NBA

The Boston Celtics are ridin' high after winning their league-leading 18th NBA championship, and former star Celtics hooper turned team broadcaster Cedric Maxwell is ensuring the world knows where the best franchise resides -- and it isn't L.A.!

Maxwell, a 2x NBA champ with the Celtics who was named Finals MVP in 1981 (he played in Boston from 1977-1985), joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) following Beantowns 4-1 series victory of the Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks.

And, if you thought the Celtics wouldn't point out they've now got more 'chips than their rivals on the West Coast, you're mistaken (the Lakers have 17)!

The NBA champs have taken their celebration to Florida ... with Jayson Tatum and his Boston Celtics teammates arriving at a fancy hotel in Miami on Tuesday -- and, of course, the Larry O'Brien Trophy came along for the fun!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the superstar hooper all smiles as he cradled the hardware ... showing him hopping off a team bus and into the building.

It was no secret the victors were heading for the Sunshine State -- they had their travel plans etched on a whiteboard in the locker room as they partied their faces off after beating the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

A garden that Steph and Ayesha Curry helped bring to a school in Northern California last year was sadly ripped apart by vandals over the weekend.

The small oasis -- which was funded, in part, by the Currys' Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation -- was added to a playground at Global Family Elementary School in Oakland during the 2022-23 school year ... but, according to Oakland Unified School District, it's now in need of serious repair.

OUSD officials say some jerks "tore apart the planters, ripped out the irrigation system, broke all the wooden benches, damaged a ladder, and left everything in the area in disarray."

Michael Jordan's boat was not the G.O.A.T. this weekend ... leaving a big fishing tournament empty-handed.

His Airness' Catch 23 watercraft competed in the 66th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin competition in Morehead City, NC ... in hopes of landing a piece of the massive $7.5 million prize pool.

MJ's crew of seven anglers and a captain, however, did not place or earn any money over the course of the weekend.

Adele gave one young fan the experience of a lifetime, and we're not sure who was more excited about the moment ... Adele or the little girl dressed just like the singer.

The Grammy winner came across her mini-me during her Vegas residency Sunday night as she sang "When We Were Young," and she beamed as she stumbled upon the girl dressed in a tiny version of one of her iconic looks -- a black and white Schiaparelli couture gown designed by Daniel Roseberry.

In the video -- posted by the fan's mom, Alexandra Arguello -- Adele is seen making a beeline for the little girl and declaring, "I love your dress."

Doris Burke poked fun at the nationwide Caitlin Clark obsession during Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday ... cracking a joke about the narrative surrounding the WNBA superstar's treatment on the court.

The ESPN talent name-dropped the Indiana Fever hooper following a hard foul in the second quarter of the Celtics' series-clinching win over the Mavericks ... when P.J. Washington wrapped his arms around Kristaps Porzingis and dragged him to the hardwood.

Burke was quick to react with a witty comment ... saying, "If that were Caitlin Clark, it might spark a debate for a week."

Celtics fans poured into Boston streets just seconds after Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown won the city an NBA title ... and they celebrated in chaotic fashion -- all while trashing Kyrie Irving in the process.

The impromptu block party began near TD Garden arena right after the C's mercifully ended the Dallas Mavericks' season by winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 106-88.

You can see thousands of green-clad fans flooded roadways -- jumping on top of police vehicles ... and chanting "F*** Kyrie!"

Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick is back at it with the hijinks ... this time, he celebrated his teammate's birthday by once again using his surname to make out a funny message.

The 20-year-old joined in on showing love for fellow Raptors hooper Immanuel Quickley on his 25th cake day ... but while others went the traditional route, Dick added a not-so-subtle note by meshing both their jerseys together to create a NSFW message.

Of course, Dick is known for this kinda comedy -- he went super viral this season for a jersey swap with Orlando Magic rookie Anthony Black ... spelling out quite the X-rated phrase.

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks weren't the only ones going head to head in the NBA finals ... a bunch of Celtics fans got into an amateur boxing match at a game 4 watch party.

Friday night's brawl broke out between two men seated near each other in the crowd at TD Garden arena in Beantown ... where Celtics fans were having a viewing party of the on-court action taking place inside American Airlines Stadium in Dallas.

Check out the vid ... the younger dude was standing over the older guy and using his head as a punching bag. Several bystanders and a security guard tried to pull the aggressor off the old man as he cowered on cement stairs.

Dan Hurley went back to UConn ... so the Lakers should now turn their attention toward Sam Cassell -- so says Reggie Theus, who tells TMZ Sports the ex-NBA star would be an "excellent" choice for L.A.'s vacant head coaching job.

Theus -- a former NBA player and ex-coach of the Sacramento Kings -- said out at LAX this week that Cassell is "my guy" ... and would be his top choice to fill in for Darvin Ham now that Hurley is officially out of the picture in Los Angeles.

"I love Sam," he said. "I think he's been around -- he's earned his dues."

The cause of death for ex-NBA player Darius Morris has just been revealed ...  heart disease is the killer, with drug and alcohol use playing a big role.

Darius' official cause of death is coronary artery disease ... according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

According to the ME's death investigation summary, obtained by TMZ Sports, drug and alcohol use was a significant factor in Darius' death ... specifically, the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol.

LeBron James has quite the bone to pick with a California car company ... publicly admonishing the joint for "lying" about hooking him up with a new set of wheels.

The Effortless Motors dealership in Riverside shared a clip of a new Bugatti being driven into the back of a truck on Wednesday ... featuring a caption claiming the Lakers superstar was its "biggest VIP customer" and congratulating him for "trusting" its business.

James himself eventually got wind of the post ... and was quick to call BS on the whole thing on Instagram.

Shaquille O'Neal is updating his past hip hop hits for the digital era -- his 1996 Biggie collab "You Can't Stop the Reign" is on streaming for the first time!!!

Such will be the case for Shaq's 3rd album of the same name ... he and his Jersey Legends Productions are planning to re-release the full 'Reign' album on June 28 ... the tracks with Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, DJ Quik, Peter Gunz and Lord Tariq will also get a fresh drop on the public.

Not many artists can brag about having a Biggie feature ... especially one with impact.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne was arrested in Arizona on Friday morning, TMZ Sports has learned ... after cops claim he gave officers a false report.

According to the Scottsdale Police Department, authorities were called out to investigate a disturbance in Scottsdale at around 2:44 AM -- and came into contact with Payne and another individual.

It's unclear exactly what happened next -- cops did not give any further specific details -- although the SPD says Payne was arrested on the scene and booked on one charge of refusal to provide a truthful name and one count of false report to law enforcement.

Delonte West has resurfaced following his most recent arrest ... appearing completely strung out while walking through a parking lot in Virginia -- and the video is heartbreaking.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the former Boston Celtics guard roaming around Alexandria around 7 PM on Thursday ...wobbling and putting his hand to his head.

We're told West -- who was wearing a t-shirt, basketball shorts, slides and a red cap in the video -- frequents the area ... and it's not necessarily a great part of town.

12:45 PM PT -- Terrence Shannon Jr. breaks his silence on the not guilty verdict ... saying on Friday, he's thankful to those who stood by him during the case.

"I knew I was innocent of these horrible crimes and I had faith in God that someday everyone else would know that too," Shannon said on Instagram.

"I am so grateful to all of you for believing in me, especially my family, friends, and legal teams whose support kept me going.

Shannon said he's ready to move on from this and focused on "my path forward."