NBA

After YEARS of hype ... Zion Williamson is officially an NBA player after getting drafted as the 1st overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 draft.

And that should surprise literally no one.

The ex-Duke superstar has been on everyone's radar ever since he was a 5-star recruit at Spartanburg Day School in SC. Seriously, even Drake was rocking his high school jersey back in 2017!!!

It was a sure thing Williamson would end up in NOLA after the Pels won the lottery ... and now that NBA commish Adam Silver has called his name at Barclays Center in NYC, it's finally official.

But that didn't stop Zion from getting emotional in an interview after walking off the stage ... breaking down in tears with his mother, Sharonda Sampson, by his side.

“My mom sacrificed a lot for me," Zion said. "I wouldn’t be here without my mom. She did everything for me. I just want to thank her."

Z-Dub's rookie contract could be worth around $45 million over 4 seasons ... so the dude's set for a while ... but he'll be making WAY more off the court with his shoe deal and other sponsorships.

As we previously reported, Zion was wearing his Nike Kyrie 5 sneakers at a private workout in L.A. earlier this month .. so it seems like he's leaning towards the Swoosh, despite his PG 2.5 giving out on him in a game earlier this year.

Shoe legend Sonny Vaccaro -- who's responsible for Michael Jordan's rookie deal with Nike --previously told us he'd give the star $100 MILLION to ink a shoe contract. Not bad for an 18-year-old.

It's the most swaggy time of the year ... when the top NBA prospects in the game show off their style on the biggest days of their lives ... and these guys went all out in the name of FASHION!!!

Zion Williamson is rockin' an all-white suit -- just like LeBron James did at the 2003 Draft -- for when his name is called as the first pick ... with an open collar shirt ('cause ties are overrated).

To top off the look, Zion went with a blinged-out Rolex ... which is retails in the $45,000 range, but with all the bells and whistles, it's worth a LOT more.

RJ Barrett went the pink route ... donning a custom suit with Canadian flag lining and his "Maple Mamba" nickname stitched in it as well.

And just like his Duke teammate, Barrett iced out his wrist as well .. going with a fancy Cartier watch for good measure.

Bol Bol's Spidey senses are tingling ... 'cause the 7'2" center went with a black suit and bedazzled spider web print.

Other notable suits include Darius Garland (who was styled by Fear of God's Jerry Lorenzo) ... Jaxson Hayes with the red suit and Sideshow Bob chain ... and Nickeil Alexander's snakeskin-print suit.

Ex-Texas hoops star center Jaxson Hayes got himself a sick pre-draft gift that would make Homer Simpson proud ... immortalizing his "Sideshow Jax" nickname in diamonds with a Sideshow Bob chain!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the projected lottery pick wanted to treat himself before the biggest day of his life ... hitting up Al the Jeweler of LaBelle Jewelry in NJ to hook him up with a chain of his Simpsons character Doppelgänger.

Al -- the go-to jeweler for huge stars like Jarvis Landry and Stefon Diggs -- tells us the one-of-a-kind piece is made of VS diamonds and rubies ... and it took 1,000 total stones to make.

No word on how much Hayes dropped for the piece ... but we're told this kinda work would run around $25k.

We're told Hayes LOVES the piece ... and there's a great chance he might even wear it when his name is called at the draft on Thursday.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner and billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert has been released from the hospital after suffering a stroke 3 weeks ago ... his company announced on Thursday.

Gilbert had a stroke while receiving medical treatment at a Michigan hospital on May 26. He underwent a catheter-based procedure and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit for recovery.

According to Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken, Gilbert is doing much better ... and was finally able to leave the hospital on Wednesday.

"The Gilbert family is thankful for the tremendous outpouring of support they have received," Farner says.

"Yesterday, Dan Gilbert was discharged from the hospital and will now continue focusing on his recovery at an in-patient rehabilitation center."

Gilbert bought the Cavs back in 2005 ... and is worth nearly 7 BILLION dollars.

The man they call the "Serbian Michael Jordan" has essentially been BLOCKED by the International Basketball Federation from playing the BIG3 -- and Ice Cube is FURIOUS!

In fact, Cube is calling officials "chicken sh*t" for standing in the way of the player's American dream.

The man at the center of the controversy is Dusan Bulut -- AKA Mr. Bullutproof -- the top-ranked 3-on-3 basketball player in the world. He's an absolute stud. He's even got his own signature move, the Shammgod Nutmeg.

Bulut is from Serbia -- but he's currently under contract with a team in Abu Dhabi in a league that's overseen by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Despite the fact Bulut WANTS to play in the BIG3 -- and was DRAFTED this year -- FIBA officials told him if he breaks his contract with the Abu Dhabi team, he'll face a 24-month ban from international competition, which would prevent him from competing for Serbia in the 2020 Olympics.

Earlier today, Bulut withdrew from the BIG3 because of the threat -- and Ice Cube ain't happy about it.

"We want him to play, but FIBA is threatening that he won't be able to be eligible for the Olympics," Cube told us ... "I think they're scared."

Cube says the league is considering its legal options -- but notes, "We want to do whatever Bulut wants to do. We want to get him in the BIG3, but we don't want to mess up his chances to be in the Olympics."

He summed it up this way ... "I think FIBA is being chicken sh*t."

Meanwhile, Cube and the BIG3 are pushing forward with the 2019 season, which kicks off June 22 at the Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, live on CBS.

10:20 AM PT -- Trump -- who was meeting with Trudeau -- was just asked if he's planning on inviting the Raps to 1600 Penn ... and he said, "That's an interesting question. They played phenomenal basketball, I watched a little bit of it."

"We'll think about that, if they'd like to do it, we'll think about that."

So ... maybe???

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says he's DEFINITELY looking forward to celebrating their NBA championship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ... but Donald Trump? That's TBD.

It's uncharted territory for Canada's NBA team, considering this is their first title in franchise history ... so, many have been wondering if the Dinos would get an invite to party at the White House.

Nurse addressed the possibility with Prime Time Sports on SportsNet 590 ... saying the team hasn't gotten a call from Trump's camp yet ... and even if they DO get an invite, he's unsure how they'll RSVP.

But, as for meeting the top guy in Canada? Nurse says plans are already in the works ...

"Definitely the Trudeau meeting, because they have been asking me about scheduling it," Nurse said. "I've heard nothing from the White House. We're Canada's team anyway, right?"

Politics aside, Nurse says he truly doesn't know if there will be a trip to 1600 Penn, "I think we're here. Let's go see Trudeau up in Ottawa ... we're Canada's team."

Remember, the Golden State Warriors -- who won the NBA title the past two years before the Raptors -- famously boycotted Trump's White House ... opting to visit with President Obama instead.

A pair of Zion Williamson's game-worn college sneakers -- no, not THAT pair -- is set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder ... and they could sell for more than $25k!!!

The ex-Duke superstar rocked a pair of size 14 Nike Kyrie 5s during his 4th-ever college game against San Diego State in the Maui Invitational on November 19, 2018.

Of course, Zion's kicks have been a HUGE talking point since his PG 2.5 exploded while playing UNC in February ... and because of that (and that he's a future NBA superstar), this pair's expected to rake in serious dough.

“Even though these are not those historic sneakers, the fact that he played in just 33 college basketball games and these are his first sneakers to be offed at auction make them a truly special item," Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions tells us.

As for the game, the #1 ranked Blue Devils easily handled the Aztecs, 90-64, and Z-Dub had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals and 1 block in 18 minutes -- plus a ridiculous windmill jam.

Now, we're not comparing Zion to MJ, but Jordan's college kicks sold at auction for $33k in 2014 ... so these at 25 G's could be a steal!!

Zion Williamson's incredible athletic feats don't end on the hardwood ... 'cause the hoops phenom smashed a 400 foot home run and threw a football 70 yards -- as a 16-year-old high school student!!!

Lee Sartor -- Zion's basketball coach of 4 years at the Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina -- told TMZ Sports about some of the ridiculously amazing stuff he's personally witnessed.

First up, football.

Remember that video where Zion airs out the pigskin ... launching it into the air?

Well, Coach Sartor -- now the head coach at Erskine College in S.C. -- was there ... and saw it go down with his own eyes.

"I actually witnessed that and it was about 70 yards in the air."

There's more.

"I also witnessed him hit a baseball over 400 feet," Sartor says ... "He was just messing around on the baseball field and he said, 'let me hit one.' And he hit the thing over the fence about 400 feet."

FYI -- a ball launched 400 feet would clear the fence in any Major League ballpark.

What makes it even more impressive?

Coach says this all happened after Zion completed his junior year of high school.

That ain't all ... Sartor also cleared up a big mystery -- where the hell are Zion's exploded Nike sneakers.

Remember, the PG 2.5's had seemingly gone missing ... Zion told us to ask Coach K, Duke told us they had no idea where the shoe was, and Nike said they had no "information" on the shoe location.

So, where is it? At the house of Zion's parents ... according to Coach Sartor.

"I don't think they got it in the trophy case or anything like that, but I do know they have the shoe."

Donovan Mitchell says he's totally stoked to play with his new teammate, Mike Conley ... giving TMZ Sports his stamp of approval on the huge trade that sent the guard to the Utah Jazz.

Spida was out at the Adidas store in NYC just hours after the trade went down on Wednesday ... so we had to ask what he thought of the move.

"Really excited," Mitchell says. "Having Mike is a great piece and i'm excited to play with him."

FYI -- the Jazz sent Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen and their 2019 draft pick to land the 12-year vet ... but Mitchell is confident giving up those role players for a "big piece" like Conley will benefit the team.

Spida SHOULD be excited ... a lot of people are saying the move makes the Jazz legit contenders to make the NBA Finals next season ... and they haven't been there since 1998 (shoutout Stockton and Malone).

Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green might piss off a couple different groups with what he just said to our cameras and it all has to do with Kawhi Leonard and their two shared NBA titles.

First off, he said definitively that Kawhi is the best player in the NBA, so all the LeBron, Durant, Giannis, and Harden fans are BIG MAD right now.

Secondly, our guy asked Danny in NYC which NBA title felt better -- his 2014 run with the San Antonio Spurs (Kawhi was there for that one too) or the one he just scored with the Toronto Raptors.

"This one, 2019 for sure."

Now, if you're in San Antonio, you're prolly HUGE MAD right now, because Danny just said the ring he won with you guys is like Robin, Garfunkel, Oates, and Watson ... famously second fiddle.

Kevin Durant is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles ... but one wrestling star says he can help KD get back to the court in HALF THE TIME!!

NXT superstar Riddick Moss -- who also ruptured his Achilles last year and returned in "record" time -- says he can have Durant back on the court in 5 months. And, how can he prove it??

'Cause he did it himself!!

"This talk about KD being out for an entire season, missing next season, I don't like it," Moss says. "I don't wanna hear it."

"I wanna shut up all these people that are saying an Achilles rupture's gonna put you out for an entire season. Wherever you go, I wanna see you hoisting hardware at the end of the season in June."

Moss -- who is one-half of the Outliers in NXT, managed by Robert Strauss -- says he didn't miss a beat when he returned to the squared circle after his injury ... and is the guy to help KD get back to normal.

"Don't call Kobe Bryant for help. Kobe Bryant did not set a record coming back from an Achilles tendon rupture like Riddick Moss did. Kobe can't help you."

So ... maybe it's time to hit up this Moss fellow, KD??

L.A. Lakers forward Moe Wagner says he didn't intentionally "like" a pro-George Zimmerman tweet earlier this week ... and now he's apologizing to "anyone I hurt."

The 22-year-old German-born NBA player came under fire when people noticed he "liked" a tweet that essentially justified Zimmerman's 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin.

The tweet also said, "The black community [Zimmerman] had volunteered his time to help prior to the incident tried to ruin him."

Yeah, it's bad.

Zimmerman was found not guilty of 2nd-degree murder and manslaughter in the Martin case -- but most people still believe the guy is a scumbag.

In fact, Wagner's Lakers teammate, LeBron James, was one of the most vocal critics of Zimmerman during the hearing.

But, Wagner -- L.A.'s 1st-round pick in 2018 -- is now making it clear he is NOT a Zimmerman supporter -- and says the "like" was a genuine mistake.

"I’d like to apologize and say I genuinely have no idea how that tweet was liked from my account," Wagner tweeted.

"I would never purposely like something so terrible, and I’m sorry to anyone I hurt."

Austin Rivers tells TMZ Sports ... the reported rift between his Houston Rockets teammates, Chris Paul and James Harden, is nothing but a LIE ... saying, "It's just made up news, fake news!"

The NBA world went crazy Tuesday after Yahoo Sports reported the relationship between Paul and Harden has become "unsalvageable"-- with CP3 demanding the Rockets either get rid of "him or me."

So, when we saw Rivers at Craig's in L.A. on Tuesday ... we had to ask if he saw any of the reported drama in the locker room during the 2018-19 season.

"I know NOTHING about any of that," Rivers said ... "I don't know where that's coming from. A lot of fantasy tales being told right now"

He continued to shoot down the report -- "It's definitely not true. I didn't see any issues between any of them. It's just made up news, fake news like most of the stuff you see on these Instagram pages."

When asked if he'd like to play with both guys again, Rivers said ... "Yeah. I'd love to. Both Hall of Fame players."

We also shot James Harden in L.A. on Tuesday night leaving Bootsy Bellows -- but he definitely wasn't in the mood to talk about the alleged drama in Houston.

As for Rivers ... there's more cool stuff -- he gives advice to his old teammate, Anthony Davis, about how to be successful in Los Angeles.

Here's all the proof you need to know Manu Ginobili is lovin' retirement ... riding a bike through Manhattan Beach with his family and a big ol' smile on his face!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the San Antonio Spurs legend while he breezed by our camera guy on Tuesday ... and he told us he's enjoying life with his wife and children off the hardwood.

FYI -- the 4-time NBA champ called it a career just before the start of the 2018 season ... saying "It's been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams."

It's a good sign for Ginobili's ex-teammate Tony Parker ... who just joined him in the retirement life after 18 seasons in the Associaton.

Adam Silver is vouching for Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri -- saying the guy is a good dude ... but the NBA commish tells TMZ Sports he's still investigating Ujiri like he would anyone else.

Of course, Ujiri is facing some stiff allegations after shoving a cop after Game 6 of the NBA Finals ... with the officer's attorney saying his client suffered a concussion and a jaw injury in the altercation.

In fact, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office says it's pursuing a criminal misdemeanor battery charge against Ujiri ... saying it's set to meet with prosecutors this week.

When we got Silver out in NYC on Tuesday ... he told us he's known Ujiri for years -- but has still launched a full investigation into the allegations nonetheless.

"I've known Masai Ujiri for a long time," Silver says ... "I know he's a very decent person. But, at the same time, we of course respect law enforcement that does a great job protecting our fans in the arena."

"So, there's been an allegation here, so it's our job to look into the facts and make sure that everything's handled appropriately."

The cop who was shoved by Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri during a fight after Game 6 of the NBA Finals is blasting racism claims ... with his attorney telling TMZ Sports, "The injured officer's family is African American."

After it was revealed Ujiri and a white cop got into a pushing altercation last Thursday after the Raptors beat the Warriors at Oracle Arena ... some had suggested the incident was rooted in racism.

But, the cop's attorney, David Mastagni, says that's just not the case at all, telling us, "Insult to this injury is invoking race because the injured officer's family is African American."

"This case is credential vs. no credential. The issue is not race."

As we previously reported, Mastagni says his client -- who has yet to be publicly identified -- suffered both a "serious concussion" and a significant jaw injury after Ujiri shoved him.

Mastagni says the cop has NOT been able to return to work since the altercation, which Mastagni says was an "unprovoked" attack.

Mastagni also says they are still considering a lawsuit against the Raptors president.

Ujiri is also facing a criminal investigation ... with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office saying it will meet with prosecutors later this week to pursue a misdemeanor battery charge.