Basketball

Former NBA star Ben Gordon allegedly punched his son in the face multiple times at an NYC airport after the 10-year-old boy dropped a book, a witness told police.

As we previously reported ... the 39-year-old former 3rd overall draft pick (2004) was taken into custody Monday night around 9 PM, and now we've learned more about the retired hoopers' alleged actions.

A witness -- an American Airlines employee -- told Port Authority PD they watched Gordon strike his minor son in the "face multiple times."

Police responded to the area ... and when they arrived, Gordon told them the boy was his son. The child was taken to a local hospital where he was examined. It's unclear if he sustained any injuries.

Cops say they attempted to put the 6'3" former professional athlete in handcuffs, but he refused, flailing his arms and twisting his body in an attempt to not be handcuffed. Gordon allegedly said, "I am not going with you guys."

In the struggle, two cops say they were hurt ... one sustained a knee injury, and the other an injury to their arm and wrist. Both officers were treated at the hospital.

To make matters worse for Gordon, he wasn't even supposed to be with his son in a different state ... 'cause there was a restraining order put in place by an Illinois judge in May 2018.

According to police, Ben was prohibited from "committing physical abuse" against his son, as well as from taking him out of the state.

The alleged incident happened in Queens, New York.

Gordon was hit with 9 charges.

- Assault in 2nd degree (2 counts)
- Criminal contempt
- Assault in 3rd degree
- Resisting Arrest
- Criminal Contempt in 2nd degree
- Endangering the welfare of a child
- Attempted assault in 3rd degree

It's not the first time the former NBA player, who also won an NCAA championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004, has been in trouble with the law ... but Ben had seemingly kept his nose clean the last few years until the alleged airport incident with his son.

Gordon was arraigned Tuesday night in the Queens County Criminal Court ... he's due back in a New York City courtroom later this month.

Kanye West's mouth is forcing LeBron James and his producers to scrap an entire episode of 'The Shop' ... after they say he spewed "dangerous stereotypes" while they were recording.

LeBron's show normally drops on his 'Uninterrupted' YouTube channel, but late Tuesday night -- after shooting with Ye on Monday -- he and Maverick Carter opted to pull the whole show, rather than edit around Ye's remarks.

Maverick says, “Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments. Unfortunately, he used 'The Shop' to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

He didn't get more specific about what Kanye said, but we know Twitter and Instagram recently put restrictions on his accounts after he posted antisemitic remarks ... and, of course, he's drawn a ton of backlash for the White Lives Matter T-shirts he's been wearing.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr just revealed the extent of Draymond Green's punishment for punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice last week ... saying the NBA superstar will be fined and NOT suspended -- and he will rejoin the team on Thursday.

Kerr cut to the chase after the Dubs' preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday ... starting off his postgame news conference by sharing an update on the 4-time champ.

Coach says the team has had "deep discussions" with players -- including Poole and Green, as well as Stephen Curry -- and other execs in the league about the incident ... and came to the conclusion that it was the best route to take after assessing everything.

Kerr -- who took the Warriors job in 2014 -- says it was "an exhaustive process" ... and it was a challenging decision.

"This is the biggest crisis that we've ever had since I've been coach here," Kerr said. "It's really serious stuff."

Kerr says he will not disclose the amount of Green's fine.

Poole and Green have had a sit-down conversation since the incident, Kerr said ... adding Jordan played a key part in determining the penalty.

By the sound of it, the two players have buried the hatchet and are willing to team up to defend their title this upcoming season.

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon is in trouble with the law again -- the former Sixth Man of the Year was arrested at an airport on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 39-year-old Gordon was placed in handcuffs around 9 PM while waiting for a flight from LaGuardia in New York to Chicago. Two officers were injured during the arrest, according to the New York Post, although further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

The 2004 third-overall pick in the NBA Draft was transported to the Port Authority police department for processing ... and an aunt took the son to a local hospital to get checked out.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004 ... and went on to average 15 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his 11-year career.

He has had several legal issues off the court -- he was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly freaking out in an apartment building and pulling the fire alarms.

Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up a man in an apartment.

Gordon spoke out about his battles with depression in 2020 ... saying, "I was obsessed with killing myself," but sought help to better his mental health.

Draymond Green's mom is justifying her son's actions at Warriors practice last week ... saying he only hit Jordan Poole because he was shoved in the first place.

Mary Babers-Green went to social media to give her two cents on the wild incident ... and essentially put the blame on how Poole handled their interaction, claiming Draymond was not trying to pick a fight.

"That wasn't a Sucker punch," Babers-Green said on Monday. "Dray didn't aggressively go to Poole. His hands were down. Man to Man you go over to talk (to ask what's up, what you say)!"

"Got shoved and reacted," she added. "End of story!"

Mary also believes the incident has been blown out of proportion ... and says the two "can get beyond this."

"Anything is fixable! Everything ain't always what you think you see!"

As we previously reported, Green is taking a few days away from the team after TMZ Sports posted video of the practice punch ... and he has since apologized to the team, Poole and Poole's family.

The punch has been a major topic in the sports world ever since it was released -- but folks appear to be divided on whether or not it was a big deal.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith recently told us violent altercations happen all the time on NBA teams ... calling it nothing but a "scuffle."

Kenny Smith says Draymond Green violently socking Jordan Poole in a practice last week is a huge nothing burger ... telling TMZ Sports similar incidents will happen "at least twice a year on each team."

We spoke with "The Jet" out at LAX last week shortly after we posted the shocking footage of Green blasting Poole in the middle of a Warriors workout ... and the NBA analyst told us that while it was "uncomfortable" to watch, it's not nearly as serious as some think it is.

"That behavior is uncommon in normal society, without question," Smith said. "However, that behavior happens a lot in sports because of the physicality, the adrenaline, and all those things."

"I thought it was going to be worse when I saw the video. I was like, 'Oh, they just got into a scuffle.'"

The video certainly seems to show far more than that -- in the footage, Green appears to lunge at Poole with full force following a verbal spat ... striking him in the jaw and knocking him to the floor.

Smith, though, insisted fights like these happen all the time in the Association -- including back in his playing days.

"I won two championships with like five guys who fought," said Smith, who won back-to-back titles with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995.

Draymond, meanwhile, addressed his actions on Saturday following the release of the video ... taking accountability for his role in the fight and saying he was stepping away from the team for a few days.

Smith told us he doesn't think the Dubs will ultimately suspend Green for the punch when he gets back, but he did say a fine for the 4-time NBA champ is likely on the horizon.

Bronny James is following in his father's footsteps and joining the Nike family -- the high school hoops star just inked an NIL deal with the shoe giant.

Nike made the announcement just minutes ago ... saying the 18-year-old Sierra Canyon baller is one of five high school prospects who recently signed Name, Image and Likeness endorsements with the Swoosh.

It was a no-brainer to get Bronny on board -- especially considering Nike and LeBron James have been attached at the hip since he was drafted in 2003 ... and collaborated on 20 signature shoes together.

The other student-athletes getting NIL deals include Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, Juju Watkins, and DJ Wagner, son of ex-NBAer Dajuan Wagner.

Wagner is considered one of the best hoopers in the class of 2023 -- and is listed #1 on ESPN's Top 100 players.

There's a good chance Bronny takes his talents to Columbus to play at Ohio State next season ... which just so happens to be a Nike school.

LeBron James went full Sicko Mode for Bronny's big 18th birthday party ... losing his mind and dancing during Travis Scott's surprise performance -- and it was LIT!!

The James Gang pulled out all the stops for the Sierra Canyon hooper's celebration ... renting out Harriet's Rooftop bar in West Hollywood for all his friends.

The highlight of the night came when La Flame grabbed the mic and performed for the crowd  ... doing his biggest hits like "Butterfly Effect," "goosebumps" and "Sicko Mode."

King James and Bronny were clearly feeling the show ... rapping along and jumping up and down.

It's another step forward for Scott ... who has slowly made his return to performing after the Astroworld Festival tragedy in November 2021.

While most ragers tend to include alcohol, word is all drinks were kid-friendly (maybe in 3 years, Bronny) ... and there was plenty of pizza and ice cream to go around, according to Daily Mail.

Rapper SoFaygo also took the mic at the party ... with Bronny standing on stage with him throughout his set.

LeBron gave a special tribute to Bronny on Thursday ... saying, "I'm so proud of the young man you've become kid!" he said.

"Continue to be YOU throughout your journey because it's simply better that way! And I'll be right beside you whenever/however needed! Love you Young 🤴🏾"

Metta Sandiford-Artest just became a big Blake Griffin fan ... and it's all a result of the new Celtics forward's decision to rock #91 in honor of the great Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Metta out in Beverly Hills this week ... and he was pleasantly surprised to learn Griffin was paying respect to Rodman's legacy with his jersey number this season.

"That's incredible," the 2003-04 Defensive Player of the Year said about Griffin's number change. "That's great to hear. I'm a big Rodman fan, and now I'll buy the jersey."

Griffin -- who signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent last week -- confirmed to reporters after his first practice with his new teammates that the reason he is going to wear the #91 is to pay homage to Rodman, the 5-time NBA champ.

Artest -- who played 17 seasons in the NBA with the Pacers, Knicks, Kings, Rockets, Lakers, and Bulls -- earned a reputation for his physical style of defense ... and was one of four players to wear the #91 in NBA history.

The other three are Mindaugas Kuzminskas (New York Knicks), Deividas Sirvydis (Detroit Pistons) ... and, of course, Rodman.

There's more -- Metta retired from the NBA in 2017, but it may not be long before we see another Artest in the association -- because MSA tells us both of his sons are still pursuing their hoop dreams.

Jordan Poole is set for a big contract extension with the Golden State Warriors -- something he's supposedly made known around the team's facilities -- and it's the reason things boiled over with Draymond Green ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources who were at the practice where Green punched Poole tell us ... in the days leading up to the incident, Poole was carrying himself differently -- in a cocky manner. The alleged behavior was creating friction between him and some of his teammates, including Draymond, who has reportedly also asked for a big extension.

Fast forward to Wednesday's practice. Our sources on site say Poole called several fouls during a scrimmage, and Draymond called him a "bitch" multiple times as a result.

Things escalated when Poole allegedly said, "You know what it is, Draymond." -- seemingly bragging over the contract situation -- and Draymond got in Poole's face, allegedly saying, "No I don't know, what is it?"

Then, as played out in video obtained by TMZ Sports, you see Poole push Draymond back, and Draymond delivers the blow to his teammate's jaw.

Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and head coach Steve Kerr came to Poole's defense earlier this week ... denying his attitude had anything to do with the altercation.

In fact, Steph went as far as to say it was "absolute BS" ... but our sources are adamant the team is trying to save face.

Sonny Vaccaro -- the man who famously helped Nike sign Michael Jordan back in the day -- says if he were still in the shoe brand industry ... he could see Victor Wembanyama getting an unprecedented sneaker deal that could include "a blank check."

Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 center from France, blew the doors off the American basketball world this week ... putting on a clinic in two nationally televised, showcase games in Nevada -- and Vaccaro was left nearly speechless by it all.

Sonny, who's seen all of the top prospects in basketball for decades, tells TMZ Sports he's never seen anything quite like what Victor showed on Tuesday and Thursday.

"He's so young, he's so articulate. He's handsome," Vaccaro said. "All of the things. I am knocked off my feet."

LeBron James was impressed too. The Lakers superstar called Victor -- the surefire No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft -- "an alien."

And, Sonny says all of it would lead him to hand over a king's ransom in order to sign the player to a sneaker deal ... if he were still a part of that world.

"He's worth a blank check," Vaccaro said.

Vaccaro's starting offer for Wembanyama would include money in the $15 million per year range ... and it would also come with a percentage of Wembanyama's shoe sales for the budding superstar -- something he says no prospect EVER gets.

"There's going to be pro teams that lose 82 games next year to draft him," Vaccaro tells us. "That's the same value I'm trying to say. He's this valuable. He's this good."

Sonny added if he were Wembanyama, he'd request a clothing line in addition to a sneaker pact -- and if he were representing the shoe giant on the other end of the negotiations, he'd happily give it.

Shocking video shows Draymond Green violently attacking Jordan Poole, viciously punching him to the ground right in the middle of a team practice ... video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Green and Poole clearly have beef ... you see them trash-talking each other, and then it turns physical. Green walks up to Poole and gets in his face. Poole pushes Green away with 2 hands to the chest. Green, who is 6'6" and 230 lbs, responds with a vicious right cross to the face ... so ferocious, it knocks Poole to the ground and it may have knocked him out cold.

Green then stands over Poole as teammates and coaches rush in to pull him away. It seems Poole was OK, because he continued practice, putting up shots on the court.

Warriors GM Bob Myers seemed to minimize the incident later, saying, "These things happen. Nobody likes it. We don't condone it, but it happens." He goes on to say, "Draymond apologized to the team. Jordan was there in the room ... as far as any suspension, punishment, fine, we will handle that internally."

As for the reason behind the fight, Stephen Curry denied a report claiming a change in Poole's attitude amid contract negotiations led to it ... calling it "absolute BS."

Draymond Green proved he can throw a mean punch ... and Jake Paul's already drooling over the Warriors star's potential -- saying he'd pay $10 MILLION to get the 4-time champ in the boxing ring ASAP.

TMZ Sports obtained video of 32-year-old Green knocking teammate Jordan Poole to the ground after a heated back-and-forth during practice on Wednesday.

Paul clearly saw the footage ... and on Friday, he said he'd pay top dollar to see 6'6", 230 lb. Green to pick up a new sport.

"Gotta get Draymond Green in the boxing ring," the Problem Child tweeted ... adding he already has an idea for who his opponent could be.

"Draymond Green vs Deron Williams. Who wins?"

Of course, Deron is a former NBAer-turned-boxer ... and he fought NFL star Frank Gore on one of Jake's undercards in the past -- so the opponent would make sense if Green was actually interested.

As for the payday, Jake is ready to write a FAT check -- "Draymond I got $10 million for you to get in the ring on the next Most Valuable Promotions pay per view. Who you want?"

Draymond Green -- already in midseason form -- reportedly hit teammate Jordan Poole at practice Wednesday after a heated shoving match, and now the Warriors star is facing potential discipline.

Green and Poole reportedly exchanged words before things turned physical, according to a Shams Charania report.

The NBA insider says tensions were high, and the men were pushing before Draymond allegedly decked Jordan. The men had to be immediately separated.

As a result of the scuffle, the Warriors are reportedly considering disciplining Green for his role in the fight.

Green and Poole -- now in his fourth season with the team -- are known to have regular arguments, according to Shams, but Dubs brass believes today's incident went too far.

Dray and Jordan won an NBA title together in June ... when they defeated the Celtics in the Finals.

The Warriors have not yet commented on the incident.

It's a special day for LeBron James -- not only is it his firstborn son's birthday -- Bronny Jr. turned 18 years old!!

The Lakers superstar went to Instagram to post a bday tribute on Thursday, using a throwback photo of him and Bronny during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers ... along with a photo of father and son during their recent visit to Ohio State.

"How is this kid 18 years old today y'all!!??!!" James said in the caption, "I can't deal with it. 🥺🥺."

"I'm so proud of the young man you've become kid! Continue to be YOU throughout your journey because it's simply better that way!"

LBJ added, "And I'll be right beside you whenever/however needed! Love you Young 🤴🏾 @bronny!!!" James wrote, adding, "Happy Bday."

Bronny is a top high school basketball player (ranked 34th in ESPN's Top 100 in the 2023 class), and LeBron has publicly talked about his desire to play with his son on an NBA team.

Bronny's mom and James' wife, Savannah, also posted a throwback ... an old pregnancy photo for Bronny, saying, "The little nugget that was in here is 18 today."

FYI, Savannah was pregnant with Bronny during her senior year of high school, while James was playing his rookie season in the NBA. The couple got married in 2013 and had 2 more kids, Bryce and Zhuri.

Brittney Griner's wife says the WNBA star has hit the lowest moment of her life while locked up in Russia ... saying the basketball player has told her, "I feel like my life just doesn't matter."

Cherelle Griner nearly came to tears while discussing the state of her wife with Gayle King this week ... explaining she's never seen Brittney reach such a dark place before.

"BG's at her absolute weakest moment in life right now," Cherelle said. "She's very afraid about being left and forgotten in Russia. Or just completely used to the point of her detriment."

Brittney was arrested in February after she was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. She later fessed up to the crime, and was sentenced to nine years in prison over it all in August. She is appealing the ruling, though she's expected to lose that at a hearing later this month.

And, Cherelle said the last time they were able to speak on the phone, she sensed something was very wrong with her wife.

"It was the most disturbing phone call I had ever experienced," Cherelle said. "And I've known BG 11 years. So I'm like, that was the most disturbing conversation."

Cherelle said Brittney has told her things like, "My life just don't even matter no more," and, "Am I just nothing?"

Cherelle added that she's very worried Brittney could ultimately be moved to a labor camp following her appeal hearing on Oct. 25.

"My brain can't even fathom it," she said.