NBA

Terry Rozier's team isn't abandoning him after his arrest ... with Erik Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo showing support for the player on Friday.

Spoelstra -- the Miami Heat head coach since 2008 -- addressed reporters at practice ... just 24 hours after his shooting guard was taken into custody.

He initially said he couldn't comment much due to the ongoing case ... but made it clear Rozier means a lot to him and the team.

Megan Thee Stallion was front and center, cheering on her beau, Klay Thompson, for his NBA season-opener when he and his Mavs got blown out by over 30 points -- and she's doubling down her affection in a new single!!!

On Friday, Megan unleashed her "Lover Girl" single -- independently released on her Hot Girl Productions imprint -- lyrically gushing over Klay's moves off the court ... "My man, my man, my man, my baby, my baby / D****n' me down, spoiling me, driving me crazy."

Meg proudly refers to Klay as "her n***a" but says he never stoops low and labels her a "b*tch" ... but raps how the Splash Brother has no issues turning her lady parts into "Splash Town" -- backing up all the liquid language she flexed on her Diamond-selling collab with Cardi B, "WAP."

The song also borrows its sample from female R&B group Total's 1995 hit, "Kissin' You" from back when they were signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records

Months after Red Panda broke her wrist during a fall in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship ... the iconic halftime performer made her much-anticipated return on Thursday -- and it's safe to say she is SO back.

The legend popped up at the Amazon Studios after the L.A. Chargers beat the Minnesota Vikings on "Thursday Night Football" ... and proved she hasn't missed a step in recovery.

If there were any nerves for the performance, she wasn't showing them. The crew went wild when the performer -- real name Rong "Krystal" Niu -- nailed her signature bowl flip while riding a unicycle.

Allen Iverson is offering up NBA advice to Cooper Flagg ... and as a former No. 1 overall pick who went on to become a Hall of Famer -- the Dallas Mavericks star sure would be wise to listen up!!

The Answer doled out several tips to this year's top draft selection while chatting with TMZ Sports just before Flagg's Wednesday night debut.

Iverson's first bit of guidance was straightforward ... as he implored Flagg to take things "one day at a time."

Federal prosecutors indicated in court documents this month that Chauncey Billups allegedly leaked confidential information about his Trail Blazers to at least one bettor.

Billups appears to be listed as "Co-Conspirator 8" in a now-unsealed indictment filed by feds last week in a New York court.

The clues aren't hard to decipher ... given "Co-Conspirator 8" is described as "an NBA player who played from roughly 1997 to 2014 who went on to become a coach in 2021."

Chauncey Billups allegedly scored $50,000 from one of the rigged poker games authorities say he participated in several years ago.

Federal prosecutors wrote in new court documents TMZ Sports has obtained that, back in October 2020, Billups was rewarded with the cash after he helped a group of alleged crooks swindle someone out of loads of dough by cheating during a game of high-stakes cards.

The feds claim the scheme Billups and his co-conspirators cooked up involved advanced technology -- such as tampered-with deck shufflers and X-ray tables -- as well as players subtly working with one another to gang up on their victim.

1:03 PM PT -- Effortless Motors, the company that sold Shaq the Range Rover, is shedding more light on the situation ... while also putting up a $10k reward for info leading to the recovery of the vehicle.

"Effortless Motors was the authorized selling dealership and arranged transport through a third-party company that appeared fully verified. Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit," we're told.

“We take the security and trust of our clients very seriously,” said a spokesperson for Effortless Motors. “This was a highly coordinated criminal act targeting the transport company’s network. We are working closely with law enforcement and federal investigators to recover the vehicle and hold those responsible accountable.”

Shaquille O'Neal's brand-new, tricked-out 2025 Range Rover was jacked this week in Georgia ... and the story is pretty crazy!

The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office (GA) tells TMZ Sports they received a report on Wednesday alleging the Hall of Famer's black Land Rover Range Rover, which had undergone extensive custom work at a local shop in Dahlonega, GA, was missing.

This is where things get weird.

The intent was to transport Shaq's car to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but it never arrived, despite allegedly being picked up by a shipping company.

Cops now believe someone might've impersonated the shipping company, acting as if they were the legit transporters ... when in reality they were stealing the Big Fella's whip.

Chauncey Billups has had a very colorful career in professional sports, and he's gone through plenty of ups and downs.

The former athlete became one of the most recognizable players in the NBA during his time as a player, and he eventually returned to the game as a coach.

We're going to check out how the sports figure navigated his careers on and off the court -- and see how he ended up being caught up in a troubling investigation.

10:06 AM PT -- Tiago Splitter is set to be named the interim head coach of the Blazers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. He joined the team as an assistant coach in June.

9:16 AM PT -- The NBA just announced it's placing Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups "on immediate leave from their teams" in the wake of Thursday's arrests.

It added it's cooperating with authorities, reviewing indictments and taking the "allegations with the utmost seriousness."

"The integrity of our game remains our top priority," the league stated.

FBI director Kash Patel and other federal officials just shed light on the Thursday arrests of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones ... and the allegations against the trio of NBAers are shocking.

Rozier's case is perhaps the most eyebrow-raising, as New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch claimed that while the hooper was with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he illegally helped bettors gain thousands of dollars by letting them know he was going to pull himself from a game early "with a supposed injury."

Megan Thee Stallion isn't the only one embracing the new NBA WAG lifestyle! GloRilla is, too ... the rapper, rockin' his jersey number around her neck, was sittin' courtside cheerin' on her man, Brandon Ingram!

The "Typa" star was at State Farm Arena on Wednesday to support the Toronto Raptors in their season opener against the Atlanta Hawks.

GloRilla was front and center as she watched the Raptors forward net 16 points in the team's 138-118 win ... and she was all smiles!

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested in relation to a federal investigation into illegal gambling.

Rozier was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando after Miami's road matchup with the Magic, ESPN reports. He did not play in the contest due to a coach's decision.

Billups, who is in his fifth season as head coach of Portland, was arrested in Oregon over an alleged "separate but related" illegal betting operation, ABC News reports. Billups coached in the Blazers' home loss to the Timberwolves just prior to being taken into custody.

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.