NBA

Fab Five legend Juwan Howard is OUT at Michigan ... the school just announced his tenure as head coach has come to an end after 5 seasons at the helm.

“After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” Warde Manuel, Michigan AD, and the man who hired Howard said in a statement.

“Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction.”

Manuel is likely referring to not just a decline in wins, but also controversy inside the program ... with many calling for change amid a crisis in culture.

On the court, Howard -- who was hired in May 2019 -- had a ton of success early after taking over for John Beilein ... earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in year 2, before losing to UCLA in the Elite 8. Howard was named Coach of the Year.

The 2021-2022 season wasn't as good ... the team barely earned a bid into the tourney, but still ended up winning two games, reaching the Sweet 16.

However, that was the last time the former Michigan star would lead his squad to an NCAA berth. Howard's '22-'23 team went 18-16.

Fast forward to this season ... an unmitigated disaster. Michigan finished with an 8-24 record, including going 3-17 in the Big Ten, UM's worst season in decades.

Juwan's 5 seasons were plagued by controversy, too. In 2022, Howard was involved in a postgame scuffle with Wisconcin's coaches ... where he ended up making contact with a Badgers assistant. Howard was suspended 5 games.

JH also had a run-in with Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon, who he allegedly threatened to kill ... in front of a referee.

There was also an alleged run-in with UMs longtime strength coach, Jon Sanderson, who left the school after more than a decade following the incident.

The basketball community is rallying around Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett ... after it was revealed his brother, Nathan, recently passed away.

Nathan's former youth basketball coach, Chris Stewart, confirmed the tragic news on Thursday ... saying the athlete was special to the program.

"Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected," Stewart said.

"No parent should ever have to bury a child, hug your kids today a little longer. You will be missed Nathan, RIP ❤️🏀🙏🕊️"

Details surrounding his death have not been revealed at this time.

Nathan -- a 6-foot-1 guard -- played at Montverde Academy, just like RJ. He had dreams of becoming a pilot.

"In my family, we’re very competitive," RJ told SLAM in 2018. "Everyone is always trying to beat each other. Everyone is an athlete, so that’s where I get all my competitive drive."

RJ spent one season at Duke University before going 3rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played for the Knicks until he was traded to the Raptors in December.

Barrett -- who did not play in Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons -- has been ruled out of Friday night's contest against the Orlando Magic ... and understandably, it is unclear when he will return to the court.

The Barrett family released a statement on Nathan's death ... saying he passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

"While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together. Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable and driven."

"Though his time with us was brief, he will live forever in our hearts."

The death of John Wall's mother took a massive toll on him ... to the point the NBA star put a gun to his head twice, contemplating suicide.

The former Wizards guard made the shocking revelation on "The OGs" podcast with ex-NBA stars Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller ... saying he struggled badly when his mom died of breast cancer in 2019.

"My mom was my best friend," the 33-year-old said.

"I put a gun to my head twice and a lot of people that are close to me, friends at the time didn't know."

Wall explains dealing with his mom's death was his "darkest moment," combined with a litany of injuries after signing a $170 million contract extension with the Wizards.

But, Wall chose not to pull the trigger ... 'cause he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his two sons behind.

"If I take myself away from this Earth, I'm failing my kids, like, who gon' be able to raise them," Wall said.

"I know I gotta be there for them."

Instead, the 5x NBA All-Star went to see a therapist -- which he continues to do -- and now he's advising other men who are struggling with mental health to do the same.

"If you ever feel like you in a spot where you not comfortable as a Black man, African American, or any race, no offense to that, go get help. It's okay, there's nothing wrong with that," Wall said.

"I had to figure that out or I wouldn't be here today."

Wall was the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and has spent time starring for the Wizards, Rockets, and Clippers. He averaged 18.7 points and 8.9 assists during his 11 seasons.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis just issued an apology to sexual assault victims ... this after a video of him making a joke about nonconsensual sex resurfaced on Tuesday morning.

The clip was offensive to say the least ... it showed the former NBA star walking out of an elevator and insisting a woman smelled so good, it "almost made me r*** you, girl."

It's unclear when the video was shot ... but in a mea culpa released on his Instagram page on Tuesday afternoon, Davis seemed to imply it was quite some time ago.

"First of all, I want to say I'm sorry to all r*** victims -- anybody that felt any type of way about what I said," the 38-year-old said of the clip. "I am a stand-up comedian, I do comedy and sometimes I might say stuff a little bit wrong."

"And I did."

Davis went on to say he hoped no one would be offended by his words ... before he chastised those on social media for bringing the old vid back to light.

"I took that down a long time ago off my page," he said. "Y'all kept that and just decided to use it today. That's ridiculous."

Steph Curry just revealed he's got interest in going from the basketball Hall of Fame to the halls of Congress ... admitting that after his NBA career ends, he's open to politics -- and "maybe" even a run for President!!

The four-time champion said he's considering the idea during a candid interview that aired on Tuesday on "CBS Mornings" ... after Jericka Duncan asked him if he wanted to be POTUS some day.

"Maybe," the 35-year-old said. "I have an interest in leveraging every part of my influence for good in any way that I can, so if that’s the way to do it, then ..."

Curry says "meaningful change" is his ultimate goal ... and if moving into 1600 Penn Ave. gets it done, then he's down for it.

But, he said it obviously won't be this year or in 2028 either.

"Not that soon!" Curry said with a laugh.

Of course, Steph appears to be nowhere near moving on from basketball just yet ... as even though he's battled some bumps and bruises this season, he's still averaging 26.9 points per game.

Then again, Curry's demonstrated he can do so much even while still starring on the court -- as he just released yet another children's book that he's clearly super proud of.

Logan Paul's foray into the sports world goes deeper than the WWE ring ... the star wrestler, along with partner business KSI, continues to kick ass in the drink space, linking up with one of the most valuable franchises in the world, the L.A. Lakers!

Prime Hydration and the Purple and Gold announced the biz deal on social media on Tuesday, revealing the new partnership, writing ... "Lakers x @PrimeHydrate Hydration: Get ready L.A., PRIME Hydration is the new Official Sports Drink of the Los Angeles Lakers."

Of course, it's not the first time Logan and KSI's company has gone into business with a major force in the sports world ... they're also the official sports drink of the UFC, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arsenal, and FC Barcelona, amongst other teams and leagues.

They also work with individual athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Israel Adesanya.

Not too shabby ... and the Lake Show deal positions Prime as an indirect partner with LeBron James.

12:06 PM -- The L.A. Lakers say they're already in the process of fixing the typos on Kobe Bryant's statue ... admitting to ABC News on Monday they've known of the issues "for a few weeks."

"We have been aware of this for a few weeks," a spokesperson said, "and are already working to get it corrected soon."

The statue erected to immortalize Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena has multiple typos on it ... at least four, to be exact.

The flaws were discovered this week ... on the base of the monument where an image of a signed box score from Bryant's famed 2006, 81-point game was etched in.

You can see Von Wafer's name is mistakenly spelled "Vom Wafer." Jose Calderon's name is also incorrectly listed as "Jose Calderson." The word "decision" in two of the "Coach's Decision" portions of the statue is also wrongfully written as "decicion."

A copy of the box score sold at Goldin Auctions back in 2022 shows none of the errors were featured on the original document.

We've reached out to the Lakers for comment, but so far, we've yet to hear back.

The Bryant sculpture was first put up at the arena back on Feb. 8 ... at a star-studded event. Phil Jackson, Stu Lantz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Derek Fisher and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss were all there ... as was Vanessa Bryant, who helped introduce it with an emotional and, at times, lighthearted speech.

"For the record," Vanessa said before the public saw the carving for the first time, "Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see. So if anyone has any issues with it, tough s***."

At the ceremony, it was also announced the Lakers would unveil two more tributes to Bryant at their arena at a later date.

The Detroit Pistons' lousy season somehow just got even lower ... the team's GM, Troy Weaver, was filmed getting into a heated spat with an angry fan at a game on Saturday.

The incident reportedly happened in the fourth quarter of Detroit's blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the Little Caesars Arena ... when a man decked out in Red Wings gear seemed to confront Weaver at his seat.

You can see in a video posted to TikTok on Sunday ... Weaver appeared to yell at the fan, "You're lucky I don't beat your ass" -- before the man can be heard responding, "You suck at your job."

Weaver then motioned for a security guard to take the guy away from the area. The video then cut out.

A season ticket holder who claimed to have witnessed the interaction told the Associated Press on Sunday the tiff was actually the second time the man had gotten into it with Weaver at the game.

"The guy that was in the incident, with the Red Wings stuff on, came over and was pointing at the scoreboard earlier in the game,” Jeffrey Calloway told the AP. "Troy Weaver just shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘OK,’ and the guy went back to his seat."

"When [Jalen] Duren got ejected, the guy came back and told him that he was terrible at his job. Then, Troy Weaver was telling the fan he had to leave and that's when ushers or security walked over."

Weaver -- Detroit's GM since 2020 -- has yet to publicly comment on the matter.

Anthony Davis' parents had several reasons to celebrate after the Lakers' massive win on Sunday ... their son's historic performance and 31st birthday -- mom and dad even surprised him with a massive cake right in the locker room!

The Lakers center put on a show at the Crypto.com Arena against the Minnesota Timberwolves (who were without Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns) ... finishing the game with 27 points, 25 rebounds, seven steals, five assists, and three blocks.

AD's folks, Anthony Sr. and Erainer, were in attendance to watch their son ... and he was incredible. The 'rents then got to surprise him with a big cake for another trip around the sun.

The Lakers helped out, too ... as mom and dad walked in, players, including LeBron James, began singing "Happy Birthday!"

AD was all smiles ... and rightfully so. His stat line from Sunday's game was a first for an NBA hooper.

"We just want to come out as a team effort knowing that where we are in the standings and how important this game was," Davis said during post-game interviews, "You know, trying to close the gap in the standings."

The Lakers are currently the 9th seed in the West, moving just one game behind the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron James plopped down next to his female bosses at the Lakers game this week and made sure to ring in International Women's Day with 'em ... which they seemed to really dig.

This clip of LBJ sitting down with Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis -- both of whom are top-level Lakers execs, and who are effectively his employers -- at Friday's game is going viral right now ... and for good reason, we suppose. It's pretty hilarious ... and eye-popping too.

Check it out ... LeBron moseys on over to where JB and LR are sitting, courtside, and takes a seat in between them -- where he starts to chop it and, apparently, drop jokes in between.

Some lip-readers think they see LeBron saying ... "First and foremost, Happy International Women's Day" -- which Linda and Jeanie seemed to love, 'cause they were all over the guy with snuggles and bicep rubs. Nothing too inappropriate, of course, but it was quite a sight.

Jeanie even leaned her head on LeBron's shoulder at one point while they yukked it up.

Like we said ... nothing overtly over the line here, but it certainly threw the Internet into a tizzy -- and became a bit of a meme over the past couple days. Y'know ... "rizz" jokes, etc.

Of course, it's silly to assume Linda and Jeanie were into LeBron here -- as some online have suggested after watching this -- because not only are both women already known to be close with him (he is THE biggest Lakers star, after all) ... but they're both happily married!

Jeanie got hitched to Jay Mohr last year on the beach ... this after dating him for a bit. And Linda, meanwhile, has been married to Kurt Rambis for quite literally decades.

Goes without saying ... LeBron is also a married man -- so everyone can settle down.

As for why LeBron wasn't playing in this game against the Bucks ... his ankle's jacked up. So, nothing wrong with a little facetime with the higher-ups -- that's essentially what this was.

"Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans ain't just chasing ghouls -- the dude's a major sports buff, and has been dropping serious cash on some top-notch sports memorabilia.

The paranormal investigator tells TMZ he splashed a jaw-dropping $160,000 at Goldin Auctions to snag the NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero Best 1/1 rookie card, which is most definitely a sports collector's dream.

Also, the card is signed by Banchero himself in sleek blue ink -- which undoubtedly increased its monetary value.

Zak's not just splurging for kicks, he's playing the long game here ... saying the card could be a goldmine down the road and worth millions if he wins an MVP or future championship. Talk about a savvy investment move!

What's more, the person who first scored that epic NBA rookie card before it hit the auction block was none other than Jonny Venters, the Atlanta Braves All-Star pitcher!

Venters spoke to the owner of Goldin Auction, Ken Goldin himself, about getting his hands on the holy grail of sports memorabilia -- with KG dubbing it the ultimate hit from 2022.

Donatella Versace realmente sabe cómo hacer una entrada, incluso si involucra quedarse atrapada en una ascensor, que es lo que pasó cuando llegó a ser co-anfitrión de un evento en el Centro LGBT de Los Ángeles con Dwyane Wade.

Fuentes le dicen a TMZ que el ascensor estaba lleno, y que la diseñadora quedó atrapada junto con asistente, su publicista, su seguridad, el encargado de marketing y el jefe de PR de Versace durante 10 ó 15 minutos, y tenemos las imágenes de cuando finalmente fueron liberados.

Como se puede ver, el ascensor claramente tenía vida propia y se negaba a cooperar. Pero el equipo de seguridad, por otro lado, intervino para salvar el día, haciendo palanca a esas obstinadas puertas para abrirlas con sus propias manos. Finalmente, Versace logró salir, mirando un poco aturdida y confundida.

El resto de su equipo salió detrás de ella y nos dicen que todo el mundo sobrevivió ileso la situación. Una emergencia de moda evitada.

Los bomberos llegaron a la escena para chequear que todo estuviera bien poco después y parece que no hay mayores problemas sobre el incidente.

Por supuesto, el espectáculo debía continuar y Versace pasó a ser nombrada Embajadora Global de la Organización y también donó $50.000 al centro.

Donatella incluso convirtió la situación en una anécdota encantadora durante su discurso después de ser presentada por Wade, diciendo: "Me siento muy honrada de estar aquí esta noche. Es muy emotivo para mí, pero también porque me quedé atrapada en el ascensor. Pensé que nunca iba a llegar a esta azotea, ¡pero lo hice!".

Donatella Versace really knows how to make an entrance, even if it involves getting stuck in an elevator ... which is what went down as she arrived to cohost an event at the L.A. LGBT Center with Dwyane Wade.

Sources tell TMZ it was a full house in the elevator, as the designer was held prisoner with her assistant, her publicist, her security, the center's CMO, and the head of Versace PR for 10-15 minutes -- and we've got the footage of them finally being freed.

As you can see, the elevator clearly has a mind of its own, refusing to cooperate. But, security on the other side steps in to save the day, prying those stubborn doors open with their bare hands ... and Versace eventually emerges, looking somewhat dazed and confused.

The rest of DV's team trickled out behind ... and we're told everyone survived the whole situation unscathed. Fashion emergency averted!

The fire department arrived on the scene to double-check everything shortly after ... and it looks like there are no major lingering issues over the elevator incident.

Of course, the show must go on ... and Versace went on to be named the Org's Global Ambassador and also donated $50,000 to the center.

Donatella even turned the situation into a charming anecdote during her speech after being introduced by Wade, saying: "I feel so honored to be here tonight. It's so emotional for me -- but also because I was stuck in the elevator. I thought I was never going to make it to this roof, but I did!"

The woman who went viral after attending the Warriors game this week has experienced an insane surge of interest in her luxury girlfriend services ... and it's gotten so out of hand, she's had to nearly double her hourly rate.

Katherine Taylor caught the eye of many NBA fans after she was spotted cheering on the action during Wednesday's matchup between the Dubs and Milwaukee Bucks at the Chase Center ... largely in part thanks to her wardrobe choice.

TMZ Sports caught up with the stunning blonde following her newfound fame ... and she says being in the spotlight has resulted in some serious interest in her side hustle.

Taylor -- who offers her company for compensation -- tells us she can barely keep up with all the inquiries that have piled in over the past two days ... and her website crashed due to the increase in traffic.

Prior to her appearance at the game, Taylor (who's actually a Sacramento Kings fan) was charging 900 bucks an hour for her services ... but now, it'll set ya back $1,500/hr. Ya know, supply and demand.

Damian Lillard's a must-have commodity for GloRilla, after the rapper pulled up from 40 feet to shoot her shot at the reigning NBA All-Star MVP!!!

TMZ caught up with Dame in Bev. Hills on Thursday ahead of his Bucks face-off against the Lakers and asked if he was even aware that Glo wanted to be on what he was on.

After Dame led the highest-scoring ASG ever with 39 points, Big Glo squeezed in a photo op and instantly marked her territory ... and threatened to hard foul anyone who attempted to score on her future man!!!

The way her "Yeah Glo!" hit has been on the rise, it doesn't sound like Glo's taking no for an answer, either.

Judging from Dame's ear-to-ear grin, he's aware the Memphis rapper wants him bad ... no comment if he's already taken her up on her offer!!! 🤐

Dame Time may not have clocked GloRilla just yet -- but his new Milwaukee teammates are feeling the love ... after he upgraded everyone's wrists with gold watches from his Tissot line on the team plane.

LeBron James used his day off from the Lakers to support his son, Bronny ... showing up to the teen's USC game decked out in Trojans gear!

The NBA superstar was in total Dad Mode on Thursday night ... rollin' to the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles to watch SC face off against Arizona State.

The 39-year-old -- wearing a Trojans hoodie and a cardinal and gold cap -- sat next to his wife, Savannah, in the best seats in the house ... and cheered his face off the entire time.

Bronny didn't do much in front of Pops -- he played just 16 minutes and didn't score a point. He did, however, log two assists, one steal and one rebound.

Of course, the two could actually be teammates next season -- although that topic has recently been a hot-button issue in the hoops world.

After a medical emergency and subsequent lack of playing time, the freshman guard dropped off many mock drafts, leading to a ton of criticism of the 19-year-old. LeBron, however, recently addressed all of that -- writing in a now-deleted post on X, "Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball."

"The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y'all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!"