NBA

Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Detroit Lions easily handled the Minnesota Vikings to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs on Sunday ... but they were definitely tweakin' in the locker room after the game -- thanks to LiAngelo Ball's new viral rap song!!

The top-seeded Lions dominated their NFC North opponents in a 31-9 victory ... and following the successful outing, the whole Detroit locker room got in on the latest craze -- the middle Ball brother's new "Tweaker" hit, which has spread like wildfire in the past week.

ASB shared footage of the celebration ... showing him vibing out to G3's track as his teammates rapped and danced along.

Former NBA player Barry Kramer -- the sixth overall pick to the San Francisco Warriors in the 1964 draft -- has died at 82 years old.

The 6'4", 200-pound forward was a star at the high school and collegiate level ... earning top accolades in the country at Linton in Schenectady, New York. During his senior season, he was teammates with legendary NBA coach, player and executive Pat Riley.

Kramer thrived at NYU -- where he had a career-best 29.3 points a game during his junior season in 1963.

Jimmy Butler's time in Miami is all but over ... days after the 6x All-Star made it clear he wanted out, the Pat Riley led org. suspended "Jimmy Buckets," and blasted the former first-round pick in the process!

"We have suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games for multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks," the Heat said in a statement Friday evening.

"Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers."

Derrick Rose is begging the Chicago Bulls to not honor him with a statue outside the United Center ... explaining he's seen how the tributes have turned out recently, and he'd rather not risk becoming a meme.

The former MVP made his intentions known in a sit-down interview with ESPN ahead of "Derrick Rose Night" at the Bulls' home contest against the New York Knicks on Saturday.

D-Rose had a solid reasoning behind why he didn't want himself immortalized outside his old arena ... almost certainly hinting at Dwyane Wade's recent sculpture outside the Miami Heat's venue, which was at the center of countless jokes online.

Charles Barkley made it clear Thursday night he's no fan of JJ Redick's apparent criticism of his "Inside The NBA" show ... ripping the coach as "a dead man walking" for several moments while live on-air.

Redick initially kicked off the war with Chuck back on Dec. 20 ... when he strongly implied the Hall of Famer's constant criticism of the game on TNT is one of the biggest reasons why ratings are down.

"If I'm a casual fan," the L.A. manager told media members, "and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I'm not going to watch the product."

Timothée Chalamet's wish to play Ernie Johnson in a biopic might come true ... 'cause the actor just got a big thumbs up from the "Inside the NBA" host himself!!

Timmy C -- who portrays Bob Dylan in the new "A Complete Unknown" movie -- recently revealed he'd be down to honor the longtime sports TV show host on the big screen ... if he were to ever take on another biopic.

E.J. got wind of Chalamet's comments on Thursday ... and he said the "Dune" star gave him a ton of cred with his family.

LeBron James' son, Bryce, is taking his talents to Tucson -- the 17-year-old high school star just announced he's committed to the Arizona Wildcats basketball program!!

Bryce shared the news on his social media pages just minutes ago ... saying he's all-in on his decision.

"100%committed," Bryce said alongside a few emojis to represent the school's "Bear Down" rally cry and an edited photo of himself in an Arizona uniform.

The NBA just punished Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson for his role in Sunday's scrap with Tyler Herro ... handing down a two-game suspension.

The Association announced the penalty in a statement ... days after Thompson and Herro were ejected from the Rockets vs. Heat game for starting an on-court brawl at the Toyota Center.

During the incident, Thompson tossed Herro to the ground WWE-style before an inbound pass late in the fourth quarter ... with the two sides jawing and grabbing at each other's jerseys right before the big moment.

LeBron James says he could play at a "high level" in the NBA for up to seven more years, but will walk away from the sport long before that ever happens ... telling reporters his thoughts on retirement have intensified over time.

The King spoke with the media on his 40th birthday ... and he opened up on how much longer he'll continue his legendary career.

When asked if he'll know when it's time to hang it up for good, James said it won't be due to lack of ability ... as he has more gas left in the tank -- but he plans to go out on top.

The FBI is warning pro athletes to be vigilant ... confirming Monday groups of organized thieves are targeting stars' homes in search of high-priced valuables.

The feds issued the alert just a couple days after NBA superstar Luka Doncic became the latest A-lister to have his place broken into ... explaining criminals are hitting residences belonging to big-time players while they're on the road or at games.

"These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash," FBI officials said, according to ABC News.

Kings star De'Aaron Fox has a bone to pick with Lou Williams ... calling out the ex-NBAer for comments he made regarding Mike Brown's firing in Sacramento -- saying it's nothing but "bulls***."

The former Sixth Man of the Year was weighing in on Sac-Town's surprising decision to sack Brown last week ... when he claimed on FanDuel's "Run It Back" he heard there was "pushback" from players over Fox getting blamed for the team's woes prior to the move.

Williams went on to say the front office had to decide whether to stick with the current roster or keep the former Coach of the Year -- and Brown obviously ended up getting the short end of the stick.

The disturbing trend of celebrity athletes having their homes broken into continued over the weekend ... as Luka Doncic's Dallas-area residence was burglarized.

According to the Mavericks superstar's business manager, Lara Beth Seager, the break-in occurred on Friday night ... as the Mavs were in Phoenix for a game against the Suns.

Thankfully, Seager said in a statement, no one was home at the time of the incident ... and "Luka and his family are safe."

The NBA turned into the WWE on Sunday ... when Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson threw Miami Heat star Tyler Herro to the hardwood during an intense altercation -- resulting in utter chaos.

The wild moment happened with just over 30 seconds left in the Heat's 104-100 road win over the Rockets ... when Thompson was applying heavy pressure on Herro ahead of an inbound pass.

The two grabbed each other's jerseys ... but Thompson took it one step further and forced the sharp-shooter to the ground.

Kiyan Anthony's first action on a Syracuse court is still roughly a year away, but La La Anthony tells TMZ Sports she's already planning her gameday outfits!!!

The mother of the four-star shooting guard -- who she shares with NBA legend Carmelo Anthony -- made it clear to us while leaving the Million Dollar Giveback event in NYC this week that she's "going to be that mom."

"I don't have [the 'fits] yet," she told us, "but I think I'm going to be that mom that's, like, Syracuse-geared out. For sure."

A super rare Michael Jordan rookie card -- complete with a Chicago Bulls team set -- is about to hit the auction block ... but if collectors really want it, they better have some deep pockets, 'cause TMZ Sports has learned it's expected to sell for nearly half a million dollars!

Heritage Auctions is overseeing the sale of the 12-card lot ... and experts there tell us it's all so unique, bidding could get up to $400,000.

The cards were first introduced to the public in a Star Company 1984 release ... and the price tag is so high because of the Jordan piece -- which is considered one of his most valuable Bulls collectibles.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković was forced to hit the showers early on Thursday night ... after he went ballistic on some refs following a non-call.

The 45-year-old's meltdown happened in the fourth quarter of Toronto's game against the Memphis Grizzlies ... as his team was trailing 125-103.

The Raptors were trying to make a comeback, but when a pair of players didn't get whistles after appearing to be fouled ... Rajaković absolutely flew off the handle.