NBA

The fire that ravaged Mike Breen's home last year destroyed nearly everything he owned ... but he revealed this week that, somehow, an invaluable jersey that Kobe Bryant had signed for him was able to be salvaged.

The NBA announcer -- who will broadcast this month's Heat vs. Nuggets Finals series -- shared the amazing news while talking with The Athletic about the September blaze that burnt his Long Island home to the ground.

In the interview, Breen explained he had gotten the jersey from his ESPN family way back in 2014 ... in honor of the NBA allowing its players to wear nicknames on the backs of their uniforms.

Breen's custom jersey was a Brooklyn one -- he was broadcasting a Nets game at the time -- and it featured "Gray Mamba" on the back.

The 62-year-old loved it so much, he eventually had Kobe -- the Black Mamba -- sign it for him ... adding that Bryant had written in his autograph, "From one Mamba to another."

Breen said he thought the prized possession was turned to ashes by the fire ... but he explained to The Athletic his wife was able to somehow locate it in the rubble, and have it restored.

Breen, though, did lose countless other belongings in the fire -- clothes, NBA memorabilia, a piano, and just about everything else -- but he said he was just grateful no one was hurt, and he was thankful for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers he received in wake of it all.

Damian Lillard agrees with former head coach turned broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy ... halftime's pointless, and the league would be wise to eliminate the 15-minute break!

"I’m w [Van Gundy] on halftime lol… I do not fw it," the 7x All-Star proclaimed on social media, responding to the former Knicks coach's proposed rule change.

It was during a recent interview with The Athletic that Van Gundy suggested several substantial ways to speed up/improve the game.

"This whole idea of what goes on at halftime, I think is so misunderstood," Jeff told the outlet. "It’s a lot of either praising what just happened or correcting. But you could do that in two minutes out by the bench in an elongated timeout."

Bottom line, Jeff feels halftime is too long and drawn out, describing it as "the biggest waste of time," adding players only need time to go to the bathroom and possibly make a few adjustments, which could be done within 5 minutes.

The 61-year-old analyst didn't stop at halftime ... JVG also said the NBA should save free throws for crunch time.

“So my most radical one is to eliminate free throws until the last four minutes,” Van Gundy said. "If you get fouled on a shooting foul, you just get the points. You don’t go to the line. And you don’t go to the line for technical free throws."

While the networks probably won't love Jeff's halftime idea (commercials!) -- likely making it a nonstarter -- Van Gundy is adamant his free throw rule change needs to be adopted.

Longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis won't be needing his whistle anytime soon ... the league just announced he will not work the Finals amid an investigation into claims he used a Twitter burner account to defend himself and his colleagues.

The Association just announced the officials for the Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat series ... and Lewis, who previously worked the last four NBA Finals, was not one of the 12 individuals selected for the matchup.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed the omission is directly related to the investigation ... saying, "Regarding Eric Lewis and the social media posts, we are continuing to review the matter, and he will not be working the Finals."

The NBA launched a probe into Lewis, a 19-year veteran who has officiated over 1,200 regular and postseason games, after a Twitter account responded to posts on league officiating, seemingly defending Lewis and his contemporaries.

The tweets in question have reportedly been deleted, but the account, listed under "Blair Cuttliff" with the handle @CuttliffBlair, is still active.

It's unclear if Lewis was really behind the burner account. It's a big problem if he was ... as the NBA has a rule prohibiting referees from publicly commenting on officiating without authorization.

SHEIN is taking swift action after being accused of selling knockoff Jordan 11s on its site this week ... with the company telling TMZ Sports the product has been wiped from its store.

The Chinese-based online fast fashion retailer recently featured athletic kicks described as "professional basketball sports shoes for men" ... which were selling for $49.99.

However, the shoes looked just like the Air Jordan 11s (which come with a $225 retail price tag) ... all the way down to the patent leather mudguard. The only key difference?? The obvious absence of the iconic Jumpman logo.

Sneakerheads got wind of the bootleg kicks ... and quickly went to social media to call SHEIN out for the item.

One person joked on Twitter saying, "SHEIN got space jam 11s y’all better get y’all a pair" while another person tweeted, "Fordan 11s to go with my Fucci bag and Folex watch."

We reached out to Shein about the matter ... and the company is placing the blame on an outside retailer.

"SHEIN takes all claims of infringement seriously and we have removed the product in question," a spokesperson said Wednesday.

"Third-party sellers are required to comply with our SHEIN Marketplace policies and certify their products do not infringe IP."

It's not the only issue the company has -- the site also appears to have bootleg versions of the MSCHF Big Red Boots, Yeezys, Balenciaga, and more.

Robert Horry played alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan -- three of the greatest players to ever grace a court -- but who was the best?? Big Shot Bob says it's The Dream, and it's not even close!

52-year-old Horry recently joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on their "All The Smoke" podcast ... when the convo turned to the 7x NBA champ's list of the top five big men in NBA history.

"Dream is number one by far," Horry told the guys. "Nobody wants to talk about it. I think you have these guys who are quiet. Dream, he's a really quiet guy. You can't get him to do much, to say much. So, we kind of veer away from him. We don't talk about him."

Of course, Horry was with Hakeem for four seasons, Shaq for seven, and Duncan for five.

Rob says if you look at the totality of Hakeem's career (winning Defensive Player of the Year and MVP in the same season), he deserves the top spot over Shaq and TD. Dream also made 12 All-Star teams.

Horry won back-to-back championships with Olajuwon in 1994 and 1995 before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was an integral piece in winning three championships with Shaq and Kobe Bryant.

After his time in L.A., Rob finished his career with the Spurs, winning another two titles alongside Duncan.

As for who's the best ... pick your poison. All three legends have out-of-this-world numbers and career achievements.

Shaq won an MVP in 2000. He's also a 15x All-Star and 3x NBA Finals MVP. Duncan was a 2x NBA MVP and 15x All-NBA defender who was named to 15 All-Star games.

Ultimately, Rob says he's grateful he was able to play with Hakeem, Shaq, and Tim, but it's Olajuwon who gets the nod.

Terrell Owens wants the "ring culture" crowd to take a seat ... telling TMZ Sports championships shouldn't account for everything when it comes to respecting an athlete's greatness.

We caught up with Owens on the heels of 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony announcing his retirement last week ... and the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver told us although the Syracuse legend never won an NBA ring, he's still an all-time great.

Of course, T.O. and Melo have something in common -- both were among the best in their respective sports during their playing days ... but were never able to reach the pinnacle before walking away for good.

With that being said ... we asked T.O. about the folks trying to discredit ringless résumés ... and he feels it should have zero impact when it comes to legacy.

"Not everybody gets to win a championship," Owens said at LAX. "That's not the defining thing. Obviously, as an athlete, you want to compete. You obviously want to win a championship, but sometimes that's not in everybody's cards."

T.O. defended Melo ... saying his body of work in the pros playing most notably for the Nuggets and Knicks "speaks for itself" and warrants respect.

FYI -- former NY Giants running back Tiki Barber was one of the biggest talking heads to compare Melo to T.O. given how their careers played out ... saying, "Obviously one of the all-time greats. You're not even questioning his skill. You don’t question T.O.'s skill. But, you do start to question the winning. Did he ultimately win?"

Owens didn't take the comment as a diss ... and went on to say despite not winning championships, they'll both have some bling that holds a lot of weight when it's all said and done.

Gunna is back in the public eye after taking a plea deal in the ongoing YSL RICO case ... but Boosie Badazz doesn't want to see him prosper any further.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Boosie's upcoming appearance on "The Big Homies House" podcast with Kodaq and Jojo ... and the Louisiana rapper didn't hold back from revealing his ill will for Gunna, even wishing he never sells another record again!

Boosie says the "pushin P" rapper would be better suited to continue his rap career in another country outside the U.S., and used the recent backlash from in-house YSL producer Wheezy to justify his point.

Wheezy, who produced several songs on Gunna's last album, including the trendsetting record "pushin P," recently distanced himself from Gunna over respect for Young Thug ... who's been dealing with loads of courtroom drama.

Boosie also dismissed the notion that Thug is fine with Gunna resuming his daily life ... and painted him as a turncoat from day one who was waiting on his chance to squirm free when things got tough.

Gunna was spotted at the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics Game 6 on Saturday, clearly immune to the criticism that Boosie and others have been hurling his way since he was released from jail last December.

Famed Harlem Globetrotter hooper Angelo Sharpless did his best Shaquille O'Neal impersonation over the weekend ... shattering a backboard after throwing down a monster dunk, and the wild moment was caught on video!

In the video, posted by Sharpless on social media, Angelo receives an outlet pass on a fast break, takes a few dribbles ... and blasts off, jumping from the low post area, nearly cocking the ball back to his head, and delivering an absolute hammer of a dunk.

The aftermath of the damage was telling -- the backboard's glass was shattered, and the rim was broken, as the crowd watched in disbelief.

Of course, Angelo's ferocious dunk was reminiscent of Shaq, who was known to have destroyed several backboards playing for the Orlando Magic, adding to his rep as an unstoppable force on the court.

Sharpless, a 6-foot-4 forward from Plymouth, NC, played his college ball at Elizabeth City State University ... and says he was inspired by Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and Carmelo Anthony growing up.

Angelo may not have Shaq's size, but he's still a force on the court, with career accolades including winning the CIAA Conference Player of the Year and CIAA Rookie Player of the Year.

Jimmy Butler had one more opponent to go up against after beating the Boston Celtics on Monday -- the Miami Heat star came face-to-face with a bumblebee during his postgame press conference ... and his reaction is hilarious!!

It all went down shortly after the Heat finished off the Cs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 lead ... but before he could put his focus on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, Jimmy had a much bigger problem on his hands.

As the series MVP was answering a question about his upcoming matchup in the NBA Finals, he abruptly paused his response to address an intruder.

"Oh my God, y'all saw that?!" a shocked Butler asked as he put his hands up in defense. "Goddamn bumblebee."

To Butler's credit, he quickly regained his composure to finish his answer ... but understandably, that was the end of his media availability.

It wasn't the only viral moment of Butler's night -- he was also spotted rejecting the Eastern Conference Finals Championship trophy from his teammate, Bam Adebayo ... appearing to say "I'll hold the next one" during the postgame ceremony.

LeBron James has tons of free time now that he's out of the playoffs, including family time -- which he soaked up this weekend with yet another graduation drop-in.

The Lakers superstar attended Chaminade High School's ceremony Saturday in West Hills, CA -- where his "nephew," Auston Mims, was all set to walk across the stage in a cap and gown as part of the Class of 2023. Mims played football there, and LBJ is close with the kid ... having attended games of his in the past. Although it's unclear if they're actually related.

Auston appears to be the son of LeBron's longtime friend and business partner Randy Mims. In any case, Bron was front and center to watch Auston receive his high school diploma.

Check out these videos, obtained by TMZ, where you can see the King is trying to lay low as the names are called, checking out his phone and keeping his head down. In these clips, he seems to be alone ... but eyewitnesses tell us he was actually there with family and friends.

Of course, he totally stands out -- at about 6'9", no less -- so, eventually, he parked it and had a seat. That didn't stop people from approaching him and fanning out a bit, though.

At one point, a young guy walking by spotted him ... and tapped him on the shoulder for a little handshake -- which Bron obliged and reciprocated. There was even an adult who came over to say hello ... but it kinda seems like LBJ just wanted to keep to himself here.

Anyway, this is the second graduation (that we know of) that LeBron's gone to in recent weeks. Remember, he was just at his own son's Thursday ... and was one proud papa.

The backdrop of all this is the question of whether he's going to hang it up on the court and retire from basketball. He suggested he might in his Game 4 loss presser ... noting he had a lot to think about in the offseason. Stuff like this might be at the forefront of his thoughts.

Fact is, if he was still playing ... it's possible he might have missed these types of moments. Certainly possible, but if a game was scheduled to be played on a Saturday ... it'd probably be tough to do both. Lucky for him, he was able to catch all the big days this year.

Boston Celtics fans were partying like they won the championship Saturday night ... celebrating in the streets of Beantown after the team's miraculous buzzer-beater win against the Miami Heat.

Local Boston reporters captured video of fans honking their horns, dancing, and even climbing street poles moments after the Celtics big win.

If you think the celebration is over the top ... then you probably weren't watching the game. Trailing by one with less than a second left on the game clock, Derrick White tipped in the go-ahead shot to save the Celtics season.

The Celtics are now on the brink of making NBA history ... becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series, and the city is feeling it!

No question the Celtics will be feeding off fan energy ... star forward Jayson Tatum told the press, "I've never been so excited to go back to Boston in my life."

Gilbert Arenas is believing the hype around future NBA star Victor Wembanyama ... telling TMZ Sports the French hooper is a "generational game-changer" ... but there's one thing that could keep him from his full potential -- his feet.

We spoke with Agent Zero about the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, and he says if the 19-year-old possesses the basketball I.Q. like fellow international stars Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić ... he will thrive in the league.

But while Gilbert says Wembanyama checks off so many boxes, the one thing that concerns him is the 7'2" giant's dogs ... admitting foot issues could potentially impact his promising NBA career.

"That's the only thing I think will slow him down is [his] feet," Arenas said. "Other than that, as long as he's healthy, I don't see anyone stopping the progression in his dominance."

While Wemby has had a number of injuries in his short career, he hasn't had any foot ailments as of yet. But unfortunately for big men, foot injuries have historically been a pain in the ass -- just ask Yao Ming, Joel Embiid, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Chet Holmgren to name a few.

Aside from Wemby's feet, Gil isn't worried that Victor's thin frame will affect him in the pros ... explaining he's been playing against people stronger than him his whole life and turned out fine.

The Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery ... meaning they can select Wembanyama with the first pick in June -- and it sounds like Arenas thinks San Antonio will be getting a future all-time great if they take Victor.

LeBron James' team may have been eliminated this week, but he still has something to celebrate ... his son Bronny is now a graduate of Sierra Canyon School.

LeBron and his wife Savannah James, along with Bronny's grandma Gloria, were front and center on Thursday at the graduation ceremony.

As we reported, Bronny has tapped USC for his next move. The high school basketball star clearly has his sights set on following in his dad's very large footsteps -- as in joining the NBA.

The proud papa posted, "Continue to fly high,” with a crown emoji.

As for LeBron ... he seemed to leave the retirement option open but most people think he's just signaling to the Lakers .... get better players.

Lamar Odom is adding another assist to his stat line -- the ex-NBA star is stepping up to help a local rehab center that fell on hard times recently ... by raising money to keep it from closing its doors forever.

TMZ Sports is told ... Lamar's recent decision to acquire three California treatment centers has garnered the attention of several facilities in serious need of assistance after being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We're told Lamar met with the family-owned Wavelengths Recovery out of Huntington Beach back in April ... and he felt compelled to partner with the center to help keep its lights on for good.

To get the ball rolling, Lamar has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for food, payroll, renovations and more ... and plans to hold a silent auction, with all profits going toward Wavelengths.

As we previously reported, the 2-time NBA champion recently launched the Odom Wellness Treatment Centers to fight substance abuse ... a cause he has vowed to fight for following his near-fatal overdose in 2015.

Odom previously invested in facilities in San Diego, El Cajon and Lemon Grove ... and he's determined to help save as many lives as possible.

In fact, he even offered his services to "Jackass" star Bam Margera back in April ... although it's unclear if the two were able to connect.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis isn't ready to give up on first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla just yet ... telling TMZ Sports if the Celtics are able to come back and beat the Heat and advance to the NBA Finals, he deserves to keep his job.

We got Davis out at LAX just hours before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off at the TD Garden in Boston ... and the NBA champ said Mazzulla's future with the team is contingent upon whether or not he can rally Boston from down 3-1 to beat Miami in the ECF.

"If you pull this off, you get to stay," Davis said. "If you don't, you're outta there buddy."

FYI -- no team has EVER been able to come back from trailing three games in NBA playoff history ... but after winning Game 4 on Tuesday, the Celtics are hanging on by a thread.

Davis also weighed in on why the Celtics have been inconsistent this season ... and he's pointing the finger at former head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended by the team following an infidelity scandal last year.

"It f***ed the whole team up," Glen said. "They just had to go get another coach. It kind of f***ed 'em up a little bit."

Udoka, who was engaged to Nia Long, was suspended by the Celtics for the entire 2022-23 season ... even after the first-year head coach led the Cs to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Although Udoka is no longer with the team, Davis still views the 2-seeded Cs as a good team ... but said Boston's dynamic duo of Jayston Tatum and Jaylen Brown needs to play better.

"Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown. They better get that s*** in order, got dammit -- at least a good fight," Davis said. "We can come back. I truly believe. Miami hasn't been good all year. They haven't been consistent. They're playing well right now. We just gotta get on the same level."

Nike might not be distancing itself from Ja Morant over his recent gun-flashing incident after all -- the shoe giant just released his latest signature sneaker on Thursday ... and it sold out in minutes.

The scheduled Ja 1 "Hunger" colorway drop was seemingly up in the air after Nike erased all his shoes off its site last week ... which led to speculation about whether the brand was potentially going to suspend the sale -- or even its relationship with the All-Star guard altogether -- due to his off-court issues.

Luckily for sneakerheads, the kicks still dropped on Nike's SNKRS app ... and quick-acting fans were able to purchase them for $110 before they sold out, as reports claim there was an incredibly small supply.

Despite all the controversy, the shoes were clearly a hot commodity ... with a ton of people going to Twitter to express their frustrations over missing out on the drop.

In fact, one fan tweeted a photo claiming their size was sold out within three seconds of launching on the app.

Of course, hopeful buyers can always go to reseller sites like GOAT and StockX ... but they'll end up paying a bit more than the retail price. Right now, the shoes are selling for around $200.

Nike has been radio silent following Ja's second video ... which is a stark contrast from the Swoosh's statement in support of its athlete following his initial incident in March.

Ja signed a multi-year deal with Nike in 2019 ... and was introduced as its first Gen Z signature athlete.