Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors created a video in honor of Women's History Month this week ... and after it was met with backlash, they quickly deleted it -- and now, they're apologizing for it all.

The clip featured three Raptors players answering why they believe the statement "girls run the world" is a fact.

Two of the players, Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa, gave cringeworthy responses.

"They are the only one that can procreate," Flynn said.

"They birth everybody," Achiuwa said.

Scottie Barnes had a more palatable answer, simply stating, "all women are great because they are queens." But, that wasn't enough to stop critics from blasting the video on social media as soon as it was posted.

Many called it tone deaf and offensive -- and the Raptors took it down a short time later.

On Thursday, the team offered up an apology for it in a statement to the Toronto Sun.

"We're an organization that prides itself on doing the right thing when it comes to inclusion and representation, and we made a mistake [Tuesday]," Toronto officials said. "Our sincerest apologies to our players, our staff and our fans -- we'll work to do better today and every day after."

Drake was toting a camcorder for weeks leading up to his and 21 Savage's No. 1 album "Her Loss," and now that footage's coming out in their "Rich Flex" music vid -- a party romp featuring various celebs and pro athletes.

The visual lives up to his exorbitant billing -- Drake captured A-1 activities ranging from courtside at a Toronto Raptors game with head coach Nick Nurse and DeMar DeRozan to soaking up Jack Harlow's “Come Home The Kids Miss You Tour" ... where the "First Class" rapper stopped the show to give him a special shout out.

Brooklyn Nets hostage Kevin Durant, comedian Druski, 2 Chainz and plenty of strip club singles help round out the star power for the Drake-shot clip.

Drake also got exclusive footage of Lil Wayne's grill during his surprise set at this year's Weezyana Fest, and Lil Yachty is also spotted in the clip ... having brought the Wock back from Poland.

Drake and 21 might have royally pissed off Megan The Stallion, Serena Williams, Nas and Kodak Black with their album rollout, but their antics paid off in Billboard and streaming numbers.

Their "Her Loss" debut was the biggest for an R&B/hip-hop album in 2022 with 404,000 equivalent album units -- making it Drake's 12th No. 1 album and 21's third.

The jokes about Drake's jump shot might no longer be allowable -- the rapper just showed off his 3-point stroke repeatedly in a skills contest against Carmelo Anthony ... and it's seriously improving!!!

The "Honestly Nevermind" rapper visited Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon this week ... and participated in a 3-point competition. And, according to footage obtained XXL Magazine, he drained (most of) his shots!

In the short clip, Drake nailed his first basket. The camera then panned away for a bunch of his other attempts, but it did ultimately come back around to catch a few more of his makes.

The makes weren't enough to beat Melo, though ... with the All-Star heating up and crushing him as Jayson Tatum and Russell Westbrook watched nearby.

Of course, Drake didn't always use to look like this on the court ... in fact, he famously used to be the owner of a busted jump shot.

You'll recall, while warming up with the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team back in 2014, he actually air-balled one of his jumpers.

But the diehard Toronto Raptors fan has clearly worked on his game since then ... and the hard work seems to be paying off.

Tichina Arnold is back on the market, legally speaking ... TMZ has learned her long and bitter divorce process is over.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... a judge signed off on Tichina's divorce from longtime basketball coach DaRico Hines on July 15.

It's certainly been a long time coming. As we've reported, the "Martin" star made the announcement she'd be divorcing Rico way back in 2016 ... after she claimed there was a sex tape of him with another woman.

A rep for Hines, who currently works for the Toronto Raptors, declined to comment specifically on the allegations but acknowledged the couple was dealing with a "private and deeply personal matter" during that time.

But, it wasn't until August of last year that she finally went forward with filing the paperwork -- yeah, more than 5 years later. On the docs, she noted the usual irreconcilable differences, but did list the date of separation as January 12, 2016 ... about 3-and-a-half years after they tied the knot.

Joel Embiid walked the walk against Drake's beloved Raptors ... and then he talked the talk to the rapper -- hilariously clowning the guy after hitting the game-winner in Philly's victory over Toronto on Wednesday.

Embiid -- who's the favorite to win the NBA's MVP award this season -- gave Drake the earful following his ridiculous overtime shot at Scotiabank Arena ... playing around with the "Hotline Bling" artist for a few seconds on the hardwood.

"Get your ass out," the 7-foot center said to Drake as he was leaving the floor. "I'm coming for the sweep, too!"

To his credit, Drake took all the trash-talk in stride ... smiling with Embiid and seemingly attempting to dish a little of it back.

Of course, Drake doesn't have too much ammo to send Embiid's way -- his Raptors are now down 3-0 in the series and are facing elimination on Saturday.

Drake, though, seemed to be deserving of Embiid's ribbing ... because Philly forward Tobias Harris revealed following the game that the rapper was trolling Embiid in the first half -- when the star center struggled.

"In the first half, Drake was over there saying, 'He can't play here!' That's what he was saying," Harris said to the media during a post-game interview.

"I said, 'He can play here, for sure.' He was like, 'Nah, he can't play here.'"

Embiid must've heard Drake's heckling ... 'cause he closed out the game with 33 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in the W.

Drake had some divided loyalties Friday night ... he's a die-hard Raptors fan but he's also buds with one LeBron James.

Drake was front and center in Toronto ... cheering on his home team with a trusty bottle of Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo by his side -- FYI ... it's LeBron's tequila company. So, in a way, he supported both his team and his pal.

Hope the booze was good, because his support for the Raptors fell on deaf ears ... they lost to the Lakers 128-123.

Drake was stunned when Russell Westbrook -- who's gotten more than his share of hate lately -- delivered big time ... with only 10 seconds left in regulation and the Lakers down by 3, Westbrook raced down the floor and scored a 3 pointer, forcing the game into OT.

Charles Oakley says Devin Booker was right to get pissed off about the Toronto Raptors mascot's free throw antics ... telling TMZ Sports the dino was crossing the line.

We spoke with Oak about the Phoenix Suns star's ongoing feud with mascots across the league ... and he says the 25-year-old should be left alone -- especially when fans aren't in the stands.

Of course, Oakley is referring to when Booker called on officials to move the Raptor from underneath the basket while at the charity stripe last week ... during a game that was played in Toronto's empty arena due to COVID-19 protocols.

Oak says if fans aren't in the stands, there's no need for the dino to be hanging out around the court ... and it definitely shouldn't be trying to impact the game.

The Knicks legend says if things get worse between Booker and mascots across the league, he thinks the NBA will intervene and tell the furry creatures to cut it out.

We also spoke with Oak about his book, "The Last Enforcer," which drops next month ... and he says he's dishing on what went down with some of the biggest names in his era.

"Tyrone Hill, Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley Pat Riley. Everybody in the book. Bringing 'em out."

And, what'll happen if those guys get upset over what's in the book?

Devin Booker was so pissed at the Toronto Raptors' mascot during a game on Tuesday -- he made the refs move it so he could shoot free throws in peace.

For real.

The wild scene happened during the Suns' tilt with Toronto in Canada, where no fans were allowed in the building due to a recent surge in COVID cases in the area.

Toronto, though, did allow its mascot to attend ... and as Booker was shooting some crucial free throws with 6.5 seconds left in the game -- the person in the furry suit jumped up and down.

Booker nearly missed his first shot over it -- and then he was so ticked about it, he made the refs put a stop to it.

"Booker's complaining about the Raptor, the lone fan that is there," the TV broadcaster said during the game. "He's been sent away!"

Booker eventually sunk the free throws and the Suns got the W ... and afterward, Devin confirmed he was hot about the situation.

"I was just trying to get him out the way," Kendall Jenner's BF said. "It worked."

"I'd rather be shooting them without him down there. We play shooting games all the time everyday. These two do the same thing and I complain then. That's just me."

Fortunately, Booker said he and the red dinosaur will have no beef going forward ... he told media members, "We hashed it out. We're cool now."

Fred VanVleet is making a path for underprivileged kids who want to go to college and get their dream job ... by starting an academic scholarship with the University of Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors guard made the announcement on Monday ... saying it's key to help the youth in underprivileged communities as they may not have the same advantages and opportunities as others -- especially when it comes to education.

"This scholarship is important because it's going shine light on some of those who may be underserved or underprivileged in certain communities and aspects," VanVleet said via IG.

"We know there's a selection process to a lot of different scholarships and sometimes that counts people out."

The scholarship will assist a black or Indigenous student who's interested in management with four years of tuition at the local university ... as well as a $1,000 stipend for books each year.

"I would love for the scholarship to be the catalyst to start a young person's career," he added.

"That platform that they need to get access to the resources, information and education. Hopefully, they go on to do many bright and important things."

There's also an amazing bonus -- one-on-one mentoring with VanVleet, which he says is an important way to motivate those who look like him.

Drake's got enemies, got a lot of enemies, but Montrezl Harrell is NOT one of them ... so says the hooper, who claims their heated exchange that led to a technical foul was nothing more than friendly banter.

After the Raptors spent 2020-21 playing home games in Tampa, Drizzy was finally back courtside in the 6ix for the season opener on Wednesday ... and it went from 0 to 100 real quick in the 2nd quarter when the rapper appeared to get in a verbal spat with Harrell.

The Wizards forward was T'd up as a result ... and gave refs a piece of his mind as the Raps' Fred VanVleet nailed the tech free-throw.

Despite what it looked like, Harrell says there's no bad blood with Drake ... clearing the air in a postgame interview.

"Me and Drake was laughing," Harrell said. "There was no problem. Me and Drake cool. We even talked after the game."

Harrell claims he was having a chat with Drake when a Raptors coach got involved in the exchange ... and when the 27-year-old clapped back, he was hit with the tech.

Harrell will be fined $2,000 for the alleged worst behavior ... but he wants the penalty thrown out after explaining his side of the story.

"I need me money back," Harrell added.

"That definitely shouldn't of been no tech. If so, you gotta give it to me and the coach."

At the end of the day, Drake's antics didn't work -- the Raptors lost, 98-83.

Good news for Toronto Raptors fans -- and Drake -- the team just announced they'll be playing at home in 2021 after using Tampa as their home court for 19 months!!

Last season, the Raptors had to relocate to Tampa and play their home games in Amalie Arena due to Canada's travel restrictions over COVID-19.

The team hasn't played in their Scotiabank Arena since Feb. 28, 2020 -- but just got the green light to play their preseason opener at home which starts on Oct. 4 against the Sixers.

The capacity limit is still up in the air and there is a COVID vaccination mandate.

"We are optimistic regarding our ability to host full capacity events at Scotiabank Arena," the team said.

"And as a reminder, all people wishing to access the arena — whether to attend an event as a spectator, or as a member of the media — will be required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or proof of a medical exemption."

The Raptors season opener is Oct. 20 against the Wizards and it will be in their city of Toronto.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love just poured his heart out about his bizarre inbound play on Monday night ... admitting he knows he "f***ed up" and apologizing for his outburst.

32-year-old Love went viral for swatting away an inbound pass late in the 3rd quarter against the Toronto Raptors ... easily turning the ball over to the Raptors for a wide-open 3-pointer.

It appeared as if Love -- who's posting career-low numbers this season for the 21-40 Cavs -- had become fed up with the losing and just snapped.

But, the 2016 champ says that's simply not the case.

Love started off his media availability Wednesday morning with an emotional, 15-minute speech ... saying, "My intent wasn't to disrespect the game. My intent wasn't even for the damn ball to go inbounds. It was a moment that I got caught up in."

"I didn't even understand what really happened as the possession even played out. I think I was a little bit dumbfounded."

He added ... "I didn't realize how bad it looked, really, until after the game. I truly didn't ... After that, I just completely shut down. I never want that to be who I am. I don't want to have to be here and defend my character."

Love says he has apologized to his teammates for the outburst ... calling it a "moment of sheer frustration."

So, what caused the disastrous turnover?? Love says it stemmed from blown calls throughout the 112 to 96 loss.

"Not to say too much that could get me fined, but it was the officiating," Love told USA Today.

It's gotta be tough for Love -- he's averaging 11.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 games this season -- and the glory days of the LeBron James-era are long gone.

Love says the moment was blown way out of proportion by the media ... and he really only cares about the opinions of his teammates.

"I take this one on the chin, naturally. I'll do that as a man, I'll do that as a teammate and continue to get better. That's really all I can do."

As for his relationship status with Cleveland?? Love makes it clear he's still their guy.

We interrupt this standard NBA post-game press conference ... WITH A SPECIAL VIDEO MESSAGE FROM DRAKE?!

Yep, the rap superstar FaceTime'd his pal Kyle Lowry while the Toronto Raptors star was facing the media following Wednesday night's game against the Denver Nuggets.

There are rumblings that Toronto will trade Lowry to another team before the NBA trade deadline (Thursday at 12 PM PT) -- which means Wednesday could have been the last time Lowry rocked the Raptors uniform.

During the presser, Lowry admitted it was "kind of weird tonight not knowing what the next step would be" ... but when Drake's name popped up on his cell phone, his mood changed.

"Guys, we have a special guest here," Lowry told reporters during the video news conference.

That's when Lowry held up his phone and showed everyone Drake was on FaceTime!

"If you guys have any questions, I’m here to translate," Drake said ... "I’m his translator!"

Lowry laughed a quipped back, "No you’re not. No!! I’ll hit you when I’m done, bro."

Really funny moment between Lowry and Drake -- who's not just a Raptors superfan, he's also the team's official "global ambassador."

Big news for Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis ... prosecutors have dropped the domestic violence charges against him stemming from an Oct. 2020 incident.

As we previously reported ... 23-year-old Davis was arrested after officials say he repeatedly punched his ex-GF in the face during an argument at the Beekman Tower hotel in NY.

Davis' ex-GF also told police he smashed her phone when she refused to stop recording him during the alleged incident.

Cops were called to the scene and he was ultimately booked for misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges.

But now, prosecutors have dropped the case against Davis, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Davis is a pretty good player -- he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020 which is impressive considering he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

A man who claims to be Kawhi Leonard's pal says Jerry West owes him $2.5 MIL for his role in helping the Clippers land the NBA superstar ... and he's demanding JW pay up ASAP.

It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which Johnny Wilkes spells out how he agreed to work with West for a small fortune in exchange for help getting Kawhi in a Clippers uni.

Wilkes says back on April 10, 2019, he met West at Staples Center and informed the Clippers' executive board member he had close ties to Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson.

Wilkes says he and West exchanged contact information ... and a few weeks later, in June, West asked Wilkes for help in courting Kawhi to Los Angeles.

In the suit, Wilkes claims he told West he'd only help if the Clippers would pay him $2.5 MILLION ... and Wilkes claims West agreed to the terms.

Wilkes says in the lawsuit he "immediately went to work" ... and began convincing Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle the Clippers were the right team for him after he had just left the Toronto Raptors.

Wilkes says he told West and the Clippers they needed to get Paul George first and foremost to hook Kawhi. He then says he helped connect West with Kawhi's uncle.

Wilkes also claims in the suit he gave West a specific gameplan for how the Clippers should pitch Kawhi during an important meeting with West, Leonard, Doc Rivers and others in July 2019.

"This information was vital," Wilkes said in the lawsuit, "because it was the exact information Kawhi Leonard wanted to hear at the time in order to effectuate his signing with the Clippers."

Wilkes also says he helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.

Wilkes says after Kawhi ultimately agreed to sign with the Clippers in late July ... he went for a celebratory meal with West and others in Beverly Hills.

Wilkes claims West agreed yet again at the dinner to fork over $2.5 million for all the help ... but Wilkes claims in the suit he still hasn't received a penny -- and he's suing West and the Clippers for breach of contract and more.

Wilkes is asking for the $2.5 mil plus damages.

We've reached out to the Clippers for comment ... but so far, no word back.

The Tampa Bay Raptors? For now, yes.

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they will begin the 2020-21 NBA season playing their home games in Tampa ... hours after the Canadian government reportedly ruled they could not host home games up north.

The long story short ... due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government didn't want teams flying in from the U.S. and possibly spreading the virus.

The U.S. is still considered a coronavirus hotbed -- with more than 11.8 million cases compared to just 315k in Canada.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri says the team had "productive" conversations with govt. officials in the hopes of keeping the team in Canada -- but with the season set to kick off on Dec. 22, Toronto decided it was better to start the season in Tampa and figure things out from there.

"Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida," Ujiri said.

Ujiri says the team is committed to planning a safe return to Toronto -- "and as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada."

"So we'll be away from our home and our fans for now. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure that's possible for us -- we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA."