NBA

Rudy Gobert freaked out during the Timberwolves' win over the Hawks on Monday night ... when an apparent horn fell from the arena's scoreboard -- and landed right in front of the NBA star.

The malfunction was caught on the TV broadcast at the end of the first quarter of the showdown at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Wolves center was heading toward his team's bench after the buzzer ... when the black piece of equipment came crashing to the court, nearly hitting Gobert.

Conor McGregor was ready to pick on someone much larger than his own size at the Bucks vs. Jazz game on Monday ... looking big man Brook Lopez up and down right in the middle of the action!!

The hilarious interaction went down in the second quarter of Milwaukee's 125-110 road win over Utah ... when Notorious was walking along the sideline to get to his courtside seat, but was interrupted by something the 7'1" center said.

The UFC superstar quickly turned around and approached Lopez during Damian Lillard's free throw attempts ... and the two shook hands before McGregor playfully made it seem like he was scoping out an opponent.

Jimmy Butler very well may have played his last game for the Miami Heat -- the team just suspended the superstar again ... but this time, there's no timetable for his return amid the ugly feud.

The news broke on Monday ... with Shams Charania saying the six-time All-Star walked out of the team's shootaround after learning he was losing his starting role to Haywood Highsmith.

It marks the third time this month Butler's been hit with a punishment -- he was suspended for seven games back on Jan. 3 ... with the team saying it would field trade offers to get Butler out of town.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant passed away in the fatal helicopter crash five years ago today ... but, their legacy lives on -- through tributes and new projects they've inspired.

As you know ... on January 26, 2020, Kobe and Gigi -- along with 6 other passengers and the pilot -- were killed after their helicopter crashed on their way to Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.

According to a later investigation ... the pilot of the craft was at fault for the crash -- with investigators saying he flew into the clouds, became disoriented and ultimately crashed.

Kyrie Irving's serving up hard life lessons to young hoops fans, including the golden rule: With great seats, comes great responsibility ... to duck when loose balls come flying at your head!!!

Kyrie's Dallas Mavericks were playing the Boston Celtics Saturday night, when he uncorked a wild cross-court pass that missed his teammates ... but nailed a kid who was sitting courtside.

The poor young fan wasn't looking when the basketball blew up his world, leaving the kid dazed and confused for a few moments. Mavericks staff quickly tended to the fan, whose nose seemed to be bleeding.

A California high school basketball player gave new meaning to stuffing the stat sheet on Thursday ... scoring a whopping 102 POINTS in a game -- and the accomplishment got LeBron James' attention.

The unbelievable feat happened during Mesrobian High School's 119-25 win over Waverly High School .... when Nick Khatchikian went 48-60 from the field in just 22 minutes of action.

The young hooper had 40 points in the first, 79 by halftime and had his entire 102 with over two minutes left in the third ... when he was finally benched.

Anthony Davis is begging the Lakers to bring in a big man ... and Dwight Howard knows an easy solution -- going to social media to remind L.A.'s front office he's readily available.

AD voiced his desires in a sit-down with Shams Charania this week ... saying his strengths are in the power forward position, so acquiring a center and moving him to the four in the lineup would work wonders.

Howard -- who won a championship with the Purple and Gold in 2020 -- got wind of the Brow's comments ... and on Friday, he explained the Lakers wouldn't have to bend over backward to give AD what he wants.

It's Draya Michele's birthday, but it's Jalen Green who's enjoying the cake ... 'cause the Houston Rockets hooper wished her a special 40th by sharing a pic of himself grabbing her backside in a lovey social media post.

22-year-old JG gave the special shout-out on Thursday ... saying, "Happy Pday to the realest on my side. I love you."

The last three words are obviously a big deal ... and goes to show just how serious the two are, despite all the chatter surrounding their relationship.

Doesn't seem Jimmy Butler's sweating his latest Heat suspension ... 'cause just hours after the hooper's team hit him with a two-game ban, he was seen yuckin' it up with famed comedian Andrew Schulz at a swanky party.

TMZ Sports has learned Butler made his way to the Reserve Cup Draft & Dinner hosted by Moncayo Ocean Club on Wednesday night ... mere hours after he was punished by the Heat for missing the team's flight to Milwaukee for its upcoming road matchup with the Bucks.

Butler, who wasn't expected at the event, didn't appear to care one bit about the trouble with his employer ... as he smiled big while rubbing elbows with a bunch of celebs, including Schulz, Jerry Jeudy and Wayne Boich.

Forget ice cream and rom-coms, Naomi Osaka's apparently turning to hoops to get her mind off her recent breakup.

The tennis superstar was at the Brooklyn Nets game Wednesday night -- just a couple weeks after announcing her split from Cordae.

The 27-year-old -- who was forced to retire in the third round of the Australian Open due to an injury -- appeared to be in great spirits at the outing ... smiling and throwing up a peace sign during a break in the action.

Sydney Sweeney ditched her fiancé for a special plus-one at the Brooklyn Nets game on Tuesday ... catching all the action courtside with her 11-year-old movie costar.

The 27-year-old actress hit up the Barclays Center to watch the Nets' Battle of the Boroughs with the New York Knicks ... which ultimately ended with Karl-Anthony Towns and Co. coming away with the 99-95 victory.

Sweeney's partner, Jonathan Davino, was nowhere to be seen -- instead, she elected to have fellow "The Housemaid" cast member Indiana Elle join in on the fun.

Roki Sasaki is getting a warm welcome in Los Angeles ... with the Dodgers' new star pitcher landing a personal meet-and-greet with LeBron James at the Lakers game!!

The 23-year-old Japanese athlete was front and center at the Purple and Gold's home win over the Washington Wizards ... getting a courtside view of King James' triple-double performance in the 111-88 victory.

The 40-year-old made sure to take a second to chop it up with the flamethrower ... shaking his hand as they exchanged pleasantries during shootaround.

The Nike sneakers Kobe Bryant wore during one of the most iconic moments of his career are up for grabs ... and TMZ Sports has learned the one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia could go for more than half a million dollars!!

The size 13 Kobe 8 Elites Bryant wore during the Lakers vs. Warriors game on April 12, 2013 are hitting the auction block ... the same matchup where the late Hall of Famer tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter, but nailed two free throws before limping off the court.

It was a true display of Bryant's toughness ... as he clearly was down for the count, but made sure to do his job at the charity stripe to tie the game at 109 with three minutes left.

A Los Angeles home belonging to NBA player Ty Jerome was burglarized last week, and cops tell TMZ Sports they're still on the hunt for the supects.

We're told the break-in happened at around 7:30 PM on Jan. 17 ... when thieves gained entry to the residence through a broken glass window.

Cops say the criminals took off a short time after getting in -- and as of now, it's unclear what -- if anything -- was taken. Jerome has been away from the area in recent days while on the road playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kim Kardashian sounds like she's taken ... because she's teasing a new boo in the new trailer for her family's reality show.

Kim confesses, "I had the intention of staying single. I was fully lying to you guys."

Hulu's new "Kardashians" trailer for the upcoming season six strongly hints at a new man in Kim's life. She looks into the camera and says, "Me not dating and wanting love and attention? I don't think you know me."

Vanessa Bryant is personally helping Los Angeles recover from the devastating wildfires, hitting up Dodger Stadium on Friday to pass out some Nikes to those in need.

Kobe Bryant's widow was seen at the ballpark in a red Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation sweatshirt ... helping Angelenos score some sneakers, socks and other essential items in the wake of the devastating blazes that began tearing through L.A. last week.

Vanessa appeared to be in great spirits as she passed out items ... flashing a big smile to all those who stopped by her setup.