NBA

The Detroit Pistons will be without Ausar Thompson for the rest of the season ... after it was revealed the rookie guard is receiving treatment for blood clot issues.

The Pistons announced the unfortunate news ahead of their game against the Pacers on Wednesday ... saying Thompson will not play tonight or the last 13 games of the regular season due to the medical situation.

The good news?? The 6'6" athlete is expected to recover and return in time for next season.

Detroit released a statement on Thompson's status ... saying, "Under the guidance of Pistons team physician Dr. Ramsey Shehab of Henry Ford Health, Thompson has been cleared to resume conditioning and will begin non-contact basketball activities at the conclusion of the regular season with a gradual ramp up over the summer months in preparation for a full return next season."

Thompson last played on March 9th ... scoring 4 points in the Pistons' 124-142 loss to the Mavericks.

In 63 games this season, the former No. 5 overall pick averaged 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. He also became the youngest player (20) to earn at least 5 blocks in their first NBA game.

The Pistons also announced Isaiah Stewart is also out for the season with a right hamstring strain he suffered during Monday's game.

Big win for Michael Jordan -- Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have officially called it quits after more than a year together ... and we're told all signs are pointing to it being a permanent split this time around.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Scottie Pippen's ex-wife and MJ's son have been broken up for a couple of weeks now ... and unlike the brief "pause" in their relationship back in February, there's no hope of patching things up in the future.

The two had a pretty rocky romance ... and ultimately, they decided it was time to call it a day. With that being said, it's impossible to say for sure we'll never see these two together again ... especially considering their track record of being on and off.

We're told 49-year-old Larsa and Marcus, 33, haven't been on speaking terms since the split ... and they're both focused on doing their own thing.

The signs were there -- Larsa and Marcus unfollowed each other recently ... and the oft-paparazzi'd duo haven't been shot in public together in weeks.

Of course, many considered the coupling to be a bit odd -- Michael and Scottie have had a longstanding feud after winning six NBA championships together with the Chicago Bulls ... and Larsa is a decade and a half older than Marcus.

MJ even voiced his displeasure over the relationship back in July 2023 ... and Marcus insisted his pops was just joking, but a lot of folks didn't believe it.

Larcus (RIP to that nickname) were first spotted together back in September 2022 -- they initially swore up and down they were just friends ... before ultimately caving in and admitting they were, in fact, a couple.

Things eventually got serious between the two ... and Marcus even teased a wedding date was "in the works."

LeBron James and JJ Redick started a basketball podcast together ... and Draymond Green doesn't like it!!!

He's joking, of course (probably 😅).

"I must say I'm a little upset LeBron is like going on a podcast and still hasn't been on the Draymond Green Show," the 34-year-old said, "but when it's your own thing you kinda can't say anything."

The Golden State Warriors star has obviously heard about King James' new pod with Redick, titled "Mind The Game," which will focus on the X's and O's of basketball ... and he ain't happy!

Green -- who is good friends with LBJ -- has his own show, "The Draymond Green Show," on IHeartPodcast and The Volume ... and he's none too pleased that James hasn't appeared on his show, which launched in 2021.

But, Draymond's willing to overlook it for the time being.

"I'll live with it for now. Pick the bone with him that I gotta pick with him later!"

Perhaps until April 9 when the Warriors go to the Crypto for a tilt with the Lakers, their final meeting of the season.

All jokes aside, Green is excited to watch the show!

"I love a great basketball conversation and you don't get to have those often with many people and you definitely don't get to watch them often," Green said.

In their debut episode, James and Redick debated the qualities of a great basketball player, and a bunch more. The ep generated over 1.3 million views, and counting.

Jalen Green has been playing at a crazy high level, and the Rockets hooper says there's a reason ... he's motivated by his family, just weeks after announcing GF Draya Michele was pregnant!

The Houston star scored 42 points on Tuesday in a 137-114 win against the Washington Wizards, tying his career-high ... and after the game, he was asked what was responsible for the surge in production.

"My family," the 22-year-old shooting guard said. "My baby, so yeah."

The Rockets are in the midst of a six-game winning streak, and Green's exploits on the court (he's averaging nearly 28 points during the stretch) line up almost exactly with Draya announcing she was expecting a baby.

Fans wondered if Jalen, the former 2nd overall pick who's 17 years younger than Michele, was the father. His comments last night would seem to put that question to bed.

Draya -- creator of the Mint Swim fashion line -- is beyond excited for their bundle of joy, saying, "We are overjoyed to share our love for you, little girl," the 39-year-old said on Instagram.

"I’m am excited to speak words to the daughter I never thought I’d have. We are anxious about your arrival, but take your time — this world can be tough."

"But know you are being brought into a space of love, security, and adornment."

Michele already has two sons ... one child with former Dallas Cowboys CB Orlando Scandrick. This will be Green's first child.

Gradey Dick is denying any tomfoolery was involved in his jersey exchange with Anthony Black ... telling reporters he simply wanted to show love to his buddy.

The Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic rookies went stupid viral with their postgame trade over the weekend ... with many pointing out the suggestive phrase their last names spelled out when they posed for a pic (hint: Black's surname came first).

Dick was asked about all the hoopla on Tuesday ... and he swore up and down it was nothing more than two longtime friends reconnecting.

"That's my guy," Dick said at practice. "I've been playing against or with him around since middle school days. So, that's been my guy for a long time."

Dick defended the move ... adding, "Guys jersey swap with their boys. That's my friend."

When asked if he has any other jersey swaps lined up, Dick said he only has one criteria.

"If I played with them growing up and they're my guys, then I'll jersey swap with them. Nothing more to it."

While Dick's reasoning behind choosing Black for the popular tradition checks out, it's pretty clear the guys purposely positioned themselves to have a bit of fun ... especially considering it appeared they orchestrated the whole thing before smiling for the cameras.

Even Anthony Edwards was blown away by his dunk of the year candidate on Monday ... giving a hilarious reaction to the replay of the insane slam right after the game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star set the internet on fire with his emphatic dunk over Utah Jazz player John Collins in the third quarter of the home contest ... taking a pass from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and leaping over the 6'9" big man to rattle the rim.

Ant gave his immediate take on the jaw-dropping highlight shortly after the T-Wolves' 114-104 win ... and he didn't hold back.

"Aaaeeuuuuaahhhhhh!!!! Little ass n****!!" Ant said on camera. "Oh my God."

"Ay, that's my best dunk of my career, I'm not gonna lie."

Ant explained he dislocated his finger during the wild attempt ... so he wasn't really able to react the way he wanted to after the dunk.

BTW -- Ant was actually fouled on the play ... and there was fear he wasn't going to be able to make it to the charity stripe for his and-one attempt, but he managed to fight through it.

Paul Pierce is just the latest celebrity to fall prey to Los Angeles' burglary epidemic ... the former NBA superstar's home was broken into Friday night, and the perpetrators got away with luxury watches and over $100k in cash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports the 46-year-old 10x NBA All-Star's pad was hit when Pierce wasn't home, and a mind-boggling amount of personal treasure was stolen.

Amongst the burglarized items were expensive watches, 6 figures in cash, and a safe ... which police are currently trying to track down.

As for the criminal investigation, we're told cops have been combing through video from the scene, hoping to find a critical piece of evidence that'll crack the case.

No arrests have been made.

While he's the latest, he's not the first big-named star to have their personal spaces violated, and their belongings stolen ... it's been an issue in the City of Angels for years.

Post Malone, Bella Thorne, Yasiel Puig, Rihanna, Quentin Tarantino, Drake and so many other stars have fallen victim.

In fact, the LAPD recently talked about "burglary tourists" from South America who travel to Los Angeles solely to target luxurious mansions.

Police say the rings sometimes use high-tech equipment like jammers to bypass security systems.

It's unclear if one of these rings is behind the Pierce burglary.

Evan Fournier's decision to go all David Beckham after losing to the Miami Heat just set him back a huge wad of dough -- the Detroit Pistons player was fined $25k for the move.

The moment went down shortly after the home team lost in devastating fashion ... with Bam Adebayo chucking up a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer to secure the 104-101 win.

As the victors celebrated at center court, Fournier -- who had 18 points in the losing effort -- was in a much worse mood ... taking the game ball and punting it to the rafters.

NBA executive VP and head of basketball ops Joe Dumars announced the hefty fine on Monday ... specifically stating it was for "kicking the game ball into the spectator stands."

It was just another lowlight for the Pistons -- they currently sit almost last in the Eastern Conference with a 12-55 record.

The Orlando Magic realized it made a huge mistake on Sunday ... after its social media team posted what it felt was an innocent jersey swap between Gradey Dick and Anthony Black -- before catching on to the wildly inappropriate message the exchange spelled out.

The two rookie hoopers met up on the court to show love to each other following the Magic's 111-96 win over the Toronto Raptors ... and after talking for a bit, it appeared a lightbulb went off in both Black and Dick's heads.

The 2023 lottery picks decided to gift each other the jerseys off their backs as part of the common NBA tradition ... but it was clear they had an elaborate plan to crack a quick joke using their surnames.

The broadcast cameras caught Black running over to a photog to make sure they captured the swap ... and when he posed alongside Dick, he positioned himself to his left so their last names read ... well, you get it.

Black had a smirk on his face as he held Dick's jersey ... and his buddy was also smiling from ear to ear.

The Magic innocently published a shot of the exchange on X ... but after a bit, it was deleted due to the influx of users reacting to the viral moment.

Caitlyn Jenner and Lamar Odom are reuniting for a new project -- a sports podcast that pays homage to their "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" connection ... TMZ has learned.

The former in-laws -- Caitlyn was Lamar's stepfather-in-law when the ex-NBA star was married to Khloe Kardashian -- are launching "Keeping Up with Sports," a podcast meant to take a fresh look at what it really takes to be the best.

This venture sounds like a good fit for the pair ... as Caitlyn famously won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and Lamar won two NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Caitlyn and Lamar, along with cohost Zach Hirsch, will drop their first episode in the next few weeks ... with boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard as their kickoff guest.

Check out a sneak peek video ... where Sugar Ray opens up about being a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of one of his trainers. He says he had an emotional reaction after sharing his truth for the first time in decades, confessing, "I was hurting."

While the new podcast seems promising, we're curious to learn how Kris Jenner feels about it ... seeing how Kris and Caitlyn's relationship has been rocky over the years. Remember, in October, Caitlyn confirmed she doesn't speak to her ex-wife anymore ... for various reasons.

Still, since the podcast focuses on the sports world, it'll be interesting to see if the family comes up at all.

Upcoming guests include CBS basketball analyst Seth Davis, boxer Bryce Hall, model Amber Rose, world champion boxer Zab Judah, professional stuntman Steve-O, and UFC fighter Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.

The NBA's gonna have a real problem on its hands when LeBron James retires ... so says Kwame Brown, who tells TMZ Sports the league isn't putting enough focus on the next generation of athletes -- like that one guy on the OKC Thunder.

We spoke with the former 2001 No. 1 overall pick at LAX this week about the current state of the Association ... and he pointed out the top teams in the Western Conference aren't getting nearly as much coverage as the Lakers due to the LeBron effect.

"You got this young talent," Brown said. "The only thing I see what's wrong with the NBA is that they hold on to the 'superstar' thing too long. We got OKC ... before, I didn't even know their starting 5. You don't even know their coach."

"You gotta start promoting this young talent that you have. Otherwise, they're going to be scrambling when LeBron's gone."

Our camera guy pretty much proved Brown's point ... 'cause when he brought up MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he asked how his name's pronounced -- and both dudes were stumped.

"I don't know either," Brown admitted. "He's not on ESPN every day."

FYI -- it's "Shay."

As for SGA's season, the 25-year-old Canadian is averaging 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals a game ... leading the Thunder to a 46-20 record, tied for the best in the Western Conference.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's romantic afternoon had a wrench thrown in it ... or more accurately a tire -- 'cause one of theirs popped and stopped their date

The lovebirds were rollin' around Los Angeles Saturday in a silver BMW when they suffered a flat tire, quickly bringing their couple's outing to an unfortunate standstill.

Bennifer hopped out to check the damage -- with Ben in a flannel and baseball cap while J Lo rocked a tight black turtleneck and matching leggings.

Affleck and Lopez both got their hands dirty, leaning over the car -- with Ben's shirt lifting to reveal his infamous back tattoo -- but they ultimately weren't able to fix the problem.

Eventually, Lopez and Affleck just had to leave the car ... calling for a ride to come pick them up and leaving the Beamer behind as they headed for greener pastures.

Unclear who picked up the BMW or if it was taken to a shop, but it's far from the first time Ben's had car trouble ... with his luck seeming more than a little worse than the average motorist on the road.

Remember last year when Ben's classic Cadillac broke down during a heat wave in the City of Angels? Or when his son Samuel accidentally backed a rental Lamborghini into another car?

Yeah, certainly seems like bad luck seems to plague the movie star everywhere he drives.

Seems like the rest of the day went just fine for the couple ... who were at the Lakers game last night -- apparently it's gonna take more than a flat than to keep the couple from courtside seats.

Kim Kardashian and her son, Saint, sat courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers game Saturday night, leading a small group of big celebs who showed up for the event.

As per, Kim looked stunning in a tight white t-shirt and black leather pants while parked alongside 8-year-old Saint at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA.

At one point, Kim posed for paparazzi by putting her arm around her little guy who was dressed in his Lakers jersey, leaving no doubt as to who he was rooting for.

Kim was also snapped chatting with some fans and Saint even flashed a peace sign for the camera!

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck enjoyed their courtside seats, watching the matchup while holding each other's hands. The couple seemed pretty chill as they hung out with Ben's 12-year-old son, Samuel.

And that's not all ... singers Bad Bunny was also in the crowd to see the Warriors and Lakers take it to the hoop.

And in the world of sports, tennis legend Novak Djokovic was front and center to see the Warriors take the W, 128-121.

After the game, J Lo gave Bunny a little hug as Ben shook hands with some of the Golden State players.

Si Steph Curry incursionara en política después de terminar su carrera, ya tendría un voto de Danny Green porque el jugador de la NBA le dijo a TMZ Sports que el país podría usar a alguien de la liga en el gobierno, así que ¿por qué no Steph?

Curry mencionó la posibilidad de presentarse durante una entrevista que se emitió en "CBS Mornings" esta semana, afirmando que está abierto a una posición en el gobierno después de que se termine su carrera con Golden State.

Green -un veterano de la NBA que jugó para los 76ers esta temporada- dijo que Curry es el candidato perfecto de la liga para un puesto así y que apoyaría en un 100 por ciento al Splash Brother si viera su nombre en una papeleta.

"Si alguien de nuestra liga va a representarnos de esa manera, sería él", dijo el jugador de 36 años. "Yo votaría por él".

"Hace las cosas bien", continuó Green. "Un tipo espiritual, con fe, que usa su plataforma para grandes cosas. Es un buen ser humano. ¿Cómo puedes odiar a Steph Curry?".

Green continuó elogiando a la estrella de los Warriors por incluso considerar una carrera en política, señalando que no es exactamente la ruta más fácil después del baloncesto.

If Steph Curry gets into politics after his career ends, he's already got a vote from Danny Green ... 'cause the NBA player tells TMZ Sports the country could use someone from the league in office -- so why not Steph?!

Curry mentioned the possibility of running during an interview that aired on "CBS Mornings" this week, claiming he's open to a position in the government after his run with Golden State ends.

Green -- a longtime NBA veteran who played for the 76ers this season -- said Curry is the perfect candidate from the league for a gig like that ... and he would 100 percent support the Splash Brother if he saw his name on a ballot.

"If anybody from our league is gonna represent us in that fashion, it'd be him," the 36-year-old said. "I'd vote for him."

"He does things the right way," Green continued. "Spiritual guy, faith, uses his platform for great things. He's a good human being. How can you hate Steph Curry?"

Green went on to praise the Warriors star for even considering a career in politics ... noting it ain't exactly the easiest post-basketball route to take.

Rudy Gobert is addressing his whopping $100k fine for making a money gesture toward officials last week ... telling TMZ Sports he simply reached his boiling point and reacted with his emotions.

Gobert made the Johnny Manziel-esque hand sign at official Scott Foster during the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavs game on March 8 ... insinuating refs are influenced by sports betting.

The 3-time All-Star also called out the refs during the post-game press conference ... saying he felt gambling has really hurt the sport.

We caught up with the Minnesota Timberwolves center on Rodeo Drive just a few days after the league handed down the 6-figure penalty for his actions and postgame comments ... and although the dude has made more than $217 MILLION over the course of his career, even he had to admit that's a huge hit financially.

"How I feel about the fine? I mean it's a fine. It's a lot of money," Gobert said ... before explaining his actions.

"We human beings at the end of the day. We not always right but everyone's allowed to speak their mind. Also, it's a game with a lot of emotions so sometimes we react off of frustration."

Gobert -- who is averaging 13.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game this season -- got the maximum fine that a player can get for conduct or statements detrimental to the team or league ... but Charles Barkley believes he should've been suspended for it.

"It will ruin a sport if people thought it was fixed," the ex-NBA star said on "NBA on TNT."