NBA

Allen Iverson's visit with a group of sick children in Australia went anything but smoothly -- it was reportedly a disaster -- and we may now know why ... jet lag.

A.I. faced criticism this week after he was accused of disappointing a group of 12 kids courageously battling cancer in Australia, who were set to spend some time with the NBA legend, where he was expected to sign autographs, take photos, and have fun with the kids.

But, listening to some people who were there, that's not exactly how things went down. More, Australia's 10 News aired some video of the meet-and-greet, and he appears sluggish, showing little enthusiasm.

Here's hoping Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu has a good dental plan ... 'cause the big man took an elbow to the face Wednesday night during the team's clash with the Celtics, leading to his teeth getting knocked out!

It all went down during the fourth quarter of the Hawks' 117-106 win over the Celts. As Jaylen Brown attempted to keep the ball away from Okongwu, his elbow connected with the right side of his face, drawing a flagrant foul.

When he stepped to the free-throw line ... you saw the full extent of the damage to his money maker.

LeBron James’ homecoming hit different Wednesday night … and it might’ve been a final bow.

After the Lakers got smacked 129-99 by the Cavaliers in Cleveland, James didn’t sound like a guy planning many more trips back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The 41-year-old flat-out admitted the thought crossed his mind that this “very well could be” his last game ever in The Land.

And yeah, it showed.

Lamar Odom is getting professional help -- TMZ Sports is told the NBA champion checked into rehab after his recent DUI arrest.

Odom entered a 30-day treatment program at the iRely Recovery facility in Los Angeles ... after his run-in with police sparked some triggers from his past that he wanted to address.

The former Lakers star is looking to shake marijuana  ... as he was afraid his smoking could lead to doing hard drugs again, his manager, Gina Rodriguez, told us.

Tuesday night in the NBA looked more like Fight Night ... with players in not one, but two games getting feisty on the hardwood, with one hooper having to be restrained all the way through the tunnel to the locker room!

The first scrap of the evening involved the reigning NBA champs (and '26 frontrunners), the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were playing the New Orleans Pelicans. Immediately after the final buzzer sounded ... OKC's Lu Dort and New Orleans' Jeremiah Fears got into a benches-clearing skirmish, where Dort put up a fist as the two were grabbing each other's jerseys.

Once they were able to separate the two players, members of the Pelicans staff had to hold Fears all the way back to the locker room, with Zion Williamson seemingly looking to catch up and calm him down.

Kevin Durant is well aware of the countless social media posts about his dry skin ... but the joke's on the haters behind the tweets -- 'cause he's laughing to the bank!!

The Houston Rockets superstar sat in front of a camera and read some mean posts ... while providing some classic clap-backs in the process.

KD gave props to the funny and creative jabs ... but he came out on top overall -- since the whole clip was part of an ad with CeraVe.

A  moment of silence for Alex Pretti was held at the Minnesota Timberwolves' home game on Sunday -- and as soon as it ended, some fans in attendance used it as an opportunity to shout "F*** ICE" for all to hear.

As we previously reported, the Wolves' matchup with the Golden State Warriors was postponed following Pretti's death to "prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community" amid all the unrest that followed the fatal incident.

When the two teams took the court a day later, tensions were clearly still high. In a recorded video of the tribute, multiple people are heard voicing their opposition to ICE.

That wasn't the only moment during the game that had people talking. During a break in the action ... the Target Center put on a dunk show with the fans ... with the dunkers wearing "ICE OUT" t-shirts.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won't be tipping off this afternoon against Steph Curry's Warriors -- the NBA has postponed the matchup -- after a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement spurred on civil unrest Saturday morning in Minneapolis.

"The National Basketball Association game scheduled for today between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed," the NBA announced a short time ago.

"The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community."

The shooting occurred shortly after 9 AM local time, when 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti was involved in a confrontation with a group of feds ... which turned deadly.

Cameron Diaz might be ready to plant some new roots ... and she’s been scoping out some of South Florida’s most impressive homes -- one of which belongs to a prominent NBAer.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cameron has been quietly touring high-end homes in the Miami suburbs and Miami Beach over the past few weeks with her husband, Benji Madden, as they explore potential new digs.

A little kid had the guts to ask Jordan Poole what folks have been wondering for years -- how did it feel to get punched by Draymond Green during practice in 2022?!?

A TikTok was posted showing Poole and Pelicans teammates chatting it up with some youngins at a meet and greet ... and the impromptu interview started pretty innocently, with questions like who his favorite teammates were when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.

The 26-year-old listed names like Kevon Looney -- who he now plays with in NOLA -- along with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

Philip Rivers apparently didn't have to unretire to play for the Colts at 41 years old, 'cause there was an available quarterback in Indy this whole time -- courtesy of Caitlin Clark!!

The Indiana Fever star showed off her arms on her Instagram story, throwing several passes to her player development coach, Rob Dosier -- with hooper Jaden Terry playing defense -- in the Pacers' training facility.

It was pretty impressive -- and she knew it, too -- as she left a message for all the scouts who might be watching.

Lakers boss Jeanie Buss has reportedly been quietly losing patience with LeBron James … and the spark? Gratitude -- or, the lack of it.

Buss was privately fuming behind the scenes after the team drafted Bronny James with the 55th pick in 2024 ... because King James didn’t exactly show his appreciation, according to an ESPN report on how family infighting drove the $10 billion sale of the iconic franchise.

Buss saw the pick as a major gesture of loyalty to the James family, and she expected a little appreciation from LeBron, but instead, she believes he shrugged it off, and it irked Jeanie.

LeBron James didn’t just beat the Nuggets Tuesday night … he toyed with them, and one tiny hand motion turned into the loudest moment of the game.

Cameras caught King James at one point in the night looking toward Denver’s bench, grinning and pretending his hand was a jack-in-the-box -- with his middle finger being the "jack."

Was it a flip-off? Not quite. Was it accidental? Not a chance. There's actually a familiar face on that bench -- his old buddy and teammate, Jared Dudley ... so the one-finger salute could have been out of love.

Cops say Lamar Odom had bloodshot, watery eyes and his car reeked of weed before he was arrested for DUI ... and claim the ex-NBA star fessed up to smoking marijuana earlier in the day.

TMZ Sports has obtained more details on the former Laker's arrest -- officers say they were patrolling the streets around 2 AM on Saturday when a black SUV pulled up from behind at a high rate of speed.

Cops say the car then zoomed past the cruiser and registered 106 MPH on a radar ... and emergency lights and sirens were activated.

Lamar Odom insists he wasn't under the influence of alcohol or narcotics when he was busted for driving under the influence over the weekend.

The NBA champ addressed his arrest with TMZ Sports on Tuesday ... saying he's taking full responsibility for his actions, while also clearing the air a bit on what got him put in the slammer.

LO didn't specify what he had, if anything, in his system before Vegas cops booked him for driving under the influence and two traffic violations on Saturday ... but owned up to needing to be more responsible behind the wheel.

Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson's mini golf date night got a bit spicy ... with the rapper grinding all over the NBA star as she lined up for a putt.

The couple went out in New York City on Monday night ... with Thompson's Dallas Mavericks in town to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden for their MLK Day game earlier in the day.

After Thompson and the Mavs won 114-97, they decided to celebrate with some more sports.