NBA

Congrats are in order for Luka Doncic and his fiancée, Anamaria Goltes -- the NBA star and the model just introduced their baby girl to the world!!

The Dallas Mavericks hooper and Anamaria shared the amazing news on Instagram on Friday ... captioning a picture of the little bundle of joy with one word -- "Gabriela."

This is the first child for the pair ... and their famous friends couldn't be happier for them.

"Congrats my man!" Patrick Mahomes said in the comment section ... with many others -- including Luka's mom, Mirjam Poterbin -- showing love as well.

Doncic is missing his first game of the season as the Mavs face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in a few hours. His absence was originally disclosed as personal reasons, but now we know it was for his daughter's arrival!

Doncic has been dating Goltes since 2016 ... and the two first met in Croatia when they were just kids. On July 7, they announced their picturesque engagement in Slovenia.

Adidas woke up and chose violence on Friday ... the sportswear giants went straight for "dusty" Kevin Durant's neck after he took a shot at T'Wolves star Anthony Edwards' sneakers, and fans are losin' it!

It all started when the question was posed ... would KD, a Nike-signed athlete, ever rock Edwards' signature Adidas kicks? 35-year-old Durant answered the question himself, emphatically writing, "Won’t EVER see me put a big toe in them Mfers."

Adidas wasn't going to take that lying down ... their official account, with over 4 million followers, responded, and it was harsh.

"U dusty," Adidas replied. "Bouta retire soon anyway."

The burn has since been deleted, begging the question ... was the tweet sent accidentally from the official brand X account?

That's an answer we don't yet have ... but there's some evidence it wasn't a mistake.

Adidas later added, "Meant to send that from the burner account..."

Of course, Kevin, as NBA fans are well aware, has been caught using burners in the past.

FYI, Edwards' AE1s drop on December 16 ... just in time for Christmas.

Mitchell Robinson is a good NBA player, but he's an even better human being -- his high school coach just revealed he's been rooming with the New York Knicks center after his wife tragically passed away earlier this year.

Former Chalmette H.S. coach Butch Stockton shared the heartwarming story during the Knicks' win over the Pistons on Thursday ... when he spoke with a reporter about the 7'0", 240-pound big man's incredible gesture.

Stockton -- whose wife, Dawn, passed away in September after a cancer battle -- explained Robinson would visit them every day in the hospital prior to her death ... and he built a strong bond with the couple.

Coach said at Dawn's funeral, Robinson told everyone he was going to bring him to the Big Apple ... and he held up on that promise.

"He said, 'Coach, there’s no reason you stay down here in Louisiana anymore,'" Stockton said. "'You come to New York with and enjoy yourself and get your mind back straight because you know how much you loved your wife and I loved your wife.'"

"It's just been a great situation, to be honest with you."

Robinson -- who's averaging 6 points and 11 rebounds this season -- spoke about his roomie after the game ... saying they will continue to live together until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Angel Reese is happy to finally be back with the LSU Tigers, and now she's explaining the 4-game hiatus ... saying the absence was for her mental health, so she could reset and refocus within the team.

The 6-foot-3 forward rejoined the Tigers on Thursday for their home game against Virginia Tech ... and Reese scored 19 points in the 82-64 win.

Fans were thrilled to see their Bayou Barbie back in action ... as she had been away from the team since her benching on the Nov. 14 game. Head coach Kim Mulkey was mum on the reason why.

But, now Reese is providing an explanation, speaking to the media postgame, admitting it was a long two weeks away, but it was something that needed to be done.

"Taking time to yourself is really important," Reese said, "I feel like it's just something important, resetting, refocusing within the team. I'm just happy to be back."

"My mental health is the most important before anything and I'm gonna make sure I'm okay before anything because I don't wanna cause any harm or cancer in the locker room."

Reese added, "I want to people realize that I'm not just an athlete. I'm a human, too. I go through things."

The 21-year-old said she got a lot of support from her true friends ... including Shaq, who reached out every day during her absence.

"We FaceTime every day, he checked on me, called me every single day to make sure I was good.," Reese said.

The 2023 NCAA champ also had a message for everybody who trashed her, speculating her time away had to do with bad grades or a bad attitude.

"Whatever stories that were wrote or written, don't believe everything you read," Reese said. "I'm back and I'm happy. I'm here and I'm moving forward. I'm going to take this team and help take this team as far as I can."

Outside of Reese's return and LSU's win, Mulkey also got her 700th victory, making her the fastest coach to reach the mark in men's and women's basketball.

LeBron James is vowing not to miss Bronny's first college basketball game ... revealing he will skip his day job with the Lakers to watch his son play for USC if their schedules overlap.

The King spoke with reporters following L.A.'s 133-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... hours after it was announced his oldest son was cleared to return to hoops following his cardiac arrest in July.

LBJ said it's a "proud moment" for his entire family ... and he's so excited for 19-year-old Bronny, he's already let the team know he won't be available to play if his kid's debut falls on the same date as a Laker game.

"Looking forward to his first game," James told reporters. "Whenever he's cleared and whenever he's ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we're playing, then I'm going to have to catch them the next game."

LeBron's teammates jokingly let out groans after his comment ... but he made it clear the James Gang is his priority.

"Family over everything, champs. I love y'all. But, I definitely gotta see Bronny's first game whenever he's cleared and ready to go."

As we previously reported, Bronny will have a final evaluation with USC staffers and participate in practice next week ... and will make his first game appearance soon after.

The Lakers and USC have five potential scheduling conflicts over the next couple of weeks -- Dec. 28 and 30, and Jan. 3, 13, and 17.

Bronny James has been given the green light to resume his athletic career -- medical officials have cleared the USC freshman to play basketball again ... just four months after suffering cardiac arrest during a workout.

A rep for LeBron James' family shared the great news on Thursday ... saying the 19-year-old hooper will have a final evaluation with USC staffers in the coming days before joining his teammates at practice next week.

The statement added once Bronny gets some practices under his belt, he will suit up for the Trojans "soon after."

"The James family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible medical team, the entire USC community, and especially the countless friends, family, and fans for their love and support," the statement said. "Fight On!"

Bronny was sidelined for USC's first seven games of the 2023-24 season ... with the team going 5-2 in his absence.

The Trojans play Gonzaga on Saturday, which means they'll have at least one more game without #6. Based on the statement, it sounds like Bronny could make his debut either December 10 against Long Beach State ... or a week later against Auburn.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Bronny collapsed on the court during a workout on campus on July 24. It was later determined he had "an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect," which caused the cardiac arrest.

LeBron James is racing to Tyreek Hill's cameraman's defense ... ripping the NFL for suspending the guy for his role in one of the Dolphins receiver's touchdown celebrations earlier this year.

The Lakers forward took to his Instagram page to blast The Shield late Wednesday evening ... just days after Hill's photog said Roger Goodell's league might remove him from its sidelines forever for participating in Hill's backflip celly during a game in October.

"Man," the NBA superstar wrote, "this is F'd UP!!!"

"Suspended for the year and possibly for good!" James added. "C'mon NFL! Do better! S*** ain't that serious."

A lot of people on social media certainly agreed with The King's stance ... because, after all, Hill's endzone party with his cameraman has so far been one of the best moments of the year in the NFL.

It all happened back on Oct. 15 ... after Hill scored six against the Carolina Panthers.

Once he crossed the goal line, he raced through the endzone -- and when he noticed his photog and good pal Kevin Fitzgibbons filming him, he grabbed the guy's cam and performed a selfie backflip. Fitzgibbons jumped up and down, and Hill appeared to be in great spirits after it too.

The league, however, clearly didn't love it -- refs penalized Hill for it during the game for using a prop, and officials fined him for it afterward. Later, the league pulled Fitzgibbons' credentials for the remainder of the 2023 season as well.

In a video posted to his TikTok page this week, the 20-year-old photographer said he understood the NFL's decision ... and said he was grateful for the opportunity it gave him. He added that he hoped the league would let him back next year.

Teyana Taylor is still making public appearances despite all her divorce drama with Iman Shumpert ... and she's looking fine as usual.

The singer just showed up to do an interview on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show ... so it's clear she's unbothered by the nasty split.

Teyana's body is scorching hot here ... she's showing off her super toned abs, with nothing covering skin from her waist to her chest.

Normally, we would call this post-breakup hotness ... but, let's face it, Teyana has always looked like this ... so eat your heart out, Iman!!!

TMZ broke the story ... Teyana accused Iman of being a jealous spouse aggravated and annoyed by her Hollywood career, among other nasty claims.

Teyana was quietly divorcing him, but Iman revealed their full names in a recent court filing, exposing their split. As a result, she's disappointed and frustrated with him.

Despite the bad blood, Teyana's promoting her projects ... and it will be interesting to see if Jimmy asks her about the split.

Mark Cuban says there's "no chance" he's trying to campaign his way into the White House ... following speculation he might run for President in 2024 after selling a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

Comments of the supposed political move flooded in on X ... though the billionaire tells TMZ that a presidential campaign trail for next year was "galaxies off" and adding, "family would disown me."

Remember ... after years of building his empire, Mark is putting family first -- announcing on the Showtime podcast "All The Smoke" Monday he was leaving "Shark Tank" after 16 seasons as it conflicts with his personal time.

And of course ... becoming President -- arguably the busiest job in the world -- wouldn't do a whole lot to clear up his schedule.

However, he's entertained the idea before, divulging to Harvey on "OBJECTified" in 2017 that he'd run as a Republican to challenge Donald Trump. In 2019, Mark told us his family "voted down" his serious desire to run for President in 2020.

The renewed political chat gained traction after TMZ Sports confirmed Mark was selling his majority stake, reportedly valued at $3.5B, to Miriam Adelson ... getting a massive return on the investment after buying the team in 2000 for $285 million.

He'll retain some shares and be the lead decision-maker when it comes to basketball ops -- but billionaire widow/heiress Adelson has some plans of her own for the Mavs ... mainly building a new arena and casino -- if a gambling bill passes in Texas.

11:33 AM PT -- The NBPD just released a statement on the Josh Giddey investigation ... saying officials are actively seeking more information and pursuing all leads and evidence to get the facts of the case.

NBPD says the investigation remains active ... and is working to conduct a "fair and thorough" process.

The inquiry into whether Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor has hit a roadblock -- TMZ Sports has learned the alleged teen and her family are refusing to cooperate with officials.

Law enforcement sources tell us police would obviously like to speak with the purported female and those close to her to gather more information regarding the social media claims that made rounds over the weekend ... but as of right now, no one is talking.

It's a significant component to the whole situation ... as a lack of cooperation will make it much more challenging for officials to determine whether any laws were broken.

As we previously reported, Giddey is being accused of having an intimate relationship with an underage girl from California ... with photos and videos allegedly depicting them together.

The NBA is "looking into" the matter ... but Giddey has continued to play for the Thunder following the bombshell allegations.

The 21-year-old was asked about the claims at practice on Friday ... but elected not to speak on it.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault also shot down a question regarding the inquiry prior to Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... saying he would not discuss anything off-court related in reference to Giddey, and he will continue to play.

Giddey played 28 minutes and scored 10 points in the loss to the Wolves ... and fans at the Target Center showed their disproval by booing him relentlessly throughout the contest.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and his wife, Nikki, are calling it quits -- the couple just announced they are getting a divorce after a seven-year marriage.

The Spoelstras released a joint statement to the Miami Herald on Wednesday ... saying it was a difficult decision to call it quits.

"We are both grateful for our relationship and remain fully committed to co-parenting our children and continuing to make them our shared priority," they said.

"We appreciate everyone’s support as we move to the next stage of our lives and thank you for respecting our family’s privacy."

Spoelstra -- who became head coach for the Heat in 2008 -- met Nikki when she was a dancer for the Miami organization at 18 years old.

Erik proposed to Nikki during the summer of 2015 ... and they got married at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami a year later.

The couple have two sons, Santiago and Dante, together and recently had a daughter, Ruby, who was born in 2022.

Josh Giddey didn't exactly get a warm welcome at the Thunder-Timberwolves game in Minnesota on Tuesday ... 'cause fans booed the NBA guard/forward all night long amid allegations he had a relationship with an underage girl.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... police in Orange County (CA) have launched an "inquiry," with the mission of finding out what, if anything, went down between now-21 year Giddey and the teen.

Despite cops looking into things, and the NBA launching its own investigation, Giddey is still active and in OKC's starting lineup ... but the fans weren't exactly welcoming when he pulled up for their In-Season tournament game against the T'Wolves Tuesday night in the Twin City.

Several fans took videos, and you can hear the crowd voicing their disapproval of the Australian-born hooper every time he touched the ball at Target Center court.

He was also booed during player introductions.

Thunder's head coach Mark Daigneault was asked about our report during a pre-game press conference ... and refused to comment on "anything as it relates to Josh off the court."

Giddey dropped 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, but it wasn't enough ... the Thunder lost to the Timberwolves, 106-103.

Big news out of Big D ... Mark Cuban is selling his majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, while still holding onto the reigns in basketball operations.

The billionaire is selling his majority stake to Miriam Adelson ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

While Mark is selling a stake reportedly valued at $3.5 billion, he will retain some shares in the team and be the lead decision-maker when it comes to basketball ops.

Cuban bought the team in 2000 for $285 million, so he’s getting a huge return on investment!

Miriam is the billionaire widow and heiress of Sheldon Adelson and his Las Vegas casino empire ... Forbes has her net worth at $32.3 billion, making her the fifth richest woman in the world.

Our sources say Adelson has plans to build a new arena for the Mavs, and, if a gambling bill passes in Texas, we’re told she might also build a casino in Dallas.

Miriam is reportedly selling $2 billion of her shares in Las Vegas Sands Group to make the Mavs purchase.

Under Cuban, the Mavericks have been perennial contenders in the NBA's Western Conference, winning the franchise's first and only NBA championship in 2011, defeating LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Earlier this week, Cuban revealed he's leaving ABC's "Shark Tank" after the upcoming 16th season.

Lots going on in Mark’s world … including cohosting “TMZ’s Merry Elfin’ Christmas” special, premiering Dec. 5 in primetime on Fox!

Grandes noticias de Big D... Mark Cuban está vendiendo su participación mayoritaria en los Dallas Mavericks de la NBA, aunque todavía se aferra a las operaciones de baloncesto.

El multimillonario está vendiendo su participación mayoritaria a Miriam Adelson, según ha confirmado TMZ Sports.

Aunque Mark está vendiendo su participación supuestamente valorada en $3,5 mil millones, conservará algunas acciones en el equipo y será el principal responsable de la toma de decisiones cuando se trate de las operaciones relacionadas al baloncesto.

Cuban compró el equipo en 2000 por 285 millones de dólares, ¡así que está obteniendo grandes ganancias de su inversión!

Miriam es la multimillonaria viuda de Sheldon Adelson y heredera de su imperio de casinos en Las Vegas. Según Forbes, su patrimonio neto asciende a 32.300 millones de dólares, lo que la convierte en la quinta mujer más rica del mundo.

Según nuestras fuentes, Adelson planea construir un nuevo estadio para los Mavs y, si se aprueba una ley sobre el juego en Texas, también podría construir un casino en Dallas.

Al parecer, Miriam está vendiendo 2.000 millones de dólares de sus acciones en Las Vegas Sands Group para realizar la compra de los Mavs.

Bajo Cuban, los Mavericks han sido contendientes perennes en la Conferencia Oeste de la NBA, ganando el primer y único campeonato de la NBA de la franquicia en 2011, derrotando a LeBron James y los Miami Heat.

A principios de esta semana, Cuban reveló que dejará "Shark Tank" de ABC después de la próxima temporada 16.

4:00 PM -- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was just asked about our report prior to Tuesday's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... and while he stated he will not comment on Josh Giddey's off-court situation, he reaffirmed Giddey will be available for the game.

Police are doing their due diligence on the recent troubling allegations surrounding Oklahoma City Thunder player Josh Giddey ... with officials opening an inquiry into whether he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... Newport Beach PD is currently investigating the allegations involving Giddey made on social media over the past week ... to see if there is any validity to the claims and if any laws were broken.

As we previously reported, anonymous X accounts accused the 21-year-old Australian athlete of having an intimate relationship with a minor based in California ... and pictures and videos of Giddey with an alleged underage girl quickly spread online.

The NBA announced on Friday it was "looking into" the matter ... but so far, Giddey -- who has remained active with the Thunder following the allegations -- has declined to speak on it.

Of course, Giddey could be in trouble both criminally and professionally -- the age of consent in California is 18, while it is 16 in Oklahoma.

Giddey is currently averaging 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 16 games this season.

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

Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert are no longer living under the same roof as their bitter divorce now plays out publicly ... something she blames squarely on her estranged husband.

Sources close to the exes tell TMZ, Teyana is incredibly disappointed and frustrated with Iman -- her husband of 7 years -- for deciding to make their identities public in a recent court filing in their divorce case.

Teyana had sought to not only protect their kids from this mess, but Iman as well ... which is why she initially filed divorce docs, back in January, using just their initials. The divorce was proceeding in private, but after his latest legal move, that privacy's completely out the window.

Teyana's attorney, Tanya Mitchell, echoed this sentiment, writing in a legal doc, "We were able to keep this divorce matter private as Ms. Taylor requested for eleven (11) months in this case prior to Mr. Shumpert's MOTION revealing the parties' legal names and making the private matter public."

She continued, "This matter would very likely still be private if Mr. Shumpert's MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE TRUE LEGAL NAMES AS REAL PARTIES IN INTEREST was not filed ..."

Our sources say Teyana and Iman are NOT living under the same roof -- though Teyana made it seem like they were on good terms in September, when she announced their separation.

In fact, we're told communication between Teyana and Iman is minimal ... and they only chat if it has to do with their 2 children. Basically, things ain't so rosy at the moment.

TMZ broke the story ... Teyana accused Iman of being a jealous spouse, with him allegedly being annoyed and aggravated with her burgeoning career, including on the acting front -- among lots of other messy allegations.