NBA

Vince Staples is boosting his acting resume with a cameo on the award-winning sitcom, "Abbott Elementary," and fans are demanding an encore!!!

The Long Beach-bred rapper guest starred as Maurice ... a potential love interest for show creator Quinta Brunson's character, Janine.

The Wednesday night episode also featured NBA champ Andre Iguodala, and it had fans doing double takes all night ... with some even getting all googly-eyed over Vince.

'Abbott' is one of the hottest tickets on TV, winning 3 Primetime Emmys after its first season on the air.

Brittney Griner's on her way back home ... and plenty on U.S. soil are celebrating her freedom -- including Barack Obama, the NBA and the WNBA.

All three released statements following the news of the 32-year-old's release from Russian custody -- with Obama saying he's "grateful" ... while praising Joe Biden for helping facilitate the trade.

"Kudos to @POTUS and his administration for the difficult diplomatic work involved to make it happen," Obama said. "We’re looking forward to having Brittney back home."

The commissioners of the NBA and WNBA, meanwhile, both said they, too, are "thrilled" with Thursday's prisoner swap.

"The WNBA is grateful beyond measure to the Biden Administration, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and all those who played a role in bringing BG home today," Cathy Engelbert said.

Added Adam Silver, "We thank the members of the NBA and WNBA community who never wavered in their efforts to raise awareness of Brittney's unjust circumstances."

Griner had been detained in Russia since February ... after authorities accused her of having hashish oil in her luggage as a Moscow airport. She was slated to remain in a Russian prison for the next nine years -- but after the U.S. agreed to trade arms dealer Viktor Bout, she was allowed to return home Thursday.

Biden said he spoke with the WNBA star after making the trade, saying she was "in good spirits." Her wife, Cherelle Griner, said she felt like her family is now "whole" again.

Kyrie Irving and Hillary Clinton were among other celebs, athletes and politicians who shared their joy over the news on their social media pages Thursday.

Not all, however, have been thrilled with the prisoner swap -- with some, including Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, upset that wrongfully imprisoned Marine Paul Whelan was not included in the deal.

But, Biden and other U.S. officials said Thursday they're still working tirelessly to bring him home ... with the president saying in an address to the nation, "We are not giving up. We will never give up."

Kyrie Irving gave the middle finger to Nike with a message on his signature shoes Wednesday night ... covering the swoosh logo and etching "I am Free Thank You God I am" on a patch of tape after his breakup with the sneaker giant.

Irving hit the court at Barclays Center for the first time since becoming a shoe-free agent on Monday ... and while he decided to keep wearing his own kicks, he made sure to distance himself from his former partner.

Irving rocked the Nike Kyrie 3 PE in the "Raygun" colorway for the matchup against the Charlotte Hornets ... but if you look closely, the side logo is covered with black tape.

Kyrie switched kicks mid-game -- which is not uncommon for NBA players -- and the second pair also had the Swoosh scribbled out with black marker.

You'll recall ... the brand suspended its relationship with Kyrie after he tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic content ... saying there was no place for hate speech at Nike.

Irving, however, continued to don Nike sneakers during games ... though it's unclear if he was contractually obligated to or if the decision was a personal choice.

Right after news broke that the Kyrie era was over at Nike, the 30-year-old tweeted out a GIF that read, "There's nothing more priceless than being free."

Santa Claus won't be visiting Patrick Beverley's home this year ... and it's not 'cause his kids have been naughty -- it's because the Lakers guard straight-up told them Kris Kringle isn't real!!!

The 34-year-old explained the wild decision to squash his kids' Christmas dreams on Barstool Sports' "Pat Bev Podcast" this week ... saying it's not about lacking holiday spirit, but more about getting credit for putting presents under the tree.

Beverley says he LOVES giving out gifts to his family members ... but every year, he makes it clear there ain't a jolly, fat man coming down the chimney.

"Them presents y'all getting ain't from Santa, that s***'s from me," Pat said.

The hooper says he even told the kids he's the one devouring the cookies laid out on Christmas Eve ... and gives his dietary preferences by asking for a soda instead of milk.

"That's me eating that s***, I just wanted to let you guys know," Beverley added.

Of course, the heartbreaking news didn't go over well for his son ... with Pat saying, "It looked like I killed him, or something ... He was destroyed."

The Big Aristotle Christmas Tree Ornament?!?

Shaquille O'Neal now has another potential nickname to add to his ever-growing list ... after Kenny Smith plowed him into a giant Christmas tree on the set of "NBA on TNT" on Tuesday night.

The scene was hilarious ... O'Neal was racing The Jet to the show's big board -- when Smith got a little too physical with the Hall of Famer.

Kenny got up underneath the 7-foot-1 Lakers legend ... and sent him flying into a massive tree.

Shaq stayed under the shrubs for a while -- giggling his face off -- while proclaiming he was all right. Eventually, his cohosts pulled him from the wreckage -- with huge smiles on their faces.

"All right, Kenny," O'Neal said after getting up from the pile of presents. "This means war, Kenny!"

As Shaq returned to his seat, you can see the dude was not only covered in pine needles ... but glitter as well!!

As far as we know, Shaq didn't get revenge on Smith later in the evening ... but the guys will all be together again breaking down basketball in just a matter of days.

Nia Long and Ime Udoka are done -- the couple of 13 years has reportedly broken up after the Boston Celtics coach's affair with a team employee.

The news comes less than three months after the Boston Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for violating team policy ... a public scandal that Long said was "devastating."

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with the Celtics' travel planner ... who was in charge of booking Long's flights to attend home and road games -- as well as her arrangements to move to Boston permanently.

The fallout was apparently too much to recover from ... as People reports the two sides have called it quits on their relationship and are now focused on co-parenting their 11-year-old son, Kez.

Long recently sounded off on the Celtics for airing out their dirty laundry ... saying, "I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public."

Udoka remains suspended from the Celtics ... but was rumored to be Steve Nash's replacement at the head of the Brooklyn Nets bench. The team ultimately decided to go with Jacque Vaughn.

Lil Baby's birthday was technically on December 3, but the rapper isn't just limiting his celebrations to one day -- seemingly celebrating all month.

Baby's festivities took him to Houston Monday, where he partied with James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers after they lost to Harden's former squad, the Houston Rockets.

Bouncing back after an L in the club is very familiar territory for JH13 -- and he and Lil Baby switched courses for one of H-Town's illustrious strip clubs.

With Harden in tow, Baby rapped along to his "Danger" lyrics while previewing the insane stack of cash they set aside for the dancers, which undoubtedly had them throwing cash all night!!!

The evening is giving a serious case of déjà vu ... Baby got wild with James, Travis Scott, and Meek Mill for his birthday in March after losing by 29 points -- against another one of his former teams, the Brooklyn Nets.

Terrifying scene ahead of the Atlanta Hawks game on Monday night ... Bob Rathbun, the team's play-by-play announcer, suffered a frightening medical emergency while on air -- and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Thankfully, however, the 68-year-old is now said to be doing better ... and is in "stable" condition.

Rathbun was previewing the Hawks' game against the Thunder for Bally Sports with Dominique Wilkins ... when he suddenly appeared to lose consciousness in his chair, and convulse uncontrollably.

WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS HARD TO WATCH.

Medical personnel raced to his side to tend to him before the cameras cut away.

According to Bally Sports officials, he was suffering from dehydration ... and was taken to a local medical facility. They added he's now both "stable" and "responsive."

Lauren Jbara filled in last-minute for Rathbun to call the game -- which the Hawks lost, 121-114.

Get well soon, Bob.

They don't call him the Greek Freak for nothing.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo turns 28 on Tuesday ... and he wants to celebrate his big day by knockin' boots.

The 2-time MVP revealed his birthday plans with reporters after the Bucks' 109-102 win over the Orlando Magic ... saying he was hoping for a cake, a card and maybe some jewelry -- but there was one thing he was really looking forward to.

"Once I put my kids to bed you never know what can happen," Giannis said while holding a Homer Simpson doll. "Might get a little bit freaky."

The champ had a big ass grin on his face as he seemingly spoke the idea into existence ... even giving the media a wink.

The journalists in attendance couldn't help but laugh ... but it's unclear if his longtime girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger, found it funny.

Of course, Giannis has never shied away from his sexual desires -- he hilariously revealed an oral sex bell on Valentine's Day back in 2018, much to Mariah's chagrin.

Giannis and Mariah have two kids together ... and maybe #3 is on the way??

LeBron James and Magic Johnson said Monday they're heartbroken to learn Norm Pattiz -- one of the Lakers' most famous superfans -- has died ... with the duo both penning tribute notes to the late broadcasting entrepreneur.

Johnson took to Twitter to share his homage ... calling Pattiz his "long time friend."

"I'll always remember Norm cheering on the Lakers from his floor seats & clapping on every possession & play with his program!" he said. "Sending my prayers to his wife Mary and entire family."

James, meanwhile, shared his heartfelt message on his IG page -- writing, "Rest in paradise Norm!!!"

Pattiz -- the founder of the original Westwood One and PodcastOne who was ultimately inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame -- reportedly passed away on Sunday. A cause of death was not revealed. He was 79 years old.

Pattiz gained notoriety at Lakers games for his courtside seats -- which he owned for over three decades.

The Lakers themselves paid tribute to him following the news of his death, sharing a pic of him in a custom Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal suit jacket at Staples Center.

"We will always treasure his spirit for the game and love for the team," the team said. "He will be missed."

The entire city of Dallas has now apparently joined the Cowboys in recruiting Odell Beckham Jr. -- as thousands of Mavericks fans showered him with love at the NBA game on Monday.

Beckham got into Texas earlier in the day to visit the Cowboys as he continues to try to figure out where his next football destination will be ... and as part of Dallas' pitch to sign him, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs took him to see Luka Doncic and the Mavs against the Suns in the evening.

Beckham seemed to be having a great time with the two Dallas stars -- laughing with the duo in courtside seats all night long.

And, at one point during the game, he became the star of the show -- for at least a few moments -- as the arena broke out a loud "O-B-J" chant.

Beckham seemed to love it all -- though when he was peppered with questions from reporters at the game about the Cowboys' chances ... he wouldn't reveal much, jokingly saying, "I plead the fifth."

The star free agent wideout is reportedly down to the Cowboys, Bills and Giants -- and is expected to make a signing in the next couple days.

Dallas officials, meanwhile, have said repeatedly they REALLY want Odell ... with Stephen Jones calling him Monday "our priority."

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson's wallet is now $15,000 lighter ... and it's all 'cause he hurled his headband in disgust during a game on Saturday.

For real.

The NBA just announced the fine ... docking the 30-year-old for heaving the sweat guard into the stands just before Utah lost 116-111 to the Trail Blazers over the weekend.

Many believed Clarkson could avoid the fee -- as, after all, the headband didn't hit anybody.

Clearly, though, that didn't matter to NBA exec Joe Dumars, who handed down the punishment regardless on Monday afternoon.

The good news for Clarkson? He's made over $86 MILLION in his NBA career ... so the fine ain't going to hurt too much.

Kobe. Shaq. Hugh Hefner.

A championship ring from the Lakers 1999-2000 season, issued to the legendary Playboy founder, is on the auction block at SCP Auctions!

Hefner received the 14-karat yellow gold ring, designed to the exact specifications of the players' rings after the Lakers beat the Pacers in the NBA Finals.

The face of the ring is paved in real-brilliant cut diamonds and has the words "World Champions" and "Lakers" on it. The ring also has ten large diamonds on the front ... five appearing on each side.

The ring has Hugh's last name, "Hefner," on one side, along with the Lakers' regular season record (67-15) and playoff record (15-8) that season. There's also a large diamond in the center of a basketball with the words "Bling Bling." The year "2000" is also engraved.

The ring comes with the original Lakers presentation box -- which has "Hefner" engraved on it -- and a letter of authenticity (LOA) from Hugh's family.

Hefner, who was 91 when he died at the Playboy Mansion in 2017, regularly attended Lakers games throughout his life ... and was good friends with late Laker's owner Jerry Buss.

The Lakers title that season, which they won in large part due to the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, was the franchise's first championship since Magic Johnson led the team to a title in 1988.

The Lakers mowed down their competition during the regular season and defeated Indiana in six games in the NBA Finals ... the first of back-to-back-to-back titles.

Draymond Green says there isn't a debate in his mind ... LeBron James is simply a better basketball player than Michael Jordan.

The Golden State Warriors star didn't mince words when talking about his top-five NBA players of all time on the latest episode of "Throwing Bones" ... explaining he believes LBJ is the GOAT when it comes to hoops.

Draymond listed several reasons -- including the duration of LeBron's run as the game's best ... as well as the Lakers great's skill set.

But, most notably, Green says the competition James faced year after year after year sets him apart from His Airness.

"MJ didn't beat the greatest team ever assembled," Green said. "Nor did he run up against the greatest team ever assembled every year."

Green added, "There's nobody that has ever played the game of basketball that can do what LeBron James does on a basketball court. Nobody."

The debate has raged on for years -- Jordan supporters have pointed to Michael's 6-0 championship record to give him the crown, while LBJ fans have directed the attention to The King's gaudy stats (he's less than 1,000 points away from being the Association's all-time leading scorer).

Seems Draymond, though, has his mind made up ... and he swears it ain't shade to his former idol.

"I'm sure one of the old f***s is going to say, 'You're out of your mind' and this that and the other," Green said. "The talent is way better [during LeBron's era], just like the talent at Apple is way better than the talent that was working at Apple in 1991."

Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete ... a spokesperson for the company announced Monday.

Irving, whose future with the retail giant was in question after they suspended him for tweeting about a controversial, antisemitic film ... has cut ties with the NBA star, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

As we previously reported, Nike put its relationship with Ky on ice on November 4 ... suspending Irving. Despite satisfying the team and league with his apology, as well as other steps, the Swoosh indicated their relationship with Irving was probably done after the suspension.

In an interview with CNBC, Phil Knight, cofounder and chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate, said Irving's relationship with the company was "likely over."

"Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple," Knight said. "He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. I was fine with that."

Kyrie joined the Nike family in 2011 ... releasing his signature Kyrie 1 basketball shoe in 2014 as a member of the Cavs in his third NBA season.

Ex-Lakers champ Devean George wants to clear the dookie-smelling air ... telling TMZ Sports Shaquille O'Neal NEVER took a dump in his shoe -- despite a rumor saying otherwise.

Tyronn Lue initially started the gossip back in June on Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles' "Knuckleheads" podcast ... saying that the incident happened in the early 2000s, when he, George and O'Neal were all L.A. teammates.

According to Lue, Shaq was so pissed that George didn't bring donuts to a meeting ... he grabbed one of the small forward's sneakers, took a crap in it, and then put it back like nothing ever happened.

George then allegedly stuffed his foot in the shoe -- getting O'Neal's bowel movements all over his foot.

But, when we got the Devean out at LAX last week -- he called BS on all of the allegations ... saying nothing of the sort ever happened.

"Hell no, that's a lie, that's cap," George said, "and I know T-Lue started that."

"That never happened," he continued. "I think he did that to someone in Orlando. I don't remember the dude's name, but he did that in Orlando. But he never took a s*** in my shoes."

George said if it did go down, he and Shaq would have fought.

Instead, George said the two were very good friends -- and ended up winning three NBA titles together.

"He was a great teammate," Devean said. "He's a good guy. I love him."