NBA

Rich Paul wants to clear the air about his recent Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James take ... saying even though he'd want MJ to take a last shot over his bestie/top client ... the King is still 100% his G.O.A.T.

ICYMI, Paul and his "Game Over" podcast co-host Max Kellerman were talking hoop recently ... when the big-time sports agent revealed he chose His Airness to be the guy shooting the ball at the end of a game over Bron or Kobe Bryant -- saying there's "no question about it."

When we caught up with Paul out in Beverly Hills this week ... he said folks made it out to be like he was dissing LBJ in favor of MJ ... which was not the case at all.

Jalen Green's unfiltered approach to hyping up his teammate during a postgame interview just set him back a chunk of change ... 'cause the NBA just fined him $25k for dropping an F-bomb on TV.

ICYMI, Green crashed Collin Gillespie's Q&A on Monday after scoring 25 points in the Phoenix Suns' 115-101 win over the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena.

Green -- sidelined with a hamstring injury -- was clearly proud of his guy ... and apparently couldn't hold back his expletive-filled excitement.

LeBron James just made his 41st trip around the sun ... and the Los Angeles Lakers shared how they celebrated the four-time NBA champion at practice ... with rookie Adou Thiero leading the team in singing "Happy Birthday!"

L.A. shared its post-workout festivities on Tuesday, showing off a cake with the King James logo and a crown on top. But before the team could dive in, Thiero had to serenade the future Hall of Famer.

While the voice probably wouldn't get him far on "American Idol" ... the rook didn't sound too bad. Especially considering he was put on the spot, it gets an A+ for effort in our books!!

Jimmy Butler was in a trash-talking mood Monday Night in the Big Apple ... seemingly calling Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf "white boy" repeatedly after he was able to draw a foul against the rookie.

It all went down in the third quarter of the Warriors' 120-107 win over Brooklyn. After getting a bucket to fall for a potential three-point play, Butler started shouting what sounds like "white boy" toward his opponent.

The mics picked up Butler's heated moment ... and he seemingly added some more "White boy!" jabs before adding, "Every time!"

The Backstreet Boys made the "right decision" not signing with Shaquille O'Neal back in the day ... so says AJ McLean, who tells TMZ Sports while he adores the NBA legend -- he doubts they'd have the same success had they inked a deal with him.

It's a wild story, but 100% true -- both BSB and *NSYNC used Shaq's Orlando studio to record some of their earliest music when he was a member of the Magic in the '90s ... and O'Neal has openly expressed his regret over not pouncing on the opportunity to work with the boy bands in an official capacity.

We caught up with AJ recently ... and asked a good ol' "what if?"

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... which means epic NBA showdowns -- and the gorgeous wives and girlfriends that come with them!!

The first matchup takes place at Madison Square Garden ... where the Cavaliers face the NBA Cup champion New York Knicks.

In his first interview since being released from the same prison that houses Diddy, former NBA player Sebastian Telfair tells TMZ what it was like being locked up with the music mogul.

Telfair chatted with our cameraperson just hours after being released from FCI Fort Dix, revealing it was rough for him getting locked up after living such a successful life, but he "couldn't imagine how Diddy felt."

Still, Telfair says the Bad Boy cofounder is making the most of it and staying in good spirits.

He said, "Diddy's holding it down. He's doing what he gotta do. And where he's at, they're going to help him."

Ex-NBA player Sebastian Telfair got a special holiday gift -- he's out of prison.

TMZ Sports has learned the 40-year-old was released from the Bureau of Prisons custody this week ... after spending the past few months at Fort Dix FCI in New Jersey.

Telfair said he's feeling good and rehabilitated now ... telling Antoinette Media he's ready to get home to his loved ones after taking care of himself.

LeBron James is gearing up for what will be his record-setting 20th NBA Christmas Day game later this week ... and the King is opening up on always having to work on the holiday -- saying he'd much rather be on the couch with his fam.

James made the comments following the Lakers' loss to the Clippers over the weekend ... when he was asked why Christmas basketball matters to him.

"It's the game that I love," James said. "It's a game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest play the game on Christmas. It's always been an honor to play it."

But the 40-year-old was honest with reporters -- while he knows the impact of playing in these games -- he wishes he could also soak in the special day like the rest of the world gets to enjoy it.

Days after Isaiah Rider said he was prepared to go to court to deal with a protective order put in place by his wife … TMZ Sports has learned the former NBA hooper was arrested for failure to appear at his court date.

According to court documents we obtained, Isaiah was not present at the hearing earlier this week to determine whether the order should remain in effect. The docs say his wife, Vanessa, did attend the hearing ... and the judge signed off on keeping the order in place.

Law enforcement in Arizona says the no-show landed the former NBA star in cuffs, telling us, "An individual named Isaiah Rider was arrested earlier today on a warrant for failing to appear at a court hearing on December 15."

"He was booked and processed at the Gilbert-Chandler Unified Holding Facility."

Isaiah's attorney, Benjamin Taylor, told us his client is not going to comment further on the matter ... but the former Laker previously told us he believes his ex is only going through with the protective order because he is moving forward with their divorce.

The NBA is reinstating longtime referee Eric Lewis ... two years after he hung up his whistle amid an investigation into whether he used a burner account on social media to talk hoops!

The Association released a statement on Friday announcing the move, saying Lewis will begin officiating at the G League Winter Showcase this weekend.

It'll be the first time Lewis will be back on the hardwood for a professional basketball game since 2023, when the league launched a probe into a burner account linked to Lewis, which would constitute a violation of league policy.

Los Angeles Lakers minority owner Jeanie Buss is adding to her real estate portfolio ... shelling out $4.2 million for a stunning beachfront home.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2,252 square-foot property sits right on the beach in the Playa del Rey neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The oceanfront retreat -- sold by Dena Luciano of Douglas Elliman and co-listed with Berkshire Hathaway's Yvette Busot -- was built in 1956 and features four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Well, this is one way for the Knicks to celebrate a big win.

Josh Hart gave Jalen Brunson a big thumbs up on his NBA Cup championship performance on Tuesday ... quite literally -- 'cause he put his digit in firmly in his ass!!

The wild moment happened as New York partied on stage at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 124-113.

When Karl-Anthony Towns lifted the NBA Cup trophy, Brunson -- the MVP of the game -- turned to help, unknowingly leaving his back perfectly exposed to his mischievous buddy.

The New York Knicks are NBA Cup champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night in Las Vegas ... and the victors made sure to (virtually) celebrate with their biggest A-list fans -- Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller!!

Karl-Anthony Towns shared the evidence on Instagram that the two hit his line after their 124-113 win ... and while it's just screenshots of their conversation, the images show the two thespians were totally pumped.

"Marty Supreme approved," Towns wrote on the picture featuring Chalamet.

Victor Wembanyama played in Tuesday's NBA Cup Final against the New York Knicks with a heavy heart ... the San Antonio Spurs superstar learned of his grandma's death just hours before tip-off, with the big man fighting back tears after the game.

Wembanyama was meeting with the media after the 124-113 loss to the Knicks, when the 7'4" center got visibly emotional at the podium, pausing to gather himself before apologizing to those in the room.

"Sorry," Wembanyama said. "I lost somebody today."

Another year, another successful “Shaq-A-Claus” event for Shaquille O’Neal ... but the NBA legend says it’s his mission to make the annual shindig even bigger, telling TMZ Sports he wants to have a 50-state “Shaq-A-Thon” in the future!

The Hall of Famer chopped it up with Courtney and Babcock on "TMZ Live" from Georgia, where they were treating hundreds of kids to a boat-load of free toys and experiences for the holidays.