Basketball

Caitlin Clark has a lot to celebrate this week ... 'cause shortly after she broke the record for most points by a WNBA rookie, her boyfriend got a new job at Butler -- as a coach!

The university announced on Monday it's hiring Connor McCaffery -- who previously worked on the Indiana Pacers staff -- to be an assistant on its men's basketball team ... and it said in a statement it's thrilled to welcome him to Bulldog Country.

Clark -- who started dating McCaffery when they both played ball at Iowa -- was also pumped for her man ... congratulating him with a sweet message on Instagram.

NFL teams in need of a quarterback might want to see what Caitlin Clark's up to on off-days ... 'cause the WNBA star threw out some swag at the Fever game Sunday -- and it's clear, she's got a cannon!!

Check out video Indiana posted to its social media pages following its 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings ... you can see the 22-year-old signed some mini-basketballs, and then hurled them into the stands like she was Patrick Mahomes.

One after another, she rifled them to people who were sitting in Gainbridge Fieldhouse nosebleeds ... and people were left in awe of her right arm.

A'ja Wilson celebrated her new record for most points in a WNBA regular season ... by spending the day with NBA star Bam Adebayo!!

TMZ Sports obtained photos of the two basketball centers making their way downtown in Indianapolis on Thursday -- just hours after Wilson secured the single-season scoring title against the Indiana Fever.

The six-time WNBA All-Star and Miami Heat hooper were among a group of people on a stroll down Market Street ... and they appeared to be multitasking, as they had some grub in hand.

Ex-NBA player Mitchell Wiggins -- the father of Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins -- has died, his family announced. He was 64 years old.

Details surrounding his passing were not released.

Mitchell was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 23rd overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. He played in the Windy City for one season before being traded to the Houston Rockets -- where he remained until 1987.

Jenn Tran isn't done putting the full-court press on Cleveland Cavs player Max Strus ... 'cause one day after professing her crush on the hooper, she was caught double-tapping on his recent thirst trap.

As we previously reported, the "Bachelorette" beauty gushed over the sharp-shooter on "The Viall Files" podcast released Thursday ... saying after finding out Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was off the market, she wouldn't mind if Strus slid into her DMs.

The shout-out could very well work in her favor ... 'cause as it turns out, the two follow each other on social media. It's unclear if it's a recent development, or if Tran had been on Strus' radar all along.

Greatness recognizes greatness ... and Tom Brady did just that on Thursday -- giving WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson a major shoutout after breaking the single-season scoring record.

Brady -- who is arguably the GOAT of the NFL -- gave the Las Vegas Aces center her flowers on X ... singing her praises for accomplishing the feat in just 35 games.

"There are so many incredible players in the WNBA right now," Brady said minutes ago. "But there’s only one A'ja Wilson!"

"Bachelorette" star Jenn Tran is looking to move on from Devin Strader with a hunky NBA player ... revealing her celebrity crush is Cleveland Cavaliers hooper Max Strus -- and she wants him to hit her up ASAP!!

The gorgeous reality TV star spilled the beans on her dating life on the most recent episode of "The Viall Files" ... where she said she's not looking to get back on the market after her disastrous split from her ex-fiancé.

Tran said she'd make an exception if Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was interested ... that is, until she was informed he's currently boo'd up with singer Ella Mai.

Taylor Swift wasn't the only megastar to throw her support behind Kamala Harris after Tuesday night's debate ... Caitlin Clark sure seemed to show she's got the VP's back in the race against Donald Trump as well.

Check out Swift's now-famous Instagram post -- Clark put a big ole heart on the love letter to Harris ... suggesting she, too, will be casting her vote for the Democratic Party's nominee in November.

The 22-year-old WNBA phenom hadn't previously indicated which way she'd go.

Dan Hurley used some colorful language during a speech at the White House on Tuesday -- and while the scene was funny and endearing ... the UConn head coach still ended up saying he was sorry to Joe Biden for his potty mouth.

The hilarious moments went down just minutes ago ... as Hurley and the rest of the Huskies hit up 1600 Penn Ave. to celebrate their second straight national championship.

Biden first took the dais and congratulated all of the hoopers for their achievements ... and when Hurley followed -- he was so excited, he dropped not one, but two S-bombs!

Angel Reese's rookie season is officially done ... 'cause a wrist injury suffered in her last game put her out of commission.

The Chicago Sky center took to social media Saturday to announce the news ... joking she couldn't imagine her last shot of the season would be a three-pointer -- before saying she's filled with emotion at the premature end to her year.

That said, AR says she's super grateful for whatever comes next ... adding this might be God's timing -- but, at least she can give herself a physical and mental break.

"Basketball Wives" star Jennifer Williams' wedding plans are hitting a speed bump -- her fiancé Christian Gold is going to jail a week before he's supposed to be at the altar ... TMZ has learned.

Christian was taken into custody Friday morning in Georgia's DeKalb County courthouse for a probation violation. The judge sentenced Christian to 15 days behind bars, which must have been a major shock for Jennifer, who was in court supporting her man.

However, the judge showed some mercy for the couple's marital plans -- Christian's going to do 2 days in jail for now, and then he'll be temporarily released, so he can walk down the aisle.

Charles Barkley believes Caitlin Clark is being grossly mistreated by her fellow WNBA players so far in her career ... and he's chalking it all up to "petty jealousness."

The Chuckster teed off on the current state of the W during an interview with Bill Simmons this week ... claiming despite all Clark has done for the organization, her peers are dropping the ball by being grade-A haters.

"These ladies, and I'm a WNBA fan, they cannot have f***ed this Caitlin Clark thing up any worse if they tried," the Hall of Famer said.

Jerry Ferrara has a long list of names he wants to have appear on his new "Throwbacks" sports podcast with Matt Leinart ... but there's one person he's got highlighted at the very top of it -- New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.

TMZ Sports spoke with the former "Entourage" and "Power" actor about his project with the Heisman Trophy winner ... and he's excited to chat weekly with his cohost about all things sports and life in general.

Ferrara explained it's not going to be all Xs and Os -- he's going to give the perspective of a true sports fan ... as he has a lifetime of experience from cheering for his beloved Yankees, Giants and Knicks.

Flau'jae Johnson isn't interested in being called an athlete who raps ... the LSU national champion and artist behind the hit track with Lil' Wayne says her goals are far loftier -- as in Adele collaborations and Grammy Award wins!

TMZ Sports talked to 20-year-old Flau'jae just days after she dropped the music video for "Came Out A Beast" -- which already has over a million views -- and asked #4 if she believed she was the best athlete rapper.

"I don't know. I'm not them. That's not my title because I'm really taking this seriously. Like I'm trying to perform arenas. I'm trying to tour. I'm trying to be a real established artist. I want to win a Grammy."

The USA men's 3x3 squad failed to bring home the hardware, but Jrue Holiday thinks he and his NBA brothers could yield different results if they teamed up for the Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports he likes their chances!!

We caught up with the Celtics champion and Paris gold medalist while he was working an honorary shift at Raising Cane's in Boston this week ... and he talked all about his "whirlwind" 2024.

"It's been fun," Holiday said. "Winning's not too bad."

If you wanna watch Caitlin Clark take on Angel Reese in-person later Friday ... ya better have some deep pockets -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned tickets prices for the big contest are SOARING.

A rep for Gametime -- an app that helps fans find last-minute tix -- tells us that as of Thursday afternoon, the average price to get into Wintrust Arena for the Indiana vs. Chicago tilt was $1,045!!!

To get a premium seat, the official says it could run you all the way up $2,013!!