WNBA

WNBA star Cameron Brink isn't letting a torn ACL keep her from enjoying the simple things in life ... 'cause the L.A. Sparks hooper posted photos and video cheesin' it up with her BF (and adorable puppy), just a week after suffering the serious injury!

The 22-year-old tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the first quarter of the Sparks' contest against the Connecticut Sun on June 18 ... when Brink drove the lane, and her leg buckled underneath her.

Just like that, the 2024 WNBA season was over for the 2nd overall pick.

The Boston Celtics' championship parade came and went -- and while it was a pretty laid-back affair, the big takeaway is who joined Jaylen Brown for the celebration.

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted WNBA star Kysre Gondrezick sitting in Brown's duck boat as it made its way from TD Garden through the Beantown streets on Friday in honor of the Celtics' 18th NBA title.

Kysre -- a member of the Chicago Sky -- looked rather thrilled to be with the Finals MVP ... smiling as Brown waved to the tons of fans in attendance.

12:45 PM PT -- Cameron Brink just commented on the injury ... and while it clearly broke her heart -- she's vowing to come back stronger than before.

"I will not be derailed and I will continue to love this life," she said on her Instagram page Wednesday afternoon. "I'm not defined by basketball, but it is something that I love deeply and I will work everyday to get back to it. It's not goodbye basketball it’s just a see you later. I’m always so thankful for your thoughts and prayers. 💜💛"

Devastating news for one of the most popular young hoopers in the WNBA -- L.A. Sparks rookie Cameron Brink suffered a left torn ACL during Tuesday night's game ... leaving her sidelined indefinitely.

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."

The Angel Reese/Caitlin Clark rivalry's alive and well ... 'cause Angel just committed a hard foul while Clark was going up for a layup -- smacking her in the side of the head.

The foul occurred just moments ago ... with Clark's Indiana Fever up 63-62 over the Chicago Sky in the third quarter. Check out the clip -- Clark's heading to the hoop when she's taken down by Reese, landing on the hardwood.

While at first, it seems like just a tough foul, the referees call for a break in the action to review the blow ... and, another camera angle shows fans exactly why.

Joey Chestnut's at the center of the biggest competitive eating controversy in over a decade, and now "Jaws" is speaking on camera for the first time since Major League Eating banned him from the Nathan's Hotdog eating contest.

But, there might still be a chance to compete!

The 16-time Mustard Belt Champion was at the Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream game Thursday night -- a contest the Fever won 91-84 -- when he was asked about MLE's decision while talking to On3 Sports.

The Indiana Fever got a rare victory on Thursday, but Caitlin Clark clearly wasn't satisfied with her performance ... honing her craft with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, right after the game.

The superstar rookie was caught on video working out on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court after putting up only 7 points in the Fever's 91-84 win over the Atlanta Dream ... with her man offering up his assistance.

You can see the 6-foot guard taking several mid-range shots while McCaffery played defense ... perhaps to get the not-so-great shooting performance outta her system -- as Clark went 1-6 from three and 3-11 from the field in the contest.

If going up against little kids on the basketball court was an Olympic sport, Caitlin Clark would certainly make the team ... 'cause the Indiana Fever superstar blocked the hell outta a youngin' at a charity event!!

The hilarious highlight went down at Gainbridge's Habitat for Humanity event this week ... when CC playfully went 1-on-1 with a lucky fan in attendance.

In a clip from the gathering, the boy is shown dribbling up the court as Clark played D ... and even though he was barely 3-feet tall, he pulled up with a shot attempt over the 6-foot guard.

Team USA selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti is addressing the outrage over leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympics roster ... saying it simply came down to putting together the best possible squad -- not the most popular.

Many considered the 2024 WNBA No. 1 overall pick's omission from competing in Paris a snub ... or at least called it a bad move, as Clark's presence in the sport has attracted a ton of new fans who could tune in to the Summer Games to watch the superstar in action.

Rizzotti defended the team on Tuesday ... and specifically spoke about Clark.

The critique of Caitlin Clark by her WNBA peers continued on Monday night ... when a Sun player was so pissed over the way the rookie appeared to embellish a foul call -- she actually mocked her right on the court.

The moment happened during the Fever's game against Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena ... when in the second quarter of the tilt, DiJonai Carrington nudged a driving Clark, and was whistled for a foul.

Carrington clearly believed the Indiana guard flopped to get the call ... so she taunted her. She threw her head and neck back to imitate the exaggerated motions that Clark made on the play -- which seemed to tick off the former Iowa superstar.

Bill Maher believes Caitlin Clark is being targeted by some of her WNBA peers because she's straight and white.

The TV host discussed the Indiana Fever star and her recent in-game altercation with Chennedy Carter on last week's episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher" ... and he made it clear, he thinks CC's sexuality and race did have roles in the incident.

Maher said WNBA players "f***ing hate" the rookie ... and when he later expounded on why -- he said, "it's everything," including her skin color and her sexual preferences.

The Caitlin Clark racism narrative is largely fake news ... so says Dan Dakich who tells us the hate towards the number one overall pick is pure jealousy!

Clark's been gettin' beat up since her WNBA debut last month -- we all saw what Chennedy Carter did to the Fever superstar last weekend -- so we asked Dakich, a former Indiana Hoosier player and coach, if it's just basketball ... or something else.

"Of course, she's being targeted," Dakich, host of Outkick's "Don't @ Me" told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (prior to the Olympic team snub).

Caitlin Clark's addressing the snub heard round the world ... getting candid about missing out on the Olympics after she was shockingly left off the roster.

The first-round pick addressed all the hubbub Sunday ... and, she says she's totally cool with the choice -- expressing her excitement for the players who did make the team.

Clark said, in part, "I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could’ve gone either way, me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m excited for them, gonna be rooting them on to win gold."

Magic Johnson tells TMZ Sports he's loving what he's seeing from Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese so far in the WNBA ... praising the rookies for how they're transitioning to the pros.

We spoke briefly with the NBA legend out in L.A. this week as he was getting hounded by autograph seekers ... and he made it clear, he's a big fan of the W's newest stars.

He said emphatically they're "doing great things" -- helping their league explode in popularity.

Caitlin Clark will not be a part of the Team USA squad that goes for a record 8th-straight gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris, and basketball fans are puzzled by the move!

According to multiple reports, 22-year-old Clark, the most famous female hooper in the world, was not named to the 12-player squad ... which will represent America in France next month.

An official announcement has not yet been made, but the team is made up of a mix of veterans and first-time Olympians. But, no Clark.

The guy behind the viral 'Crazy' trend on TikTok is reaping a ton of benefits after setting the internet on fire with the latest frenzy -- and he's already got a gig out of it ... with the WNBA.

We talked to Stephen Glickman -- who's already famous from the "Big Time Rush" show -- on "The TMZ Podcast," where he discussed his now-viral TikTok sound ... in which he does a slow, dramatic rendition of Gnarls Barkley's 2006 hit, "Crazy." Tons of stars have hopped on the trend -- lip-syncing to his track and sharing something cringe-worthy from their past.

There's nothing cringey about Stephen's success, however ... 'cause he says he's set to perform a WNBA halftime show soon. SG tells us he and his band are gonna fly out to Las Vegas ... where he will perform for the sold-out crowd at the Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx game.