San Antonio Spurs

Charles Barkley has had plenty to say about San Antonio and its "big ol' women" over the years ... but he was forced to eat his words (and some churros) on Wednesday -- when he was confronted by the city's mayor!!

The hilarious interaction went down right on "Inside the NBA" ahead of Game 1 at Frost Bank Arena ... when Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Chuckster were joined by Gina Ortiz Jones, who took the opportunity to defend San Antonio right in its biggest critic's face.

After a montage of Chuck's classic jabs, GOJ wasted no time going after the guy ... saying, "I've learned a long time ago you can't teach courage, you can't teach class, and Mr. Barkley reminds us of that."

8:50 AM PT -- The fan's stunt resulted in his arrest and a lifetime ban from all NBA arenas, the league announced.

Another fan involved in the incident was also handed a ban for life, the league added.

A fan interrupted Game 1 of the NBA Finals in hopes of getting a selfie with Victor Wembanyama ... with the unwelcome guest rushing the court and approaching the San Antonio Spurs superstar with his phone before getting yanked away by security.

The odd moment went down in the fourth quarter as the Spurs and New York Knicks duked it out ... when a guy wearing a black zipped hoodie, white shirt and black pants sprinted onto the hardwood.

It's clear the 7'4" French center was his target (he kept shouting "Wemby" as he ran) ... but considering the hooper's height, the court stormer never got a clear shot of his face. We take it he has much bigger issues to deal with at the moment than a botched selfie.

Two huge Spurs fans went home happy after Victor Wembanyama and Co. tied up in the Western Conference Finals ... and the folks at home were pretty satisfied, too.

After going viral for their appearance at Games 3 and 4 of the playoff series, OnlyFans models Blue and Julie J. Swan hit up Frost Bank Arena yet again to catch the NBA action on Thursday ... and viewers certainly took notice as the ladies sat feet away from the court.

The two went quite viral for wearing busty 'fits to the venue ... and have been caught in the background of game footage a few times now, with screenshots popping up all over social media.

San Antonio Spurs player Carter Bryant had a two-or-one opportunity in the middle of the Western Conference Finals ... and it must've been an emergency, 'cause he apparently wound up using the restroom with the normies!!!

The baffling scene was captured on video by an Oklahoma City Thunder fan attending Game 2 of the series at the Paycom Center ... with the footage showing the rookie turning the corner and washing his hands in a hurry.

While it's hard to believe, all signs point to it being legit -- the fan shown in the video is wearing a shirt given to attendees prior to tipoff on Wednesday -- and the bathroom TV appears to show broadcast footage from the game.

The NBA acknowledged the two tragic losses in the family ahead of Tuesday's playoff game ... with the San Antonio Spurs honoring both Brandon Clarke and Jason Collins prior to tipoff against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The fans at Frost Bank Center took part in a moment of silence for both players ... with P.A. announcer Roland Ruiz addressing the news with heartfelt words about both pros.

"The NBA family mourns the passing of two if its own -- Brandon Clarke, a beloved member of the Memphis Grizzlies since 2019, whose leadership and passion earned him respect throughout the Memphis community and around the league, passed away at the age of 29, and 13-year NBA player and NBA Cares ambassador Jason Collins died after a long battle with brain cancer," the Ruiz announced.

Some good news ... Victor Wembanyama's missing friend, 23-year-old Elijah Hoard, was found safe in Chicago, and the Spurs superstar says he's "very relieved" the ordeal had a happy ending!

Chicago police issued a bulletin after 7 PM local time, announcing Hoard had been found, but provided little detail about when and where he was discovered.

Wemby met with the media postgame and shared the news, saying he was "so happy."

Victor Wembanyama is asking for help in locating his friend, 23-year-old Elijah Hoard ... who was reported missing Sunday in Chicago after his family said he did not board his flight home to France.

Police in the Windy City put out a missing person bulletin Sunday afternoon ... stating Hoard was last seen Friday at O'Hare Airport wearing "a brown hooded sweatshirt, black sweat pants and cream-colored shoes."

They also noted that Hoard "may be in need of medical attention."

The Atlanta Hawks' "Magic City Night" announcement had the whole NBA talking ... but not everyone's on board with honoring a strip club during a game -- with Spurs big man Luke Kornet bashing the move as disrespectful to women.

The 30-year-old center wrote a letter to the organization on Medium ... where he stated he would "like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City."

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world," Kornet said. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love."

The New York Knicks are NBA Cup champions after defeating the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night in Las Vegas ... and the victors made sure to (virtually) celebrate with their biggest A-list fans -- Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller!!

Karl-Anthony Towns shared the evidence on Instagram that the two hit his line after their 124-113 win ... and while it's just screenshots of their conversation, the images show the two thespians were totally pumped.

"Marty Supreme approved," Towns wrote on the picture featuring Chalamet.

Victor Wembanyama played in Tuesday's NBA Cup Final against the New York Knicks with a heavy heart ... the San Antonio Spurs superstar learned of his grandma's death just hours before tip-off, with the big man fighting back tears after the game.

Wembanyama was meeting with the media after the 124-113 loss to the Knicks, when the 7'4" center got visibly emotional at the podium, pausing to gather himself before apologizing to those in the room.

"Sorry," Wembanyama said. "I lost somebody today."

While NBA general managers are frantically working the phones to build championship rosters, Victor Wembanyama is continuing to knock out his side quests -- this time, he was spotted having fun at a nightclub in Japan!!

TMZ Sports obtained video of the 7'3'' center hanging out at 1OAK Tokyo early last Sunday morning ... where we're told he was chilling with some players from Japan's pro basketball league as "Get it Sexyy" by Sexyy Red blared on the speakers.

Our sources tell us Wemby was super friendly and welcoming to all the ladies and men around him ... and hung around for about 90 minutes before heading out.

It was the biggest night of Dylan Harper's life on Wednesday ... and the same can be said for his mom, Maria, who wound up being the most viral moment of the NBA Draft!!

The 19-year-old Rutgers star didn't have to wait long to have his name called at Barclays Center -- once Cooper Flagg went to the Dallas Mavericks, Harper was right behind as the San Antonio Spurs' No. 2 selection.

After Harper walked the stage, ESPN got a brief interview with most of his family ... and Maria -- who has two kids with ex-NBA player Ron Harper -- immediately took social media by storm.

Robert Horry tells TMZ Sports he knows he fits the criteria to be in the Hall of Fame ... but at the end of the day, he's not sweating it if the powers that be think otherwise.

We caught up with Horry out at LAX this week ... and asked him all about how he's still waiting for his spot among the all-time greats.

While his stat line isn't comparable to Michael Jordan's or Larry Bird's, Horry says people need to realize the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame highlights more than just one's NBA career.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call related to Gregg Popovich's medical emergency last month ... and it's shedding more light on just how dire the situation involving the NBA legend was.

In the audio, you can hear a man tell law enforcement back on April 15 that Popovich -- who he didn't ID by name on the call -- had just passed out at a San Antonio-area Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Initially, the man said the former Spurs coach, whom he described as a restaurant "guest," was "non-responding" ... though he later amended his words to note that Pop was actually "barely responding."

Gregg Popovich spoke at length for the first time since his recent medical emergency ... saying he's getting better every day, but not fast enough to continue leading the San Antonio Spurs.

The five-time NBA Finals-winning coach took the podium before Mitch Johnson was introduced as his official replacement on Monday ... and had his two longtime players, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, by his side.

76-year-old Pop -- who suffered a mild stroke in November and another health scare at a local restaurant last month -- spent the majority of his time thanking those who assisted him over his nearly 30-year tenure on the bench.

Gregg Popovich is no longer the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs ... as the franchise legend has now pivoted to a front office role with the organization after a string of recent health issues.

The news broke just minutes ago ... with the Spurs stating the 76-year-old five-time champion would become the full-time team president.

The report comes weeks after Popovich's latest health scare at a local restaurant ... which resulted in him being transported to a nearby hospital in an ambulance.