NBA

Russell Westbrook might be a Laker, but he'll always be welcome in Oklahoma City ... which is why the point guard just received a key to the city!!

The 33-year-old superstar -- who won the MVP award with the Thunder in the 2016-17 season -- was on hand at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City for the honor.

"We are so grateful for all @russwest44 has done for our city through the years," Mayor David Holt said. "And we want him to know he’s welcome here anytime."

"To make sure Russ can always come back home to OKC, I gave him the Key to the City."

The Mayor also cut the ribbon for a new futsal/basketball court, which was funded by Russ and his Why Not? foundation.

"This new court at Capitol Hill HS in South OKC demonstrates Russ’s continued commitment to the kids of @okcps and the people of OKC," David said.

Aside from his on-court accomplishments, Russ is known to have an active role in charitable work through his foundation -- which helps inspire children to achieve their dreams -- including backpack and shoe drives ... as well as handing out meals on Thanksgiving.

Of course, Westbrook spent the majority of his NBA career in OKC ... where he helped the team reach the Finals in 2012, and became the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

Shaquille O'Neal just eviscerated a hoops fan for trying to discredit his success with the Lakers ... telling the guy to "enjoy my stats and STF up."

The whole interaction started after the Legion Hoops Twitter account posted Diesel's insane stat lines from the NBA Finals during the Lakers' 3-peat from 2000-2002 ... which was meant to praise the big man's dominance.

Naturally, one user had to provide his unwarranted take on the topic ... tweeting out, "Even with all of this Shaq doesn’t win those rings without Kobe."

The jab got Shaq's attention ... and pissed him off so much, he clapped back with a fierce response.

"No person can win without another star big dummy," he said over the weekend. "How many would Magic (Johnson) have without Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar)? How many would Kenny Smith have without Hakeem Olajuwon?"

"WTF u talking about I hate dumb ass people," the Hall of Famer added. "Enjoy my stats and stf up."

The heckler has yet to respond to Shaq directly, but has been forced to defend his take with those backing O'Neal up.

It looks like Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor are about to be officially done with the West Coast ... 'cause TMZ has learned, they sold their L.A. area house.

Property records show they accepted an offer for their house back in April, and real estate sources tell TMZ ...  they'll be closing next week, unloading it for $4 million.

Whoever scooped up the Studio City pad is getting all the bells and whistles ... including a pool, movie theater and even a waterfall. Oh, and there's a custom dog house, just in case they're any kinda dog-lover.

The master bedroom also comes with a massive walk-in closet and a meditation balcony that overlooks the serene yard.

The place is a real beaut, but we're told Teyana and Iman decided to sell it because they're spending most of their time on the East Coast these days.

And, from the looks of it ... they've been toying with the idea for a while.

The couple actually bought the home back in 2018 for a little under $3 mil, listed it for rent and tried to sell it 2 years later. They ended up taking it off the market, before relisting back in April.

Big fan of Steph Curry and have half a mil layin' around? Good news -- a super rare SC rookie card has hit the auction block, and it could sell for over $500K!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2009 National Treasures autographed patch piece is up for sale at PWCC Marketplace -- and it's such a gem, bidding is already up over $400,000.

The front of the card has a photo of a young Steph in his road Warriors jersey -- and features a cutout of his threads. It also has Curry's autograph in bold, blue ink.

On the back, Curry's stats are displayed ... as well as a nod to one of his most famous triple-doubles.

Officials at PWCC tell us the card is ultra hot right now because it's super rare (it's numbered to just 99) and because Curry -- in addition to already being one of the greatest point guards ever -- is in yet another NBA Finals.

With a series win over the Celtics, Curry would be a four-time champion -- putting him in seriously rare air.

Blueface will be looking to break face on July 30 -- the rapper is slated to fight ex-NBA player Nick Young in a boxing match.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the "Thotiana" MC and NBA champ are going to face off in the ring at Crypto.com Arena as part of the Social Gloves event starring YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib.

Blueface has a bit of history in the ring -- he beat up on TikToker Kane Trujillo in July 2021 ... and ended up having to throw hands that same night after a fan attacked him in the ring.

Young is less experienced ... but he's never shied away from calling people out for a fight in the past. He's previously voiced interest in boxing Logan Paul, Gilbert Arenas and Chad Ochocinco.

We broke the story -- ex-NFL star Le'Veon Bell is also slated to take a fight on the same card ... although his opponent has not been announced.

Paul Pierce is being sued yet again ... this time a man is alleging the NBA legend borrowed a bunch of cash to play in poker games, but lost most of it all and never paid it back.

In the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Stephen Carmona says he was hosting a poker game at his home on Jan. 27, when Pierce showed up and asked Carmona to lend him some money so he could play.

Carmona claims he gave Pierce $150,000, and alleges the former Boston Celtics great -- who reportedly made over $195 million in his playing career -- promised to pay him back within seven days.

In the suit, Carmona says Pierce went on to lose $140K in the game and only returned $10,000 to him.

A week later, Carmona says he hosted another poker game at his home, and Pierce showed up again and requested another loan to play, despite not paying off the initial debt.

Carmona claims he handed over another $40,000 to the ex-NBA hooper, with the promise that he'd pay that off in addition to the $140,000 that he owed Carmona from the previous week.

Carmona says in the suit Pierce went on to lose the $40,000 that night ... and never paid it or the prior loan back.

Carmona says he's now out $180,000 -- and "despite multiple requests for repayment," Carmona says Pierce won't pay off the debt.

In the suit, Carmona is asking for $180,000 plus interest.

Pierce has yet to publicly comment on the allegations.

This is far from the first time the ex-NBA hooper has faced a civil lawsuit -- following the 2018 Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, he was sued for allegedly calling a security guard "racist."

Hollywood Harlow in full effect -- Jack Harlow is on set for his acting debut in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

As we previously reported, the "First Class" rapper landed the gig after crushing his first-ever audition ... playing Billy Hoyle, which was Woody Harrelson's role in the original film back in 1992.

The project appears to be well on its way ... as Harlow was spotted making his rounds on set at a basketball court in Venice.

Of course, Harlow is working alongside Sinqua Walls in the flick ... who was picked to play Wesley Snipes' Sidney Deane role, despite Quavo's hopes of getting his name called.

The project is backed by Kenya Barris, NBA star Blake Griffin, NFLer Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein of Mortal Media ... and is directed by Calmatic.

Other actors on board include Lance Reddick, Teyana Taylor, Andrew Schulz and Laura Harrier ... so some of those names were probably on set as well.

George Thompson, one of the greatest players in the history of Marquette basketball, has died at 74 years old, the school announced on Wednesday night.

The university shared the sad news in a tweet ... saying Thompson passed away due to complications from diabetes.

"George made a tremendous impact, not only on the program, but the entire Milwaukee community after his arrival on campus," school officials said. "RIP Brute Force."

The Brooklyn native was a standout at Marquette from 1966 to 1969, playing under legendary coach Al McGuire. In 87 career games at the school, spanning three seasons, he averaged 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

He went on to be selected by the Boston Celtics in the 5th round of the 1969 NBA Draft ... but chose to start his pro career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association.

George spent 5 total seasons in the ABA -- playing for the Condors/Memphis Tams for 2 years -- before taking his talents to the NBA to play for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 3-time ABA All-Star only played one season with the Bucks, but his iconic #24 jersey hangs in the rafters at Fiserv Forum thanks to his storied career at Marquette.

Thompson -- a member of Marquette's Hall of Fame -- was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

LeBron James wants to head to Sin City one day with his billion-dollar net worth -- the superstar just revealed he's gunning to buy an NBA team in Las Vegas.

The King -- who just recently earned his membership in the 3 Comma Club -- is already describing his plans to build his business portfolio even further ... saying on "The Shop" he wants to be the guy to bring pro men's hoops to Vegas.

Of course, Bron already has a stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox among other franchises ... and previously said his goal is to own an NBA franchise "sooner than later"

Bringing an NBA team to Vegas has been talked about for years -- the Association already hosts Summer League games in the desert -- and it would certainly be a success.

The city has already welcomed the Aces, Golden Knights and Raiders in recent years ... so it's just a matter of time before the NBA joins the Vegas fam.

A Chicago memorabilia shop was burglarized on Memorial Day and rare sports cards -- including high-priced 1986 Michael Jordan rookie cards -- were stolen ... and the heist was all caught on camera.

According to the Chicago Police Dept., the store was robbed on May 31 at 3:44 AM when a male suspect removed metal bars from the business and broke in through a back window.

When the suspect made entry, cops say he stole several items and fled on foot.

The business's owner, Ronnie Holloway, released video from inside of the store at the time of the theft this week -- showing a man behind the counter rummaging through a ton of sports cards.

Holloway tells TMZ Sports the suspect got away with over $100k worth of merchandise ... including an unopened Fleer packet of MJ rookie cards -- which he says is worth $25k alone. Holloway added that other rare cards of Babe Ruth, Larry Bird, Jackie Robinson and Walter Payton were also taken.

"These are high-end cards," Holloway said. "Trying to replace it is gonna be hard -- vintage cards can't be replaced."

Holloway tells us he believes the suspect scoped out his place a few days before the heist ... saying, "He knew where they were. He must've planned this out."

"Over the holiday weekend, too, so perfect opportunity. Well-orchestrated."

Holloway -- who's owned the store for 30 years -- has put out a $10,000 reward for "an arrest or conviction of this person."

Klay Thompson is straight-up pissed over the "F*** You Draymond" chants that rained down on the Warriors on Wednesday night ... ripping Celtics fans for the vulgar words and calling Boston supporters "real classy."

While Boston was up big late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden, their fans let Draymond Green have it -- chanting "F*** You" over and over again at the star after the Golden State forward had ruffled feathers in Games 1 and 2 of the series.

In fact, the shouts were so loud, the game's announcer, Mike Breen, had to mention it on the broadcast ... saying, "And Draymond Green hearing it from the crowd with an obscene chant,"

After the game, Klay was asked about it all -- and he made it clear, he wasn't a fan of Cs supporters.

"We've played in front of rude people before," Thompson said. "Dropping F-bombs with children in the crowd. Real classy. Good job, Boston."

Dubs head coach Steve Kerr also chided the Celtics fans for the chant ... adding in his postgame news conference, "Classy. Very classy."

Green himself actually didn't seem to have an issue with it -- he told media members he expected it -- and, in fact, he himself dropped a cuss word in his presser while his son sat next to him.

As for Green's wife, she clearly didn't love it ... calling the chants "disgusting" in a lengthy social media post following the Warriors' 116-100 loss in Boston.

"My kids were at the game tonight hearing that mess!" she said, before adding, "Just shameful!"

Tip-off for Game 4 of the series is slated for Friday ... will the Warriors' vocal issues with fans stop the chants then?

Anthony Edwards might have a future in Hollywood -- the young NBA star showed off his acting chops in the LeBron James-backed "Hustle" flick ... and the dude's impressive!!

The film is based on Adam Sandler's character -- an NBA scout with the Philadelphia 76ers -- who discovers a super-talented hooper in Spain in hopes of saving his job.

20-year-old Edwards spends the majority of the flick antagonizing Juancho Hernangomez's character -- Sandler's golden ticket and one of the movie's stars -- playing the villain role in natural fashion.

Ant's appearance in the movie is getting a ton of praise on social media ... with some folks saying the hooper needs to be in more movies.

The movie is filled with some of the NBA's biggest names -- Kenny "The Jet" Smith has a significant role as sports agent Leon Rich ... and stars like Julius Erving and Mark Cuban also make cameo appearances.

Trae Young, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Middleton, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey also had roles in the movie.

Dwyane Wade says he's scared to death for his transgender daughter's safety ... saying as more states implement anti-trans sports laws, his fear grows even stronger.

The Miami Heat legend spoke about his concerns at the TIME 100 Summit in NYC this week ... when he was asked -- as the father of 15-year-old Zaya -- about the current struggles for trans youth in this country.

"As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves our house," Wade said.

"And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world."

Wade gave a passionate response about his fears ... while also blasting the idea of trans sports bans -- calling out lawmakers for making rules on things he says they know nothing about.

"To me, it’s a joke," Wade said, "This is our life. We live this."

"When you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this and you're not living this and you're just out there signing away and making laws, that's not right. That's a joke."

FYI -- Louisiana just became the most recent state to pass a bill preventing trans women from competing in women's sports ... joining states like Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and more.

Wade added, "Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her."

Wade says he is frustrated that we're "losing the humane side of us" ... claiming in reality, he believes people should take the opportunity to educate -- instead of being dismissive.

"We're not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual transgender -- we can't close the book on that!"

The NFL will have to wait for its first black team owner -- the Denver Broncos just sold for a record $4.65 BILLION to Walmart heir Rob Walton and his family ... which is sad news for Magic Johnson and Kanye West.

The Broncos and the Walton-Penner family announced the deal late Thursday night ... which is believed to be the biggest deal for a North American franchise in sports history.

Walton -- who has a reported net worth of $59 BILLION -- will also take the throne as the richest owner in the league BY FAR -- David Tepper, the owner of the Carolina Panthers, has a net worth of $16.7 bil.

As we previously reported, the Lakers legend was part of a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris ... although it's unclear how far along their bid made it in the process.

The agreement also means Yeezy's Donda Sports will not be part of a historic sale ... after Antonio Brown previously told TMZ Sports the company was "extremely serious" about buying the Broncos back in March.

It's worth mentioning -- it's unclear if Donda ever actually brought a bid to the table.

Walton spoke about securing the deal ... saying, "Having lived and worked in Colorado, we've always admired the Broncos."

"Our enthusiasm has only grown as we've learned more about the team, staff and Broncos Country over the last few months."

He added ... "We look forward to earning the confidence and support of the NFL as we take the next step in this process. When the necessary approval procedures are met, our family is excited to share more with Broncos fans, the organization and the community."

YouTuber and boxer Austin McBroom is looking for redemption when he puts on his next boxing event at Crypto.com Arena in July ... enlisting Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell and a former Lakers star to fight on the card.

TMZ Sports spoke with the social media superstar ahead his July 30 fight -- a professional bout against AnEsonGib -- and he's dropping some major hints on the huge names involved.

Among those names include the former Steelers star, some high profile musicians and even a popular ex-NBA hooper ... but aside from Bell, McBroom was tight-lipped on revealing who exactly he was talking about.

Of course, McBroom's Social Gloves' first attempt at the boxing game -- the Battle of the Platforms -- resulted in lawsuits and fighters claiming they didn't get paid ... but the 30-year-old says he's learned his lesson and is ready to put on a hiccup-free show.

"This time around, we're working with people who have been doing this for a while. We have a new team, new streaming partner, everything is new," McBroom tells us. "Guys that are really experienced and I've been very blessed and fortunate to have another shot at this."

"Everything in the past is behind us -- no lawsuits, fighters are paid and we're ready to do this thing the right way and put on a show how it was supposed to be put on the first time around."

McBroom is hellbent on making this a great experience for everyone involved this time around -- hoping to sell out the arena and sell around 300,000 Pay-Per-Views.

As for his own fight, McBroom says he's expecting to make light work out of Gib ... which he hopes will pave the way for a fight against Logan Paul's old opponent, KSI.

Metta Sandiford-Artest is a huge fan of Rasheed Wallace joining the Lakers as an assistant coach ... praising the ex-player as a hoops genius.

The 2010 NBA champion talked all things Purple & Gold after leaving Craig's in L.A. this week ... and when he was asked about 'Sheed joining the bench, Metta says the move could pay huge dividends for the Lake Show.

"I think Rasheed is brilliant, smart," Sandiford-Artest said ... adding Wallace is "as good as it's going to come when you talk about a basketball brain."

'Sheed joins the Lakers with previous coaching experience -- in 2013, he was a member of the Detroit Pistons coaching staff ... and last year, he was a member of the Memphis Tigers coaching staff under Penny Hardaway.

Wallace, who played for 6 different teams over his 18-year career, earned a reputation for being a savvy player on the court ... something Metta can attest to due to their battles over the years.

Sandiford-Artest admittedly said he won't be keeping up with the Lakers' offseason moves -- like whether they will try to get Zach LaVine -- but come October, he'll be tuned in to see what 'Sheed and newly hired head coach Darvin Ham do with the team.

Speaking of the team ... Metta said he's not bailing on the Russell Westbrook experiment in L.A. just yet ... amid pleas for the superstar point guard to be shipped out of town.