Basketball

It looks like Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley might actually be able to put their heated rivalry to the side now that they're teammates ... because the two embraced at a Lakers press conference on Tuesday -- and they're both still alive!!

Of course, Pat Bev and Brodie have butted heads for nearly a decade ... with both players trading insults and questionable plays in games over the years.

Once Pat got traded to the Purple and Gold this offseason, a lot were wondering how/if the two would be able to coexist on the same team ... and so far, it looks like they'll be just fine -- either that, or it was all just a publicity stunt.

Westbrook and Beverley dapped each other up and shared a short hug at the latter's introductory presser on Tuesday ... and while it wasn't the warmest embrace, it's certainly a start.

Beverley also talked about playing alongside Westbrook during the presser ... saying he's excited to get to work.

Sorry, drama seekers ... Larsa Pippen is NOT hooking up with the son of her ex-husband's nemesis -- the 'Real Housewives' star and Marcus Jordan are strictly friends, TMZ Sports is told.

As we previously reported, Larsa and Michael Jordan's second oldest son were spotted dining together at Zuma in Miami on Sunday ... with witnesses telling us it looked like a double date with another couple.

Despite what some folks assumed by their public outing, we're told Larsa and Marcus are really just homies and aren't an item.

It would have been a big mess if it were true -- Larsa's ex, Scottie, pretty much hates his old partner in crime ... which dates back to their playing days on the Chicago Bulls and was reignited during the "Last Dance" documentary.

As for why LP and MJ were together, we're told they happen to have a similar social circle ... so it was just a good ole fashioned hangout.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hit up the annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off Sunday, and try as they might ... they walked away empty-handed after a game of hoops.

The newly-blended fam were all the buzz at the shindig ... with twins Max and Emme in tow -- and they stopped at the hoops game. Ben's a sports nut, so you'd think he might score a basket or even 2, but he tried 4 times, fully suffering from empty net syndrome.

J Lo stepped in, and although she's a triple threat with singing, dancing and acting, she shot her shot 3 times and failed.

They're back from their second honeymoon, and getting back to "normal" life by going to a carnival in the sweltering L.A. heat ... 100 degrees plus in many areas, and Malibu was no exception.

The Cook-Off is a tradition in the Bu ... attracting Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Donald Faison, Jack Osbourne, Evan Ross, Lana Del Rey and Amanda Bynes.

The Kardashians represented with Psalm, Chicago and True ... looks like Khloe brought them and was hanging on the beach with the brood, including North.

Scottie Pippen's probably not going to like this -- his ex-wife is in Miami seemingly getting cozy with his old teammate's son ... and not just any teammate, it's Michael Jordan.

Larsa Pippen was spotted Sunday at Zuma -- a Japanese restaurant right in the heart of downtown -- with none other than Marcus Jordan ... and the two of them, we're told, appeared to be on a double date of some sort with another couple at their table.

TMZ has obtained photos of the pair sitting down next to each other during the lunch, and apparently leaving too -- with LP leading the way and Marcus following closely behind.

Eyewitnesses tell us they were there for about 45 minutes, and that there were no obvious signs of PDA between them. However, our sources say Larsa seemed to be trying to keep a low profile and got a little skittish when she realized folks had spotted her/were taking pics.

She's been in town this weekend with her girlfriends, hosting some sort of retail store reopening at the Aventura Mall ... which is well-documented on her social media.

What wasn't shown, though, was who else might've been in her orbit -- and now, it looks like we know ... Mike's 2nd oldest was tagging along. The age difference isn't as drastic as it usually is with Larsa's would-be SOs. She's 48, and MJ is 31 ... so 17 years give or take.

She's been living her best single life for a while now -- and has been rumored to have been romantically linked to a number of dudes in their 20s over the past few years or so ... including Ben Simmons, Harry Jowsey and more memorably, a married Malik Beasley.

Of course, she and Scottie are no longer together ... haven't been in ages, so no harm no foul. Still, though, this one's gotta sting a bit -- assuming she is, in fact, seeing Marcus.

As we've seen over the past year and change ... there's still a lot of hard feelings between Scottie and Michael dating back years to when they were on the Bulls together. And Marcus himself was obviously around back then during his father and Scottie's heyday in the NBA.

A couple of Stephanies from "90 Day Fiancé" don't seem like they're ready to settle down ... because their idea of a date night includes a strip club and a porn star!!!

Stephanie Matto and Stephanie Davison hit up Larry Flynt's Hustler Club Las Vegas for an intimate date, dining at a new rooftop restaurant and spending time in the VIP suite with XXX actress Alexis Monroe.

Matto is known for selling anything, from farts in jars to her boob sweat, so naturally, she found a way to make money at the strip club ... without getting onstage.

This time, Matto auctioned off the chance for someone to hang with her, SD and Alexis in the club's largest VIP suite ... and she says an NBA player dropped $100,000 for the honor.

Date auctions are becoming Matto's latest hustle ... remember, she auctioned off a virtual candlelight date earlier this summer, which Davison won with a $2,700 bid.

As you see, the Stephanies dressed to the nines ... wearing plunging satin dresses and high heels, and showing more skin than their porn star third wheel.

Donovan Mitchell's days in Utah are over -- the NBA star has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a huge deal on Thursday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out the bombshell news just minutes ago -- the face of the Jazz franchise is officially on the move to northeast Ohio.

Mitchell -- who was drafted by the Nuggets out of Louisville -- spent all 5 of his seasons with the Jazz after being traded on draft night ... where he established himself as one of the game's best young stars.

The Cavs are sending Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and three first-round picks to Utah ... and the rights to swap two other future picks in the deal.

The Knicks had been floated as a potential landing spot for Spida ... but their dreams were officially squashed after the Cavs -- who made the play-in tournament last year -- sealed the deal.

Utah appears to be in complete rebuild mode -- the team traded away Rudy Gobert, a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, and now have shipped Donovan out of town as well.

It's been a long time coming, but Stephen Curry is FINALLY in the rafters at Davidson -- the NBA superstar had his jersey retired this week ... after officially receiving his degree from his alma mater!!

We know what you're thinking -- how on earth has this not happened yet?! As it turns out, Davidson has a strict rule against giving the honor to players who didn't finish their education.

With that being said, Curry -- who spent 3 seasons starring at Davidson -- put in the time to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology ... and on Wednesday, he was inducted into the Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame!!

While at Davidson, Curry averaged over 24.7 points per game in his 3 seasons with the Wildcats ... including a staggering 28.6 points per game in his final year with the program.

Steph's wife, Ayesha, and their three kids were on campus to support him ... and his parents, Dell and Sonya, took the podium to share a few words about their son's latest achievement.

Steph was one semester short of graduating, so the 2-time MVP re-enrolled at the school for the spring semester, working closely with two professors to achieve his goal, per Davidson.

It was all about Steph on Wednesday ... because he was the only one walking at the commencement!!

Once Curry completed his final semester of coursework, it paved the way for Davidson to honor the three-point sniper by hanging his jersey in the rafters for good.

During his speech, Steph was overwhelmed with emotion ... calling his move to pursue education at Davidson the best decision he ever made.

Curry is fresh off winning his 4th NBA title in June after defeating the Celtics in the Finals ... so there's a lot to celebrate.

P.J. Washington just proposed to his girlfriend -- and everyone is congratulating the Charlotte Hornets hooper and his new fiancée -- even his ex, Brittany Renner.

Washington's fiancee, Alisah Chanel -- who's also pregnant -- broke the news on Wednesday via IG ... showin' off her massive diamond ring, and writing "Soooooo…..this happened this morning 😍."

"Issa fiancée 💍 WOW babe you did that 🐐 I LOVE YOU 💙"

In the comments, Washington gave his soon-to-be-wife a kissy emoji ... and right underneath his remark, was his ex-girlfriend, Renner.

"Congrats y'all!!!" Renner said.

It's pretty shocking given their history. Remember, 30-year-old Renner and 24-year-old Washington became an official couple back in 2020 -- his sophomore year with the Hornets -- and welcomed their first child in May 2021.

Soon after, things went south, big time. The former couple took shots at each other on social media. Renner, a fitness model, was also called out for allegedly having a baby with P.J. to secure some of his $12 million NBA contract.

That started the whole "#FreePJ" trend in Renner's IG comments ... though, she's always been adamant money wasn't her motivation.

In fact, Renner was recently on the Tonight's Conversation podcast ... where she claimed she only gets a few thousand bucks from P.J., not $200k like many people think.

"You can't rely on your child's father to provide for you," Renner said, "I never been about money. I provide for my child. I get $2,500 a month."

Good to see Brittney playing nice with P.J. and Alisah.

Leave it to LeBron James to get Jay-Z to come outta social media hibernation!

LBJ -- fresh from getting crunk at Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem's The Big Steppers Vancouver show -- soaked up MSNBC anchor Ari Melber's deep dive into Jay's highly touted verse from DJ Khaled's "God Did."

The news bit hacked into the failed drug policies of ex-Presidents Richard Nixon and Donald Trump ... while highlighting how Jay lyrically details several of America's hypocrisies.

The NBA living legend equally praised Hov and Ari's poetic delivery … prompting a response from the Roc Nation boss, who took it all in stride, stating his primary focus is to give the voiceless a voice.

On the track, Jay raps, "I left the dope game with my record clean, huh/I turned the cocaina into champagne/I cleaned up la madrina with the same soap/Me and Loro talk 'bout how we slang dope/Now the weed in stores, can you believe this, Ty?" … the last line is a nod to his cannabis company Monogram.

Jay's highly touted verse has helped DJ Khaled secure next week's Billboard 200 chart crown … but that doesn't mean the Roc Boy will be lighting up IG or TikTok anytime soon.

While speaking with Kevin Hart over the summer, Jay explained he's down with everyone using social media to their heart's content.

Former Charlotte Hornets power forward Montrezl Harrell has just cut a deal with prosecutors to close out his weed case ... his lawyer tells TMZ Sports.

Harrell -- who was charged with felony trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana after an incident on the road in May -- showed up in Kentucky court on Wednesday morning to make the plea deal official, according to his attorney, Drew Findling.

Findling says Harrell agreed to enter a guilty plea to a reduced charge of simple marijuana possession. In exchange, according to Findling, Harrell "received conditional discharge at the end of 12 months" -- meaning the conviction will be completely wiped from the basketball player's record if he stays out of trouble for the next year.

As we reported, Harrell was initially charged after cops say a car he was riding in on May 12 had three pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags inside of a backpack on the back seat.

Harrell was not arrested at the scene and was initially given a citation. He was then later formally charged. The 28-year-old had been facing up to five years behind bars in the case.

Findling said at the time his client "is a devoted family man and a committed professional basketball player and has never been a part of any form of marijuana trafficking or any other illegal activity."

Joe Rogan says VP Kamala Harris is a hypocrite for advocating on behalf of Brittney Griner -- who remains in jail in Russia on drug charges -- when she's prosecuted people for non-violent drug offenses as Attorney General of California.

Rogan made the remarks during his 3-hour sitdown convo with Aaron Rodgers on his 'JRE' podcast, where the Packers QB seemingly agreed with Joe's stance on Harris.

"That's why the hypocrisy about the Brittney Griner situation was so egregious in this country," Rogan said. "Where Kamala Harris is talking about how horrible it is that Brittney Griner is in jail."

"Well, you put people in jail. You did. Thousands of people in jail for marijuana. Yeah, it's crazy," Rogan continued.

Harris served as the first woman District Attorney in San Francisco's history ... and became the 32nd Attorney General in California, holding the position from 2011-2017.

Rogan accused Harris and the White House -- who just announced a loan forgiveness program -- of failing to deliver on its campaign promises, specifically addressing non-violent people serving lengthy prison sentences for weed ... which has since been made legal in many states.

"How come you guys didn't exonerate people that were in jail for marijuana when you said you were going to?" Rogan said. "They said that they were going to make marijuana federally legal."

"They said they were going to exonerate prisoners who were in jail for non-violent drug offenses. This is what they said. None of that has happened."

Rodgers, who also addressed his vax controversy during the show, sided with the 'JRE' host, saying, "You mean a politician said something they ran on and then didn't actually enact that said policy?"

Full-circle moment for LeBron James -- the NBA superstar is on the cover of Sports Illustrated once again ... this time, with his two sons, Bronny and Bryce, by his side.

The outlet released the cover for its October 2022 issue on Tuesday ... showing LeBron standing inside the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary gymnasium with his boys to his left and right.

The honor is extra special for the King -- he first graced the cover in 2002 as a high school prodigy (when he was dubbed "The Chosen One") ... and has gone on to appear on the cover nearly 40 times over the next 20 years.

The 4-time NBA champ's wardrobe choice for the photo shoot is a nod to his iconic S.I. debut ... wearing the cover on his T-shirt.

The cover comes with a long feature about LeBron and his family ... and of course, the topic of playing alongside 17-year-old Bronny (and even Bryce) is brought up.

While the King has made it clear he wants to play alongside his oldest, he reveals he isn't counting out the possibility of suiting up with his 15-year-old, too ... which means he'd still be in the league in 2027.

John Wall is opening up about the toughest experiences he's faced over the past two years ... admitting he had suicidal thoughts after dealing with a series of career-altering injuries and trying to cope with losing loved ones in his family.

The new Clippers point guard opened up in a recent interview, where he got candid about some of the things that have been plaguing him mentally as he battled his way back on the court.

"Darkest place I ever been," Wall said. "At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide. My mom being sick. My mom passing. My grandma passed a year later."

Wall -- who ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2019 -- said seeing his mother take her last breath was tough to overcome, especially amid the COVID pandemic.

The former Wizards star expressed the losses of his mother and grandmother weighed heavy on his heart and mind ... and not playing basketball had him contemplating ending his life.

Thankfully, John says he was able to overcome his mental demons and get back on the right track -- both physically and mentally -- with help from therapy.

"Find a therapist," Wall said. "You know a lot of people think, 'I don't need help. I can get it through it at any time.' But, you got to be true to yourself and find out what's best for you.

"And I did that."

Ultimately, Wall thinks the adversity he endured has made him a stronger person, father, and player, and he feels equipped to tackle any problems life throws at him.

"If I can get through this, I can get through anything in life," Wall said. "I don't think a lot of people could get through what I went through."

Reggie Miller just announced his dad has passed away ... and the NBA legend says he's completely heartbroken over the death.

"This HURTS," the former Indiana Pacers star said on his social media page on Monday.

"The man who bought me my first set of baseball cleats, first basketball, who taught me to drown out all the outside noise and FOCUS is now and will forever be my guardian angel."

Miller's father, Saul, had five kids with his wife, Carrie -- including Reggie and Cheryl Miller, a former basketball star herself.

In his Instagram post, Reggie thanked his dad "for EVERYTHING" he's done for him and the Miller family.

"Say hello to Mom for us," the 57-year-old former shooting guard wrote, "know that your teachings will live on threw me to my kids."

"Please respect my brothers and sisters during this time," he added, "though difficult he’s in a much better place.. #PopGuardianAngel"

Saul grew up an athlete ... according to author Mark Montieth, he played hoops in high school and at Lemoyne College.

Reggie has spoken about the impact his dad had on his life and career before ... thanking him at length in his 2012 Hall of Fame speech.

"You made time to be there for all of us," Reggie said. "So, again, Dad, Mom, thank you so much for everything you've done for us."

Saul also served 26 years in the Air Force and was a jazz musician.

Neena Pacholke -- a former point guard for the USF women's basketball team -- was found dead this weekend after reportedly making suicidal statements ... police tell TMZ Sports.

She was just 27 years old.

A spokesperson for the Wausau Police Department tells us officers were dispatched to a home in Wausau on Saturday morning for a welfare check. When they arrived, they said they received no answer at the door.

Eventually, officers made their way into the residence and found Pacholke deceased. "Foul play is not suspected," the spokesperson said.

Pacholke's sister told the Tampa Bay Times the former basketball player died by suicide.

Pacholke starred on the court at Freedom H.S. in Tampa -- before eventually making her way to USF, where she lettered from 2013 to 2016.

She later worked as a morning anchor for News 9 in Wisconsin.

"The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well," reps for the station said in a statement Sunday. "Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly."

Pacholke's sister added in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, "She just radiated love and positivity, and she just cared so much about pouring into other people, and always put other people first. I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself."

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, kept the birthday vibes going at the Kendrick Lamar concert on Sunday ... 'cause they were straight-up grooving to the rap superstar's music!!

The King and his Queen hit up the Rogers Arena in Vancouver one day after her special day ... and by the looks of it, they were having the time of their lives.

In the clip, you see James and Savannah posted up in what appears to be a private seating area ... but they weren't just standing around -- they were definitely feeling themselves.

Naturally, once fans noticed the 4-time champ in the building, many swarmed to the James Gang's spot ... taking pics and videos of LBJ.

Of course, Kendrick is on tour for his latest studio album, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," but rather than wait for K. Dot to perform in L.A., LBJ decided to check it out while up North.

You can tell LeBron was feeling the song selection ... and when the California MC started performing his hit song "Humble," James went crazy and even engaged with the crowd.

Bron has regularly shown love to Kendrick, especially when he releases new music ... posting videos of him jamming to K. Dot's bars and giving the rapper his flowers.