Basketball

Michael Jordan's boat was not the G.O.A.T. this weekend ... leaving a big fishing tournament empty-handed.

His Airness' Catch 23 watercraft competed in the 66th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin competition in Morehead City, NC ... in hopes of landing a piece of the massive $7.5 million prize pool.

MJ's crew of seven anglers and a captain, however, did not place or earn any money over the course of the weekend.

Doris Burke poked fun at the nationwide Caitlin Clark obsession during Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday ... cracking a joke about the narrative surrounding the WNBA superstar's treatment on the court.

The ESPN talent name-dropped the Indiana Fever hooper following a hard foul in the second quarter of the Celtics' series-clinching win over the Mavericks ... when P.J. Washington wrapped his arms around Kristaps Porzingis and dragged him to the hardwood.

Burke was quick to react with a witty comment ... saying, "If that were Caitlin Clark, it might spark a debate for a week."

Celtics fans poured into Boston streets just seconds after Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown won the city an NBA title ... and they celebrated in chaotic fashion -- all while trashing Kyrie Irving in the process.

The impromptu block party began near TD Garden arena right after the C's mercifully ended the Dallas Mavericks' season by winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 106-88.

You can see thousands of green-clad fans flooded roadways -- jumping on top of police vehicles ... and chanting "F*** Kyrie!"

Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick is back at it with the hijinks ... this time, he celebrated his teammate's birthday by once again using his surname to make out a funny message.

The 20-year-old joined in on showing love for fellow Raptors hooper Immanuel Quickley on his 25th cake day ... but while others went the traditional route, Dick added a not-so-subtle note by meshing both their jerseys together to create a NSFW message.

Of course, Dick is known for this kinda comedy -- he went super viral this season for a jersey swap with Orlando Magic rookie Anthony Black ... spelling out quite the X-rated phrase.

The Angel Reese/Caitlin Clark rivalry's alive and well ... 'cause Angel just committed a hard foul while Clark was going up for a layup -- smacking her in the side of the head.

The foul occurred just moments ago ... with Clark's Indiana Fever up 63-62 over the Chicago Sky in the third quarter. Check out the clip -- Clark's heading to the hoop when she's taken down by Reese, landing on the hardwood.

While at first, it seems like just a tough foul, the referees call for a break in the action to review the blow ... and, another camera angle shows fans exactly why.

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks weren't the only ones going head to head in the NBA finals ... a bunch of Celtics fans got into an amateur boxing match at a game 4 watch party.

Friday night's brawl broke out between two men seated near each other in the crowd at TD Garden arena in Beantown ... where Celtics fans were having a viewing party of the on-court action taking place inside American Airlines Stadium in Dallas.

Check out the vid ... the younger dude was standing over the older guy and using his head as a punching bag. Several bystanders and a security guard tried to pull the aggressor off the old man as he cowered on cement stairs.

Dan Hurley went back to UConn ... so the Lakers should now turn their attention toward Sam Cassell -- so says Reggie Theus, who tells TMZ Sports the ex-NBA star would be an "excellent" choice for L.A.'s vacant head coaching job.

Theus -- a former NBA player and ex-coach of the Sacramento Kings -- said out at LAX this week that Cassell is "my guy" ... and would be his top choice to fill in for Darvin Ham now that Hurley is officially out of the picture in Los Angeles.

"I love Sam," he said. "I think he's been around -- he's earned his dues."

The cause of death for ex-NBA player Darius Morris has just been revealed ...  heart disease is the killer, with drug and alcohol use playing a big role.

Darius' official cause of death is coronary artery disease ... according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

According to the ME's death investigation summary, obtained by TMZ Sports, drug and alcohol use was a significant factor in Darius' death ... specifically, the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol.

LeBron James has quite the bone to pick with a California car company ... publicly admonishing the joint for "lying" about hooking him up with a new set of wheels.

The Effortless Motors dealership in Riverside shared a clip of a new Bugatti being driven into the back of a truck on Wednesday ... featuring a caption claiming the Lakers superstar was its "biggest VIP customer" and congratulating him for "trusting" its business.

James himself eventually got wind of the post ... and was quick to call BS on the whole thing on Instagram.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne was arrested in Arizona on Friday morning, TMZ Sports has learned ... after cops claim he gave officers a false report.

According to the Scottsdale Police Department, authorities were called out to investigate a disturbance in Scottsdale at around 2:44 AM -- and came into contact with Payne and another individual.

It's unclear exactly what happened next -- cops did not give any further specific details -- although the SPD says Payne was arrested on the scene and booked on one charge of refusal to provide a truthful name and one count of false report to law enforcement.

Delonte West has resurfaced following his most recent arrest ... appearing completely strung out while walking through a parking lot in Virginia -- and the video is heartbreaking.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the former Boston Celtics guard roaming around Alexandria around 7 PM on Thursday ...wobbling and putting his hand to his head.

We're told West -- who was wearing a t-shirt, basketball shorts, slides and a red cap in the video -- frequents the area ... and it's not necessarily a great part of town.

12:45 PM PT -- Terrence Shannon Jr. breaks his silence on the not guilty verdict ... saying on Friday, he's thankful to those who stood by him during the case.

"I knew I was innocent of these horrible crimes and I had faith in God that someday everyone else would know that too," Shannon said on Instagram.

"I am so grateful to all of you for believing in me, especially my family, friends, and legal teams whose support kept me going.

Shannon said he's ready to move on from this and focused on "my path forward."

The Indiana Fever got a rare victory on Thursday, but Caitlin Clark clearly wasn't satisfied with her performance ... honing her craft with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, right after the game.

The superstar rookie was caught on video working out on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court after putting up only 7 points in the Fever's 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream ... with her man offering up his assistance.

You can see the 6-foot guard taking several mid-range shots while McCaffery played defense ... perhaps to get the not-so-great shooting performance outta her system -- as Clark went 1-6 from three and 3-11 from the field in the contest.

Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. has been found not guilty in his rape trial ... with the NBA prospect being acquitted of all charges on Thursday.

The decision was announced minutes ago ... with the jury coming to its conclusion after just over an hour of deliberation.

Shannon Jr. was accused of sexual misconduct following a trip to Lawrence, Kansas in September ... and was suspended from the Illinois basketball team after being charged with rape and sexual battery.

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley is opening up on his decision to reject the Lakers ... admitting the team succeeded in piquing his interest -- but ultimately, he has many more reasons to keep his current gig.

Hurley -- who just turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from Los Angeles -- spoke with reporters about his eventful week on Thursday ... and said the idea of taking the reins for the Purple and Gold was "obviously tempting" and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The opportunity to coach a future Hall of Famer in LeBron James wasn't lost on Hurley either -- in fact, he revealed he spoke with the four-time champion on the phone during the interview process.

Brian Windhorst basically dropped a Kendrick Lamar-esque diss track on Luka Doncic following the Dallas Mavericks' Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday ... going in on the NBA superstar for his "unacceptable" performance.

The Slovenian baller dropped 27 points before fouling out with four minutes left in the Finals matchup ... adding another chapter to his ongoing beef with officials as he visibly and audibly expressed his frustration with calls throughout the contest.

The ESPN analyst was clearly fed up with Doncic's on-court antics ... teeing off on the matter after the game.