Basketball

The Utah Jazz organization is stepping up to help the Ukrainian people amid the Russian invasion ... by providing more than 32,200 nights of housing for refugees fleeing the country.

The team made the announcement on Wednesday ... saying it teamed up with Airbnb.org -- a nonprofit devoted to providing housing to those in need -- to make the gesture happen.

Jazz Executive chairman and co-owner Ryan Smith spoke about the decision to help out ... saying, "Connection and community have never been more important than it is today."

"Millions of people have been forced to leave behind their entire lives in Ukraine. Airbnb.org is connecting host families with refugees in need, creating safe havens when so many communities are being torn apart."

He added ... "And we can’t stop there. I encourage every organization to support Airbnb.org’s important initiative, to magnify their impact and house enough refugees to fill their arenas or workplaces.”

The incredibly kind gesture comes at a time when Ukraine is being ravaged every day by violence at the hands of Vladimir Putin and Russian troops -- forcing many of its citizens to flee out of safety concerns.

In fact, more than 2.1 million people have evacuated since February 24.

Airbnb co-founder and chairman of Airbnb.org, Joe Gebbia, was extremely thankful for the commitment from the team ... saying, "I cannot begin to express my thanks to the Utah Jazz Foundation for their support of Airbnb.org’s work."

The Sacramento Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis for one game ... 'cause their newly acquired center has been suspended for making contact with a referee during Monday's game against the Knicks.

The NBA's President of League Operations, Byron Spruell, announced the punishment on Wednesday ... saying Sabonis was suspended "for aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official."

During the tilt against New York, Domantas was hit with a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct after he disagreed with a foul called by one of the refs.

That's when Sabonis became irate, and according to the NBA's official statement, "reacted demonstratively again in the vicinity of the game official, and approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner."

In the video, you can see Domantas clearly lose his cool ... and does seem to make contact with the official, albeit minimal.

Sabonis received a second technical foul and was ultimately ejected from the game ... so he was unable to see the Kings squander their double-digit lead to the Knicks.

In the latest edition of NBA Players vs. Fans -- JaVale McGee got in a heated back-and-forth with a spectator in Orlando on Tuesday night ... after the guy unleashed a series of F-bombs and called him a "bitch."

The man -- we're assuming he's not a Suns fan -- was sitting close to the Phoenix bench as he started jawing at McGee.

In the clip, you can see Suns center Bismack Biyombo motioning to have the guy thrown out of the arena ... and it's because he seemingly continuously yelled "f*** you" at McGee during a timeout.

If you listen closely, it appears another fan says, "Way to go, JaVale, you f***ing bitch," in the background of the video.

Building staff eventually made its way over to the guy who got into it with McGee ... and let him know he had to leave the game -- which pissed him off even more.

"F*** you, bitch," the guy said to McGee, who could clearly hear him.

Another fan appears to ask, "Aye, JaVale, you called me a p***y?" in the video as well ... although it's unclear if the two men were together or if it was a completely different interaction.

The NEC men's hoops championship game on Tuesday night turned ugly ... after a shirtless fan escalated a huge skirmish in the stands by throwing his drink on another man.

The wild scene all went down with just minutes left in the Bryant vs. Wagner tilt in Rhode Island ... when Bryant fans appeared to get into it with Wagner supporters.

Broadcast cameras captured the scuffle in the seats ... and you can see, punches were thrown -- before a fan with no top on chucked the remnants of his drink at another man.

It looked like a couple Wagner players tried to jump into the fracas too -- but fortunately, it seemed they were all held back before they could get physically involved.

The game was delayed roughly half an hour over the melee ... and one Wagner player, guard Will Martinez, was ejected after video replays showed he was trying to race into the stands.

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed ... and Bryant went on to win the game easily, securing the championship and locking down its first-ever trip to this month's NCAA tournament.

Russell Westbrook says he's done with fans calling him "Westbrick" ... telling reporters Monday night the taunt is now deeply affecting him, his kids and everyone else he closely associates with.

"A lot of times, I let it slide," the L.A. Lakers superstar said following his team's loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. "But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice."

Westbrook has heard the heckle repeatedly this year -- both at home and on the road -- after he's struggled to put up good performances for L.A. on a consistent basis.

Now, though, he said it's gotten so bad ... he's worried about the potential impact it's having on him and his family -- and he says he's going to do everything in his power to stop it.

"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son," said Westbrook, following a a game in which he had 17 points and five turnovers. "And, the teacher told me, '[My son] Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.''"

"And, I kind of sat there in shock," Westbrook added. "And, it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to call me Westbrick].'"

Russ was seen Monday night in San Antonio appearing to shut down the taunt from a courtside fan, yelling at the person from the baseline, "Don't disrespect my name!"

"Every time I do hear it now," Russ said of the taunting, "I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Westbrook's wife, meanwhile, has also urged fans to stop with the jeers ... urging people in a series of tweets this week to cool it -- claiming their family has even gotten death threats over the course of the season.

Dick Vitale just scored the first win of March Madness -- the legendary college hoops analyst announced that his recent scans came back clean ... meaning he's cancer-free!!!

Dickie V got his positron emission tomography (PET) scans done on Tuesday ... a procedure that detects early signs of cancer and other diseases.

While he waited for his results, Vitale admitted he was nervous ... and asked his fanbase to send thoughts and prayers.

The good vibes certainly helped ... 'cause the 82-year-old revealed the scans showed no signs of cancer!!

"OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of (you) have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing," Vitale said on Twitter.

This is great news for Dickie V, who has been challenged with two types of cancer recently -- in the last year, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and melanoma.

Dickie V also had vocal cord surgery last month and was ordered to be on voice rest.

Throughout his journey, he's received nothing but support from fans ... getting an emotional standing ovation in December at the Baylor vs. Villanova game.

"I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer," Vitale added.

"My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby!"

Now, Vitale gets to rest up and recover in time for the 2022-23 season ... and hoops fans will be more than happy to have him back.

Brittney Griner's alleged mug shot was shared by Russian State media, marking the first time the WNBA star has been seen "publicly" since her detainment in February.

The 31-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury was taken into custody last month at an airport near Moscow ... after Russian customs officials claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on luggage, which allegedly contained hashish oil (for a vape).

Russian officials say they've launched a drug trafficking investigation ... and if convicted, Griner could face a decade behind bars in Russia.

Russia's state-owned news channel, Russia 24, aired a photo of Griner's mug shot. State media reported the booking photo was taken at a Russian police station, according to CNN.

The mug shot is significant because Griner has not been seen or heard from publicly in weeks.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for the WNBA superstar. Russia is in the midst of a full-out assault on Ukraine, and the United States and many other countries have sanctioned the Russian government, seriously ratcheting up tensions.

Now, the Russian government has a high-profile American prisoner ... and could become a pawn or bargaining chip for Putin.

As for the efforts to bring Brittney home -- we recently spoke with longtime U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who told us the State Dept. is doing everything in its power to return the star hooper to her family and friends in the States.

Ja Morant should be the next hooper-turned-Hollywood actor ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the Grizzlies star would be perfect alongside Jack Harlow in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot.

As we previously reported, the "Nail Tech" rapper was announced as the lead actor in the new project ... taking on Woody Harrelson's role of Billy Hoyle.

While Harlow's costar has not yet been announced, we asked Kenny who should be the modern-day Sidney Deane ... and he's got a great idea.

"They should get a current young player," Smith tells us. "They should get Ja Morant."

"They get Ja Morant to do that. No question. Hey, production credit!!"

Not only does Smith praise Morant as his pick for Sidney Deane, he also gives him credit for his success on the court this season ... and thinks he deserves to be in the race for MVP.

"He's in the conversation, but I think Joel [Embiid] is still gonna win it. But, he is right behind him. They are a contender."

Morant is balling out this season -- averaging 27.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game -- and if his success spills over to the silver screen with "WMCJ," Smith says he needs a shoutout.

How's this for a birthday gift? Deandre Ayton celebrated his son's first birthday by dropping 30 points ... and he did it rockin' custom Elmo kicks!

TMZ Sports has learned Ayton's team reached out to Cleveland artist Van Monroe requesting Elmo artwork for his sneakers to celebrate Deandre Jr.'s first birthday on March 6.

Monroe brought Ayton's vision to life -- delivering a dope design featuring the Sesame Street Muppet.

Aside from a painted photo of Elmo ... the Puma's also have Ayton's son's name and birthday, March 6, 2021, painted on them.

Monroe -- who tells us he was honored Deandre chose him for such a special occasion -- says it only took him 15 hours from sketch to finished product on the size 18 shoes.

Besides the birthday sneaker tribute, Ayton went off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, dropping 30 points for the Suns -- a season-high for the 6-foot-11 center.

Despite the great performance, the Suns lost, 132-122 ... but that didn't stop Ayton from dedicating his best performance of the year to Jr.

"Happy birthday to my son," Ayton said post-game, "That game is dedicated to him."

Senator Lindsey Graham caught some heat for suggesting someone needed to assassinate Vladimir Putin to end this Russia-Ukraine conflict ... and now, he's doubling down.

We got LG Monday at Reagan National Airport in D.C., and asked him to respond to the backlash he received last week after floating the possibility of Russians taking Putin out.

The basis of the criticism ... such talk is dangerous, and certainly not something a U.S. public official should be spewing -- even if it is something that's been on folks' minds.

Well ... Sen. Graham not only stands by what he said, but expands a bit on the subject -- saying just about everybody in the world sees what the Russian president is doing, and can clearly see the guy's a war criminal who must be stopped.

Graham notes Putin's been getting away with atrocities for years -- so, yes, he doesn't see anything wrong with musing about the possibility of his own people removing the man ... one way or another.

Our photog took the opportunity to ask about WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's being detained by Russian authorities on a drug charge.

Brittney Griner's wife says she's completely heartbroken over her wife's detainment in Russia ... saying in an emotional social media post, "My heart, our hearts, are all skipping beats everyday that goes by without hearing from you."

Griner has reportedly been kept in Russia the past few weeks after she was allegedly caught with vape cartridges in her bag while traveling through an airport.

Communication between Griner and her family has apparently been few and far between since she was taken into custody ... and Cherelle Griner said Monday morning it's all been excruciating.

"There are no words to express this pain," Cherelle said. "I'm hurting, we're hurting. We await the day to love on you as a family."

Cherelle added that she's having trouble doing anything without wondering if the WNBA star is safe.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to get into specifics of the Griner case on Sunday ... but he said any citizen who is being held in a foreign country will get assistance.

"Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world," Blinken said, "we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance."

He added, "We have an embassy team that's working on the cases of other Americans who are detained in Russia. We're doing everything we can to see to it that their rights are upheld and respected."

They say time heals all, but that's not the case when it comes to Kyrie Irving and Celtics fans ... 'cause the NBA star just compared the Boston fanbase to "a scorned girlfriend" after getting heckled during Sunday's matchup.

Celtics fans chanted "Kyrie sucks" late in the 4th quarter in Boston's 126-120 win ... and Irving addressed the hate during his postgame interview.

"It's like the scorned girlfriend who wants an explanation on why I left, but still hoping for a text back," Irving said of the jeers. "I'm just like, 'It was fun while it lasted.'"

Of course, the relationship between Irving and Celtics fans soured when KI declined an option to return to the franchise after playing only two seasons for the team ... despite previously saying he was planning to stay long-term.

Since then, C's fans have made it a point to boo and show their disproval for Irving every time he returns to Boston ... making sure he's well aware they haven't forgotten how he left them hanging.

Despite the remarks, Irving did say he was grateful for the time he spent as a Celtic ... and he still remains close with a lot of the guys he played with, like Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown.

The relationship with JT appeared to shine through ... as Tatum tried to quiet the fans from saying "Kyrie sucks" as Brown shot free throws.

Brittney Griner's wife is breaking her silence since news broke about the WNBA star being detained in Russia -- and her first message is one of gratitude.

Cherelle Griner hopped on IG Sunday to post a photo of herself with BG, adding a caption that read ... "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated. I love my wife wholeheartedly, so this message comes during one of the weakest moments of my life."

She adds, "I understand that many of you have grown to love BG over the years and have concerns and want details. Please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely."

As you know ... Brittney is in Russian custody at the moment, and apparently has been for a good while now -- since at least February when she was busted on suspicion of a drug charge.

She's alleged to have had vape cartridges in her bag while traveling through an airport -- and the Russian authorities even released video capturing the moment they searched her stuff.

Kobe Bryant's shooting shirt from his iconic 81-point game just sold for a massive $277,000 at auction -- and the lucky buyer also got a one-of-one NFT that came with it.

The shirt is a one-of-a-kind piece ... not only was it worn by the Mamba before he scored the 2nd-most points ever in an NBA game (back in 2006), experts at Sotheby's tell TMZ Sports it's the ONLY worn piece from that game on the market.

We're told it was worn six other times by Kobe, too -- including in the 2006 playoffs.

We're also told the shoes from that historic game were sent to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the uniform is owned by Bryant's family -- so this might be the only Bryant-donned item from the game that ever becomes available.

The auction for the shooting shirt closed last week -- and after a bunch of bidding, the rare piece sold for a total of $277,200.

The lucky buyer is David Kohler, President of SCP Auctions and owner of one of the largest private Lakers memorabilia collections in the world, and he said after the sale he's pumped to now own the item.

"After collecting Kobe Bryant memorabilia throughout many years, I am thrilled and honored to add this very special artifact from one of the most significant games in NBA history to my collection," Kohler said.

Brittney Griner, WNBA superstar and 2x Olympic gold medalist, was reportedly detained in Russia after customs officials say they found hashish oil in the hoopers luggage ... and she could now face 10 years in prison.

On Saturday, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced they'd detained an American basketball player back in February after finding vape cartridges in her bags while traveling through Sheremetyevo airport -- about 20 miles from Moscow.

Russian customs didn't identify the person taken into custody, but TASS, a Russian news agency, citing sources, ID'd the player as Griner, center for the Phoenix Mercury.

Customs released surveillance video on Saturday appearing to show Griner, wearing a mask, going through airport security. The clip shows what appears to be a security official removing a package from the traveler's bag.

According to a statement from Russian Customs, the traveler was flying from New York to Russia. At some point, they claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on bag. Soon after they claim they found the vapes.

The statement says Russian officials have opened up a drug trafficking investigation ... a charge that could carry a five to ten-year prison sentence, if convicted.

Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Brittney's agent, issued the following statement.

"We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA."

Colas continued ... "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern."

The WNBA also released a statement pledging their support for Griner, saying their main objective was to return her to the USA as soon as possible.

31-year-old Griner, the 1st overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, is one of the best players in the league. Brittney is a 7x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champ, 2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and a WNBA champion.

Despite her accolades, Griner and other WNBA players routinely hoop in Russia ... as women can earn significantly more money than what the WNBA pays.

Griner is no stranger to the country. She's won four championships with the Russian Euroleague team, UMMC Ekaterinburg.

It's not publicly known where, or if, Griner is being held ... as the detainment allegedly occurred in February.

It's a perilous time for an American to be held in Russia. Relations between the two countries are incredibly strained, as Vladimir Putin's military invaded and attacked Ukraine, and the west responded with harsh sanctions, dealing a significant blow to Russia's economy.

Shaquille O'Neal's turning 50 this weekend, but he ain't slowing down ... in fact, the NBA legend's literally getting faster after getting a brand new, customized Dodge Charger Hellcat for his big day.

The NBA Hall of Famer -- who's turning the big 50 on March 6 -- showed off his new whip on Friday ... saying it's the "best birthday ever!"

The car looks awesome ... with it's custom silver and red paint job and scissor doors (like on a Lamborghini). It also has the words "Diesel Dog Mafia" painted on the hood.

And, it's not just any old Charger ... it's a Hellcat, with about 800 horsepower.

Shaq was extremely hyped and thanked Swaggpack Shaq, Atlanta Street Xecs and Padgett Motor Sports for getting him the bday ride.

"Best car club ever," Shaq said, "love you guys thanks."

Shaq (of course) also had to take a shot at his buddy Chuck.

"I feel like Charles Barkley eating a piece of chocolate cake."