Basketball

Bronny James has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft -- the USC freshman has officially thrown his name into consideration at the next level ... but it doesn't mean his college career is over for good.

The news broke just minutes ago -- LeBron James' 19-year-old son will go through the pro process ... working out and visiting teams leading up to the draft.

Don't expect the James gang to team up in the Association just yet -- Bronny released a statement on the decision ... saying he will maintain his college eligibility and enter the NCAA transfer protocol.

Shaheen Holloway was nearly washed away Thursday night -- as the coach was drenched in his locker room -- moments after his Seton Hall men's basketball team stormed back from 7 down late to secure the NIT championship!

It was awesome!

#1 seeded SHU defeated fellow #1 seeded Indiana State in the NIT title game on Thursday ... in front of a mostly hostile crowd at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game was tied at 39 at the half and remained close throughout.

Despite being up 7 late in the second half, Seton Hall mounted a comeback, taking the lead, and then surviving as Indiana State jacked up several potential game-winning threes.

The shots didn't fall, and when the horn rang, the scoreboard read Seton Hall 79, Indiana State 77.

Cue the confetti, it was time to celebrate ... and that's exactly what the Pirates did, both on the court, and in the locker room.

Head coach Shaheen Holloway, a former star player at SH, knew what was about to come as he prepared to enter the winning locker room. Sha even removed his watch (smart man!)

After unsuccessfully recruiting someone to walk in his place, Holloway opened the door ... and cue the waterworks. Coach was doused with two massive coolers full of what appeared to be ice water.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!🥶

There was also a touching moment on the court.

Indiana State star Robbie Avila, aka Cream Abdul-Jabbar, was devastated over the loss, and was slumped over on the court. Holloway saw Avila, and walked over to the breakout star to console him, urging the big man to keep his head up.

Seton Hall, of course, was snubbed by the NCAA tourney committee ... they should've been in the field, and the NIT win further cements it.

Diddy puede estar atrapado en aguas turbulentas, pero sus hijas estaban de lo mejor disfrutando de sus vacaciones de primavera con el hijo adolescente de LeBron James.

Bryce James -de 16 años de edad- fue presentado en un video que está circulando en línea en el que se lo ve a él y a un amigo suyo -Boogie Johnson- disfrutando del océano en Turcas y Caicos, y en la pequeña compilación de baile que se publicó (y que desde entonces ha sido eliminada), se puede ver a Jessie y D'Lila Combs también.

Las chicas y sus trajes de baño a juego son inconfundibles, sobre todo si tenemos en cuenta que Bryce y los gemelos son bastante cercanos. Él y Boogie los llevaron a la fiesta de bienvenida el año pasado. De hecho, Boogie tiene fotos con uno de los gemelos en su página de redes sociales, así que sí, es un grupo de amigos muy unido y parece que están de vacaciones juntos en este momento.

Diddy might be in hot water at the moment, but his daughters were in much calmer waters a world away this week -- enjoying their Spring Break with LeBron James' teenage son.

16-year-old Bryce James was featured in a video that's making the rounds online -- which shows him and a pal of his, Boogie Johnson, enjoying the ocean in Turks and Caicos ... and in the little dance compilation that got posted (and which has since been deleted), you can see Jessie and D'Lila Combs in the mix as well.

The girls and their matching bathing suits are unmistakable -- especially when you consider Bryce and the twins are quite close ... he and Boogie took them to homecoming last year. In fact, Boogie's got photos up with one of the twins on his social media page ... so yeah, it's a tight-knit friend group -- and it appears they're vacationing together right now.

Bronny James' college future is reportedly up in the air, but he's at least still repping his current team for now -- rocking some USC Trojans gear while balling out at a nearby school's campus.

LeBron's eldest son showed up at Loyola Marymount University's Burns Rec Center on Wednesday to work up a sweat ... and naturally, the students started to flock to the gym to see the 19-year-old hooper in action.

Bronny certainly didn't stray away from wearing a USC shirt and shorts during the pickup hoops sesh ... as well as his usual Nike LeBron shoes.

Our sources tell us Bronny was tight-lipped on the transfer rumors ... and elected not to talk about it at all.

It's pretty interesting -- there were reports earlier this week that Bronny was planning to hit the transfer protocol following USC head coach Andy Enfield's departure for SMU.

LeBron addressed the rumblings after the Lakers' win over the Raptors on Tuesday ... saying he had no idea where the reports came from, but said he will support Bronny in what he decides to do.

Travis Scott had the LSU campus LIT Wednesday night ... making his way to Baton Rouge and hanging with superstar athletes Angel Reese and Jayden Daniels -- and all the students in attendance went nuts!!

La Flame is dropping his new "Jack Goes Back to College" clothing and headwear capsule this week ... and in honor of teaming up with 28 universities throughout the country, he is popping up at several schools to promote the collab.

Scott and Fanatics honcho Michael Rubin arrived at LSU's bookstore around midnight ... and according to the former 76ers owner, there were thousands of fans lined up almost half the day in preparation for the launch party.

One diehard was even waited 12 hours ... and Scott showed him love by autographing his arm!!

Sorry, Big3 fans ... WNBA coach Stephanie White believes you will NOT see Caitlin Clark in the 3-on-3 league this year -- this despite the obvious temptation of Ice Cube's $5 MILLION offer.

The Connecticut Sun head coach told Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday she feels the legacy Clark can build in the WNBA will ultimately trump the Big3's cash when it comes time to make a decision.

Of course, Clark has yet to mull everything -- she said last week she wants to wait until Iowa's run in the NCAA tournament comes to an end before she chooses her next move.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is still fuming over college basketball teams being MIA for the national anthem ... doubling down on his belief athletes should either attend the pregame ceremony -- or don't play at all.

Landry called for drastic change after LSU remained in the locker room prior to Monday's Elite Eight matchup against Iowa ... saying college boards should implement new policies that would yank players' scholarships if they are not present for the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Despite LSU coach Kim Mulkey and the entire Tigers athletic department claiming it was standard pregame procedure and it wasn't an act of protest, Landry appeared on Fox News on Wednesday to further explain his stance.

Landry -- an LSU fan -- claimed he supports the players and Mulkey and wasn't calling them out specifically ... but he thinks college athletics has a real "problem" on its hands.

Landry wants universities in Louisiana to put guidelines in place to ensure teams respect the anthem as a sign of unity ... and made it clear he wants players to stand.

"That's what the universities should put in place," Landry said. "They should [stand]. Everybody should respect the flag. If you don't like it, well guess what -- you don't have to play the sport."

Shannon Sharpe asked GloRilla the question everyone wants to know the answer to -- did her flirtatious shot at NBA superstar Damian Lillard actually work -- but the rapper dodged the query expertly ... and the whole interaction was hilarious.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer peppered the Memphis rapper about the message she sent to Lillard while the two were on Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" show this week.

Initially, Shannon tried to get her to talk about her favorite NBA players ... before he pivoted the convo to her social media post where she said she "wanted" Lillard.

Caitlin Clark won't be the only bonafide superstar in the WNBA Draft ... Angel Reese just announced she, too, will be bringing her talents to the pros!

The LSU standout revealed her decision in a new Vogue interview, saying she's done everything she wanted to at the Baton Rouge college and is ready to move on.

"My ultimate goal is to be a pro," the 21-year-old said, "and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I'm ready."

Of course, the former McDonald's All-American had an outstanding college basketball career. She averaged 18.6 points and 12.3 rebounds in four seasons (at Maryland from 2020-2022, and then LSU).

Reese also racked up a ton of big-time awards. She was named SEC Player of the Year, BET's Sportswoman of the Year, SEC All-Defensive Team, ESPY's Best Breakthrough Athlete, and more.

She also led the Tigers to their first NCAA title in school history.

Now, Angel is ready to face the challenges in the WNBA ... and go up against big dogs like Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

"I’ll be working with grown women," Reese said.

"I’m going to have to work my butt off every single day and grind. And who wouldn’t want that? I don’t want anything in my life to be easy."

Reese -- who recorded 27 double-doubles this season -- is projected to be one of the top 10 picks in the draft.

LeBron James is addressing the recent rumblings surrounding Bronny's college basketball future ... saying he has no idea where the reports are coming from, but he'll support the young hooper no matter what he decides to do.

Longtime sportswriter Dick Weiss reported Tuesday the 19-year-old USC Trojan planned to transfer to a new program following head coach Andy Enfield's departure for SMU.

Weiss later backtracked and admitted he couldn't confirm the story ... but that didn't stop Lakers reporters from inquiring about it following L.A.'s 128-111 win over the Toronto Raptors.

"I don't know where it came from, but at the end of the day, Bronny's his own man and he has some tough decisions to make," Bron told reporters. "And when he's ready to make those decisions, he'll let us all know."

"But as his family, we're going to support whatever he does."

There's a lot of speculation regarding Bronny -- he was once believed to be a 2024 NBA Draft prospect, but he averaged less than 5 points, 3 rebounds and just over 2 assists a game in his freshman campaign after recovering from his offseason cardiac arrest.

Some analysts think he would benefit from staying in school another year to develop his game for the next level ... but 39-year-old LeBron has long stated it is his dream to be in the Association alongside his eldest son.

The University of Connecticut isn't playing around this year ... with both their men's and women's hoops teams in the Final Four, the U isn't takin' any chances, removing all the light poles from the campus to stop any debauchery square in its tracks!

TMZ Sports talked to UConn on Tuesday -- and with both basketball teams just two wins away from Natty's -- we asked about precautions ... given how crazy things got during last year's celebration after the men won.

Remember, students caused hella damage to the Storrs campus, including ripping down light poles and throwing them through buildings.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's highly anticipated rematch dominated the ratings on Monday ... 'cause ESPN says the Iowa vs. LSU women's Elite Eight contest generated 12.3 million viewers -- making it the most-watched women's game on record.

The sports network confirmed the massive numbers less than 24 hours after the Hawkeye beat the Tigers, 94-87 ... clinching their 2nd-straight trip to the Final Four.

Not only was it the most-viewed women's game -- ESPN added it was the biggest audience ever for a college basketball game on its platform.

Women's hoops has continuously risen in popularity ... as the Sweet Sixteen round broke a record with 2.4 million views -- a 96% increase!!

The overall women's tournament has also seen a huge spike ... with an average of 1.1 million viewers.

Of course, hats off to stars like Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins, Flau'jae Johnson and Kamilla Cardoso ... who have undoubtedly helped bring in new eyeballs this season.

Their influence has also resulted in NIL deals ... as well as a $5 million offer for Clark to join Ice Cube's Big3 league.

Caitlin Clark ... that's why Angel Reese is famous, according to Jason Whitlock who says the LSU hooper only got big 'cause she taunted the Iowa superstar -- no more, no less.

The polarizing columnist and host shared his harsh opinion after Reese -- the SEC Player of the Year -- and the Tigers lost to the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the Women's NCAA tournament on Monday.

Clark was unstoppable ... leading all scoring with 41 points. Reese put up her 27th double-double of the season (17 points and 20 rebounds) ... but that didn't change JW's opinion.

"We can officially quit putting Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark's level," the 56-year-old said. "Stop it."

"One is an all-time great player. The other got famous for taunting. The rivalry is dead."

Of course, Whitlock is referencing to last tourney's memorable moment ... when Angel mocked Caitlin during the title game, which LSU won, 102-85.

AR also used John Cena's famous "You Can't See Me" hand gesture ... something Clark had previously employed.

Reese became a big star after the calendar flipped on March Madness ... and has since been everywhere, including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

But, it's clearly taken a toll on her. Following the end of LSU's season last night, Reese talked about some of the struggles since becoming famous.

As for Clark, she's in the process of collecting just about every record that exists ... but she hasn't won a title (yet).

The journalist who called LSU women's basketball players "dirty debutantes" in a column last week has just issued an apology ... admitting, "I have failed miserably in my choice of words."

Ben Bolch wrote the controversial piece for the Los Angeles Times last Friday ... and it was almost immediately met with backlash. Critics slammed the way he compared the UCLA women's basketball team to "milk and cookies," while calling the Tigers' players "Louisiana hot sauce" -- insisting it was both racist and misogynistic.

In fact, LSU coach Kim Mulkey and her star player, Hailey Van Lith, were so offended by the article, they both used portions of their meetings with media members over the weekend to rail against Bolch.

The reporter clearly heard the criticism ... because on Monday afternoon, he issued a lengthy mea culpa.

In his statement -- which he posted to his X page -- Bolch acknowledged his words were "not appropriate" and were "deeply offensive."

"It was not my intent to be hurtful," he said, adding his employer did not require him to write the note, "but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark."

He concluded his message by writing, "I am deeply sorry."

For the L.A. Times' part, they swapped out portions of Bolch's original article ... writing in an editor's note, "The original version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been edited to remove language that was inappropriate and offensive."

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik revealed he's been dealing with a serious health condition .... admitting he was in kidney failure after he was diagnosed with a disease that left only 14% of the organ's function.

The 49-year-old went into detail about the discovery on Monday ... explaining his wife, Gina, was concerned that he looked thinner and tired -- so she begged him to get a physical after missing the last eight annual exams.

Zanik -- who became the NBA team's GM in 2019 -- set up an appointment with the Jazz physician David Petron in September 2023 ... and was told he was in kidney failure.

The diagnosis is Polycystic Kidney Disease -- an inherited disorder where cysts develop on the kidneys causing them to work less -- and Dr. Petron said Zanik only had 14% of the kidney's use left.

Zanik will have to get a transplant -- something his father did 21 years ago ... and he found a match with his wife's best friend's husband. The procedure will happen on Tuesday.

"I'm a fixer by nature. My job with the Jazz, my role with my family -- I mean, I was a [player] agent for 15 years. I fixed a lot of s***. I'm the one who's supposed to help," Zanik said.

"I'm the one who's supposed to take care of everything. I really didn't know how to ask for help, but I had to get over it. I knew I had to get over it."

Zanik's children were also diagnosed with advanced forms of PKD ... and were told that Ava, Oskar, and Lucy would need transplants before they were 30 years old.

"We're going to do this together," Zanik said. "We're stronger together."