San Antonio Spurs

The NY Knicks are two games from their first NBA title in 53 years, but President Trump's presence at Madison Square Garden has dominated much of the conversation... begging the question, will it distract the hometown team?!

No, not at all ... according to former NBA star Zach Randolph, who TMZ Sports ran into at LAX on Monday.

"At this stage where these guys are playing for a championship, I don't think that's going to distract [the Knicks] because it's more important things than, you know, getting distracted by the president," the 2x NBA All-Star said.

Cardi B is making the first NBA Finals game in New York City in 27 years even more epic ... TMZ has confirmed she's performing at Game 3.

A source tells us the "WAP" singer will be the star of the halftime show Monday night when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs head to the locker room.

Cardi will be among a huge list of celebs in the house at Madison Square Garden for the first NBA Finals matchup at MSG since the Knicks and the Spurs back in 1999.

Buffalo Wild Wings' recent social media post is falling flat ... 'cause the restaurant chain just offered the kid who ran onto the court during Game 1 free food for the rest of the NBA Finals -- and a lot of folks think it's weird to "reward" such behavior.

B-Dubs went to X in search of the individual on Thursday ... saying it's trying to track him down so he can tune in to the rest of the Finals "on us" after he was handed a lifetime ban from NBA arenas over the Victor Wembanyama selfie stunt.

We took a peep at the replies ... and the wing joint is getting fried like a chicken.

The Spurs fan who rushed the court for a pic with Victor Wembanyama is not only persona non grata in the NBA's eyes -- he's in trouble with the law, too.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports the individual -- a juvenile -- was arrested on two charges in connection with Wednesday night's stunt at Game 1 of the Finals at Frost Bank Center ... where he "intentionally breached court security personnel."

Officials say the first charge, Disrupting Meeting or Procession, was committed by "intentionally disrupting a lawful gathering, namely, the Spurs basketball game, through physical interference."

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.