Basketball

Several fans had a strong message for the Brooklyn Nets amid Kyrie Irving's backlash for posting about an antisemitic movie on social media -- donning yarmulkes and "fight antisemitism" shirts while sitting courtside at the game.

The group sat near the Indiana bench during the Pacers vs. Nets matchup in Brooklyn ... and Kyrie reportedly acknowledged them by making a thumbs-up gesture.

One of the fans claims Irving spoke to them during the contest ... saying he was "grateful for you guys," although they felt it was in a sarcastic tone, according to the New York Post.

The fan said the shirts were a message for the Nets ... adding the team should cut ties with Irving.

The move comes on the heels of Kyrie's decision to tweet out a link to "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a movie that has been accused of being filled with stereotypes and tropes.

Kyrie defended the move ... saying he "meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs."

"The 'Anti-Semitic' label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday," he added. "I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions."

Joe Tsai -- the owner of the Nets -- spoke out against Irving's post ... saying he was disappointed in the superstar's decision to share the project.

Tsai also said he wanted to meet with Irving to help him understand why his actions were hurtful.

Kanye West -- who is also facing his own backlash -- commented on Kyrie's actions ... calling him a "real one."

As for the game, the Nets won 116-109 ... with Irving earning 28 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

He did not speak with the media after the contest.

Lamar Odom has been reunited with his beloved Lakers championship rings -- the ex-NBA star says the man who bought the bling years ago made an incredible gesture and gifted them back to him.

42-year-old Odom famously pawned off the rings in 2016 to help pay medical bills after his near-fatal drug overdose at the Love Ranch brothel ... and they were eventually sold at an auction in 2020.

Lamar opened up about the 2009 and 2010 Finals keepsakes on the debut episode of his new "On The LO" podcast ... saying he was flat broke and in the darkest time of his life after his divorce from Khloe Kardashian ... and he regretted giving them up ever since.

But the story has a happy ending ... because Lamar says when he went to the Laker game on Oct. 20, he happened to run into the exact fan who bought the rings for $36,600 and $78,000 each.

Odom says the guy -- who regularly attended Laker games during his career -- explained Lamar should have them back ... because he's the one who earned them alongside Kobe Bryant.

But the two didn't even have to negotiate a deal -- the man gave them back to Lamar for free!!

Eric Bledsoe is off the hook in his domestic violence case ... TMZ Sports has learned the former NBA player won't face criminal charges despite his arrest last week.

The L.A. County District Attorney tells us ... the case has been declined "due to insufficient evidence."

Bledsoe had been accused of slapping his girlfriend during an incident in Lost Hills, Calif. on  Oct. 26. He was arrested, but bonded out a short time later.

Following the alleged altercation, the 32-year-old's GF posted a pic and video on her social media page ... calling the basketball player "a monster."

She later deleted the post ... and was seen commenting on Bledsoe's most recent Instagram photo Sunday night with the words, "My baby."

Bledsoe responded to the comment, writing "mine," with a heart emoji.

The Donda Academy basketball team continues to pay for Kanye West's actions -- the squad will no longer be playing in a tournament at Morehouse College due to his recent antics.

The Donda Doves were originally scheduled to play against The Skill Factory in Atlanta on Nov. 6 ... but given the controversy surrounding West, the host decided to pull the plug on the whole thing.

A spokesperson for Morehouse says the school "cannot condone, in perception or implication, the recent divisive and unproductive statements by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West."

Of course, Morehouse's decision isn't going to sit well with Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who has publicly advocated against Donda hoops players being affected due to Kanye's words.

Brown -- who parted ways with Donda Sports agency last week -- recently said that he will sponsor any event willing to host the team.

"This can’t negatively impact these student-athletes," Brown said. "We all must ensure they complete their senior yr both academically & athletically."

Although Donda's men's basketball team hasn't officially been scrapped ... it seems imminent since they have little to no games scheduled, and organized practices have been limited.

Horrifying moment during Bronny James' high school basketball game over the weekend ... LeBron James' eldest son was rushed off the court after fans in the arena feared someone had a gun.

Bronny's Sierra Canyon boys basketball team was taking on DeMatha as part of a big showcase event in D.C. on Saturday night ... when suddenly, near the end of the game, chaos broke out in the stands.

Several fans in attendance reportedly got into an altercation -- and, at one point, some thought a gun had been pulled.

When word of the potential weapon got down to those on the court, coaches and players -- including Bronny -- took off in panic.

Fortunately, cops tell TMZ Sports that when they got to the scene, they did a "thorough search" and "did not locate a firearm."

"There were no injuries," a police spokesperson added.

The two teams did not come out to finish the game "out of an abundance of caution," DeMatha head coach Mike G. Jones III tells us.

Bronny was clearly shaken up by it all ... saying in a statement on his social media page after the game, "high schoolers can't even hoop in peace now a days."

The two teams did not play on Sunday following the incident.

Floyd Mayweather made good on his promise on Sunday, hooking up two young fans with tickets to the L.A. Clippers game -- their first NBA game -- days after he blessed the kids with some cash and facetime at a nearby hotel.

Mayweather hooked the boys up with tix to the Clippers game Sunday afternoon -- for their game against the Pelicans -- after promising the kids tickets on Thursday ... after meeting them at the Ritz.

Unfortunately, the Clips lost 112-91. But, in addition to Paul George (14 points) and John Wall (8 points), the kids got to see Zion Williamson hoop. The young star dropped 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in just 31 minutes of action.

Mayweather also attended the game ... but not just the Clippers.

Never one to play favorites, Floyd also hit up the Lakers game with friends Jona Rechnitz and Jas Mathur.

Mayweather sat courtside for both games at the Crypto.com arena.

The 50-0 boxer, a staple at NBA games, posed for photos with some of the hoopers (and a super agent) ... including Zion, Michael Porter Jr., Deandre Jordan, Rich Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

Ex-NBA player Eric Bledsoe was in great spirits at the Clippers game on Sunday ... just days after he was arrested for allegedly slapping his girlfriend.

32-year-old Bledsoe -- who played for the Clips from 2010-13 and the 2021-22 season -- was smiling from ear to ear as he sat courtside at Crypto.com Arena to check out his old team against the New Orleans Pelicans.

It wasn't a great outing for the Clippers -- they lost 112-91.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Bledsoe was arrested in Lost Hills, CA Wednesday night after his girlfriend called cops and claimed she was slapped.

The arrest came just hours after it was reported Bledsoe was set to sign with the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association.

As we previously reported, the girlfriend posted about the altercation on Instagram ... calling Bledsoe a "monster."

The post was deleted shortly after.

It's unclear whether the arrest will have an impact on Bledsoe's future -- the Sharks have yet to comment on the situation.

Khloe Kardashian sure seems enraged at her ex, Tristan Thompson, but she's not letting it get in the way of co-parenting, because he was front and center at their Halloween shindig.

The Kardashians held a little get-together this weekend for the kids, and the ex-couple showed up on North West's TikTok compilation ... appearing in the same shot at one point, but not interacting much.

Khloe was in a full-body catsuit, while Tristan was shielded in an Iron Man mask. Their daughter, True, was dressed up as the Disney character Owlette ... and the newest addition to their family, the baby boy, was in a Tigger costume. True held her baby bro but his face wasn't visible.

Mama bear wrote ... "Owlette and Tigger aka True and Baby Brother. (Shhhhh…. But I can't wait for Halloween to be over)."

Nothing too crazy here ... it's just Khloe and Tristan co-parenting as they've done in the past. Of course, his most recent cheating scandal -- resulting in the birth of a baby with Maralee Nichols -- has led some to believe he's iced out of the picture. That's clearly not the case.

The Miz says the Cleveland Cavaliers are AWEEEEEESOME -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks his hometown team is going to make it all the way to the NBA Finals this season!!

We spoke with the WWE Superstar out at LAX this week about his Cleveland sports teams ... and while his Browns are struggling, he says there's hope with the Wine & Gold.

"We're going to the NBA Finals," Miz tells us. "They got a young squad, and they got some good superstars. They look better than the Lakers."

The Cavs have been playing well so far this season -- they already have more wins than the Browns -- and have been led by newly acquired star Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen ... even with Darius Garland missing games with an eye injury.

Miz is clearly a fan of the Cavs' blockbuster trade ... saying, "Spida is going to be amazing."

"He is the star," Miz adds. "And we welcomed him with open arms, 'cause we didn't think we could get another star. It's Cleveland. It's not like an L.A. or NY, or Miami market."

What's even more surprising -- Miz isn't exactly worried about whether LeBron James ever comes back home ... saying he believes the current Cavs squad can win it all without the King.

Yes, the Lakers are playing like crap right now, but there's one thing they should NOT do -- trade Russell Westbrook ... so says Ty Dolla $ign, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the Purple & Gold can still turn things around with the current squad.

Brodie has been getting a ton of criticism for his sluggish start to the 2022-23 campaign ... with many calling for the Lake Show to end the Russ experiment pronto.

Ty isn't in that group ... 'cause when he was leaving Dash Radio earlier this week, he told us he thinks people are going too hard on the former MVP.

"Don't do that," the crooner told us. "Some of us have ups and downs somedays. But there's definitely going to be the ups again. Shoutout to my brother, Russ, man."

Ty defends Russell's recent blunders ... saying, "Certain times we have f***ing bad shots."

Kyrie Irving is the latest celeb being accused of antisemitism after promoting a movie that some say is full of stereotypes and tropes -- but the guy's saying he's being misunderstood.

The Nets star got slammed Friday for tweeting a link to a movie called ... "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" which is on Amazon. It's a controversial piece to say the least ... leaning into extreme ideology from certain factions of Black Hebrew Israelites.

The whole idea behind this is that Black people actually have Jewish roots themselves -- and are, in fact, the "chosen people of God" as opposed to Jews of European descent. Like we said ... highly inflammatory, but it's a train of thought several celebs have embraced in recent years. Kanye West, obviously, but also ... Nick Cannon and Ice Cube, to name a few.

Not only does the doc Kyrie promoted discuss this, but it also reportedly spreads conspiracy theories ... including the claim that "white Jews," as it were, perpetuated the slave trade and are, by and large, in control of the media/banking industries ... among other accusations.

It's a lot of the same stuff that got Kanye in trouble ... and Kyrie's been receiving much of the same backlash, so much so that his boss -- Nets owner Joe Tsai -- said something.

He condemned Kyrie's tweet as hate-fueled, writing ... "I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion." Joe adds, this is bigger than basketball.

KI defended himself Saturday, saying he meant no disrespect to anyone's religious beliefs and adding ... "the 'Anti-Semitic' label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday."

Kanye West closing his Donda Academy has left the program's student-athletes in limbo ... wasting a season's worth of developing their talents.

Sources connected to the Donda boy's basketball team tell us the season has essentially been put on ice, with little to no games scheduled. We're told the kids have been dropped from several tournaments because of Kanye's antisemitic rants, and have limited practice.

Our sources say if the kids do want to practice, they have to organize on their own ... Donda isn't there for an assist, though some coaches are working to make it happen.

What's more, we're told it's becoming more and more difficult for students at Donda to transfer to another school's basketball program ... mainly because Donda's season hasn't yet been OFFICIALLY canceled. It's especially bad for the kids who have real talent and prospects to play college ball.

Our sources say one potential savior is NBA star Jaylen Brown, who recently announced he was leaving Donda Sports. We're told Jaylen is trying to save the Donda Academy team, working to help find tournaments for the players.

One game he's helped to schedule for the team already will happen next Sunday against Morehouse College.

Jaylen Brown says he feels terrible for the talented young men on the Donda Academy hoops roster who are missing out on opportunities because of Kanye West ... so he's doing something about it -- by offering to sponsor any event that will host the team.

Brown took to Twitter on Friday to announce his plan ... explaining kids shouldn't be punished for West's antisemitic rants.

"These student-athletes can’t be negatively impacted by this," 26-year-old Brown said. "We all must ensure they complete their senior yr both academically & athletically."

Remember, Donda Academy's hoops team was booted from the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classics -- a high-profile tournament -- over Ye's controversial comments.

The tourney explained the decision in a statement ... saying, "Kanye's words and actions violate our values as a company and a country, and what we seek to ensure at all of our events -- a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity, and mutual respect."

"Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience host an organization founded and directed by Mr. West at our events."

The tourney is a huge deal ... which is why Brown is so passionate about ensuring the players -- including five-star guards Robert Dillingham and AJ Johnson -- have a chance to showcase their talents.

As we previously reported, Jaylen and Rams star Aaron Donald announced their departure from Ye's Donda Sports company amid the backlash surrounding the embroiled artist.

Brown initially said he would remain with Donda -- but had a change of heart and apologized, saying, "I've been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my stance against recent insensitive public remarks and actions."

LeBron James says he can no longer support the Dallas Cowboys -- the NBA superstar revealed he denounced his beloved team years ago over the organization's handling of the national anthem protests.

LeBron was always a massive fan of America's Team -- in fact, he even previously stated Jerry Jones offered him a contract to play for the 'Boys during the 2011 NBA lockout.

But, in recent years, the Lakers icon suddenly started showing love for his hometown Cleveland Browns ... which left fans wondering if he was still backing Dallas.

In an Instagram Live session on Thursday, LeBron explained he is, in fact, done with the Cowboys ... saying he was upset over the belief that players were told they would lose their spot on the team if they joined Colin Kaepernick's movement and took a knee during the "Star-Spangled Banner."

"I had to sit down on the Cowboys man," James told his business partner, Maverick Carter. "It's just things that were going on when guys were kneeling and guys were having the freedom of speech and wanted to do it in a very peaceful manner."

"A lot of people in they front office and a lot of people that ran the organization was like, 'If you do that around here, then you will never play for this franchise again.'"

"I just didn't think that was appropriate."

Remember, Jones and the Cowboys knelt in solidarity before a Monday Night Football matchup back in 2017 ... but stood back up once the anthem started playing.

The moment came on the heels of President Donald Trump's call to fire any "son of a bitch" who took a knee for the anthem ... but James seemingly didn't think that was enough.

A fan attending the Nets vs. Mavericks game on Thursday night ended up spending most of his evening in custody ... because he was arrested for throwing a cup of ice that nearly hit Luka Doncic on the court.

According to the NYPD, 24-year-old Justin Boatswain hurled the object during the middle of overtime at Barclays Center in Brooklyn ... as Kevin Durant was trying to sink some free throws.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the cup landed about six feet from the Mavericks' best player -- startling Doncic as ice splattered everywhere.

The game was halted for several minutes as officials cleaned up the mess.

Boatswain was immediately ID'ed as the cup-thrower, according to cops, and was escorted from his seat. Authorities say he was ultimately arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for interfering with a sporting event.

Doncic had some other interesting moments with fans in Brooklyn earlier in the night, too ... he was spotted jawing with some courtside attendees throughout the contest.

At one point, he appeared to tell one of them, "Shut up, p***y."

The game, though, went on to conclude without further issue ... the Mavs won 129-125, and Doncic logged a triple-double with 40 points.

One of the most die-hard celebrity Laker fans is resorting to a public plea to turn things around ... with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea calling on GM Rob Pelinka to do something ASAP.

"Either blow it all up and rebuild, or mortgage the future to fix the lack chemistry and skill on this basketball team," Flea said in a passionate Twitter post on Wednesday.

"Do not let another season meander its way down the drain, wasting the great LeBron James’ sunset of his career."

The cry for help comes after the Purple & Gold's abysmal 0-4 start to the season ... and as Flea has put it recently -- "This Laker team is not equipped to win."

Many have criticized Russell Westbrook's play ... but really, the Lakers' struggles are far beyond just one player.

It's getting so bad for the Lakers, LeBron has already started posting cryptic Instagram messages ... saying, "How long will you be taken for granted."