New York Knicks

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.

Jerry Ferrara has a long list of names he wants to have appear on his new "Throwbacks" sports podcast with Matt Leinart ... but there's one person he's got highlighted at the very top of it -- New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.

TMZ Sports spoke with the former "Entourage" and "Power" actor about his project with the Heisman Trophy winner ... and he's excited to chat weekly with his cohost about all things sports and life in general.

Ferrara explained it's not going to be all Xs and Os -- he's going to give the perspective of a true sports fan ... as he has a lifetime of experience from cheering for his beloved Yankees, Giants and Knicks.

NBA guard Cameron Payne dialed 911 just before he was arrested in Arizona last month ... and in a tense conversation with dispatch, he said his name was "Terry Johnson."

The chat with the Scottsdale Police Department -- which lasted more than five minutes -- happened on June 14 at around 2:30 AM ... after the 29-year-old hooper said he had gotten into a verbal dispute with his girlfriend.

Initially, you can hear in audio of the call -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- that Payne wanted officers to come to his house ASAP. But, in an ensuing back and forth with dispatch, Payne pled with the official to drop the matter.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart showed love to the diehard Knicks fans -- who ride for their squad, win or lose -- after the season-ending game 7 defeat to the Pacers ... showing love to droves of NYK supporters hanging out around the Garden after the game!

Of course, the Knicks and Pacers were tied at 3 games each heading into Sunday's deciding contest. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton went off, knocking down six threes, and shooting 67% as a team, ending the season for the beaten-up Knicks.

Despite the L in the crucial game, Knicks fans still posted up at The Garden ... and Brunson -- who suffered a fractured left hand during the game -- got out of his car to shake hands with the crowd.

"We killed [Reggie Miller at The Garden.] The whole crowd, 20,000 people. 'F you, Reggie.' I ain't gonna lie, I might have been in on the chat."

That's New York legend, and forever Knicks superfan, Fat Joe ... recounting the insanely loud chant directed at the Pacers legend as game 2 came to a close, and the NY K took a 2-0 series lead.

58-year-old Miller was part of the ESPN broadcast ... and the Hall of Famer wasn't shy, continually taking jabs at Knicks fans throughout the game, reminding the MSG faithful that he "owned" NYC.

There were nearly 20,000 people screaming the f-word at Reggie Miller on Wednesday night ... but just in case he didn't hear it, Knicks star Josh Hart told him all about it -- repeating the obscenity to the Indiana legend on a hot mic!

The hilarious moment happened at the end of New York's playoff victory over the Pacers ... when fans at Madison Square Garden ribbed Miller, who was helping broadcast the game for TNT, with a "F*** you, Reggie" chant.

The Knicks supporters -- still clearly salty over the way the Hall of Famer tortured them during his playing days some three decades ago -- really let the former Pacers sharpshooter have it ... filling MSG with the shout loudly for several moments.

Action Bronson says the best way to enjoy his KnicksTape is blunted on reality ... totally enhancing his courtside experience!!! 😵‍💫

We caught Mr. Bam Bam Baklava at LAX proudly waving the NYK banner, and he owned up to his viral moments of being completely blitzed inside Madison Square Garden.

No regrets for the Queens MC ... Action tells us that being stoned while sitting so close to the team's huddle gives his brain the 3D effect -- it's like Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau is drawing up plays from a spaceship!!!

Willis Reed, Walt Clyde Frazier, and Patrick Ewing are generally considered the greatest Knicks ever, but the trio of Hall of Famers may have to slide over ... 'cause diehard NYK fan, Fat Joe, says Jalen Brunson's on the verge of being the G.O.A.T.!

"[Jalen's] so close to being the greatest Knick ever," Crack told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1), adding ... "So close, and in such short time."

Of course, the hip-hop superstar grew up in The Bronx, New York, and has been a loyal Knicks fan through the good, and unfortunately for New Yorkers, many bad times in his 5 decades as an NYK supporter.

Saquon Barkley's goin' in on New York fans who were irked at his presence at the 76ers vs. Knicks game in Philadelphia Thursday night, with the NFL star telling the supporters of his former team to get over him jumping ship!

"It’s been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game 😂😂😂," 27-year-old Barkley tweeted on X after he was heckled for attending the game at the Wells Fargo Center in the City of Brotherly Love, where he sat courtside with Eagles WR A.J. Brown.

Of course, Barkley -- drafted by the G-Men in 2018 -- signed with the Eagles ... the Giants hated rivals, this offseason.

The birds were flyin' at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday ... all thanks to diehard Knicks fan Tracy Morgan, who couldn't help but share his frustrations with Sixers star Tyrese Maxey by giving him the finger!!

The hilarious (not so much for New York fans) moment went down in the closing seconds of the Knicks' Game 5 matchup against Philadelphia ... when the former Kentucky Wildcat pulled up from behind the arc to tie things up at 97.

The shot completed the Sixers' late-game push ... coming back from down six in the last 30 seconds to force overtime.

The Wells Fargo Center looked and sounded more like Madison Square Garden on Sunday ... 'cause Knicks fans took over the Sixers' arena for Game 4 of their NBA Playoff series -- and Joel Embiid's pissed!

The Knicks beat the Sixers, 97-92, taking a 3-1 series lead ... and their fanbase let their presence be known.

During the live broadcast, you could hear the Knicks faithful cheering -- louder than the Sixers fans -- as the Knicks won the pivotal game behind Jalen Brunson's epic 47-point performance.

Kelly Oubre Jr. lost a playoff game Monday night and then he lost his beloved car ... TMZ Sports has learned he wrecked his Lamborghini in a crash just hours after the Sixers fell to the Knicks in Game 2 of their postseason series.

The Philadelphia Police Dept. tells us the wreck happened at around 1:45 AM on Tuesday ... shortly after Oubre and the 76ers dropped a heartbreaker at Madison Square Garden, 104-101.

Cops say Oubre's 2021 matte purple Lambo "disregarded a red traffic signal" ... and plowed into a 2023 Hyundai Elantra.

NBA center Isaiah Hartenstein is opening up on how people react when they find out he's actually Black ... saying the experience is like something straight out of a "Key and Peele" sketch.

The 25-year-old hooper's teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, got right to the point when they invited him on their "Roommates" podcast this week ... when the former asked Hartenstein straight-up, "Are you Black?"

The six-year vet broke it all down ... explaining his dad, Florian, is Black.

"You know how it's like lightskin? I'm brightskin," Hartenstein said. "I'm above lightskin."

The 7'0" big man went on to point out there's one big difference he notices after folks learn he's Black ... and he compared it to the famous skit from the Comedy Central show, when Jordan Peele's Barack Obama character bases his handshake approach on race.

"When they find out I'm Black, it changes," Hartenstein added. "The whole vibe changes -- it goes from, 'Hey Zay, how are you doing?' to 'Yo, Zay, what up, man? You good?'"

You won't see Josh Hart anywhere near the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend ... 'cause the Knicks guard absolutely HATES the host city -- essentially calling the entire state of Indiana a dump.

All 30 teams' biggest names are flocking to Indianapolis for the event ... but Hart made it clear he's skipping out on hanging with his NBA buddies to avoid spending any unnecessary time in the Hoosier State.

"Hell no, I'm not going to Indianapolis," Hart said on his "Roommates Show" podcast with Jalen Brunson and guest Mikal Bridges. "If I don't have to play the Indiana Pacers, I'm not stepping foot in that state."

"I do not want to be in Indiana for any All-Star break, anything. I'm not an Indiana guy. I don't want to be there [when I play against the Pacers]. I'm not an Indiana fan."

Hart continued to pile on the state ... evoking Joakim Noah's infamous rant about Cleveland in the process.

"What's good about Indiana?" he added ... admitting there are actually two positives that come to mind -- a White Castle and a local bakery.

"If not those two things ... Indiana, bottom of the barrel."

LaMelo Ball is in some hot water with some of his biggest fans ... who are pissed at the NBA star for cracking up on the Hornets' bench during a blowout loss Monday.

Ball wasn't playing in Charlotte's home tilt against the New York Knicks while dealing with a sore ankle ... so he took a seat with some of his squadmates -- and despite the completely one-sided score, he was seen smiling throughout the contest.

At one point, when Charlotte was down 25 points early in the fourth quarter ... Ball was actually seen busting at the seams with Bryce McGowens and James Bouknight.

The images pissed off a whole lot of Hornets supporters, who found it downright disrespectful that the team's biggest star didn't appear locked in on the game.

What made it especially worse was "Let's Go Knicks" chants had broken out at the Spectrum Center right around the same time.

The Hornets went on to lose 113-92 ... and their record is now a measly 10-35.

MSG and Knicks owner James Dolan allegedly trafficked a massage therapist to Harvey Weinstein in the 2010s -- and also taking advantage of her himself -- but he's pushing back on her claim as BS.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Dolan is named as a defendant in a suit alleging he partook in outright sex trafficking after taking a young masseuse under his wing between late 2013 and early 2014 ... while he was performing on the road.

The plaintiff, Kellye Croft, claims she was initially hired to be the traveling massage therapist for the Eagles in 2013 ... but after some trouble with the touring staff, she says she ended up meeting Dolan, whose own band was the opening act.

Croft says she opened up to JD about her woes, and afterward, he apparently got involved to alleviate her issues ... and, she alleges he started pushing a sexual relationship with her.

While she doesn't straight up accuse Dolan of sexual assault, Croft does say she felt pressured to engage in sex acts with him ... throughout the rest of the tour.

Fast-forward to January, when Croft claims Irving Azoff's company -- which she says was handling the Eagles tour at the time -- flew her out to California to do more massage work ... only this time, she claims it became clear it was at Dolan's request.

Basically, she alleges Dolan simply wanted her on the road with him for sex -- and during this stint in L.A., she claims she had an ugly run-in with Weinstein ... who she says was good friends with Dolan, and who she alleges sexually assaulted her at a hotel.

Croft claims she actually ran into Weinstein at the hotel where she was staying -- and once he learned she was Dolan's massage therapist, she alleges he tried to rope her into giving one to him right then and there -- which ended in a chase down the hallway.

Croft claims Weinstein pursued her to her room, and pinned her down and sexually assaulted her ... only to be saved by a phone call from Dolan.

Once Weinstein realized Dolan was on the other end, Croft claims he backed off and said to her ... "Well, you know Jim and I are best friends. He’s going to be very disappointed that you led me on, this won’t look good for you." She claims he then left, and it was over.

Afterward, Croft claims she relayed all this to Dolan himself -- and she says he simply brushed it off ... allegedly noting that he and everyone in Weinstein's circle knew he was a "troubled person" who had "serious issues," and that his pals had tried to get him help.

Croft also points out a song she claims Dolan sent to her other associates years after the fact -- with lyrics that she claims nod to the Weinstein scandal that broke in 2017. It's a real song from his band, called "I Should've Known."

Croft says the lyrics -- which touch on a friend who falls from grace -- are actually a reference to Weinstein, but she claims Dolan knew about him for years.

Croft is alleging she was sexually trafficked, claiming Dolan flew her out to L.A. to continue the sexual relationship, and allowed her to be put in the situation with Weinstein ... an allegation which seems to have opened the door for a federal complaint to be filed.  Of course, she wants major damages.

Dolan is calling this entire suit pure fiction, with an attorney for the mogul telling TMZ ... "There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein."

His lawyer adds, "These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not won, and cannot win, a judgment against him. Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court."

Weinstein's own attorney, Jennifer Bonjean tells TMZ … "Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in court of law where the truth will be revealed."