Basketball

New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne has just closed out his fake name criminal case ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records we've obtained show Payne cut a deal with prosecutors on Monday to put everything in his rearview mirror ... agreeing to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of false report to law enforcement.

In exchange, officials dismissed the refusal to provide truthful name charge he had also been facing.

Phoenix Suns legend Dick Van Arsdale -- famously known as the "Original Sun" -- has passed away, the team announced Monday. He was 81 years old.

The Suns shared the heartbreaking news just minutes ago ... saying, "Our thoughts are with his friends and family, including his twin brother and Suns teammate, Tom, during this difficult time."

Van Arsdale was a star for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1962-65 ... earning All-American honors alongside his identical twin, Tom.

Lamar Odom's certainly no Grinch ... 'cause he handed out toys to thousands of kids Saturday -- though the notorious Christmas villain did make an appearance.

The former basketball star cohosted a toy drive with Steve Pazmany -- star of "Fully Torqued" on History Channel -- with the help of LAPD Devonshire PALS Center, an org that helps fund after-school programs for kids.

After taking a pic with Pazmany and the Grinch, Lamar walked around the giant warehouse full of toys ... and, check it out 'cause it look like they've got enough to fill Santa's sleigh a few times over.

Shaquille O'Neal is opening up on his decision to go above and beyond to help the youth every holiday season ... admitting he used to be a "high-level juvenile delinquent," but is doing everything in his power to make his mama proud now.

The four-time NBA champion chopped it up with Charles and Babcock on "TMZ Live" after another successful annual "Shaq-A-Claus" event ... where he handed out tons of toys, clothes, tech and food to more than a thousand youngins in Georgia.

Shaq credits his mother -- Lucille O'Neal -- for coming up with the idea for the event ... and considering he wasn't on his best behavior growing up, he's making amends with his actions in the present.

Bronny James had by far the best game of his professional basketball career on Thursday ... dropping 30 points in his G League road debut.

LeBron James' son stuffed the stat line by going 13-23 and adding three rebounds, two assists and a steal on the night ... although his notable performance didn't result in a dub, as the Valley Suns defeated the South Bay Lakers, 106-100.

It's certainly a step in the right direction for the 20-year-old former USC Trojan -- his previous G League high was 16 points ... and this most recent outing has now boosted his average to 14 points a game.

The holidays really did come early for college basketball legend Dick Vitale -- he just revealed the results of Thursday's medical tests ... and he's "clean of cancer!"

Vitale provided the awesome update on social media ... saying he's considering the news from his doctors an extra-special Christmas gift.

Dickie V documented his entire throat cancer journey leading up to his PET scan ... saying he had Dec. 12 circled on his calendar, as that's when he'd find out if the 30 rounds of radiation since July 2023 worked.

Bill Belichick checked in with the greatest Tar Heel ever before taking the UNC head coaching job ... revealing Thursday he had a convo with Michael Jordan just days before he formally put pen to North Carolina paper.

The former New England Patriots sideline manager said His Airness was one of a few UNC legends he chatted with before officially accepting his new gig -- telling media members at a news conference in Chapel Hill he also picked the brains of Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.

It's unclear what exactly the GOATs all talked about ... but Bill said he got blessings from all of them.

Michael Jordan has officially parted ways with his Chicago mansion ... and the new owner got it for a bargain -- $9.5 million!!

The 56,000-square-foot property has been on and off the market since 2012 ... and was initially priced at $29,000,000 before it dropped to $14.8 million in 2015.

As we previously reported, a buyer was found earlier this year ... however, the deal was "contingent" on several unknown factors.

Anthony Edwards' potty mouth just cost him some dough -- the NBA just fined the Minnesota Timberwolves star $25K for using "profane language" during a postgame interview.

Joe Dumars, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, announced the punishment on Monday ... three days after AE dropped the f-bomb while analyzing the Wolves' 107-90 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Even though the words were complimentary of his teammates, Dumars said the two-time All-Star's comments wouldn't fly ... resulting in the hefty fine.

Shohei Ohtani didn't seem fazed about losing his title of highest-paid player in baseball on Sunday ... 'cause he was busy enjoying the Los Angeles Lakers game with his stunning wife!!

The Dodgers superstar and Mamiko Tanaka left their adorable pup, Decoy, at home for a date night at Crypto.com Arena ... and with LeBron James out for the contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shohei provided plenty of star power.

The 30-year-old and his former hooper bae had great seats for the Purple and Gold's 107-98 victory ... and at one point in the night, they were shown on the scoreboard to a massive ovation.

Zach Collins better get ready to open his wallet ... 'cause it's likely going to cost him big time for flipping off a referee after being ejected from Friday's game.

Here is the deal ... the Sacramento Kings dominated the Spurs in San Antonio with a 140-113 victory ... but it was what happened while the game was still in reach that's making headlines.

Zach -- the Spurs' power forward -- flew off the handle after he was ejected following a series of fouls ... and he got so pissed over it, he flipped referee Michael Smith the bird.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis' pursuit of his dream body in prison might be a little tougher than he imagined ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained the menus from his first couple weeks in the slammer -- and they featured a whole lot of carbs.

Davis entered into FPC Duluth in Minnesota back in October ... after he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that defrauded the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

Just a few months before he began his sentence, he told us he was going to use his time in isolation to get jacked ... but check out the options for some of his first meals in the pen -- some weren't exactly the most bodybuilder-friendly.

Hercy Miller -- Master P's son -- is one step closer to having his name cleared in his refrigerator theft case ... prosecutors tell TMZ Sports they've filed documents to drop the felony charge he had been facing.

A spokesperson for the Iron County Attorney's Office tells us ... they submitted a motion to dismiss Miller's case in court on Friday afternoon. If a judge ultimately signs off on it, Miller will be in the clear.

A formal ruling on the matter is expected to come down by the end of next week.

Jaylen Brown is paying the price for how he celebrated his insane dunk over Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart ... with the league hitting him with a hefty fine over it all.

The play in question went down with 12 seconds to go during the Celtics' win over Motor City on Wednesday night, with Brown hitting a nasty poster on Stewart to get the TD Garden going crazy.

In the moment, the 28-year-old emphasized the highlight by making a throat-slashing gesture toward Stewart -- and it turns out the NBA wasn't a fan of the move ... 'cause the league announced he will need to fork over $25K for "making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court."

The New York Knicks' national anthem singer gave quite the memorable rendition on Thursday ... when her performance was derailed by an overly excited fan -- but she bounced back and finished strong!!

The singer -- Liceli -- was only a few seconds into her performance when a spectator started shouting in a quiet Madison Square Garden. While it's unclear what the fan said, it was loud enough for her to pause in her tracks to figure out what was happening.

Even though she got tripped up, Liceli handled it like a pro -- picking up where she left off like nothing happened -- with the Garden faithful giving her a strong applause after she got going again.

LeBron and Bronny James' jerseys from the season opener have a new owner ... with the father-son duo's threads selling at auction for more than $100k!!

As we previously reported, the unique package was made available via Sotheby's last month ... with both items believed to have been worn when the Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 -- the same night Bron and Bronny made NBA history.

It was the first time a father and son shared the NBA court together in a regular season game ... and they did it on the same team.