Basketball

UConn's live goat gift to Geno Auriemma on Wednesday night has infuriated animal rights activists ... with PETA telling TMZ Sports it didn't think the scene was cool at all.

Officials for the organization said in a statement to us on Thursday it was apparent to them the goat was under duress as a handler brought it onto the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion court to celebrate Auriemma's 1,217th career victory.

PETA claimed the goat "was visibly anxious" -- and to make matters worse, it said the person leading it "either didn't notice or didn't care that his collar was digging into his neck."

A major piece of LeBron and Bronny James history is up for grabs ... with the jerseys the father-son duo wore in their season-opening game hitting the auction block TOGETHER -- and, yeah, they ain't gonna come cheap.

The one-of-a-kind memorabilia set is available via Sotheby's ... and has already reached $70,000 with almost two weeks left for bidding.

Both jerseys are believed to have been worn for the Lakers' first game of the 2024-25 campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 ... which L.A. won 110-103. LeBron scored 16 points in the contest ... adding four assists and five rebounds.

Cleveland Cavaliers legend Austin Carr is known for his trademark "Get that weak stuff outta here" phrase ... but he accidentally released the unedited version on Wednesday -- letting an S-bomb slip on live TV!!

Mr. Cavalier -- the team's longtime broadcast commentator -- was chatting with Tristan Thompson and Georges Niang after the Wine and Gold's 128-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans ... and at one point, he asked the former his thoughts on one specific moment during the outing.

"Tristan, it looked like you got a little upset, the guy was trying to shoot the ball right in front of your face, it was like, 'Get that s***' -- oh, I mean ..."

UConn found the perfect way to honor Geno Auriemma as the G.O.A.T after becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history ... by surprising him with an actual goat!!

The celebration took place at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday evening ... after the UConn Huskies whooped FDU, 85-41.

The victory marked Auriemma's 1,217th win ... making him the only coach to secure that many victories in women's and men's college basketball.

Heartbreaking news from Isaiah Thomas -- the NBA player just announced his older sister has passed away.

The 35-year-old point guard mourned the loss Wednesday evening ... posting an Instagram story tribute to LaQuisha Baldtrip.

"Ima miss you, big sis!!!" Thomas said on the post. "Damn, how you leave me too?"

Philadelphia 76ers' rookie Jared McCain still makes time for social media and Spotify streaming -- and is adding his 2 cents to the All-RapCaviar Teams debate!!!

RapCaviar's editors recruited JM to vote for his 2024 Rapper and Rookie of the Year ... likely a much more fun task than Tuesday's team meeting where the 76ers argued about being last place in the Eastern Conference!!!

Arguments are flying left and right over the selections ... Drake is Spotify's top rapper in terms of streams but was only selected to the 3rd Team, and the 2024 Rap Wars were an undeniable factor!!!

Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love has passed away following a battle with cancer, the team announced. He was 81 years old.

"Bob is one of the original Bulls greats," Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Bulls chairman, said in a statement. "During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Bob became a cornerstone of the franchise, and his tenacious defense set high standards for competition and toughness."

"Toughness was not only a trademark of Bob’s play on the court, but also apparent in his resiliency throughout his basketball career."

The concerning videos that former NBA player Kyle Singler has been posting to social media this month have caught the attention of local authorities, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Medford Police Department in Oregon tells us ... cops "are aware" of the vids Singler's been putting up on his Instagram page this past week -- though the rep did not release any further information.

"We are not going to make any comment on any mental health matter with our citizens," the spokesperson said.

LaMelo Ball is adamant he's not a bigot ... telling reporters Sunday that even though he used some anti-gay language earlier in the weekend, he has "love for everybody."

Ball was fined by the NBA just prior to his Sunday evening meeting with the media ... after league officials deemed the "no homo" comment he made in a postgame interview on Saturday "offensive and derogatory."

Ball told journalists following the Hornets' 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers that he "really didn't mean anything" by the remark ... and he doesn't "want to offend anybody."

Just because Bronny James is bouncing between the NBA and G League doesn't mean his hoops career is cooked ... so says Metta World Peace, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers rookie is getting a great opportunity to develop.

James -- the 55th overall pick -- was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Nov. 7 ... after the guard averaged 0.7 points, and 2.7 minutes of playing time in six games with the big dogs.

It's not your average move, though ... as Bronny will only play home games for South Bay and continue to travel with his pops and the rest of his Lakers teammates for NBA games as well.

Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, is calling on everyone to keep the jokes and memes coming about the Miami Heat legend's new statue ... telling TMZ Sports all the silly comments only make it that much more of a must-see attraction!!

We caught up with the future Hall of Famer's oldest out at LAX this week ... and asked him what the fam REALLY thinks of the team's permanent tribute to Dwyane outside the Kaseya Center -- especially after all the reactions it got on social media.

It turns out D-Wade wasn't lying when he said he loved it ... 'cause Zaire doubled down and said that's how they all feel about the honor.

Like father, like son!!

Kiyan Anthony just announced he'll be playing college basketball at Syracuse -- following the footsteps of his former NBA superstar dad, Carmelo!

The 17-year-old guard revealed his decision between USC and 'Cuse on Melo's "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast on Friday ... with his dad and mom, La La Anthony, by his side.

The Long Island Lutheran High School star thanked the USC and Syracuse coaching staffs for the recruitment process ... before taking out an Orange cap and putting it on his head.

Nearly getting run over by a Knicks player apparently has a place alongside Oscars and blockbuster movie credits for Anne Hathaway ... 'cause she just revealed her scary encounter with OG Anunoby earlier this week was actually on her "bucket list!"

Hathaway took to her Instagram page on Thursday night to address the close call she had on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden ... and she was surprisingly jovial about it all.

In a selfie video, she said "I almost got crashed into last night!" before adding, "I always wanted that to happen!"

Cameron Brink peeled back the curtain on her big Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue debut ... sharing a few behind-the-scenes pics of the photo shoot -- and she looks fantastic!!

The WNBA star posted the snaps on Instagram ... documenting what she's been up to recently -- including her recent collab with the popular magazine.

Brink flashed her athletic physique in the shots ... which showed her interacting with all the staffers on hand.

A college basketball game was delayed several minutes on Thursday night ... because a player upchucked all over the floor!!

The gross scene unfolded just a few minutes into Eastern Michigan's matchup with IU Indy ... when Jalin Billingsley got so sick while trying to run back on defense, he vomited right on the hardwood.

Take a look at a replay from the game (only if, of course, you haven't had your breakfast yet!) -- Billingsley can be seen appearing to throw up while in a full sprint ... before he stops and hunches over.

Carmelo Anthony says Stevie Wonder -- who, newsflash, is blind -- once told him he loved WATCHING him play basketball.

The hilarious revelation came on Melo's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast ... when the hooper was asked by co-host The Kid Mero for the name of someone famous who expressed their fandom of the future Hall of Famer.

That's when Melo began to tell the story of his 2011 meeting with the legendary musician over All-Star Weekend.