NBA

Shaquille O'Neal is stoked to hear about Allen Iverson's decision to quit drinking ... telling TMZ Sports he's "proud" of the NBA legend's new lifestyle.

We caught up with Shaq at the premiere of the new "Allen Iv3rson" Prime Video documentary in NYC on Monday ... and he raved about not only A.I. the player -- but the man off the court as well.

Shaq -- who was an executive producer alongside Stephen Curry -- explained why being involved in the project was so important to him ... saying Iverson deserved to have his story told from his point of view.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Adem Bona learned the hard way to listen to his teammates ... 'cause his actions led to a car full of popcorn!!

The squad's veteran center, Andre Drummond, showed off the damage of the classic prank in a TikTok on Thursday -- Bona's Genesis was filled to the brim with some popped kernels ... and one of his tires was placed in front of his locker.

So, what did the 22-year-old do to deserve this?? Drummond claims Bona was told "to get off the table" and he needed to learn to "follow instructions."

Megan Thee Stallion is officially in her NBA WAG era ... the rapper made her courtside debut at the Mavericks' preseason finale in Las Vegas on Wednesday to support her boyfriend, Klay Thompson.

The "Bigger In Texas" spitter was spotted at T-Mobile Arena for Dallas' exhibition tilt vs. the Lakers ... and she had one of the best seats in the house to catch her man do his thing on the hardwood.

Fans were excited to see Meg supporting Klay, including ESPN's like Kendrick Perkins, who applauded the Mavericks star while live on air for getting a girl like her.

Don't tell Amen Thompson and Jose Alvarado preseason games don't count ... 'cause the two NBAers had to be pulled apart from each other during a fight in the Rockets vs. Pelicans matchup!!

Things got physical in the second quarter of the contest at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama ... when the two guards battled for a rebound.

Alvarado started to lose his balance in his attempt and grabbed Thompson's jersey to break his fall. Thompson tried to push him off ... but Alvarado kept tugging away, forcing him to collapse -- irking him in the process.

Allen Iverson says he's officially done with booze ... telling TMZ Sports he's made a promise with God to never drink again.

We caught up with The Answer out in New York City this week just after he announced his six-month sobriety milestone -- and he made it clear, he's committed to a no-alcohol lifestyle from here.

Iverson told us he has no temptations to revert back ... explaining, "I had my conversation with God."

Nikola Jokic's brother, Strahinja, was just ordered to 12 months of probation ... over that violent encounter he had with a fan during a 2024 Nuggets playoff game.

According to prosecutors in Denver, a judge setenced Strahinja on Friday ... after he pled guilty to one count of trespassing and one count of disorderly conduct.

The case, of course, was brought against the Jokic bro following the Nuggets vs. Lakers playoff game on April 22, 2024.

Paul Pierce is opening up on his DUI arrest ... and he's chalking the whole ordeal up to being "old" and "tired."

The NBA legend was taken into custody late Tuesday night ... after the California Highway Patrol said officers found him asleep at the wheel of a Range Rover SUV in the middle of U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles.

Pierce said in a statement on Threads on Thursday the CHP's decision to close lanes for nearly an hour to investigate a crash is what led to the whole issue.

Lakers fans still reeling over the Lebron James "Second Decision" madness now have an even bigger headache to deal with ... the King has been ruled out for the start of the NBA season with an injury.

The team revealed on Thursday James will be sidelined for the next three to four weeks as he deals with sciatica -- an issue that causes pain, numbness and tingling in the lower back and down the leg.

The recovery timeline means the 40-year-old forward will miss L.A.'s home-opener vs. Steph Curry's Warriors on Oct. 21. It likely means he's out for the Lakers' tilt with Anthony Edwards' Timberwolves on Oct. 24 as well.

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was arrested on Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol said.

According to the CHP, authorities found Pierce asleep while he was in the driver's seat of his Range Rover as it was in the middle of traffic on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.

Cops say lanes had been closed on the highway while a crash investigation occurred ... and the sleeping Pierce was discovered following their reopening at around 11:35 PM.

A Los Angeles Lakers fan is suing LeBron James ... alleging the NBA superstar duped him with "The Second Decision" -- and cost him hundreds of dollars.

Andrew Garcia, a 29-year-old, lifelong Lakers fan, filed the lawsuit in a small claims court in Los Angeles County on Wednesday ... claiming James owes him $865.66 after he says the hooper seemingly intimated he was about to announce his retirement.

Garcia tells TMZ Sports ... when James on Monday teased he had a big choice to make -- he figured The King meant he was hanging up his sneakers, so he raced to Ticketmaster to score some seats to what would be LBJ's last-ever matchup with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

LeBron James sent fans into a frenzy by teasing a retirement announcement only for it to be an ad ... and JJ Redick can't believe people thought it was anything else -- telling reporters, "You guys are idiots."

Redick was meeting with the media when he was asked about James' "Second Decision" rollout ... which was a big promotion for Hennessy.

While fans were scrambling to scoop up tickets to catch King James in action one last time, the Lakers head coach thought it was obvious.

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.