Basketball

Teyana Taylor dice que Iman Shumpert ignora la seguridad de sus hijos cuando están a su cuidado, acusándolo de fumar hierba cuando está con ellos.

La cantante pone en duda las habilidades de crianza del ex jugador de la NBA en los nuevos documentos legales de su problemático divorcio.

De acuerdo con los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Teyana afirma que Iman no cuida adecuadamente a sus dos pequeños, acusándolo de no darles de comer a pesar de estar en la casa de la familia.

Es más, Teyana dice que Iman fuma marihuana cerca de los niños y a veces está bajo la influencia cuando cuida de ellos.

En una ocasión, Teyana afirma que Iman puso a los niños en un viaje compartido a Chicago y los dejó solos en el United Center, mientras que su conductor privado lo llevaba a la arena.

Teyana afirma que Iman "demuestra constantemente un claro desprecio por la seguridad de los menores de edad".

Tristan Thompson has a new job outside of the NBA -- the Cleveland Cavaliers player has been named the newest Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics!!!

The 2016 NBA champion and Special Olympics International announced the news on Tuesday ... with Thompson saying he's "excited and honored" to partner with the sports organization that provides competitions for five million athletes (kids and adults) with disabilities.

"This is a great opportunity to support an amazing organization, but also use my platform and voice to help support athletes with intellectual disabilities," Thompson said.

"As a Global Ambassador, I will help inspire others to be more inclusive and take action to help change the stereotypes that exist for people with disabilities."

Thompson -- who is in his second stint with Cleveland -- will help promote the organization ... as well as work with local and global entities through activations by the Special Olympics.

In fact, the Cavs are hosting 40 athletes from Special Olympics France for a basketball clinic while they're in Paris for their game against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

Thompson will join a list of several NBA/WNBA players who are also Global Ambassadors for the Special Olympics ... including Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker and Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics.

"Special Olympics is honored to name Tristan Thompson as our newest Global Ambassador," CEO Mary Davis said. "Tristan demonstrates passion and dedication to creating a more inclusive world where exclusion has no place, and everybody belongs and is respected."

"We join Tristan in his commitment to elevating inclusion in communities around the world and look forward to working with him to positively change the lives of people with intellectual disabilities."

Of course, Thompson working with the Special Olympics hits close to home ... his younger brother, Amari, was born with disabilities.

Tristan Thompson tiene un nuevo trabajo fuera de la NBA, ¡¡¡el jugador de los Cleveland Cavaliers ha sido nombrado como nuevo Embajador Global de las Olimpiadas Especiales!!!

El campeón de la NBA en 2016 y Special Olympics International anunciaron la noticia el martes. Thompson dijo que estaba "emocionado y honrado" de asociarse con la institución, que organiza competencias para 5 millones de atletas (niños y adultos) con discapacidades.

"Esta es una gran oportunidad para apoyar a una organización increíble, pero también para utilizar mi plataforma y mi voz para apoyar a los atletas con discapacidad intelectual", dijo Thompson.

"Como Embajador Mundial, ayudaré a inspirar a otros a ser más inclusivos y a tomar medidas para ayudar a cambiar los estereotipos que existen sobre las personas con discapacidad".

Thompson, que está en su segunda etapa con los Cleveland, ayudará a promover la organización y trabajará con entidades locales y globales a través de activaciones de las Olimpiadas Especiales.

De hecho, los Cavs están recibiendo 40 atletas de Special Olympics Francia para una clínica de baloncesto mientras están en París para su partido contra los Brooklyn Nets el jueves.

Thompson se unirá a una lista de varios jugadores de la NBA/ WNBA que también son Embajadores Globales de las Olimpiadas Especiales, incluyendo estrellas de los Phoenix Suns como Devin Booker y Elena Delle Donne de los Washington Mystics.

"Para Special Olympics es un honor nombrar a Tristan Thompson como nuestro nuevo Embajador Mundial", declaró Mary Davis, directora ejecutiva de la organización. "Tristan demuestra pasión y dedicación para crear un mundo más inclusivo, donde la exclusión no tenga cabida y todo el mundo pertenezca y sea respetado".

"Nos unimos a Tristan en su compromiso por elevar la inclusión en las comunidades de todo el mundo y esperamos trabajar con él para cambiar positivamente la vida de las personas con discapacidad intelectual".

Por supuesto, que Thompson trabaje en los Juegos Olímpicos Especiales le afecta de cerca, pues su hermano menor Amari nació con discapacidad.

It's Kuh-nay-guh.

High school sports star Noah Knigga has become quite the internet sensation for much more than his athletic accomplishments recently ... but he wants everyone to know his name is safe for everyone to say -- as long as it's pronounced correctly.

The athlete and his family did an interview with Robert Griffin III this week ... and they answered the burning question surrounding their surname.

Of course, social media has been having a field day with the whole phenomenon ... firing off jokes left and right as it comes SUPER close to a word that could get a lot of folks canceled real quick.

Even RGIII had fun with it during the Q&A ... asking the Kniggas if they've ever been to Paris -- a reference to the famous Jay-Z and Kanye West song.

FWIW -- the Kniggas have never visited the City of Lights.

But friendly jabs aside, Noah -- a junior at Lawrenceburg High in Indiana -- is being recruited by multiple Division I schools to play football ... and recently won MVP honors in a basketball tournament over the weekend, so his game is no joke.

Ja Morant was a man of few words after learning his 2023-24 season was over ... going to social media to express his frustrations by simply saying, "Damn dawg."

The Memphis Grizzlies broke the news Monday night ... saying their superstar guard suffered a partial dislocation of his right shoulder during Saturday's training session.

The team said Morant continued to experience soreness and instability in the following days ... so he underwent an MRI, which revealed an underlying labral tear.

The ailment brings Morant's revenge tour to a screeching halt ... as he was out to make up for time lost after missing the first chunk of the season due to his gun-related suspension.

As we previously reported, Morant was quick to make sure his haters knew he heard all the talk in his first game back ... yelling he "kept receipts" after nailing the game-winning bucket against the New Orleans Pelicans last month.

Ja -- who missed Sunday's matchup against the Phoenix Suns -- was understandably bummed about his season being over ... also sending out a blue heart and posting "just waiting for the sun to come out..." later Monday night.

Lamar Odom says LeBron James and the Lakers can make it out of their current slump, they just gotta get into shape -- well, one in particular to be exact -- telling TMZ Sports L.A. needs to bring back the triangle offense!!

The Purple and Gold have struggled to keep it together after being crowned the In-Season Tournament champions last month -- they're currently sitting in the bottom half of the Western Conference with a record below .500.

We spoke with the two-time Lakers champ about his former team's woes ... and he said head coach Darvin Ham should take a page out of Phil Jackson's book and implement the offense that helped his squad rack up championships back in the day, as well as the legendary Chicago Bulls teams led by Michael Jordan.

In fact, he even suggests his own lineup that could flourish under that strategy -- Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and, of course, LeBron.

How's this for a sports lover's dream ... the vacation home custom-built by the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and visited by some of the greatest hoopers to ever grace a basketball court, is now on the market, and could be yours if you've got $12 million!

TMZ Sports has learned the 9,792-square-foot property, located on a 3.18-acre lot in Rancho Santa Fe (about 100 miles outside L.A.), recently hit the open market for $11.85 million. The land was purchased by Dr. Buss in 1994 for less than $300k, and the house, known as the "Dream Ranch," was built to his exact specifications to resemble the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in Montecito.

We're told Jerry wanted a place outside of Los Angeles that felt far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city ... all while being close enough to the arena where his team played.

Buss often had company ... and they were some of the most famous athletes in the world like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O'Neal.

In fact, Jerry installed an extra-long driveway (it fits 25 cars!) to accommodate the stars' stretch limos.

The mansion features eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms (8 full, 2 half) -- five in the main house and three in the guest house -- with the master suite, clad in marble, overlooking a rose garden.

There's also a 3-stall barn, two putting greens, a swimming pool with a pool house, a basketball court (of course), and a tennis court where none other than Andre Agassi once played.

Buss passed away in 2013 ... and the home was ultimately sold years later in 2022. The new buyers renovated the home, transforming it into a modern mansion.

Britney Spears decided she'd give Sin City another shot ... celebrating the holidays there 5 months after enduring a slap from Victor Wembanyama's security in a bizarre exchange.

Sources tell TMZ, the singer returned to Vegas over the holidays ... staying for a few days, though it's unclear if she spent Christmas Day among all the lights and excitement.

We're told Britney had a room at Resorts World and another at Aria. Video emerged on social media of Britney walking around the casino floor at The Wynn holding a beer and flanked by a few security guards.

The source tells us she was at The Wynn to watch the show "Awakening" and dined at their swanky seafood restaurant, Lakeside.

Her Vegas schedule was jam-packed -- she also took a tour of the brand-new Fontainebleau property, briefly checked out LIV, and spent time inside their members-only club, Poodle Room.

Basically, we're told her time in Vegas was super chill and inconspicuous -- nothing like last time when she was slapped by basketball player Victor's security when she beelined behind him after running into him in a hallway.

Video of the moment went viral ... and upon watching it, Britney said her reaction to the slap was "priceless."

Britney Spears decidió darle otra oportunidad a la ciudad del pecado y celebrar las fiestas allí a solo 5 meses de soportar una bofetada del equipo de seguridad de Victor Wembanyama en un extraño intercambio.

Fuentes dicen a TMZ que la cantante regresó a Las Vegas durante las vacaciones para quedarse por unos días, aunque no está claro si pasó el día de Navidad entre todas las luces y la emoción.

Nos dicen que Britney tenía una habitación en Resorts World y otra en Aria. En las redes sociales apareció un video de ella paseando por el casino Wynn con una cerveza en la mano y flanqueada por varios guardias de seguridad.

La fuente nos dice que estaba en el Wynn para ver el espectáculo "Awakening" y cenar en su restaurante de mariscos, Lakeside.

Su agenda en Las Vegas estaba repleta. También hizo un recorrido por la nueva propiedad Fontainebleau, visitó brevemente LIV y pasó tiempo dentro de su club solo para miembros, Poodle Room.

Básicamente, nos dicen que su tiempo en Las Vegas fue súper tranquilo y discreto, nada que ver con la última vez, cuando fue abofeteada por la seguridad del jugador de baloncesto Victor cuando estaba detrás de él después de encontrárselo en un pasillo.

El video se hizo viral, y al verlo, Britney dijo que su reacción a la cachetada fue "impagable".

Mark Cuban is making sure his Mavericks employees are being taken care of following his sale of the majority stake in the NBA franchise ... promising to dole out $35 million-plus in bonuses in the near future.

The former Dallas owner made the announcement in an email to Mavs staffers on Friday, according to ESPN ... explaining new owners Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont will be helping to contribute to the large bonus pool as well.

Cuban said the payouts will be based on "a framework that took into consideration how long you have worked for the Mavs." He added the cash will be hitting bank accounts "in the very near future."

"I'm excited to continue our work making the Mavs the best franchise in all of sports!" Cuban said in the letter.

Of course, Cuban officially gave way to Adelson and the Dumonts late last month ... selling the families his controlling interest in the team for $3.5 billion.

The 65-year-old, however, still maintains a 27% stake in the org. ... and he told reporters after it all became official that he'll still have control of basketball operations.

As for why he made the surprising move ... he said it's simple -- he thinks the new owners can grow the business exponentially.

"When you get a world-class partner who can come in and grow your revenue base and you're not dependent on things that you were in the past," Cuban said, "that's a huge win."

Shaquille O'Neal hung up his Dunkman's more than a decade ago, but the NBA legend is still making history ... the Orlando Magic just announced they're retiring the Big Fella's 32 jersey, the first time they've ever raised a number to the rafters!

51-year-old O'Neal received word of the honor while he was on the air with buds Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson ... when the Hall of Famer got a "phone call" from Magic CEO Alex Martins.

"On behalf of the DeVos family and myself and all of us here at the Orlando Magic, we want to congratulate you as we make you the first jersey number retired in the history of the Orlando Magic. You had a great career here at the beginning of your career and we had some great times!" Martins said to Shaq.

Of course, the Magic picked O'Neal with their first pick in the 1992 NBA Draft ... and Shaquille didn't disappoint in his short stint with the team, making them relevant, and even leading them to the NBA Finals in 1995, where they lost to the Houston Rockets.

He averaged over 27 points, and nearly 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game in Orlando.

Shaq ultimately decided to leave Florida for a big payday in Los Angeles ... where he won 3 NBA championships alongside Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Team Chairman Dave DeVos also spoke about Shaq's influence on the organization, on and off the hardwood, as well as the local community.

“Through his dominating play, larger-than-life personality, and generous contributions to The City Beautiful, Shaquille O’Neal had a transformational impact on this team and this town. Our family and the entire franchise couldn’t be more pleased for Shaquille to receive this well-deserved honor, further cementing his enduring legacy here in Orlando as we collectively look back on his tremendous accomplishments in a Magic uniform.”

Perhaps the most meaningful congratulations came from O'Neal's "number one fan," his mom, Dr. Lucille O'Neal, who sent her son a heartfelt message.

The jersey retirement goes down on February 13.

Victor Wembanyama entered his twenties on Thursday ... and his teammates celebrated his special day by singing "Happy Birthday" during practice!!

The San Antonio Spurs players surprised the 7'4" rookie right on the court ... surrounding him and breaking out the classic tune.

Wemby clearly wasn't expecting it ... but jumped right into singing and clapping with his teammates.

"Hip hip hooray!" the players yelled after the song. "Hip hip hooray!"

Wembanyama also got another nice present on his birthday -- it was announced he's received over 221k votes to participate in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game so far.

To compare, that's more entries than Karl-Anthony Towns, Chet Holmgren and Kristaps Porzingis.

The first-overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft has been getting a lot of love since he started his career ... in fact, his dunk on December 31 is on the verge of becoming the most-watched video ever on the league's Instagram page with 88.8 million views.

Wemby -- who's averaging 18.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game -- also set several NBA records before his 20th birthday, including surpassing Dwight Howard for the most consecutive games with a double-double (8).

NBA star Ricky Rubio is ending his professional basketball career ... revealing he made the decision after going into "a dark place" last offseason.

33-year-old Rubio -- the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft -- spent 12 seasons in the Association ... most notably for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played from 2011-17.

The Spanish guard joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 ... but it was announced back in August he would take time away to focus on his mental health.

On Thursday, Rubio shared a statement on his official retirement ... sharing July 30 was "one of the toughest nights of my life," but did not go into detail.

"I kind of knew I was going on that direction, but I've never thought I wasn't under control of the situation," he said.

"The next day, I decided to stop my professional career."

Rubio said he will talk more on what happened at a later date so he can help others going through similar situations ... and will continue to work on his mental well-being moving forward.

"But I am proud to say I'm doing much better and getting better everyday," he added.

Rubio -- who averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his career -- said it was a dream to play in the NBA ... thanking the Wolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cavs for "good memories and great relationships."

Some guys go with baseball, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's got the Pacers on the mind before knockin' boots ... 'cause the NBA superstar admitted he's constantly thinking about the Bucks' recent struggles against Indiana -- even in the bedroom!!

The Greek Freak made the hilarious soundbite after Milwaukee's 142-130 loss to the Pacers Wednesday night ... which marked the fourth time the Bucks fell to their division opponent in five matchups this season.

When asked about their challenges against Tyrese Haliburton and Co. ... Giannis insisted it's "not the end of the world," but said it's certainly something that's living rent-free in his head at all times.

"I think we realize as a team that there are teams out there that can beat us four times in a season," Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game.

"Now you have that, you think about it -- when you go back home, when you sleep, when you wake up, you think about it. Now, when you go back and work out, you think about it."

"On the All-Star Break, when you gonna be at exciting beach with your family, I hope you think about it. When you're about to get freaky at night, you think about it."

Giannis' comments were met with giggles from the media ... but he quickly got serious again -- saying his crew can now take the losses on the chin and regroup for the rest of the season.

Dunking is definitely in Bronny James's DNA ... the star USC freshman looked just like his pops LeBron as he threw down a rim-rocking alley-oop during Wednesday's game!

The 4-star recruit added a highlight to his college basketball reel during the first half of USC's home game against California at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Trojans star and future top lottery pick Isaiah Collier stole the ball and pushed down the court, throwing a sweet lob to Bronny for the two-handed jam.

The crowd went crazy!

James ended up dropping 10 points in the 82-74 win, their 7th of the season.

Bronny, since debuting for USC in mid-December, is averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

It wasn't just college hoops fans who went wild over the dunk ... so did dad. LeBron posted video on his Instagram like a proud papa.

Watching the clip, you surely see similarities -- especially in the number 6 jersey -- with how the James' move ... despite Bronny being a few inches shorter than his father.

Not to play favorites with his kids, the NBA legend also shared a highlight from his younger son, Sierra Canyon star Bryce James, who also dunked in his game last night ... which the Trailblazers won 91-52.

Un grupo de rabinos se vieron obligados a retirar sus carteles pro-judíos en el partido de los Jazz de Utah contra los Mavericks de Dallas el lunes, después de que Kyrie Irving se quejara a la seguridad y pidiera que los carteles fueran retirados.

El rabino Avremi Zippel, un acérrimo seguidor de los Jazz, dice que él y sus tres compañeros se sentaron en primera fila a propósito para el partido, con la intención de enviar un mensaje a la superestrella de la NBA tras su polémica antisemita en octubre de 2022.

Durante el primer cuarto, los cuatro rabinos mostraron carteles que decían "Soy judío y estoy orgulloso" e Irving los reconoció.

Zippel afirma que Irving inicialmente dijo: "Niza, yo también soy un Judio", antes de añadir: "No tienes que traer algo así al juego".

Poco después de la interacción, el rabino dice que la seguridad se acercó y les dijo que tenían que dejar de sostener los carteles citando una política contra tener carteles en la primera fila. Según Zippel, un segundo miembro del personal les dijo más tarde que era porque Irving se había quejado.

Zippel le dijo al Salt Lake Tribune que los carteles no eran una declaración política, ya que no mencionaban la guerra de Israel. También dijo al medio que revisó la política del equipo varias veces para asegurarse de que no estaban violando ninguna regla.

A pesar de su investigación, los Jazz emitieron un comunicado, diciendo que los carteles simplemente rompieron un Código de Conducta.

"No importa dónde alguien esté en la arena, si un cartel se convierte en una distracción o provoca una interacción con un jugador, le pediremos que lo retire", declaró el equipo.

"Durante una jugada fuera de límites en el primer cuarto del partido de ayer de los Jazz contra los Dallas Mavericks, había un grupo sentado junto a la pista cuyos carteles provocaron una interacción con un jugador que creó una distracción e interfirió en el juego".

"Como siguiente paso en el protocolo de seguridad estándar, se pidió a los aficionados que retiraran sus carteles".

El equipo también aclaró que la retirada no se debió a lo que decían las pancartas, afirmando que "el empleado a tiempo parcial que dijo a los aficionados que el problema era el contenido de la pancarta se equivocó".

"El problema era la interacción disruptiva causada por el uso de los carteles, no el contenido de los carteles".

Zippel no está comprando la explicación de los Jazz ... ya que piensa que el equipo citó la política con la esperanza de que todo el asunto pasaría.

Esta no es la primera vez que Kyrie se enfrenta a fans críticos - la temporada pasada, un grupo de aficionados llevaban camisetas "Lucha contra el antisemitismo" durante el partido de los Brooklyn Nets contra los Indiana Pacers para protestar por sus comentarios.