Basketball

Ja Morant is celebrating the start of the NBA season with some new ice -- a black and white diamond pendant reppin' his nickname ... with a matching Audemars Piguet watch!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... it all came to be when the Memphis Grizzlies superstar was talking to an owner at Ice Box on Instagram Live about making him a one-of-a-kind diamond watch.

During the convo, the two came up with the perfect idea -- not only would the hooper get a watch, but he'd also get a custom chain to match!!

The brainstorming sesh resulted in Morant's new black and white diamond Miami Cuban chain with an iced-out "12" clamp and pendant ... representing Ja's jersey number.

Morant -- who calls himself "12SKII" -- also got the word SKII on the bail of the pendant.

We're told the pendant comes with 20 carats of black and white VS quality diamonds and the Cuban link has 60 carats. Both pieces are made with 14-karat white gold and weigh an overall 400 grams.

As for the 22-year-old's new watch ... we're told it's worth over $100k and fully customized to Ja's liking with black diamonds.

Of course, buying jewelry from the Ice Box in Atlanta is a hobby for Morant -- he just bought some bling in August while congratulating a newlywed couple.

In April, he went on a $55k shopping spree and took some tequila shots with rapper, Gunna.

Some encouraging news from Alonzo Mourning ... the NBA legend says his friend and former teammate Dikembe Mutombo is in "good spirits" after receiving treatment for a brain tumor.

The NBA announced last week that the Hall of Famer was diagnosed with a brain tumor .. and was set to receive treatment in ATL.

On Friday, Mourning provided an update on Dikembe's condition.

"Thanking God this morning!" the former Miami Heat player said in the IG caption, "My brotha is on the mend and in good spirits!!!"

And, you can see it on Mutombo's face ... he's all smiles with his longtime friend.

Remember, Mourning and Mutombo go way back -- before playing together on the New Jersey Nets (2003), the two were teammates under John Thompson on the Georgetown Hoyas from 1988 to 1991.

When Mourning and Mutombo entered the league, they immediately became a problem. Both players won Defensive Player Of The Year multiple times, and led the league in blocks.

They've also both been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball of Fame.

"Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers," Mourning said, "Prayer is truly uplifting."

Bronny James put on a show for a star-studded crowd at Overtime Elite's opening night on Thursday ... hitting four 3-pointers on a 16-point night in front of Quavo and Swae Lee!!

"OTE" -- a pro basketball league for 16-19-year-olds -- held an exhibition in Atlanta ... with Bronny's California Basketball Club going up against City Reapers.

The celebs picked a good game to get a glimpse of Bronny -- because the Sierra Canyon point guard made it rain from behind the arc several times.

Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Druski, K Camp, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and Mike WiLL Made-It were also in the building to witness Bronny's outing.

Bronny was one of the main offensive options for CBC throughout the night -- finishing the game with 16 points in 35 minutes of action, which was good for the second-leading scorer on his squad.

Puma star Mikey Willams and former NBA star Carlos Boozer's sons, Cayden and Cameron, hit up the game as well to check out King James' son.

17-year-old Bronny has been on cloud nine lately ... he recently inked an NIL deal with Beats by Dre, following in LeBron's footsteps after signing with Nike.

Fivio Foreign is blaming arena production staffers for his recent performance woes during the Brooklyn Nets' halftime show ... and says he needs a redo to make the city proud.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Fivio at the scene of the crime -- Barclays Center, the Nets' homecourt -- and his view of the disastrous performance is his production team would've handled things perfectly, unlike the one he worked with that night.

Fivio says everything was fine during soundcheck, but at halftime, his inner earpiece was lower than the crowd noise ... and the sound was delayed in his ear.

ICYMI, Fivio got fried on social media because the Brooklyn rapper seemed to forget his lyrics altogether for a full 3 songs.

Fivio tells us Internet reactions didn't phase him much ... he remembers getting trashed online when his sound went out performing with Kanye West during one of his many Donda events last year.

He's also laughing off haters claiming he was too high to remember the words -- Fivio tells us that chapter of his life is over, and he dropped a few bars about it.

Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown, who spent 20 seasons in the league and was one of the league's most respected officials, passed away on Thursday after courageously battling pancreatic cancer.

He was 55 years old.

The NBA announced the awful news this afternoon.

“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues. After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis early last year, Tony fought courageously through countless rounds of treatment to return to work this past season at the NBA Replay Center, demonstrating the dedication, determination and passion that made him such a highly respected official for 20 years," commissioner Adam Silver said.

"The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Tina; their children, Bailey, Basile and Baylen; and his fellow referees.”

Brown, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2021, officiated 1,110 regular season games and 35 playoff games throughout his NBA career.

Tony's wife, Tina, released a statement thanking everyone for their support during this difficult time.

“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance and peace," Tina wrote.

“We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life. Our biggest thank you to our village of family and friends, near and far, old and new. Your love is immeasurable. Thanks to the Lustgarten Foundation and PanCan. Keep striving for the cures."

Several NBA stars are devastated by the tragic news ... including Jayson Tatum and LeBron James who said he will miss seeing Brown on the court.

"R.I.P. Tony man!! Great ref but greater dude!" James said via Twitter.

"Loved when I ran on the court for warmups and he would be on the game that night! Your smile & laugh will be missed tremendously here in our sport!"

Officials for the Bucks and Sixers game on Thursday are wearing '6 STRONG' purple wristbands to honor Brown's referee number.

Zion Williamson's NBA return was one for the books ... but before the Pelicans star hit the court at Barclays Center, he received a custom "Terror Squad" chain from Joey Crack himself, Fat Joe!

TMZ Sports has learned Joe wanted to hook up the NBA superstar with something nice, so he gifted him a custom TS piece made by Avi Davidov, owner of Pristine Jewelers in NYC.

The chain's made with gold and diamonds ... and there really wasn't a special occasion outside of the South Bronx rapper being a fan of Williamson.

But, Zion didn't just walk away with the Terror Squad piece ... Avi tells us he also copped a new timepiece that took the jeweler 10 days to make, and is worth 6 figures!

With Zion's latest purchase, he joins Diddy, Meek Mill, Nas, DJ Khaled, N.O.R.E., and Gucci Mane on the list of celebs who own a timepiece from the world-renowned jeweler.

Before Wednesday night's game, Williamson hadn't played an NBA game since May 2021 ... thanks to a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire 2022 season.

Paolo Banchero says being the BMOC at Duke actually ain't all that ... explaining this week that sometimes he felt like a straight-up "zoo animal" at the school.

The #1 overall pick broke down what life was like as a Blue Devil superstar to R.J. Hampton on Fubo Sports Network's "The Young Person Basketball Podcast" ... and he said, at times, people treated him weirdly on the Durham campus.

Don't get it twisted -- he said he LOVED being a member of the team and a student at the university ... but things did get awkward from time to time.

The new Orlando Magic wing said people would whisper behind his back, stare at him ... and take sneaky videos of him.

"Sometimes it'd feel like you was, like, a zoo animal or something, bro," the 19-year-old said. "They would like, on God, in class, you would see them over there whispering about you. Like, staring at you."

Banchero even said students would bring their entire families to his dorm room -- just to get a peek at the basketball standout.

"I open my door and it's a mom, dad, their daughter who goes to Duke and, like, they're little brother," Banchero recalled. "And, I'm just like, 'Damn.'"

Banchero spent only one season at Duke in 2021 before he was selected in this year's NBA draft. And, he did say ultimately he had fun on the ride.

Fivio Foreign was excited to bring his hit singles to the Brooklyn Nets season opener at Barclays Center ... but something was clearly off with his performance, and the fans let him have it.

Fivio took center court at halftime to deliver a medley of "Say My Name," "City of Gods" and "Big Drip" but there were apparently some technical difficulties ... the Brooklyn rapper missed the cue on most of his lyrics, resulting in a live performance of ad-libs.

Fans split the blame down the middle ... with some blaming the Nets audio crew and others just chalking it up to Fivio being a slouch on the job.

Of course, Twitter users let him have it, writing, "If you’re illegally streaming this Nets game you know that this fivio foreign halftime performance is one of the worst things in history." Another wrote, "I don’t know who fivio foreign is, but this one of the worst halftime shows I ever seen."

T.I., being the experienced rapper, noted Fivio's lack of in-ear headphones to hear the songs properly.

The glitchy performance certainly didn't inspire the home team ... Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans blew out the Nets on their home floor 130-108.

Kevin Durant is fed up with how hoop fans are treating Russell Westbrook ... saying it's completely fair to criticize players for poor performances -- but people are taking it to an unnecessary level with his old teammate.

You've seen the memes and clips -- Brodie's game has been under the microscope ever since he played his first game for the Lakers in 2021 ... with folks highlighting his miscues on social media and cracking jokes.

KD -- who played alongside Russ in Oklahoma City -- says he's seen all the posts and is clearly annoyed with how the 2017 MVP is being treated ... and thinks NBA fandom is getting to "toxic" levels.

"I understand there's certain points where you don't play well," KD said on "The Etcs" with Boardroom. "And, you are open to criticism when you don't play well. We get that."

"But, it's like now, you make him the butt of your jokes now. It's going to a point to where it's like, alright, I get the criticism for what he did that night, but now it's starting to reach a different level of some s*** that I don't understand right now."

Durant says fans are being extra hard on Westbrook because he's now on a huge market team and playing alongside the most famous NBA player in the past 30 years ... which has a big impact on how he's evaluated.

Despite all the talk, KD is pulling for Brodie ... saying he hopes he sticks to his game, blocks out the haters, and proves everybody wrong -- with one exception.

"When we play [the Lakers], I hope they play s****y," he joked.

Durant adds he thinks current NBA fans are overall being more negative than usual ... saying, "I hate how they talk. The dialogue around our game is so toxic at this point. I get criticism, but it's starting to turn into something else right now."

Steph Curry was so pumped for his bro-in-law's game-winner on Wednesday night ... he woke up everyone in his house -- and nearly everyone in his neighborhood, too!!

Curry spent part of his off-night from the NBA watching the Suns vs. Mavericks ... and when Damion Lee -- his former Warriors teammate and the husband of his sister, Sydel -- sank an improbable shot to give Phoenix the dub, he absolutely lost his mind.

The 4-time NBA champ and Golden State superstar let out a guttural yell ... before claiming he didn't mind that he was bothering his sleeping kids.

"Come on!!!!" he screamed as his wife, Ayesha, sat on the couch behind him. "Yeah, Dame! Stick with it! Stick with it! Stick with it!"

"The kids are asleep," he added. "I don't care! Stick with it!"

In the background, Curry's youngest child, Canon, could be heard crying -- but it still didn't stop Steph from praising Lee.

The two are obviously super close -- and have been officially family since 2018 ... when Lee married Sydel.

James Bouknight was unconscious for an hour before cops were finally able to wake up the Charlotte Hornets guard ... but the ordeal didn't end there, 'cause law enforcement says the hooper refused to get out of his Mercedes and even crashed into two squad cars before finally being placed under arrest for DWI.

The details of the arrest are all spelled out in court docs ... and it's clear cops had a helluva time waking up the former UConn star. Police say they tried numerous tactics for about an hour, including using a PA system and an air horn.

Once he finally came to, cops say the 22-year-old refused to get out of his car for several minutes, and instead sat in his driver's seat, eating.

As TMZ Sports previously reported, while asleep, Bouknight had a Glock 23 handgun in his lap. The weapon was visible in a photograph obtained and posted by us.

Police say James moved his car forward, hitting a cop car in front of him, before reversing and hitting another squad car behind him.

Finally, cops say Bouknight complied and exited the car, where he was arrested.

The docs say Bouknight claimed he took four shots of tequila before driving home early Sunday morning. He later took a breathalyzer and blew a .14. The limit in North Carolina is .08.

JB apologized for the arrest on Tuesday, saying ... “Honestly, I just wanted to apologize for being a distraction before the start of the season, for my teammates and for what we’ve got going on.”

Basketball star Emoni Bates is asking for forgiveness after a "poor decision" led to his gun arrest ... saying he hopes he can inspire others to learn from his mistake.

18-year-old Bates -- who was rated one of the top high school hoopers in the class of 2021 -- spoke out for the first time on Wednesday about the situation ... completely owning up to his actions and vowing to do better moving forward.

"The crazy thing about living your life on stage is the inability to escape judgment, and experience the growing pains of lie as a normal adolescent -- privately," Bates said in a statement.

"I hold myself accountable for making a poor decision, and hope you can forgive me as I grow because this will not be my last mistake, however; a lasting stigma to remind me of the severity of such a mistake."

Bates was arrested on September 18 around 10:45 PM in Superior Township, Michigan after cops say he blew a stop sign.

Police officers smelled weed during the stop, and eventually took Emoni out of the vehicle. He quickly admitted there was marijuana and a gun in the car, and was cooperative throughout the whole ordeal.

The 6'9", 190 lb. hooper was charged with multiple felonies, including carrying a concealed weapon and "altering ID marks" on the weapon ... but on Wednesday, he officially agreed to a deal and pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of attempted illegal transportation of a weapon.

Bates enrolled at Memphis Univ. after graduating from high school ... where he averaged 10 points and 3 rebounds per game. Emoni transferred to Eastern Michigan, near his family home, after his first season in Tennessee.

Stephen Curry took a moment to honor Brittney Griner during the Golden State Warriors' championship ring ceremony on Opening Night -- wishing the hooper a happy 32nd birthday and supporting the efforts to bring her home.

"We want to continue to use our platform and the opportunity to shoutout a very special member of the basketball community -- Brittney Griner's birthday is today," Curry said before the Warriors hung their fourth banner in eight years.

"She's 32 years old. We want to continue to let her name be known. And, we pray that ... it's been 243 days since she's been wrongfully incarcerated in Russia. We hope that she comes home soon and everybody's doing their part to get her home."

Griner, who's been in custody in Russia since February, briefly thanked her supporters during what should have been a special day ... saying in a statement, "Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home."

"All the support and love are definitely helping me."

As for the Warriors, their rings (made by Jason of Beverly Hills) are incredible -- they feature 16 carats of yellow and white diamonds set in yellow gold to represent their 16 wins in the playoffs.

It's the first championship ring to be made up of mostly yellow diamonds -- in honor of the team's "golden age."

They also have a special secret compartment ... which reveals the number of trophies each player has individually won over the course of their career.

There are seven carats of yellow cushion cut diamonds on the bezel to mark the team's total championships in franchise history ... and 43 baguettes in the bridge of the logo on top for Curry's 43-point performance in the Finals.

Charlotte Hornets hooper James Bouknight lay passed out in his Mercedes-Benz AMG GT with a bag of Doritos and a Glock handgun in his lap before he was arrested for DWI ... a photo obtained by TMZ Sports appears to show.

The 22-year-old former 11th overall pick (2021) was arrested around 2 AM early Sunday morning in a parking deck in Mecklenburg County, NC for driving while intoxicated.

It's a bit misleading, 'cause Bouknight wasn't actually moving at the time of the arrest ... he was allegedly conked out in the driver's seat of his $100K Benz, blocking access to the garage.

Witnesses tell us security attempted to wake up James, but despite repeatedly pounding on the window, they couldn't get his attention.

When they looked through the car's windshield (the tint made it difficult to see through the other windows), security saw a weapon on James' lap -- a .40 caliber Glock 23.

That's when security called the cops ... who responded and were ultimately able to wake up the 6'4" guard and place him under arrest.

Bouknight was booked, before being released on $2,500 bond.

He was NOT charged with any crime relating to the gun ... North Carolina doesn't require a permit to open carry a weapon.

Draymond Green says he did not pay attention to the chaos that ensued after TMZ Sports posted video of his practice attack on Jordan Poole ... admitting he has no idea how much it "blew up" because he doesn't spend time on the Internet.

The Golden State Warriors star detailed what exactly went down on Friday, October 7 -- the morning we published the violent altercation -- and he says he wasn't scrolling through the thousands of tweets and Instagram posts reacting to the video.

"I don't really read many tweets at all," Green said on NBA on TNT. "And, so I was just chilling at home with my children. If you want me to be honest with you, I still don't know how much the world may think it blew up."

Green makes it clear he never cared for anyone's opinion ... and the aftermath of the Poole altercation didn't change that.

Green says he received some solid advice following the incident ... adding he was told to "look at all the upsides."

"Like, the world has seen one of your worst moments," he says. "Look at the upside and I can live with that."

As we previously reported, Green spent a few days away from the team as a result of the incident ... and was fined, but not suspended.

James Harden didn't break out the razor for his face, shirt OR his shoes for the 76ers' opening night ... leaving the fuzz on all three for Philly's much-anticipated first game of the year!!

The superstar point guard showed off the furry 'fit on his way into TD Garden ahead of the Sixers' game against the Celtics ... lookin' both comfy and swaggy.

He had on some tan slippers, a purple sweater, some pajama-like bottoms ... and he topped it all off with a sweet Louis Vuitton bag.

Of course, he left on his signature beard as well -- and, as he entered the arena, he didn't say anything to reporters ... looking locked in.

Harden has been known to take risks with his pregame looks -- he is, after all, VERY involved in the fashion world ... but this is a next-level look for even him.

P.J. Tucker, meanwhile, also strolled into Boston with an outlandish look ... sportin' some hot-pink shoes, pants and jacket.