NBA

It ain't just the NFL asking bizarre, silly questions to potential draft picks -- NBA teams are hitting prospects with some crazy brainteasers too ... so says projected lottery pick Nassir Little!!

Little was a STUD at the University of North Carolina -- and has been meeting with teams ahead of Thursday's big draft night.

And, when we saw the 19-year-old out in D.C., we asked if he'd reveal the most interesting pre-draft question he got.

So, if you're ready to play ... HERE'S THE QUESTION!!!

You're locked inside of a car with only a hammer to aid you ... how do you get out of the car?!?!

Ya gotta watch the clip and see how Little answered the question -- it's probably the same answer YOU would give.

But, you're wrong ... and so was Little -- and the correct answer is probably gonna make you LOL.

Little definitely had a sense of humor about the situation -- couldn't have been nicer to us ... and told us all about what he plans on buying once he signs that first NBA contract.

Molly Qerim is breaking her silence after the LaVar Ball incident on "First Take" -- telling TMZ Sports she's grateful for the way ESPN execs "had my back" after the way LaVar talked to her on-air.

"ESPN was really supportive," Qerim told us Tuesday morning in NYC ... "All the executives had my back. Much appreciated."

The network quickly condemned Ball's comments to Qerim on Monday as "inappropriate" -- when he told her, "You can switch gears with me anytime."

We asked Molly if LaVar (or anyone in the Ball family) had reached out to apologize -- and she told us, "I haven't heard from anybody, but to be honest with you I shut my phone off after work."

As for her how famous NBA star husband, Jalen Rose, handled the situation -- Molly says, "I think Jalen would have just liked if [LaVar] would have apologized to me publicly."

Does Molly think ESPN should ban LaVar from coming back on "First Take" or any other ESPN show? We asked that too ... check out the clip.

For his part, LaVar is adamant the comments were NOT intended to be sexual in nature -- and he insists he meant no disrespect.

The cop who says he was attacked by Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri after Game 6 of the NBA Finals now claims he suffered a concussion during the incident ... and he's threatening to sue.

"He has a serious concussion; a templar mandibular joint injury, which is a serious jaw injury,” the officer's attorney David Mastagni told KPIX 5.

The incident went down Thursday in the moments after the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland ... the cop says Ujiri got violent over a dispute over credentials.

Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Ray Kelly said the officer claims Ujiri struck him in the chest and head. Ujiri is being investigated for misdemeanor battery.

"It’s an unprovoked significant hit to the jaw of the law enforcement officer," Mastagni said.

Officials have told TMZ Sports they are hunting for more video of the incident -- so far, the only footage that's surfaced publicly shows the direct aftermath ... NOT the alleged blow to the face.

The officer -- whose identity has not been made public -- has not filed a lawsuit yet ... but it seems it's only a matter of time at this point.

"All options are on the table. No options are off the table," Mastagni said ... adding, "No options are being ruled out as to how to rectify the situation."

Here is the moment several Toronto Police officers chased down, tackled and apprehended one of the suspected shooters at Monday's Toronto Raptors championship parade ... and it's intense.

The footage starts showing a man dressed in black trying to run -- but two bike cops grab the dude -- who appears to be holding a weapon ... and wrestle him to the ground.

Several cops in the area quickly realize what's going on and jump in on the action -- piling on top of the suspect while trying to neutralize the weapon.

At one point, one of the officers begins reigning down punches on the suspect.

You can hear some of the cops trying to clear the area -- screaming at people to "Get outta here!!!"

There's more footage that has surfaced from earlier in the parade -- in which you can clearly hear at least 4 gunshots pop off near crowds of people.

It's terrifying stuff.

Eventually, cops say 4 people suffered injuries in the shooting -- but all are expected to survive. 3 people have been arrested and 2 weapons have been recovered.

As for the Raptors, team announcer man Matt Devlin was credited with calming the crowd down after the gunshots were fired, telling the audience, "Please, stay calm."

For his part, Drake grabbed the microphone and told everyone in attendance to hug one another -- preaching love and unity.

NBA draft prospect Bol Bol -- the 7'2" phenom from Oregon -- just flew out of L.A. ... after getting in some partying with a bunch of attractive ladies.

The 19-year-old had been in L.A. to show off his talents to NBA teams ahead of Thursday's 2019 NBA Draft -- where he's expected to be a 1st-round pick.

The issue ... Bol battled a foot injury that sidelined him for most of the 2019 college basketball season -- and there are concerns about how the injury will affect him in the pros.

But, when we saw Bol Bol at LAX on Monday -- he told us he's 100% ... and didn't seem to have a problem using that foot to climb the escalator inside the terminal.

Over the weekend, Bol Bol was spotted leaving Bootsy Bellows with a female entourage -- because that's what you do when you're 19 years old and about to become a multi-millionaire!

Bol has a bright future in the NBA ... at least according to Shaquille O'Neal, who raved about the guy back in May telling us, "The guy everyone should be looking at is Bol Bol."

He added, "Bol Bol can play. He's the real deal."

Of course, Bol Bol is the son of NBA royalty -- his father is the late NBA legend Manute Bol ... the 7'7" phenom from Sudan.

L.A. Clippers star Patrick Beverley has one thing on his mind going into free agency -- WHO'S GONNA GET ME THAT BAG!!?!?!

The 30-year-old just finished up his 4-year, $25 mil contract -- and now he's free to ink another big deal ... and when we saw him at LAX he made it clear, the goal is to cash that check!

It's refreshingly honest considering most pro athletes try to convince the public it's NOT about the money -- it's about where they have the best shot at winning a ring.

But, ya gotta hand it to Beverley who essentially says he's gonna play his ass off WHEREVER he signs -- and the lucky team to snatch him up will be the team with the biggest offer, period.

There's reportedly been interest from the Lakers -- and Beverley says that could be a cool situation because the Lakers are "exciting" -- but they still gotta bring that bag if they want Bev!

We also spoke with Beverley about his on-the-court rivalry with Kevin Durant -- which heated up during the NBA Playoffs -- and you gotta check out what Patrick says.

Mark Cuban says he wouldn't be surprised if young NBA stars, like Luka Doncic, played into their 40s -- thanks to new medical technology that can prevent non-contact injuries ... and he's dead serious.

The Dallas Mavericks owner was super passionate about the new wave of injury prevention technology outside Craig's in L.A. this week ... especially after the NBA Finals, with injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.

"Those are brutal, I feel really horrible for those guys," Cuban said.

But, in the future, Cuban sees a league where players can use tech to prepare their bodies to handle the rigors of pro basketball.

"There's new technology, sonogram-type stuff that allows you to analyze tendons," Cuban said ... "But, it's not advanced enough so we have to do some more research to figure it all out. So hopefully, that in the future, non-contact injuries will happen less."

Cuban says when he came into the league 20 years ago, players crossing the 30-year-old mark were considered old and on the decline ... but now, that's changing radically.

"We saw Dirk [Nowitzki] play until 40 years, 21 years [in the NBA] ... we'll see more that. Luka [Doncic] coming into the league today, the rookies that will get drafted this year that are 18, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to play 25 years if they have the skill with the new advanced technology."

Sorry, LeBron ... you LOST the trade that made Anthony Davis your new teammate, so says Master P -- who tells TMZ Sports the Pelicans WON the blockbuster swap!!!

"We got everything!" P says.

Bron's squad orchestrated the biggest trade in L.A. history over the weekend ... sending off Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and a bunch of draft picks for AD.

If ya think Master P -- who's a New Orleans legend that loves his Pelicans -- is busted up over the move ... think again, 'cause he thinks New Orleans actually got better!!

P also tells us getting Davis will put a ton of pressure on LeBron in L.A. ... and says the King better start winning now.

4:00 PM PT -- Cops now say there were 4 people who suffered gunshot wounds in the parade shooting.

They also say they've now arrested 3 people.

1:24 PM PT -- Police say they have arrested 2 suspects and recovered 2 guns after an alleged shooting at the Toronto Raptors championship parade Monday.

Cops also say two people are being treated for "serious" injuries -- but the injuries are not life-threatening. The investigation is ongoing.

The championship parade continued after the shooting -- with Drake taking the stage and telling the reported 1.5 MILLION people in the streets to hug each other and spread love.

The parade ended with no further violent incidents.

Scary moment at the Toronto Raptors championship parade in Canada ... where gunshots were reportedly fired in the crowd and cops are now responding.

The party came to a screeching halt just before 1 PM PT -- when people in the crowd heard what sounded like 4 gunshots.

A woman was reportedly hurt and paramedics raced to the scene.

The Toronto Police Operations Centre put out a statement saying, "SHOOTING: Nathan Phillip's Square -Reports of woman shot -People running from area."

You can see people fleeing on video. At one point, Raptors play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin grabbed the mic and told the crowd to stay strong and stay calm while officials respond to the "emergency."

People at the scene are being advised to "get down" or to find somewhere safe.

12:38 PM PT -- ESPN issued a statement ... saying, "LaVar Ball’s comment to Molly Qerim Rose was completely inappropriate and we made him aware of that."

LaVar Ball is adamant the comments he made on-air to ESPN's Molly Qerim on Monday were not intended to be "sexual in nature" ... despite the way it sounded on live TV.

The head of the Big Baller Brand appeared on "First Take" to discuss the blockbuster trade that sent his son, Lonzo Ball, from the L.A. Lakers to the New Orleans Pelicans ... when things went off the rails.

When Molly asked LaVar if she could "switch gears" and pivot to another topic, LaVar responded, "You can switch gears with me anytime."

Several people condemned the comments, including ex-ESPN star Jemele Hill ... saying, "Kudos to Molly [Qerim] for the professional way she handled LaVar Ball after his inappropriate comment. Maybe ESPN will have finally learned its lesson about putting him on TV."

Now, LaVar's rep, Denise White, is issuing a statement from the BBB camp ... saying, "[LaVar] was asked if he wanted to switch gears, in his mind switching gears was 'changing the subject anytime' and he said, 'yes, you can switch gears with me anytime.' At NO time was that intended or meant to be sexual in nature."

This isn't the first time LaVar has been under fire for comments he made on-air to a woman -- back in 2017, he told FS1's Kristine Leahy to "stay in your lane" after she questioned him about his parenting style.

Wondering where LeBron James' head was at before the Lakers made one of the biggest trades in franchise history? All up in some WNBA hoops, along with his pals, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul.

The game was a blowout, the Las Vegas Aces cooked the New York Liberty 100-65 Friday night, but the question is, was James even paying attention knowing the Anthony Davis trade was looming?

It was announced Saturday that the Lakers traded everyone under the age of 25 in Los Angeles County to pick up Davis on Saturday, and you gotta wonder if LeBron's mind was preoccupied.

As for Westbrook and Paul, they both have a lot to think about too ... their teams have uncertain futures after suffering early playoff exits and both men are kinda in the crosshairs of some criticism.

Dikembe Mutombo's fancy Rolls-Royce Phantom was smashed up while he was having a Father's Day dinner with his family ... and now cops are on the hunt for the culprit.

The 52-year-old NBA legend was dining at the Landmark Diner in the Atlanta area late Sunday evening -- when someone ran into the restaurant and yelled out that multiple cars had been vandalized in the parking lot.

When Dikembe checked out his 2009 Rolls, he noticed both front windows and the rear passenger windows were busted, according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Cops say nothing appeared to be stolen and no one was injured -- essentially, it seems like the culprit just wanted to damage the cars like a jerk.

Cops dusted Dikembe's car for fingerprints but it's unclear if they got a hit. We're told, unfortunately, vehicular vandalism is pretty common in the area and local business owners and residents are furious ... and they're working with police to put an end to it.

We spoke with the general manager of Landmark who says he feels terrible for Dikembe -- and vows to hire private security to prevent situations like this in the future.

We also spoke with a witness who tells us Dikembe is a regular at Landmark and everyone there loves him -- it's not like he has any enemies looking to harm him.

Big weekend for tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki ... who tied the knot with ex-NBA star David Lee in Italy -- in front of a TON of huge athletes ... including Serena Williams.

It all went down Saturday at the fancy Castiglion del Bosco Hotel in Tuscany -- the same place where Justin Verlander wifed up Kate Upton in 2017.

Caroline -- the #14 ranked singles player in the world -- wore a custom Oscar De La Renta wedding gown and custom Jimmy Choo heels. Her father walked her down the aisle.

The guest list for the Wozniacki/Lee bash was pretty amazing -- Serena was a bridesmaid and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, was there.

Other huge stars in attendance included NBA stars like Pau Gasol and Harrison Barnes, ex-NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer and tennis stars Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwańska and Urszula Radwańska.

The party looked pretty incredible ... with dancing, photo booths and fireworks.

The couple met around 3-and-a-half years ago -- after Caroline's breakup with golf superstar Rory McIlroy. Lee proposed about 2 years later ... with an 8.88 carat diamond ring because 8 is Caro's "lucky number."

12:11 PM PT -- Drake did his best Rob Gronkowski impression at the Raptors' parade -- catching a full beer that a fan threw his way ... and chugging the hell out of it!!!

Drizzy has been raging on Kawhi Leonard's double-decker parade bus all morning long ... and when someone tossed a brew his way -- he went full Stone Cold Steve Austin on it!!!

He cracked it open ... poured it down the hatch -- and appeared to dab afterward!!

The parade is going on hour No. 5 ... but there's a chance we haven't seen the best from Drake yet -- he's supposed to address the crowd once the parade reaches the end.

... getchya popcorn ready!!

Sorry, Kawhi Leonard, it might be the Raptors' championship parade day ... but all eyes will be on Drake ... 'cause everyone wants to know -- how crazy will Drizzy get!?!

Toronto shockingly upset the Warriors in six games last week ... and the Canadian city is throwing a party to celebrate -- and we'll be live streaming the whole thing.

Kawhi, Kyle Lowry and Nick Nurse will all be there ... but the man we all wanna see is the 6 God -- 'cause he's been front and center of everything during this Raptors' run.

Will there be more Golden State trash talk? Some more coaching shoulder rubs? Maybe even another new rap song?!?

Drake was where he's always been lately ... smack in the middle of all things Raptors.

Canada's NBA champs celebrated Friday into Saturday AM in a big way at the Wynn in Vegas.

Drake walked in cradling the trophy and then took the mic to ferociously pay homage to his team, all the while clutching a bottle of Dom.

The team, along with Champagne Papi, all wore championship hats.

Security swarmed the entire celebration, but at Encore Beach Club during the day, the only normies who were allowed in were women in bikinis.

The nighttime celebration went down at XS Nightclub at the Wynn hotel, where Drake has his residency.

As you know, the Raptors closed the book on the series in Game 6, beating the Warriors by a score of 114 to 110. Drake wasn't at the game, because it went down in enemy territory, plus there were security issues.

BTW ... Drake dropped 2 songs Friday night, but neither reference the Raptors or the NBA championship, but the cover art displays the championship trophy.

Congrats Canada!!!

The NBA reached out to Drake and asked him not to travel to Oakland for any of the NBA Finals games at Oracle Arena due to "security concerns," multiple sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told the league expressed concern about potentially angry Warriors fans doing something stupid like taunting Drake or throwing stuff at him ... which wouldn't just put Drake at risk, but also other people sitting near him.

In the end, they all agreed it was best for Drake to stay in Toronto for the away games -- with Drake ultimately leading the Raptor fan watch party at Jurassic Park during Game 6.

Drake's dad Dennis Graham provided more of an explanation about the "security issues" when we saw him out at Delilah in L.A. after the Raptors won the championship ... suggesting some Warriors fans might've been holding a grudge for all of Drake's sideline antics during the Finals.

"When people see you in Toronto and you're making sideline things like that you have to be careful," Dennis said ... "With the rowdy fans, you can't take chances."

Don't feel too bad for Drake -- he had a BLAST in Toronto ... and then FaceTimed with Steph Curry after the game.

As for Dennis, he also told us why he thinks the Raps should NOT visit Donald Trump at the White House and opt to hang with the Prime Minister of Canada instead.