Cleveland Cavaliers

Teyana Taylor just confirmed what folks have long suspected about her and her husband, Iman Shumpert ... their relationship is over.

The singer officially broke the news Sunday, taking to IG with a lengthy statement. She writes, "Not too much on my bestie! In all fairness, Iman and I are separated and have been for a while. To be 1000% clear, 'infidelity' ain’t one of the reasons for our departure."

She adds, "We are still the best of friends, great business partners and are one hell of a team when it comes to co-parenting our 2 beautiful children. Most importantly we are FAMILY & in the 10yrs together, 7yrs married we ain’t ever played with or about THAT."

Teyana goes on to explain that the reason she's kept this under wraps is because she's private ... and didn't feel like it was anyone's business -- a decision she's happy with as she and Iman have been able to navigate this on their terms without so much noise.

She finishes by saying ... "The only reason I’m even sharing THIS part of the chat is because the narratives are getting a little out of hand & it’s unfair to all parties involved. I hope this provided some clarity for y’all. Okay AunTey taking y’all back out the chat bye!"

Caris LeVert's super rare watch was allegedly stolen at a party earlier this month ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned the Cleveland Cavaliers forward is asking cops for help in getting it back.

Law enforcement tells us ... LeVert told cops it all went down on Aug. 1 during a bash at his Los Angeles-area home.

According to cops, someone was seen in LeVert's bedroom during the festivities ... and when the hooper went to check out the situation, he noticed his watch case was open and his $93,000 Peugeot was missing.

We're told LeVert went to the LAPD and filed a grand theft report ... and while no arrests have been made -- the case is currently under investigation.

LeVert -- the No. 20 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft -- began his career with Brooklyn ... though he's been on Cleveland's roster since the 2021-22 season, averaging 12.4 points per game.

Channing Frye had a "welcome to the NBA" moment before he even made it to the league ... 'cause he claims Richard Jefferson racked up a whopping $36,000 tab on his credit card the night before he was drafted!!

The pair of Cavs champions/former Arizona Wildcats detailed the 2005 rager on their "Road Trippin'" podcast this week ... when RJ invited Frye and his crew of 20-30 friends to go clubbing in the Big Apple.

The former No. 8 overall pick says the group included a ton of ex-Arizona guys like Gilbert Arenas and Luke Walton, Nets and Knicks players and fellow class of 2005 draftee "David Lee's punk ass" (RJ's words, not ours) ... but there was no issue with rolling deep, 'cause Jefferson had clout in the city after helping the Nets reach the NBA Finals.

"Richard, for lack of a better term, ran that demographic of New York," Frye says.

Once they got inside the club, it was bad news for Frye ... who willingly handed over his card to RJ after he asked him to "hold the table."

As it turns out, Frye says the massive group ended up partying on his dime the whole night ... with the final damage coming out to a mind-blowing $36,000!!

"They swipe it, they swipe it," RJ says. "He's just getting crushed. And this is kind of like a rookie hazing."

Channing rightfully freaked out over it all ... explaining, "The NBA money hadn't even got into the ozone yet, and my phone is blowing up."

"My s*** is still college s***, I don't even have an NBA check yet!!"

RJ insists he was looking out for his guy the whole night ... saying he was acting as a security blanket in case things went south.

LeBron James might be immortalized outside two arenas by the time his career is over ... so says Lakers legend James Worthy, who tells TMZ Sports he could definitely see the NBA superstar getting statues in Cleveland AND Los Angeles.

The three-time NBA champ spoke with us about the King's Purple & Gold legacy earlier this week ... and he said it's entirely possible James gets the bronze treatment outside Crypto.com Arena one day.

"It depends on what he does here out," Worthy said at the Teqball USA Pre-ESPY party. "Personally -- and I think he'd agree -- he hasn't been here long enough."

"But I think his overall greatness, when you have a player like LeBron, who breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's [all-time scoring] record in Los Angeles, does it as a Laker, then wins a championship as a Laker, you can't argue that he could get a statue in Los Angeles."

"And he could get one in Cleveland as well," Worthy added. "So, I don't know about Miami, but bringing one to Cleveland and Los Angeles, it's doable, in my opinion."

It's assumed LeBron will get a statue in Cleveland -- after all, he's by far the greatest player in franchise history and led the Cavaliers to their first championship.

There are currently six Lakers statues outside the arena ... including Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem, Elgin Baylor and broadcaster Chick Hearn.

A super rare card that features an NBA Logoman patch from one of LeBron James' jerseys during his epic 2016 Finals series has just gone up for sale ... TMZ Sports has learned.

PWCC officials tell us they put the card on their auction block Thursday ... and it's truly a one-of-a-kind item.

It's a Panini Eternal piece that was created just after the trading card co. scored one of LBJ's jerseys from the series against the Warriors where he came back from down 3-1 to win Cleveland's first title.

Panini cut the NBA Logoman patch from the threads -- built it into the card ... making it a true 1-of-1.

No word on what it's ultimately expected to fetch when the final gavel hits ... but PWCC exec Jesse Craig called it "one of LeBron's best cards" ever.

"Outside of some rare booklet-style cards, this is the only series of cards I am aware of that included LeBron James NBA Finals-worn jersey pieces in them," Craig said.

"It's of interest to see it go to auction right now because of the playoff battle between LeBron and Curry. That 2016 Finals is the notorious 3-1 Golden State lead that LeBron and the Cavs overcame to secure their elusive championship. This card was constructed as a monument to the victory of King James."

Bidding on the card -- which is graded Mint 9 and features James holding the Larry O'Brien trophy with a short blurb about his legendary Game 5 performance on the back -- ends on May 25.

"F*** Miami!!! F*** Miami!!!"

New York Knicks fans celebrated like they won the NBA Finals after their beloved team advanced to the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday ... and they made it clear how they felt about their next opponent as they partied in the streets.

The Knicks made it to the semifinals after beating Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers to complete their first-round series in five games ... and their loyal fan base let their emotions loose right near Madison Square Garden.

The whole bash was caught on video ... and you can see a ton of fans in orange and blue jumping up and down shortly after the final buzzer rang.

The hyped-up crowd chanted many things, including "F*** Miami" ... and even Trae Young, a longtime nemesis of the Knicks fandom, caught a few strays.

Fans even booed a Heat supporter, who happened to be in the crowd wearing a Jimmy Butler jersey ... and former Knicks president Phil Jackson also got thrown into the chants as folks reminisced over his bad tenure with the team.

People even treated the victory like Warped Tour ... as one fan jumped on top of Knicks fans and started crowd surfing.

The fans have every reason to celebrate -- it's the first time in 10 years the Knicks made it to the second round ... and there's a bit of history between NY and Miami going back to the '90s.

Rick Pitino's phone was BLOWING UP Sunday ... the legendary hoops coach was seen giving out his phone number during the Knicks game, and lip-readers nabbed his digits, and wouldn't stop texting him.

Pitino was at Madison Square Garden to watch the team he coached from '87-'89 take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their first-round playoffs series.

As is customary, the broadcast showed the vast array of celebrities in attendance at MSG, but when the cameras panned to Pitino, he could be seen mouthing his phone number while having a convo.

"So yesterday I was enjoying the Knicks game n someone read my lips on TV giving out my phone number," the 70-year-old head coach tweeted Monday.

He continued ... "Over 300 plus messages came in - here’s the bizarre news, 95% were nice n positive. I got a lead on 7 new recruits. My new cell is….."

Rick is one of the greatest coaches ever. He won National Championships with Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013 -- was vacated for an NCAA violation). His coaching career spans 40+ years, dating back to his time as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii (1974).

In March 2023, 70-year-old Pitino was named head coach of St. John's ... after coaching at Iona for three years.

Cavs forward Isaac Okoro had a religious experience while listening to 'Take Me To Church' on Monday ... and hilariously performed the song in the team's hot tub!!

The 22-year-old former 5th overall draft pick was sitting in the team's hot tub (hey, gotta take care of the body) minding his business, listening to Hozier's hit single when his teammate Darius Garland walked in.

While the music was blasting, Garland started singing the chorus, and that's when Okoro got up and put on a show.

"Offer me that deathless death, Good God, let me give you my life, Take me to church!" the two belted out.

Okoro's choreography was on point with a hilarious backward fall into the hot tub to conclude his performance .. and Garland couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, Okoro and Garland have a lot to be happy about ... they just whooped the Los Angeles Clippers 122-99 on Sunday. The Cavs are currently ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Plus, Garland -- who signed a five-year deal worth $231 million last season -- is averaging 21.9 points and 8.2 assists per game.

BTW, the song might ring a bell for Cavs fans ... it's the track that was playing in LeBron James' Beats by Dre commercial when he returned to Cleveland.

Kevin Love had a bold strategy for defending Larry Nance Jr. during the Cavs game on Monday ... by giving his old teammate's ass a smack!!

The odd moment went down with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Cleveland's MLK Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... when Nance -- the son of former Cavs and Suns star Larry Nance -- was waiting for Jose Alvarado to inbound the ball.

Nance's reaction is hilarious -- he quickly pleads with refs to do something about the bizarre tactic ... but ultimately, the game continued without a foul.

Of course, it was all in good fun ... as Love and Nance grew close during their time together with the Wine & Gold.

Love and Nance's former Cavs teammate/NBA referee Richard Jefferson even got in on the fun ... posting a TikTok about the incident.

"Hey @kevinlove this is under review for a flagrant," RJ joked. "@larrydn7 you good?"

Nance -- an Ohio native who played for the Cavs from 2018-21 -- finished the game with four points, three rebounds and three assists for NOLA.

Retired NBA player Drew Gooden says the narrative that LeBron James led a bunch of nobodies to an Eastern Conference title in 2007 isn't entirely wrong ... admitting the King's supporting cast was the "least talented group" he's ever taken to the Finals.

TMZ Sports spoke with LBJ's old teammate at LAX recently ... and the veteran big man, who was a part of that '07 Cavs squad, says he understands why people criticize LBJ's teammates from that season, but he thinks they're missing the bigger picture.

"I think they might be halfway right on that one," said Gooden. "The reason why, I ain't gon' say scrubs, but you know what, I just want that to glorify how raw and talented LeBron James was at that age."

"You gotta give that man props, especially at that age, for doing what he did," he continued.

Remember, the Cavs won 50 games in 2006-07 ... with help from LBJ, Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes and Eric Snow as their core nucleus.

After defeating their archrival, the Detroit Pistons, in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals, where Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker awaited them.

LeBron, who was only 22 and playing in his first NBA Finals, got swept by the Spurs ... a series many don't hold against the King when objectively evaluating his career, given the massive talent and experience disparity.

LeBron went on to reach the Finals four more times for the Cavs after winning 2 rings with the Miami Heat ... and secured Cleveland its first title in franchise history in 2016.

Gooden, who retired from the league in 2016, says even to this day, NBA fans will bring up his name whenever they're discussing how mediocre LeBron's teammates were that year.

Jaws is back!!!

Just days after losing his crown at a famous shrimp cocktail eating contest -- Joey Chestnut redeemed himself at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, destroying the field in a pierogi competition.

The #1 competitive eater in the world -- who just lost by a wide margin at the St. Elmo shrimp cocktail eating contest in Indianapolis on Saturday for the first time in EIGHT YEARS -- went up against Cavs fans during the halftime show of the Lakers game ... and got his redemption.

Rockin' a Cleveland hoodie -- Chestnut stuffed his face, taking down a total of 47 pierogies ... while everyone else only ate 33 combined.

The 39-year-old was thrilled to be back in the winner's circle ... holding up a belt with the Cavaliers' mascot -- while wearing a big smile on his face.

Of course, things couldn't have looked worse for Chestnut just three days prior ... when he lost by nearly SEVEN pounds to Geoffrey Esper at the famous shrimp event.

LeBron James says he knows what Kyrie Irving did was wrong ... but the Lakers superstar still came to the Nets point guard's defense Thursday, claiming the punishment KI is now facing is just too much.

James, who played with Irving for several seasons in Cleveland, took to Twitter to relay his stance on the matter to his fanbase ... writing out several tweets while he was in the middle of rehabbing a lower-body injury.

"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information," James said. "And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized, and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple."

Irving was suspended by the Nets last Thursday after he repeatedly refused to apologize for tweeting out a link to the antisemitic film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

The team called the ban indefinite -- saying Irving would have to satisfy "a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" in order to return to the floor.

According to Shams Charania, some of the stipulations included sensitivity training, antisemitic training and meetings with Jewish leaders.

James clearly feels it's all too much ... adding, "Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him."

The Cavs might have lost, but Donovan Mitchell was winning after the game -- hitting up an L.A. hot spot with his beautiful girlfriend ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

Cleveland lost just its second game of the season against the Clippers on Monday ... falling 117-119 and snapping an 8-game winning streak, despite Spida's 30-point effort

26-year-old Mitchell and his lady, Tinara Westbrook, decided to get over the loss at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood ... enjoying a peaceful meal late into the night.

The 3-time All-Star and hair entrepreneur have been going strong this year ... making their romance "Instagram official" back in September.

Spida is off to an insane start in his first season in Wine & Gold ... averaging 31.2 points, 6 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game.

Westbrook was in attendance for the Cavs vs. Clippers game at Crypto.com Arena ... and she had some pretty good seats for the matchup.

The Miz says the Cleveland Cavaliers are AWEEEEEESOME -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks his hometown team is going to make it all the way to the NBA Finals this season!!

We spoke with the WWE Superstar out at LAX this week about his Cleveland sports teams ... and while his Browns are struggling, he says there's hope with the Wine & Gold.

"We're going to the NBA Finals," Miz tells us. "They got a young squad, and they got some good superstars. They look better than the Lakers."

The Cavs have been playing well so far this season -- they already have more wins than the Browns -- and have been led by newly acquired star Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen ... even with Darius Garland missing games with an eye injury.

Miz is clearly a fan of the Cavs' blockbuster trade ... saying, "Spida is going to be amazing."

"He is the star," Miz adds. "And we welcomed him with open arms, 'cause we didn't think we could get another star. It's Cleveland. It's not like an L.A. or NY, or Miami market."

What's even more surprising -- Miz isn't exactly worried about whether LeBron James ever comes back home ... saying he believes the current Cavs squad can win it all without the King.

The wife of Cleveland Cavaliers legend Zydrunas Ilgauskas has sadly died, a funeral home in Ohio confirmed this week. She was just 50 years old.

Jennifer Ilgauskas, according to an obituary from the Zeis-McGreevey Funeral Home, passed away on Sunday. A cause of death was not revealed.

Zydrunas and Jennifer had been married for almost two decades -- the couple reportedly tied the knot way back in 2004, when Big Z was starring for the Cavs.

She had worked in the medical industry while Zydrunas was playing in NBA arenas ... and according to her obit, "She always had ideas for growth and the never-ending desire to achieve more."

"She truly enjoyed working and being a leader who led by example," her family and friends wrote in the obituary. "She cared deeply about everyone she employed, and her door was always open to those who needed to talk. She was generous with her time, finances and counsel."

Jennifer and Zydrunas had two sons. Her funeral is scheduled for Sept. 17.

The former basketball player -- whose jersey was retired by the Cavaliers in 2014 -- has yet to publicly comment on the loss.

RIP.

Donovan Mitchell's days in Utah are over -- the NBA star has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a huge deal on Thursday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out the bombshell news just minutes ago -- the face of the Jazz franchise is officially on the move to northeast Ohio.

Mitchell -- who was drafted by the Nuggets out of Louisville -- spent all 5 of his seasons with the Jazz after being traded on draft night ... where he established himself as one of the game's best young stars.

The Cavs are sending Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and three first-round picks to Utah ... and the rights to swap two other future picks in the deal.

The Knicks had been floated as a potential landing spot for Spida ... but their dreams were officially squashed after the Cavs -- who made the play-in tournament last year -- sealed the deal.

Utah appears to be in complete rebuild mode -- the team traded away Rudy Gobert, a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, and now have shipped Donovan out of town as well.