NBA

Iggy Azalea is stamping out a rumor that she's banging Tristan Thompson -- going so far as to say she's never met the dude ... not even once.

The Aussie rapper came out to address a report by blogger/YouTuber Tasha K ... who posted a new vlog this past week with the bold claim that Iggy has been sleeping with Tristan -- this amid other reports that Khloe Kardashian apparently wants him back (which she's denied).

Tasha flat out says ... "Does (Khloe) know that Tristan and Miss Iggy are f******?" She didn't elaborate on where she was getting her alleged intel -- but IA herself has shot it down.

She took to Twitter Sunday to deny the rumor ... writing, "Very weird fake news making the rounds about me dating a man I've literally never met a DAY in my life…. Like…. Y'all are really that bored?!?!"

Iggy went to add, "Literally have never even been in the same building as that man. I DO NOT KNOW THAT PERSON" -- this after a Twitter user pointed out it was Tristan whom she was referring to ... and followed up by saying Tasha seems to have made it all up.

The news does, in fact, seem to have come out of nowhere ... before Tasha came out with her so-called tea -- there wasn't even a whiff of this anywhere ... as far as we're concerned.

Yes ... Iggy has dated an NBA player in the past -- namely, Nick Young, who she was engaged to for a while back in the day before they split -- but there's no clear evidence, photos or otherwise, to indicate she or Tristan have ever met or mingled.

NBA star Jayson Tatum is fresh off winning gold in Tokyo, but the Boston Celtics guard is hungry for more -- telling TMZ Sports he's gunning to add an NBA championship to his collection!!!

The 2-time All-Star and All-NBAer was out in Beverly Hills fresh off helping Team USA win it all at the 2020 Games ... and we asked where his shiny, new medal lands on his growing list of accomplishments.

"It has to be at the top so far, but clearly gotta bring a championship to the Celtics," 23-year-old Tatum tells us. "That’s first on the list."

The Celtics have a new coach this season with Ime Udoka ... but it's clear Tatum thinks Boston will be able to make a better run in the playoffs after getting eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Tatum tells us he's still riding the high of winning gold ... calling it "the coolest thing I've done so far."

Kyle Kuzma will leave Los Angeles for D.C. as a single man ... TMZ Sports has learned the former Lakers star and his model GF, Winnie Harlow, have broken up.

Sources tell us Kuzma -- who was just officially traded to the Washington Wizards from L.A. earlier this month -- split with Harlow about a week ago.

We're told, though, it was a completely amicable breakup ... and, in fact, we're also told the two have been friendly with each other since the split.

The couple first started dating in March 2020 after Harlow said Kuzma slid into her direct messages ... and things appeared to be going swimmingly.

The two swapped "I love yous" often -- and did it VERY publicly, too -- with Harlow even famously hiring a plane to fly across the Disney campus in July 2020 with a mushy birthday message for Kuzma as he played in the NBA bubble.

Unclear what ultimately caused the breakup and if the trade from the Lakers played a role.

One of the most INSANE cards ever created -- featuring signatures from eight sports legends including Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather -- has just hit the auction block, and it could sell for the price of a brand-new car!!

The piece is wild -- it's got autographs from McGregor, Mayweather, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Errol Spence Jr., Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Chloe Kim on it ... and Leaf Trading Cards says it's the only one of its kind ever created.

TMZ Sports has learned bidding on the card at Goldin Auctions just began this week -- and we're told the expectation is for it to ultimately sell later this month for somewhere around $20,000!!

And, given the names on the piece -- and how Giannis' star has absolutely exploded this summer -- seems like a pretty great price to us.

As for how the card was obtained ... we're told someone actually pulled it in a box break -- which, yeah, talk about great luck.

The card was given an 8 grade by Beckett ... with a perfect 10 for its sharp corners.

NBA center Meyers Leonard says he's spent the past 5 months out of the spotlight and working firsthand with the Jewish community ... dedicating his time to being a true ally after hurling an anti-Semitic slur in March.

The 29-year-old has not spoken publicly since apologizing for his hurtful language on a Twitch live stream ... but in his time away, he says he's made every effort to learn from his mistake and understand its significance.

"This was not something prescribed or forced upon me," Leonard said on Instagram. "It’s something that I felt and knew in my heart was right to do, which is why I chose to do it privately."

Leonard says he's discussed the beliefs and history of the community with Jewish leaders and friends ... and was troubled to hear how anti-Semitic actions and views have caused so much harm over time and in the present.

"I'm committed to being an ally," he said.

"A true mistake and extreme ignorance is how this all began for me, but growing from this is a part of the journey."

"Again, I'd like to say how truly sorry I am to those who were hurt by my word. I take full ownership of my ignorance and will continue to do better through my actions. I'd also like to say how grateful I am for all of the love, compassion, and forgiveness that the Jewish community has graciously shown me."

As we previously reported, Leonard spoke out about hateful speech at an Anti-Defamation League conference earlier this month ... something he's grateful to have been a part of.

He also got emotional in a speech to Jewish kids at a temple in Florida back in June ... sincerely apologizing for using the word.

Kyle Kuzma will now certainly never forget his Univ. of Utah roots ... 'cause he just got a mountain range back tat to pay homage to his alma mater -- and it is MASSIVE!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Washington Wizards new star wanted to get ink to represent his 2014 to 2017 days as a Ute, so he hit up celeb tat artist Herchell L. Carrasco.

We're told the 26-year-old headed out to Carrasco's Pachuco Tattoo shop in Orange, Calif. ... and sat like a rock for the huge scenery piece.

Carrasco said it all took about six hours ... with the mountain range scene ultimately ending up covering 1/3 of Kuzma's upper back.

Carrasco says the artwork isn't of one specific part of Utah ... but rather a mixture of mountains in the state -- and also represents "power, obstacles and overcoming them."

Carrasco added the NBA player might add more to it down the road.

The mountain scene wasn't the only work Kuz got done this week ... he also got a hand tat of the NBA championship trophy he won with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Scary news from legendary hoops announcer Dick Vitale ... who's opening up on his battle with melanoma this year -- but thankfully, he caught it early and is cancer free!!

82-year-old Dickie V revealed he first heard the news this summer after having a growth removed from above his nose ... which later came back positive for skin cancer.

"My heart sank," Vitale said.

But fortunately, the timing couldn't have been better ... with Vitale explaining, "It helped that we caught it early, and I was thrilled to learn it hadn’t spread."

"The bottom line is they removed all cancer cells, and I was relieved, big time, to be cancer clear."

As Vitale would say ... IT'S AWESOME NEWS, BABY!!!

Dickie V says he underwent 4 procedures to help clean up the area above his nose ... but jokes, "We all know I’m never going to look like Tom Cruise. I’ve got no hair on my dome and I’ve got a body by linguini."

"Fortunately, I continue to heal from those cosmetic surgeries and it’s working out fine."

Vitale gives credit to the V Foundation for getting checked early ... saying, "Because of early detection, something the V Foundation constantly emphasizes, thankfully we were more prepared."

The college hoops legend says he continues to heal, but will be back calling NCAA games for his 43rd(!!!) season -- and hopes this story inspires folks to get checked!

"Luckily, I took care of it when I did and I can’t stress enough that you all should do the same!"

"That’s how I’m going to achieve my goal of sitting courtside calling a game when I’m 100 years old!"

Devin Booker's offseason of love is still going strong ... 'cause after a romantic lake trip with Kendall Jenner, he sipped booze with the model at a lunch in NY -- and, yeah, the NBA star sure looks smitten.

The attractive couple hit up a party for Jenner's 818 Tequila brand at Sunset Beach Hotel on Shelter Island on Wednesday ... with Booker playing the role of proud BF as he watched Jenner celebrate the success of her alcohol.

Booker was seen smiling, laughing and schmoozing with Jenner's friends ... and we're told Kendall couldn't have been happier to have her tequila with her man by her side.

Of course, Booker and KJ have been inseparable since his triumphant return from the Tokyo Olympics ... they were just spotted enjoying other's company on a lake earlier this week.

In fact, Jenner proudly displayed her BF's new gold medal while rockin' a tiny bikini on their boat.

The two have been dating for over a year now ... and sure have been hot and heavy through the last few months -- with Jenner even hitting the road to see most of his playoff games.

Begs the question ... even though Booker didn't get an NBA championship bling this year -- is a wedding ring in the cards??

Trae Young's player rating for NBA 2K22 has officially been released ... and you know who's super pissed about it??

Trae Young.

The super-popular video game series rolled out a number of players' skill ratings for its newest installment in the yearly franchise on Wednesday ... and the Atlanta Hawks superstar was handed an 89 overall.

The 22-year-old guard was clearly not having it ... saying, "feel like we do this every year … y’all ever gonna get it right?! #CantPlayItYet"

For context, Trae's rating was in the 87-89 range through last season ... but the guy balled out in the playoffs, leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.

Young averaged 25 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds a game in 2020-21 ... and nearly 29 points and 9.5 assists in the playoffs.

A number of other ratings have been released -- including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting 96 overall ratings ... with Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Damian Lillard rounding out the top 10 players.

LiAngelo Ball is getting a co-sign from one of the NBA's top talents ... with Jayson Tatum telling TMZ Sports the Summer League standout is long overdue to have a spot in the league!!

The 22-year-old showed out during his time playing in Vegas over the past week -- scoring 9.6 points in 17 minutes per game ... with several incredible highlight plays.

We caught up with the Boston Celtics star outside Avra in Beverly Hills about Gelo's string of performances ... and he thinks Ball did enough to get him on an active roster for 2021.

"I think so," Tatum tells us. "It's only right, he's put in the work. I'm sure he’ll find his way on a team."

Of course, the middle Ball bro has had a long journey up to this point -- he left UCLA in 2017 following his shoplifting incident in China ... and ended up moving to Lithuania to play ball with his little bro, LaMelo.

Once Gelo returned to the U.S., he landed offseason chances with several NBA teams over the past 2 years ... before earning a spot with the Charlotte Hornets this summer.

A lot of folks are hoping to see Gelo finally get his shot ... and Ball himself even feels like he belongs in the league.

LaMelo Ball thinks going to college would've been a big waste of time ... saying, "school not even teachin' you s*** -- what the f*** is school?"

Of course, the 19-year-old Charlotte Hornets star took quite the unusual path to the NBA -- leaving Chino Hills H.S. in CA to play pro ball in Lithuania and Australia before declaring for the draft in 2020.

Melo has ZERO regrets over missing out on an NCAA career or the general college experience ... going in on the educational system in an interview with GQ.

"You wanna go to the league, so school's not your priority," the rookie of the year said.

"We not trippin' off school. We not dumb. We know how to learn. We don't need school. And school not even teachin' you s*** -- what the f*** is school?"

While that may not be the case for, say, a doctor or an astrophysicist, things have worked out quite well for Melo as a pro -- he quickly became a top player in the league, averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.

Safe to say the dude's not gonna be going back to get his degree any time soon.

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!"