Basketball

Not everyone believes Donald Trump's $400 sneakers will win over Black voters.

TMZ Sports ran into former NBA star Lou Williams at LAX on Friday ... and we asked him about FOX News host Raymond Arroyo's predictions that DT's kicks will garner him political capital -- earning the former prez votes -- among the Black community.

Of course, Trump recently revealed the $399 pair of "Never Surrender" gold high tops,  and let's just say the reaction was mixed.

Lou Will -- who played 17 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2023 -- disagrees, telling us it's a misguided move if it was in fact Trump's plan to pick up votes.

"If that's your intention, I think you're in the wrong place and I think you're a little misled on thinking how intelligent we are to see this coming a mile away," Williams said on Friday.

Not to mention, Williams isn't really a fan of the sneakers.

"They're not even dope. Not really collectibles. Obviously, some guys are gonna do it when you got the Hypebeasts."

Instead, the 37-year-old would rather Trump, his supporters, and all American voters focus on fixing the country ... rather than materialistic goods.

"We talking about sneakers opposed to the direction that our country is gonna live in and where our kids and how our children are gonna grow up in this world and the leadership that follows that," Williams said.

Kendall Jenner y Devin Booker están reavivando su relación, pero están tomando las cosas con calma y ni siquiera son exclusivos todavía, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que los ex tortolitos han estado pasando más tiempo juntos últimamente, algo que se hizo evidente durante el Super Bowl, cuando vimos a Devin Booker aparecer en la suite de las Kardashian al azar, aunque separado de Kendall.

Aun así, fue curioso... y obviamente despertó nuevos rumores de romance entre ellos, esto después de pasar casi todo el 2023 separados.

Recuerden, ella estuvo saliendo con Bad Bunny en ese momento e iban bastante en serio.

De todos modos, nuestros ojos no nos engañaban y resulta que, de hecho, se están viendo nuevamente, pero nuestras fuentes enfatizan en que no quieren precipitar las cosas.

Testigos presenciales nos dicen que incluso han visto a Kendall aparecer en Dallas esta semana, mientras Devin estaba en la ciudad para el partido de los Mavs y los Suns el jueves, así que sí, ella está incluso viajando para estar con él últimamente.

Es interesante que estén pensando en volver a estar juntos. Primero se separaron a finales de 2022, y de acuerdo con los medios, fue principalmente por lo ocupados que estaban en ese entonces y la falta de tiempo en sus agendas para seguir como una pareja.

Teniendo en cuenta que ambos son casi tan famosos (si no más) como entonces, la justificación parece mentira. Devin sigue siendo un jugador de baloncesto profesional y ella sigue siendo un modelo exitosa.

Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker are rekindling their relationship, but they're taking things slow -- and they're not even exclusive just yet ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the former lovebirds have been spending more time together lately -- something that became evident during the Super Bowl ... when DB popped up in the Kardashian suite super randomly, albeit separated from Kendall.

Still, it was curious ... and obviously sparked new dating rumors about them -- this after spending just about all of 2023 apart.

Remember, she was dating Bad Bunny at the time ... and they were quite serious.

Anyway, our lying eyes weren't deceiving us -- as it turns out ... we're being told they are, in fact, seeing each other again -- but our sources emphasize they're not rushing into things.

Eyewitnesses tell us they've even seen Kendall pop up in Dallas this week while Devin was in town for the Mavs/Suns game Thursday -- so yeah, she's even traveling to be with him lately.

It's interesting that they're circling getting back together ... they first broke up at the end of 2022, and according to reports -- it was apparently all over how busy they were and not having time in their schedules to keep it going as a couple.

Considering they're both just as famous (if not more so) since then, that rationale sounds like BS -- Devin is still a pro basketball player, and she's still a super successful model.

Move over, Harry Styles, there's a new fashion icon in town -- ex-NBA star Kenny "The Jet" Smith ... whose wardrobe got major props from one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Timothée Chalamet!!

The 'Dune' actor revealed his style inspiration in an interview with Elle this week ... where he raved about the "Inside the NBA" analyst's drip.

Timmy C explained his random choice for who he considers his "style icon" ... saying Smith has varying style, but is always bold -- especially when he rocks sneakers with his suits.

Chalamet also praised Smith's confidence ... adding that's what throws all his looks together.

It's pretty surprising -- not because Smith is a bad dresser by any means, but some probably assumed Chalamet would pick someone more prominent in the fashion scene like a David Beckham, A$AP Rocky or Brad Pitt.

Austin Butler -- who also took part in the interview -- said his "style icon" is Chalamet ... but we're assuming he wasn't just saying that because the dude was in the room -- he's quite the sharp-dressed man.

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant had a pregame exchange with two fans ahead of Thursday night's game ... confronting the Mavericks supporters after being called a "bitch."

The whole exchange was captured on video ... showing KD running out of the tunnel for warmups -- but coming to a screeching halt after hearing the word hurled his way.

Durant quickly approached the two fans -- who appeared to have great seats for the game -- and they went back and forth for a good 30 seconds before the two-time NBA champ waved his hand in disgust and rejoined his teammates.

Of course, the NBA has a history of kicking heckling fans out of games at a player's request ... and it appeared the pair of Dallas backers were about to be escorted out of American Airlines Center before Durant returned to the scene and intervened.

It's unclear what was said between Durant and the fans ... but according to reporter Jonah Javad, the hooper saved them from getting the boot.

As for the game, Durant finished with 23 points and six rebounds ... but the Suns fell to the Mavs, 123-113.

The assault charge Isaiah Stewart had been facing for allegedly socking Drew Eubanks in the face was dismissed on Thursday ... after prosecutors said the Phoenix Suns player didn't want to move forward with the case against the Detroit Pistons center.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, officials filed a motion in Arizona to dismiss the case this week ... explaining Eubanks "no longer desires prosecution in this matter."

A judge signed off on the motion a short time later -- putting Stewart in the clear.

The 22-year-old was slated to have a hearing in the case on Friday -- less than two weeks after cops say witnesses told them he had punched Eubanks in the parking tunnel of the Footprint Center following an argument just before they were slated to compete in a game against each other.

But, a court official tells us the hearing has now been scrapped following the dismissal of the case.

Stewart, however, was still punished by the NBA for his involvement in the altercation ... the league said Thursday it was hitting him with a three-game ban without pay.

Rudy Gobert might've had the best All-Star break in the entire NBA ... 'cause the Minnesota Timberwolves big man's girlfriend just announced they're having a baby!!

The couple shared the exciting news with a number of romantic pregnancy photoshoot pics ... showing him embracing Julia Bonilla's bump during a sunset on the beach.

Rudy also posted a picture palming Julia's growing tummy with his hand ... with his fingers covering the majority of her midriff.

Gobert had a one-word statement on the reveal ... saying, "Legacy," while Julia added, "The better half of us."

The couple's friends expressed their excitement -- from Jordyn Woods to Joakim Noah, Austin Rivers, Trey Lyles and more.

It's unclear how long Gobert and Bonilla have been official -- he's a pretty private guy -- but the two spent the Christmas holidays together with family in Minnesota ... so we take it they've been serious for a while now.

The baby could grow up to be pretty gifted on the court if it takes after pops, considering he's 7'1", a three-time All-Star and a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Former Houston Rockets guard Robert Reid, an NBA star who spent 13 years in the league, died earlier this week following a battle with cancer.

Reid was 68 years old ... and had been battling an illness, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The Rockets announced the sad news on Tuesday, writing, "The Fertitta Family and the Houston Rockets are deeply saddened by the passing of former player, Robert Reid, whose contributions were instrumental in guiding the Houston Rockets to their first two NBA Finals appearances in 1980-81 and 1985-86."

Reid, a 6'8" guard/forward who was a second-round draft pick in 1977, averaged 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks a game during his NBA career -- 10 seasons of which were spent in Houston, just a few hours from where he grew up in San Antonio, TX.

He also played for the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers.

Reid, who was teammates with the legendary Moses Malone, scored 10,448 points in 919 NBA games.

Current Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also reacted to news of Reid's death, saying ... "It is with great sorrow that my family and I received the news of the passing of Rockets legend, Robert Reid. I have had the privilege of knowing Robert for over 40 years, and his presence always brought joy and positivity to any room he entered."

Reid was 68.

The 21-year-old who lost his leg during a car accident involving Haywood Highsmith earlier this month is now suing the NBA player ... claiming the hooper's careless driving caused the entire tragedy.

Alekxei Pino filed the lawsuit on Friday in Florida ... alleging he was helping assist a stranded motorist on Feb. 6 in Miami when Highsmith barreled into him in his 2021 Audi A5 at a high rate of speed.

Pino claims in the suit Highsmith was going over the roadway's legal speed limit before he hit him ... causing an above-the-knee amputation.

Pino also claims he suffered other significant injuries in the crash ... and has since undergone numerous medical procedures to address the damage.

Pino's attorney, Manuel Dobrinsky, said in a statement this week his client is actually still in the hospital recovering ... "with a very long road of rehabilitation ahead of him."

Pino and his lawyer are asking for unspecified damages but estimate it will be in excess of $50,000.

Pino's family, meanwhile, has also set up a GoFundMe, hoping to raise $100,000 to help him with the recovery process.

As we previously reported, cops said in a police report Highsmith was traveling 45 MPH in a 40 MPH zone before the accident a short time after the Heat beat the Orlando Magic at the nearby Kesaya Center.

Cops stated in the docs they believed drugs and alcohol were not involved ... though they did say Highsmith may have been distracted by unknown circumstances. They ultimately cited him for careless driving.

The Heat said in a statement following the crash that their "hearts go out to those who were injured."

Highsmith sat out of the Heat game the night following the wreck ... although he returned to the floor on Feb. 11 against the Celtics, and played 23 minutes.

Mac McClung is the back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk champion, but even he has his doubts about going at the King ... telling TMZ Sports he'd "probably" lose to LeBron James in a contest!!

The 25-year-old G League star wowed the crowd yet again during All-Star festivities this past weekend ... edging out Celtics star Jaylen Brown to take home the trophy in Indy.

We spoke with the high-flying athlete about what's next following his big victory ... and while he's planning to finish out this season strong before going back to the drawing board for new dunks, there's one thing you can probably take off his "To-Do" list -- a showdown with LeBron.

"[LeBron's] the man, I don't know if I'd want to go up against him," Mac told us during his celebrity shift at Raising Cane's in Orlando. "He'd probably beat me, for sure."

Worth noting -- LeBron famously never did the dunk contest ... something fans practically begged him to do for years, considering he's one of the greatest rim-rattlers in league history.

Despite the lack of experience in the event, Mac thinks the Lakers superstar would be his biggest competition yet ... even at 39 years old.

Mac admitted he's still on the fence about whether he'll go for a three-peat ... but if he does, he's just looking to go up against anyone who actually WANTS to participate.

There's more ... Mac also weighed in on his drive-thru shift at the chicken finger joint ... and he's a natural!!

Popular streamer Kai Cenat invaded Shannon Sharpe's show to set the record straight on his height ... confronting the Hall of Famer for calling him "three feet" tall on national television -- and the whole interaction was hilarious!!

Shannon had social media buzzing when he evoked Kai's height while dissing Jaylen Brown's dunk contest performance on Monday's edition of "First Take" -- ripping the Celtics star for leaping over a sitting Cenat ... when other guys had more impressive attempts with big men like Shaquille O'Neal.

Cenat got wind of Sharpe's comments ... and he went BALLISTIC on his livestream, jumping up and yelling expletives directed at the former tight end.

But he wasn't satisfied with sounding off in front of his viewers ... he had to step onto Shannon's turf on his "Nightcap" show to clear the air even further.

"Why you call me three feet?" Kai said. "Hold on, bro. Stop lying to these people."

Cenat insisted he's actually 5'9" ... but regardless, Shay Shay explained his stance, insisting his issue had more to do with Brown's decision-making than the YouTuber's stature.

Ultimately, it appears the two sides are on good terms now ... and were able to bury the hatchet.

A college basketball game looked more like the Royal Rumble on Monday ... with the postgame handshakes going from sportsmanlike to straight-up violent in one of the wildest brawls to date.

The scrap went down after Texas A&M-Commerce defeated Incarnate Word 76-72 at the Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center in San Antonio .... when at some point in saying "good game," two opponents got ticked off and bumped into each other.

It's unclear what exactly led to the altercation, but it quickly escalated ... with players from both teams throwing hands.

Despite the attempts of coaches, staffers, and peaceful athletes to break it all up, the fight continued for at least a minute before the teams were separated.

According to the ESPN broadcast, a "young girl" in the crowd was injured at some point ... and another team manager was bleeding from the face.

Both teams addressed the incident in a statement shortly after the game ... saying, "The University of the Incarnate Word and Texas A&M University-Commerce apologize for the behavior exhibited by our respective men's basketball programs following the game on Monday night."

"There is no place in college sports for such actions. The unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred after the game does not reflect the values of the universities involved, as well as the Southland Conference and their member institutions."

Adele finalmente explicó por qué estaba con una cara de aburrida y malhumorada en el partido de las estrellas de la NBA hace un par de años y, al parecer, todo tiene que ver con los equipos de filmación que osaron desafiar sus deseos.

La cantante abordó la historia durante su residencia en Las Vegas el fin de semana y explicó lo que se ha convertido en uno de los memes más famosos de la artista británica. Seguro ya lo han visto, la cámara muestra a la cantante sentada en la cancha, mientras ella mira torpemente a su alrededor, muy seria y evitando hacer contacto visual.

Adele dice que el equipo de filmación de la NBA le había preguntado si estaría bien grabarla durante la transmisión y ella dice que se negó cortésmente porque "realmente no le gusta ser famosa" y se contentó con que su novio Rich Paul hiciera el desplante.

Bueno, ellos terminaron filmándola de todos modos y eso la hizo enojar.

Adele dice que en lugar de participar con la cámara como se suponía -o cómo otros harían en esa situación- decidió hacerse la tonta y solo escanear la arena.

En cuanto a sus labios carnosos -otra observación que la gente ha hecho sobre el video-, Adele insiste en que son naturales y que no necesita relleno. De todos modos, el punto más importante es que estaba súper malhumorada y desafiando con la mirada a la NBA.

Es bastante gracioso que Adele pensara que podría pasar desapercibida en un evento lleno de estrellas, especialmente cuando estaba sentada junto al agente de la NBA más prominente de la liga, el tipo que literalmente representa a LeBron James y una tonelada de otros jugadores de alto nivel.

Desde entonces, Adele ha seguido siendo bastante tímida en público con Rich, pero cuando está en su propio evento en Las Vegas es un libro abierto y muy conversadora.

Adele finally explained why she was making such a goofy ass face at the NBA All-Star game a couple years back -- and, apparently, it all has to do with film crews defying her wishes.

The singer got into the story over the weekend at her Vegas residency and explained what's become one of the most famous Adele memes. You've seen it by now ... the camera cuts to her sitting courtside, but she's awkwardly looking around avoiding making eye contact.

Adele says an NBA film crew on hand had asked ahead of time if it'd be okay to record her during the broadcast, which she says she politely declined because she "really doesn't like being famous" and was content with her boyfriend Rich Paul doing the schmoozing.

Well, they ended up circling back and filming her anyway ... and that ticked Adele off.

Adele says that rather than engage with the camera like she was supposed to -- or how others might in the situation -- she decided to play dumb and just scan the arena, all aloof.

In terms of her very full lips -- another observation people have made about the now-viral clip -- Adele insists it's all-natural, noting she doesn't need filler. Anyway, the bigger point here is that she says she was sulking in the moment ... and expressing defiance against the NBA.

It's pretty funny that Adele thought she could go unseen/unnoticed at a star-studded event -- especially when she was seated next to the most prominent NBA agent in the league ... the dude who literally reps LeBron James and a crap ton of other high-level players.

Since then, Adele has continued to be pretty camera-shy out in public with Rich -- but when she's in her own environment in Vegas ... she's an open book, and very chatty.

GloRilla wants to sink her teeth into Damian Lillard -- and the Memphis rapper is willing to knuckle up with anyone who's standing in her way!!!

After the Milwaukee Bucks superstar snagged the MVP honors at last night's NBA All-Star Game in Indy, GloRilla snagged a photo-op of her own ... asking which woman Dame belonged to and marked her territory with a stiff warning.

"Whoever she is can’t whoop me so I really dgaf," Glo wrote on X.

Hopefully, there won't be a need for fisticuffs. Dame filed for divorce from his wife Kay'La last October and has been pushing to get a championship after leaving his longtime Portland Trailblazers team.

Glo's clearly choosing up ... The Milwaukee Bucks superstar had the NBA on Dame Time all weekend.

He partied hard on Saturday after winning the 3-point contest, where he became the first player since a guy named Michael Jordan to win an ASG event and MVP.

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino went scorched earth on his basketball team Sunday night, tearing into his soft players and the "s***" university facilities during an unforgettable post-game presser!

"We are so nonathletic that we can't guard anybody without fouling," the legendary coach said after his team's 68-62 loss to Seton Hall at UBS Arena on Long Island in NY.

Pitino continued, "And, really it's not about losing. Even winning, when I watch the film, I see unathletic plays, I see people that don't handle the ball, that are just interested in taking quick shots. It's been a disappointing year."

The first half went St. John's way ... the Red Storm, which once led by 19 points, took a 41-29 lead into the half. But, thanks to turnovers and poor shooting by SJU, the Pirates came charging back in the second, securing the pivotal W with a late run.

FYI, it's a game that was critical for both bubble teams. St. John's, now 6-9 in Big East play, has a lot of work to do. Seton Hall, 10-5 in conference, is sitting in a much better position after the victory. SHU has a resume that boasts wins over UConn and Marquette, and 3 other quad 1 teams.

Pitino also singled out individual players ... calling Drissa Traore, Chris Ledlum, Sean Conway and Joel Soriano "slow laterally," while calling Brady Dunlap "weak."

Pitino, a 2x NCAA champion (though the '13 Louisville title was vacated), said his team's issues go back to recruiting.

“We recruited the antithesis of the way I coach, with speed, quickness, fundamentals, strength and toughness,” Pitino said, adding, “It’s a good group, they try hard, but they’re just not very tough.”

As for their athletic facilities, Pitino clearly believes they're lacking, but isn't going to blame a locker room for a loss on the court.

“Do we have s****y facilities? Yes, we do. Having s****y facilities has nothing to do with not guarding.”

SJU is located in Queens, NY ... and the school has an on-campus arena, though they play a handful of games at Madison Square Garden and other larger local arenas.

As for his thoughts on the year, Rick, who has been coaching since the '70s, admits he isn't having any fun.

"I’m not gonna lie to you. This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime. This has been so disappointing.”