- they hit him with stemming from his now-infamous February run-in with police.