NBA

LaMelo Ball is adamant he's not a bigot ... telling reporters Sunday that even though he used some anti-gay language earlier in the weekend, he has "love for everybody."

Ball was fined by the NBA just prior to his Sunday evening meeting with the media ... after league officials deemed the "no homo" comment he made in a postgame interview on Saturday "offensive and derogatory."

Ball told journalists following the Hornets' 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers that he "really didn't mean anything" by the remark ... and he doesn't "want to offend anybody."

Just because Bronny James is bouncing between the NBA and G League doesn't mean his hoops career is cooked ... so says Metta World Peace, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers rookie is getting a great opportunity to develop.

James -- the 55th overall pick -- was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Nov. 7 ... after the guard averaged 0.7 points, and 2.7 minutes of playing time in six games with the big dogs.

It's not your average move, though ... as Bronny will only play home games for South Bay and continue to travel with his pops and the rest of his Lakers teammates for NBA games as well.

Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, is calling on everyone to keep the jokes and memes coming about the Miami Heat legend's new statue ... telling TMZ Sports all the silly comments only make it that much more of a must-see attraction!!

We caught up with the future Hall of Famer's oldest out at LAX this week ... and asked him what the fam REALLY thinks of the team's permanent tribute to Dwyane outside the Kaseya Center -- especially after all the reactions it got on social media.

It turns out D-Wade wasn't lying when he said he loved it ... 'cause Zaire doubled down and said that's how they all feel about the honor.

Like father, like son!!

Kiyan Anthony just announced he'll be playing college basketball at Syracuse -- following the footsteps of his former NBA superstar dad, Carmelo!

The 17-year-old guard revealed his decision between USC and 'Cuse on Melo's "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast on Friday ... with his dad and mom, La La Anthony, by his side.

The Long Island Lutheran High School star thanked the USC and Syracuse coaching staffs for the recruitment process ... before taking out an Orange cap and putting it on his head.

Nearly getting run over by a Knicks player apparently has a place alongside Oscars and blockbuster movie credits for Anne Hathaway ... 'cause she just revealed her scary encounter with OG Anunoby earlier this week was actually on her "bucket list!"

Hathaway took to her Instagram page on Thursday night to address the close call she had on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden ... and she was surprisingly jovial about it all.

In a selfie video, she said "I almost got crashed into last night!" before adding, "I always wanted that to happen!"

Carmelo Anthony says Stevie Wonder -- who, newsflash, is blind -- once told him he loved WATCHING him play basketball.

The hilarious revelation came on Melo's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast ... when the hooper was asked by co-host The Kid Mero for the name of someone famous who expressed their fandom of the future Hall of Famer.

That's when Melo began to tell the story of his 2011 meeting with the legendary musician over All-Star Weekend.

A New York Knicks fan infiltrated a family-friendly event with some adult humor on Wednesday ... making use of his time on the kiss cam by doing something a bit, uh, different than locking lips with his significant other.

The surprising moment happened during a break in the action at the home team's matchup with the Chicago Bulls ... when the Madison Square Garden cameras focused on an apparent couple enjoying their date night.

The woman was seemingly ready to give her man a smooch ... but the dude had other plans. As she leaned in for a peck, he grabbed her head and pushed it down toward his lap -- and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the message he was trying to convey.

Desmond Mason -- the 2001 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion -- was jailed in Oklahoma on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

An Oklahoma County Detention Center official tells us ... Mason was thrown behind bars on a charge of contempt of court just before noon. He was released several hours later -- at around 9:34 PM -- on a $50,000 bond.

Court documents we obtained showed the booking stemmed from Mason's divorce case with Andrea Mason. Officials allege in the docs the former hooper did not appear at a court hearing, despite being ordered to do so.

Anne Hathaway's courtside seats Wednesday night might have been just a little too courtside ... 'cause she nearly got a faceful of a sprinting Knicks player!!

Check out video from the first quarter of New York's tilt with Chicago at Madison Square Garden ... OG Anunoby almost crashed right into the actress and her son as he hunted for a loose ball.

The 6-foot-7 232-pound forward tipped a Josh Giddey pass -- and then ran after it ... but thankfully, he was able to put the brakes on before he did damage to Hathaway.

Ex-NBA player Kyle Singler's recent social media posts have many people concerned for his safety and well-being... so much so, it actually caught the attention of the NBA Players Association -- who said they are in contact with his family.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the NBPA said they've been in touch with the family of the 36-year-old hooper, but did not offer any specifics on what they talked about ... nor did they provide any updates on Kyle.

"As with all current and former members of the NBPA, we offer any and all support to players, whether through their biggest successes or times of challenge," the NBPA said.

Shaquille O'Neal is keeping his foot on the gas when it comes to Joel Embiid ... continuing to go after the Philadelphia 76ers superstar and saying if he doesn't make some serious changes, he'll never win a championship.

Shaq's blunt assessment came during halftime of the Sixers' matchup with the New York Knicks ... after Embiid put up eight points through two quarters -- all of which came from the free-throw line, as he was 0-3 from the field.

Diesel was clearly unpleased with Embiid's season debut -- especially after the big man expressed his desire to take games off to preserve his health for the playoffs -- and didn't sugarcoat how he felt on the whole situation.

Klay Thompson returned to The Bay for the first time as a Dallas Maverick -- facing the Warriors -- and after knocking down a big 3, the 4x NBA champ mimicked his old teammate Steph Curry's infamous shimmy.

But, the Chef got the last laugh.

The intense game went down Tuesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Thompson's first matchup against his former team since trading him in July after 11 seasons.

Scary scene on the NBA hardwood Tuesday night ... Pistons wing Tim Hardaway Jr. terrifyingly slammed his head on the ground -- and needed a wheelchair to leave the game.

The scene all unfolded in the third quarter of Detroit's matchup with the Heat at Little Caesars Arena ... when Hardaway Jr. attempted to play some physical defense against Tyler Herro.

The 32-year-old stepped in front of the driving Miami star in an effort to draw a charge ... but Herro was coming in with so much speed, he knocked Hardaway Jr. to the floor.

Ex-NBA player Kyle Singler's recent social media activity has the basketball community concerned ... with several pros offering their support after the former Duke star shared two alarming videos on his Instagram page.

The 36-year-old shared the first clip Monday night ... showing him shirtless and barefoot in a home as he claimed he felt his "voice is getting silenced."

"I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example, and I fear for my life every day, and people in my community make me look out as if I'm gonna be someone that's gonna be a problem and make things difficult for people when I'm only trying to be helpful," the 33rd overall pick in the 2011 draft said.

Toronto forward RJ Barrett was so starstruck by a "Game Of Thrones" actor who was sitting courtside at his game in L.A. on Sunday -- he actually briefly paused his play to recognize the guy ... and the scene was hilarious.

It all went down during the Raptors' tilt against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena ... just after Barrett had been fouled while scoring a basket in the first quarter.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the 24-year-old walk toward some fans in the stands to celebrate his potential 3-point play ... he did a double take as he noticed Nikolaj Coster-Waldau -- the man who played Jaime Lannister in 'GOT.'

Sofia Jamora is opening up on the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of Jaxson Hayes ... just over a week after TMZ Sports published video showing the Lakers center pushing and spitting on the popular model.

"I want to thank everyone for all of your love, support, and kind messages. I am so touched, moved, and motivated by all of you. Your words have warmed my heart and made me feel seen in a way I never imagined. As a survivor of domestic violence, I wanted to share that you are not alone," 27-year-old Jamora wrote on Instagram Monday morning.

"I loved someone I trusted with my safety and well-being. Going through that experience was difficult, but every day now, I feel grateful simply to be here, healing and reclaiming my life. If you are struggling with abuse, please know that you don't have to go through it by yourself -- find someone you trust, a loved one, a counselor, or even your local authorities. There is help out there, and there is hope."