NBA

Malik Beasley is a free man ... he was just released from jail Tuesday morning -- and TMZ Sports has confirmed it's because he was on his best behavior while he was behind bars.

A Wright County Jail official tells us Beasley was let out after only 78 days because he "followed the rules" and behaved well while incarcerated.

And, it's clear Beasley was stoked to be let out over a month earlier than expected ... 'cause he released a video on his social media page where he exclaimed, "I'm free!"

As we previously reported, Beasley was sentenced to 120 days behind bars after prosecutors said the Minnesota Timberwolves star exploded on a family that had parked in his driveway in Sept. 2020.

Officials said the 24-year-old NBA player pointed a gun at the people and demanded they piss off.

Beasley was charged but eventually cut a plea deal with prosecutors in the case ... and ultimately began serving his jail sentence in early June.

Shortly after he was locked up ... Beasley released a statement saying he'd use his time behind bars to become a better person, writing, "I'm still working hard everyday on and off the court to be the best version of me."

Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu was so pissed after being fouled during a summer league game Sunday ... he threw a wild punch that connected with his opponent's forehead.

The fight all went down in Sacramento's game against the Dallas Mavericks in Vegas ... when Eugene Omoruyi collided with Metu while the Kings player was going up for a dunk attempt.

In the broadcast footage from the arena, you can see Metu was so upset after being knocked into ... he cocked back his right hand and violently punched Omoruyi in the face.

Cameras showed the haymaker -- albeit with a lot of Metu's elbow -- landed flush ... but, fortunately for both parties, the two were separated before any more fists could fly.

Metu and Omoruyi were eventually ejected from the tilt ... and you can see in the clip, Omoruyi was actually in a bit of pain after getting hit.

But, Mavs summer league coach Greg St. Jean told reporters after the game he expected Omoruyi to be just fine.

Unclear if either Metu or Omoruyi will be suspended from summer league action going forward.

As for the result of the game, Metu's Kings got the last laugh there ... with Sacramento ending up beating the Mavericks, 86-70.

The Clippers shouldn't have too hard of a time making another deep playoff run next season ... so says Serge Ibaka, who made it clear to TMZ Sports this week, he REALLY likes his squad!!!

We got the Clips center out at Highlight Room in L.A. ... and he ensured us the back injury that kept him out of most of L.A.'s playoff games in 2021 won't bother him next season.

Then, the dude told us he thinks his team has a legit shot at making a charge at the 2022 title!

"We have a good team," the 31-year-old said. "We have a good team. I'm going to be ready."

Serge added, "Man, we are a good team, man."

He ain't wrong ... L.A. did have a solid offseason, adding Jason Preston and keeping both Reggie Jackson and Kawhi Leonard in the fold with new contracts.

And, speaking of Leonard, we also asked Serge about his YouTube cooking show ... and he says to this day, the most memorable thing he's ever fed someone just happened to be to Kawhi.

Meyers Leonard is continuing his fight against anti-Semitism -- teaming up with a top anti-hate organization to speak at a virtual seminar ... just months after the NBA player dropped a slur while gaming online.

We're told 29-year-old Meyers has joined forces with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) ... and is set to speak at a webinar on August 19 ... with the hopes of stemming the rise in hateful speech.

The class -- which will also feature 2-time WNBA champ and Israel national basketball team member Alysha Clark -- will focus on the importance of education on anti-Semitism.

The speakers will also discuss the Holocaust.

It's just the latest way Leonard -- who is currently an NBA free agent -- is trying to repent ... by spreading awareness about the horrors of hate language.

Back in June, Meyers got emotional when speaking to a group of Jewish kids at a synagogue in Florida ... saying, "I owe everybody, truly, a sincere apology."

Of course, the apology came after Leonard found himself in some scalding-hot water after using an anti-Semitic slur while playing "Call of Duty: Warzone on Twitch back in March.

Meyers was immediately placed on indefinite leave by the Miami Heat and lost out on a ton of business deals -- including his relationship with gaming juggernaut, FaZe Clan.

Jake Paul is rolling out the royal red carpet for his fight against Tyron Woodley ... telling TMZ Sports he wants LeBron James front and center for the big night!!

Of course, Paul is slated to duke it out with Woodley on Aug. 29 in Cleveland ... just a stone's throw from where the YouTube superstar (Westlake) and NBA champ (Akron) grew up.

Jake says it's truly a special night for the city and the state ... so he wants the biggest local names to make an appearance and cheer him on.

"I think it’s just really cool that this is sort of an Ohio affair," Paul tells us, "and, not a lot of boxing matches take place in Ohio, let alone Cleveland."

With that being said, Jake is hoping to see the ex-Cavalier come through for his event ... giving a personal invite to the King.

"LeBron, pull up baby!!!" Paul said.

"When I was 12, came and saw your games. I paid good money for some front row seats. I was yelling at you from the crowds."

"And so, I think it’s only right that you pull up and yell, "Jake! Jake! But look, LeBron, this one’s for the city man, pull up!"

JP's also inviting Ohioans who killed it in the Tokyo Olympics -- from Zach Apple to Katie Nageotte (who he just invited on Monday) and more.

"Katie taking gold, Duke Regan boxing coming up a silver. Oshae Jones with the bronze. We got swimmers Zach Apple, Hunter Armstrong both getting gold in swimming."

"Like, the Ohioans were crushing it. So, I was like come on down to the fight and it’s perfect timing. It’s right after the Olympics. They get to chill out, and maybe grab a beer!"

Andre Drummond just saved his son's life ... with the Philadelphia 76ers center springing into action after the child accidentally fell into a pool -- and the footage is terrifying.

The 28-year-old just posted surveillance video of the incident -- with family members hanging together around the pool at his home ... when his 2-year-old son, Deon, tripped into the water.

The 6'10", 280-lb. baller -- completely clothed from head to toe -- dove right into the water without hesitation and scooped Deon out of the water ... with the other family members coming to assist.

Drummond then carries his son (who was born on February 21, 2019) over to another person, who lifts him out of the water to safety.

"NOT ALL HEROS WEAR CAPES 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️" Drummond said on Thursday. "A parents worst nightmare….. Feat my son & I 😂😂"

Drummond made it clear to note no one was injured in the incident ... but the footage is still just as scary.

Klay Thompson's sweet tooth was working overtime late Wednesday night ... 'cause the Golden State Warriors star couldn't pass up on buying a bunch of candy from kids outside an L.A. hot spot!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the 3-time NBA champ as he was leaving the Highlight Room in Hollywood ... and while the guy seemed to be in great spirits, he was even happier when he saw a basket full of sugary sweets waiting for him.

Naturally, Klay whipped out his wallet and started passing out bills to the young businessmen ... sifting through bags of chocolates and gummies before settling on some Kit Kat bars and Snickers.

No word on the value of the bills Klay gave the kids ... but we're pretty sure the guy overpaid for the treats.

FYI -- Klay has made $182 million in his career so far and is in the middle of a 5-year, $190 million deal ... so yeah, some candy bars are def in the budget.

There's more for Dubs fans to enjoy -- Klay looks completely fine as he walks up to his SUV ... which is great to see as he comes off that devastating Achilles injury.

NBA guard J.R. Smith is gunning to take his talents to the links -- the hooper has enrolled at an HBCU in hopes of making it on the golf team!!

35-year-old Smith -- who skipped college ball for the NBA Draft in 2004 -- is taking full advantage of his newly acquired free time by becoming a student at North Carolina A&T.

Of course, the 2-time NBA champ has not played in the league since winning a ring with LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers in 2020 ... going all last season without a team.

Now, J.R. is looking to join another team -- A&T's golf team.

"Golf is one of those games that can have you feeling really high or it can bring you down to your knees and humble you," Smith told WFMY.

"To have that feeling and knowing that all of the game is pretty much on my own hands and I don’t have to worry about teammates to pass the ball to, receiving passes and playing defense -- I can just play my game and have fun."

Smith says he learned the game from Hall of Famer Moses Malone ... and is waiting on the NCAA to sort out his eligibility, according to ESPN.

Charlotte Hornets player PJ Washington is breaking his silence on WILD rumors surrounding his split with Brittany Renner and alleged $200k child support payments ... saying, "Stop the cap."

For those who haven't been keeping up with the drama, here's a quick breakdown:

Washington -- the #12 pick in the 2019 Draft -- and Renner first made headlines when the hooper seemingly shot his shot at the Instagram model after she attended his game at Kentucky in 2019.

The couple went official in 2020 ... and in May 2021, Washington confirmed they welcomed a baby boy together.

But, things appeared to go sour just a few months later ... with Washington tweeting -- and later deleting -- a cryptic message about someone "faking it all along."

Fast forward to this week ... when an unconfirmed rumor went viral on social media claiming Washington would have to shell out $200k A MONTH in child support payments following the breakup.

FYI -- Washington is still on his rookie deal ... which means he's reportedly raked in $7.8 million so far as a pro and is slated to make about $14 million over the next two seasons.

Before anyone could actually confirm or deny the child support rumors, Twitter trolls had a field day with the reckless headline ... cracking jokes and sharing condolences to Washington's bank account.

But, Washington appears to finally be addressing all the talk on Wednesday ... tweeting "Stop the cap" ... which, for all you old heads, means QUIT LYING.

Isaiah Thomas let the emotions pour out of him after scoring 81 points in a Pro-Am game this week ... breaking down in tears and saying "the world gave up on me!!"

If you missed it, the ex-NBA star went OFF at The Crawsover Pro-Am game in Seattle on Sunday -- dropping an insane 81 points in the performance.

The crowd gave Thomas a standing ovation after balling out ... and that's when IT started to tear up and get in his feels.

Thomas spoke on Twitter about sharing the emotional moment ... saying, "I wasn’t showing y’all a snippet of me being emotional so y’all can feel sorry 4 me. Hell no!!!"

"My life is GREAT!! I was showing y’all that to see what it feels like to give everything you have to something you love and to see it slowly coming back where it’s suppose to be."

The last time the 32-year-old shined like this was with the Boston Celtics in the 2016-17 season ... averaging 28.9 points per game and finished 5th in MVP votes.

Ever since then, he's had short stints with several teams -- unable to lock in multiyear deals and getting trolled by fans ... something he says contributed to the emotions after Sunday's game.

"That emotion was tied up from the last 4yrs battling every single day!!!"

He added ..."I ain’t talking about the 'league' giving up on me lol. THE WORLD GAVE UP ON ME & WAS S****ING ON ME WHILE I WAS DOWN AND OUT!!"

"When you love something you’ll do whatever it takes to get that!!! I’m back."

Thomas is currently a free agent -- but after this statement and the support from NBA stars ... it's clear he's not giving up.

Jalen Green is PISSED he didn't go #1 overall in the NBA Draft ... saying he has a "super big" chip on his shoulder for getting passed on -- and he took it all out on the Pistons by dropping 25 points!!

The Houston Rockets' #2 pick faced off against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons for the first time in their careers at Summer League in Vegas on Tuesday ... and it didn't disappoint.

Green outdueled the top pick with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in the 111-91 win ... with Cunningham earning 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

Look, we get it -- it's Summer League, not the real thing, but it's exciting to see these guys go at it for the first of, hopefully, many times.

19-year-old Green was asked about his motivation to ball out ... admitting he really does have a grudge for not having his name called first at the draft last month.

"My chip's been super big," the Cali native said. "It started at draft night when I got drafted #2, I felt like I was #1."

"It's just the work I gotta put in. I keep a chip on my shoulder from where I'm from, my family installed it into me. So, Imma just keep getting better every day."

Ex-NBA star Jermaine O'Neal says the backlash following the infamous 'Malice At The Palace' was brutal and wrong ... claiming he and his teammates were labeled "thugs" after the brawl.

The 2004 incident between the Pacers, Pistons and fans in attendance is one of the most memorable moments in NBA history -- Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ron Artest at the time) rushed into the stands and fought a spectator after a drink was thrown at him ... and absolute chaos ensued.

Metta was suspended the rest of the season, Stephen Jackson was hit with a 30-game ban and O'Neal received a 15-game punishment for their involvement in the fight ... the biggest suspensions in NBA history.

Now, Stak and JO are reflecting on the brawl for the new Netflix series 'Untold' (which debuts Tuesday) ... saying the criticism they received after the event was unfair.

"Ron, Steve, JO, it's their fault," Jackson said. "They were being thugs! They were acting out of line!"

O'Neal added ... "Like all of a sudden, my character is in question."

"These are thugs and everybody else signing off, 'yeah, rap music' and this -- well they're not saying that when hockey is beating the hell out of each for decades."

O'Neal is seemingly highlighting the double standard that exists between the reaction to black basketball players getting in a fight and the same thing happening in a predominantly white sport.

Even though the incident happened nearly 20 years ago, the points O'Neal raises remain significant.

The shoes Kobe Bryant wore for his VERY FIRST NBA game can now be yours -- if you got half a milli lying around -- 'cause the iconic kicks are hitting the auction block!

The Black Mamba arrived on the scene for the L.A. Lakers on November 3, 1996, against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... going scoreless in just 6 minutes of action off the bench.

Bryant rocked a custom pair of size 14 Adidas kicks as he stepped on the court for the first time ... which he ended up giving away to a diehard fan outside The Forum after the game.

A few years later, the fan was able to run into Kobe again -- and got the legend to quickly sign them outside the team's hotel!!!

Now, the fan is looking to part ways with the keepsakes ... putting them up for auction via Gotta Have Rock And Roll.

We're told these sneakers -- which also come with a ticket stub from the game -- are NOT gonna come cheap ... they have a minimum bid of $100k and could sell for up to $500k!!!

Of course, the 5-time champ went on to eventually score quite a bit in his career -- he's ranked 4th all-time with 33,643 points ... and became one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is paying tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant ... by getting some incredible custom cleats -- and he's giving a pair to Vanessa!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old star has been wanting to honor the late Lakers legend and Gigi on his feet for more than a year.

VG specifically wanted to cop the tribute cleats for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels series ...  so he hit up New Jersey artist Michael Jordan for the job.

Jordan tells us he started the project back in June to make sure the All-Star Game MVP got 'em on time -- and the finished product is awesome!!!

The white and black Jordan cleats feature a detailed image of Gigi in her Mamba Academy gear and Kobe in his Lakers uniform.

It also has Gigi's jersey #2 and both Kob's #8 and #24 splattered on the whole sneaker -- as well as their nicknames Mamba and Mambacita.

The all purple pair showcases some father and daughter moments -- Kobe celebrating with Gigi after winning the 2009 Finals ... and the duo sitting courtside at a Lakers game in 2019.

It also has a quote from Beyonce's song "XO," "your love is bright as ever" ... the same song she sang at Bryant's memorial service at the Staples Center in February 2020.

We're told the free-handed artwork took a total of 60 hours ... and VG will give the purple pair to Vanessa Bryant after the series.

All the critics cracking jokes about the Lakers' free agent signings will have to eat their words -- so says NBA champ Matt Barnes ... who tells TMZ Sports L.A.'s older roster is actually a GOOD thing!!!

It's no secret -- the Lake Show didn't get any younger this off-season ... adding guys like Russell Westbrook (32), Dwight Howard (35), Carmelo Anthony (37), Trevor Ariza (36), Wayne Ellington (33) and more to join forces with LeBron James (36) and Anthony Davis (28).

Of course, those guys have all been around the block a few times ... with people (not us) comparing the team more to a retirement home than title contenders.

But, Barnes ain't in that group ... 'cause he tells us he's a fan of what the Purple and Gold have done so far.

"I like what they're doing, man," Barnes tells us. "I think you know, they’re saying the team is old, but they got a lot of experience, a lot of great players. So, I'm excited to see what happens.

Of course, Barnes makes it clear the guys have to stay healthy throughout the season ... but thinks everyone's on the same page and knows they have a long journey ahead.

"I just think older people work smarter, so they're going to understand how to work even when they need to do the work during the season and understand that it's a marathon, and I think they're going to be okay with it."

Cops are so livid over the way they say Jaxson Hayes fought them during his arrest last month ... they're now strongly urging NBA commissioner Adam Silver to take action against the Pelicans star.

It's all spelled out in a letter, obtained by TMZ Sports, written by the Los Angeles Police Protective League -- a police union representing 9,000 rank and file LAPD officers -- to Silver and New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson.

In the note -- which is four pages in length -- the police union says 6'11, 220-pound Hayes became combative on July 27 after they responded to a domestic disturbance call involving the hooper.

Law enforcement says Hayes refused orders, hurled the n-word at officers, and pushed one cop so hard into the wall, the basketball player injured the "much physically smaller" man.

We’ve obtained photos of the cop's alleged injuries ... and they appear to show the officer's elbow was swollen and bloody following the incident.

LAPPL went on to say in the letter that after a review of body camera footage from the night ... they strongly believe Hayes was out of line, and criminally assaulted an officer during the arrest.

"Mr. Silver," the officers said in the letter, "the actions of your player were unlawful, completely unacceptable and are as clear a prima facie case of violating several of the National Basketball Association policies as we have seen."

"We respectfully request that you immediately initiate a thorough investigation into Mr. Hayes' actions before, during and after the incident and to take appropriate corrective action to hold Mr. Hayes accountable."

They continued, "The video is clear. Your swift action in this incident is warranted."

The union also says in the letter Hayes' alleged use of the n-word was completely unacceptable ... saying it's on the same level as when NBA player Meyers Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur during a March video game stream.

"We ask you to investigate Mr. Hayes' use of the 'N-word' during the incident," cops said, "and based on the obvious evidence, hold him accountable for the blatant violation of the NBA's values of 'equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect.'"

LAPPL concluded the letter asking Silver and the NBA to "send an unequivocal message that assaulting police officers will never be tolerated by the NBA."

"Given the severity of this incident, we sincerely hope you take decisive action in this case."

As we previously reported, Hayes was arrested following the altercation with cops ... and was booked on a resisting arrest charge.

The 21-year-old has claimed cops used excessive force on his neck, causing him the inability to breathe at some points during the arrest.