Basketball

Shaquille Leonard didn't let his release from the Colts impact his charity work in Indianapolis on Tuesday ... as the star linebacker still found a way to pass out turkeys to those in need despite the rough afternoon.

Just hours after his tenure in Indy came to an abrupt end ... Leonard made time to partner up with Gleaners Food Bank and Chapel Rock Church to help families with their upcoming Thanksgiving meals.

Leonard was seen handing out turkeys as well as side dishes ... and TMZ Sports is told he impacted roughly 200 families with his charitable work.

Of course, no one would have blamed Leonard one bit if he had backed out of the event ... as he openly admitted he was "shocked" when the Colts fired him earlier in the day.

Despite battling a myriad of injuries during his six years in Indianapolis, Leonard had established himself as one of the best Colts players of the past decade -- earning three All-Pro selections. Yet still, he was cut unceremoniously while prepping for a midseason game.

Leonard, however, was still somehow in great spirits at the event ... taking photos with fans and signing autographs.

He told ESPN's Stephen Holder on the scene that he believed complaining about his diminished role in Indianapolis' defense this season played a part in his cut -- although he did add "there's no hard feelings" between him and the org. at this point.

Floyd Mayweather is putting his strip club expertise to good use ... taking matters into his own hands in search of the best dancers in the business!!

TBE had a helluva Wednesday night ... sitting courtside at the Lakers vs. Jazz game at Crypto.com Arena before getting into some more adult activities at a local gentlemen's club.

Floyd posted videos of his strip club visit ... showing off massive stacks of cash as he made it rain for multiple ladies shaking it for his crew.

But, it wasn't all for his leisure -- Mayweather explained it was a scouting trip of sorts ... saying, "having fun and recruiting."

Of course, Floyd has his own Girl Collection venue in Las Vegas ... so the dancers might've left the night with more than just wads of cash -- they could have a new employer, too!!

Floyd is no stranger to being the generous type at strip clubs -- he famously loves to let the bills fly whenever he rolls through ... and has documented his charitable contributions over the years.

A Victor Wembanyama fan is clearly believing the hype surrounding the NBA's newest phenom ... purchasing the Spurs rookie's debut jersey this week for nearly a MILLION dollars!!

The threads Wemby wore during his first-ever game with San Antonio hit the Sotheby's auction block last week ... and experts had projected it to sell for right around $100K.

But, with the lore of Wembanyama growing every time he touches the floor ... one unidentified bidder ended up locking it all down on Tuesday for a whopping $762,000!!!

Of course, while the price tag is certainly a steep one ... it could be a helluva an investment -- because Wembanyama is proving night in and night out that he's simply different.

Through 14 games so far, he's averaging 18.6 points per game as well as 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and 2.6 blocks.

LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey is remaining tight-lipped on Angel Reese ... refusing to go into detail on the star player's current absence from the team.

The Bayou Barbie was MIA once again for the Tigers' 106-47 win over Texas Southern on Monday ... and during postgame availability with the media, Mulkey was not in the mood to explain why #10 wasn't on the court.

"Angel was not in uniform tonight. Angel is a part of this basketball team," Mulkey said. "And Angel will be back sooner than later. I'm not going to answer any more than that."

There has been a ton of speculation surrounding Reese's absence ... with fans noticing she was visibly upset during the Tigers' season-opening loss to Colorado.

The drama continued when Reese was sidelined for the second half of LSU's win over Kent State last week due to a "coach's decision" ... and she hasn't suited up since.

Of course, some folks believe it might be school related after Flau'jae Johnson's mom, Kia Brooks, claimed Reese had a "2.0 or less GPA" on social media last week ... but Mulkey made it clear she was not going to spill the beans on the current "locker room issues."

"Sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know. I'm going to protect my players. Always," Mulkey said ... comparing her athletes to family members.

Retired Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper's brother, Mickey Cooper, was tragically shot and killed this weekend at a local L.A. park.

Police in Pasadena responded to the area on Washington Boulevard around 4 AM early Saturday morning, where they found 64-year-old Mickey unresponsive with gunshot wounds.

Law enforcement has not commented on motive ... as they continue to investigate the shooting. No arrests have been made.

Adding to the tragic nature of the incident, Michael says he and Mickey grew up hooping on the court where he was ultimately killed.

67-year-old Cooper was a mainstay for the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, winning 5 championships alongside teammates like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In addition to the handful of championship rings, Michael was one of the most accomplished defensive players in the NBA, making 8 All-NBA Defensive teams, and winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award in '87.

An L.A. Lakers fan not only lost out on $55,000 during a shooting contest at Sunday's game ... he also might have seriously injured his leg in the process.

The wild scene happened during a break in the action at Crytpo.com Arena ... when Lakers officials set up a game where a fan named Anthony could've scored a ton of cash if he hit a half-court shot.

Anthony initially seemed super confident he'd get the job done ... telling an in-arena host, "This is what I do."

A short time later, however, everyone in the building quickly learned this is not what Anthony does.

Check out footage from the contest ... as Anthony released the ball, he somehow hurt his left leg -- and he was hurting so much, he ultimately crumpled to the floor.

While the in-arena host attempted to get him to come back to make another attempt at earning money ... Anthony was in simply too much pain to continue.

"Let's put our hands together for the attempt," the host said as officials walked Anthony off the court.

Bronny James got to warm up with his USC teammates for the first time this season before their game on Sunday night ... and LeBron James said afterward his son is "almost" ready for a full return to the court.

The younger James got in some jump shots and dribbling work as fans filled the Galen Center just prior to the Trojans' tilt with Brown ... his first legitimate pregame action with his team since he suffered cardiac arrest during a workout in July.

The 19-year-old looked great ... showing no signs of issues -- this despite needing surgery to fix a congenital heart defect just a few months ago.

Following the USC game, Bronny headed over to Crypto.com Arena to watch LeBron play against the Rockets ... and after Dad took care of business vs. Houston -- he gushed about all the progress Bronny has made since his medical emergency.

"Today's game was the first game he got an opportunity to warm up with his team," LeBron said with a smile. "He's almost there."

LeBron added that seeing Bronny courtside gave him a little extra juice in the Lakers' 105-104 win over the Rockets.

Trojans head coach Andy Enfield, meanwhile, said Sunday night it was "great" seeing Bronny warm up ... though there's still no set timetable for a return to action.

Clipper Darrell says the punch that sent him crashing to the ground following a game in L.A. last year is still causing him issues ... and they're so bad, he tells TMZ Sports they're currently preventing him from going to see his beloved team in person this year.

The Clippers superfan -- real name Darrell Bailey -- suffered the initial injury back on Dec. 12, 2022 ... after a security guard tagged him on the chin following a dispute in the bowels of Crypto.com Arena.

Darrell says despite having 11 months to recover ... he's still not doing so hot, telling us, "I'm still in therapy."

CD says frequent headaches and dizziness are commonplace for him still ... adding that he'll never "tease another player in life" over concussions due to the horrible experience he's having with the one he sustained.

"The headaches and the dizziness is still there," he said.

La jugadora de la WNBA, Kysre Gondrezick, está denunciando a los fiscales involucrados en el caso de agresión de Kevin Porter Jr., diciendo que el fiscal del distrito sigue impulsando una "falsa narrativa" a pesar de que ella ha negado en repetidas ocasiones que su exnovio la atacó.

TMZ Sports habló con Gondrezick esta semana y dice que el manejo que ha tenido la oficina del fiscal de Manhattan del incidente de septiembre ha "agravado aún más su trauma que la experiencia real".

La joven de 26 años nos dice que le dio una declaración a los funcionarios una semana después de que Porter fuera arrestado y les explicó que la denuncia penal original no era ni de cerca lo que había pasado. Ahora quiere que el fiscal reconozca públicamente su versión de los hechos: que se cayó y se golpeó la cabeza después de que Kevin la despertara bruscamente tras una noche de fiesta. Ella es firme en que nunca la golpeó.

Como informamos anteriormente, Kevin Porter Jr. fue acusado de golpear varias veces a Gondrezick y de ponerle las manos en el cuello, lo que habría resultado en una vértebra del cuello fracturado y una laceración por encima de su ojo.

Más tarde se supo que la dolencia del cuello NO había sido obra de Porter, sino que se trataba de una lesión preexistente.

En cuanto a la laceración, Gondrezick afirma que fue consecuencia de la caída que sufrió y una mancha de maquillaje en la pared del hotel respalda su versión.

Kevin Porter Jr. fue detenido por agresión y estrangulamiento, pero uno de los cargos fue retirado por "insuficiencia de pruebas".

Gondrezick dice que se está abriendo para protegerse a ella misma, no a Kevin, y no quiere que las autoridades la sigan silenciando. También pide que los funcionarios responsables de impulsar la actual narrativa rindan cuentas.

El abogado de Gondrezick, Bobby Altchiler, también tomó parte en el asunto. Dice que su cliente ha estado recibiendo amenazas de muerte debido a la mala gestión del caso, llamando poco ético e inmoral que no se corrija la información que está circulando.

En palabras simples, Altchiler reiteró exactamente lo que quiere Gondrezick.

"Sean honestos, por el amor de Dios".

Kevin Porter Jr. deberá comparecer ante el tribunal a finales de este mes.

WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick is raising hell, calling out prosecutors involved in Kevin Porter Jr.'s assault case ... saying the District Attorney continues to push a "false narrative" despite the fact she's repeatedly denied her ex-boyfriend attacked her.

TMZ Sports spoke with Gondrezick this week ... and she claims the Manhattan D.A.'s office's handling of the September incident has "compounded my trauma even more than the actual experience."

The 26-year-old tells us she gave officials a statement one week after Porter was arrested and explained the original criminal complaint was nowhere near what happened. Now, she wants the D.A. to publicly acknowledge her side of the story ... that she fell and hit her head after KPJ abruptly woke her up after a night out. She's adamant he never struck her.

As we previously reported, KPJ was accused of hitting Gondrezick multiple times and putting his hands around her neck -- resulting in a fractured neck vertebra and a laceration above her eye.

It was later revealed the neck ailment was NOT Porter's doing, as it was a pre-existing injury.

As for the laceration, Gondrezick says it was the result of the fall, and a makeup smear on the hotel room wall backs up her story.

KPJ was arrested for assault and strangulation ... but one charge was dropped due to "insufficient evidence."

Gondrezick says she is opening up to protect herself -- not KPJ -- as she does not want authorities to silence her. She's also calling on officials responsible for pushing the current narrative to be held accountable.

Gondrezick's attorney, Bobby Altchiler, also weighed in ... and he claims his client has been receiving death threats due to the mishandling of the case -- calling it unethical and immoral to not correct the information that is already out.

Bottom line -- Altchiler reiterated exactly what Gondrezick wants.

"Just be honest, for God's sake."

KPJ is due in court later this month.

Shaquille O'Neal se niega a criticar a Draymond Green por su papel en una salvaje pelea a principios de esta semana, diciéndole a TMZ Sports: "¡¡Yo hubiera hecho lo mismo!!"

Todo el mundo se fue en contra de la estrella de los Warriors después de que pusiera fuertemente su brazo alrededor del cuello de Rudy Gobert y no lo dejara ir en una pelea de los Golden State y Minnesota el martes por la noche. Pero cuando llegamos a su evento de caridad en Los Ángeles el jueves, dijo que simplemente no podía sumarse a la mayoría.

En cuanto al porqué, Shaq dijo que es simple: "Tienes que dar la cara por tu compañero de equipo".

"Si tú y yo estamos teniendo una entrevista y alguien viene aquí", dijo Shaq a nuestro fotógrafo, "voy a tener que patearle el culo. Porque tú eres mi chica".

Por supuesto, el entrenador de los Warriors, Steve Kerr, no estuvo exactamente de acuerdo con Shaq en esto. Aunque apreció el hecho de que Green estuviera defendiendo a Klay Thompson durante la pelea, le dijo a los periodistas que el alero de los Dubs llevó las cosas demasiado lejos.

"Draymond se equivocó", dijo Kerr. "Él lo sabe. No se ve bien".

Shaquille O'Neal is refusing to criticize Draymond Green for his role in a wild fight earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports straight up, "I woulda did the same thing!!"

Everyone's piled on the Warriors star after he put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and wouldn't let go during a tussle at Tuesday night's Golden State vs. Minnesota game ... but when we got The Diesel at his charity event in Los Angeles on Thursday, he said he just couldn't join the masses on this one.

As for why ... Shaq said it's simple -- "you've got to stick up for your teammate."

"If me and you are having an interview and somebody comes here," Shaq told our photog, "I'm going to have to whoop their ass. Because you're my homegirl."

Of course, Warriors coach Steve Kerr wouldn't exactly agree with Shaq on this one ... while he said he appreciated the fact that Green was defending Klay Thompson during the scuffle, he told reporters this week the Dubs forward just took things way too far.

"Draymond was wrong," Kerr said. "He knows that. It's a bad look."

The NBA is admitting it's forcing LaMelo Ball to cover up his new neck tattoo ... claiming the Charlotte Hornets star's ink is violating league policy.

The 22-year-old got the "LF" put just below his left ear back in September ... to represent his middle name as well as his LaFrancé clothing line.

But, recently, he's covered it up with a bandage ... and on Friday, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement to ESPN it's because "players are prohibited from displaying commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair during games."

"We try to enforce the rule reasonably, in accordance with its purpose, and taking into account players' efforts to express themselves in a non-commercial manner," Frank added. "But LaMelo Ball's neck tattoo is in obvious violation of the rule and, accordingly, he's required to cover it."

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Ball has been fighting the ruling ... and is still in talks with the league about coming up with an alternative solution.

The scenario is similar to one Ball's older brother, Lonzo Ball, had to deal with back in 2018 ... when the league made him cover up a "Big Baller Brand" tattoo he had gotten on his arm.

Shaquille O'Neal sigue retribuyendo, esta vez la superestrella del baloncesto decidió reformar una cancha de baloncesto del club Boys & Girls Club de Los Ángeles, y luego pasó la tarde con los niños, ¡quienes estaban en la luna!

TMZ Sports estuvo allí cuando el Salón de la Fama, funcionarios locales, y representantes de Icy Hot (socio de Shaq desde hace mucho tiempo) abrieron el Comebaq Court, una iniciativa lanzada por la Fundación Shaquille O'Neal que tiene como objetivo arreglar las canchas y campos para los niños de todo el país.

"Vine aquí una vez y vi que la cancha necesitaba una reforma", nos dijo O'Neal el jueves, y añadió: "Pregunté por el arreglo. Me dijeron que sí y este es el resultado".

"Si podemos ayudar a uno, si podemos ayudar a 100, podemos ayudarlos a todos".

Para su información, esta es la quinta cancha de Comebaq de Shaq hasta la fecha. También han arreglado espacios en su ciudad natal, Newark, Nueva Jersey, además de otros lugares como Atlanta, Miami y Las Vegas, donde ha pasado un tiempo considerable.

Y, hay más por venir.

Es posible que O'Neal obtenga la mayor parte del crédito de los medios de comunicación, pero Shaq se apresura en reconocer a sus socios menos famosos que hicieron esto posible, incluyendo la Fundación Icy Hot y varios consejeros que ayudaron a contribuir.

"Esos consejeros, los que trabajan como voluntarios todos los días, deberían llevarse la mayor parte del mérito", afirma Shaq.

"Si necesitas ordenadores, portátiles, pintura fresca... entonces llamas al tío Shaq".

La leyenda de la NBA ganó casi 300 millones de dólares en sus 19 años de carrera solo por concepto de salario. Eso, sin contar todos los endosos y los lucrativos negocios que O'Neal ha hecho durante y después de sus días como jugador profesional.

Así que tiene el dinero, pero esto es mucho más que firmar un cheque. Shaq se preocupa por el bienestar de los niños y eso es impresionante. Al fin y al cabo, son cosas como estas las que hacen de Shaq uno de los atletas de la NBA más adorables de todos los tiempos.

Con las vacaciones a la vuelta de la esquina, le preguntamos al jugador de 51 años qué iba a hacer para Thanksgiving, y al más puro estilo Shaquille nos dijo: "No hago nada en mi casa".

Shaquille O'Neal continues to give back ... this time the Big Fella refurbished a basketball court at a Boys & Girls Club in Los Angeles, and then spent the afternoon hangin' with the kids, and they were over the moon!

TMZ Sports was there at the BGC of Metro LA when the Hall of Famer, local officials, and Icy Hot (Shaq's longtime partner) reps opened the Comebaq Court ... an initiative launched by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation which aims to fix courts and fields for kids across the country.

"I came here one time and I saw the court need to be refurbished," O'Neal told us on Thursday, adding, "I asked about the refurbish. They told me 'yes' and this is the result."

"If we can help one, if we can help 100, we can help 'em all"

FYI, this is Shaq's fifth Comebaq Court to date ... he also has fixed up courts in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, in addition to several other places like Atlanta, Miami, and Las Vegas, where he's spent significant time.

And, there's more to come.

O'Neal may get most of the credit from the media, but Shaq is quick to recognize his less-famous partners who made this possible, including Icy Hot and various counselors who helped contribute.

"Those counselors, the one who volunteers every day, they actually should get most of the credit," Shaq said.

"If you need computers, you need laptops, fresh paint -- then you call Uncle Shaq."

The NBA legend made nearly $300 million over his 19-year career in NBA salary money alone. That's not counting all of the endorsements, and lucrative business moves O'Neal has made during and after his basketball playing days.

So, he's got the money, but this is about much more than writing a check. Shaq cares about the kids' well-being ... and that's awesome. At the end of the day, it's things like this that make Shaq one of the most lovable athletes of all time.

With the holidays coming up, we asked the 51-year-old what he was doing for Turkey Day... and in true Shaquille fashion he told us ... "I don't do anything in my house."

Steve Kerr made it clear he's pissed at Draymond Green for choking Rudy Gobert earlier this week ... calling the Golden State star's actions "inexcusable."

The Warriors head coach didn't hold back when talking about Green's role in Tuesday night's on-court fight just before the Dubs' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... explaining to reporters he didn't find Green's actions appropriate.

"He took it too far," Kerr said. "Draymond was wrong. He knows that. It's a bad look."

Kerr added that the five-game ban that Draymond received for putting his arms around Gobert's neck and refusing to let go during the Dubs' loss to the Timberwolves was "deserved."

"It was a terrible visual for the league," Kerr said, "for Draymond and for everybody."

Initially, Kerr seemed to have Green's back following the brawl ... saying Tuesday night he thought his player did what was needed to protect Klay Thompson. In some ways, Kerr stood by that stance a bit on Thursday, telling media members he "had no problem" with Green getting Gobert off Thompson ... but "he's got to let go."

"He hung on for like six, seven seconds," Kerr said.

Without Green on Thursday night, the Warriors got blown out by the Thunder, 128-109.