Basketball

The kickoff to the WNBA All-Star Weekend's festivities looked more like a fashion show ... as Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and all the ladies pulled up to the party's Orange Carpet dressed like models!!

The superstars donned their finest 'fits and headed over to the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona on Thursday night ... to officially let the world know their league's annual midseason showcase is starting.

One by one, they strutted their stuff in front of media members and cameras ... and they looked gooooood.

Alec Baldwin is gearing up for a lawsuit, Joe Jonas is opening up on his new music and Mojo Muhtadi is paying it forward ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down a legal threat from Alec ... aimed at the New Mexico sheriff and special prosecutor involved in his manslaughter case from the "Rust" shooting.

The vibes were certainly high for Cameron Brink after undergoing surgery to fix her busted ACL ... 'cause the WNBA star shared a clip right from the hospital bed -- and she was SO chill.

The L.A. Sparks rookie -- who suffered the injury back in mid-June -- recently went under the knife to repair the ailment ... and it appears she was drugged out to the max for the procedure.

The video is great ... with 22-year-old Brink giving her family and boyfriend an update on how she was feeling.

In less than three months in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark has already rewritten one of the league's most prestigious records.

On Wednesday night, the Indiana Fever star set the new mark for assists in one game ... after she tallied NINETEEN total against the Dallas Wings.

The previous record belonged to Courtney Vandersloot, who logged 18 two times -- once in the regular season in 2020 and once in the postseason in 2021 -- when she was with the Chicago Sky.

Bronny James is getting buried on social media over his less-than-stellar Summer League performances to kick off his Lakers career ... but he's got at least one BIG supporter standing firm in his corner -- Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

It's no secret -- LeBron James' eldest boy isn't necessarily taking the Association by storm after going No. 55 overall to the Purple and Gold last month ... averaging just 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in four appearances -- not to mention going 0-15 from three-point range.

While those kinds of numbers won't garner a ton of praise, it seems some haters are going extra hard on the 19-year-old hooper due to his famous pops and claims of "nepotism."

Steph Curry and Drake have a lot in common these days ... both dudes are really tired of hearing Kendrick Lamar's smash hit, "Not Like Us."

The Golden State Warriors superstar made his disdain for the tune known while he and Team USA were gearing up for a pre-Olympics tilt with Serbia in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday afternoon.

As the point guard was settling in for the matchup, the PA announcer blared K. Dot's Drake diss track ... and almost immediately, Curry groaned.

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky got a very special surprise after beating the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday ... with none other than Usher greeting the big winners in the locker room.

The Sky had one of their most impressive outings of the season after handling the defending champions in a 93-85 finish in Sin City ... with Reese capturing another double-double, tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds.

After the final buzzer, the ladies got the chance to hang out with Ursher, baby!!

Caitlin Clark's used to shooting from logos, but one NASCAR team just revealed the WNBA superstar will actually be a logo this weekend!!

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Tuesday they've put an image of the Indiana Fever rookie squarely on the hood of Josh Berry's No. 4 Ford Mustang ... and will officially debut the cool look at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The paint scheme is all part of a partnership between the racing team and Panini America, which just recently released a "Caitlin Clark Collection" of trading cards.

11:38 AM PT -- Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, just addressed Joe's passing ... sharing her condolences and reflecting on his relationship with the family.

"We hoped things would've been different," Vanessa said on Tuesday. "Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around."

"Kobe loved him very much."

Cameron Brink is proving she's a star both on and off the court ... 'cause the WNBA rookie just landed the cover of a fashion magazine!!

The L.A. Sparks forward dropped the major news on Monday ... announcing she recently posed for the Flaunt publication's "Gold Standard" issue. The 22-year-old, who tore her ACL just about a month ago, took part in the shoot weeks before the unfortunate injury happened.

Brink rocked multiple outfits for the photoshoot -- including one featuring Skims, which she's posed for in the past -- and also sat down for a quick Q&A. When asked how she deals with all the business opportunities that come with being a pro, she said her time at Stanford got her ready for the next level.

The Las Vegas heat wasn't enough to stop Jordyn Woods, Karl-Anthony Towns, Paul George and his wife Daniela from gettin' lit in Sin City ... the foursome partied all weekend long, and we got the pics!

Woods -- who has been dating KAT since 2020 -- posted BTS photos and videos of the weekend in America's Playground ... and revealed the couple was hanging with PG and wifey.

And, the ladies were stunning ... Woods wore a glitter champagne-colored dress while Daniela -- who married the Sixers forward in 2022 -- wore a revealing white satin dress.

Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis is welcoming his new teammate, DeMar DeRozan, to the squad with open arms ... telling TMZ Sports he's totally stoked about the new addition.

We caught up with the three-time All-Star at LAX fresh off the three-team deal that went down this week ... which sent Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duarte and two second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls -- and, of course, DeRozan to Sac-Town.

It's safe to say the league's back-to-back rebounding leader approves of the deal ... 'cause he couldn't say enough good things about it.

Tara Davis-Woodhall is on her way to the 2024 Olympics ... and there's one athlete she really wants to meet -- LeBron James -- telling us she must meet the NBA superstar who changed the world of sports!

TMZ Sports spoke with the track and field athlete this week before she heads to the City of Light for her second Olympics ... where Tara's stoked to compete for the gold medal.

Business aside, she's also hyped to meet some of the other elite athletes from around the world ... especially King James, who's playing in his third Olympics with the U.S. Men's National Basketball team.

If the WNBA season ended today, Angel Reese -- NOT Caitlin Clark -- would be named Rookie of the Year ... so says legendary college basketball coach Dawn Staley.

The South Carolina women's hoops honcho didn't mince words when TMZ Sports caught up with her out at LAX ... telling us right now, Reese is more deserving of the honor.

"At this time -- today -- it's Angel," she said. "Without a doubt."

Jaylen Brown and Kysre Gondrezick sure look like an item ... the two pro basketball players pulled up to the ESPYs together arm-in-arm -- and even appeared to get ready for the event inside the same hotel room.

The annual sports award show is going down Thursday evening at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles ... and the Boston Celtics star and the WNBA player were seen preppin' for the event at Pendry West Hollywood.

Check out a photo TMZ Sports obtained of the two on a balcony just hours before they hit the ESPY red carpet together ... they seemed to be sharing the same room as they got dolled up.

Barack Obama's living in a 'Key & Peele' skit ... the former President reenacted one of their most hilarious bits as #44 showed love to LeBron James and Team USA!

If you haven't seen it (shame on you!), Jordan Peele, portraying Obama in the 2014 skit, is met by fans after delivering a speech. Peele, as BO, greets supporters with handshakes -- but the style of shake differed depending on race.

Formal with white people ... Black supporters were dapped up.