Basketball

Former Univ. of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles has been accused of providing the firearm to the gunman who shot and killed a woman near campus over the weekend ... this according to cops in new court documents.

Police say in the filings, made public on Tuesday and obtained by TMZ Sports, that after Jamea Harris was killed by gunfire on The Strip in Tuscaloosa in the early hours of Sunday morning ... Miles admitted to providing a 20-year-old man named Michael Davis with the handgun prior to the shooting.

Cops claim Davis shot at the 23-year-old woman while she was in the passenger seat of a vehicle that had been stopped on the popular stretch of road near the Crimson Tide's campus. They say in the docs witnesses identified Davis as the gunman -- and that there is surveillance video of it all.

Harris died shortly after being struck by one of the bullets, cops say.

Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy said in a news conference Sunday evening that it appeared "the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip."

As we reported, both Miles and Davis were charged with capital murder over the incident ... and arrested on Sunday.

Miles, who was seen sobbing at the jail following the arrest, was released from the Alabama men's basketball team a short time after he was put in cuffs.

"We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men's basketball team," the school said. "Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation."

Kevin Love had a bold strategy for defending Larry Nance Jr. during the Cavs game on Monday ... by giving his old teammate's ass a smack!!

The odd moment went down with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Cleveland's MLK Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... when Nance -- the son of former Cavs and Suns star Larry Nance -- was waiting for Jose Alvarado to inbound the ball.

Nance's reaction is hilarious -- he quickly pleads with refs to do something about the bizarre tactic ... but ultimately, the game continued without a foul.

Of course, it was all in good fun ... as Love and Nance grew close during their time together with the Wine & Gold.

Love and Nance's former Cavs teammate/NBA referee Richard Jefferson even got in on the fun ... posting a TikTok about the incident.

"Hey @kevinlove this is under review for a flagrant," RJ joked. "@larrydn7 you good?"

Nance -- an Ohio native who played for the Cavs from 2018-21 -- finished the game with four points, three rebounds and three assists for NOLA.

Brittney Griner, less than 6 weeks after she was sprung from a Russian penal colony, surprised a group of people gathered for an MLK day march in Phoenix ... on what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 94th birthday.

The Phoenix Mercury superstar hit up the event with her wife, Cherelle ... and took pics with fans, who were visibly elated to see the hooper.

Of course, states celebrate MLK Jr. Day on the third Monday in January ... a day to remember one of the most influential civil rights leaders in the history of the world.

FYI, Arizona was the last state to recognize MLK Jr. Day (1992) after President Ronald Reagan signed a law making it a federal holiday in 1983 (though it was first observed in 1986.)

Brittney, of course, has a special relationship with Arizona ... she's played her entire WNBA career with the Mercury after dominating in college at Baylor.

Griner missed the 2021-22 WNBA season ... after she was arrested for carrying marijuana vape cartridges (hashish oil) through an airport in Russia in February.

After 10+ grueling months in a Russian penal colony, Brittney was released in a prisoner exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The 6'9" hooper returned to the United States sporting a different look -- forced to cut her dreads because of the brutally cold temperatures in Russia -- and has maintained a low profile since her release.

Maya Moore is hangin' up her jersey ... the 4-time WNBA champ and UConn legend announced Monday she's retiring from the game of basketball.

The former Minnesota Lynx guard broke the news on "Good Morning America," saying she's officially leaving basketball after a 7-year WNBA career.

"I think it is time to put a close on the pro basketball life,' the 33-year-old told 'GMA' host Robin Roberts.

"I walked away four seasons ago but I wanted to officially retire."

FYI, Maya last played in the WNBA in 2018.

Of course, Moore stepped away from basketball to focus on criminal injustice reform and Jonathan Irons ... who she helped free after he was wrongly convicted of burglary and assault in Missouri and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The two got married shortly after his release in July 2020 and welcomed their first child in 2022.

In fact, Moore was on 'GMA' to promote her new book "Love & Justice" which is set to be released on Tuesday. It's about Maya and Jonathan's love story.

"This is such a sweet time for us and our family and the work that we've done -- I want to continue that in the next chapter," Moore said.

"I want to continue to be present at home, for my community, for my family, [for my] little baby, for Jonathan but also doing work with Win With Justice, our nonprofit, to continue to bring awareness about prosecutorial reform."

Before Moore's criminal justice advocacy, she was considered one of the best female basketball players to ever hit the court.

While playing under Geno Auriemma at UCONN from 2007 to 2011, the McDonald All-American won two NCAA championships, two Naismith College Player of the Year and broke several records including the most points (678) in a single season for the Huskies.

Moore was drafted as the overall #1 pick in 2011 and played for the Minnesota Lynx for seven seasons. She became a 6-time WNBA All-Star, a 4-time WNBA champ, WNBA Finals MVP, the WNBA's season MVP ... and the list goes on.

Maya also won two Olympic gold and FIBA gold medals ... making her one of only 11 women to win Olympic gold, an NCAA title, FIBA World cup gold, and a WNBA championship.

Univ. of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles has been charged with capital murder ... after authorities say he and another man were involved in the shooting death of a woman near campus on Sunday morning.

According to Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy, the fatal shooting happened on The Strip ... a popular stretch of road near the school that's lined by bars and restaurants.

Kennedy said authorities were alerted to the shooting at around 1:45 AM ... after officers had responded to a vehicle at the Walk of Champions at Bryant Denny Stadium.

Kennedy, in a news conference Sunday night, told media members a 23-year-old woman, Jamea Harris, was dead in the car. The driver of the vehicle, Kennedy said, told officers their car had been hit by gunfire earlier in the night ... adding that they shot back in self-defense.

According to Kennedy, police reviewed surveillance video and interviewed multiple witnesses -- and identified Miles and 20-year-old Michael Lynn Davis, who's not affiliated with the Univ. of Alabama, as the suspects.

Both Miles and Davis were charged with capital murder ... and arrested Sunday evening.

Miles was seen sobbing outside of the Tuscaloosa County Jail following the arrest, telling someone at the scene, "I swear, I love you more than you imagine."

Kennedy said Miles and the alleged victims did not previously know each other ... explaining, "At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip."

Miles played in six games for the Crimson Tide this season, logging nine points and nine rebounds. On Saturday, just hours before the shooting, the school had ruled him out for the season due to an ankle injury.

By Sunday evening, his player profile page had been removed from the university's website.

"First and foremost, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the victim from last night’s incident," UA athletics said in a statement Sunday night. "We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men's basketball team. Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation."

The school added in a statement of its own, "We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends."

If the NBA needs someone new to design its alternate jerseys or basketball courts, Mr. Brainwash is clearly the league's guy ... the famous street artist tells TMZ Sports he'd love to do it if asked!!

Recently, teams in the Association have been finding ways to get creative by working with artists for their City Edition floor designs and alternate jerseys. In fact, with the Nets' most recent threads, they channeled Brooklyn artist Jean-Michel Basquiat for the theme.

When we got Thierry Guetta -- famously known as Mr. Brainwash -- out in L.A. this week ... we had to ask if he, too, would like to join in on the fun someday ... and he told us absolutely!

"Yes, definitely," he said while out in Beverly Hills. "I'm always open."

Of course, the gig wouldn't be Mr. Brainwash's first big assignment -- he's a legend in L.A. who's created some amazing artwork, including a famous mural of the late Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

The French-born artist says he loves what he does ... telling us his work is "not only with people with talent but with people with a lot of passion."

Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. claims a luxury clothing company screwed him on a six-figure deal ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned he's suing over it all.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday ... and, according to the docs, it all stems from a pact Oubre Jr. attempted to make with former pro basketball player Patrick Christopher and his company, Sloan And Bennett, in 2021.

Oubre claims he asked Christopher and his co. to help him make products for his own clothing line, DopeSoul. He says in the suit Patrick agreed to provide him with items for DopeSoul's Capsule 001 and 002 collections.

The 28-year-old hooper says he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Christopher ... expecting to receive clothing in return.

The problem ... Oubre Jr. claimed Christopher never delivered what he promised -- saying simply in the suit "the defendants did not perform."

Oubre Jr. said "for months" Christopher and his company dodged him and made excuses for why the products weren't available.

Finally, according to the suit, Christopher and his co. "shipped what they could scrape together" in 2022 ... but it included "incomplete, damaged, and defective goods."

Oubre Jr. is suing for breach of contract, fraud and more ... asking for damages of at least $94,250, and maybe a lot more.

Draymond Green says he's still working to repair his relationship with Jordan Poole after their violent practice altercation three months ago ... admitting their dynamic has completely changed, but it's slowly improved with time.

The Golden State Warriors forward opened up about the incident in an interview with Taylor Rooks ... saying he watched the clip over and over after TMZ Sports published it on Oct. 7, and while he knew he was in the wrong, he claims there's more to the story that he will share one day.

"Once that [video] released, I'm experiencing so many emotions," Green says. "Like, I'm upset. How the hell does this get released? Going through hell because you're just at the sole discretion of public opinion."

Green says the two players have been able to go about their business as professionals since the video was released, but points out they're not rushing to hang out off the court anytime soon.

"We go to work every day together," he says. "Our lockers are right next to each other, that never changed. We ride the same buses together, we change in the same locker room on the road together -- none of that has changed."

"Did it change our relationship, of course. Absolutely. That's still a work in progress. I'll always be willing to continue to do that work because I was wrong."

Tyler Herro is not just a #GirlDad anymore ... 'cause the Miami Heat star's famous girlfriend just gave birth to their first baby boy -- and his name is Harlem!!

The 22-year-old guard and fitness model Katya Elise Henry announced last June they were expecting their second child ... and Harlem finally arrived on Thursday.

"Welcome to this big beautiful world baby Harlem," Henry wrote alongside a photo with her son.

Herro -- who missed Thursday's game due to the birth of his son and an Achilles injury -- was right by Katya's side and even shared a photo of the dry erase board in their hospital room containing a special message ... "Happy Birthday Harlem 😀"

Side note, Katya's dancing might've played a part in their son's arrival ... the 27-year-old posted an IG video just five days ago where she said ... "last time this dance put me into labor lol".

This is the second bundle of joy for the couple who started dating in 2020. Their daughter, Zya Elise Herro, was born in September 2021.

BTW, Herro has been beastin' on the basketball court, averaging 21.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

BTS rapper Suga might be a "boy with luv" for a new team -- the K-pop superstar was spotted hanging courtside at the Laker game on Thursday ... bringing his Warriors allegiances into question.

Suga hit up Crypto.com Arena as Los Angeles hosted the Dallas Mavericks ... and he appeared to be in great spirits, enjoying a cold beer as he checked out the action.

The guy's presence was clearly known to the players ... with Luka Doncic even dapping him up before the game.

Of course, Suga appeared to be deep in Dub Nation prior to the season ... getting his own custom Golden State jersey and hanging out with the team when they were in Japan for a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

He was also getting close with Steph Curry ... who gifted him a pair of signed shoes after the matchup.

But, Suga might be swayed to the Purple & Gold now ... as the Lakers also got him a custom jersey prior to attending Thursday's game.

A teenage boy allegedly had the Air Jordan sneakers snatched off his feet following a brutal beatdown in New York ... and now, cops say they're on the hunt for the suspected attackers.

According to the NYPD, the alleged incident happened at around 9:15 PM on Jan. 7 in front of a McDonald's in Hamilton Heights.

Cops say a group of men jumped the 16-year-old ... and punched and kicked him until he was knocked out. Afterward, police say the men stole his Jordans.

Thankfully, cops say the boy is now in stable condition.

The NYPD released surveillance photos of the alleged assailants on their social media page on Wednesday -- and are asking for the public's help to identify them.

LeBron James had the best day off Wednesday, sitting courtside at son Bronny James' Senior Night game at Sierra Canyon ... where the 18-year-old hoops star went off!

Bronny, in his last year at SC, took part in the yearly tradition ... where H.S. seniors are celebrated before their last home game of the season.

LBJ and his wife Savannah pulled up to support their 18-year-old son -- rockin' black hoodies featuring Bronny on the back -- where they took photos on the court.

Bronny's younger brother Bryce, who also hoops for the Trailblazers, and his little sister, Zhuri, also posed for the pic.

The 18-year-old guard put on a show, too ... coming close to registering a triple-double. James put up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in their win against Loyola.

BTW, LeBron wasn't the only star at Bronny's game, surprisingly ... Hip hop mogul Diddy was also in attendance, as well as former NBA player and Mavs assistant coach Jared Dudley.

Of course, this isn't the end of James' basketball career. He's set to graduate this spring, and he's received a ton of interest from colleges across the country, including Ohio State.

And after college, pops has made it clear he wants to play at least one season on the same NBA team as Bronny.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant gave a young fan his game-worn jersey and Ja 1 sneakers from Wednesday night's showdown against the Spurs ... after her autographed basketball was sadly stolen Monday night at the FedEx Forum.

Ellie Hughes, an 11-year-old Grizzlies fan, was at the Grizzlies-Spurs game Monday night ... and was trying to get Ja's attention when she laid the signed basketball down.

When Ellie looked back up, the basketball was gone. Ellie has been to every Grizzlies' home game with her grandfather since she was five, and the ball had a ton of sentimental value since she had been collecting signatures from players after games, according to actionnews5.com.

Enter Ja ... the 23-year-old discovered what happened to Ellie and wanted to help make things right for her and her family.

The Hughes family was at FedEx Forum again Wednesday ... and after the game, Morant got some facetime with the youngster, where he gifted her his jersey and sneakers.

“I was trying to get in contact w the fam," Morant said in his postgame interview. "I reached out & offered them two of the courtside seats that I give to my fam & told them after the game I would give my jersey & shoes."

"Definitely a good feeling to have them there supporting us and see that smile on their face at the end," he added.

In addition to the jersey and Ja 1 kicks Ellie received, she also got to watch Morant drop 38 points ... en route to the Grizzlies' 135-129 win over San Antonio.

Emily Ratajkowski's making Madison Square Garden the setting for her own little soap opera -- she and Eric Andre hit the Knicks game, but not together ... instead, she was with a mystery dude.

Emily and an apparent new date were chatting it up courtside Wednesday night as the Knicks defeated the rival Pacers, 119-113.

The duo was definitely giving first-date vibes, but seemed to have some chemistry ... and even arrived together outside the Garden.

Once they were inside, the soap-esque plot twist became apparent ... as Eric was also enjoying the game.

The comedian didn't publicly make any contact with Emily -- with whom he recently went on a date -- but did do some celeb hype for the cameras and other Knicks fans.

It looks like he might've gotten the better seats than ER this time around, because he showed off his perfect view.

As we reported, Emily and Eric enjoyed a romantic evening together in NYC over the weekend, going out for food, drinks ... and presumably lots of laughs.

Emily's been super active on the dating scene since she filed for divorce from estranged husband Sebastian Bear-McClard in September ... the 31-year-old model's been linked to DJ Orazio Rispo, artist Jack Greer and, of course, Pete Davidson.

Kobe Bryant's game-worn jersey from his sole MVP season is about to hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned it could sell for a whopping $7 million!!!

The signed Purple and Gold threads are from Bryant's 2007-08 season -- the only time the legend won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in his 20-year career -- which he wore for 25 games, including 6 playoff matchups.

Sotheby's, which is hosting the auction, tells us the item is the "most valuable Kobe Bryant game-worn jersey to ever appear at auction" as the Lakers legend "scored a total of 645 points over 8 months in this jersey."

He averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game that season and led the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

What also makes the jersey so rare -- Kob signed the gear by writing his first name on the stitched number on the back.

FYI, this is also the same jersey Kobe was seen tugging on in the first round of the 2008 playoffs -- one of Bryant's most iconic photos of all time.

"This jersey has influenced popular culture in a way that is seldom seen in the sports community, becoming iconic and synonymous with the image of Kobe Bryant," Sotheby's said.

"In California alone, there are more than 15 murals depicting him in this jersey, with wings, American flags, and snakes in the background."

The jersey is expected to sell for anywhere between $5-7 million when bidding opens up on Feb. 2.

The current record for the most expensive piece of Kobe memorabilia is a worn, autographed jersey from his rookie year ... which sold for $3.7 million in 2021.

Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon got the boot from a game on Tuesday night ... and it's all 'cause he launched a massage therapy gun onto the court in a fit of rage.

For real.

The bizarre incident happened in the second quarter of the Heat vs. Thunder tilt at FTX Arena ... when Dedmon threw a bit of a temper tantrum following an impassioned argument with head coach Erik Spoelstra.

Video from the game's broadcast shows as Dedmon was walking away furious over the war of words with Spo, he reached down, grabbed a massage therapy device -- and hurled it over fans' heads and near players who were standing by the 3-point line.

Thankfully, no one was hit by the heavyish object ... but everyone on the hardwood was stunned by the incident nonetheless. Refs immediately ejected the 33-year-old over the act.

It's unclear what prompted the explosion from Dedmon -- Spoelstra only said after the game, "We're all a bunch of gnarly personalities ... That part was unacceptable."

It's expected the NBA will hand down further punishment on Dedmon later this month.

Despite the scene, the shorthanded Heat -- who were missing multiple players even before Dedmon's ejection -- somehow pulled off the win over the Thunder, 112-111.