Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal and Steph Curry just added some more hardware to their incredibly decorated trophy rooms -- the two NBA legends just won Oscars for their roles in "The Queen of Basketball" documentary.

The short film was a production of The New York Times, which Shaq and Curry helped produce, about Lusia "Lucy" Harris -- one of the greatest women's basketball players ever.

The film earned the Academy Award on Sunday night for best short subject documentary.

Shaq and Curry helped make the 22-minute doc ... highlighting Harris' incredible achievements on the hardwood -- which included her being the first woman to score a point in the Olympics as well as the first woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team.

Of course, the two are not the first NBA players to win the coveted Hollywood award ... Shaq's former teammate, Kobe Bryant, famously won an Oscar in 2018 for best animated short film, "Dear Basketball."

Kevin Durant and Mike Conley also won in 2021 for producing "Two Distant Strangers," the winner in the best live action short film category.

Jim Norton has some simple advice for Russell Westbrook in his war against heckling fans ... telling TMZ Sports if the Lakers star wants the trolling to stop, then he has to play better.

We spoke with the comedian -- who knows a thing or two about getting an earful from fans -- and he tells us the best way for Russ to shut 'em up is to elevate his game.

Of course, it's been a rough year for Westbrook in his first season with the Purple and Gold ... and spectators (L.A. especially) have been giving the former MVP a hard time.

Russ' numbers have dipped -- he's struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter and at the free-throw line and is among the league leaders in turnovers.

Most recently, Russ pled with fans to stop calling him the name "Westbrick" ... saying he often let it slide, but it's to the point where he wants it to die.

But, even that didn't stop fans from rolling up on Brodie in the street -- A fan recorded himself telling Russ he wants him to play better, but the All-Star guard wasn't feeling it all.

Jim tells us Russ needs to start going back at fans in a war of words -- encouraging the baller to "attack these losers" who are yelling at him.

Jim said there are plenty of nights in his industry he doesn't bring it, so he never gets mad at fans for heckling him if he deserves it.

"Well that's why I said, 'play better,'" Morton says, "because if I'm on stage, there's plenty of nights when I suck."

"I kind of know when I suck. So if I'm having a really bad set and someone yells, 'you suck,' then I'll address it, and I'll be mean to the person."

New Orleans Pelicans star Jaxson Hayes is being dragged to court by his ex-girlfriend ... with the Instagram model accusing him of getting physical with her.

Hayes, the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is being sued for assault and battery by Sofia Jamora, who claims he roughed her up on multiple occasions during their relationship ... including the night he got into a scuffle with cops.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jamora claims they started dating in October 2020 and the NBA stud first got violent with her on Valentine's Day 2021, violently abusing her in a Dallas hotel room.

In the docs, Jamora claims she traveled with Jaxson for his NBA game and shared a hotel room, and when he returned to the room he flipped out when she joked about a lack of Valentine's Day flowers. She claims he cussed her out, hit her with a suitcase he tossed across the room, physically prevented her from leaving the room and broke down a bathroom door to rip her phone out of her hand.

In her suit, Jamora claims Jaxson apologized for the Valentine's Day 2021 incident and swore he would never get physical with her again ... but she says more abuse followed as their relationship continued.

According to the docs, Jamora claims Jaxson, his two dogs and his cousin were staying at her Los Angeles home on July 27, 2021 when he got violent again.

In the suit, Jamora claims she left Jaxson at the home during the day while she was at a photoshoot and came home to find her dog severely injured, blaming the bite wounds on Jaxson's much bigger dogs. She says Jaxson was "passed out from a drug-induced stupor" when she got home, and while he was asleep she put his dogs in crates.

In the docs, Jamora claims Jaxson eventually woke her up at midnight and asked what happened to the dogs before flying off the handle. She says they got into a verbal argument, which escalated into Jaxson allegedly threatening for his cousin to rape her.

In her suit, Jamora claims Jaxson got physical with her and her puppy, throwing the pup to the ground and grabbing and shaking her, to the point where she told him he was hurting her. She says she locked herself in a bathroom, but he broke the door down and roughed her up.

Jamora claims Jaxson chased her all around the house and the property, grabbing her multiple times, tossing her around and dragging her down some stairs. She says he became enraged and started breaking anything he could get his hands on.

According to the docs, Jamora claims she locked Jaxson out of the house but he broke in through a window and she texted her cousins, begging them to call the cops.

In her suit, Jamora claims cops eventually arrived and Jaxson started interfering with the police investigation, getting into an altercation with officers where he was tased.

TMZ broke the story ... Jaxson was arrested that night, and he recently entered a no-contest plea for a resisting arrest and false imprisonment charge.

Jamora is suing Jaxson for assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress ... and she's going after him for damages.

Players from the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints are helping their city after powerful tornados slammed the community this week ... by delivering tons of supplies to a relief fund.

The Orleans area was hit hard on Tuesday night with storms that produced horrifying tornadoes -- some with wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

The dangerous tornadoes left one person dead, several injured and extensive damage in its path.

The Pelicans and Saints announced they would come together and host a donation drive at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center for the victims of the devastating storms.

You can see Tanoh Kpassagnon -- defensive end of the Saints -- and Trey Murphy, Naji Marshall and Herbert Jones of the Pelicans carry huge bins of supplies to the event.

Former Saints QB Drew Brees -- who has donated millions to the state of Louisiana -- was heartbroken over the destruction ... and asked everyone for their prayers.

"Praying for everyone affected by last night’s tornado through Texas and Louisiana," the 43-year-old said on Wednesday via IG.

"May God watch over our city, first responders, and those suffering. May we all come together to support each other during this time."

Lisa Leslie says women's basketball players were instructed to NOT make a big deal over Brittney Griner's arrest in Russia, despite the incredible seriousness of the situation ... all to avoid the WNBA star from becoming a political pawn in a fight between two nations.

The Hall of Famer sat down with Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, and former WNBA player Chantel Tremitiere for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" ... where Leslie revealed players were told to keep quiet on Brittney's detainment.

"So what we were told, and again, this is all sort of passed along through hearsay," the 7x WNBA All-Star prefaced, explaining ... "What we were told was to not make a big fuss about it so they could not use her as a pawn, so to speak, in this situation in the war. So to make it like it's not that important, or don't make it like 'Free Brittney' and we start this campaign and it becomes something they can use."

"That's what we were told. And I don't want to say who told us. I don't want to say who said that, but it's been kind of spreading through the women's basketball world."

Of course, Griner was arrested sometime in February at an airport near Moscow after Russian customs officials claimed they found vape cartridges in her carry-on luggage. Brittney -- who could face over a decade in prison -- has been held in custody since, with little information about her captivity known.

Leslie's comments are fascinating ... and could shed light on why Griner's detainment wasn't known by the American public for days, if not weeks, after she was arrested.

Obviously, the war in Ukraine complicates Griner's case. The west, led by America, has levied severe sanctions against Russia, dealing a big blow to the country's economy.

But, Russia does have some leverage against the United States ... and one of those leverage points is Brittney Griner.

Presumably, that's why the women were told not to publicize Griner's situation ... hoping Russia wouldn't find out people cared about, and for Brittney's situation. If Americans demand Brittney back, that pressures the U.S., and therefore is a bargaining chip for Vladimir Putin.

But, not speaking out about their friend is hard for Lisa.

"It's heartbreaking for all of us. We want to do more. And you think should we all use our social media platform and get behind it or not. This is the first time we're in a situation and don't know what to do."

Leslie says she talks about Griner almost every day ... and they wonder if she's being treated well.

"We talk about it daily. We're just like, 'Dang, what's she doing now? You think they cut off her hair? You think she has a bed long enough for her to fit in? You think she's in the room...' We've had full-on conversations about it. Her parents gotta be sick."

Lisa Leslie isn't the first person who has raised the issue of being a political pawn.

We recently talked to U.S. Congressman Colin Allred -- a former scholarship athlete at Baylor (like BG) -- was also concerned about Griner being used by Russia.

A Michigan high school basketball player -- who is completely blind -- had an arena full of fans cheer at the top of their lungs this week ... after sinking a jump shot during a game.

The star athlete is 17-year-old Jules Hoogland from the Zeeland East High School Unified Sports hoops team ... which consists of 3 special education and 2 general ed. athletes on the court at all times.

We're told the final game of the 2022 campaign was on Tuesday ... and special education teacher/Unified Sports coach Nate Vande Gutche says Hoogland had been working hard to improve her shot all season.

The time and effort paid off during Tuesday's game -- Hoogland lined up in front of the basket as a paraprofessional signals the hoop's location by hitting a long yellow pole on the backboard ... and she banked in the shot!!

The huge crowd shouted and celebrated in support of the shot ... and Vande Gutche says the scene was incredible.

"It was so moving to see her hit that shot again in front of 2,500 people."

"We couldn't have been more excited for her and her family," he added. "It capped off what was a very memorable day for all of us!"

FYI -- The Unified Sports program is part of the Special Olympics ... and this season is Zeeland High's 5th year participating.

"It's a blend of athletes that make it special," Vande Gutche said, "This is a true sports experience just like varsity teams."

"It's a blend of athletes that make it special," VandeGutche said, "This is a true sports experience just like varsity teams."

Cancel the rest of the NBA season ... Warriors superfan G-Eazy thinks it's a foregone conclusion his Golden State squad will win the championship this year, despite its recent struggles.

TMZ Sports spoke with Gerald as he was leaving Musso & Frank in L.A. this week ... and the dude was as confident as ever in his beloved Warriors, even though they've been stumbling as of late.

"We'll be all right, man," said G-Eazy, who's been a die-hard Dubs supporter for years. "We're still going all the way."

Of course, a lot of NBA pundits might disagree ... the Warriors, after all, are just 7-12 since early February, and Steph Curry is currently out with a foot injury.

But, G-Eazy, who's written a bunch of songs in honor of the Warriors, still believes in his guys.

"We're going all the way, absolutely," he said. "That's what we do, man. That's what we do."

The Warriors got off to a red-hot start this season ... but injuries to members of their Big Three -- Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Steph -- have put their championship hopes in question.

Vanessa Bryant did it!

Kobe's widow just announced the Bryant family's longtime partnership with Nike has been renewed ... after Vanessa previously said she was parting ways with the Swoosh over money and shoe availability issues.

The previous contract ended in April 2021 after Vanessa was reportedly looking for a "lifetime" contract, similar to what LeBron James and Michael Jordan have gotten.

But, Thursday Vanessa announced both sides were able to come to an agreement to bring Kobe -- and Gigi -- under the Nike brand once again.

"We're excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue! I am so proud that my husband's shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world," Bryant wrote.

And, Vanessa made it clear the deal isn't about financial gain -- it's about continuing to grow Kobe and Gigi's legacy through youth basketball.

"With this new partnership, fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike product for years to come and with Nike donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna’s shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (M&MSF)."

Vanessa continued ... "I am also grateful that Nike and I will work together to establish a youth basketball center in Southern California that will share the Mamba Mentality with youth athletes for generations to come. I know this is an inspiring moment for my husband and daughter's global fans, and I am very appreciative of each and every one of you!"

The Gigi shoe will reportedly be a custom version of the Kobe 6 Protro, dubbed the "Mambacita Sweet Sixteen."

It ain't exactly David vs. Goliath, but #11 seed Michigan is an underdog in their Sweet 16 matchup with Villanova ... but Chris Webber says that doesn't mean a thing 'cause the Wolverines are winning, and it really won't be that competitive.

TMZ Sports talked to the University of Michigan legend the night before Michigan squares off with Jay Wright's Nova squad, and asked Webber about the matchup.

"Villanova is a great team, great coach, but we have a lot of heart. I tell you what, in the bracket, I picked Houston to win just filling out things before the tournament started but after the way we've been playing since game one, I got us going all the way."

If Michigan advances, they'd play the winner of the Arizona (#1 seed) and Houston (#5 seed) game on Saturday with a trip to the Final 4 on the line.

Chris even told us how many points Michigan is going to win by.

"We're gonna win by 7. That's my prediction."

The teams followed a different path to the Sweet 16. Nova blew out #15 seed Delaware by 20 points in the first round of the tourney. They then handled #7 seed Ohio State in round two.

Michigan had a more challenging run to the Sweet 16. They beat #6 seed Colorado State by 12 in the first round, and then upset #3 seed Tennessee in the second round.

UM isn't your traditional #11 seed. They have a lot of talent and started the season ranked in the top 5 in the national polls. However, the season didn't go according to plan, and Juwan Howard's squad squeaked in as a low seed.

There's more. Chris also told us about his new partnership with Coinllectibles ... where he'll serve as president, tasked with introducing innovative sports and entertainment NFTs.

In fact, C-Webb and the company are releasing an NFT around his incredible career at Michigan on March 28.

Of course, Webber starred at Michigan between 1991 and 1993 as a member of the famed Fab Five. Chris was so good coming out of Ann Arbor that he was the 1st overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

After a long standoff with NYC vaccine mandates, Kyrie Irving will be allowed to play in home games once again ... as a new exemption will allow in-town athletes and performers to work indoors and on the court again.

Irving will be eligible to make his home debut at Barclays Center on Sunday when his Nets take on the Hornets, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The new exemption -- which was just reported Wednesday -- will be effective immediately beginning Thursday.

Irving was sidelined for a majority of the season over his refusal to get jabbed ... but he's since been allowed to play in road games for the Nets.

The mayor previously expressed his desire to see Irving on the court, but said he would not change the rules just to accommodate Kyrie.

Irving has missed a substantial amount of games this season due to the current mandate that  required players to be vaxxed ... which, of course, he is not.

The NBA champ had been criticized from several high profile celebrities like Howard Stern and Chris Rock ... but he refused to cave in and get the shot.

NBA commish Adam Silver has called for Irving to get vaccinated ... but recently admitted he felt the current mandates in NYC made no sense.

The Nets were recently fined $50,000 by the NBA for breaking the NBA's COVID-19 protocol ... after Kyrie was spotted in the Barclays Center locker room after a game.

At the time, Irving was allowed to watch games in the arena, but NOT be in a workplace environment -- AKA, he couldn't be in the locker room. Silly, we know.

The change comes ahead of MLB Opening Day ... which means Yankees and Mets players are also breathing a sigh of relief.

No official announcement yet ... but it's just a matter of time.

BTW -- it's Irving's birthday on Wednesday ... so it's a pretty great gift.

Arizona Wildcats hoops star Bennedict Mathurin says he has been trying to apologize to a TCU dancer this week ... after he appeared to accidentally touch her chest following a game this weekend.

The alleged moment happened after the Wildcats' 85-80 win over the Horned Frogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday ... when the 6'6" Canadian baller -- the 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year -- took a bow in front of fans and spread his arms as he was headed to the locker room.

From one angle, Mathurin's hand appeared to make contact with the dancer's chest ... but a different clip shows he actually might have avoided touching her.

Either way, the 19-year-old said he is actively trying to reach out to the student to personally apologize.

"I actually sent an email trying to reach out to the cheerleader," Mathurin said.

"Through the TCU athletic department, I reached out to her and that is it."

Dave Heeke, Arizona's athletic director, backed Mathurin's words ... saying the hooper did reach out to TCU to try to resolve the situation.

"While he does not recall any contact, he has attempted to reach out to the TCU student through their Athletic Department to apologize."

The 1-seed Wildcats and Mathurin will face the 5-seed Houston Cougars on Thursday in Sweet 16.

Udonis Haslem was so frustrated with his teammate Jimmy Butler during Wednesday night's game ... he threatened to beat the star's "ass" in a team huddle.

The chaotic scene went down during Miami's home game against the Warriors at FTX Arena ... when "Jimmy Buckets" and UD almost came to blows during a timeout.

Haslem and Butler, who had been sitting down, were arguing ... when Udonis appeared to yell, "I'm not your f***ing kid," which prompted Jimmy to stand up from his seat.

Haslem then began shouting, "I'll beat your ass!" while looking Butler dead in the face.

In a video of the heated interaction, filmed by someone sitting courtside, you can see UD repeatedly saying he'd beat up Jimmy ... and even taking steps toward the Heat guard as his teammates were restraining him.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra found himself in the middle of the scrum ... and even he appeared to have words for Butler during the altercation as well.

The blowup ultimately led to a loss for Miami ... and afterward, Spoelstra tried to play it all off.

"Everybody was wondering where the dinner plans were after the game," Spoelstra said.

Devin Booker was so pissed off at a courtside heckler on Wednesday night ... he berated the dude and called him a "p***y" in the middle of a play!!!

The wild scene all went down at some point during the Suns' road game with the Timberwolves ... when Booker clearly had enough of a hearing a Minnesota fan's taunts.

The Phoenix superstar was dribbling up the court, and after the guy said something to him, Booker looked him in the eye and screamed, "Shut up, p***y!"

Video shows the fan and people around him were shocked by what they just heard ... especially after Booker calmly cruised past the halfcourt line to initiate the offense.

The fans giggled after the diss -- but Devin was able to get the last laugh on the scoreboard ... leading Phoenix to a 125-116 win.

Of course, the exchange is no doubt going to cost Booker some money -- because everyone from Kevin Durant to Jusuf Nurkic has been fined for their roles in recent heated interactions with fans.

Drake is once again subscribing to God's plan -- throwing down big on roulette and giving back to the community just as much as he won ... with none other than LeBron James!

Champagne Papi made a massive donation over the weekend, offering up a cool mil in Bitcoin to the LeBron James Family Foundation -- which focuses on charitable efforts for underprivileged students, among other initiatives -- and did so in partnership with Stake.com ... an online gambling house that Drizzy uses early and often, and which facilitated this dough.

You see ... Drake actually placed a massive bet recently on one of their online roulette tables -- wagering a hefty sum on black 11 -- and when it hit ... the dude got paid out big time.

Part of that money is what was donated to the LBJ Foundation -- and Bron Bron was actually on hand in Toronto Friday to usher in the gracious gesture, hitting up a fancy restaurant in the area called Harbour 60.

It wasn't just these 2 patting each other on the back though -- Drake had a huge surprise for a local high school basketball player named Michael (of Royal Crown Academy) who's on his way to a college career. To send him off properly, Drake donated $100k to him and his mom.

Drake and co. actually captured that sweet moment on camera as well ... and it was very reminiscent of when he was handing out cash to strangers a few years back -- and just as emotional.

NBA star Dejounte Murray is a candidate for best brother ever -- the Spurs guard just gifted his sister a new car for her 18th birthday!!

DM broke it down on Tuesday via Instagram ... saying he promised his sis if she did well in school, got a job and passed her driver's test, he'd get her a new whip for her special day.

As it turns out, she did just that -- earning a 3.7 GPA, finding a job and getting her driver's license!!

"She did that so I had to stand on my words with actions," Murray said.

The 25-year-old All-Star showed off the big surprise for his sister on video ... poppin' up in Seattle to gift Jacaiyah, a brand new Honda ... saying "no more Uber!"

"I thank God for allowing me to do things like this," Murray said, "because I swear this type of stuff brings a smile to my face more than doing anything for MYSELF!!!"

Murray -- whose made over $35 million since 2016 -- says he didn't wanna just hand over a new car, but make her earn it with hard work ... just like he did to get into the NBA.

"I wanna use my hard working earning to help change the cycle I grew up on," Murray said, "and start a whole new cycle to where the kids know if they work hard and be good people good things will happen."

Murray did the exact same thing for his brother, Nate, who graduated with honors in 2019 ... surprising him with his first car -- a purple Dodge Challenger.

Shawn Marion is PISSED.

The 43-year-old NBA champ went on an all-time rant this week ... eviscerating hoop fans for criticizing his unique jumper and demanding some damn respect.

Marion made his fiery comments in a Twitter Space that was discussing the topic, "Who WOULD'VE been the GOAT, if they had more help?" ... after, apparently, someone clowned him over his unorthodox stroke.

And he didn't hold back.

"They talk about my motherf***ing shot," Marion said. "Don't nobody in the f***ing league shoot the same. Get the f*** out of here."

"I'm shooting 35-40% from the f***ing 3-point line at one point in my career," Marion added. "I was a very consistent jump shooter, so you want to sit there and tell me you want to talk about my motherf***ing shot, but don't want to talk about everything else I do on the f***ing floor?"

"Get the f*** out of here. Suck my d***. Like, seriously."

The Matrix went on to list his accolades throughout his 16-year career ... and he's got a point -- the dude is a 4-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA and scored 17,700 points and grabbed 10,101 rebounds while suiting up for the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Marion has been passionately defensive of weird jumpers in the past -- he gave some solid advice to Lonzo Ball via TMZ Sports back in 2017 ... after the young hooper was getting crap for his own shot at the time.