Basketball

Charles Barkley is giving his blunt reaction to the rumors surrounding the future of "Inside The NBA" ... admitting morale is at an all-time low amid reports the show is on life support.

The rumors have been swirling for weeks -- TNT is on the verge of losing its broadcast deal with the Association to NBC ... which, as a result, would mean the end of the wildly successful basketball program starring Chuck, Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.

Barkley opened up about the situation on "The Dan Patrick Show" Thursday ... and he certainly didn't sugarcoat anything -- but admitted even he has been left in the dark.

Charles Barkley unloaded on Caitlin Clark's detractors on Wednesday night ... calling them all "petty" -- while urging them to be grateful for everything she's already brought to the WNBA.

The Hall of Famer went on the rant during a segment on "NBA on TNT" ... after trolls -- including some who actually work in the W -- expressed displeasure with all the attention the Indiana Fever star has garnered through her first month in the league.

The Round Mound of Rebound's rant lasted about a minute -- and his message was loud and clear ... stop hating!!!

Victor Wembanyama might be the biggest nerd on the planet -- literally -- 'cause the 7-foot-4 NBA superstar was just spotted shopping for Pokémon cards and Manga books at a San Antonio store!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Spurs center visited Heroes & Fantasies -- a collectibles shop some 20 minutes away from the Frost Bank Center -- on Tuesday night in search of adding to his personal collection.

The store's vice president, Adam Conley, says Wemby arrived just before close ... and was "super friendly" as he looked at everything from Pokémon to Magic: The Gathering.

We've got some juicy TMZ TV hot takes that are sure to get you through this hump. So, settle in!!!

First up, on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles discuss 50 Cent's new Diddy docuseries ... which officially has a new home at Netflix.

WNBA star Cameron Brink is waiting by the phone to get a call from the folks at Sports Illustrated ... revealing she'd love the opportunity to pose for the publication's famous swimsuit issue!!

The L.A. Sparks rookie -- who recently graced the cover of SLAM -- joined Paul George's "Podcast P" show this week ... and early on in the episode, she shared her wish list of other mags she'd love to work with in the future.

Brink initially explained ESPN's Body Issue would be right up her alley ... saying it's a cool way for jocks to show off the physiques they work so hard to achieve.

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever team is off to a slow start -- and some fans are already hopping off the hype train -- but not LeBron James ... who says he knows exactly how the star hooper feels, 'cause he's been in her shoes!

James and (maybe future head coach) JJ Redick spoke about Clark and the expectations surrounding the WNBA rookie -- who despite averaging 17 points a game -- has received a crapload of criticism ... and Bron knows what it's like.

"I think for my advice to Caitlin, and my advice to anyone coming in with this level of notoriety, 'out of this world' expectation -- be a horse," James said on the "Mind the Game" podcast on Wednesday.

College basketball star DJ Burns Jr. has gone through a shocking body transformation after becoming a March Madness sensation this year ... reportedly losing 45 pounds in a matter of weeks -- and no, it's not a result of Ozempic.

The N.C. State big man -- who led the Wolfpack to a Final Four appearance just two months ago -- has been training like crazy leading up to the NBA Draft ... with Shams Charania stating the hooper shed some serious weight over the past six and a half weeks.

Shams broke it down on FanDuel TV ... saying Burns looked "totally different" when they met up at the prospect's pro day in L.A. this week.

LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets are at the center of a new lawsuit filed in North Carolina ... after a woman claims her 11-year-old son tried to get an autograph from the NBA star, but was left with a bad injury instead.

The alleged incident went down on October 7 after the Hornets were beaten by the Boston Celtics at Spectrum Center in Charlotte ... when Angell Joseph waited near the player exit, hoping to get a moment with the 22-year-old hooper.

Instead of stopping and signing for the young fan, Angell's mom, Tamaria McRae, says LaMelo just drove off ... and in the process, ran over her son's foot, breaking it.

Angel Reese has played a big part in the growth of women's basketball ... and now the star hooper is expanding her reach to another sport -- soccer -- as the former LSU star just bought into the DC Power Football Club!

22-year-old Reese is the newest owner of the pro soccer org, based about an hour from where Angel grew up in Maryland, and will soon join the USL Super League.

The power forward -- who's averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her rookie season with the Chicago Sky -- will join an ownership group that includes owners of the D.C. United Men's Club and other business leaders in the DMV ... and they're stoked to have her!

Cameron Brink's meet-and-greet with Hollywood's biggest names continues ... 'cause fresh off her run-in with Kim Kardashian, the L.A. Sparks star hung out with Shohei Ohtani at the Dodgers game!!

The 2024 No. 2 overall pick and her fellow rookie teammate, No. 4 pick Rickea Jackson, were VIP guests at Los Angeles' home matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday ... throwing out the first pitch and shouting the traditional "It's time for Dodger baseball" rally cry before the game.

Brink got some one-on-one time with the biggest name in baseball as well ... and when they met up, Ohtani couldn't help but acknowledge how they were on eye level.

Caitlin Clark's WNBA growing pains continued Monday night ... this time, a profane outburst at a ref cost her team a technical foul -- which hurt the Fever in yet another loss.

Clark hurled an F-bomb an official's way late in the fourth quarter of Indiana's tilt with Connecticut at Gainbridge Fieldhouse ... after she believed she was illegally hit on an offensive possession just moments prior.

She ran up to the referee and screamed, "That's a f***ing foul!" ... before she went to regroup with her teammates.

Paul Pierce is finally letting the world know how he suffered a finger injury that required a trip to the hospital last week ... revealing he busted up the digit during a workout mishap.

The NBA Hall of Famer explained the situation to Keyshawn Johnson and Skip Bayless on Monday's episode of "Undisputed," telling the guys it all happened as he was trying to do a plank with a weight on his back last Friday.

Pierce said at one point during the core exercise -- the 45-pounder that had been placed between his shoulder blades came dislodged ... and then fell right on his hand.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart showed love to the diehard Knicks fans -- who ride for their squad, win or lose -- after the season-ending game 7 defeat to the Pacers ... showing love to droves of NYK supporters hanging out around the Garden after the game!

Of course, the Knicks and Pacers were tied at 3 games each heading into Sunday's deciding contest. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton went off, knocking down six threes, and shooting 67% as a team, ending the season for the beaten-up Knicks.

Despite the L in the crucial game, Knicks fans still posted up at The Garden ... and Brunson -- who suffered a fractured left hand during the game -- got out of his car to shake hands with the crowd.

Michael Malone didn't have time for "stupid ass questions" after the Denver Nuggets were booted from the playoffs ... taking his frustrations out on the media following his team's Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nikola Jokic and the defending champs were sitting pretty for the majority of Sunday's contest ... but Anthony Edwards and Co. bounced back from down 20 to secure the 98-90 victory and their spot in the Western Conference Finals.

Malone was clearly pissed over how things played out on the court ... 'cause when he took the mic at his postgame presser, it didn't take long for him to tee off on a reporter.

The WNBA is boomin' right now ... and it's all thanks to Caitlin Clark and the league's new crop of rookies, at least that's according to Tina Charles, who's crediting the youngsters for injecting a whole new life into the game.

The Atlanta Dream star didn't mince words when TMZ Sports caught up with her at LAX this week ... saying straight up the WNBA's "new generation" is responsible for all of the new buzz that's now surrounding the league.

"The energy that we're getting, the reception, the eyes that we're getting on us -- this is amazing," the center said.

The woman who made headlines for photobombing Stephen Curry at an NBA game is making a no-brainer business move -- she's joining OnlyFans.

As TMZ Sports previously reported ... Katherine Taylor went viral back in March when she was spotted cheering on the action in a low-cut top at the Warriors' home contest against the Milwaukee Bucks -- and a ton of horny hoop fans rushed to social media to track down her identity, which didn't take long.

The admiration got to the point where Taylor's "luxury girlfriend" service was bombarded with so many requests, she had to increase her rate to $1,500 an hour (a $600 increase).