Oklahoma City Thunder

4:00 PM -- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was just asked about our report prior to Tuesday's matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... and while he stated he will not comment on Josh Giddey's off-court situation, he reaffirmed Giddey will be available for the game.

Police are doing their due diligence on the recent troubling allegations surrounding Oklahoma City Thunder player Josh Giddey ... with officials opening an inquiry into whether he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... Newport Beach PD is currently investigating the allegations involving Giddey made on social media over the past week ... to see if there is any validity to the claims and if any laws were broken.

As we previously reported, anonymous X accounts accused the 21-year-old Australian athlete of having an intimate relationship with a minor based in California ... and pictures and videos of Giddey with an alleged underage girl quickly spread online.

The NBA announced on Friday it was "looking into" the matter ... but so far, Giddey -- who has remained active with the Thunder following the allegations -- has declined to speak on it.

Of course, Giddey could be in trouble both criminally and professionally -- the age of consent in California is 18, while it is 16 in Oklahoma.

Giddey is currently averaging 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 16 games this season.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

The NBA is doing its due diligence amid disturbing allegations surrounding Oklahoma City Thunder player Josh Giddey -- the league just announced it is "looking into" claims he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

TMZ Sports has confirmed the Association is aware of the rumors that have spread on social media this week ... with photos and videos alluding to Giddey being intimate with a high school girl.

Giddey was asked about the speculation at Thunder practice on Friday ... and he remained tight-lipped.

"I understand the question, obviously, but no further comment right now," Giddey said.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was also asked about Giddey's status after practice ... and he declined to comment.

Giddey has seemingly taken himself out of the spotlight on social media following the allegations -- he removed his profile photo and disabled comments on Instagram.

The 21-year-old Australian athlete was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft ... averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists on his career. He received NBA All-Rookie Team honors in 2022.

La compañía de Kim Kardashian shapewear está lanzando una línea para hombres, y la mujer de negocios trajo a uno de los atletas más famosos e influyentes en el mundo para promover la marca... Neymar Jr.

La compañía multimillonaria de Kardashian está entrando en la moda masculina, y Kim quería a un atleta de alto nivel para promover Skims Mens y consiguió a la estrella brasilera de fútbol internacional de 31 años de edad que actualmente juega para Al Hilal en Arabia Saudita.

Además de Neymar, Skims también fichó para la campaña a la estrella de los 49ers Nick Bosa y a la estrella de los OKC Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

"Tener a un icono como Neymar Jr como imagen de nuestra campaña de lanzamiento, junto con el All-Star de la NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander y el mejor jugador defensivo de la NFL, Nick Bosa, creo que dice mucho de la forma en que SKIMS ha evolucionado para convertirse en una marca que puede proporcionar comodidad a todos los públicos, no solo a las mujeres", dijo Kardashian sobre el fichaje de los tres deportistas de élite.

Kim Kardashian's shapewear company is launching a men's line, and KK brought on one of the most famous and influential athletes in the world to promote the brand ... Neymar Jr.!

Kardashian's multi-billion-dollar company is getting into menswear, and Kim wanted a top athlete to promote Skims Mens ... enter the 31-year-old international soccer star from Brazil, who currently plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to Neymar, Skims also signed 49ers star Nick Bosa and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the campaign.

"To have an icon like Neymar Jr be the face of our launch campaign, along with NBA All-Star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and NFL’s top Defensive Player Nick Bosa, I think speaks volumes to the way SKIMS has evolved into becoming a brand that can provide comfort for all audiences, not just for women," Kardashian said of signing the three top athletes.

Former NBA player Enes Kanter says if he threw on a wig, changed his name to "Eneshia" and joined the WNBA ... he'd be the greatest player the org's ever seen -- averaging 60 points and 30 rebounds per game.

The 31-year-old ex-Oklahoma City Thunder star made the claims during an interview with Fox News this week ... while trying to explain why he believes transgender women should be banned from competing against cisgender females.

Kanter said those born as men innately have an unfair advantage over their biological female counterparts due to strength and size discrepancies ... and, to prove his point, he said he'd absolutely dominate the WNBA if it allowed him to play now.

"I'm 7-foot, 270 pounds," he said. "And, if I decided to identify myself as a woman and decided to play in the WNBA ... would that be fair to all the women who have been chasing their dreams since they were a little kid?"

He continued, "If I am allowed in, I will average 60 points and 30 rebounds. I will break records."

Kanter -- who averaged 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his 11-year NBA career -- said he doesn't understand why there's even a debate surrounding the topic ... and he implored both men and women all across the country to join him and speak out.

"Men do not belong in women's spaces," he said. "Restrooms, locker rooms or sports."

"Everybody knows we are bigger, stronger, taller, more muscular," he added. "It's just not fair. It's just not fair, period."

Scary moment for Paul George on Tuesday night ... he suffered a gnarly knee injury in the Clippers' game against the Thunder -- and his status going forward is now in question.

George hurt his leg in the fourth quarter of the contest against OKC -- as he was coming down from grabbing a rebound.

Broadcast cameras showed when he landed on the court, he awkwardly bumped into Luguentz Dort ... causing his knee to bend backward.

The 32-year-old immediately crumpled to the court in pain. Trainers tended to him for several minutes, before they helped him off the floor. George didn't appear able to put any pressure on the leg.

Clips head coach Ty Lue didn't have much of an update on his star after the game -- but, reportedly, George was seen leaving Crypto.com Arena on a cart with his leg locked in an extended position.

Of course, George is no stranger to severe injuries ... back in 2014, he suffered a gruesome broken leg while playing for Team USA. The knee he injured Tuesday was a part of that same leg, though the two ailments don't appear to be related.

The Clippers ended up losing the game without George -- and they'll certainly need him moving forward if they want to avoid more of that ... they're currently in a fight with seven or eight other teams vying for some of the last spots in the playoffs.

Get well soon, PG.

Nerlens Noel's legal battle with Rich Paul is over -- the two sides have settled their dispute ... with the former first-round draft pick agreeing to pay his former agent and Klutch Sports their cut of his $5 million contract with the New York Knicks.

In 2021, Nerlens -- who has earned around $45 million over the course of his career -- filed a lawsuit against Paul and Klutch Sports Group, claiming he lost $58 million in potential earnings when Paul represented him from 2017-2020.

Noel accused Paul -- whose client list includes several other high-profile NBA superstars, including LeBron James -- of advising him to reject a $70 million offer and take a one-year deal instead.

Noel's lawsuit came after Paul filed a grievance with the National Basketball Players Association ... claiming the former center owed him $200,000 in commission for the Knicks deal, per ESPN.

According to Shams Charania, Noel, Paul, and Klutch Sports Group "amicably settled their ongoing dispute" ... with the hooper agreeing to cough over the dough and withdraw all legal proceedings.

In September 2022, District Judge Jane J. Boyle, dismissed Noel's lawsuit ... recommending that the case be addressed within the NBPA's arbitration system.

Patrick Beverley says an OKC ball boy was so furious he injured Russell Westbrook during the 2013 NBA playoffs the guy actually threatened to kill him over the controversial play!

Beverley told the story during a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast ... sharing the wild story with his co-host, Rone, and guest Dave Portnoy.

PB says it all went down during the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs ... when the Rockets played the Thunder.

During the 2nd quarter of game 2, Westbrook, who was taking the ball up the court, was about to signal for a timeout when Bev, guarding Russ, lunged in an attempt to steal the ball, inadvertently contacting Russ' knee.

Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus, ending his season, and turning Beverley into public enemy #1 in the eyes of many OKC fans, including the ball boy, who presumably blamed Pat for the injury.

"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me over the Russell Westbrook injury," Pat said. "I get to OKC the next game, the police officers in front."

"They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel, I'm on the floor by myself. They passing out papers of a young guy's face ... he threatened to kill me."

Pat says his head coach at the time, Kevin McHale, warned him Westbrook's injury had become a hot topic ... and the attempted steal was at the center of the controversy.

But, despite at least one threat to his life, Beverley says he was never phased and was actually upset he didn't come face-to-face with the ball boy.

Devastating news for the OKC Thunder ... Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, is expected to miss his entire rookie season due to a foot injury.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Thunder fear Holmgren -- who stands 7'0" tall and weighs 190 lbs -- suffered ligament damage in his foot.

The worst possible scenario was confirmed just minutes ago -- he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lisfranc injuries vary widely in seriousness ... but often require surgery to the midfoot, where bones are broken and/or ligaments torn. The injury isn't particularly common, but has occurred to NBA players in the past.

Oklahoma City selected Holmgren behind Duke star Paolo Banchero, who went to the Orlando Magic, hoping Chet could be the cornerstone of their franchise moving forward.

Holmgren sustained the foot injury in Jamal Crawford's Pro-Am game in Seattle ... where he was shown limping awkwardly after guarding LeBron James.

In the clip, you see LBJ one-on-one with Chet, who was in retreat mode, and after the 7-footer contested James' bucket, he appears to favor his right foot.

Thunder GM Sam Presti released a statement on Holmgren's injury ... saying, "Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season.

"We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organization and the Oklahoma City community. One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus."

"We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation."

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know who Drake is?!?

The last two people who don't might've ended up courtside next to the megastar at the OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game on Wednesday ... and the interaction is priceless!!!

The "Certified Lover Boy" was sitting in the front row as the Rockets were set to take the court in OKC ... and when cameras started showing Drizzy at his seat, the old guy sitting next to him seemed to ask if he was someone of importance.

Drake was clearly amused by whatever was said -- he starts cracking up and calls for the camera to focus on his new friend ... as Rumble, OKC's mascot, comes over to join in on the fun.

After the interaction, Drake and his new friends even posed for a selfie ... captioning it, "My new parents."

BTW -- Drake was at the game to support fellow Toronto guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ... who chatted it up with him after scoring 39 points in the 114-110 loss.

Dwyane Wade was able to mix in a little golf practice with work Wednesday ... snagging a courtside lesson from PGA Tour star Tony Finau as he watched his Jazz play!!

Utah's new part-owner was taking in the Jazz game against OKC, when at one point during the contest, he turned to Finau to pick his brain about golf.

Cameras in the arena caught Tony giving Wade tips on how to work his hands before striking the ball ... and it seems Dwyane was receptive to the tutoring.

The broadcast announcers knew exactly what was going on, too ... making the scene even funnier.

"That's a free lesson," one said with a laugh.

Of course, the impromptu drills shouldn't surprise anybody ... Dwyane's been an avid golfer since retiring from the Association, and he's been spotted on courses often.

In fact, back in February, he got a 1-on-1 lesson from Tiger Woods ... one in which El Tigre taught him how to line up, tee up his ball and swing closer to his body.

Losing frickin' sucks ... and if you need any proof, just check out Rockets head coach Stephen Silas ... who had an equally sad and hilarious reaction to Houston's 20th-straight loss on Sunday.

The Rockets have become one of the worst teams in the league over the past 2 months ... and haven't won a game since before Valentine's Day(!!!)

After losing a close 114-112 contest to the OKC Thunder on Sunday, Silas was asked if he thought the weight of the losing streak was building and affecting how the Rockets play.

Visibly frustrated, Silas rubs his forehead and goes completely silent for an awkward 10 seconds to gather his thoughts ... before muttering one subdued, "Yeah."

You have to feel for the guy -- Silas is in his first season as an NBA head coach, and he was placed in an extremely tough situation to succeed.

If you don’t remember, James Harden forced his way out of Houston in January to go play in Brooklyn ... and Russell Westbrook was traded before the season even started.

On top of that, emerging star Christian Wood -- who was dominating so far this season -- missed a month due to an ankle injury.

Ever since Wood went down, the Rockets have been awful ... posting an 11-30 record so far this season.

Meyers Leonard is free to stream on Twitch again -- we've learned his ban has been lifted just over a week after he used an anti-Semitic slur during a video game session.

Remember, the former Miami Heat player was playing "Call of Duty" on March 9 when he hurled the K-word at an opposing player.

Twitch immediately blocked Leonard from the platform -- and the NBA hit Meyers with a $50k fine and a 1-week suspension.

Leonard apologized for using the slur and he's been working with various Jewish leaders to educate himself about why the word is dangerous and offensive ever since.

Now, Leonard's Twitch account has been reactivated -- which means he can get back to playing games in front of his 69,000 followers.

So far, Leonard has not logged back on -- and we're told he doesn't plan on doing so for a while -- while he continues to focus on educating himself.

In the meantime, Leonard has been traded from the Miami Heat to the OKC Thunder (though the Thunder don't plan on keeping him) ... and Meyers' wife issued a statement thanking the Heat franchise and the fan base.

"Our experience with the Heat has been anything but ordinary. Yet, it was nothing but exceptional", Elle Leonard said in a statement on social media.

NBA Superstar Russell Westbrook is channeling his inner Ken Burns ... 'cause the Wizards guard is working on a new documentary in hopes of educating people about the atrocities of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

The former MVP and History Channel announced Thursday they're working on a two-hour doc titled "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre" (temporary title) ... with Brodie serving as executive producer and Marco Williams and Emmy-Award winner Stanley Nelson on as directors.

The documentary is said to take a deep look at the events of a century ago and how the impact is still being felt today ... in hopes to educate millions on a 100-year-old tragedy.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, here is a brief run down -- In May and June 1921, a race war erupted in Tulsa, OK after a 19-year-old Black man was accused of assaulting a 17-year-old white woman in an elevator.

Black men went to defend the man after some in the city wanted him lynched ... and an ensuing altercation with white people ignited a massive race war.

This led to one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history ... in which mobs of white residents attacked and ultimately destroyed the Greenwood District in Tulsa, OK, which at that time was the wealthiest black community in the United States -- AKA "Black Wall Street."

Many historians believe the massacre has since been underreported and even covered up ... and Westbrook -- who played in Oklahoma for the Thunder for 11 years -- says he had no idea about the incident until he arrived in OKC in 2009.

"The Tulsa Race Massacre was not something I was taught about in school or in any of my history books," Westbrook said in a statement. "It was only after spending 11 years in Oklahoma that I learned of this deeply troubling and heartbreaking event."

"This is one of many overlooked stories of African Americans in this country that deserves to be told. These are the stories we must honor and amplify, so we can learn from the past and create a better future."

Director Stanley Nelson added ... "The horrific story of the burning of Black Wall Street has long haunted me -- I’m grateful to be working on this film with such wonderful partners."

Kendrick Perkins says James Harden was too busy strip club hoppin' to care about the 2012 NBA Finals ... admitting, "We couldn't get that motherf***er to buy a bucket in that motherf***er."

The ex-NBA big man went IN on his former OKC Thunder teammate on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's "All The Smoke" podcast recently ... saying everyone brought their "A" game against LeBron James and the Miami Heat Big 3.

... except Harden.

"Man, James ain't give a s*** and you know why," Perk said ... "Motherf***ing King of Diamonds and everything cut a hole in his hands."

Perk points out Harden had no issues during the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs that same year ... 'cause there weren't any outside distractions.

"In San Antonio, you didn't have a damn thing to do," Perkins added. "S***, we got to motherf***ing Miami, it was every-motherf***ing-thing to do. We couldn't get that motherf***ker to buy a bucket in that motherf***er."

The numbers don't lie -- Harden averaged 12.4 points in the 5-game series, after averaging 18.5 per game in the previous round against the Spurs.

Of course, the Heat went on to win it all in Game 5 -- securing LeBron's first championship ... and Harden was later traded to Houston, where he became a strip club legend.

The NBA has postponed the Houston Rockets vs. OKC Thunder game set for Wednesday night -- because the Rockets don't have enough players available to field a team due to COVID restrictions.

An NBA team needs at least 8 players to compete -- and the Rockets don't have enough guys.

Here's the deal ... the NBA says, "Three Houston Rockets players have returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus."

Unclear which Rockets players returned the positive or inconclusive COVID tests.

Additionally, the league says 4 more players are quarantined due to the league's contact tracing protocol.

Rockets superstars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are 2 of the players in the contact tracing protocol, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Plus, there's more drama including James Harden, the NBA says the superstar is also unavailable due to "violation of the health and safety protocols."

Harden was spotted partying this week without a mask. Some people claimed Harden was at a strip club but Harden says he was just showing his "home girl love" at a private event.

So, that's a total of 8 guys unavailable for the Rockets -- which leaves them without enough players to field a team. Crappy way to kick off the season.

The Rockets vs. Thunder game was supposed to be one of the NBA's marquee opening night matchups to kick off the 2020-21 season.