Basketball

University of South Florida men's basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died on Thursday, according to the school ... after a medical procedure went horribly wrong.

Coach Abdur-Rahim was only 43 years old.

"All of us with South Florida Athletics are grieving with the loved ones of Coach Abdur-Rahim," USF official Michael Kelly said in a statement.

Traffic is always a nightmare in Los Angeles -- and it's expected to be even worse with a full slate of events throughout the city this weekend ... but TMZ Sports has learned the local public transit system is taking action to mitigate as many headaches as possible.

It's a fully stuffed few days for the City of Angels -- especially Friday, with the Dodgers, Lakers and USC all in action ... as well as concerts being held at the Intuit Dome and Forum.

L.A. County Metro tells TMZ Sports the service is bracing for the big weekend by increasing service on the rails ... mainly the A, B, D, and E lines.

It's a bad day to be a champagne bottle ... 'cause Breanna Stewart is grabbing all the bubbly in sight as the New York Liberty parades through the streets to celebrate their WNBA Finals win!!

The 6-foot-4 forward was spotted having a blast as her float made its way down Broadway ... spraying what appeared to be some Ace of Spades before taking a swig right from the container.

Sabrina Ionescu -- who wore a dope Nike custom Liberty jacket for the occasion -- turned the bash into a mini meet-and-greet ... hopping off her float to show love to the fans in attendance.

The Los Angeles Clippers might not have won their season opener last night ... but, not even a 0-1 record could dampen fans' excitement over their new $2 billion state-of-the-art stomping grounds in Inglewood!

After years of construction, the Intuit Dome made its regular season basketball debut last night as the Clips hosted Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.

The man who owns the team, and footed the massive bill for the project, Steve Ballmer, welcomed the fanbase like only he could! And needless to say, he was pretty excited.

LaMelo Ball was unfiltered after the Charlotte Hornets' season-opening win ... casually dropping an F-bomb during his postgame interview!!

It all went down after the 23-year-old guard had his way against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday ... scoring 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the 110-105 victory -- making him the first player in franchise history to record 30 points and 10 assists in the first game of the season.

Kemba Walker -- who played for Charlotte from 2011-2019 before joining the team as a coach this offseason -- dapped up Ball a few seconds right before his Q&A ... which prompted the reporter to ask about the impact the former guard has had on his game.

Kevin Durant wasn't in the giving mood after the Suns' season-opening win over the Clippers ... blocking "New Girl" actor Lamorne Morris' attempt at getting a special souvenir after the game.

K.D. and Phoenix spoiled L.A.'s housewarming party at the Intuit Dome ... handling James Harden and Co. in the 116-113 victory.

As K.D. was making his way to the locker rooms after the dub, Morris shouted at him and asked if he could get the jersey off his back.

LeBron James and his son, Bronny, are being dragged to a different kind of court ... TMZ Sports has learned they've just been sued over their alleged roles in a 2022 car crash.

Court documents we obtained showed the suit was filed by two plaintiffs in Los Angeles County on Tuesday afternoon ... just hours before the father-and-son duo took the floor together for the first time in a regular season game during the Lakers' season-opening win over Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena.

In the suit, April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen allege they were driving on a highway on November 13, 2022 in Littlerock, Calif. ... when the Jameses slammed into them.

LeBron James dressed to impress ahead of his historic moment with Bronny in the Lakers' season opener ... showing up to the game draped in Louis Vuitton -- including a $4,000 jacket!

The NBA superstar put his impeccable fashion taste on display as he walked through the Crypto.com Arena tunnels before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves ... donning a double-breasted Jacquard Wool Jacket -- a special piece with a $4,150 price tag.

The shoes appear to be the LV Trainer Maxi sneakers (inspired by the late Virgil Abloh) ... and if that's the case, they run $1,690.

LeBron and Bronny James are expected to make history as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA together on Tuesday ... that is, if Bronny can even make it to the game on time -- 'cause the King completely filled the rookie's car in cereal!!

The Lakers teammates starred in a new Nike commercial that dropped just hours before their home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... in which the G.O.A.T. takes part in a little rookie hazing at his own son's expense.

In the clip, LeBron is shown filling up his son's whip with boxes of Fruity Pebbles before scurrying out of sight once Bronny walks out of the house and toward the driveway.

Lou Williams can't wait to see LeBron and Bronny James taking the court together ... but only if the special moment isn't forced -- telling TMZ Sports he hopes the Lakers rookie earns his playing time.

The NBA season kicks off on Tuesday ... with Los Angeles -- led by new head coach J.J. Redick -- going up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Bronny is by far the most notable newbie for the Purple and Gold ... and like most NBA fans, Lou Will -- who we spoke with earlier this month -- is anxious to witness history when the 20-year-old guard plays with his pops.

Paul George says it's time to move on from journalists inside of NBA locker rooms ... claiming he's seen at least one reporter gawking at penises while in the players' changing areas.

The Philadelphia 76ers star made no bones about the topic while on his "Podcast P with Paul George" show this week ... explaining he agrees with NFL players who want to rid themselves of media members in the immediate vicinities of showers.

George stated he has a multitude of issues with the practice ... but one of his biggest pet peeves is clearly the way he believes some have looked at his and his teammates' private parts while trying to conduct their post-practice and postgame interviews.

NBA fans, get ready to witness history on Tuesday ... LeBron and Bronny James are expected to play together on the Crypto.com Arena court during the Lakers season opener -- the first time it's ever happened during the regular season for a father-son duo!

Shams Charania revealed the plan hours before the Lakers tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in downtown Los Angeles, the first game of the 2024 season.

The father-and-son combo will "very likely" be on the court together early in the game -- but there's an "IF" -- assuming having both James' out on the floor makes sense.

Arizona cops were so befuddled by Cameron Payne's insistence on giving them a fake name during his arrest earlier this year ... they actually called the NBA player and his decisions "dumb" -- new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The arrest went down at Payne's Scottsdale residence at around 2:30 AM on June 14 ... after cops jetted over to speak with the 30-year-old New York Knicks guard following claims that he was in a verbal dispute with his girlfriend.

The Scottsdale Police Department body cam video shows once cops arrived on the scene ... both Payne and his GF were adamant nothing was wrong. Officers then stated all they would need was Payne's real name and date of birth -- and they'd go on their way.

Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones celebrated in style after helping the New York Liberty win their first-ever WNBA Finals on Sunday ... commemorating the accomplishment by raging with fans and the team's famous mascot, Ellie the Elephant!!

Stewart was spotted out on the town shortly after the Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in overtime at the Barclays Center ... taking Game 5 and the championship series in epic fashion.

Shortly after the victory, the 6-foot-4 forward danced the night away and chugged a bottle of bubbly in the middle of a crowded NYC venue .... all while Jones held up her WNBA Finals MVP trophy.

Cops certainly knew who they were arresting when they threw the cuffs on Rajon Rondo earlier this year ... as police body cam footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows officers discussed his NBA career just after pulling him over.

The stop, as we previously reported, happened back on Jan. 28 in Jackson County, Indiana ... after authorities alleged Rondo's black Tesla didn't have a license plate properly secured to its rear.

The video shows that after initially speaking with Rondo and obtaining his information ... cops went back to their squad car -- and chatted for a few moments about the ex-Celtics guard's time on the hardwood.

If an NBA player isn't a fan of their 2K rating, they'll have to go about raising it the old-fashioned way -- hard work -- 'cause Ronnie 2K tells TMZ Sports he won't accept any bribes!!

We caught up with the face of the popular basketball video game franchise out at LAX ... and while he said plenty of hoopers have tried to shower him with gifts to increase their virtual abilities, he refuses to cave into their wishes.

"I have had all the bribe requests in the world," he said this week. "But those ratings are too sacred, I ain't changing [them]."