Basketball

The Big Aristotle Christmas Tree Ornament?!?

Shaquille O'Neal now has another potential nickname to add to his ever-growing list ... after Kenny Smith plowed him into a giant Christmas tree on the set of "NBA on TNT" on Tuesday night.

The scene was hilarious ... O'Neal was racing The Jet to the show's big board -- when Smith got a little too physical with the Hall of Famer.

Kenny got up underneath the 7-foot-1 Lakers legend ... and sent him flying into a massive tree.

Shaq stayed under the shrubs for a while -- giggling his face off -- while proclaiming he was all right. Eventually, his cohosts pulled him from the wreckage -- with huge smiles on their faces.

"All right, Kenny," O'Neal said after getting up from the pile of presents. "This means war, Kenny!"

As Shaq returned to his seat, you can see the dude was not only covered in pine needles ... but glitter as well!!

As far as we know, Shaq didn't get revenge on Smith later in the evening ... but the guys will all be together again breaking down basketball in just a matter of days.

Nia Long and Ime Udoka are done -- the couple of 13 years has reportedly broken up after the Boston Celtics coach's affair with a team employee.

The news comes less than three months after the Boston Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for violating team policy ... a public scandal that Long said was "devastating."

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with the Celtics' travel planner ... who was in charge of booking Long's flights to attend home and road games -- as well as her arrangements to move to Boston permanently.

The fallout was apparently too much to recover from ... as People reports the two sides have called it quits on their relationship and are now focused on co-parenting their 11-year-old son, Kez.

Long recently sounded off on the Celtics for airing out their dirty laundry ... saying, "I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public."

Udoka remains suspended from the Celtics ... but was rumored to be Steve Nash's replacement at the head of the Brooklyn Nets bench. The team ultimately decided to go with Jacque Vaughn.

Lil Baby's birthday was technically on December 3, but the rapper isn't just limiting his celebrations to one day -- seemingly celebrating all month.

Baby's festivities took him to Houston Monday, where he partied with James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers after they lost to Harden's former squad, the Houston Rockets.

Bouncing back after an L in the club is very familiar territory for JH13 -- and he and Lil Baby switched courses for one of H-Town's illustrious strip clubs.

With Harden in tow, Baby rapped along to his "Danger" lyrics while previewing the insane stack of cash they set aside for the dancers, which undoubtedly had them throwing cash all night!!!

The evening is giving a serious case of déjà vu ... Baby got wild with James, Travis Scott, and Meek Mill for his birthday in March after losing by 29 points -- against another one of his former teams, the Brooklyn Nets.

Terrifying scene ahead of the Atlanta Hawks game on Monday night ... Bob Rathbun, the team's play-by-play announcer, suffered a frightening medical emergency while on air -- and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Thankfully, however, the 68-year-old is now said to be doing better ... and is in "stable" condition.

Rathbun was previewing the Hawks' game against the Thunder for Bally Sports with Dominique Wilkins ... when he suddenly appeared to lose consciousness in his chair, and convulse uncontrollably.

WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS HARD TO WATCH.

Medical personnel raced to his side to tend to him before the cameras cut away.

According to Bally Sports officials, he was suffering from dehydration ... and was taken to a local medical facility. They added he's now both "stable" and "responsive."

Lauren Jbara filled in last-minute for Rathbun to call the game -- which the Hawks lost, 121-114.

Get well soon, Bob.

They don't call him the Greek Freak for nothing.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo turns 28 on Tuesday ... and he wants to celebrate his big day by knockin' boots.

The 2-time MVP revealed his birthday plans with reporters after the Bucks' 109-102 win over the Orlando Magic ... saying he was hoping for a cake, a card and maybe some jewelry -- but there was one thing he was really looking forward to.

"Once I put my kids to bed you never know what can happen," Giannis said while holding a Homer Simpson doll. "Might get a little bit freaky."

The champ had a big ass grin on his face as he seemingly spoke the idea into existence ... even giving the media a wink.

The journalists in attendance couldn't help but laugh ... but it's unclear if his longtime girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger, found it funny.

Of course, Giannis has never shied away from his sexual desires -- he hilariously revealed an oral sex bell on Valentine's Day back in 2018, much to Mariah's chagrin.

Giannis and Mariah have two kids together ... and maybe #3 is on the way??

Punches were thrown, lots of them, in Monday night's TCU-George Washington women's basketball game ... a wild fistfight erupted, resulting in eight players being ejected.

It all went down at the Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, TX ... TCU forward Bella Cravens got pissed after GW guard Essence Brown pulled her hair while trying to take the ball away.

It's unclear if Brown acted with intent, but that didn't matter to Cravens ... who immediately went after Brown, sparking the WWE-style showdown on the court.

In the clip, the two women come face-to-face, and Cravens pushes Brown ... that's when things escalated, with punches being thrown from both parties.

Women from both teams tried to separate the two, but in the midst of that, a player from TCU pushes Brown in the back, and she appears to lose her balance.

TCU's head coach Raegan Pebley address the incident, saying, "We never want to be a part of anything like that. We don't ever want to be a part of anything like that."

"Whenever something like that happens right in front of a bench as opposed to the other sideline or the middle of the floor, it's super vulnerable."

Pebley said she thought the officials -- who ejected eight players, including Cravens and Brown -- did a good job of managing the chaos in that moment and throughout the game.

LeBron James and Magic Johnson said Monday they're heartbroken to learn Norm Pattiz -- one of the Lakers' most famous superfans -- has died ... with the duo both penning tribute notes to the late broadcasting entrepreneur.

Johnson took to Twitter to share his homage ... calling Pattiz his "long time friend."

"I'll always remember Norm cheering on the Lakers from his floor seats & clapping on every possession & play with his program!" he said. "Sending my prayers to his wife Mary and entire family."

James, meanwhile, shared his heartfelt message on his IG page -- writing, "Rest in paradise Norm!!!"

Pattiz -- the founder of the original Westwood One and PodcastOne who was ultimately inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame -- reportedly passed away on Sunday. A cause of death was not revealed. He was 79 years old.

Pattiz gained notoriety at Lakers games for his courtside seats -- which he owned for over three decades.

The Lakers themselves paid tribute to him following the news of his death, sharing a pic of him in a custom Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal suit jacket at Staples Center.

"We will always treasure his spirit for the game and love for the team," the team said. "He will be missed."

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson's wallet is now $15,000 lighter ... and it's all 'cause he hurled his headband in disgust during a game on Saturday.

For real.

The NBA just announced the fine ... docking the 30-year-old for heaving the sweat guard into the stands just before Utah lost 116-111 to the Trail Blazers over the weekend.

Many believed Clarkson could avoid the fee -- as, after all, the headband didn't hit anybody.

Clearly, though, that didn't matter to NBA exec Joe Dumars, who handed down the punishment regardless on Monday afternoon.

The good news for Clarkson? He's made over $86 MILLION in his NBA career ... so the fine ain't going to hurt too much.

Kobe. Shaq. Hugh Hefner.

A championship ring from the Lakers 1999-2000 season, issued to the legendary Playboy founder, is on the auction block at SCP Auctions!

Hefner received the 14-karat yellow gold ring, designed to the exact specifications of the players' rings after the Lakers beat the Pacers in the NBA Finals.

The face of the ring is paved in real-brilliant cut diamonds and has the words "World Champions" and "Lakers" on it. The ring also has ten large diamonds on the front ... five appearing on each side.

The ring has Hugh's last name, "Hefner," on one side, along with the Lakers' regular season record (67-15) and playoff record (15-8) that season. There's also a large diamond in the center of a basketball with the words "Bling Bling." The year "2000" is also engraved.

The ring comes with the original Lakers presentation box -- which has "Hefner" engraved on it -- and a letter of authenticity (LOA) from Hugh's family.

Hefner, who was 91 when he died at the Playboy Mansion in 2017, regularly attended Lakers games throughout his life ... and was good friends with late Laker's owner Jerry Buss.

The Lakers title that season, which they won in large part due to the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, was the franchise's first championship since Magic Johnson led the team to a title in 1988.

The Lakers mowed down their competition during the regular season and defeated Indiana in six games in the NBA Finals ... the first of back-to-back-to-back titles.

Draymond Green says there isn't a debate in his mind ... LeBron James is simply a better basketball player than Michael Jordan.

The Golden State Warriors star didn't mince words when talking about his top-five NBA players of all time on the latest episode of "Throwing Bones" ... explaining he believes LBJ is the GOAT when it comes to hoops.

Draymond listed several reasons -- including the duration of LeBron's run as the game's best ... as well as the Lakers great's skill set.

But, most notably, Green says the competition James faced year after year after year sets him apart from His Airness.

"MJ didn't beat the greatest team ever assembled," Green said. "Nor did he run up against the greatest team ever assembled every year."

Green added, "There's nobody that has ever played the game of basketball that can do what LeBron James does on a basketball court. Nobody."

The debate has raged on for years -- Jordan supporters have pointed to Michael's 6-0 championship record to give him the crown, while LBJ fans have directed the attention to The King's gaudy stats (he's less than 1,000 points away from being the Association's all-time leading scorer).

Seems Draymond, though, has his mind made up ... and he swears it ain't shade to his former idol.

"I'm sure one of the old f***s is going to say, 'You're out of your mind' and this that and the other," Green said. "The talent is way better [during LeBron's era], just like the talent at Apple is way better than the talent that was working at Apple in 1991."

Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete ... a spokesperson for the company announced Monday.

Irving, whose future with the retail giant was in question after they suspended him for tweeting about a controversial, antisemitic film ... has cut ties with the NBA star, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

As we previously reported, Nike put its relationship with Ky on ice on November 4 ... suspending Irving. Despite satisfying the team and league with his apology, as well as other steps, the Swoosh indicated their relationship with Irving was probably done after the suspension.

In an interview with CNBC, Phil Knight, cofounder and chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate, said Irving's relationship with the company was "likely over."

"Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple," Knight said. "He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. I was fine with that."

Kyrie joined the Nike family in 2011 ... releasing his signature Kyrie 1 basketball shoe in 2014 as a member of the Cavs in his third NBA season.

Ex-Lakers champ Devean George wants to clear the dookie-smelling air ... telling TMZ Sports Shaquille O'Neal NEVER took a dump in his shoe -- despite a rumor saying otherwise.

Tyronn Lue initially started the gossip back in June on Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles' "Knuckleheads" podcast ... saying that the incident happened in the early 2000s, when he, George and O'Neal were all L.A. teammates.

According to Lue, Shaq was so pissed that George didn't bring donuts to a meeting ... he grabbed one of the small forward's sneakers, took a crap in it, and then put it back like nothing ever happened.

George then allegedly stuffed his foot in the shoe -- getting O'Neal's bowel movements all over his foot.

But, when we got the Devean out at LAX last week -- he called BS on all of the allegations ... saying nothing of the sort ever happened.

"Hell no, that's a lie, that's cap," George said, "and I know T-Lue started that."

"That never happened," he continued. "I think he did that to someone in Orlando. I don't remember the dude's name, but he did that in Orlando. But he never took a s*** in my shoes."

George said if it did go down, he and Shaq would have fought.

Instead, George said the two were very good friends -- and ended up winning three NBA titles together.

"He was a great teammate," Devean said. "He's a good guy. I love him."

NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein is throwing in the designer brand towel on the Lakers' shot at a championship this season ... telling TMZ Sports everyone should be focusing on the other L.A. team -- the Clippers!!

LeBron James and Co. are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference after a disastrous start to the 2022-23 campaign ... and JG -- one of the most recognizable hoops fans in NBA history -- says there's nothing they can do to contend for a ring this season.

Goldstein believes the Lakers should stop clutching onto their future draft picks and try to improve the team now ... bringing up the rumored trade with the Indiana Pacers as a prime example of a deal that can help them out.

The Lakers were reportedly in talks to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner in exchange for Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks ... with the latter keeping L.A. from pulling the trigger on the deal.

While Goldstein says it would make the Lake Show better, he says there's nothing they can do now to become instant contenders.

But, when it comes to the buzz around L.A., Goldstein tells us it's all about the Clippers now -- 'cause they have a legit shot at raising a banner.

"You should be talking about the Clippers," Goldstein says. "They're a much better team. They have a chance. They have great players. They have depth."

Kanye West is doing everything he can to deflect attention away from his praising of Hitler, even throwing out false allegations about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and an affair with NBA superstar Chris Paul ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

Before he was kicked off Twitter Thursday night for posting a swastika, the disgraced rapper made a wild allegation claiming he "caught" Kim Kardashian cheating with NBA star Chris Paul.

A source close to the situation tells us the allegation is absolutely false, and just another example of a desperate man trying to shift the focus away from his own wrongdoings.

The source says, "This is not true and sadly it’s an ongoing pattern with Kanye — attacking Kim to redirect everyone’s attention after a day of crazy antics where he has said every hateful and offensive thing he can possibly dream of."

They continue, "He has a history of falsely accusing her of also having affairs with Meek Mill, Drake and countless others. Kanye has for years deflected his own awful behavior, infidelities and obsession with porn and sex addiction to abuse and slut shame Kim. She wants to be left alone so she can focus on the well-being of their children.”

It was Thursday when Kanye was on Alex Jones' "Infowars" spewing hate, claiming he liked Hitler, questioning the Holocaust and giving the Nazis props. Jones, a controversial figure himself, made several attempts to reel Kanye in, but the rapper only doubled down.

Of course, it was earlier this week when Kim and Kanye finally settled their nearly two-year divorce ... he's agreed to pay her $200k a month in child support, and they'll have "equal access" to their kids.

Jemele Hill is urging the media to not let Jerry Jones off the hook amid his racial controversy ... saying LeBron James was completely right to call out reporters for not giving the Dallas Cowboys owner similar coverage as Kyrie Irving.

Hill joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss the Lakers superstar's postgame message on Thursday ... and she believes Black figures and athletes are constantly criticized to a much harsher degree in the media.

"This is not to say that there should be no room for accountability, of course," Hill says. "But it seems that it just is nonstop, and over and over and over again and it's constant."

Hill says Jones' "curious kid" explanation for attending a desegregation protest as a 14-year-old in 1957 is insufficient ... and claims his influence as an NFL owner is another reason why he wasn't pressed to explain his stance further, when Kyrie was asked repeatedly about whether he was antisemitic.

"I think the difference in [Jerry] and Kyrie in the treatment is not only a failure by the media, it's also a difference in power," Hill said.

"Kyrie, he's a 'worker' in the NBA. Jerry Jones is an owner, and as an owner he gets to dictate the rules of engagement, so to speak. He also doesn't have to answer to the media as often as Kyrie Irving does."

The Atlantic reporter points out there is a legitimate reason for journalists to ask LeBron about Jones' attendance at the '57 event ... especially considering his history as a diehard Cowboys fan and his previous comments denouncing the team's handling of the national anthem demonstrations.

Jemele suggests the situation would be handled completely differently if something like the Jones photo controversy happened in the NBA ... simply because the players run the league instead of the owners, and they wouldn't let it fly.

Ab-Soul’s having an eventful stay in NYC -- having a run-in with Jay-Z, and a cool courtside experience with Kevin Durant and co.

The TDE rapper inadvertently became part of the action Wednesday night as he watched the Brooklyn Nets play the Washington Wizards -- and he was NOT caught slipping in 4K when a loose ball bounced his way.

Soulo skillfully managed to catch the rock from his courtside seat and, most importantly, did not spill a drop of his drink!!!

Later that evening, still cool as a fan with a drink in hand ... he was surprised when Jay-Z greeted him as he walked into a lounge. Jay even proclaimed him the "young god" of rap!!!

The two later flicked it up in a booth, sparking collab rumors for Soulo’s upcoming album “Herbert,” which drops on December 16, but he still hasn’t unveiled his feature list yet.

TMZ Hip Hop reached out to TDE President Punch to see what, if anything, is in the works. We'll let ya know if we hear back.