NBA

Tara Davis-Woodhall is on her way to the 2024 Olympics ... and there's one athlete she really wants to meet -- LeBron James -- telling us she must meet the NBA superstar who changed the world of sports!

TMZ Sports spoke with the track and field athlete this week before she heads to the City of Light for her second Olympics ... where Tara's stoked to compete for the gold medal.

Business aside, she's also hyped to meet some of the other elite athletes from around the world ... especially King James, who's playing in his third Olympics with the U.S. Men's National Basketball team.

Britney Spears was being used by her ex, Hoda Kotb wants a shot at Kevin Costner and Glen "Big Baby" Davis is getting ready to do a bid ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down Britney's break up with her ex, Paul Soliz.

Jaylen Brown and Kysre Gondrezick sure look like an item ... the two pro basketball players pulled up to the ESPYs together arm-in-arm -- and even appeared to get ready for the event inside the same hotel room.

The annual sports award show is going down Thursday evening at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles ... and the Boston Celtics star and the WNBA player were seen preppin' for the event at Pendry West Hollywood.

Check out a photo TMZ Sports obtained of the two on a balcony just hours before they hit the ESPY red carpet together ... they seemed to be sharing the same room as they got dolled up.

Barack Obama's living in a 'Key & Peele' skit ... the former President reenacted one of their most hilarious bits as #44 showed love to LeBron James and Team USA!

If you haven't seen it (shame on you!), Jordan Peele, portraying Obama in the 2014 skit, is met by fans after delivering a speech. Peele, as BO, greets supporters with handshakes -- but the style of shake differed depending on race.

Formal with white people ... Black supporters were dapped up.

Former Toronto Raptors power forward Jontay Porter just pleaded guilty to a criminal charge stemming from the gambling case that got him permanently banned from the NBA.

Porter formally issued the plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud while inside of a federal courthouse on Wednesday in New York.

At the proceedings, the 24-year-old -- who had been accused of pulling himself early from games in order to help make his gambling associates a ton of coin -- admitted to wrongdoing ... saying before a judge, "I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry."

The man who claims he was hit by Kelly Oubre in a late-night car wreck earlier this year wants the 76ers star to pay up for the damage he says the hooper caused ... and if the NBAer doesn't open his wallet soon, the guy tells TMZ Sports he's going to sue.

Siddh -- a 21-year-old college student -- says he was driving a 2023 Hyundai Elantra at around 1:45 AM on April 23 in Philadelphia when Oubre ran a red light and plowed into him in his purple Lamborghini Urus.

Siddh claims Oubre -- who had just competed against the New York Knicks in a playoff game hours earlier -- was driving at such a high rate of speed ... it rocked his car and caused injuries to himself and one of his passengers.

All eyes in the political world are on Kamala Harris right now, but the Vice President made time to hang out with the Team USA basketball squad ... meeting up with a ton of NBA superstars!!

Harris -- who walked in alongside head coach Steve Kerr -- was a V(I)P surprise guest at UNLV's basketball facility ... where she chopped it up with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and more.

The squad seemed to be in great spirits as they conversed with Harris ... getting a bit of a pep talk about making the country proud at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

If Red Bull gives you wings, Logan Paul and KSI's Prime Hydration is a rocket ship ... and the brand has literally (and figuratively) made its biggest move yet -- signing NBA great and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Kevin Durant to a sponsorship deal that'll see the seven-footer get his very own drink!

KD joins an already super impressive list of Prime partners ... including Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Judge, Tyreek Hill, and Israel Adesanya, among other stars from baseball, football, soccer, boxing and MMA.

“What the PRIME team has built in such a short time is incredible, and I’m as excited about the growth of their business as I am about the product,” Durant said of the partnership, adding, “I’m looking forward to working together.”

Karen Read gets good news in her murder trial, Margot Robbie has good news on the family front and two NBA players got into it overseas ... all this on TMZ Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down the bombshell revelation from Karen's legal team ... the jury in her murder mistrial unanimously voted to acquit her on the murder charge.

NBA players Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric were NOT the aggressors when all hell broke loose at a nightclub in Greece ... so says Team Croatia, which claims the two hoopers were forced to act out of self-defense.

TMZ Sports obtained a statement from the Croatian Basketball Federation on what went down at the Bolivar Beach Bar near Athens after the squad's Olympic Qualifying Tournament loss ... and from the org.'s side of things, Zubac and Saric were not looking for a fight -- but had no choice.

"While hanging out at a club in Athens, some of our players were verbally and then physically attacked, prompting them to defend themselves," the CBF tells us. "The incident was brief, thanks to the quick intervention of the club's security staff."

NBA players Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric were involved in an intense physical altercation at a nightclub near Athens, Greece early Monday morning ... just hours after the two competed for Croatia in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament game.

TMZ Sports has obtained video taken inside the popular Bolivar Beach Bar around 5:30 AM ... which starts with the LA Clippers big man already involved in a scrap with someone as several men -- who appear to be club security -- rush up and grab him from behind.

As the chaos unfolds, Saric -- who just agreed to a two-year deal with the Denver Nuggets -- bolts into the crowd to try and help Zubac ... but appears to get shoved by another staffer.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is clearly not worried about his impending prison sentence ... the ex-NBA star was all smiles this week -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks it might actually lead him to the body of his dreams.

The former Boston Celtics power forward was ordered in May to spend 40 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that defrauded the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan out of a ton of coin ... but when we caught up with him out at LAX, he made it apparent, he's not sweating things.

The 38-year-old was downright jovial, and said he's "not nervous" to be thrown in the slammer.

Shaquille O'Neal is giving the "Hawk Tuah" girl some sage advice ... how to navigate her newfound celebrity status.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... when Shaq and Haliey Welch linked up in Nashville last weekend, the NBA legend started dropping knowledge.

We're told Shaq gave Haliey a bunch of tips on how to deal with fame ... advising her to keep a smart team around because folks will come out of the woodwork to try and take advantage of her.

Many people are screaming "nepotism" after the Lakers selected Bronny James in the NBA Draft, but the move is getting Michael Cooper's big stamp of approval -- 'cause the former Showtime star tells TMZ Sports he LOVES the pick!!

There’s been a ton of talk surrounding L.A.’s decision to take LeBron's oldest son with the 55th pick last week ... as some are considering it a perfect example of a "nepo baby" getting an opportunity over more deserving prospects.

But Cooper – who won five championships with the Purple and Gold – is scoffing at that narrative … breaking down why he is a huge fan while at LAX this week.

It's that time of the year once again -- Magic Johnson is exploring Europe with his A-list pals this week ... enlisting Samuel L. Jackson and Cedric the Entertainer for the festivities!!

The 64-year-old Hall of Famer and his wife, Cookie, have been documenting their whole trip on social media ... raving about their time in Ibiza, which has included feasting on lobster and sea bass and cruising on a luxurious yacht.

The gang made their way around the Mediterranean Sea on a smaller boat as well ... and judging by the pics, the vibes were at an all-time high.

Bronny James is opening up on his decision to rock No. 9 in the NBA ... confirming he chose it to honor late musician Juice WRLD.

LeBron's eldest son faced the media for the first time as a Los Angeles Laker on Tuesday ... and after fielding several questions about his relationship with his four-time champion pops, who was in attendance for the presser, he explained how the digit he'll sport during games was far from random.

"Juice has just been a big part of me, keeping calm in some situations that I've been through," 19-year-old Bronny said minutes ago. "So yeah, just paying homage to him especially because he passed. It's a really important thing for me."