NBA

Drake says the force has taken hold of him, and the songs are writing themselves, so he's releasing them -- the 3rd edition of his 'Scary Hours' EP series is about to drop!

On Thursday, Drake made the impromptu announcement via a video trailer shot inside one of his lavish estates, where he explained the method for his latest round of madness ... comparing his latest tier to being on drugs!!!

Drake says he's so confident in his recently released album "For All The Dogs" that he could go MIA for a couple of years ... but says that's not his style.

He cited his famed "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" mixtape as inspo behind the 'SH3' drop and claims to have written the project within the last 5 days!!!

Kevin Durant and Drake's longtime engineer Noel Cadastre are also listed as executive producers for the project but the guest appearances are mum for now.

Drake made no mention of the "stomach issues" he brought up last month when he told fans he wouldn't be releasing music for a while.

The new EP, and the fact he's going on tour with J. Cole, seem like good signs he's no longer worried about his health.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse is scoffing at the theories surrounding Kelly Oubre Jr.'s recent hit-and-run accident ... saying he 100% believes the hooper's injuries are the result of being struck by a vehicle.

Nurse -- who's in his first season with Philly -- met with the media prior to the Sixers' game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday ... and was asked about the rumblings that Oubre isn't sharing the full story after police stated there was no surveillance footage to back the hooper's claim.

Nurse said he's not looking that much into the report ... as he has no reason to think the 27-year-old would fabricate his side of things.

"I would not address that," Nurse said in a back-and-forth with a reporter. "I don't have an answer to that other than I believe what's been reported so far."

Nurse said he was recently made aware of the chatter surrounding the incident ... but reiterated he wasn't giving it the time of day.

"Again, I'm going to believe Kelly at his word and all that stuff and focus on this game and handle things as they come."

As we previously reported, Oubre was pretty beat up as he returned to his Philly apartment on Saturday ... with Ring footage showing him tell his wife he was just hit by a car.

We're told he was later interviewed by police at the hospital ... but possibly mixed up the location of the incident as he was on medication and new to the area.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Kelly Oubre Jr. just minutes after he was struck by a vehicle over the weekend ... showing the Philadelphia 76ers forward struggling to walk as he entered his apartment.

As we previously reported, the 6'7" hooper was involved in a hit-and-run outside his Philly residence on Saturday ... suffering a broken rib and injuries to his hip and leg after a silver car swiped him with a side-view mirror.

Sources tell us Oubre returned home shortly after being hit ... and when his wife saw him in serious pain, she called 911.

In the Ring camera footage, Oubre is heard telling Shylynn he was hit by a car as he rolled a bicycle into his residence.

We're told the 27-year-old was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital ... where medical professionals began treatment.

Our sources say a couple hours after the incident, officials interviewed Oubre to get some information on what went down.

At the time, Oubre claimed the incident happened near 15th and Spruce Street .... but on Wednesday, police said there was no surveillance video to support his claim.

Sources tell us two factors play into this -- one being Oubre was medicated and not in the right state of mind when he spoke with cops ... the other being he's fresh to the area, as he just moved to Philly in September and doesn't know his way around town just yet.

All that considered, our sources say it was challenging for Oubre to pinpoint the exact location of the accident ... so he tried his best.

There's no official timetable on Oubre's recovery ... although some reports claim he could be back in action as early as the end of the month.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis was just found guilty of swindling the NBA out of a ton of cash through the league's healthcare plan ... after authorities claim he accepted reimbursement for medical treatments he never received.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York announced the update in the case on Wednesday ... saying a jury determined the former Boston Celtics champion -- as well as fellow ex-NBAer Will Bynum -- were involved in a criminal scheme to defraud the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

As we previously reported, a number of NBA alums -- including Darius Miles, Shannon Brown, Tony Allen, Jamario Moon, Tony Wroten, Melvin Ely and Ruben Patterson -- were accused of lining their pockets through the scheme by filing bogus claims for reimbursement with the league's healthcare plan.

Prosecutors previously claimed Terrence Williams, a 2009 NBA Draft first-round pick, was the mastermind behind it all.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams released a statement ... saying, "While many of the more than 20 defendants convicted in this case were well-known NBA stars, their conduct was otherwise a typical fraudulent scheme designed to defraud the NBA’s health care plan and net the defendants over $5 million in illicit profits."

Worth noting -- Davis reportedly made more than $33.1 million over the course of his career.

5:52 PM PT -- The NBA is punishing Draymond Green for his putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold ... hitting DG with a 5-game suspension.

In announcing the suspension Wednesday, the NBA says ... "The length of the suspension is based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts."

Draymond will reportedly miss out on $769,970 in salary with the unpaid suspension ... and he's being fined $25,000.

Meanwhile, Rudy is being docked $25K ... as are Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels.

Draymond Green has found himself in hot water for putting his hands on someone once again.

This time, the Warriors superstar was ejected from Golden State's game against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night ... because he locked Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

The MMA move happened just seconds into the Dubs' contest with Minnesota at the Chase Center in San Francisco ... just after Klay Thompson got tangled up with Jaden McDaniels.

The two NBA stars swung each other around right in the middle of the court ... and in an effort to break it all up, guys from both teams raced in.

But, when Green got to the fracas, he appeared to escalate things further by wrapping his arm around Gobert's neck -- and refusing to let go ... this despite repeated pleas from head coach Steve Kerr.

Eventually, Green did drop Gobert ... but refs still decided to throw him out of the game for the act -- as well as Thompson and McDaniels.

After the game -- which the Warriors ended up losing -- Gobert blasted Green for it all ... calling the Golden State star's actions "clown behavior."

"It's kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph [Curry] is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected," Gobert said. "Because every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play -- it's his guy Steph. He'll do anything he can to get ejected."

Gobert then called for punishment for Green.

"I do hope that the league is going to do what needs to be done because that’s just clown behavior," Gobert said. "Not much to say. It’s clown behavior."

Of course, Green is no stranger to these situations ... he's been ejected for physical altercations several times over his career -- and, perhaps most famously, he was fined by his own team last year for getting violent with teammate Jordan Poole during a preseason practice.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

One of the most important pieces of memorabilia from Victor Wembanyama's NBA career -- a jersey he wore during his first-ever Spurs game -- has just gone up for auction ... and so far, bidders are showing they really want the item.

In its first day on the block, the threads that the 19-year-old phenom rocked in San Antonio's season-opener on Oct. 25 have already received 25 bids .... with a high $50,000 so far.

Experts at Sotheby's -- which is hosting the auction as part of its new partnership with the NBA -- previously anticipated the jersey would sell for between $80,000-$120,000 ... though if the early interest is any indication, it seems there's a good chance it could exceed that figure.

Of course, it shouldn't surprise many if it does ... given the start of Wemby's career.

The 7-foot-4 power forward -- who many have touted as the best prospect since LeBron James -- has tallied 19.7 points per game to go along with 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocks through his first 10 contests -- all historic numbers.

As for how he did the night he wore the jersey that's up for sale ... Wembanyama had 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block, although San Antonio ended up losing to Dallas.

The jersey -- listed as size 52 with a plus-4 length -- will stay up on the auction block until Nov. 21 ... giving collectors about seven more days to scrounge together all their change to make their best run at buying it.

LeBron James didn't become the NBA's all-time leading scorer without his fair share of haters rooting against him, but he's still not above showing even them some love!!!

Take up-and-coming Detroit rapper Skilla Baby for example, who outed himself as a proud LBJ hater on a recent podcast appearance -- but King James is here for it.

Skilla started off by giving LBJ his props ... but soon flew off the handle with a laundry list of reasons he'd create a LeBron voodoo doll.

LeBron's "The Decision," his unpredictable jump shot and his penchant for playing with super-teams were all low points for SB -- but he really just sounded like a Pistons fan going hard for his team.

At any rate, LeBron got a kick outta SB's rant and quipped, "Crazy thing is I HATE ME TOO" with several 😂's.

Larsa Pippen is enraged at her 'Real Housewives' costar, Julia Lemigova ... who had the nerve -- in Larsa's opinion -- to ask Marcus Jordan to take pics of her while they were at BravoCon.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Julia asked Marcus to snap a few photos during last month's big convention in Las Vegas, using his phone. We're told they were innocent, smiling shots.

Our sources say no one around thought Julia's request was odd ... well, no one except Larsa. We're told she seemed a bit jealous, based on the fact she started complaining about the incident to other cast members.

We're told Larsa implied to others the photos were Julia's way of trying to seduce Marcus ... and she wasn't cool with her asking her man to take them, especially on his own phone.

After BravoCon wrapped, Julia asked Larsa if she could get Marcus' pics of her -- but when Larsa went radio silent, the other ladies filled Julia in on what Larsa had been saying ... and now they're giving each other the cold shoulder.

Bottom line, we're told Julia is sick of Larsa's jealousy, and she's sure Larsa is on a giant smear campaign against her.

The Clippers might've lost Sunday, but that didn't stop Russell Westbrook from having a blast celebrating his 35th trip around the Sun ... dancing the night away at his birthday party with his wife, Nina!

Nina shared video of the special moment with her 9x NBA All-Star hubby on Instagram on Monday ... showing the two hand in hand, twirling on the dance floor, celebrating Westbrook's bday.

You can hear Russ's family and friends, including L.A. rapper/singer Blxst, cheerin' them on while Nina, who claims to not be the dancing type, gives it all she has.

"The birthday boo gets one dance outta me," Nina joked.

Russ and Nina have been together since they met in 2007 when both of them played college ball at UCLA.

Of course, Westbrook went on to be the 4th pick in the NBA Draft in 2008, while Nina hit the books hard, graduating with her bachelor's in psychology and master's in clinical psychology.

She is now a licensed marriage and family therapist.

The couple tied the knot in August 2015 and welcomed their first son, Noah, in May 2017. They had two more kids, twin daughters Skye and Jordyn, in 2018.

"Happy Happy Birthday Suga!," Nina said in an IG post. "You’re so loved and appreciated! Never forget it! I love you!"

Unfortunately, the bday shenanigans come after the Clippers 5th consecutive loss ... putting them squarely in 11th place in the West with a 3-6 record.

Westbrook had 12 points and 5 assists in the loss ... and a dope party!

Gillie Da Kid's one-on-one basketball challenge to Jamal Crawford has been accepted -- and the ex-NBA Sixth Man of the Year is strongly hinting declaring he won't go easy on Gillie!!

JC got wind of Gillie flapping his gums about him during a recent episode of "Million Dollarz Worth of Game," and promised to light up Gillie just like the infamous "Martin" episode where his face got turned into hamburger meat after challenging Tommy "Hitman" Hearns to a boxing match!!!

Gillie was attempting to convince Wallo, Cam'ron and Mase that he was a better baller than JC off the strength of his past wins against actively hooping artists such as Chris Brown, Rowdy Rebel and Rob49.

Everyone stated the obvious -- an ex-pro is more skilled than a great amateur, but Gillie argued he would get his buckets on JC in spite of their size difference.

JC is widely known for being the oldest player to score 50 points in an NBA game and now travels the globe looking for competition like the B-ball version of Ryu from "Street Fighter" ... and is promising a Gillie KO!!!

Tyrese Maxey's thoughts were elsewhere after scoring 50 points in the Sixers win Sunday ... he dedicated the career-best performance to teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. after the star guard was badly hurt in a hit-and-run accident the day before.

As we previously reported, Oubre Jr. -- who joined the 76ers in September -- suffered broken ribs and other injuries when he was hit by a vehicle while walking in Philly on Saturday, hospitalizing the NBA star.

The Sixers played the Pacers the day after the accident ... and Maxey went off, dropping 50 points, with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks!

It was Maxey's best game, but he gave the shine to his teammate and friend.

"Man, this had nothing to do with me," the guard told a reporter after the 137-126 win. "This all Kelly Oubre, man."

"We praying for him. I love my dog, I just met him but I love him. Hope he gets well soon."

The Sixers -- who are currently leading the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 record -- tried to reach Oubre, who is home now, after the win but sent him a video message instead.

"Get better soon, KO," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said while recording the clip.

Oubre -- averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds with the Sixers -- is going to be out for a while ... though the team is hopeful he can return before the end of the season.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is in the hospital and on the mend after getting struck by a car in a hit-and-run in the city he plays for -- and while it sounds like he'll recover ... he's banged up.

According to the Philadelphia 76ers -- on which Oubre is a starter -- their 27-year-old star player fell victim to a reckless driver Saturday night in the Center City neighborhood of Philly ... where Oubre was out and about, it seems, during a night off in the team's schedule.

The details of what exactly happened are a little murky at the moment ... but it sounds like he got hit at the corner of Broad and Locust Street, with the vehicle in question fleeing the scene without a trace. As a result of the hit, Oubre is said to have sustained some injuries.

Shams Charania reports the SF/G is dealing with broken ribs, bruises and other abrasions ... and he's currently hospitalized. Team personnel, including Prez Daryl Morey, showed up last night to visit him ... obviously, he's going to be out for a while.

Joe Smith has a message for the cynics who believe his public feud with wife Kisha over OnlyFans was a big publicity stunt ... adamantly denying they set up the whole thing for publicity!!

The 48-year-old former #1 overall NBA draft pick shared his side of the story during an interview with VladTV this week ... where he explained how he found out his partner, former adult actress Kisha Chavis, got back into the X-rated content.

"Nah, that's not what happened and that's not what's going on right now," Smith said.

"It's a real issue. The video hurt, but then also, the fact that the way I had to find out about the OnlyFans page, that's another thing on top of that that hurts as well."

The 16-year NBA vet said he caught Kisha scrolling through her profile on her phone, which led to the infamous video on social media.

Obviously, Kisha recorded the whole thing, and Smith took it as a smack in the face when she uploaded it to the internet ... and he believes if they had kept it between themselves, they could have talked it out.

"I wouldn't put my business out in the streets, I wouldn't put nothing like this out in the streets unless it was real official, and I didn't do this one so it's hurting," he added.

"It's hurtful and I gotta listen to people's opinions every day, all day right now about my relationship and that's something I never wanted to be involved in."

Harvey and Charles spoke to Kisha on "TMZ Live" last week, and she told her side of the story ... and she sees it a bit differently than Joe.

The Atlanta Hawks' idea of running an "OnlyFans" style promo with their mascot this week isn't sitting well with at least two of their players ... who took to social media on Thursday to hilariously drag the team over the vid.

The clip was dropped by the NBA org on its social media pages early Thursday morning to promote ATL's involvement in the league's new in-season tournament.

It featured Harry the Hawk seductively posing on a bed in his ATL gear ... while a woman whispered about Atlanta fans "knowing where the real action is."

"Hawks fans know just where to get it," the woman said in the video. "Join in and wake up your wild side."

Some found the footage funny -- but others, including Atlanta stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, didn't exactly love it.

"MANNNNNNN," Murray wrote on his X page while sharing the video, "DELETE THIS S***!!!!!!!'

Added Young, "I had no part of this.. 🤦‍♂️."

Victor Wembanyama got the opposite of a warm welcome in his first game at Madison Square Garden ... 'cause a bunch of ruthless Knicks fans made it clear they're not believing the hype surrounding the hoops phenom -- chanting "overrated" in the middle of the game!!

Of course, the San Antonio Spurs' No. 1 overall pick ruffled some feathers with the home crowd prior to Wednesday's matchup with New York ... when he said the Mecca wasn't as big as he expected.

Knickerbocker backers promised to give the 19-year-old hell as a result of his comments ... and they held true to their word throughout the contest -- booing and heckling the 7'4" hooper every chance they got.

Their efforts may have worked ... 'cause Wemby didn't have his best outing -- going 4-14 from the field en route to 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Some people on social media weren't too pleased with the Knicks fans' antics -- saying it's wild to make such a claim eight games into his career ... especially when he's had some amazing performances in the Association so far.

Victor Wembanyama better prepare for the most hostile environment when he takes the court for his debut at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday ... 'cause the NBA star just pissed off the entire Knicks fanbase for downplaying the iconic venue.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was speaking to reporters ahead of the Spurs' matchup against New York ... when he was asked about playing in the Mecca for the first time.

The 19-year-old certainly seemed unenthused with his response ... saying, "It’s not as big as I expected, but still the vibe is here."

Wemby's remark was shared all over social media ... and of course, the Knicks fans didn't take it well.

"He gone learn todayyyyyy 😂😂😂😂!" one Knicks fan said on Instagram ... while another hilariously added, "Oh I'll show you big, Mr. Wobblymama."

"That’s cause you big as hell ... don’t disrespect the Garden," a Knicks backer echoed. "You see how we treat Trae Young when he come here 😂😂."

Of course, that user is referring to the hell Knicks fans put the Atlanta Hawks star through over the years -- chanting "f*** Trae Young" and more ever since he became the current villain for the entire organization.

Knicks fans AND players are prepared for Wemby ... especially Mitchell Robinson, who said earlier this week he knows how to handle a 7'4" guy like Victor.

"I'm not really worried about the tallness s***," the 7-foot center said. "Just go out there and play hard."

And Mitch knows he can count on Knicks fans to be loud as hell during tonight's game after Wemby's "diss."

FYI -- MSG seats 19,500 people ... and yeah, it's gonna sound like that in a few hours.