Basketball

The best tennis player in the world is no match for Jimmy Butler -- the NBA superstar proved he's got serious skills on more courts than just the hardwood ... by scoring a point off Carlos Alcaraz during a U.S. Open charity event!!

The Miami Heat hooper was serving as an honorary ball boy for the Spanish star's contest against Frances Tiafoe at the Stars of the Open at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday ... when all of a sudden, he decided to step in and show off his tennis game.

Okay, so Butler might not be the next Federer ... but he certainly held his own as he rallied with the No. 1-ranked Alcaraz, who was obviously taking it easy on the six-time All-Star.

At one point, Butler asked Alcaraz to hit him with a fast serve so he could prove he could successfully return ... but didn't get his wish, as his opponent put in about 5% power on his attempt.

But, it was Jimmy Buckets who got the crowd roaring by the end of the point ... sneaking a shot past Alcaraz to come out on top!!

Kimberly Van Gundy -- the wife of former NBA coach and analyst Stan Van Gundy -- tragically died last week, the family announced.

She was 61.

Stan, who coached the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans over the course of his career, met Kimberly at Castleton State College in Vermont in the mid-1980s ... where he was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the time.

Kimberly and Stan got married on May 28, 1998 ... and celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier this year.

"I lost my big sister Kimberly Abbott Van Gundy on Wednesday," Kimberly's sister, Catherine, said in a statement last week. "She was one of my favorite people and I will forever miss her. Rest in peace, Kim."

Kimberly's obituary page reads ... "Kimberly's kindness and love for all around her was shown through her charitable works and activism."

A cause of death was not announced.

Kimberly leaves behind her husband and four children -- Shannon, Michael, Alison and Kelly.

You can't see Angel Reese on the court OR in class -- the LSU superstar says she's so popular on campus these days, she has to handle all her academics online!!

The Tigers forward revealed the adjustment in a new interview with Teen Vogue this week ... saying she wasn't expecting to blow up the way she did after the women's hoops team won its first-ever championship back in April.

"I didn't think I was going to be on Shade Room every time I post something," Reese said.

Reese -- who went viral after making John Cena/Tony Yayo's famous gesture all up in Iowa baller Caitlin Clark's face -- explained the attention she got in Baton Rouge became a little bit too much for the 21-year-old student-athlete.

"I don't feel like I'm a celebrity, but I think a lot of people look at me as a celebrity now because of the impact I've had on not just women's basketball, but sports in general, and Black women," Reese said. "Things have changed for me."

Her money has also changed -- Reese signed several NIL deals worth up to $1.6 million since becoming a star, but she's not letting the money and fame distract her from what's most important to her.

"School's first, basketball is next," Reese said. "I wouldn't be here without school and basketball, so that's my priority."

Once she's done with that, Angel said she plans to play in the WNBA ... and hopes to retire her mom ASAP.

"My mom is my rock," Reese added. "Everything I do is just for her and my brother."

The tributes are pouring in on what would have been Kobe Bryant's 45th birthday ... with the late Lakers legend's wife, Vanessa, sharing an emotional post.

"Happy birthday, baby. I love you always & forever. ❤️ #82378," Vanessa said on Instagram alongside several pics of the couple together.

Bryant's former teammates like Caron Butler and Carlos Boozer showed love in the comments ... as well as Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who said, "A timeless and inspiring love story ❤️❤️❤️❤️."

Bryant has been the center of countless social media posts on Wednesday ... as many have been sharing their favorite memories.

Kobe and Vanessa first met on a music video set back in 1999 ... and were married 19 years before the five-time champion's death in 2020. They had four kids together -- Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri.

Drake paid homage to LeBron James on Monday night, but on Tuesday, he tipped his cap to another Laker legend -- Kobe Bryant -- and the impromptu tribute to the Mamba was pretty cool.

Drizzy was performing yet another show at Crypto.com Arena as part of his "It's All A Blur" tour -- his sixth stop in the City of Angels this month -- and when someone threw a black, Bryant Lakers jersey on stage ... he paused his show to remember the Hall of Famer.

The 36-year-old rapper picked up the No. 24 uni and told the sold-out crowd at the venue where Bryant played almost all of his home games for his entire NBA career, "I'mma hold this up 'cause we got to show love to Kobe one time."

"Ya'll make some noise for Kobe at this time," he added.

The fans in attendance roared for several moments ... before Drake continued on with his performance.

It's the second time in as many days that Drake has urged his crowd to support the Lakers -- at Monday's show in Crypto, he featured James and the L.A. star's son, Bronny, a couple times during the concert.

Tuesday's tribute, though, was perhaps the most fitting ... considering this week is a special one for Bryant and his family.

James Harden's bank account is 5 zeros lighter this morning ... the NBA slapped the perennial All-Star with a huge 100 grand fine for saying he wouldn't play for the Philadelphia 76ers, despite being under contract.

"The NBA announced today that Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for public comments on August 14 and 17 indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team," the Association announced.

"The league’s investigation, which included an interview of Harden, confirmed that these comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded."

Of course, it was just last week when the 2018 NBA MVP blasted the Sixers exec while at an Adidas event, saying, "Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of."

In case there was any doubt, James doubled down.

"Let me say that again. Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

Once James returned to the States, he was asked whether the relationship with Morey and the team could be salvaged ... to which he said no.

Harden is set to be a free agent after this season ... but he's made it clear, despite being owed over $30 million, he won't play for the 76ers.

LeBron James may not wear No. 6 anymore, but he's still got love for the 6 God -- the Lakers superstar and Bronny were front and center at Drake's concert in L.A. on Monday ... escorting the rapper out to the stage at the start of the show!!

Drizzy has made it a thing throughout his "It's All a Blur" tour ... enlisting famous celebs and friends to walk out with him before his performance.

Fittingly enough, Drake decided to give the James Gang the honor at Crypto.com Arena ... and judging by their faces, the ballers were thrilled with the rockstar treatment.

It's great to see Bronny at yet another public outing ... considering he suffered cardiac arrest at a USC workout less than a month ago.

Drizzy also gave Bron a big shout-out during the show ... thanking the four-time champ for being a day one supporter.

Former Univ. of Houston basketball player Reggie Chaney -- a member of the Cougars team that made the Final Four in 2021 -- has tragically died at 23 years old.

Details surrounding the death have not yet been revealed ... though the school's president, Renu Khator, said in a statement Monday night "The news has left us with sad and heavy hearts."

He was a "giant among giants of Houston basketball," she added.

Chaney initially began his college career at the Univ. of Arkansas in 2018 -- playing in 34 games his freshman season. But, following his sophomore year with the Razorbacks, he transferred to Houston, where he became a key part of the 2020-21 squad that advanced all the way to the NCAA tournament's Final Four.

This past season with the Cougs, the last one of his college career, he played in 35 games and earned American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors. In total, he logged time in 104 contests for the Cougars in his three years at the school.

News of his death has rocked the hoops community ... with his former coach at Arkansas, Eric Musselman, saying in a statement Monday evening that he and his program are "devastated."

"He was a relentless worker and loved by his teammates," Musselman said. "His family is in our thoughts and prayers."

Justin Gorham, Chaney's former teammate at UH, added on X that Chaney was "always dependable."

"Glad I got the chance to lace em up with him, without Reg we don’t accomplish half the things we did. Rest easy brother LOVE."

Chaney had been slated to play professionally later this year in Greece.

The war between Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon on HBO's "Winning Time" was blown way out of proportion ... so says one-half of the former Lakers duo, who tells TMZ Sports that's not how it went down in real life.

Season two of the hit show has been largely centered around the terrible relationship between the veteran point guard, Nixon, and Johnson, the team's young star. One scene even depicted Michael Cooper breaking up a locker room fight between the players.

So, when we saw the 2x All-Star outside LAX on Monday, we asked him whether the show got things factually correct.

"Naw," Nixon responded ... "Not even close."

Norm, who is portrayed by his son, DeVaughn Nixon, isn't the only former Lake Show star who isn't exactly a big fan of the hit show.

In fact, we recently talked to Hall of Famer James Worthy ... who doesn't count himself as a viewer.

"I just think [Winning Time] could have been done really, really good. And I was disappointed that it wasn't," Worthy told us.

Back to Norm, we also asked the 2x NBA championship-winning PG about Steph Curry's recent claim that he was the greatest point guard ever.

Nixon averaged nearly 16 points, 8+ assists, and 1.5 steals a game over his 10-season NBA career. He obviously also played with Magic (who he didn't hate ).

Reggie Miller is 57 years old, but the NBA legend is still pushing himself to the limits athletically ... Reg just crushed a 100-mile cycling race that he says absolutely kicked his ass!

"The [SBT GRVL] race Blue course was the hardest race for me to date on a bike, Mother Nature kicked my A$$," Reggie wrote on social media.

The race is ridiculously difficult. Aside from pedaling a bike over 100 miles, the race surface is primarily gravel. To make matters worse, the course isn't flat. No ... there's nearly 7,000 feet in elevation gain.

"I was in survival mode after mile 55 when leg cramps made themselves a huge race presence. We started the race at 9 AM and it was already warm, it got up to 89 degrees for most of the race. So yes, hardest day for me, but also this was the most fulfilling I’ve ever felt on 2 wheels"

Despite it being a competitive race, Miller -- who serves on the USA Cycling Board of Directors -- says his fellow riders were awesome ... with many offering to help, sometimes at the expense of their own race times.

"At least 50 to 60 riders would roll up to me clearly seeing me in distress, a lot offered their own salt tabs stash, water, food, etc. This is why I will ALWAYS come do SBT GRVL, the gravel community is unmatched with so much inclusiveness. They weren’t helping me because I was 'Reggie Miller', all they saw was another rider needing help."

Ultimately, it took Reggie 6 hours and 55 minutes to finish the course ... a race he completed in 5 hours and 46 minutes last year.

Despite being an hour slower due to the conditions, Miller still finished in a very respectable position... crossing the finish line in 375th place finish out of 926 racers. His average speed was 14.46 MPH.

After the race, Reggie shared some inspiring words, writing ... "Always find a silver lining in your efforts that don’t stack up to your expectations, because you can always learn from them and use them next time you’re in that situation. #DamnDevilCramps"

Lonzo Ball hasn't played an NBA game since January 2022 -- and with no return in sight -- the #2 overall draft pick sat down with Trae Young and opened up about the serious knee injury that's threatened his career, and the guilt he feels over not being on the court for the Bulls.

"I feel bad just for the GM's, because I feel like they made the perfect team around me," Zo told Trae on his "From the Point," podcast on Monday.

"I finally got the perfect team that I felt could fit my game and play my way, and really just do what I wanted to do. That injury, I'm still going through it right now, but that one messed me up early just because I felt like we really had a chance, and we never got to see what it really was," Ball told the All-Star shooting guard.

Of course, 25-year-old Ball has undergone three surgeries on his left knee since the beginning of 2022 (cartilage transplant, torn meniscus repair, arthroscopic debridement) ... and it's totally derailed his career.

Lonzo only played 35 games during the 21-22 season and missed all of the 22-23 season. Despite the procedures, the Bulls, who initially acquired Lonzo in 2021, said they don't believe he'll be on the court for the 23-24 season.

"Going into the offseason, our expectation is that he’s not coming back next season,” Chicago exec Arturas Karnišovas recently told reporters.

When he has played, Ball's averaged 13 points, over 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

As for when he does return to the court, Ball's clearly in good spirits and believes he will once again play on the United Center's hardwood ... whenever that may be.

"I've always loved playing basketball, it's just basically something that got taken away from me. It's gonna be a whole new joy again. I'm gonna be hella happy to be back out there. I never took the game for granted, so for me, it's just getting your love back."

The entire interview is interesting ... injury talk aside, Ball also discusses his brothers LaMelo and LiAngelo, and their dad LaVar. The guys also chop it up over the Big Baller Brand, and where BBB went wrong.

There's no debate ... Steph Curry is the greatest point guard of all time -- at least, that's what the Golden State Warriors star himself believes.

Curry joined Gilbert Arenas on the ex-NBA star's "Gil's Arena" podcast this week to make the proclamation ... putting himself ahead of Magic Johnson on the GOAT PG list.

"It's me and Magic?" he asked Arenas. "Is that the conversation?"

The guys then kicked around the topic for a few moments -- but Curry made it clear, in his eyes, he's No. 1.

Of course, he's definitely got a case ... he's a four-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and the league's greatest-ever 3-point shooter.

Johnson, meanwhile, is a five-time champ, a three-time MVP, and a 12-time All-Star.

But Curry told Arenas he just has to put himself on top ... saying, "I have to answer it that way."

"But I really feel like, to your point, Magic's resume is ridiculous," the 35-year-old added. "So the fact that we're even having that conversation that's a place I never thought I'd be in."

Giannis Antetokounmpo has already made a ton of money in the NBA, but he's looking to rake in even more in retirement ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to take his talents to Saudi Arabia.

It's becoming quite the trend in sports ... with soccer and golf stars getting massive checks made out to them to play in the Middle Eastern country -- like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and all the LIV Golf guys.

Giannis has cracked jokes in the past after seeing the offers being thrown at the biggest names in sports ... so when we caught up with him in L.A. this week, we asked if he was really down to suit up in Saudi Arabia after his NBA days.

"Of course," the 28-year-old said with a smile on his face.

"If the NBA worked out, maybe like a trade between the NBA and Saudi Arabia League, I'm there!" the champ said ... although it's unclear if he meant suiting up for a hoops team, or alongside his buddy Neymar on the soccer pitch.

Giannis isn't the only NBA superstar who likes the idea -- after French soccer star Kylian Mbappe was offered $776 million to play for Al-Hilal, LeBron James tweeted he was also heading to Saudi Arabia.

While it may all be in good fun, many see a serious issue with players going to Saudi Arabia for a big payday ... considering the country's history of human rights violations.

All seems to be back to normal in the James' household -- as Lebron, Bronny and Bryce all hit Dodgers Stadium to honor LeBron -- about a month after Bronny's scary health emergency.

It was LeBron bobble-head night Saturday in L.A. and fans packed the stadium to get their hands on one of the free souvenirs. Even more special -- LeBron was there in person to show his gratitude while also accepting a $100k check for his LeBron James Family Foundation.

Of course, it was even more special to see Bronny with Dad considering it was less than 2 months ago when he collapsed at a USC basketball practice.

TMZ broke the story -- Bronny was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital after he went into cardiac arrest. At the time, the family told us, "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU."

We've seen Bronny out and about since the incident, but the guys seemed totally carefree while taking in Friday night's game.

We also got video of LeBron and Bronny in Minnesota a couple weeks back visiting the Mayo Clinic -- one of the top medical heart facilities in the world -- safe to say the family's been doing all they can to get to the cause of the scary issue.

Mark Jackson ain't sure what's next for him following his abrupt exit from his role as ESPN's top NBA color analyst ... but one thing he does know is he has no hard feelings toward the man who's replacing him -- Doc Rivers.

We caught up with the former Golden State Warriors head coach out in Beverly Hills on Friday ... and despite being let go from ESPN just a couple weeks ago, he was in great spirits.

While he said he doesn't know if his next career move will include coaching or broadcasting ... he told us he's confident it'll be a good one for him regardless.

"It's going to work out," he said. "Figuring it out now. But the next move will be my best move."

"Excited about what God has for me," he added.

As for Rivers, who will replace Jackson on ESPN's top broadcast team alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke, Jackson says he hopes for all kinds of success for the guy.

In fact, he said he's actually spoken with Rivers recently ... and there's no beef whatsoever.

If the NBA wants to keep renaming awards after former players, Lou Williams would be thrilled to get picked for the Sixth Man trophy ... telling TMZ Sports it would be a "huge honor" if that happened.

The Association made a couple changes to its most prestigious awards last season ... officially naming the MVP award in honor of Michael Jordan, and giving Hakeem Olajuwon the same treatment for Defensive Player of the Year.

With that being said, Hawks star Trae Young believes the Sixth Man of the Year Award -- which goes to the best-performing player off the bench -- should be named after Lou Will, who thrived in that role and earned the trophy three times during his 17-year career.

When we talked to the 6th man himself at LAX this week, he made it clear he wouldn't decline ... but also gave a few suggestions of his own.

"That would be an honor," the 36-year-old said.

"If not me, Jamal [Crawford]. If not Jamal, Manu [Ginóbili]. I think we're three guys that champion that. We made it a lifestyle."

"I think we've changed the way people view it," Williams added. "We changed the way the players view it, most importantly."

Williams believes all three of them should be Hall of Famers as well (Ginóbili was inducted in 2022) ... saying they all "championed" and played an important role on their respective teams.

"I think the Hall of Fame is what you bring to the table and being the best at what you do in the realm of basketball. I think we all did that."