NBA

Comedian Shane Gillis can't get enough of TikTokkin' Sixers rookie Jared McCain -- in fact, he says he pours his heart to the hooper when he's drunk ... but so far, he's being left on read.

The "Tires" actor made the hilarious admission during a recent episode of "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" ... when he said he's a huge fan of how McCain can balance being a professional basketball player and social media sensation at the same time.

"There's a bro I like right now," Gillis said. "His anima is fully liberated. Jared McCain for the Sixers. He's the guy doing the f***ing TikTok dances. His anima's out. He does not care."

Caitlin Clark and Connor McCaffery had the best seats in the house for the Indiana Pacers game on Monday ... sitting courtside with Tyrese Haliburton's girlfriend for the matchup!!

The former Iowa basketball players were spotted at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Pacers' home contest against the New Orleans Pelicans ... and they appeared to be in great spirits.

The Fever star's presence certainly didn't go unnoticed ... as fans in attendance chanted her name.

7:04 AM PT -- The Sixers apparently caved to the trolling ... 'cause the post was just scrubbed from the team's X account.

The Philadelphia 76ers got a lesson in Graphic Design 101 on Sunday ... when the team used a throwback font to share the final score of the game on social media -- but it ended up being the butt of countless jokes.

The Sixers' X account -- which utilized retro theming to match the squad's classic jerseys worn for the matchup with the L.A. Clippers -- posted the end results of the contest.

Instead of focusing on the 125-99 defeat, many noticed the word "final" in the graphic looked a lot like "anal" ... and naturally, plenty of users pointed it out.

Charles Barkley is making it clear -- he hates the way the Lakers are handling Bronny James' rookie season ... calling it flat-out "stupid."

The Round Mound of Rebound went in on L.A. during an appearance on "The Bettor Angle" over the weekend ... after he was asked if he liked the Lakers' G League plan for LeBron's oldest son so far.

If you've missed it, the 20-year-old has been playing home games for the South Bay Lakers ... before joining Dad's squad for road tilts.

A major piece of LeBron and Bronny James history is up for grabs ... with the jerseys the father-son duo wore in their season-opening game hitting the auction block TOGETHER -- and, yeah, they ain't gonna come cheap.

The one-of-a-kind memorabilia set is available via Sotheby's ... and has already reached $70,000 with almost two weeks left for bidding.

Both jerseys are believed to have been worn for the Lakers' first game of the 2024-25 campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 ... which L.A. won 110-103. LeBron scored 16 points in the contest ... adding four assists and five rebounds.

Heartbreaking news from Isaiah Thomas -- the NBA player just announced his older sister has passed away.

The 35-year-old point guard mourned the loss Wednesday evening ... posting an Instagram story tribute to LaQuisha Baldtrip.

"Ima miss you, big sis!!!" Thomas said on the post. "Damn, how you leave me too?"

Pete Davidson isn't keeping a low profile after inaccurate rumors about his personal life circulated on the Internet ... including a false claim he was in rehab after suffering a heartbreak.

Check it out ... the "Saturday Night Live" alum was all smiles while sitting courtside at the Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center Tuesday evening. Dressed in a brown Lehigh Athletics sweatshirt, white beanie, and jeans, Pete looked to be in high spirits ... which may've been because his mom, Amy, was by his side.

The Nets had a good game, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 116 to 115 in the Emirates NBA Cup face-off. So, Pete had plenty to smile about Tuesday night.

Philadelphia 76ers' rookie Jared McCain still makes time for social media and Spotify streaming -- and is adding his 2 cents to the All-RapCaviar Teams debate!!!

RapCaviar's editors recruited JM to vote for his 2024 Rapper and Rookie of the Year ... likely a much more fun task than Tuesday's team meeting where the 76ers argued about being last place in the Eastern Conference!!!

Arguments are flying left and right over the selections ... Drake is Spotify's top rapper in terms of streams but was only selected to the 3rd Team, and the 2024 Rap Wars were an undeniable factor!!!

Chicago Bulls legend Bob Love has passed away following a battle with cancer, the team announced. He was 81 years old.

"Bob is one of the original Bulls greats," Jerry Reinsdorf, Chicago Bulls chairman, said in a statement. "During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Bob became a cornerstone of the franchise, and his tenacious defense set high standards for competition and toughness."

"Toughness was not only a trademark of Bob’s play on the court, but also apparent in his resiliency throughout his basketball career."

The concerning videos that former NBA player Kyle Singler has been posting to social media this month have caught the attention of local authorities, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Medford Police Department in Oregon tells us ... cops "are aware" of the vids Singler's been putting up on his Instagram page this past week -- though the rep did not release any further information.

"We are not going to make any comment on any mental health matter with our citizens," the spokesperson said.

LaMelo Ball is adamant he's not a bigot ... telling reporters Sunday that even though he used some anti-gay language earlier in the weekend, he has "love for everybody."

Ball was fined by the NBA just prior to his Sunday evening meeting with the media ... after league officials deemed the "no homo" comment he made in a postgame interview on Saturday "offensive and derogatory."

Ball told journalists following the Hornets' 128-114 loss to the Cavaliers that he "really didn't mean anything" by the remark ... and he doesn't "want to offend anybody."

Just because Bronny James is bouncing between the NBA and G League doesn't mean his hoops career is cooked ... so says Metta World Peace, who tells TMZ Sports the Lakers rookie is getting a great opportunity to develop.

James -- the 55th overall pick -- was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Nov. 7 ... after the guard averaged 0.7 points, and 2.7 minutes of playing time in six games with the big dogs.

It's not your average move, though ... as Bronny will only play home games for South Bay and continue to travel with his pops and the rest of his Lakers teammates for NBA games as well.

Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, is calling on everyone to keep the jokes and memes coming about the Miami Heat legend's new statue ... telling TMZ Sports all the silly comments only make it that much more of a must-see attraction!!

We caught up with the future Hall of Famer's oldest out at LAX this week ... and asked him what the fam REALLY thinks of the team's permanent tribute to Dwyane outside the Kaseya Center -- especially after all the reactions it got on social media.

It turns out D-Wade wasn't lying when he said he loved it ... 'cause Zaire doubled down and said that's how they all feel about the honor.

Like father, like son!!

Kiyan Anthony just announced he'll be playing college basketball at Syracuse -- following the footsteps of his former NBA superstar dad, Carmelo!

The 17-year-old guard revealed his decision between USC and 'Cuse on Melo's "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast on Friday ... with his dad and mom, La La Anthony, by his side.

The Long Island Lutheran High School star thanked the USC and Syracuse coaching staffs for the recruitment process ... before taking out an Orange cap and putting it on his head.

Nearly getting run over by a Knicks player apparently has a place alongside Oscars and blockbuster movie credits for Anne Hathaway ... 'cause she just revealed her scary encounter with OG Anunoby earlier this week was actually on her "bucket list!"

Hathaway took to her Instagram page on Thursday night to address the close call she had on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden ... and she was surprisingly jovial about it all.

In a selfie video, she said "I almost got crashed into last night!" before adding, "I always wanted that to happen!"