Basketball

Trying to grab a piece of Michael Jordan history? You're in luck (if you've got serious cash) -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a super rare, autographed His Airness court card has just hit the auction block!

The card -- a 1999-00 Upper Deck "Final Floor" piece -- is insane ... it features an actual part of the court that Jordan hit his famous last shot on as a Chicago Bull in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.

The piece also features Jordan's signature in crisp blue ink -- and it's the only version of the card that Upper Deck ever made (AKA a 1-of-1).

On the back of the card -- there's a congratulatory note that guarantees the piece's authenticity.

It's such a unique find ... bidding on the card at Goldin Auctions is already up to $140,000 -- and, given the way similar rare Jordan cards have sold recently, it could net over $1 MILLION.

"What makes this card unique is that it is the first 1/1 ever for autographs of Jordan, and it's the largest piece of memorabilia ever issued by any card manufacturer on a Michael Jordan pack-pulled trading card," Ken Goldin said. "The photo and the event are the pinnacles of Jordan's career."

Khloe Kardashian is far far away from home, celebrating her sister Kourtney's wedding, so while she's gone Tristan Thompson is performing daddy duty, and it's pretty cute.

Tristan posed pics of 4-year-old True ... with the caption, "Twinz❤️❤️."

That was followed up by some serious haircare, with True becoming a mini-stylist ... applying hair gel on Tristan's dome. True is a pro, telling her dad, "I have to wash this" as she carefully styles pops. Tristan's review -- "Stylin' by True."

Tristan and Khloe are not together, but it seems they've figured out a way to make co-parenting work ... something we've seen isn't always easy, even in her own family.

As for Khloe ... she doesn't seem to have much child anxiety ... she's clearly having a blast in Portofino, celebrating her sister's wedding ... wedding #3!

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were one of the greatest 1-2 punches in NBA history -- so says NBA vet Tristan Thompson ... who tells TMZ Sports he has nothing but praise for his old teammates.

TT's comments come after Irving recently admitted on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast that he and LeBron would have won more championships together if he had been more mature.

Of course, that admission has to sting a little bit for Thompson (hey, at least he got one off the Warriors!!) ... but he explained to us Bron and Kyrie will always hold a special place in his heart after what they accomplished in 2016.

"I win a 'ship with somebody, they're always my favorite," Thompson said.

Tristan knows firsthand what the two guys are capable of -- he was a part of the Cavaliers team led by James and Irving that erased a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors ... and was a key role player in the series.

Before the breakup, LBJ and Kyrie enjoyed success together in Cleveland ... dominating the Eastern Conference and making four consecutive Finals appearances.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O' Neal and Kobe Bryant are generally touted as the standard for best duos ... and, rightfully so, considering the careers they had.

A Kobe Bryant game-worn jersey has just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned the piece is so rare, the seller could net a FORTUNE for it.

The #8 Lakers uni was worn by Kobe during home games -- including two playoff games -- during his 1996-1997 rookie season.

Experts at SCP Auctions say it's the only jersey ever photo-matched from Mamba's rookie campaign -- making it one of the most valuable pieces of NBA memorabilia to exist.

In fact, David Kohler, CEO/President at SCP, tells us it could ultimately fetch $5 MILLION.

Experts say Bryant, who entered the league straight out of high school, wore the specific jersey five times on April 11, April 13, April 17, May 8, and May 10, 1997.

In the May games, Bryant played against Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals, marking the first time he played in the postseason.

The jersey is gold in color with purple trim and has the #8 on the front ... along with the name Bryant stitched on the back. It has two patches at the bottom ... one indicating Kob wore a size 44.

The Lower Merion product ended up spending 19 more seasons in the league -- all with the Lakers -- eventually retiring with 5 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVP awards ... and is regarded as one of the greatest players in league history.

Who needs weights when you've got an NBA Hall of Famer sitting around!?!

Shaquille O'Neal proved he's still the "Big Aristotle" at 50 years old ... 'cause the legend just curled Reggie Miller -- with ease!!

A video of The Diesel's recent swole sesh was posted to the 'NBA on TNT's Twitter this week ... and for someone who's been retired from the NBA since 2010, Shaq looks to be in great shape.

In the clip, you see the legendary Pacers guard jump into Shaq's arms -- O'Neal didn't budge a bit -- and the former Lakers big man completes 4 full curls!!

"Don't drop me man," Reggie said, before leaping into Shaq's arms.

During his career, Shaq was one of the most dominant forces in NBA history, breaking backboards, blocking shots, and routinely punishing defenders who challenged him.

However, and he'll admit, fitness wasn't always Shaq's priority, especially as his career waned and he started bouncing around from team to team after his prime.

But, that's a thing of the past, because O'Neal looks shredded for a 50-year-old, and the way he was able to curl Miller -- who weighs close to 200 pounds -- was pretty sick.

Move over, Will Smith and Chris Rock -- Bob Cousy and JJ Redick are now the biggest beef of 2022 ... 'cause the Celtic legend is defending his entire era, saying, "we must have had the best firemen and plumbers on the planet."

Remember, the ex-NBAer ripped into Chris Russo on ESPN's "First Take" last month ... after "Mad Dog" brought Cousy into the discussion when debating Chris Paul's legacy.

Redick said 93-year-old Cousy was great for his time, but claimed the 1957 MVP "was being guarded by plumbers and firemen."

Cousy -- a 13-time All-Star from 1951-63 -- got wind of Redick's comments ... and said he wasn't going to give the ex-Duke legend the reaction he wanted ... claiming the guy just wanted attention.

"People with less talent will always try to make a name for themselves by criticizing other people and hopefully getting some attention and perhaps increasing their credibility," the 6-time champ said.

"So, when you respond to something like this, you play into their hands," he added. "I won’t do that, but I will defend the firemen and the plumbers that he referenced."

Those firemen and plumbers?? Cousy names them off, and they're some of the all-time greats.

Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West?? Yeah, pretty damn good!!

Cousy plays into Redick's comments ... saying, "We must have had the best firemen and plumbers on the planet at the time. And, I was very proud to play with all of them."

Dominique Wilkins -- one of the greatest high flyers in NBA history -- says he knows how to fix the (broken) slam dunk contest, telling TMZ Sports superstars must participate ... just like he and Michael Jordan did back in the day.

We spoke with the Hall of Famer -- a 2x Slam Dunk champ known for his prowess as a dunker -- about why the dunk contest has fallen out of favor with NBA fans, and how he would fix it.

"Until you get star athletes, your best players who are athletic to get in the dunk contest," Wilkins said, continuing ... "It takes a lot away from it. You don't have that same pop -- that same energy."

'Nique then lamented about the old days ... when bonafide superstars, legends, entered the contest each and every year.

"When we did the dunk contest Michael [Jordan] myself, Dr. J, Larry Nance, you talking Spud [Webb] ... they wanted to know who the best was."

Of course, Dominique was part of the greatest and most memorable DC ever ... a showdown against MJ in 1988. Jordan won ... but it was controversial.

Wilkins says during his day the dunk contest set the tone for All-Star weekend, giving fans something to look forward to. But, Wilkins admits as of late, it's been less than stellar.

"The dunk contest raised the bar for All-Star weekend," he said. "It's been hard to watch as of late."

FYI, last year's contest featured Cassius Stanley, Anfernee Simons, and Obi Toppin, who won.

Nice players and super athletic guys ... but not exactly Ja Morant and Zion Williamson battling each other like MJ and DW.

Ultimately, Dominique thinks players are too worried about their image ... rather than just going out and putting on a show for the crowd.

"Guys look at it the wrong way," 'Nique said. "I don't want to get in it because maybe it'll affect my legacy."

Wilkins told us when he was going at it with Jordan, it wasn't about who won or lost, but rather two great players matching each other's will.

We also asked the Hawks legend if Atlanta's superstar point guard Trae Young can be the best player on a championship team despite recent criticism saying he can't.

"Trae's a special talent, and a special young man that loves the game of basketball," 'Nique said. "Anytime you don't win, there's always going to be that doubt, 'well, can he lead a team to a championship?'"

Wilkins says although the Hawks -- who made the Eastern Conference Finals last year -- seemingly regressed this season, he believes Ice Trae can lead his team to a chip.

We also talked to 'Nique about his new collab with NFT Genius ... they've partnered up to create a super exclusive, 1-of-1 BALLERZ NFT.

In addition to being able to bid on the unique piece of digital art, there are also a bunch of other cool prizes like signed memorabilia, meet and greets with the NBA legend, and rack NFT packs like NBA Topshot, UFC Strike and NFL All Day.

Robert Griffin III is firing back at the racist haters attacking LeBron James' son, Bronny, for taking a white classmate to prom ... saying, "LEAVE THESE KIDS ALONE!!!"

That's right -- grown ass people are mad about who a 17-year-old kid took to a dance.

Here's the deal -- LeBron's wife, Savannah, shared shots of Bronny's big day to social media on Wednesday ... showing the junior hooper and his date, a senior student at Sierra Canyon, all dressed up for the event.

Bronny was decked out in a flashy blue and black suit ... and his transportation of choice was a custom-print Mercedes with a sporty spoiler, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Pretty awesome, right??

Well, some disgusting haters took issue with Bronny's date not being black ... commenting some awful responses under Savannah's post -- even accusing the girl of being a gold digger.

Enter RG3, who defended the teenagers in a passionate tweet this week.

"LEAVE THESE KIDS ALONE!" Griffin -- who is married to Estonian athlete Grete Sadeiko -- said on Wednesday.

"People clowning Bronny for his prom date are just miserable. Let them enjoy their day."

RG3 followed up with a passionate video ... saying the hate is giving off creepy energy.

Griffin has previously shut down his own criticism for not marrying a black woman ... saying, "It is not anti-black to love someone outside your race."

Tristan Thompson is finally opening up about ejecting a fan from an NBA game earlier this season ... explaining he had the man booted from the arena after he claims the guy called Khloe Kardashian "a whore."

The incident went down back in November during a Sacramento Kings road game against the Memphis Grizzlies ... but Tristan and the Kings never explained exactly what happened.

Sacramento head coach Alvin Gentry simply said at the time the heckler was spewing "inappropriate things."

On Wednesday's episode of "The Kardashians," though, Tristan, in a conversation with Khloe at the gym, revealed what the heckler told him.

"'She talks to different basketball players, and you're just the next one,'" Tristan said the fan yelled.

"I said, 'Listen here, man,'" Tristan explained. "'Enjoy the game with your girl because she's coming here to see me.'"

He added in the convo with Khloe, who he was dating at the time of the episode's filming, "He called you a whore. Said you date basketball players."

Tristan said it was important to him to have the guy booted for the comments, saying to Khloe that people are "not going to keep talking about my family like that."

Charles Barkley had a ruthless comeback after a bunch of Warriors fans heckled him on Wednesday ... saying, "If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to come to your house and f*** your mama!!"

Chuck was in the Bay Area to cover the Western Conference Finals with TNT's "Inside the NBA" ... and as he sat on set outside Golden State's Chase Center, some spectators in the background went after him about having zero rings.

"Charles, spell championship," one fan yelled out ... as others shouted to get his attention.

But, the Hall of Famer wasn't about to let the jab slide -- turning around and firing off his response.

Surprisingly, the Dubs fans loved the burn, with several dudes in the crowd smiling and laughing it off.

Chances are Barkley was just having some fun with the trolls -- he wasn't smiling as he clapped back, but he doesn't seem too pissed.

Barkley has had a love-hate relationship with hecklers for years -- he previously told TMZ Sports in 2018 how athletes need to handle trolls ... saying pros can't put their hands on anybody -- 'cause they could literally kill an average Joe.

After all, this is the guy who unapologetically threw a man through a window back in 1997 ... so take his word for it.

No, Luka Doncic is not poundin' cold ones before Dallas' huge playoff game against the Warriors ... the Mavericks tell TMZ Sports the photo of the star with a beer making its rounds on social media on Wednesday is an old pic.

Luka, according to a Mavs spokesperson, has been in the training room all morning gearing up for the first game of the Western Conference Finals -- not getting a buzz on at a restaurant.

"I can tell you this wasn't taken today," the spokesperson said.

Unclear when the photo of Luka holding a beer was actually snapped ... but seems Dallas fans can now go back to presuming the point guard will be completely sober for Game 1 against the Warriors.

Ex-NBA star Glen "Big Baby" Davis just went full YOLO during his morning swim ... ditching his bathing suit and showing off his entire ass.

Excuse us as we wash our eyes with holy water.

The former hooper posted the video to Instagram on Wednesday ... where he recorded himself swimming in a pool. But, the only issue is -- the big fella was buck nekkid and gave no warning to anyone watching the vid ... aside from a clever caption.

"Morning swim be the best," a nude Davis said. "Have a cheeky day."

As Davis makes his first move to begin swimming, his ass comes completely out of the water ... revealing his decision to go au naturel for his workout.

The video was interesting, to say the least ... a swimmer might criticize his technique -- that is, if THAT'S what they're somehow able to focus on.

Baby -- a 9-year NBA veteran -- was known for having a youthful personality and being a solid role player for the Celtics ... making 2 NBA Finals appearances in 3 years.

Glen's video caused quite the disturbance on social media ... with some users encouraging others to stay away from the NBA champ's page.

In the comment section below the vid, some of Glen's followers were left asking "why?" ... with some even vowing to unfollow the 36-year-old.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is assisting the WNBA in its efforts to get Brittney Griner home -- revealing on Tuesday he's working with the White House and even hostage negotiators to get her out of custody in Russia.

Silver said before the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago that he's "working side-by-side" with WNBA commish Cathy Engelbert, who's made bringing Griner back to the U.S. a top priority.

"The league -- and by that, both the WNBA and its brother league, the NBA -- we have a huge responsibility to Brittney Griner as one of our players," Silver said.

"Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA, is on this issue every single day. I'm working side-by-side with her."

Silver says both leagues have gone above and beyond for the Phoenix Mercury star ... getting "in touch with the White House, the State Department, hostage negotiators -- at every level of government and also through the private sector as well."

"Our No. 1 priority is her health and safety and making sure that she gets out of Russia," Silver added.

Griner has been in custody in Russia since February after she was allegedly found with hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

The 31-year-old was denied house arrest by a judge last week and will be forced to stay in jail for at least another 30 days.

Lil Wayne once said "You don't want to start Weezy, 'cause the F is for finisher" ... and he's proving to back his words with Mark Cuban -- firing back in his beef with the Dallas Mavericks owner and saying, "I will piss in ya f'n mouth ho."

The back-and-forth between the rapper and billionaire has been brewing ever since the Young Money rapper called Luka Doncic a "ho" on Twitter last week ... prompting Cuban to respond after Dallas defeated the Suns by 33 points in Game 7 on Sunday.

Wayne didn't take the jab lightly ... unleashing a pretty disgusting response to Cubes in a since-deleted tweet.

"Mark Cuban don’t make me get u smacked boy U playing w me??" Tunechi said. "I will piss in ya f'n mouth ho."

Shortly after, Wayne followed up for good measure writing, "Ya lil bitch its up."

Now, Wayne might have been a bit of bad luck for the Suns -- as soon as he tweeted about Luka, the Mavs turned the series around and ended Phoenix's season in blowout fashion.

A super rare, nearly 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sticker just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned it's about to sell for a STAGGERING sum!!

We're told the piece -- which is a sticker/card from the 1986 Fleer set -- is currently sitting at $95,000 in the bidding ... and is expected to fetch several thousands more by the time the auction concludes later this week.

Officials at PWCC Marketplace -- the org. hosting the auction -- tell us the scarcity of this particular KAJ sticker is what makes it a must-have item.

The experts say out of the 2,484 Abdul-Jabbar fleer stickers that have been graded by PSA, only 14 of them received a perfect 10 -- and this sticker is one of them.

"It is extremely hard to find this sticker in this grade," PWCC exec. Jesse Craig said. "A gem mint version of this asset surfaces for sale so rarely at auction that collectors are moving very aggressively to secure it."

The previous record for the sticker -- which is also notable because it's from the same set as the famed Michael Jordan rookie card -- came back in May 2016, when a piece sold for $23,766.

KAJ was a dominant force at the collegiate level -- he won three straight national titles under John Wooden -- and that brilliance translated to the NBA, where his success continued.

Kareem made 19 All-Star teams, won 6 NBA titles to go along with 6 MVP awards ... and is regarded as one of, if not, the greatest big man in NBA history.

Kareem was also a key part of the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson, that won 5 championships in the '80s ... and Craig says that's another reason the sticker's value is exploding.

Craig tells us ... HBO's 'Winning Time' documentary, which highlights the players from the Showtime Lakers, has added to the intrigue of Kareem and this sticker.

"While it has been controversial," Craig said, "the show definitely reminded many of how impressive the 'Showtime' Lakers were."

"Kareem was a critical part of that era and that point is made clear in the dramatized retelling."

Rajon Rondo allegedly pulled a gun on the mother of his children and threatened to kill her during a heated altercation ... and the woman claims their kids witnessed the whole thing.

TMZ Sports has learned 36-year-old Ashley Bachelor, Rondo's former partner and mother of his two kids, filed for an emergency protective order in Louisville last week, requesting protection for her, her son and daughter ... and the story she tells about the alleged incident is scary.

Bachelor says Rajon -- a 2x NBA champ and 4x All-Star -- was playing video games with his son on May 11 ... when Ashley asked the boy to separate laundry. Bachelor says Rajon became enraged and ripped the game console out of the wall in front of the kid.

Ashley says Rajon then continued the destructive behavior, smashing everything from a teacup to outdoor lights and trash cans.

Bachelor says the kids were upset after witnessing their dad losing it, so she tried to "deescalate" the situation. But, she says Rajon responded by making a death threat, allegedly saying, "You're dead."

Rondo temporarily left the home, according to Ashley, before returning about 15 minutes later, when he allegedly approached a back door and began banging on the window with his gun.

Bachelor says she didn't know what was going on, so she approached the door from the inside to take a look. She allegedly saw Rondo with the weapon and asked him to stop because he was scaring her. She says Rondo didn't listen, and instead yelled, "Go get my f**king son!"

Ashley says she feared if she didn't comply with the alleged gun-wielding hoops star something bad may happen, so she brought their son, Pierre, downstairs, but kept the backdoor closed.

Soon after, Ashley says Pierre opened the door and Rondo "yanked him outside."

Bachelor says Rondo, who was still allegedly holding his gun, was screaming at Pierre, asking why the boy was scared of his dad.

Ashley, who claims her son was "visibly upset," says she didn't intervene because she was scared Rajon would shoot her.

Bachelor says Rajon eventually demanded their daughter also come outside ... where she claims he yelled at both kids for being afraid of him.

Thankfully, Ashley says Rajon's mom and dad both arrived at the home ... and although they didn't have much success in calming down Rajon, she claims he eventually left the scene.

But, now Bachelor says she's scared for the safety of her and her kids, writing the following in the emergency order of protection on May 13.

"I am extremely fearful for my safety and for the safety of my children. Rajon has a history of volatile, erratic, explosive behavior. He is verbally, emotionally, and financially abusive. He physically hits our son and calls him names like 'p***y' and accuses him of acting like a 'bitch.'"

"Rajon verbally assaults our daughter. He calls her names like 'thot, bitch, and d**khead.' Rajon has made several threats on my life, saying at various times he will shoot me or shoot up my car."

Ashley Bachelor was granted protection for herself and her two children by a local judge.

We reached out to Rondo's reps, but, so far, no word back.