NBA

The Cavaliers and Knicks' season opener brought all the celebrities to Madison Square Garden ... with Ed Sheeran, Aaron Judge, and Cam Skattebo, who got a lot of love from the fans, all pulled up!

The Knicks and Cavs tipped off their 2025 season Wednesday night in NYC ... and Giants rookie running back sensation, Skattebo, used his free time after practice to catch the action.

His presence didn't go unnoticed. Skattebo drew a huge ovation from the crowd as he was shown on the Jumbotron.

The Oklahoma City Thunder unveiled their 2025 NBA championship bling ahead of Opening Night ... and technically, they got two rings in one!!

The champs' new hardware features more than 800 custom-cut gemstones set in 14-karat white and yellow gold. They have diamonds throughout ... as well as blue and orange sapphires to represent the Thunder colors.

The rings feature the OKC logo, the Larry O'Brien Trophy and "NBA Champion" all in diamonds. Their 68-14 record is also etched into the jewelry.

LeBron James did not suit up for the Lakers' season opener -- the first time he's missed a Game 1 in his NBA career ... and his good buddy Draymond Green couldn't help but roast his "old ass" for the absence.

The four-time NBA champ was out as L.A. hosted the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night ... marking the first time in 23 years the NBA tipped off without the King.

While fans were sad to see James in street clothes on the bench due to his injury, Green saw it as a perfect chance to clown his rival ... joking about Father Time with reporters.

Kevin Durant took his cold reception in Oklahoma City in stride ... clapping back at a fan's jeers ahead of his debut with the Houston Rockets -- telling the spectator, "boo you, too, motherf***er!!"

K.D. -- who played eight seasons for the Thunder -- visited the reigning NBA champs in the season-opening matchup at the Paycom Center on Tuesday ... and even though it's been nine years since he left the organization for the Golden State Warriors, at least one person in attendance wanted to make it clear they haven't forgiven him just yet.

Instead of getting pissed about the boo birds, Durant sent them right back with a smile on his face ... while also including the F-bomb.

His Airness has apparently been grounded for good.

Michael Jordan revealed on Tuesday night just before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season that he no longer plays basketball -- not even occasionally in a random gym or driveway.

The iconic hooper, working in his new "MJ: Insights to Excellence" role at NBC for the first time, told Mike Tirico he actually hasn't picked up a ball "in years" -- outside of one free throw attempt during last month's Ryder Cup.

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.