Basketball

Ex-NBA superstar Yao Ming says he spoke with tennis star Peng Shuai last month ... the former Wimbledon doubles champ who vanished from public eye after accusing a powerful Chinese official of sexual assault.

“We had a pleasant chat,” Yao said Monday, as he fielded questions at a news conference to promote the Beijing Olympics which open in 18 days.

Ming -- the current president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) -- said he's known Peng for about 20 years ... and the two attended a winter sports exhibition with other prominent Chinese sports figures.

"We asked many questions about the game as we were not familiar with snow sports," the ex-NBA star said.

Of course, Peng's disappearance raised international concern after a post on her verified Weibo social media account claimed a powerful government official sexually assaulted her.

36-year-old Peng has since denied making the claim ... telling a Singapore newspaper, "I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me."

Everyone from Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic expressed public concern for Peng ... whose recent public appearances haven't done much to quell concerns for her safety.

Speaking of Djokovic -- who was recently deported from Australia after losing his appeal -- Yao said it's unfortunate the Serbian tennis star won't be able to compete in the Australian Open.

Maryland men's basketball assistant coach Bruce Shingler has been suspended ... after he was arrested in October for allegedly soliciting a prostitute.

The University announced the punishment this week ... hitting the 40-year-old with a 30-day ban. In a statement, the school said Shingler had been barred "for a violation of his employment agreement."

The suspension comes just three months after Shingler was arrested in Prince George's County ... where cops say he tried to pay an undercover officer $80 in exchange for sex.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say Shingler responded to a "women seeking men" ad posted by an undercover cop on a website police say is known to be used for prostitution.

Cops say Shingler eventually agreed to meet up at a local hotel and tried to exchange the cash for sex. Authorities say in the docs that once he handed over the money, he was arrested.

Court records show Shingler has since been hit with two charges of soliciting a prostitute.

Maryland interim head coach Danny Manning did not want to comment on the situation beyond the school's statement following the team's win over Northwestern earlier this week.

"Our athletic department will handle everything from there," Manning said.

A publicist is suing LaMelo Ball ... claiming the NBA star owes her MILLIONS after he signed a lucrative contract with Puma but never gave her her cut of the deal.

Amber Johnson spelled out the allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, claiming Ball hired her back in 2019 to score business deals, but he screwed her over a short time later.

Johnson says she worked with Ball to get him on a video game streaming show -- and things went so well, Ball and his reps asked her to work with them going forward.

In her suit, Johnson claims as part of their working relationship, Ball and his camp agreed to give her a 10 percent cut of any deal she found for the hooper. She also says they agreed to reimburse her for any out-of-pocket expenses that she incurred while working on projects for Melo.

Johnson claims a short time later, she helped Ball sign a contract with streaming service "Caffeine."

Following that deal in 2019, Johnson says she began talking to Puma about working with Ball as well.

In her suit, Johnson says she helped facilitate communication between Melo and the giant shoe company ... which she says ultimately resulted in a $100 million contract for Ball.

But, Johnson says she never got her cut of the deals she delivered to the star. She also says she was never reimbursed for $4,800 in expenses from helping Ball on various other projects.

She's asking for damages in excess of $10 MILLION.

Russell Westbrook can't catch a break -- the Lakers star was hilariously mocked by the Sacramento Kings' in-house DJ on Wednesday ... who played the song "Cold As Ice" every time he missed a shot.

It's no secret -- Russ hasn't necessarily been lights-out from the field recently ... and the shooting slump continued against the Kings in Sacramento.

Check out the clip -- you can hear the DJ drop a snippet of Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" track every time Westbrook missed a shot.

BTW, Russ finished the game with just 8 points -- going 2-14 from the field -- so the song was played quite a bit.

But, that wasn't the only troll job of the night -- in the waning moments of the game, the Kings put up a graphic on the scoreboard ... calling Westbrook the "Ice Cold Player Of The Game."

This isn't the first time we've seen the former MVP struggle to shoot the rock. In fact, here are some of Russ' most recent shooting woes.

7-of-19 vs. MIN

7-of-19 vs. SAC

4-of-14 vs. ATL

2-of-12 vs. MEM

2-of-14 vs. SAC

Westbrook brushed it all off after the game ... telling reporters "That's funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It's funny they play it now. That's cute."

To Russ' credit, he did take personal responsibility for his shooting struggles ... saying, "Man, who you telling. I can't f**king hit a shot, boy."

Ben Simmons' time in Philadelphia is up ... at least that's what Austin Rivers truly believes, telling TMZ Sports he doesn't see the 3-time All-Star suiting up for the 76ers ever again.

Of course, the Denver Nuggets guard's dad, Doc, has been trying to mend the relationship between Ben and the Sixers org. for months now ... but BS has yet to play a minute of hoops for Philly this season.

And when we asked Austin about the situation, he says he doesn't see Simmons playing for the Sixers ever again.

"No man, probably not. I don’t think so," Rivers answered. "If he hasn’t suited up by now, then I don’t think so."

Austin says his dad and the team have done everything in their power to retain the 25-year-old ... despite Simmons' desire to be traded.

"S***, they tried, bro," he said. "Look how long it’s been. I think they tried to keep him. He wants to go somewhere else obviously."

Rivers ultimately wishes BS well saying ... "I just want the young man to be happy. He’s talented. He’s a great player."

As we previously reported, Doc told us he'd love to have BS back with the Sixers. But so much has transpired since then ... and with neither side budging, it certainly feels like Austin's right.

Life has changed so much for Shawn Bradley since he was paralyzed in a tragic bike accident last year, the former NBA star admitted he battles suicidal thoughts regularly.

The 7-foot-6, ex-Dallas Mavericks fan favorite made the revelation during recent interviews with Sports Illustrated -- explaining things have not been easy since he suffered a serious spine injury in a Jan. 20, 2021 bicycle crash.

"Maybe it'd be better if this was just all over," Bradley says he sometimes thinks to himself in the wake of the tragedy.

"Yes, those thoughts creep in -- and they're real. I can't ever imagine myself acting on those thoughts, but I definitely have them."

Bradley revealed that when a minivan bumped into the back of his bike in the accident last year, he landed on a parked car and damaged vertebrae in his neck so badly, he was paralyzed from the chest down.

Because of the injury, the once towering basketball player has been relegated to a wheelchair -- which he and his wife, Carrie, said have made even the simplest tasks, like going out on dates or even getting around his home, nearly impossible.

Bradley now needs help eating and bathing ... and he says when friends and former teammates have seen him in his new state, it can get overwhelming.

"People that I'm very close with, the first time they see me, it's emotional," Bradley said. "It's extremely draining."

Bradley, though, says he has realistic goals of improving his ability to move around his big frame in the near future. He said the family is also hoping to move into a more wheelchair-friendly home soon.

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."

Ja Morant is as ruthless as he is athletic -- the Grizzlies star savagely mean-mugged a kid in a Warriors jersey during Memphis' game Tuesday night ... but he's at least now apologizing for the cold shoulder.

In the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' game against Golden State ... Morant took over, and hit a huge clutch bucket to extend Memphis' lead.

As his momentum carried him into the crowd, though, a young kid in a Warriors jersey was hoping to slap hands with the 22-year-old phenom after the sweet layup.

But, Ja paid the youngster no mind -- and instead, appeared to hit him with a death stare!!

"He was disrespectful with that jersey on," Morant said of the interaction in a postgame interview. "We in Memphis. It looked like he wanted to cheer but he had that jersey on."

But, Morant did eventually say he was sorry ... and added that he was hoping to get the kid's information so he could send him some Grizzlies gear to replace the Dubs colors.

Kyrie Irving was not pleased with Nassir Little Monday night -- the Brooklyn Nets star claims the Blazers forward could have seriously injured him while diving for a loose ball in the middle of the game ... calling the move "unnecessary."

Check out the play -- both players were trying to secure possession during the 4th quarter ... when Nassir dove to the floor, causing Kyrie to land awkwardly while trying to avoid stepping on Little.

Irving tweaked his ankle as a result ... but managed to finish the game. He spoke with reporters about the moment during postgame interviews ... saying it was a "bad" play.

"I tried to get out of the way, but I just felt like that was just unnecessary," he said.

"For him to dive that far to the ball, I just tried to get out the way. Just an unnecessary play."

Kyrie -- who's only playing in Brooklyn's road games at the moment due to his COVID-19 vaccination status -- says he spoke with refs ... telling them they need to do a better job of protecting players.

"I could have broke my ankle or done something worse," Irving said. "Not a good play. No place for that in basketball."

"I get the intent from Nassir, but it could've been avoided. All good, we move on."

Little got wind of Irving's comments ... and doubled down on the play via Twitter.

"I would never hurt someone on purpose, I have the utmost respect for Kyrie!" he said. "But y'all are delusional if you think this is a bad play, and id do it again."

"Idgaf what y'all talkin about."

Despite the tweaked ankle, Irving says he'll be ready to go when the Nets take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

The Miz shouldn't expect an honorary key to Philadelphia anytime soon ever ... 'cause the WWE Superstar just took a giant dump on the City of Brotherly Love, telling fans he totally gets why 76ers star Ben Simmons wants out of dodge.

WWE's "Monday Night Raw" was in town at the Wells Fargo Center -- the Sixers home arena -- when The Miz addressed fellow star wrestler, Edge, and chose to take a dig at Philly.

"After looking at this crowd I can say with the utmost conviction that I stand with Ben Simmons," Miz said. "I too would give up $33 million dollars just to not play in this crap city."

"I mean have you seen yourselves," he continued, "Can you blame him?"

The Miz -- one of WWE's best heels -- was met with a barrage of boos from thousands of people in the audience ... something the former WWE champion is accustomed to.

Of course, the Simmons saga is a sensitive issue for the city and organization. The 25-year-old hooper has yet to step foot on the court for a game ... and the season is halfway over.

Ben and the Sixers have been involved in a nasty back-and-forth ... with the All-Star forward telling the org. he would sit out the entire season -- and forfeit the $33 million owed to him -- if they did not meet his trade demands.

Halsey is not letting Grizzlies player Desmond Bane get away with coming at the King ... ripping the guard for being rude to LeBron James and having a "big a** f***in' mouth."

23-year-old Bane was clearly chirping throughout the Lakers' home game against Memphis ... and it got so heated at one point, LBJ shoved the guy for continuously running his mouth.

The award-winning singer -- who's a die-hard Lakers fan -- was sitting courtside through it all ... and had some words for DB after the game.

"Courtside observations: Bane got an unnaturally loud and rude big a** f***in mouth," Halsey said via Twitter.

Grizzlies fans quickly replied with shots of their own ... but Halsey wasn't having it.

"Bruh shut the f*** up," Halsey replied, "This man LeBron almost had to give him a masterclass in decorum."

"Everyone s*** talks but word on the court was 'he’s a problem.'"

FYI, Bane -- who's in his second season with the Grizz -- replied to Halsey's analysis with a few laughing emojis and a thumbs down ... but he later deleted the tweet.

Sideline reporter Kristina Pink needed to be helped off the Crypto.com Arena floor on Sunday ... after she slipped on water and fell HARD following a postgame interview.

Pink had just finished up a post-win chat with L.A. shooting guard Amir Coffey, when she lost her balance and went crashing to the floor.

Pink horrifyingly landed on the court face-first ... and the thud of her fall could be heard loud and clear on broadcast microphones.

Somehow, though, Pink avoided serious injuries in the tumble ... writing on her social media page after the game that she's expected to be fine.

"For everyone asking, I’m ok," said Pink, who does games for NFL on Fox in addition to her role with the Clippers. "There was water on the court... Appreciate all the messages."

Atlanta Hawks hooper John Collins has high hopes for his clothing line ... telling TMZ Sports he wants his brand to reach iconic heights like Adidas and Supreme.

24-year-old Collins recently launched his very own line -- "The Baptist" -- which recently hit the shelves in places like Foot Locker and Champs.

The former Wake Forest star tells us he's just getting started ... and his dream is to make his business a household name among some of the biggest clothing brands in the industry.

"I wanna be looked at like Supreme," Collins tells us. "I wanna be looked at like Adidas ... I wanna be looked at in that sphere, so I just gotta keep working. Be consistent."

As for whether he's been speaking with any designers who have come before him, Collins says he's taken inspiration while also being true to himself.

You can tell the guy's seriously passionate about the brand -- Collins says he's as hands-on as they come ... making every choice from design down to the fabrics.

As for who he'd like to model his Baptist clothing line on the runway?!? He's got some huge names in mind.

WNBA star Angel McCoughtry says Becky Hammon taking the Aces' head coaching job shouldn't be looked at as a "step back" ... telling TMZ Sports both the WNBA and the NBA are on "the same level."

"Why is that considered a step back?" the WNBA forward said at LAX this week.

"She's coaching elite women that are just as good as LeBron, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry. These women are just as good."

Hammon became the Las Vegas Aces' HC last month -- and some have perceived it to be a disappointment, considering many believed she deserved to be an NBA HC right now.

After all, she served eight seasons as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio ... and did have interest from NBA teams with vacant head coaching jobs this past offseason.

But, McCoughtry believes going to the WNBA is by no means a "setback" ... telling us straight up, "The WNBA and NBA are not two separate things."

McCoughtry added that she believes Hammon will ultimately end up being the first female HC in the NBA one day regardless.

The 5x WNBA All-Star added that the 44-year-old's new contract with the Aces -- which made her the WNBA's highest-paid coach in history -- should be groundbreaking for female athletes and coaches moving forward.

"Great thing for our league, for her and breaking barriers with the pay," Angel said. "That's a record because at the end of the day, she's opening it up for players to have record contracts as well."

Julius Randle was so pissed with Knicks fans on Thursday night ... the star forward ran down the court and gave the sellout crowd the thumbs down gesture -- explaining after the game it was to meant to say "shut the f**k up."

"I really don't give a f**k what anybody has to say, to be honest," Randle said of the hand sign. "I'm out there playing. Nobody knows the game out there better than I do, compared to what everybody has to say."

"So, I really don't give a s***. I just go out there and play."

Randle -- who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award last season but has struggled to replicate the same play this year -- has had a rocky relationship with Knicks fans this season ... and it all came to a head during NY's game against the Celtics on Thursday.

Randle made a tough basket and then turned to the Madison Square Garden crowd and pumped his thumb downward.

And, even though the Knicks ultimately came back from a 25-point deficit to win the game, it was clear afterward that Randle is still furious with his fan support -- or lack thereof.

Randle's gesture was ultimately panned by the guys on "Inside the NBA" ... with Kenny "The Jet" Smith telling the Knicks vet that fans cheering and booing are a part of the game.

"Honestly, I wouldn't do that anywhere. New York -- that could be on Mars," Kenny said of Randle's gesture. "I'm not engaging in the 19,700 that's in Madison Square Garden. I'm engaging with the 12 dudes on that other team."

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen a high-profile New York athlete rub sports fans the wrong way with a hand gesture -- just last summer, Mets shortstop Javy Baez gave fans at Citi Field the thumbs down after they booed the team during a slump.

Like Randle, Baez was also criticized for the move ... and he later issued an apology over it all.

Shaq is back on the mic -- the NBA legend just teamed up with EDM superstar Steve Aoki to drop a new banger ... and the song is 🔥🔥🔥!!

Shaquille O'Neal -- AKA DJ Diesel -- dusted off his notebook and came up with some words for "Welcome to the Playhouse" ... rapping about being at the top of the game and partying like crazy.

"Do you know what the cost to be the boss is? 'Til you got more endorsements than loses," the Hall of Famer raps ... adding, "Do you want Shaq to put you in your place? I'll make Steve throw a cake in your face."

Aoki was clearly pleased with Shaq's performance ... sharing a behind-the-scenes vid of when he first heard the verse.

O'Neal even sprinkled some hoop terms into his verse ... saying, "Turn your wrist overshoot a jump shot. Follow through then you won't get blocked."

FYI -- Aoki had been teasing the collab all week ... posting a pic with Shaq (but cropping the big man's head out).

As we previously reported, Shaq has been welcomed with open arms in the DJ universe ... with Diplo telling us back in 2019 the ex-Laker has all the skills needed to kill it in the industry.

Now that the new song is out, it's time to rage -- and just in time for Shaq's annual Funhouse Super Bowl bash in L.A. next month.