Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal values education, and now the legendary big man is making college substantially more affordable ... as American students continue to fall deeper into debt.

O'Neal, along with 29-year-old business partner Tade Oyerinde, talked to TMZ Sports this week about their company, Campus, and its goal to revolutionize 2-year degrees.

Think of Campus, which Oyerinde, now the Chancellor, founded in 2022 ... as an affordable, online community college where students have an opportunity to earn an associate's degree.

Unlike the typical community college experience, Campus' professors come from some of the most prestigious universities, such as Princeton.

O'Neal, who attended LSU, is investing in Campus, joining other high-profile investors like OpenAI founder Sam Altman and billionaire Michael Bloomberg ... as the men throw their money and time behind the concept.

We asked Shaq why he decided to get involved.

"I like to invest in things that are gonna change people's lives, and this will definitely change a person's life. Everyone to be able to have access to world-class education is very important. When I first met Tade he told me 'DFD. I was like, 'What does that mean? Debt-free degrees,'" O'Neal told Babcock.

Of course, student loan debt is a huge problem ... with U.S. students/graduates owing lenders to the tune of $1.7 TRILLION. Campus says they want to stem the bleeding by providing affordable schooling.

Tuition at Campus clocks in at just over $7k for the year ... which pales in comparison to the average cost for a college education.

Atlanta Hawks fans let D'Angelo Russell know they're not down to trade Dejounte Murray for him ... chanting "We don't want you" at the Lakers guard during Tuesday's game!

The cold-blooded moment happened at the Lakers vs. Hawks game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta ... when Russell walked to the free-throw line after being fouled.

"We don't want you! We don't want you!" a chorus of fans in the upper bowl yelled ... a moment that was captured on video by reporter Dave McMenamin.

The chants stem from rumors the Lakers are shopping DLo ... and the guy they want in return is Murray, an All-Star guard, who agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension with the Hawks last July.

Russell -- who is in his second stint with LA -- is averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 assists this season.

Nonetheless, no trade has been agreed to ... so for now the Hawks fans get their wish. But, the Lakers have until the Feb. 8 deadline.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder refused to respond to the trade rumors ... telling reporters at pre-game, "I think I made it clear that I don’t comment on rumors and speculation. It’s not something I get involved with."

Heckling aside, Hawks fans left happy ... their team beat the Lakers, 138-122, thanks in part to an off game from Russell (he only scored 9 points on 3 of 11 shooting).

The San Francisco 49ers are feeling the love from their city after clinching their spot in the Super Bowl ... with the Golden State Warriors hosting the squad for a celebration at Tuesday's game!!

The NFC Champs were treated as such at the Chase Center as the Dubs faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers ... with the home team setting up a nice spread in honor of their big win on Sunday.

All the players like Trent Williams, Ray-Ray McCloud and Chase Young were gifted their very own customized Warriors jerseys ... complete with their names and numbers.

Deebo Samuel was soaking in the hospitality ... which also included a special cake and what appeared to be rosé.

The gang certainly appreciated the gesture ... cheering as they chowed down on some snacks and enjoyed the private gathering.

Stephen Curry also acknowledged the NFC Champs at the game ... sharing a moment with star tight end George Kittle, who was sitting courtside for the 119-107 victory.

In fact, Curry said the Dubs were a bit inspired by the Niners being in the building for the matchup ... and they may have given Golden State the motivation to keep the winning going.

Jason Kidd just shoveled a mountain full of praise on Luka Doncic ... saying the Dallas Mavericks superstar is not only better than Dirk Nowitzki -- but he's approaching Michael Jordan territory as well.

The Mavs head coach -- who won an NBA title with Dirk in 2011 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments on 97.1 The Freak's "The Downbeat" on Tuesday ... explaining he truly believes Doncic is already the best player to ever wear a Dallas uniform.

"He does things that Dirk could never do," Kidd said ... adding, according to ESPN, "He's in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]."

Doncic has certainly made Kidd's stance one that's hard to argue with recently -- as he's coming off one of the greatest three-game stretches the Association has ever seen.

On Jan. 26 against Atlanta, he scored 73 points. The next day vs. Sacramento, he logged a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. And on Monday night while facing Orlando, he poured in another 45 points with 15 dimes and nine boards.

Kidd said it's all led him to believe the 24-year-old will win several titles in his career.

"He's a winner," Kidd said, "and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. And, he will get there and not just win one, but he will win multiple when it's all said and done."

The Battle of the Sexes: NBA Edition is official -- Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will be going head-to-head in a three-point shootout during the upcoming All-Star Weekend festivities!!

The NBA just shared the exciting news minutes ago ... saying the highly-anticipated, first-of-its-kind event will go down Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Curry -- a two-time three-point contest winner and all-time three-point scorer -- will shoot from the NBA arc, while the New York Liberty guard will throw up her attempts from WNBA regulation. Both hoopers will also use their respective league's game balls for the contest.

Of course, this all started after the Golden State Warriors guard challenged Ionescu after she scored 37 points (out of a possible 40) in the WNBA's three-point contest last summer, a record in the WNBA and NBA.

"I think I gotta bring her out," Curry said while discussing her milestone with his teammate Brandin Podziemski. "We gotta settle this once and for all."

SI accepted the offer ... and the NBA is giving fans what they want by making it happen.

Not only are bragging rights on the line, but money will be raised for a good cause, too -- every shot Curry and Ionescu make will go toward a donation to the NBA Foundation to help Black communities.

Curry's charity, Eat.Learn.Play, and Ionescu's SI20 Foundation will also receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA.

LaMelo Ball is in some hot water with some of his biggest fans ... who are pissed at the NBA star for cracking up on the Hornets' bench during a blowout loss Monday.

Ball wasn't playing in Charlotte's home tilt against the New York Knicks while dealing with a sore ankle ... so he took a seat with some of his squadmates -- and despite the completely one-sided score, he was seen smiling throughout the contest.

At one point, when Charlotte was down 25 points early in the fourth quarter ... Ball was actually seen busting at the seams with Bryce McGowens and James Bouknight.

The images pissed off a whole lot of Hornets supporters, who found it downright disrespectful that the team's biggest star didn't appear locked in on the game.

What made it especially worse was "Let's Go Knicks" chants had broken out at the Spectrum Center right around the same time.

The Hornets went on to lose 113-92 ... and their record is now a measly 10-35.

Rajon Rondo -- a two-time NBA champion -- was arrested on Sunday and booked on gun and weed charges, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to Jackson County Jail records in Indiana, the ex-Boston Celtics star was thrown behind bars at around 4 PM. A rep for the facility tells us he was booked on three separate charges -- possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of a firearm -- before he was released on $705 bond.

Court documents we obtained show it all stemmed from a routine traffic stop at around 2:21 PM on an Indiana highway.

According to the docs, an Indiana State Police trooper pulled over Rondo for no plate on the back of his Tesla. However, during the stop, the trooper stated he smelled marijuana emanating from the former basketball player ... and in an ensuing search of his car, a small amount of weed, drug paraphernalia, and a gun were all discovered.

Due to a previous case against Rondo, he was not supposed to have the firearm.

All three charges against the four-time All-Star are misdemeanors.

This is, of course, not the first time Rondo has been accused of wrongdoing ... in May 2022, a woman filed an emergency protection order against him after she claimed he snapped at her for interrupting a video game session he was having with his son.

She accused Rondo of smashing things around the house, before pulling out a gun. The case, however, was dismissed weeks later.

Rondo was also sued in 2020 ... after a woman claimed she was injured during an altercation with the former point guard and his girlfriend outside an apartment complex. That case was settled in 2022.

D'Angelo Russell's impromptu Lionel Messi impression just set him back a wad of dough -- the Lakers guard was just fined $15k for punting the rock into the stands after Saturday's double-overtime win over the Warriors.

The NBA just handed down the punishment on Monday ... with the league's executive VP Joe Dumars announcing the costly penalty.

The moment happened after the final buzzer of the second extra period ... when Stephen Curry heaved the ball three-quarters of the court in a last-ditch effort to win the game.

As the ball made its way back down to earth, Russell ran onto the hardwood to celebrate the 145-144 win ... kicking the rock into the first few rows of the arena in the process.

While it seemed like the 27-year-old was just trying to have some fun, the league decided it was a finable offense nonetheless.

Una escena caótica se vivió antes del partido de baloncesto de Georgetown vs. Providence el sábado y hay videos que están inundando las redes sociales que muestran a los aficionados empujando y gritando fuera.

Esto es lo que pasó, los estudiantes estaban alineados afuera del Amica Mutual Pavillion en Rhode Island para el enfrentamiento de la Big East Conference, y al parecer habían estado desde las 7 de la mañana, casi tres horas antes del partido.

Parece que estos estudiantes estaban demasiado entusiasmados y empezaron a empujar hacia adelante, lo que provocó que varios alumnos se cayeran al suelo y una botaran una contención de metal que estaba al lado.

Echa un vistazo al video, varias personas están en el suelo, mientras que sus compañeros parecen tratar de empujar a la multitud hacia atrás, claramente en un esfuerzo por no ser pisoteados.

Es una escena tensa, con el equipo de seguridad diciéndole a los estudiantes que dejen de empujar y empujar a un par de estudiantes lejos que se cayeron. La persona que toma el video no salió ileso tampoco. En un momento, la cámara se inclina hacia abajo para revelar que sus zapatos fueron arrancados por el tumulto.

Al final, las personas de seguridad calmaron los ánimos y dejaron entrar a los estudiantes al juego poco a poco. No está claro si alguien resultó herido. Por cierto, Providence terminó ganando el juego 84-76 - y los videos desde el interior de la arena muestran la magnitud de la multitud.

A chaotic scene went down before the Georgetown-Providence basketball game Saturday ... with videos flooding social media of fans pushing and yelling outside.

Here's the deal ... students were lined up, ready to head into the Amica Mutual Pavillion in Rhode Island for the Big East Conference showdown -- where they'd reportedly been since 7 AM, almost three hours before tip-off!!!

These dedicated students seem to have gotten overexcited 'cause it appears some started pushing their way forward ... which led to several students on the ground -- and a metal barricade standing almost totally vertical on the side.

Check out the vid -- several people are on the ground while their fellow students seem to be trying to hold the crowd back ... clearly in an effort to keep them from being trampled.

It's a tense scene ... with security screaming at students to stop pushing and shoving a couple students away from those who fell -- the person taking the video didn't come away unscathed either, tilting the camera down to reveal their shoes were taken off in the melee.

Ultimately, the people working seemed to calm things down and let students into the game slowly. It's not clear if anyone was injured ... but regardless, it's a pretty scary scene. BTW, Providence ended up winning the game 84-76 -- and videos from inside the arena show the sheer magnitude of the crowd.

Kim Kardashian y Kanye West tuvieron otro frío encuentro en un partido de baloncesto de su hijo el viernes por la noche, y las cámaras captaron todo.

La ex pareja llegó por separado al evento deportivo de Saint, de 8 años, en Los Ángeles, tratando de mantener la distancia el uno del otro, al mismo tiempo que tenían una incómoda interacción.

Echa un vistazo a estas fotos de los paparazzi obtenidas por TMZ. Kim no parece muy feliz mientras parece escuchar algo que le dice el rapero.

Otra imagen muestra a la magnate de SKIMS sentada en la banca con otras personas a su lado, mientras Kanye charlaba con Nick Cannon lejos de ella.

En una tercera imagen, se ve a Kim sentada sola con la mirada seria.

Después del partido de baloncesto, Kim se fue con Saint a cenar algo. Kanye, por supuesto, no fue invitado, y salió del partido solo. Su novia, Bianca Censori, no estaba a la vista.

Recordemos que Kim y Ye hicieron lo mismo la semana pasada en otro partido de Saint.

Como ya informamos, Kim y Kanye han tenido una relación especialmente difícil desde su divorcio en 2022, tras 7 años de matrimonio y cuatro hijos, incluido Saint.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West showed up for another one of their icy encounters at their son's Friday night basketball game -- as the cameras caught almost every chilly moment.

The former couple arrived separately at 8-year-old Saint's sporting event in Los Angeles, trying to keep their distance from one another while also having an awkward interaction.

Check out these paparazzi photos, obtained by TMZ ... Kim does not appear happy while appearing to listen to something the rapper is saying.

Another picture shows the SKIMS mogul sitting on the sidelines mingling with other people next to her ... while Kanye chatted it up with Nick Cannon away from her.

In a third image, Kim is seen sitting all alone in her chair with a serious look on her face.

After the basketball game, Kim left with Saint to go grab some dinner. Kanye, of course, was not invited, and exited the game alone. His boo, Bianca Censori, was nowhere in sight.

Remember, Kim and Ye were doing much of the same at Saint's game last week, too.

As we reported, Kim and Kanye have had an especially rocky relationship since their 2022 divorce after 7 years of marriage and four children together, including Saint.

Teyana Taylor says Iman Shumpert's playing dirty in their divorce war, claiming he's slowly shutting down all the utilities in the home where she lives with their 2 children ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

In a new court filing, Teyana's attorney says she woke up this month in the Georgia home they used to share, only to discover the WiFi and cable was cut off, and one day later, the water stopped running ... and she's fully laying blame on Iman.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Iman moved out back in October, and shortly thereafter, Iman's brother -- who handles his personal affairs -- told Teyana, Iman intended to shut off the power.

Since then, she claims Iman hasn't paid a cent of child support, or covered any of the kids' expenses ... including food and clothing costs.

With the water, cable and WiFi now gone, Teyana's attorney says they're concerned he's going to follow through and cut off the gas and electricity.

On top of that, Teyana claims Iman left her holding the bag on $200K worth of home renovations he started 3 years ago.

In the docs, she says Iman told her his money is tied up in investments, and proposed she cover the cost and he would reimburse her -- but she's yet to see a penny from him.

Mind you, it's not like Teyana can't afford to turn on any utilities that get shut off -- she's clearly got the cash to handle that, but her attorney's court filing makes it clear ... this is about holding Iman accountable.

Since their divorce is pending, Teyana's attorney points out the court put a standing order in place ... meaning both parties are supposed to maintain the status quo on their home and finances until the divorce is finalized.

Snoop Dogg is hoping to add a familiar foe to Laker Nation ... recruiting Clipper Darrell to the Purple and Gold just a little over one year after the LA super fan was KO'ed at a Clippers game.

The legendary rapper -- and big Lake Show fan -- minced no words while on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... saying he straight up wants Clipper Darrell to switch allegiances after the guy was socked in the face by a security guard while attending a Clips game in 2022.

"Oh, man," Snoop said on the show. "Security disrespected him. Clipper Darrell, come on home, man. The Lakers would never do you like that. Come on home, man. Flip that s***, man."

Darrell, of course, is going to need a whole lot more selling than that to change all of his red and blue ... he's known as arguably the biggest Clippers fan in the world. In fact, he loves his team so much, he's painted his car to match his favorite squad!!

But, Snoop clearly thinks the punch-out he received after getting into a squabble with a Crypto.com Arena official in December '22 should be enough to make him come to L.A.'s other team.

"Flip it!" Snoop said.

Don't expect Darrell, though, to go running to the other side of town even if the "Drop It Like It's Hot" MC extended his own personal invite ... CD -- real name Darrell Bailey -- told us back in November that despite the punch and everything he's suffered since, he's still riding or dying with his squad.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just shut down rumors that he had a say in Adrian Griffin's firing ... telling reporters Wednesday night the move blindsided him.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar opened up on his coach's eyebrow-raising departure for the first time following a 126-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers ... saying straight up Griffin's exit "caught me by surprise."

"We were 30 and 13," he said as he sat at a postgame podium. "I gotta trust the front office, I gotta trust the ownership group that they can see the bigger picture."

Of course, many had believed there was no way Bucks' brass didn't contact Giannis for his thoughts on removing Griffin before pulling the trigger ... but the Greek Freak made it clear he wasn't consulted.

"My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and win games," he said. "Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible."

The 6-foot-11 forward also praised Griffin during his talk with media members ... calling his former head coach a "great person" whom he had a good relationship with.

"I refuse to fall into the bubble of, 'Oh, this is accurate, this is not accurate,' because there's always gonna be something out there about me and the team, you know," he said. "'Oh, he didn't have a good relationship with Griff' ... false."

"I love the guy," he continued. "I invited him to my wedding."

The Golden State Warriors honored late assistant coach Dejan Milojević with a beautiful tribute on Wednesday ... and the ceremony had the entire arena emotional -- including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.

The team returned to compete against the Atlanta Hawks at the Chase Center ... their first game since Deki's tragic death last week.

The beloved former European pro received a proper sendoff before tipoff ... with a video tribute, speech from Steve Kerr, jerseys featuring coach's last name, and t-shirts branding the word "brate," which means "brother" in Russian.

Milojević's wife and children were also present ... with cameras showing them during the special moment.

Curry and Thompson embraced each other as well ... and the latter was visibly crying while sitting on the bench.

The team also set up a display on the sidelines ... putting a shirt and a flower at Deki's seat.

As we previously reported, Deki suffered a medical emergency during a team dinner in Salt Lake City last week. The team stated he had a heart attack and passed away a day later.