Basketball

1:21 PM PT -- Pat McAfee is addressing the criticism ... saying he shouldn't have used the phrase when describing Caitlin Clark -- and he personally sent her an apology for his mistake.

"No matter the context.. even if we’re talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening," PM said on X. "I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe."

He added ... "My intentions when saying it were complimentary just like the entire segment but, a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn’t at all. That’s 100% on me and for that I apologize."

Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon just condemned Chennedy Carter for her controversial foul on Caitlin Clark ... calling the shooting guard's actions unnecessary.

The Sky honcho made the comments in a statement on Monday afternoon ... admitting the body check that Carter laid on Clark during their game Saturday was "not appropriate."

"Nor is it what we do or who we are," she added.

NBA legend Alonzo Mourning underwent surgery to have his prostate removed recently ... revealing he was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer.

The Hall of Fame center opened up on the procedure he had back in March ... explaining he was forced to take action following a routine prostate cancer screening that showed a rise in his PSA scores.

A second appointment confirmed Mourning had a Gleason score of eight ... which is a high grade of prostate cancer.

Cam'ron just returned fire after Anthony Edwards called out the New York rapper in his latest Adidas commercial ... going OFF on the Timberwolves superstar in a scathing freestyle.

The 22-year-old guard -- who signed with Adidas after turning pro -- released an ad shortly after Minnesota was eliminated from the playoffs last week ... where he clapped back at the people who criticized him by sharing, quite literally, receipts.

One of the naysayers mentioned was Cam'ron ... who said on his "It Is What It Is" podcast that Edwards wasn't a superstar yet.

Seems Karl-Anthony Towns is hoping a little retail therapy will help him get over the Timberwolves' Western Conference finals loss ... 'cause the Minnesota star was seen going on a shopping spree Sunday -- one in which he appeared to buy loads of luxury items.

The four-time NBA All-Star hit Topanga Mall in the Los Angeles area to apparently find comfort in his credit card ... just a couple days after the Dallas Mavericks unceremoniously ended his season.

KAT's longtime girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, joined him for the excursion ... and it's clear the two spent some big bucks as they officially kicked off the basketball player's offseason.

Angel Reese has been fined by the WNBA after the Chicago Sky's game against the Indiana Fever ... but, it's not for what most fans might think.

The league announced a fine for the rookie for skipping media obligations postgame ... dinging her $1,000 for not making herself available to reporters. They've also fined the Sky $5k.

Of course, Angel clearly applauded a cheap shot foul her teammate Chennedy Carter hit Clark with during the game Saturday, and some may have thought the league would reprimand her for that ... but, so far, that's not the case.

Look out, future athletes -- WNBA star Brittney Griner says her baby on the way will 100% be involved in sports ... telling TMZ Sports it's a no-brainer!!

The Phoenix Mercury center has been a basketball star her whole life ... from recording 52 dunks her high school senior year to winning a title at Baylor in 2012 and earning a WNBA championship two years later.

Now that Griner and her wife, Cherelle, announced they're expanding their family ... we had to ask if the kiddo will follow in her footsteps and grow up with a ball in his hands.

LaMelo Ball just added another whip to his collection that'll make ya jealous ... TMZ Sports has learned the NBA star copped a custom Tesla Cybertruck -- that's loaded with all kinds of sick features!!

Ball worked exclusively with Dreamworks Motorsports to get the ride tricked out to his liking ... and take a look at the finished product he received this week -- it's got ALL of the bells and whistles built into it.

It has his "LaFrance" clothing brand logo all over ... even stitched into the car's headrests. It also has the words "Rare" and "1 Of 1" slapped on it -- an homage to the unique tattoos the hooper has on his hands and back.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever got the win against the Chicago Sky on Saturday but boy, things got physical .... including a cheap shot that sent the number one pick to the hardwood, drawing applause from rival Angel Reese!

It was a full house at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the first WNBA match-up between Reese and Clark ... and they picked up right where they left things off in college!

The game was intense, and the Fever was thrilled to come away with their second win of the season. Clark wasn't happy with the body check from Angel's teammate, Chennedy Carter.

Some scumbag pretending to be NBA prospect James McCain has been scamming fans out of their hard-earned money on Snapchat ... and now, the REAL James McCain's team is working to get the account removed from the app.

TMZ Sports has learned -- someone completely unaffiliated with 20-year-old McCain has been reaching out to people on the platform recently ... and after weeks of talking and building up trust, the user will eventually offer gifted items from SKIMS and other companies at a discounted price.

We're told some users have fallen for it -- after all, Kim Kardashian's brand recently partnered with the NCAA for March Madness ... and McCain was all over the campaign.

SKIMS also has a relationship with the NBA ... McCain's next employer.

If Luka Doncic was hopin' his viral moment with a postgame beer Thursday night would lead to some free suds ... he can stop holding his breath -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the company that makes the beverage says it's got no plans to send a care package his way.

A rep for Fulton Beer tells us while they appreciated that Doncic grabbed one of their Lonely Blonde ales following the Mavericks' big Game 5 win over the Timberwolves, they're not hooking him up -- because, simply, they're fans of the losing team!

The company is actually based out of Minnesota ... so, needless to say, Doncic can stop waiting for an on-the-house goodie bag of the tasty brews now.

NBA legend Bill Walton -- arguably the biggest Grateful Dead fan on the planet -- received a huge tribute at the Dead & Company Sphere show Thursday night ... three days after he tragically passed away.

The band -- which consists of John Mayer and Bob Weir, plus other former Grateful Dead members -- projected images of Walton behind them throughout their hourslong concert at the must-see attraction in Las Vegas.

Some of the pics displayed on the building's massive screens included Walton with Weir and Mickey Hart. They also featured the former Celtics center's No. 32 jersey number, rose petals ... and a whole bunch of tie-dye colors.

10:56 AM PT -- Officials say Drew Gordon was driving a three-wheel Vanderhall Carmel when he crashed with a GMC Sierra pickup around 1 PM on Thursday.

Gordon died at the scene, while the 25-year-old driver of the GMC and a passenger were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials say the preliminary investigation indicates Gordon's vehicle crossed the center line and made contact with the GMC ... and impairment does not appear to have played a role in the accident.

Former NBA player Drew Gordon -- the brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon -- died in a car accident in Portland on Thursday. He was just 33 years old.

Gordon was a star athlete growing up in California ... earning All-American honors at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

He went on to play college ball at UCLA and the University of New Mexico for two seasons each ... and later signed with numerous professional clubs in Europe, before making his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2014.

Luka Doncic just wanted to enjoy a cold one after leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals, but Michael Finley had other plans ... smoothly jacking the superstar's beer in a hilarious moment.

The 25-year-old Slovenian hooper and his teammates celebrated the franchise's first Western Conference title since 2011 on Thursday ... easily handling the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the series, 124-103.

Naturally, the Mavs were in great spirits after clinching a matchup with the Boston Celtics ... but when Luka posted up alongside his pops and sipped a blonde ale during the postgame festivities, the former pro-turned-exec intervened.

Caitlin Clark's fiery temper flared up once more during the Fever vs. Storm game Thursday night ... when she got so mad at Victoria Vivians, she actually got all up in the WNBA star's face on the court.

The incident happened in the second quarter of the sell-out contest at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse ... when Clark banked in a 30-plus footer, despite Vivians' hand in her face.

After the long 3-pointer, Clark had a few words for Vivians ... which clearly ticked off the Storm guard.

NY Giants star Darren Waller -- who's also a musician -- is opening up on his love life, in song form, dropping a new track about failed past relationships just months after his ex, WNBA star Kelsey Plum filed for divorce.

The latest single is titled "Who Knew (Her Perspective)" ... and Waller said he wrote it from the viewpoint of a woman trying to love him.

"I’ve struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships my whole life, and I recognize the toll it has taken on the lovers I’ve been close to," the 31-year-old said on Thursday.