NBA

Tristan Thompson tiene un nuevo trabajo fuera de la NBA, ¡¡¡el jugador de los Cleveland Cavaliers ha sido nombrado como nuevo Embajador Global de las Olimpiadas Especiales!!!

El campeón de la NBA en 2016 y Special Olympics International anunciaron la noticia el martes. Thompson dijo que estaba "emocionado y honrado" de asociarse con la institución, que organiza competencias para 5 millones de atletas (niños y adultos) con discapacidades.

"Esta es una gran oportunidad para apoyar a una organización increíble, pero también para utilizar mi plataforma y mi voz para apoyar a los atletas con discapacidad intelectual", dijo Thompson.

"Como Embajador Mundial, ayudaré a inspirar a otros a ser más inclusivos y a tomar medidas para ayudar a cambiar los estereotipos que existen sobre las personas con discapacidad".

Thompson, que está en su segunda etapa con los Cleveland, ayudará a promover la organización y trabajará con entidades locales y globales a través de activaciones de las Olimpiadas Especiales.

De hecho, los Cavs están recibiendo 40 atletas de Special Olympics Francia para una clínica de baloncesto mientras están en París para su partido contra los Brooklyn Nets el jueves.

Thompson se unirá a una lista de varios jugadores de la NBA/ WNBA que también son Embajadores Globales de las Olimpiadas Especiales, incluyendo estrellas de los Phoenix Suns como Devin Booker y Elena Delle Donne de los Washington Mystics.

"Para Special Olympics es un honor nombrar a Tristan Thompson como nuestro nuevo Embajador Mundial", declaró Mary Davis, directora ejecutiva de la organización. "Tristan demuestra pasión y dedicación para crear un mundo más inclusivo, donde la exclusión no tenga cabida y todo el mundo pertenezca y sea respetado".

"Nos unimos a Tristan en su compromiso por elevar la inclusión en las comunidades de todo el mundo y esperamos trabajar con él para cambiar positivamente la vida de las personas con discapacidad intelectual".

Por supuesto, que Thompson trabaje en los Juegos Olímpicos Especiales le afecta de cerca, pues su hermano menor Amari nació con discapacidad.

The accolades for Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods continue to pour in ... it was just revealed the two sports legends will now be inducted into the newly created Orange County Hall of Fame in California later this week!!

The late NBA superstar and the golfing icon will join eight others -- including Gwen Stefani and Walt Disney -- as part of the new HOF's first-ever class.

The ceremony will kick off on Friday at the County Administration North (CAN) Building in Santa Ana -- about an hour southeast of Los Angeles.

The HOF was launched early last year to recognize those who "shaped Orange County through their remarkable contributions" ... and officials deemed the Black Mamba and the Big Cat as two people who it just had to recognize first.

Bryant, of course, played in Southern California for 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers ... spending most of those years living in Newport Beach with his family before his tragic death in 2020.

Woods, meanwhile, grew up in Orange County ... learning how to strike balls in Cypress before his golfing career really took off.

Both athletes have previously gotten honors in the county -- officials declared Aug. 24 as Kobe Bryant Day following his passing ... while Woods has his own Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim that's helped over two million students through its programs.

In addition to Woods, Bryant, Stefani and Disney ... American diver Greg Louganis -- who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Games -- and seven-time Olympic swimming medalist Amanda Beard will also be inducted Friday.

Bill Medley, Frank Jao, General William Lyon of the United States Air Force, and Henry Segerstrom, who was the founding chairman of the Segerstrom Centers for the Arts in Orange County, round out the class.

Ja Morant was a man of few words after learning his 2023-24 season was over ... going to social media to express his frustrations by simply saying, "Damn dawg."

The Memphis Grizzlies broke the news Monday night ... saying their superstar guard suffered a partial dislocation of his right shoulder during Saturday's training session.

The team said Morant continued to experience soreness and instability in the following days ... so he underwent an MRI, which revealed an underlying labral tear.

The ailment brings Morant's revenge tour to a screeching halt ... as he was out to make up for time lost after missing the first chunk of the season due to his gun-related suspension.

As we previously reported, Morant was quick to make sure his haters knew he heard all the talk in his first game back ... yelling he "kept receipts" after nailing the game-winning bucket against the New Orleans Pelicans last month.

Ja -- who missed Sunday's matchup against the Phoenix Suns -- was understandably bummed about his season being over ... also sending out a blue heart and posting "just waiting for the sun to come out..." later Monday night.

Lamar Odom says LeBron James and the Lakers can make it out of their current slump, they just gotta get into shape -- well, one in particular to be exact -- telling TMZ Sports L.A. needs to bring back the triangle offense!!

The Purple and Gold have struggled to keep it together after being crowned the In-Season Tournament champions last month -- they're currently sitting in the bottom half of the Western Conference with a record below .500.

We spoke with the two-time Lakers champ about his former team's woes ... and he said head coach Darvin Ham should take a page out of Phil Jackson's book and implement the offense that helped his squad rack up championships back in the day, as well as the legendary Chicago Bulls teams led by Michael Jordan.

In fact, he even suggests his own lineup that could flourish under that strategy -- Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and, of course, LeBron.

Lamar Odom dice que la ketamina ha sido una herramienta exitosa para él y que lo ha ayudado a combatir sus problemas de adicción, esto después de que se revelara que el fármaco estaba en el cuerpo de Matthew Perry cuando murió.

Conversamos con Lamar afuera de Oxy Dental el jueves en Lomita, California (de su propiedad), y habló sobre la controversia en torno a la terapia de ketamina tras el informe del forense sobre la muerte de Matthew.

Lamar dice que la terapia de Matthew era similar a la suya y de acuerdo a su experiencia, funciona, pero hay serias condiciones. Para empezar, los usuarios no deben conducir.

La ketamina se ha utilizado para la depresión y la ansiedad, pero es más comúnmente utilizada como anestésico en los quirófanos.

Como informamos, Matthew fue encontrado en su jacuzzi en octubre, donde se declaró su muerte. El examinador médico del condado de Los Ángeles afirmó que tenía altos niveles de ketamina en su sistema, que lo dejaron inconsciente.

El Dr. Zaid Fadul, que ha prescrito la ketamina a sus pacientes, se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live", el mes pasado y nos explicó por qué era engañoso que el forense apuntara con el dedo a la droga.

Lamar Odom says ketamine has been a successful tool to help him combat his addiction problems ... this after it was revealed it was in Matthew Perry's system when he died.

We got Lamar outside Oxy Dental, which Lamar owns, in Lomita, CA on Thursday, and talked about the controversy surrounding ketamine treatment therapy following the coroner's report on Matthew's death.

Lamar says Matthew's therapy was similar to his ... and according to him, it works -- but there are serious strings attached. For starters, users should not drive cars.

Ketamine has been used for depression and anxiety but is more commonly used as an anesthetic in operating rooms.

As we reported, Matthew was found in his jacuzzi in October and was declared dead. The L.A. County Medical Examiner claimed he had high levels of ketamine in his system, rendering him unconscious.

Dr. Zaid Fadul, who has prescribed ketamine to his patients, joined us on "TMZ Live," last month ... telling us why the coroner pointing fingers at the drug was misleading.

How's this for a sports lover's dream ... the vacation home custom-built by the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and visited by some of the greatest hoopers to ever grace a basketball court, is now on the market, and could be yours if you've got $12 million!

TMZ Sports has learned the 9,792-square-foot property, located on a 3.18-acre lot in Rancho Santa Fe (about 100 miles outside L.A.), recently hit the open market for $11.85 million. The land was purchased by Dr. Buss in 1994 for less than $300k, and the house, known as the "Dream Ranch," was built to his exact specifications to resemble the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in Montecito.

We're told Jerry wanted a place outside of Los Angeles that felt far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city ... all while being close enough to the arena where his team played.

Buss often had company ... and they were some of the most famous athletes in the world like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O'Neal.

In fact, Jerry installed an extra-long driveway (it fits 25 cars!) to accommodate the stars' stretch limos.

The mansion features eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms (8 full, 2 half) -- five in the main house and three in the guest house -- with the master suite, clad in marble, overlooking a rose garden.

There's also a 3-stall barn, two putting greens, a swimming pool with a pool house, a basketball court (of course), and a tennis court where none other than Andre Agassi once played.

Buss passed away in 2013 ... and the home was ultimately sold years later in 2022. The new buyers renovated the home, transforming it into a modern mansion.

Britney Spears decided she'd give Sin City another shot ... celebrating the holidays there 5 months after enduring a slap from Victor Wembanyama's security in a bizarre exchange.

Sources tell TMZ, the singer returned to Vegas over the holidays ... staying for a few days, though it's unclear if she spent Christmas Day among all the lights and excitement.

We're told Britney had a room at Resorts World and another at Aria. Video emerged on social media of Britney walking around the casino floor at The Wynn holding a beer and flanked by a few security guards.

The source tells us she was at The Wynn to watch the show "Awakening" and dined at their swanky seafood restaurant, Lakeside.

Her Vegas schedule was jam-packed -- she also took a tour of the brand-new Fontainebleau property, briefly checked out LIV, and spent time inside their members-only club, Poodle Room.

Basically, we're told her time in Vegas was super chill and inconspicuous -- nothing like last time when she was slapped by basketball player Victor's security when she beelined behind him after running into him in a hallway.

Video of the moment went viral ... and upon watching it, Britney said her reaction to the slap was "priceless."

Britney Spears decidió darle otra oportunidad a la ciudad del pecado y celebrar las fiestas allí a solo 5 meses de soportar una bofetada del equipo de seguridad de Victor Wembanyama en un extraño intercambio.

Fuentes dicen a TMZ que la cantante regresó a Las Vegas durante las vacaciones para quedarse por unos días, aunque no está claro si pasó el día de Navidad entre todas las luces y la emoción.

Nos dicen que Britney tenía una habitación en Resorts World y otra en Aria. En las redes sociales apareció un video de ella paseando por el casino Wynn con una cerveza en la mano y flanqueada por varios guardias de seguridad.

La fuente nos dice que estaba en el Wynn para ver el espectáculo "Awakening" y cenar en su restaurante de mariscos, Lakeside.

Su agenda en Las Vegas estaba repleta. También hizo un recorrido por la nueva propiedad Fontainebleau, visitó brevemente LIV y pasó tiempo dentro de su club solo para miembros, Poodle Room.

Básicamente, nos dicen que su tiempo en Las Vegas fue súper tranquilo y discreto, nada que ver con la última vez, cuando fue abofeteada por la seguridad del jugador de baloncesto Victor cuando estaba detrás de él después de encontrárselo en un pasillo.

El video se hizo viral, y al verlo, Britney dijo que su reacción a la cachetada fue "impagable".

Mark Cuban is making sure his Mavericks employees are being taken care of following his sale of the majority stake in the NBA franchise ... promising to dole out $35 million-plus in bonuses in the near future.

The former Dallas owner made the announcement in an email to Mavs staffers on Friday, according to ESPN ... explaining new owners Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont will be helping to contribute to the large bonus pool as well.

Cuban said the payouts will be based on "a framework that took into consideration how long you have worked for the Mavs." He added the cash will be hitting bank accounts "in the very near future."

"I'm excited to continue our work making the Mavs the best franchise in all of sports!" Cuban said in the letter.

Of course, Cuban officially gave way to Adelson and the Dumonts late last month ... selling the families his controlling interest in the team for $3.5 billion.

The 65-year-old, however, still maintains a 27% stake in the org. ... and he told reporters after it all became official that he'll still have control of basketball operations.

As for why he made the surprising move ... he said it's simple -- he thinks the new owners can grow the business exponentially.

"When you get a world-class partner who can come in and grow your revenue base and you're not dependent on things that you were in the past," Cuban said, "that's a huge win."

LeBron James says he's got next after a mysterious Fortnite session popped up on the Fenway Park scoreboard this week ... calling on his fellow Boston Red Sox owners to let him use the big screen to get in some Madden action of his own!!

A clip from outside the historic stadium made rounds on social media on Thursday ... showing an unidentified enthusiast playing the popular video game on the massive outfield display.

King James -- who owns an undisclosed amount of Fenway Sports Group, which includes the Sox -- got wind of the epic moment ... and he wants to flex his skills on the jumbotron, too!!

"Ayyyyeee!! Let me get some Madden games going on there! @FenwaySportsMgt @RedSox 🤣🤣👑," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar said on X.

Of course, James has a history of using scoreboards for his gaming hobby -- as we previously reported, he got in a Madden sesh on SoFi Stadium's scoreboard during an early birthday celebration in 2022.

Shaquille O'Neal hung up his Dunkman's more than a decade ago, but the NBA legend is still making history ... the Orlando Magic just announced they're retiring the Big Fella's 32 jersey, the first time they've ever raised a number to the rafters!

51-year-old O'Neal received word of the honor while he was on the air with buds Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson ... when the Hall of Famer got a "phone call" from Magic CEO Alex Martins.

"On behalf of the DeVos family and myself and all of us here at the Orlando Magic, we want to congratulate you as we make you the first jersey number retired in the history of the Orlando Magic. You had a great career here at the beginning of your career and we had some great times!" Martins said to Shaq.

Of course, the Magic picked O'Neal with their first pick in the 1992 NBA Draft ... and Shaquille didn't disappoint in his short stint with the team, making them relevant, and even leading them to the NBA Finals in 1995, where they lost to the Houston Rockets.

He averaged over 27 points, and nearly 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks a game in Orlando.

Shaq ultimately decided to leave Florida for a big payday in Los Angeles ... where he won 3 NBA championships alongside Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Team Chairman Dave DeVos also spoke about Shaq's influence on the organization, on and off the hardwood, as well as the local community.

“Through his dominating play, larger-than-life personality, and generous contributions to The City Beautiful, Shaquille O’Neal had a transformational impact on this team and this town. Our family and the entire franchise couldn’t be more pleased for Shaquille to receive this well-deserved honor, further cementing his enduring legacy here in Orlando as we collectively look back on his tremendous accomplishments in a Magic uniform.”

Perhaps the most meaningful congratulations came from O'Neal's "number one fan," his mom, Dr. Lucille O'Neal, who sent her son a heartfelt message.

The jersey retirement goes down on February 13.

Victor Wembanyama entered his twenties on Thursday ... and his teammates celebrated his special day by singing "Happy Birthday" during practice!!

The San Antonio Spurs players surprised the 7'4" rookie right on the court ... surrounding him and breaking out the classic tune.

Wemby clearly wasn't expecting it ... but jumped right into singing and clapping with his teammates.

"Hip hip hooray!" the players yelled after the song. "Hip hip hooray!"

Wembanyama also got another nice present on his birthday -- it was announced he's received over 221k votes to participate in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game so far.

To compare, that's more entries than Karl-Anthony Towns, Chet Holmgren and Kristaps Porzingis.

The first-overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft has been getting a lot of love since he started his career ... in fact, his dunk on December 31 is on the verge of becoming the most-watched video ever on the league's Instagram page with 88.8 million views.

Wemby -- who's averaging 18.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game -- also set several NBA records before his 20th birthday, including surpassing Dwight Howard for the most consecutive games with a double-double (8).

NBA star Ricky Rubio is ending his professional basketball career ... revealing he made the decision after going into "a dark place" last offseason.

33-year-old Rubio -- the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft -- spent 12 seasons in the Association ... most notably for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played from 2011-17.

The Spanish guard joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 ... but it was announced back in August he would take time away to focus on his mental health.

On Thursday, Rubio shared a statement on his official retirement ... sharing July 30 was "one of the toughest nights of my life," but did not go into detail.

"I kind of knew I was going on that direction, but I've never thought I wasn't under control of the situation," he said.

"The next day, I decided to stop my professional career."

Rubio said he will talk more on what happened at a later date so he can help others going through similar situations ... and will continue to work on his mental well-being moving forward.

"But I am proud to say I'm doing much better and getting better everyday," he added.

Rubio -- who averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his career -- said it was a dream to play in the NBA ... thanking the Wolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cavs for "good memories and great relationships."

Some guys go with baseball, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's got the Pacers on the mind before knockin' boots ... 'cause the NBA superstar admitted he's constantly thinking about the Bucks' recent struggles against Indiana -- even in the bedroom!!

The Greek Freak made the hilarious soundbite after Milwaukee's 142-130 loss to the Pacers Wednesday night ... which marked the fourth time the Bucks fell to their division opponent in five matchups this season.

When asked about their challenges against Tyrese Haliburton and Co. ... Giannis insisted it's "not the end of the world," but said it's certainly something that's living rent-free in his head at all times.

"I think we realize as a team that there are teams out there that can beat us four times in a season," Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game.

"Now you have that, you think about it -- when you go back home, when you sleep, when you wake up, you think about it. Now, when you go back and work out, you think about it."

"On the All-Star Break, when you gonna be at exciting beach with your family, I hope you think about it. When you're about to get freaky at night, you think about it."

Giannis' comments were met with giggles from the media ... but he quickly got serious again -- saying his crew can now take the losses on the chin and regroup for the rest of the season.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco showed the Lakers a thing or two about how to be a good team Wednesday night ... packing on the PDA at Crypto.com Arena as L.A. continued its struggles on the court.

While LeBron James and Anthony Davis couldn't piece together a victory over the Heat -- who were playing without superstar Jimmy Butler -- Gomez and Blanco made it clear to the world just feet away that their relationship is going as strong as ever.

The couple -- which just went public with their love a few weeks ago -- were inseparable as they sat in their courtside seats.

Gomez was spotted burying herself in Blanco's arms throughout the night -- and at one point, Benny was seen giving her a big smooch on her hand.

A lot of Gomez's fans have taken to social media to bash the relationship recently -- believing the pop star could do better -- but she's making it obvious she's smitten ... and she doesn't care who has a problem with it.

The two were hardly the only A-listers to hit up the game ... Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson were also in attendance. Dwyane Wade -- with some Miami Heat-colored nails -- was there, too ... and Cedric the Entertainer and Kaytranada also had some sweet seats for the contest as well.