NBA

Selena Gomez y Benny Blanco le mostraron a los Lakers una cosa o dos acerca de cómo ser un buen equipo la noche del miércoles ... compartiendo caricias y abrazos en el Crypto.com Arena mientras el equipo de LA continúa sus luchas en la cancha.

Mientras LeBron James y Anthony Davis batallaban por lograr una victoria sobre los Heat, que estaban jugando sin la superestrella Jimmy Butler, Gómez y Blanco le dejaron claro al mundo a pocos metros de distancia que su relación va tan en serio como siempre.

La pareja, que hizo público su romance hace apenas unas semanas, se mantuvo inseparable mientras estuvieron sentados en sus asientos junto a la cancha.

Gómez fue vista enterrándose en los brazos de Blanco toda la noche, y en un momento dado, Benny fue visto dándole un gran beso en la mano.

Muchos de los fans de Gomez han tomado las redes sociales para criticar la relación, con la idea de que la estrella del pop podría conseguir algo mejor, pero ella está haciendo obvio que está enamorada y no le importa si alguien tiene un problema con ello.

Los dos no fueron los únicos miembros de la A-List que estuvieron presentes en el juego. El ganador del Trofeo Heisman Jayden Daniels y la superestrella de la WNBA A'ja Wilson también asistieron. Dwyane Wade, con unas uñas del color de los Miami Heat, también estuvo allí, así como Cedric the Entertainer y Kaytranada.

A group of rabbis were forced to put away their pro-Jewish signs at the Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks game on Monday ... after they claim Kyrie Irving complained to security, and asked the signs be removed.

However, a rep for the NBA superstar tells us that never happened.

Rabbi Avremi Zippel -- a diehard Jazz fan -- says he and his three peers copped courtside seats to the matchup on purpose ... with the intent to send a message to the NBA superstar after his antisemitism controversy from back in October 2022.

During the first quarter, the four rabbis held up signs that said "I'm a Jew and I'm Proud" ... and Irving acknowledged them.

Zippel claims Irving initially said, "Nice, I'm a Jew, too," ... before adding, "Don't gotta bring something like that to the game."

Shortly after the interaction, the rabbi says security came over and told them they had to quit holding up the signs ... citing a policy against having posters in the front row. A second staffer, Zippel claims, later told them it was because Irving complained.

Worth noting -- Zippel told the Salt Lake Tribune the signs were not meant as a political statement ... as they did not mention the war in Israel. He also told the outlet he went over the team's policy several times to make sure they weren't violating any rules.

Despite his research, the Jazz released a statement on the matter ... saying their signs broke the Code of Conduct.

"No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks an interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it," the team stated.

"During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with play of game."

"As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs."

The team also clarified the removal was not due to what the signs said -- claiming, "The part-time employee who told the fans it was the content of the sign that was the problem was incorrect."

"The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs."

Zippel isn't buying the Jazz's explanation ... as he thinks the team cited policy in hopes the whole thing would blow over.

This isn't the first time Kyrie has faced critical fans -- last season, a group of fans wore "Fight Antisemitism" shirts during the Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers game to protest his comments.

It was a not-so-happy birthday for LeBron James after the NBA legend was seemingly robbed of a three-pointer in a close game on his 39th Bday.

LeBron and company were in Minnesota Saturday night with the clock winding down, LeBron hoisted up and made what he thought was a three-pointer to tie the game at 107 with only 2 seconds and change remaining.

However, the referees said LeBron's foot was on the three-point line, making the score 107-106 in favor of the Timberwolves.

The play was then reviewed, and it appeared to show LeBron's foot was, in fact, behind the three-point line ... but the officials remained unchanged, which understandably set James off. The Timberwolves went on to win the game 108-106.

After the game, LeBron didn't hold back, talking with reporters, he said, "It’s obviously a 3. My foot is behind the line. I mean, you can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see a white, the wood on the floor, there’s a space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. So, you know, Stevie Wonder can see that, champ."

He continued, "It’s super frustrating in the sense of what the hell we got a replay for? What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong? It’s like, who’s the part of the replay center? Like, do we got robots in there that's making the Teslas? What’s going on? If you don’t see that, that is clear, that is clear."

John Salley vehemently disagrees with the NBA's decision to hit Draymond Green with an indefinite ban this month ... telling TMZ Sports the suspension was a complete overreaction.

The four-time NBA champion said this week he's in favor of sidelining Green for smacking Jusuf Nurkic during the Warriors vs. Suns game on Dec. 12 ... but he thinks the indefinite part of the punishment is simply taking things too far.

"You can have a conversation, give him a certain amount of games for him to simmer down and have intelligent conversations with him," Salley said of Green. "But to get rid of him indefinitely, I think that is a bigger thing."

Salley told us he loves Draymond's playing style -- which makes sense ... considering the 6-foot-11 former center was a part of the '80s/'90s "Bad Boys" Pistons squads -- and he clearly believes Green hasn't done much wrong to warrant the latest suspension.

"I would take Draymond Green every day and twice on Sunday," he said.

In fact, Salley told us the guy would've been a perfect fit on his old Detroit teams.

"I hope Draymond comes back and I love his play," Salley said. "And I know he wears a Bad Boy T-shirt under his uniform."

NBA star Mikal Bridges' body has apparently been sculpted by Chipotle -- 'cause the Brooklyn Nets forward just revealed he's been eating at the fast food joint every day for the past 10 years!!

The 27-year-old -- who's currently averaging 21.1 points per game -- made the shocking revelation during an interview with GQ Sports earlier this month ... explaining he's been plowing through burrito bowls daily since he was a teenager.

Bridges said the meals are simply "too fire to not have it every single time" ... adding, "It don't disappoint."

The former first-round pick, however, said his meals are on the healthier side -- telling GQ he gets his bowls with white rice, double chicken, salsa, corn, lettuce ... and nothing more.

Bridges, who's 6-foot-6, 209 pounds, did say he used to get it spicy -- though his taste buds just can't stand it anymore.

"Rest in peace to the hot sauce," he said with a smile.

Former NBA star Charlie Villanueva is counting his blessings today ... revealing he's ultra thankful to be alive after he was involved in a bad car crash earlier this week.

The former Milwaukee Bucks forward said on his Instagram page Wednesday night that he and his wife, Lala, were riding in a Mercedes G Wagon when someone hit them from behind.

Thankfully, the 39-year-old ex-hooper revealed no one was seriously injured in the wreck -- though in pictures he shared from the crash scene, you can see his car was almost completely destroyed.

"If you wondering what happened, my wife and I got hit bad by another car, and the crazy part is that whomever hit me, decided to run," Villanueva said.

"Sore neck, sore back, messed up car, we are thankful to see another day. Our lives can’t be replaced, but the vehicle can."

Villanueva -- who played 11 seasons in the NBA -- praised God for keeping them safe.

He then went on to leave a message for those who've dealt with similar scary situations this year.

John Salley says the Ja Morant critics need to pipe down ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the NBA superstar didn't have bad intentions when he appeared to do a gun celebration on Tuesday night.

Salley told us the firearm-themed gestures -- which Morant seemed to hit following a thunderous alley-oop dunk in the Grizzlies' overtime win over the Pelicans -- were merely "a part of hip hop culture" ... and nothing more than that.

"He's not saying, 'Forget ya'll -- I got my gun!'" the four-time NBA champion said on Wednesday. "He probably didn't even realize it."

"It's nothing meaning anything," he added.

Of course, basketball fans all over social media have disagreed with that stance -- with many on X calling it a "tone-deaf" situation ... considering the 24-year-old had just served a 25-game suspension for a string of incidents involving gun-related social media videos.

Salley, however, was just sure there was no ill will involved in the post-dunk celly.

"I don't think he's trying to mock anybody," Salley said. "I don't think he's trying to be mean about it."

"Leave Ja Morant alone ... Leave him alone."

Salley also shared with us his opinion on his former Detroit Pistons squad -- which just lost its 27th game in a row on Tuesday night.

2:48 PM PT -- Aaron Gordon reportedly needed 21 stitches to fix the wounds he suffered in the dog attack on Monday.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, meanwhile, said on Wednesday there's currently no timetable for a return for his star -- saying he wants Gordon to "heal inside and out" first.

Aaron Gordon will be away from the Denver Nuggets for the foreseeable future ... after he was attacked by a dog on Christmas.

The NBA org. revealed on Wednesday the 28-year-old was bitten by a pooch following the team's victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday.

The Nuggets said in a statement the power forward suffered cuts to his face and hand during the incident, but, thankfully, he's "in good condition."

"[He] will remain away from the team while he recovers," the team added.

Gordon looked just fine while playing 31 minutes in the victory over the Dubs just prior to the incident ... scoring 16 points while adding 10 rebounds and three assists.

He's been a key player for Denver since he was traded to the team in 2021 -- helping the Nuggets win their first-ever NBA championship last season.

Zion Williamson just got some fresh ink to prep for the start of the new year -- getting a giant cross tattooed on his chest!!

The NBA star hit up Onder Ink's Andres Ortega just a few weeks ago to get the piece done -- and as you can see, it came out awesome.

The tat features a cross with an image of a snarling gorilla inside of it -- and it appears to be strategically positioned more toward his heart.

Unclear what the exact significance of the image is for Williamson -- but Ortega tells TMZ Sports it all took about three hours during a session in New Orleans to complete.

It's, of course, been a busy few weeks for the Pelicans forward ... because outside of getting some permanent ink placed on his body -- he also helped welcome his baby into the world in November as well.

His recent play on the court has been the focus of many too -- as basketball pundits have criticized his weight and conditioning amid an up-and-down start to the NBA season.

Ja Morant's barely been back on the NBA hardwood for a week, but he's already found himself mired in a bit of controversy again -- this time after he hit a celebration that appeared to feature imaginary guns.

The Grizzlies point guard pulled out the celly Tuesday night after he helped give Memphis an insurmountable lead over the Pelicans in overtime of their game in New Orleans.

The 24-year-old -- who just came back from a 25-game ban for a string of incidents involving gun-related social media videos last week -- seemed to turn his hands into the shape of pistols after throwing down a thunderous alley-oop dunk, before he appeared to spray the road crowd with fake bullets.

The gestures only lasted a few seconds, before Morant returned to defense to finish off the game -- but basketball fans were still critical of the moves nonetheless.

Several roasted him as "tone deaf" -- particularly after he had just returned from his suspension on Dec. 19.

Of course, it's entirely possible Morant was not mimicking firing guns and was instead just simply hitting a dance -- but the hooper has yet to publicly address it all.

Timothée Chalamet headed up a celebrity cast attending a Christmas Day Lakers game in Los Angeles ... but his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, missed out on all the fun.

Chalamet sat courtside with his dad, Marc -- an editor at UNICEF -- and sports agent, Rich Paul, to watch the Lakers take a loss against the Boston Celtics 126-115 at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena.

Kylie was nowhere in sight, but we're pretty she'll be present for Tim's 28th birthday tomorrow.

At some point, Chalamet had some car trouble in the parking lot ... the valet driver crashed his electric car into a wall, scraping the front driver side of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, a bunch of other notables also came out for the basketball game, namely three Lakers alums -- Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, Derek Fisher, along with Fisher's ex-reality star wife, Gloria Govan.

Also in the crowd were DJ Zack Bia, soccer star Eduardo Camavinga and Internet personalities Corinna Kopf and David Dobrik.

Last but definitely not least ... Kanye West popped up near the stadium and got hounded by fans wanting autographs and to take selfies with the rapper. But Kanye's security detail kept the people away from him.

Both Kid Capri and Sway Calloway agree Ice Cube is a national treasure to the sports world, and his Big3 success poses no threat to the NBA's!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Kid Capri and his artists The Hoodies on a mild winter NYC day, and the legendary DJ flat out tells us the NBA should be ashamed of itself for allegedly screwing with Cube's operations.

TMZ Sports broke the story a couple months ago ... the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation over allegations the NBA was blocking players, owners, even referees from participating in Cube's league over concerns Big3's popularity interfered with the NBA.

While we were getting KC's opinion on the subject, Sway hilariously crashed the party and doubled down on the community's support for Cube.

The Big3 teams play in cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Brooklyn ... which Sway points out brings more jobs to those markets -- and no one's complaining besides NBA bigwigs, allegedly.

A Lil Wayne and Kevin Durant track exists ... and the rap legend just revealed it almost made it onto his most recent project with 2 Chainz, but he decided it simply wasn't time to share it to the world.

Weezy spilled the beans in a Bleacher Report interview with Taylor Rooks, who said she spoke with Durant before their sit-down ... and he let her in on their secret.

"He said he had a question -- 'Are you going to drop a snippet of you all song on the radio show?'" Rooks explained to Tunechi.

The "A Milli" rapper was caught off guard, as their duet was supposed to be "on the low" ... and Wayne hilariously called KD out for tellin' their business.

"I just want you to know you messed up," Wayne laughed as he sent a message to the Phoenix Suns superstar. "That song was being considered to be on 'Carter VI' and now since you're saying something, it's not goin' on 'Cater VI.'"

In fact, Wayne said it was initially supposed to go on the "Welcome 2 ColleGrove" album that just came out in November ... but he's saving their special song for something else.

"KD's a jewel," Wayne said about KD's rap skills. "He's a backpack rapper."

"I can imagine he probably could call a timeout in a game, and probably ask him to rap and he probably got a verse for you."

Of course, Durant isn't the only NBA player with bars ... Damian Lillard has been known to spit impressive lyrics on his songs, including his hit single dedicated to Kobe Bryant.

Even Shaquille O'Neal was a gifted MC ... and trendsetter Allen Iverson went by the rap name Jewels.

Durant has some experience in the rap game -- not only did he have the song "It Ain't Easy" with LeBron James, he was recently enlisted as A&R for Drake's "For All The Dogs" project.

Myles Turner pulled out all the stops for the Pacers' Star Wars night on Wednesday ... showing up to the arena decked out in a Han Solo costume -- and enlisting a stunning Princess Leia to join him!!

Of course, the Pacers center is a big-time nerd (we say that with love) ... so it's no surprise he was planning to go full send when the team announced the Dec. 20 matchup against the Charlotte Hornets would be all about the wildly successful movie franchise.

Myles is pretty open about his fandom for all things fantasy ... and takes advantage of any opportunity to put it on display for his followers -- like when he and his lady threw on some Hogwarts garb for their Harry Potter-themed Halloween costumes this year.

In fact, the team even showed Myles dressed up with a robe and lightsaber on him as part of Wednesday's promotion -- a limited edition Star Wars shirt, hot dog, chips and a Pepsi product included with a $25 ticket!!

There will be a ton of other Star Wars-themed events throughout the game ... including activities in the concourse and in-game entertainment.

As for his Leia, Myles has kept her identity pretty private ... so no info on the girlfriend outside of what he's shared on social media.

Chance Comanche, el jugador de la NBA G Leaguer (la menor liga organizada por la NBA) que fue detenido por su presunta participación en el asesinato de una mujer a principios de este mes, confesó a la policía que estranguló a la mujer antes de enterrar su cuerpo en un desierto de Nevada. Esto, de acuerdo a nuevos documentos judiciales.

En los documentos, los investigadores del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana de Las Vegas dicen que a través de una serie de entrevistas se enteraron de que Comanche y su exnovia de 19 años, Sakari Harnden, jugaron un papel en la desaparición de Marayna Rodgers y cuando hablaron con el jugador sobre todo esto confesó haberla matado.

Los oficiales dicen que Comanche había ido a Las Vegas para participar en un partido de la G League con su equipo, los Kings de Stockton, el 4 de diciembre, pero desarrolló un plan con Harnden para matar a Rodgers poco tiempo después de que las mujeres tuvieran una aparente disputa.

En los documentos, los oficiales afirman que Comanche les dijo que él y Harnden habían atraído a Rodgers con la promesa de que iban a pagarle por actos sexuales. Todo estaba fechado para el 6 de diciembre.

Los policías dicen que Comanche les dijo que lograron que Rodgers se subiera a un carro y después de recoger una botella de alcohol de una tienda de licores cercana, le hicieron parecer que iban a tener relaciones sexuales con ella durante el paseo.

Sin embargo, según los documentos, Comanche le dijo a la policía que sacó un cable HDMI y estranguló a Rodgers durante unos 10 segundos. Al parecer, la soltó -aunque los policías dicen que les dijo que Harnden continuó estrangulándola- hasta que dejó de responder.

Los agentes dicen que Comanche les dijo que, una vez que creyó que Rodgers estaba muerta, arrojó su cuerpo a una zanja y luego lo enterró con piedras.

Comanche fue detenido por este caso el 15 de diciembre, mientras practicaba para los Kings. Inicialmente, fue fichado por un cargo de secuestro, aunque las autoridades dijeron más tarde que sería acusado formalmente de asesinato.

El jugador, de 27 años de edad, 6 pies con 10 y que ha jugado en un partido de la NBA en su carrera, se presentó en el tribunal del condado de Sacramento el martes y parecía estoico antes de renunciar a su extradición. Se espera que sea transportado a Las Vegas en los próximos días.

Chance Comanche -- the NBA G Leaguer arrested for his alleged role in the murder of a woman earlier this month -- confessed to cops that he strangled the female before burying her body in a Nevada desert ... this according to new court documents.

In the docs, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigators say through a series of interviews ... they learned that Comanche and his ex-girlfriend, 19-year-old Sakari Harnden, played a role in the disappearance of Marayna Rodgers -- and when they spoke to the basketball player about it all ... he fessed up to killing her.

Officials say Comanche had arrived in Las Vegas to participate in a G League game with his team, the Stockton Kings, on Dec. 4 -- but developed a plan with Harnden to kill Rodgers a short time later due to an apparent dispute the women had gotten into previously.

In the docs, officers claim Comanche told them he and Harnden had lured Rodgers out on Dec. 6 with the promise that they'd pay her for sexual acts.

Cops say Comanche told them they got Rodgers into a car -- and after picking up a bottle of booze from a nearby liquor store, they made it seem like they'd have intercourse with her inside of the ride.

However, according to the docs, Comanche told cops he pulled out an HDMI cord and strangled Rodgers for around 10 seconds. He allegedly let go -- though cops say he told them Harnden continued to choke her -- until she became unresponsive.

Officials say Comanche told them that once they believed Rodgers was dead -- they dumped her body in a ditch and then buried it with rocks.

Comanche was arrested on Dec. 15 while he was practicing for the Kings (the team released him later the same day). He was initially booked on a kidnapping charge, though officials later said he'd be formally charged with murder.

The 27-year-old, 6-foot-10 center -- who played in one NBA game in his career -- showed up in court in Sacramento County on Tuesday and appeared stoic -- before indicating he wouldn't fight extradition. It's expected he'll now be transported to Vegas in the coming days.