NBA

Terrence Clarke -- a 19-year-old University of Kentucky basketball player and a projected 2021 NBA Draft pick -- was killed Thursday in a car accident in Los Angeles, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told Clarke was driving a Genesis around 2 PM in the San Fernando Valley when his vehicle was struck by another car ... sending him smashing into a pole and before ultimately slamming into a wall.

Footage from the accident shows Clarke's vehicle completely smashed in.

Law enforcement sources tell us the accident is being investigated -- but so far, no official cause of the crash has been determined.

We're told Clarke was in Los Angeles with his Kentucky teammate, B.J. Boston -- another NBA Draft prospect.

Boston was reportedly in the car behind Clarke when the accident occurred -- but we're told he's physically okay.

Clarke was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but injuries proved too severe and doctors were unable to save his life.  He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Terrence -- a 6'7" guard -- was an absolute stud on the hardwood. Rivals rated him a 5-star recruit coming out of high school in New Hampshire ... and ranked him as the #8 overall high school player in the entire country.

He didn't play much at Kentucky -- but he clearly had the talent to succeed at the pro level and recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Some experts projected he would be a 2nd-round pick -- with tons of upside.

Tragic story.

RIP.

A U.S. senator is accusing LeBron James of "inciting violence" against a police officer after the NBA superstar shared a photo of the cop with the caption "you're next."

LeBron posted -- and has since deleted -- a picture of the police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant during a violent incident Tuesday outside of a home in Columbus, Ohio.

Body cam footage shows Bryant in a physical altercation with two other people ... and it appears as if she's trying to lunge with a knife at one of the other girls.

That's when one of the officers pulled his gun and fired four shots at Ma'Khia -- killing her.

When questioned at the scene about why he opened fire, the officer responded, "She had a knife. She just went at her."

Clearly, LeBron felt the officer used excessive force, and feels the situation could have been resolved without fatal gunfire.

LeBron posted a photo of the officer with the caption, "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY" ... insinuating that he should be prosecuted just like Derek Chauvin.

But, LeBron's post has sparked a backlash, with the largest police union in the country condemning the Lakers star's message as "disgraceful and extremely reckless."

The National Fraternal Order of Police tweeted that LeBron "should educate himself and, frankly, has a responsibility to do so, on the facts before weighing in."

"The officer saved a young girl's life. No amount of gaslighting will change that fact."

The message was echoed by Sen. Tom Cotton from Arkansas, who said, "LeBron James is inciting violence against an Ohio police officer. This is disgraceful and dangerous."

Even ex-MLB star Lenny Dykstra is going in on LeBron, saying, "Hey, @nba, have you disciplined #LeBronJames for making a real and ongoing threat to the life of the brave officer in Columbus who prevented a knife attack from being even worse?"

As for the officer in question, officials have said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will launch a full investigation into the incident.

The injuries Sterling Brown suffered during a violent attack outside a Miami strip club this week were MUCH worse than originally reported -- he was rushed to the emergency room while bleeding profusely and some teammates feared for his life.

It's all spelled out in a bombshell report by The Athletic ... which details how the Houston Rockets player was badly beaten outside the Booby Trap strip club in Miami early Monday morning.

According to the report, Brown accidentally got in the wrong vehicle on the way out of the club -- and the people inside didn't take too kindly to the mix-up.

The men reportedly launched a vicious attack on Brown -- cracking him in the head with a liquor bottle ... which opened up gashes all over his face.

Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter, Jr., reportedly took action and tried to rescue Brown ... but suffered his own injuries in the process. Porter's injuries were minor ... and he ended up playing Monday night.

Brown, on the other hand, is still in very bad shape -- one source told The Athletic, "His face is jacked up."

Brown required "multiple heavy stitching jobs for his facial injuries," according to the Athletic -- which describes the scene at the hospital this way, "blood was everywhere."

One source summed it up this way ... "If he hadn’t been as physically strong and tough, he might not have made it out of the situation ... He could have died.”

Despite the severity of the injuries, Brown has since been discharged from the hospital ... and has returned to Houston for more treatment.

The Minnesota Timberwolves gave a special tribute to George Floyd after their victory last night ... dedicating the game ball to his family just hours after the conviction of Derek Chauvin.

The Wolves took the court against the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday -- shortly after the ex-Minneapolis PD officer was found guilty on all 3 criminal counts stemming from the May 25, 2020 murder of Floyd.

But, it was clear the hearts and focus of the Wolves players were in Minnesota ... and right after their 134-120 victory, the team dedicated the game ball to Floyd and his family.

"Glad we were able to get the win tonight," guard Josh Okogie told reporters after the game.

"We have the game ball where we dedicated that to George Floyd's family. That's great we were able to do that."

The Wolves have consistently been honoring Floyd in the months following his death ... and have posted messages outside the Target Center calling for social injustice reform.

Karl-Anthony Towns said the guilty verdict is a good step forward ... but it doesn't bring Floyd home.

"It's unfortunate that our city has been going through this so much," KAT said during post-game interviews.

"Just because justice was served today for Mr. Floyd doesn't mean that we are gonna be bringing him back home. And that's the most unfortunate part of all of this."

Recently, the team auctioned off warm-up shirts "For Liberty and Justice FOR ALL" for Daunte Wright -- another unarmed black man killed by police in their state of Minnesota.

Draymond Green says it's "great" that Derek Chauvin was convicted in the murder of George Floyd -- but warns the fight against bad cops is far from over.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Golden State Warriors star in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon -- moments after the Chauvin verdict was revealed.

Our photog was a little nervous when he approached Green, but essentially tried to ask if the conviction is good for the country on the whole.

"I think it's great that we finally saw a cop get tried," Green told us ... "The challenge to the country now is to make sure [police officers are] being held accountable."

Our photog also asked Green if he thinks the Chauvin case will have an overall impact on the way cops across the country treat Black people.

"I think that's a totally different story ... when you look at the way these officers treat Black people, we're not treated as human. We're treated as a threat by your skin color."

Magic Johnson believes justice has been served in the Derek Chauvin case -- thanking God after the former police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"Thank God ... guilty! Justice has been served," Johnson tweeted.

Chauvin was found guilty of 2nd-degree unintentional murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter stemming from the May 2020 incident in Minnesota.

Moments after the verdict was read and Chauvin was taken into custody, athletes from all over the world spoke out on social media.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also issued a joint statement with the executive director of the NBPA Michele Roberts.

"George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served."

"But we also recognize that there is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing."

LeBron James had a one-word reaction to the verdict ... tweeting, "ACCOUNTABILITY."

Renee Montgomery -- former WNBA player turned co-owner of the Atlanta Dream said, "Let’s make this the new normal. Accountability is served."

Mike Tyson -- "Guilty. Justice served."

Matt Barnes -- "Condolences to the Floyd Family. This is just the first step of starting to change a broken system."

Reggie Miller -- "Thank you JURY!!! ACCOUNTABILITY"

Matt Forte -- "I don’t celebrate the demise of another persons life no matter what they’ve done but I do celebrate JUSTICE, TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS because for so long that has been void of the criminal justice system in America for black and brown people."

Josh Hart -- "Put his ass under the jail."

Torrey Smith -- "I can’t believe what I just saw. They finally got one case right. GUILTY!!! Prayers up for the Floyd family."

Ex-NBA star Isiah Thomas -- "Crying hard tears right now, maybe things are changing in America?"

Karl-Anthony Towns -- "Justice and Accountability! Things I never thought I would see. There’s much more work to do, but this is an amazing start working toward the reform this country NEEDS!"

The Minnesota Timberwolves also issued a statement saying the team is "hopeful that today's decision will serve as a step forward, but it does not ease the physical and emotional pain that continues in an environment where systemic racism exists."

"To our BIPOC community, the Timberwolves and Lynx remain committed to influencing change, promoting impactful action, and using our platform to help heal and unite in pursuit of liberty and justice FOR ALL."

It's the moment all sneakerheads have been waiting for -- NBA superstar Zion Williamson's first-ever Jordan Brand signature shoe ... and it's a beaut!!!

The New Orleans Pelicans forward officially revealed the "Zion 1" sneaker on Tuesday ... showing off the sleek, letter Z design.

The original "Gen Zion" colorway is in black and white, which symbolizes Zion's upbringing and growth.

Williamson explained the meaning behind the colors ... saying, "The white and black colorway is important to me. Growing up I was taught that your home base is your foundation."

"Whether it’s your family or your brothers, you need a solid base to start from, and that’s what the black and white colorway represents for me."

Williamson wasted no time revealing additional colorways as well ... with tributes to his personality ("ZNA"), hometown ("Marion"), and little brother, ("Noah").

Speaking of Noah, Zion's lil' bro made a cameo in the first commercial for the sneaker ... and you can tell the kid's gonna be a star, too!!

It's a monumental moment for the brand -- it's the Jumpman's first signature release with its new era of superstars like Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Luka Doncic.

Zion will debut his shoe Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets ... and ya gotta imagine the folks at Jumpman are praying he doesn't pull a "Kyrie 4" moment like he did at Duke.

In fact, the shoe was specifically designed to be worn by players at every position -- which means it's durable, yet light -- so here's hoping it's strong enough for the star baller!!

After nearly 2 decades ... Kobe Bryant and Nike are breaking up.

Technically, Kobe's estate -- lead by Vanessa Bryant -- has decided not to renew the previous 5-year "post-retirement endorsement extension" Mamba signed in 2016 ... but in layman's terms, Team Kobe is leaving the Swoosh.

"Kobe's Nike contract expired on 4/13/21," Vanessa told ESPN ... "Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe. It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband's product than any other signature shoe."

Kobe originally signed with Nike back in 2003 -- and later inked his "post-retirement" deal following his final NBA game on April 13, 2016.

So, why would Vanessa pull Kobe from Nike? It boils down to two main reasons, according to ESPN -- 1, long-term money and 2, Vanessa wasn't happy with Kobe shoe availability, particularly when it came to kids.

Regarding the money ... ESPN says Vanessa was unhappy with the financial aspects of the new deal Nike was offering.

She was hoping for a deal that was more akin to the lucrative "lifetime" deals that Michael Jordan and LeBron James have signed with the company.

As for availability ... Vanessa felt the Nike strategy of limiting the number of Kobe shoes to increase demand and collectability was hurting the ability of the common fan to cop a Kobe sneaker.

In other words, she wanted the shoes to be more widely available -- especially when it came to kids' sizes, according to ESPN, and ultimately she and Nike just weren't on the same page about the distribution strategy.

Vanessa told ESPN, "My hope will always be to allow Kobe's fans to get and wear his products ... I will continue to fight for that. Kobe's products sell out in seconds. That says everything."

"I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband's legacy. We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi's legacies. That will never change."

So, what happens now?

Nike will likely stop making Kobe products (unless they come to terms on another deal with the estate) ... and Vanessa will likely look for a new partnership with a different shoe company.

Nike issued a statement on the situation ... saying. "Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike's deep connection to consumers. He pushed us and made everyone around him better."

Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown was the victim of a late night attack on Sunday evening and suffered injuries to his face, the team has announced.

Yeah, this is wild.

26-year-old Brown -- the same guy who was unnecessarily manhandled and tased by Milwaukee PD officers back in 2018 -- says he doesn't not know who ran up on him Sunday evening ... but it sounds terrifying.

Here's the statement from the Rockets:

"Last night, Sterling Brown was the victim of an assault. He has no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants. He suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery. Sterling is not playing tonight because of his prior knee injury."

The Rockets did not specify where the assault took place -- but the team is currently in Miami to play the Heat on Monday night.

As we previously reported, Brown reached a $750k settlement with the City of Milwaukee for the 2018 tasing incident, which was captured on video.

In addition to the money, the City of Milwaukee agreed to issue a statement admitting they violated Brown's constitutional rights.

Brown signed with the Rockets in November 2020.

Story developing ...

Scottie Pippen has revealed his oldest son Antron Pippen passed away on Sunday. He was only 33.

"I'm heartbroken to share that yesterday, I said goodbye to my firstborn son Antron. The two of us shared a love for basketball and we had countless conversations about the game."

Scottie continued, "Antron suffered from chronic asthma and if he hadn’t had it, I truly believe he would've made it to the NBA. He never let that get him down, though -- Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I am so proud of the man that he became."

Antron was born in 1987 to Karen McCollum -- who married Scottie in 1988 (they split in 1990).

Antron was a pretty solid basketball player who reportedly spent time hoopin' at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). Clearly, Scottie believed he had real potential, if not for his medical condition.

Scottie did not reveal Antron's cause of death. However, he's asking fans to pray for his family.

"Please keep his mom, Karen, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. A kind heart and beautiful soul gone way too soon. I love you, son, rest easy until we meet again."

Antron also spent time playin ball at South Georgia Technical College -- and moments ago, the school paid tribute to their former player.

Ex-NBA star Nate Robinson raked in more than $2 MILLION for that horrific boxing performance against Jake Paul back in 2020 ... and there's a chance they could run it back!!

That's all according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith who says he spoke with a source "close to Nate" about what's going on behind the scenes ... and he dropped a ton of very interesting information.

Smith had mentioned Robinson's ill-fated Nov. 2020 match with Paul on Monday's "First Take" ... and when they came from commercial break, the extremely well-connected Stephen A. read a text message he received from a trusted Nate Robinson source. Here's what it said:

"Nate walked out the arena [on Nov. 28 and] realized he was not trained well. [He] apologized for not listening and collected a little over $2 million for that fiasco. He's fine."

"They are trying to get him to fight in a rematch, if you can believe that. Floyd 'Money' Mayweather wants to train him, if he agrees. Crazy but true."

The source said he advised Nate "not to do it" -- "but if he does, it needs to be for more money and he needs to train with a pro for a very long time."

Stephen A. and his First Take co-host Max Kellerman both strongly urged Nate to NOT take a rematch ... considering the punishment he took in the first fight.

We strongly agree.

Welcome to the Dozens ... starring Barack Obama?!?

He's got jokes! Fat jokes. Gambling jokes. Shaq jokes!! Plus, actual information about the COVID vaccine (no joke!)!!

Obama sat down virtually with Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal as part of ATTN:'s "Roll Up Your Sleeves" special on NBC ... where the goal was to educate the public about some of the misconceptions about the vaccine.

But, before he got down to business ... Obama had a little fun at Shaq and Barkley's expense!

Obama razzed Chuck for his famous gambling habit and joked with Shaq about how the Big Man endorses every business on the planet!

And then came the fat joke ...

Obama congratulated Barkley on his daughter's recent wedding -- and brought up how Charles mentioned how he wanted to slim down for the event.

"You also felt like you need to get in shape because The Hora (the traditional Jewish dance) ... when you're lifting the chair, nobody could do that at your current weight!"

Don't freak out, it was all in good fun -- and Barkley laughed it off.

"I survived the Hora! No one got hurt -- it was the best day of my life!"

As for the vaccine ... here's the gist of what Obama had to say.

-- "A lot of the underlying conditions, things like diabetes, folks who have preexisting conditions ... there is more of that in communities of color than there is generally, which means we're more vulnerable."

-- "A lot of young people think ... 'Even if I get COVID, it's like a bad cold.' But part of what we're seeing now is there is a different strain of the virus that's come over. That's not the dominant variant and it's actually hitting young people harder than the original version."

-- "We don't know the kinds of long terms effects that were having. There's some folks who get it and 6 months later and they're still not feeling quite right."

Obama also brought up how measles used to "kill people all the time" before vaccines.

He also mentioned the Tuskegee experiments and how it has become a reference point for Black people who don't trust the government when it comes to health care.

"The irony is when you know about the Tuskegee experiment, what's going on there is the government withheld treatment that was available for Black men for Syphilis. They didn't give them medicine they needed."

"So, here's a situation where if the medicine is available, we need to take it."

Metta World Peace is genuinely impressed with Jake Paul's boxing career -- telling TMZ Sports the guy is "legit" and loves the fact he's chasing his dream.

The former NBA star -- who's a big boxing fan -- loved watching Paul knock out Ben Askren over the weekend ... and explained why it's the latest in an "incredible" journey for the 24-year-old YouTube star.

"I like Jake Paul, because I think anybody who has a dream should go after that dream," Metta told us outside of Toast in L.A.

"I think what's incredible about it is he's doing it! That's what's incredible about it, action!"

Metta says he had dreams of becoming a boxer when he was younger -- but never followed up.

So, the fact Jake is putting in the work and seeing results is very impressive to him.

And get this ... Metta tells TMZ Sports he's been getting calls from networks looking to book him in a major celebrity boxing event.

But, don't hold your breath -- Metta says he ain't interested.

"I don't feel like doing it ... It's just not something I'm into doing."

"Ain't no dollar amount," Metta added ... "I just don't want to do it."

The L.A. Lakers will NOT visit Joe Biden at the White House next week to celebrate their 2019-20 NBA championship -- but it ain't a protest.

Unlike every NBA team during the Trump administration, the Lakers are NOT choosing to skip the Biden visit for political reasons -- it's all about COVID protocols and scheduling conflicts, according to multiple outlets.

The Lakers will be in D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards on April 28th -- and championship teams have historically scheduled the celebratory White House during road trips in the area.

But, it won't happen this time.

However, the Lakers -- including superstar LeBron James -- are open to a future meeting with President Biden ... possibly later or even after the season.

Hey, they're all busy people!

Plus, the NBA has strongly discouraged teams from participating in large public gatherings -- which could be one of the reasons they're pressing pause on the White House visit for now.

During President Trump's term -- zero NBA or WNBA championship teams visited the White House.

The Warriors, Raptors and Lakers were all outspokenly against the visit -- and Trump, in turn, either withdrew his invitation or never extended one.

Same with the WNBA teams and nearly every major college basketball champion with one exception ... the Baylor women's team visited after their 2019 title win.

New team, new bling!! At least, that's the type of wave Andre Drummond is on ... with L.A.'s newest star copping a brand new grill right after joining the Lakers!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 6'10" big man decided he wanted his smile to be spotted from miles away ... so he hit up his guy, AP the Jeweler from Atlanta, to help him out with a new grill.

Since Drummond was still a Cavalier at the time, AP personally flew out to Cleveland back in February to get his molding and start the process.

Of course, Drummond's tenure in The Land ended shortly after placing his order ... but the timing couldn't have been more perfect -- he now had a new accessory for his big arrival in L.A.!!

AP -- who also made LaMelo Ball's grill -- tells us the 8-top, 8-bottom white gold piece is filled with 10 carats of VVS diamonds in a honeycomb set.

No word on how much Drummond paid for his teeth, but we're told a grill like this would cost anyone a solid $20,000.

The NBA and WNBA teams that honored Daunte Wright by wearing custom shirts in the wake of his death are now auctioning off the items to raise money for Wright's family, league officials confirm.

Players from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx -- along with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat all wore special warm-up shirts this week with the message "With Liberty and Justice FOR ALL" in the days after Wright was killed by a police officer in Minnesota.

Now, the teams say various players will sign their warm-up shirts and donate them for an auction -- with proceeds benefitting The Daunte Wright Memorial Fund, which supports the Wright family.

Some of the players who wore the shirt are Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeAndre Jordan, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and many more.

The bidding starts at $200 per shirt -- but some of the items are exploding, like KD's shirt ... which already hit $500 just minutes after the auction went live.

Bidding closes at the final buzzer of Friday's Wolves vs. Heat game.

20-year-old Wright was shot and killed on April 11 during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

The officer responsible for the shooting, Kim Potter, has been arrested and charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter.

Potter has claimed she was trying to deploy a Taser on Wright -- but accidentally grabbed her handgun instead, fatally wounding him.

The shooting sparked outrage around the country -- and several NBA and WNBA teams held a moment of silence for Wright before games this week.

Wright is survived by his 2-year-old son -- and his family has set up a GoFundMe page to help covert funeral and burial expenses along with "mental health and grief counseling for Daunte's family."