New York Knicks

Willis Reed, Walt Clyde Frazier, and Patrick Ewing are generally considered the greatest Knicks ever, but the trio of Hall of Famers may have to slide over ... 'cause diehard NYK fan, Fat Joe, says Jalen Brunson's on the verge of being the G.O.A.T.!

"[Jalen's] so close to being the greatest Knick ever," Crack told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1), adding ... "So close, and in such short time."

Of course, the hip-hop superstar grew up in The Bronx, New York, and has been a loyal Knicks fan through the good, and unfortunately for New Yorkers, many bad times in his 5 decades as an NYK supporter.

Saquon Barkley's goin' in on New York fans who were irked at his presence at the 76ers vs. Knicks game in Philadelphia Thursday night, with the NFL star telling the supporters of his former team to get over him jumping ship!

"It’s been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game 😂😂😂," 27-year-old Barkley tweeted on X after he was heckled for attending the game at the Wells Fargo Center in the City of Brotherly Love, where he sat courtside with Eagles WR A.J. Brown.

Of course, Barkley -- drafted by the G-Men in 2018 -- signed with the Eagles ... the Giants hated rivals, this offseason.

The birds were flyin' at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday ... all thanks to diehard Knicks fan Tracy Morgan, who couldn't help but share his frustrations with Sixers star Tyrese Maxey by giving him the finger!!

The hilarious (not so much for New York fans) moment went down in the closing seconds of the Knicks' Game 5 matchup against Philadelphia ... when the former Kentucky Wildcat pulled up from behind the arc to tie things up at 97.

The shot completed the Sixers' late-game push ... coming back from down six in the last 30 seconds to force overtime.

The Wells Fargo Center looked and sounded more like Madison Square Garden on Sunday ... 'cause Knicks fans took over the Sixers' arena for Game 4 of their NBA Playoff series -- and Joel Embiid's pissed!

The Knicks beat the Sixers, 97-92, taking a 3-1 series lead ... and their fanbase let their presence be known.

During the live broadcast, you could hear the Knicks faithful cheering -- louder than the Sixers fans -- as the Knicks won the pivotal game behind Jalen Brunson's epic 47-point performance.

Kelly Oubre Jr. lost a playoff game Monday night and then he lost his beloved car ... TMZ Sports has learned he wrecked his Lamborghini in a crash just hours after the Sixers fell to the Knicks in Game 2 of their postseason series.

The Philadelphia Police Dept. tells us the wreck happened at around 1:45 AM on Tuesday ... shortly after Oubre and the 76ers dropped a heartbreaker at Madison Square Garden, 104-101.

Cops say Oubre's 2021 matte purple Lambo "disregarded a red traffic signal" ... and plowed into a 2023 Hyundai Elantra.

NBA center Isaiah Hartenstein is opening up on how people react when they find out he's actually Black ... saying the experience is like something straight out of a "Key and Peele" sketch.

The 25-year-old hooper's teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, got right to the point when they invited him on their "Roommates" podcast this week ... when the former asked Hartenstein straight-up, "Are you Black?"

The six-year vet broke it all down ... explaining his dad, Florian, is Black.

"You know how it's like lightskin? I'm brightskin," Hartenstein said. "I'm above lightskin."

The 7'0" big man went on to point out there's one big difference he notices after folks learn he's Black ... and he compared it to the famous skit from the Comedy Central show, when Jordan Peele's Barack Obama character bases his handshake approach on race.

"When they find out I'm Black, it changes," Hartenstein added. "The whole vibe changes -- it goes from, 'Hey Zay, how are you doing?' to 'Yo, Zay, what up, man? You good?'"

You won't see Josh Hart anywhere near the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend ... 'cause the Knicks guard absolutely HATES the host city -- essentially calling the entire state of Indiana a dump.

All 30 teams' biggest names are flocking to Indianapolis for the event ... but Hart made it clear he's skipping out on hanging with his NBA buddies to avoid spending any unnecessary time in the Hoosier State.

"Hell no, I'm not going to Indianapolis," Hart said on his "Roommates Show" podcast with Jalen Brunson and guest Mikal Bridges. "If I don't have to play the Indiana Pacers, I'm not stepping foot in that state."

"I do not want to be in Indiana for any All-Star break, anything. I'm not an Indiana guy. I don't want to be there [when I play against the Pacers]. I'm not an Indiana fan."

Hart continued to pile on the state ... evoking Joakim Noah's infamous rant about Cleveland in the process.

"What's good about Indiana?" he added ... admitting there are actually two positives that come to mind -- a White Castle and a local bakery.

"If not those two things ... Indiana, bottom of the barrel."

LaMelo Ball is in some hot water with some of his biggest fans ... who are pissed at the NBA star for cracking up on the Hornets' bench during a blowout loss Monday.

Ball wasn't playing in Charlotte's home tilt against the New York Knicks while dealing with a sore ankle ... so he took a seat with some of his squadmates -- and despite the completely one-sided score, he was seen smiling throughout the contest.

At one point, when Charlotte was down 25 points early in the fourth quarter ... Ball was actually seen busting at the seams with Bryce McGowens and James Bouknight.

The images pissed off a whole lot of Hornets supporters, who found it downright disrespectful that the team's biggest star didn't appear locked in on the game.

What made it especially worse was "Let's Go Knicks" chants had broken out at the Spectrum Center right around the same time.

The Hornets went on to lose 113-92 ... and their record is now a measly 10-35.

MSG and Knicks owner James Dolan allegedly trafficked a massage therapist to Harvey Weinstein in the 2010s -- and also taking advantage of her himself -- but he's pushing back on her claim as BS.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Dolan is named as a defendant in a suit alleging he partook in outright sex trafficking after taking a young masseuse under his wing between late 2013 and early 2014 ... while he was performing on the road.

The plaintiff, Kellye Croft, claims she was initially hired to be the traveling massage therapist for the Eagles in 2013 ... but after some trouble with the touring staff, she says she ended up meeting Dolan, whose own band was the opening act.

Croft says she opened up to JD about her woes, and afterward, he apparently got involved to alleviate her issues ... and, she alleges he started pushing a sexual relationship with her.

While she doesn't straight up accuse Dolan of sexual assault, Croft does say she felt pressured to engage in sex acts with him ... throughout the rest of the tour.

Fast-forward to January, when Croft claims Irving Azoff's company -- which she says was handling the Eagles tour at the time -- flew her out to California to do more massage work ... only this time, she claims it became clear it was at Dolan's request.

Basically, she alleges Dolan simply wanted her on the road with him for sex -- and during this stint in L.A., she claims she had an ugly run-in with Weinstein ... who she says was good friends with Dolan, and who she alleges sexually assaulted her at a hotel.

Croft claims she actually ran into Weinstein at the hotel where she was staying -- and once he learned she was Dolan's massage therapist, she alleges he tried to rope her into giving one to him right then and there -- which ended in a chase down the hallway.

Croft claims Weinstein pursued her to her room, and pinned her down and sexually assaulted her ... only to be saved by a phone call from Dolan.

Once Weinstein realized Dolan was on the other end, Croft claims he backed off and said to her ... "Well, you know Jim and I are best friends. He’s going to be very disappointed that you led me on, this won’t look good for you." She claims he then left, and it was over.

Afterward, Croft claims she relayed all this to Dolan himself -- and she says he simply brushed it off ... allegedly noting that he and everyone in Weinstein's circle knew he was a "troubled person" who had "serious issues," and that his pals had tried to get him help.

Croft also points out a song she claims Dolan sent to her other associates years after the fact -- with lyrics that she claims nod to the Weinstein scandal that broke in 2017. It's a real song from his band, called "I Should've Known."

Croft says the lyrics -- which touch on a friend who falls from grace -- are actually a reference to Weinstein, but she claims Dolan knew about him for years.

Croft is alleging she was sexually trafficked, claiming Dolan flew her out to L.A. to continue the sexual relationship, and allowed her to be put in the situation with Weinstein ... an allegation which seems to have opened the door for a federal complaint to be filed.  Of course, she wants major damages.

Dolan is calling this entire suit pure fiction, with an attorney for the mogul telling TMZ ... "There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein."

His lawyer adds, "These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not won, and cannot win, a judgment against him. Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court."

Weinstein's own attorney, Jennifer Bonjean tells TMZ … "Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in court of law where the truth will be revealed."

El propietario de los Knicks —James Dolan— supuestamente traficó a una masajista para Harvey Weinstein en la década de 2010, y además, se aprovechó de ella él mismo. Ahora él niega las afirmaciones.

De acuerdo con documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, Dolan es nombrado como acusado en una demanda alegando que participó en el tráfico sexual después de tomar a una joven masajista bajo su ala entre finales de 2013 y principios de 2014 mientras estaba de gira.

La demandante, Kellye Croft, afirma que fue contratada inicialmente para ser la masajista itinerante de los Eagles en 2013, pero después de algunos problemas con el personal de gira, dice que terminó conociendo a Dolan, cuya banda era el acto de apertura.

Croft dice que James le comentó sus dolencias y después, al parecer, quiso que le realizara terapia, sin embargo, ella sostiene que intentó tener relaciones.

Aunque no acusa directamente a Dolan de agresión sexual, Croft dice que se sintió presionada para participar en actos sexuales con él durante el resto de la gira.

En enero, Croft afirma que la compañía de Irving Azoff, que según ella se encargaba de la gira de los Eagles en ese momento, la llevó a California para que hiciera más masajes, pero esta vez, según ella, estaba claro que era a petición de Dolan.

Básicamente, alega que Dolan la quería en la carretera con él para tener sexo, y durante este período en Los Ángeles, ella afirma que tuvo un feo encuentro con Weinstein —quien era buen amigo de Dolan— y alega que la agredió sexualmente en un hotel.

Croft afirma que se encontró con Weinstein en el hotel donde se alojaba y una vez que se enteró de que era la terapeuta de Dolan, ella sostiene que él trató de negociar un masaje ahí mismo, lo cual terminó en una persecución por el pasillo.

Croft afirma que Weinstein la persiguió hasta su habitación, la inmovilizó y trató de violarla, solo para ser salvado por una llamada telefónica de Dolan.

Una vez que Weinstein se dio cuenta de que Dolan estaba al otro lado del teléfono, Croft afirma que retrocedió y le dijo: "Bueno, ya sabes, Jim y yo somos mejores amigos. Va a estar muy decepcionado de que me hayas engañado, esto no se verá bien para ti". Ella afirma que luego se fue y todo se acabó.

Después, Croft afirma que ella le dijo todo esto al propio Dolan, y él le bajó el perfil al asunto, señalando que todo el mundo en el círculo de Weinstein sabía que era una "persona con problemas" y que tenía "problemas graves", incluso que sus amigos habían tratado de conseguirle ayuda.

Lo último que Croft señala en su demanda es una canción que, según ella, Dolan le envió a sus otros socios años después de los hechos, con una letra que, según ella, hace un guiño al escándalo con Weinstein que estalló en 2017. Es una canción real de su banda, llamada "I Should've Known".

Croft dice que la letra —que se trata de un amigo que cae en desgracia— es en realidad una referencia a Weinstein, pero ella afirma que Dolan sabía de él durante años.

Croft está alegando que fue víctima de trata sexual, alegando que Dolan la hizo volar a Los Ángeles para continuar la relación sexual, y la expuso a una situación con Weinstein. Esta alegación que parece haber abierto la puerta a una denuncia federal. Por supuesto, ella va por daños y perjuicios.

Dolan está llamando a toda esta demanda pura ficción, con un abogado del magnate diciendole a TMZ: "No hay absolutamente ningún mérito a cualquiera de las acusaciones contra el Sr. Dolan. Kellye Croft y James Dolan tenían una amistad. Las referencias a Harvey Weinstein están simplemente destinadas a inflamar y parecen plagiadas de casos anteriores contra el Sr. Weinstein".

Su abogado añade: "Estas afirmaciones reflejan un acto de represalia por parte de una abogada que ha presentado múltiples casos contra el Sr. Dolan y no ha ganado, ni puede ganar una sentencia contra él. El Sr. Dolan siempre creyó que la Sra. Croft era una buena persona y le sorprende que haya accedido a estas demandas. En resumidas cuentas, esto no se trata de "la palabra de uno contra la del otro", hay pruebas convincentes para respaldar nuestra posición. Esperamos poder demostrarlo en los tribunales".

La propia abogada de Weinstein, Jennifer Bonjean le dice a TMZ: "El Sr. Weinstein niega vehementemente estas acusaciones sin mérito y espera litigar estas reclamaciones en los tribunales de justicia donde la verdad será revelada".

Olvídense del Sicko Mode, esto fue como estar en modo Slippo (escurridizo) para Travis Scott en el partido de los Knicks contra los Nets el miércoles por la noche, ¡¡¡porque el balón del juego hizo que el rapero derramara su bebida por todo el suelo del Barclays Center!!!

El incidente ocurrió al comienzo del cuarto trimestre del partido de Brooklyn contra Nueva York, cuando Immanuel Quickley perdió el control de una pelota de baloncesto en la cancha y fue directo a la mano derecha de Scott.

¡¡¡Mira el video de la transmisión del juego, una vez que el balón hace contacto se puede ver que cómo su bebida seltzer explota por todas partes!!!

"Oh, wow", dijo el play-by-play Ian Eagle en la transmisión. "¡Eso es un géiser!".

Afortunadamente, el líquido no manchó demasiado su costosa ropa y los trabajadores del estadio limpiaron el desastre sin causar mayores demoras.

Además, en un giro aún más fortuito para Scott, el rapero tenía otra bebida ya lista cerca, obviamente, una de las ventajas de ser dueño de su propia bebida alcohólica "Cacti".

Scott, por supuesto, se divirtió con todo. Fue visto sonriendo mientras miraba una repetición en la pantalla gigante por encima de su cabeza.

Esta es la segunda vez que Scott ha estado cerca de un desastre esta semana. El martes estuvo a punto de caerse del escenario en su concierto en Nueva York, tras ser golpeado por uno de los accesorios que decoraban su puesta en escena.

Forget Sicko Mode ... it was more like Slippo Mode for Travis Scott at the Knicks vs. Nets game Wednesday night -- 'cause a loose ball caused the rapper to spill his drink all over the Barclays Center floor!!!

The incident happened at the start of the fourth quarter of Brooklyn's tilt with NY ... when Immanuel Quickley lost control of a basketball on the court -- and it made a beeline for Scott's right hand.

Check out video from the game's broadcast ... once the rock made contact, you can see it caused his seltzer to explode everywhere!!

"Oh, wow," play-by-play man Ian Eagle said on the broadcast. "That's a geyser!"

Thankfully, the liquid didn't seem to get onto his pricey clothes too much ... and arena workers cleaned up the mess without causing a lengthy delay.

Also, in an even more fortuitous turn of events for Scott -- he had another drink already ready nearby ... obviously one of the perks of owning his own boozy "Cacti" beverage.

Scott, of course, had fun with it all ... he was seen smiling as he watched a replay on the jumbotron above his head.

It's the second close call Scott's had this week -- on Tuesday at his concert in NYC, he was nearly knocked to the floor by one of his props on stage.

Los Lakers de Los Ángeles recibieron el lunes por la noche la visita de un fan tan peludo y tan adorable que hasta los locutores del partido tuvieron que pararse a reconocerlo.

El hincha número 1 del Lake Show no era otro que Brodie The Goldendoodle, un perrito que ha ganado tanta notoriedad en los últimos años que ha conseguido un millón de seguidores en Instagram.

De alguna manera, el cachorro obtuvo uno de los mejores asientos para el juego de Los Ángeles contra los Knicks en el Crypto.com Arena, al puro estio Timothée Chalamet.

El perrito sin duda aprovechó el centro de atención en la cancha. Movió su cola tan duro durante una pausa, que llamó la atención de Mike Breen.

"Ese es Brodie", dijo Breen en vivo mientras el perro agitaba sus patas en el aire. "¡Nunca había visto algo así en más de 30 años de carrera!".

Brodie, por supuesto, está acostumbrado a ser el centro de atención... él y su dueño han viajado por todo el país juntos apareciendo en eventos deportivos esporádicamente.

El curioso fan ha sido una estrella durante los juegos de los Marlins y los Heats en el pasado y al parecer también es grande en Los Ángeles. Decimos esto porque apareció luciendo una camiseta de Austin Reaves durante la mayor parte del partido de los Lakers contra NY.

The L.A. Lakers got a visit Monday night from a fan that was so furry and so cute -- even the game's broadcasters just had to take a paws to stop and recognize him!!

The Lake Show's No. 1 K9 supporter was none other than Brodie The Goldendoodle -- a doggo who's gained so much notoriety over the past few years, he's garnered 1 million followers on Instagram.

Somehow, the pup scored one of the best seats in the house for L.A.'s contest against the Knicks at Crypto.com Arena -- snagging a chair that was actually so good, it might have been better than Timothée Chalamet's.

And, the ball of fuzz certainly took advantage of the center-court spotlight ... dancing his tail off so hard during a break in the action, he actually caught the attention of ESPN play-by-play man Mike Breen.

"That's Brodie," Breen said on live television as the dog waved its legs in the air. "I've never seen this in 30-plus years!!"

Brodie, of course, is used to the limelight by now ... the 3-year-old's owner and he have trekked all over the country together while hitting sporting events sporadically.

In fact, he's been a star at Marlins games and Heats games in the past -- though apparently he's big into L.A. too ... 'cause he rocked an Austin Reaves shirt for most of the Lakers' contest vs. NY.

But, Monday did have a bit of a ruff ending for Brodie ... as LeBron James and co. couldn't get him a win, falling to the Knicks, 114-109.

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially hung up a banner to celebrate their In-Season Tournament Championship ... and, as expected, it was met with some serious mixed reviews.

The team revealed Monday night the flag will stay in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena for the foreseeable future ... something that ain't exactly sitting right with plenty of fans of the storied NBA franchise.

After all, the team's won SEVENTEEN world championships -- and as you can hear in video from the pregame banner-raising ceremony prior to the contest against the Knicks, when L.A. officially hung the IST title keepsake, Lakers supporters didn't seem thrilled.

There was merely a smattering of applause ... and even LeBron James and his teammates didn't look all that pumped while watching the festivities from the court.

Of course, there were some who liked it, including Metta World Peace -- who told TMZ Sports last week he was definitely in favor of keeping the memento at the Lakers' home facility.

Several celebs in attendance at the game didn't seem to mind it much either ... Timothee Chalamet was all smiles in his courtside seat -- although his New York ballcap showed he probably could care less what L.A. does when it comes to decorating its arena.

Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman, Mookie Betts and several other A-listers were there too ... and while it's not entirely clear what their stances were on the banner -- we take it they probably don't care much either way.

Mitchell Robinson is a good NBA player, but he's an even better human being -- his high school coach just revealed he's been rooming with the New York Knicks center after his wife tragically passed away earlier this year.

Former Chalmette H.S. coach Butch Stockton shared the heartwarming story during the Knicks' win over the Pistons on Thursday ... when he spoke with a reporter about the 7'0", 240-pound big man's incredible gesture.

Stockton -- whose wife, Dawn, passed away in September after a cancer battle -- explained Robinson would visit them every day in the hospital prior to her death ... and he built a strong bond with the couple.

Coach said at Dawn's funeral, Robinson told everyone he was going to bring him to the Big Apple ... and he held up on that promise.

"He said, 'Coach, there’s no reason you stay down here in Louisiana anymore,'" Stockton said. "'You come to New York with and enjoy yourself and get your mind back straight because you know how much you loved your wife and I loved your wife.'"

"It's just been a great situation, to be honest with you."

Robinson -- who's averaging 6 points and 11 rebounds this season -- spoke about his roomie after the game ... saying they will continue to live together until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.