Golden State Warriors

The WNBA is expanding ... the league just announced they're adding a new women's basketball team in San Francisco, and Steph Curry, the city's biggest superstar, is stoked!!!

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert broke the news on Thursday ... explaining the new squad will be an expansion of the Golden State Warriors, making them the sixth NBA franchise to also have a WNBA team.

"We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area," Engelbert said, "and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women’s basketball."

Curry's excited about it, too ... and welcomed the new squad to the Bay Area minutes after the announcement.

"Looking forward to having y'all," the 4x NBA champ said via social media. "Can't wait to see y'all thrive at the highest level. Let's get it!"

The new team is the first new WNBA franchise since 2008 ... and their inaugural season will begin in 2025. They'll play at the Chase Center.

They will also use the Warriors' practice facility as their headquarters.

"The Bay Area is the perfect market for a WNBA team, and we are thrilled this opportunity has finally come to fruition,” Warriors' CEO Joe Lacob said.

"The WNBA continues to solidify itself as the preeminent women’s professional basketball league and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world and our team starting in 2025."

There's no debate ... Steph Curry is the greatest point guard of all time -- at least, that's what the Golden State Warriors star himself believes.

Curry joined Gilbert Arenas on the ex-NBA star's "Gil's Arena" podcast this week to make the proclamation ... putting himself ahead of Magic Johnson on the GOAT PG list.

"It's me and Magic?" he asked Arenas. "Is that the conversation?"

The guys then kicked around the topic for a few moments -- but Curry made it clear, in his eyes, he's No. 1.

Of course, he's definitely got a case ... he's a four-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and the league's greatest-ever 3-point shooter.

Johnson, meanwhile, is a five-time champ, a three-time MVP, and a 12-time All-Star.

But Curry told Arenas he just has to put himself on top ... saying, "I have to answer it that way."

"But I really feel like, to your point, Magic's resume is ridiculous," the 35-year-old added. "So the fact that we're even having that conversation that's a place I never thought I'd be in."

Stephen Curry turned into an emo boy at the Paramore concert on Monday ... joining the band onstage and belting out "Misery Business" -- and the NBA superstar killed it!!

The four-time champ and his wife, Ayesha -- who just celebrated their 12-year anniversary with a trip to Greece -- made their way to the Chase Center after landing back on U.S. soil ... but Chef Curry was no bystander.

The two-time MVP joined Hayley Williams and the gang in the middle of the concert ... grabbing the mic and showing off his pipes for their most popular song.

Curry got REALLY into the performance ... reciting every word and jumping up and down as the crowd enjoyed every second of it.

As it turns out, Curry is a big fan of the rock band -- back in 2018, they performed at his 30th birthday celebration.

Curry has been all over the music industry this offseason -- the 35-year-old was also spotted at Drake's concert, and more recently, he appeared in Tobe Nwigwe's music video.

Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, are celebrating their 12-year anniversary in the best way ... enjoying a romantic getaway in Greece -- and their pics from the trip will make you jealous.

The Golden State Warriors superstar and his partner have been living it up in Europe all week ... and they haven't shied away from documenting the whole vacation on social media.

The Currys appear to be without their three kids during the trip ... and if that's the case, they're taking full advantage of the uninterrupted time together -- with boat trips, fancy dinners and plenty of wine.

Ayesha posted about their anniversary on July 30 ... saying, "12 years of being married to my best friend and love of my life. 15 years of dates and making memories."

"So much more to go. I love this man so much!!! Feeling blessed beyond measure ... okay back to celebrating."

And they did just that ... 'cause the Currys have been soaking in the R&R for days, and it doesn't look like they're slowing down anytime soon.

Stephen Curry's not ashamed to say he's gone fishing this offseason ... the NBA legend grabbed his boat and pole to star in Grammy-nominated lyricist Tobe Nwigwe's new video -- which is the theme song for his new documentary!!!

On Tuesday, Steph starred in the "Lil Fish, Big Pond" music vid, which Tobe directed to exclusively accompany the soundtrack of "Stephen Curry: Underrated" ... the documentary about Steph's life and career.

The two-time MVP is cool, calm and collected in his bucket hat while lip-syncing the song's lyrics that define his greatness on the court -- "They know I'm the one/Daddy taught me how to flick my wrist, I'm my father's son/Think I'm pistol-packing, how that ratchet on me like a gun/They should put the basket in a casket after I am done."

Tobe has built a reputation for having colorful visuals and 'Lil Fish' is no exception. It also really allows Steph to revel in his offseason ... he doesn't touch a single basketball in the whole clip!!!

Steph's downtime without b-ball has literally been par for his course this summer ... the sports world is still reeling from the hole-in-one he sank a few weeks back.

Baron's getting into boating!!!

Ex-NBA star Baron Davis has officially invested in a new team in the sailboat racing league SailGP ... and he's fired up over it all, telling TMZ Sports the action is like "Formula 1 on water."

Davis' new squad promises to be unique -- it'll actually be one he'll share with a bunch of other fans, who can buy into the franchise just like the former Golden State Warriors point guard.

According to SailGP, Davis -- along with the other fans who invest -- will have a say in the team's day-to-day operations, hirings and firings ... and even what the team's name will be.

The new squad will debut in 2024 -- and when we got Davis out in Beverly Hills earlier this month ... it wasn't hard to see he's stoked for it, telling us he actually knew he wanted to get into it all after watching a race in St. Tropez last year.

"For me," the 44-year-old said, "it was just like, I was fascinated by it. I got a chance to, like, follow the boats. So it was a cool experience."

In addition, Davis said he sees an opportunity for big growth in the league.

Draymond Green says his mid-practice attack on Jordan Poole was not the result of one single comment ... claiming his former teammate was pushing his buttons way before the altercation.

The Golden State Warriors star addressed the October 2022 incident on Barstool Sports' "Pat Bev Podcast" this week ... and he explained he isn't the type of guy to just unleash at the drop of a dime.

"I don't just hit people," Green said. "Dialogue happens and dialogue happens over the course of time. You usually ain't just triggered by something like that fast to that degree. This is a team, ain't nobody on my team triggering me in an instant."

Green didn't disclose what was said prior to the punch, but insinuates Poole crossed the line.

"We know stuff that you don't say amongst men," he added. "We know things that you have to stand on. As I've admitted before, I was wrong in the way I handled it for the situation where we were."

Draymond went on to say he has no hard feelings toward Poole ... and wishes him well at his new home with the Washington Wizards.

Despite the olive branch, Poole's dad didn't seem to care for his comments on the altercation ... going off on Draymond in a fiery tweet late Tuesday night.

"I'm stand on this that's is some bs," Anthony Poole said. "Jp was his guy and he avoid me all last yr."

"He is a soft as bitch and I'm standing on this and he didn’t apologize to me and my wife. So he lame and me and him can meet anytime he want."

Steph Curry's hot streak rolled right into Monday night ... 'cause just one day after he scored a huge win at a prestigious celeb golf tournament, he got an epic shout-out from Drake!!

The Golden State Warriors star was at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Drizzy's "It's All A Blur" tour some 24 hours after he nabbed the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe ... and the rapper actually paused his show to give the hooper love.

Drake called Curry his "brother" and complimented his looks ... before he told the sold-out crowd to "make some noise" for the four-time NBA champ.

Drake also shouted out Ayesha Curry and Sonya Curry -- who had VIP seats right alongside Steph at the concert.

The Currys all seemed to love it -- arena cams caught them grinning ear-to-ear -- before Drake started spittin' on the microphone once again.

The moment was just one of many big ones for Steph in the last few weeks ... he's had a hell of a summer so far -- first appearing on The Match in late June, then hitting a hole-in-one on Saturday ... before earning the ACC crown on Sunday.

Things are only looking up from here too ... Steph revealed Monday his Gentleman's Cut Bourbon is launching worldwide later this month as well.

Steph Curry sinks it from deep on the basketball court, and he can do the same on the golf course too ... just take a look at what he did in Tahoe this weekend.

The Warriors star was playing in the American Century Championship tournament Saturday, and he took a big swing on the 7th hole ... which is a whopping 152 yards to the green. Welp, he had no issue getting the ball there -- in fact, the dude hit a freakin' hole-in-one!!!

Check it out ... he lets off a beautiful swing, and the ball goes soaring where it needs to be. As the announcers note, he can really play ... proven by the fact that he sunk it in one shot.

His celebration was just as awesome ... SC goes running toward the green with his arms extended, this as the crowd goes wild all around him. Steph takes a victory lap around his landing zone and hugs it out with his team and caddies. Indeed, it was quite something.

BTW, the dude's been pulling off crazy trick shots like this throughout the tournament ... including a fantastic putt yesterday, which looked magical as it veered left and went right into the hole. Movie stuff, really.

Chill out with all the Draymond Green and LeBron James talk ... 'cause new Warriors point guard Chris Paul tells TMZ Sports he "absolutely" wants the 4-time NBA champ back on the team!

We caught up with CP3 at Fanatics' "Merch Madness" giveaway event on Tuesday ... just a few days after the 38-year-old guard was traded to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole.

"I'm excited," Paul said. "I know I've been the sworn enemy for a long time but I cannot wait to be there, and I cannot wait to get in the locker room with all those guys."

Of course, there's a chance one of those guys might be missing. Draymond Green isn't a lock to return after declining a $27.5 million player option, making him a free agent.

Even though he's only been on the team for a few days, CP3 says he "absolutely" wants Green back.

It won't be easy, though ... a lot of teams are reportedly interested in Draymond, including the Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings and LA Lakers.

King James and DG were recently spotted on vacay together in Europe ... and chances are Bron was doing some recruiting!

Draymond Green is opening up about the Warriors' second-round playoff exit ... saying his squad would still be alive IF he hadn't socked Jordan Poole in the face before the season started.

Green spoke to Stephen A. Smith Tuesday night during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Nuggets, and was honest about where he thinks things went wrong this season.

"We're not playing right now because when you speak about the fouling, when you think about all of the slippage that we had as a team on the road, not being able to come together. None of those things happen if that doesn't happen," Green told Smith, referring to when he punched the Warriors guard in the face in October.

Draymond continued ... "None of those things happen if that doesn't happen, because the voice that I am and the departments that I lead this team in, there was a ton of slippage due to me sitting back, me not saying anything, me trying to allow that situation to play itself out and give it time to heal."

Green -- the emotional catalyst during the Warriors' dynasty -- said he felt like he lost his voice as a leader after the Poole incident ... and, as a result, it caused a "ton of slippage" throughout the season.

Green went on to say it wasn't until February that he felt comfortable being the Draymond that helped the team win four titles. But, at that point, too much time had passed, and the Dubs had developed bad habits, thwarting any possible hopes of repeating as NBA champs.

"If that slippage has been going on that long, you are who you are at that point. You've built those habits. You've built bad habits. That is who you are now. So to try to correct them then. It's like, 'OK, you may get a little better.' We did. We ended up in the second round of the playoffs but not at a championship level."

Earlier on Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr echoed the same sentiments as Draymond during his end-of-the-season interview with the media ... saying Green punching Poole "compromised things."

Steve Kerr is admitting Draymond Green's violent incident with Jordan Poole had a serious impact on the Warriors' season ... saying the practice punch broke trust and "compromised things."

The Golden State head coach was open with reporters during the team's exit interviews on Tuesday ... and he felt the players' lack of chemistry following the October altercation had the whole team facing an uphill battle all season.

"Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost," Kerr said. "That's as blunt as I can be."

"We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better."

Kerr specifically mentioned the Green/Poole incident as he addressed the team's change in identity compared to previous seasons ... adding, "It's hard for that not to impact a team."

Despite what went down at the beginning of the season, Kerr says Green -- who has a $27 million player option for next year -- is vital to the team's success moving forward ... and even though the 4-time champ would have to work on his relationships in the locker room, coach wants him back.

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.

The LA Lakers trounced the Golden State Warriors on Friday night to inch closer to an NBA Championship ... and a bevy of Hollywood stars came out to support their team.

Led by The King, Lebron James, the Lakers walloped the Warriors 122 to 101 to win Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinal matchup and advance to the finals in their division.

Needless to say, the celebs loved every moment of it as they rooted for the Lakers from their courtside seats at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Among the boldfaced names were Leo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Michael B. Jordan, Jack Nicholson, Woody Harrelson, Orlando Bloom, Jack Harlow, Lewis Hamilton, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bill Maher, Kendall Jenner and her boyfriend, Bad Bunny.

Kendall and Bad Bunny were seated side by side looking around and smiling ... Leo, as always, went incognito with his baseball cap pulled down over his face ... Jack Nicholson was enjoying the game with his son Ray ... Woody, Bill and Orlando all got together for a little chat on the sideline. And the rest of the stars were having plenty of fun, too.

E-40 can officially be referred to as Dr. E-40 now that he has an honorary doctorate from the same school he attended as an undergrad way back in the '80s.

The legendary rapper was awarded the degree Friday during Grambling State University's commencement ceremony in Louisiana ... and he made sure to drop some words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating class before he left the stage.

And, it appeared to be a super special moment for 40, who's proudly continued to support the University he once called home.

As we reported, earlier this year he donated $100K to the HBCU's music department to help install a recording studio so students could follow their dreams as he did. GSU surprised him by naming it the Earl "E-40" Stevens Sound Recording studio.

For those who don't know, 40 was a Grambling Tiger in 1986 ... before he became the hip hop mogul we know today.

Stephen A. Smith is regretting some controversial comments he made about Anthony Davis' head injury on Thursday ... apologizing and saying he was wrong.

Smith was talking to Jay Williams on ESPN's "First Take" about Davis possibly suffering a concussion during the Lakers' playoff loss to the Warriors ... when he questioned the legitimacy of the injury.

"I ain't seen nothing yesterday that made me say, 'concussion, concussion,'" SAS said. "Now I don't know if it's true or not. Did a wheelchair get him to the locker room? I'm not sure. Really? A wheelchair? That's where we are."

Davis was initially hurt after his head made contact with Warriors center Kevon Looney's arm. He seemed woozy after the blow -- and did not return to the game. Reportedly, he had to leave the courtside area in a wheelchair.

Due to the potential magnitude of Davis' wound, Smith's words were blasted by some on social media -- causing the ESPN commentator to issue a mea culpa Thursday afternoon.

"Blow back is Blow back," Smith tweeted. "Comes with the territory, peeps. I was in no way minimizing the seriousness of a concussion. I was questioning whether Anthony Davis really had one, considering the play I saw & other hits I’ve seen him absorb."

"But, bottom line, it was wrong for me to do. Period! My bad."