NBA

Jayson Tatum's first NBA championship will be with him -- or on him -- forever ... 'cause it seems the Boston Celtics star just got a new tattoo ... showing the NBA superstar kissing the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Photos of the piece started circulating on social media this week ... a large tattoo located on the back of the 5x NBA All-Star, next to other tats paying homage to his hometown, St. Louis.

The tattoo is taken straight from real life ... after the C's beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals in June, securing the title.

NBA champ Iman Shumpert and Amber Rose stripped down to their swimsuits and enjoyed a day in the Miami heat ... but before ya get any ideas -- TMZ Sports is told it was nothing more than a platonic gathering.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard and model/personality were spotted lounging on some beach chairs on Wednesday ... smoking what appeared to be some ciggys as they chopped it up near the water.

Rose rocked a black halterneck suit for the occasion ... and Shump sported some light-colored trunks.

Shaquille O'Neal still adamantly denies he's the big man in the photo burning up social media, using a Shaggy hit to get the word out ... this after the woman shared evidence she claims proves she was with the Big Fella!

52-year-old Shaq shared a video on Instagram ... where the Hall of Famer, sitting alongside Peter Gunz, lip-synced to Shaggy's 2000 hit, "It Wasn't Me".

The video is a response to a woman named Maria Ozuna Teachey ... who earlier in the week shared a now-deleted Rated-R photo with a giant dude who many assumed was O'Neal (the person is so tall their head is out of frame).

LeBron James is rallying behind Bryce Young ... telling the second-year quarterback to stay focused on his goals after losing his starting job with the Carolina Panthers.

King James -- a fellow No. 1 overall pick himself -- went to X to show support for the young signal-caller on Tuesday ... making sure his 53 million followers saw his encouraging message.

"Bryce Young hold ya head Young 🤴🏾!! Rooting for you and know this ain't on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail! 🙏🏾👑"

If basketball ends anytime soon for NBA star Tyrese Haliburton ... he's clearly got a career in the wrestling world -- as during another WWE appearance on Tuesday, he played the heel role perfectly, taking a swipe at Orlando Magic fans!!

The 24-year-old Indiana Pacers forward stopped by NXT -- the company's developmental brand -- in Orlando with initial goals of helping set up a match contract between Trick Williams and Ethan Page.

Haliburton wasn't alone, though ... he rolled to the squared circle with a ton of his Pacers teammates -- and when the Florida fans weren't happy to see him, he showed off his villain skills on the mic.

Social media detectives can relax ... Shaquille O'Neal says he is NOT the man in the PDA photo making the rounds all over the internet Tuesday.

If you haven't seen it yet ... the selfie was posted by Maria Ozuna Teachey to her 200K-plus followers on Instagram earlier this week -- and it featured her in front of a mirror with a large man's arms wrapped around her.

Because of the dude's size, many believed it was the Big Diesel -- after all, the dude appeared super tall and really buff -- and he seemingly had big hands and feet as well.

Michael Jordan has finally found a buyer for his near-$15 million mansion in a Chicago suburb ... after sitting for 12 years!!!

The 56,000-square-foot estate is currently listed as "contingent," indicating the would-be buyer and MJ have a deal, but it's contingent upon several conditions being met.

The property is located in Highland Park, Illinois ... and it's got a bunch of amenities, including the iconic No. 23 gate, nine bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a cigar room, a library, an indoor gym, and of course, a full-sized basketball court.

Derrick White was hit in the head by a spinning backfist on Saturday, new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows ... and it all appeared to be because the NBA champion was showing love for his alma mater.

White, a Boston Celtics star and a Univ. of Colorado alum, attended the Buffaloes' big rivalry matchup with Colorado State over the weekend at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins in some CU swag ... and, initially, it looked like he was enjoying the game without issue.

But, one witness in attendance tells us during the second quarter ... the hooper got into a bit of a verbal spat with some Rams fans as Deion Sanders and Co. began handling business on the field.

Byron Scott is feeling MUCH better about JJ Redick leading the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports he's more confident in his chances at success after bringing in some experienced coaches to be his assistants.

Scott -- a former Lakers player and coach himself -- spelled it out to us at LAX this week ... admitting he initially felt L.A. made a mistake in handing the reins to a guy with zero experience on the bench.

"I mean I got a lot of respect for him because of what he's been able to do in the league. But when you talk about coaches, everybody talked about they wanted to get an experienced coach," Scott said. "He has no experience."

A'ja Wilson celebrated her new record for most points in a WNBA regular season ... by spending the day with NBA star Bam Adebayo!!

TMZ Sports obtained photos of the two basketball centers making their way downtown in Indianapolis on Thursday -- just hours after Wilson secured the single-season scoring title against the Indiana Fever.

The six-time WNBA All-Star and Miami Heat hooper were among a group of people on a stroll down Market Street ... and they appeared to be multitasking, as they had some grub in hand.

Rolando Romero seems to be planning on having one of the best performances of his career later Saturday against Manuel Jaimes ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the boxer's copped all kinds of cool custom gear for the battle.

We're told Romero (a.k.a. Rolly) was hooked up with some Bruce Lee and Kobe Bryant swag from his go-to guy Aztek Kustoms ... just ahead of his 10-round tilt with Jaimes (16-1) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Aztek hooked Rolly up with unreleased Nike Machomai 3s boxing shoes ... and made them look just like the Kobe 5 Protro Bruce Lees that Bryant originally released in 2010.

Ex-NBA player Mitchell Wiggins -- the father of Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins -- has died, his family announced. He was 64 years old.

Details surrounding his passing were not released.

Mitchell was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 23rd overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. He played in the Windy City for one season before being traded to the Houston Rockets -- where he remained until 1987.

Jenn Tran isn't done putting the full-court press on Cleveland Cavs player Max Strus ... 'cause one day after professing her crush on the hooper, she was caught double-tapping on his recent thirst trap.

As we previously reported, the "Bachelorette" beauty gushed over the sharp-shooter on "The Viall Files" podcast released Thursday ... saying after finding out Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was off the market, she wouldn't mind if Strus slid into her DMs.

The shout-out could very well work in her favor ... 'cause as it turns out, the two follow each other on social media. It's unclear if it's a recent development, or if Tran had been on Strus' radar all along.

"Bachelorette" star Jenn Tran is looking to move on from Devin Strader with a hunky NBA player ... revealing her celebrity crush is Cleveland Cavaliers hooper Max Strus -- and she wants him to hit her up ASAP!!

The gorgeous reality TV star spilled the beans on her dating life on the most recent episode of "The Viall Files" ... where she said she's not looking to get back on the market after her disastrous split from her ex-fiancé.

Tran said she'd make an exception if Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was interested ... that is, until she was informed he's currently boo'd up with singer Ella Mai.

Dwight Howard hasn't fully committed to retirement from the NBA, but there is one sport we'll never see him in again -- as he tells TMZ Sports his wrestling dreams are over ... and it's all thanks to Ric Flair!!

We caught up with the former Lakers center out in L.A. this week ... and as he gets ready to enter into the world of tangos and waltzes on this season of "Dancing With The Stars" -- we just had to ask how his WWE aspirations were going.

You'll recall, back in 2022, he actually tried out for the org. ... and one of the promos he cut went so viral -- many expected him to enter the biz when his hooping career officially finishes.

Rudy Gobert was forced to use his award-winning defense on Shaquille O'Neal on Thursday ... firing back after the Hall of Famer called him the worst player in the NBA.

The Big Aristotle didn't mince his words during a sit-down with his son, Myles, this week ... when he claimed the Minnesota Timberwolves big man "can't f***ing play" and didn't deserve his five-year, $205 million contract.

Shaq insisted he wasn't being a hater ... just stating facts, as there are so many people in the world with "real" jobs who don't get paid nearly as much.