NBA

Noah Lyles ain't backing off his "world champion" stance one bit ... and he's sending some loud-and-clear shade to one of the guys who had the biggest problem with it all -- Drake.

The track star won three golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary last month ... and following the efforts, he ruffled a ton of feathers when he said NBA players shouldn't get to call themselves champs of the globe like he could.

"World champion of what?" Lyles said, reminding those in attendance that NBA players only perform in the U.S. and Canada. "The United States?!"

His comments were hit with immediate criticism ... with guys like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green -- and, yes, even Drake -- firing away at him.

But, when Lyles sat down with TMZ Sports this week ... he made it clear he's not budging from his opinion -- though he did clarify that he loves what the NBA's doing, and he wants track and field to follow their model.

"I do think that the point was lost," he told us. "At the end of the day, it was talking about how I see what we do to our national championships -- I just want the same thing for our world champions. And we're a sport where we're bringing in the most medals every year -- and it's like nobody even knows because they don't pay attention."

As for Drake ... Lyles brushed off the rapper's criticism of him -- saying, "Just go home, buddy. Go home."

Tristan Thompson ha tomado el relevo como cuidador de su hermano menor, tras la repentina muerte de su madre, y ahora está tomando medidas para hacer oficial su tutela.

En documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, Tristan le está pidiendo a la corte ser el tutor de Amari Thompson. Los documentos afirman que Tristan asumió las responsabilidades de cuidado de Amari, de 17 años, tras la muerte de su madre Andrea en enero.

Los documentos también afirman que el padre de Tristan y Amari, Trevor, ha estado ausente de la vida del hermano menor, lo que deja a Tristan como el miembro más cercano de la familia y capaz de proporcionar el cuidado que necesita.

Amari tiene varios diagnósticos médicos que le incapacitan para cuidar de sí mismo, y Tristan tendrá que ayudarle con su día a día, así como con sus citas médicas.

Es más, los documentos dicen que Amari va a recibir aproximadamente 103.475 dólares como resultado de la muerte de Andrea, y será Tristan quien protegerá esa herencia de pérdidas o daños.

Tristan Thompson has taken over as caregiver for his younger brother in the wake of his mom's death, and is now taking steps to make his guardianship official.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tristan's asking the court to become guardian of Amari Thompson. The documents state Tristan took over the responsibilities of care for 17-year-old Amari after their mother, Andrea, died in January.

The documents also state Tristan and Amari's dad, Trevor, has been absent from Amari's life -- leaving Tristan as his closest family member who is able to provide the care he needs.

Amari has several medical diagnoses that leave him unable to care for himself -- and Tristan will need to help him with his day-to-day as well as with his medical appointments.

What's more, the documents say Amari is set to receive approximately $103,475 as a result of Andrea's death ... and Tristan will protect that inheritance from loss or injury.

Tyler Herro was an actual, real-life hero for at least one boy on Friday ... signing an autograph for a kid that turned the child into a puddle of joy.

The fun, heartwarming moment went down outside a school gym in Florida ... after the Miami Heat star had gotten in a workout on the court inside.

You can see in video from the scene, Herro was putting his John Hancock down for a bunch of young fans -- when, suddenly, one of the kids desperately wanted him to sign his water bottle.

The little boy grabbed it, jumped up and down -- and when Herro put his pen to it, the kid couldn't have been more thrilled.

Herro clearly loved the reaction -- 'cause even he had a big smile on his face when he returned the bottle to the boy.

Of course, Herro gets mobbed like this just about everywhere he goes in Florida -- after all, the dude is a former Sixth Man of the Year who's averaging 17.7 points per game in his career.

The United States won't be going for gold at the FIBA World Cup ... the squad full of NBA talent just lost to Germany in the semifinals of the international tournament.

Team USA was the betting favorite to win it all this year ... with guys like Anthony Edwards, Austin Reaves, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges suiting up for the Red, White and Blue.

But their plans were spoiled on Friday ... as Germany's Andreas Obst, Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis had huge games to help their team move on to the finals.

While it was a close contest through the first half, Germany was able to pull ahead in the third quarter ... and USA found themselves down 10 late in the final minutes of the game. Despite a late push, USA couldn't eliminate the deficit, falling 113-111.

Edwards had 23 points and eight rebounds for the U.S. ... with Reaves adding 21 of his own.

America will now face off against Canada in hopes of winning bronze ... and Germany will play Serbia in the finals.

New York stars Sterling Shepard and Julius Randle strutted down the runway during fashion week on Wednesday ... but they weren't the only highlight of the show -- their kids put their modeling skills on display, too!!

The Giants receiver and his two baby girls -- who he shares with ex-wife and model Chanel Iman -- took the stage at IRON23 in the Flatiron District for the 13th Annual Rookie USA Fashion Show ... and it's safe to say they had a blast.

You can see Shepard, his 5-year-old and 3-year-old do their thing in black and red Jordan gear ... and the receiver said his kiddos knew exactly what to do because they've been watching mommy's previous work.

"The girls love it," Shepard said. "Their mom was modeling since she was a young woman."

"They love doin' it. They watch videos of her all the time so they just love coming and I just love bringing them. It's been good!"

Shepard also talked Giants -- he's ready to get back on the field after going down with an ACL injury last season ... and said he can't wait for their first game against the Cowboys Sunday night.

"I got a lot of team goals," Shepard said. "I'm just looking forward to taking it week by week and trying to make a good run with the guys."

He wasn't the only NY star athlete to walk the stage ... Knicks hooper Julius Randle showed out with his wife, Kendra, and their two kids. They modeled down the runway in Nike sweatsuit outfits.

FYI, the event -- which was hosted by Kidfluencer Haileigh Vasquez -- will benefit Moms for Moms NYC on behalf of Randle ... and it provides postpartum and newborn essentials for single mothers living in poverty.

LaVar Ball is back to making eyebrow-raising claims about one of his boys ... this time, he insisted Gelo bench pressed over 400 pounds on Wednesday -- but a whole lot of people on the internet aren't buying it at all.

LaVar shared video on Instagram of he and his 24-year-old brother in the workout room this week ... showing Gelo pushing some big weight off his chest -- all while Dad proudly looked on.

Gelo's form wasn't exactly ideal -- he used plenty of his lower back to get the bar down and up -- but, nonetheless, he was able to lift it.

Where social media users got skeptical of the situation, though, was when LaVar made the claim that it all weighed 420 pounds.

The elder Ball swore that despite the size of the weights on the bar, they totaled up at least 200 LBs on each side. He added in a caption on the flick, "400 is 400."

For what it's worth, Gelo cosigned on it all ... re-sharing the clip on his own IG page -- while captioning it, "Biggest APE."

Gelo is still trying to join his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, in the NBA ... getting in plenty of runs in the G League the past couple years with the hopes of being elevated into the big show soon.

Expect to see Bronny James and Paige Bueckers in a fresh pair of Kobe Bryant kicks this season ... 'cause six bigtime NCAA hoops powerhouses were selected as "Mamba Programs" and will be wearing the NBA legend's Nike sneakers on the court this year!

Vanessa Bryant made the announcement via social media on Tuesday ... listing the universities that were picked as the first group to represent her husband's Nike brand.

"So excited to see their players wearing Kobe and Gigi’s NIKE shoes this upcoming season," Vanessa wrote in the caption.

No mid-majors here.

The selected schools were USC -- where LeBron James' son Bronny is playing -- as well as Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, LSU, and UCONN, the team Gigi supported.

"We are grateful for the amazing support of these prestigious universities (in no particular order) towards the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation - to further the legacies of Kobe and Gigi!" Bryant added.

Vanessa didn't disclose which Kobe's the teams will rock, but the Swoosh recently relaunched Bryant's line with the release of the Protro 8 "Halos" ... which hit the market on what would've been KB's 45th birthday (August 23).

Perhaps LeBron James wasn't kidding when he said he'd play in Saudi Arabia if the bag was big enough ... 'cause the King was spotted in the country, just weeks after he made the comment on social media.

Bron was in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The exact reason for the trip is unclear, but James was seen hanging out in a gymnasium with a banner that said "Welcome to Arabia" and "Ministry of Sport."

LeBron was invited to watch a match between Saudi prospects at the AZM Academy, according to an online report.

So, while Lakers fans shouldn't worry (for now, at least) ... it doesn't seem impossible that James could play in Saudi for a massive amount of money after his NBA career is over.

In July, the Lakers superstar used a Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump GIF to show how fast he'd go to the Middle Eastern company if he got Kylian Mbappe-type money (the French soccer superstar got a staggering $776 million offer to play for Al-Hilal, but turned the money down).

Many fans perceived LBJ's tweet as a joke, but ... maybe not.

LeBron's not alone. We talked to Giannis Antetokounmpo a few weeks ago about the same subject ... and the Milwaukee Bucks superstar told us he'd be down to suit up in Saudi if the cash was right.

Just James visiting the country will likely be enough to spark a debate ... considering Saudi Arabia's history of human rights violations.

Despite the controversy, Saudi Arabia, with their enormous wealth, has lured some of the world's biggest athletes to their country, including Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. Golfers like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, among others, also bolted for Saudi.

Amen and Ausar Thompson were the 4th and 5th picks in June's NBA Draft, but the star basketball players weren't immune to getting ripped by their coach last season ... and the intense moment was captured on camera in a new docuseries featuring the bros!

The twin brothers are starring in Prime Video's "One Shot: Overtime Elite" ... which follows Amen and Ausar's rise as two of the best players in the country at Overtime Elite in Atlanta.

Despite their immense talent, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the NBA lottery picks.

"I asked you two to give me something, didn't I?" assistant coach Corey Frazier screamed at the Thompsons during a timeout ... as their City Reapers trailed the Yng Dreamerz by double digits on January 20th.

"Don't say s*** right now, just listen! I said 'leadership.' I don't see it! I see a bunch of one-on-ones!"

Frazier was upset with the way the team was playing, and the brothers (who once graced the cover of Sports Illustrated) got the brunt of the blame as the team's best players.

The message was clearly received loud and clear ... the Reapers charged back after being down 16 at the half, ultimately winning 76-64.

Amen dropped 12 points and dished out 6 assists during the game. He also grabbed 7 rebounds. Ausar scored 10 points, and had 7 assists and 8 boards.

Eli Ellis, Amen and Ausar's teammate, was the game's high scorer. He scored 28 points ... and contributed to a dominating 4th quarter, where the Reapers outscored their opponents 36-16.

The City Reapers' winning ways continued ... and the team ultimately finished with the best record and the OTE league title.

All told, the show gives a cool behind-the-scenes look at the Thompsons as they not only hooped in the super competitive, six-team league ... but also prepared for the draft.

When summer rolled around, Amen, a shooting guard, ended up going 4th to the Houston Rockets. His brother didn't have to wait long. With the next pick, the fifth, Ausar, a shooting guard, was selected by the Detroit Pistons.

Boriša Simanić -- a 25-year-old member of Serbia's national team -- had to have his kidney removed over the weekend ... after the power forward was injured during a play in a FIBA World Cup game last week.

Simanić had been guarding South Sudan's Nuni Omot during their contest in the Philippines on Aug. 30 ... when Omot appeared to accidentally elbow the big man right in his side.

Simanić --- a member of the Utah Jazz's summer league team last year -- doubled over in pain ... and hours later, he required emergency surgery at a local hospital to fix the issues the inadvertent collision caused.

Unfortunately, Serbian coach Svetislav Pesic said Simanić suffered a setback in his recovery over the weekend ... and according to Serbian team officials, he then had to have one of his kidneys removed on Sunday.

He's expected to remain in the Philippines for the foreseeable future while he heals.

For his part, Omot released a statement Monday saying he had no intentions whatsoever of hurting Simanić.

"As a sportsman, I firsthand understand the severity of his situation and I am deeply sorry that this happened," Omot said. "No player should have to go through that. I pray for Simanić's recovery and speedy return to the court."

Snoop Dogg is proclaiming Shaquille O'Neal to be the best NBA player to ever release hip hop music ... this, after getting wind of The Big Aristotle's latest rap collab!!!

As we told you last week, Shaq linked up with L.A.-based group Coyote for their single "3 Lokos" ... the first of a newfound partnership.

Shaq told the artists he wanted to bring "'90s energy" to the song ... which clearly struck a chord with Snoop to the point he crowned the big man with such a big honor!!!

Shaq's place in hip hop is indeed solidified ... having his 1993 debut album "Shaq Diesel" go platinum while earning respect from many established rappers at the time.

The NBA legend also brought 3 championships to Los Angeles with the Lakers in the early '00s ... undoubtedly an extra reason to get Snoop's top pick. 😉

NBA rappers have gotten a lot more competitive since Shaq's era and Damian Lillard, will likely have something to say about Snoop's taste ... he's long touted himself to be the best NBA player to ever clutch a mic.

He just dropped his new album with co-signs from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and even performed during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, where he also played.

Lamar Odom's keeping it in the family ... he hired his son and daughter to work for his substance abuse treatment company, and he treated them to a company getaway.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... he's focused on strengthening his bond with his kids, and that includes getting his son, LJ, and daughter, Destiny, jobs at Odom Recovery Group.

Lamar's son is a marketing consultant ... we're told he's basically been mirroring Lamar, learning the ins and outs of the company so he can be Lamar's backup when needed.

Meanwhile, Lamar's daughter is a client representative ... she's responsible for taking down patients' information and making sure they're all set up when they start their recovery journeys. We're told both kids even participated in a commercial for the company, which will air on Hulu in various locations.

In recognition of their hard work on the job, we're told Lamar took his newest employees on a little vacation in Orange County, spending a few nights at an oceanfront property in Newport Beach.

Not a bad work perk!!!

The job opportunities and company vacations are all part of Lamar's attempt to reconnect with his kids ... and we're also told they've all been living under the same roof since the end of May.

Lamar definitely needs the help at his company ... Odom Recovery Group keeps expanding, he's added 14 new rehab centers to his portfolio and it's all hands on deck at work, with his baby mama Liza also helping out on the job.

Amir Coffey's July arrest has led to criminal charges ... TMZ Sports has learned the Clippers forward was hit with two misdemeanors late last month.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has filed one count of carrying a loaded firearm and one count of carrying a concealed firearm against Coffey ... after alleging he had a gun in his ride during a routine traffic stop in Hollywood earlier this summer.

We broke the story ... a car Coffey was in was initially pulled over on July 30, after authorities claimed it had been speeding at around 2:30 AM.

According to law enforcement, officers said the vehicle smelled like marijuana -- so they searched it and found a loaded gun they say Coffey claimed was his.

Coffey was then placed into custody -- and spent several hours behind bars before he was released.

Shaquille O'Neal is back in the rap game!

The basketball legend linked up with an L.A.-based rap group for a new song and music video, and it slaps.

TMZ Sports talked to Coyote -- made up of rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco -- and they tell us The Big Aristotle was a fan of their work going back some time, and they developed a relationship. The guys began talking about hopping on a track together

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop '90s-type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' and he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!" Ladies Love Guapo told us.

The guys say O'Neal loved the beat and a few hours later, voila ... his verse was in their inbox.

"4 hours later he FaceTimes us and he shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there."

Shaquille even pulled up for the music video shoot in Los Angeles ... shot in the city where he delivered three championships.

"3 Lokos" is the first song Coyote ft. Diesel are releasing ... but it won't be their last.

In fact, Blanco says they already have a second song they've recorded with Shaq, and plan on dropping more music in the near future ... including rapping on a beat that O'Neal produced.

Michael Jordan's personalized book from famous author Harper Lee is on the market ... and his custom copy of "To Kill A Mockingbird" is going for five figures.

Harper sent Michael an autographed copy of her classic work back in 1995, when 'TKAM' was celebrating its 35th anniversary and MJ was playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls.

Michael's signed copy reads ... "To Michael Jordan - best wishes, Harper Lee."

Harper mailed a small number of autographed special edition copies to celebs she was connected with ... and the NBA superstar was among that special group.

MJ kept his signed copy in his library when he was married to Juanita Vanoy, and when they divorced in 2006 she got the book as part of their divorce settlement.

The book was ultimately purchased by a private collector ... and now it's going up for sale over at Moments In Time.