But Reed's teammate, Ron Holland II, took exception and stepped up to Clarkson. Clarkson pushed Holland, and the two squared up but were separated before either could throw punches.
However, that did not stop referees from ejecting them both from the game.
The Pistons attempted to fight back after trailing by as many as 29 points. They made it a five-point game late in the fourth, but Utah pulled away to take home a 126-119 win.
Collin Sexton scored 30 points and Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jazz to the victory. For Utah, it was just their sixth victory in 26 games this season. Detroit fell to 11-17.
NBA ratings have declined by roughly 25% from last year.
Two NBA fans did their part to boost the league’s declining ratings.
During the New York Knicks’ blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night, two women were tackled to the ground by security after they ran onto the court.
The bizarre incident happened with just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter and was captured by the TNT broadcast.
Video shows the women running down from the stands.
One is captured before barely stepping foot on the court, while the other made it to the middle of the court before being taken down. The latter was carried off the court by several security guards.
One image shared on social media showed Karl-Anthony Towns, who dropped 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in his return to Minnesota, staring one of the women down as he stood over her.
Trinity Rodman, the daughter of five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, called out her father for the "joke" apology he posted on social media after an interview the soccer star gave earlier this week when she spoke out about their strained relationship.
Appearing on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Trinity spoke openly about their relationship and said the NBA Hall of Famer has largely been absent from her life.
"He’s not a dad. Maybe by blood, but nothing else," she said.
The interview prompted the former Chicago Bulls star to issue his own apology on social media, claiming that he’s previously been told not to attend her games and that Trinity had been told to ignore his repeated attempts to contact her.
"Sorry I wasn’t the Dad you wanted me to be but either way I still tried and I still Try and Never will Stop. I will keep Trying even when you’re being told as an adult not to respond to my phone calls. I will try even when it’s difficult and if it takes a long time.
"I’m always here And tell you all the time rather it’s your voice or voicemail how proud I am. I always had one wish and it was I wish my kids would call me and come see me. Hopefully one day I can get that. I’m here and I’m still trying pick up the phone you have my number, You see me calling, I’m still here."
"A joke," she wrote to her Instagram story Thursday. "The response alone. And the attention. Wiping my hands with it and I’m done. Thank you."
Trinity, who also plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League, called her father an "extremely selfish human being" during the lengthy interview.
"I think everything has always been about him. He's gone through s---, but at the same time, I'm like, he loves the spotlight. He loves the cameras. He loves bringing his children on stage and being like, ‘Oh, these are my kids.’ All that stuff and even the mind … the mind f---, but like, for me emotionally, he's put me through, like, oh my gosh."
Trinity’s mother, Michelle Moyer, divorced Dennis Rodman in 2012. In the podcast, she said her mother tried to shield her and her brother, DJ Rodman, who plays in the NBA's G League, from their father’s chaotic lifestyle growing up.
The league's declining ratings have stretched far beyond just the first week and have continued as Christmas Day, normally an NBA spectacle, approaches.
Many reasons have been tossed around as to why ratings are down, but the common suggestion is that the regular season is becoming a lot like what the All-Star Game has been recently.
In recent years, the midseason contest has become full of deep 3-pointers, uncontested dunks and almost zero defense. Now, we are seeing a record pace of 3-pointers made, missed and taken in general, all while a lack of defense has become apparent.
This year, the NBA All-Star Game will be a four-team tournament the league hopes will add some competitive juice.
LeBron James admitted "the last couple of years have not been a great All-Star Game," but he knows the NBA faces bigger issues, and the 3-pointer might be largely to blame.
"Listen, it's a bigger conversation. It's not just the All-Star Game, it's our game in general. Our game, there's a lot of f---ing threes being shot. So it's a bigger conversation than just the All-Star Game," James said Thursday.
James is averaging 5.7 3-pointers attempted per game; his career-high is eight from the 2021-22 season. He added that "something had to change" regarding the All-Star Game.
"I was not part of the committee. It's different, but I don't know. We'll see. We'll see when we get there. It's different. Obviously, any time you make some type of change, there's gonna be some [blowback]. I don't know. I have my ideas of what could possibly work, but I'm not gonna do that. We gotta do something."
Ratings for games on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV are down 25% from last year. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently pointed at a lack of cable TV in households as a contributing factor.
If it looked as though Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was irate with referees at the end of Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, that would be incorrect to assume. At least, that is what Mazzulla would like people to think.
Following the 117-108 loss, Mazzulla charged the court looking to have words with official Justin Van Duyne seemingly in reference to the back-to-back technicals the official gave him and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter.
Several people had to hold Mazzulla back. He was eventually ushered off the court without incident.
During his postgame presser, Mazzulla said he received a technical for walking on the court – something he admitted he should not have done. However, when asked what "message" he was trying to deliver at the end of the game, Mazzulla had an interesting explanation.
"I hadn’t seen them in a while, so just a ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,’" he said with a serious expression.
"I wasn’t sure I was gonna see them before the holiday, and you just can’t let a moment go by where you wish someone the best to them and their families."
Brown, however, was not wishing anyone a happy holiday in his interactions with game officials.
"I said to (Van Duyne), ‘You called a tech for no reason.’ He said, ‘If you say to it me again, I’m going to call another tech,’" Brown said, explaining that he approached Van Duyne to clarify what Mazzulla’s tech was for.
"You can’t threaten guys with a technical foul, that’s not part of the game either. If you want to fine guys for gesturing and all that stuff – fine that. That’s some bulls---."
Mazzulla will have the chance to spread some more holiday cheer when the two teams meet again on Saturday.
Fewer people are watching the NBA than in previous years, including some of the sport's top names.
Ratings for NBA games on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV are down 25% through Saturday, according to Sports Media Watch, and there are many ideas floating about why.
Three-pointer propensity and lack of defense are the two main bugaboos observers point to.
And it's become clear that players rest more often than they used to, and that the regular season has been watered down in recent years.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the declining ratings, and one would think the coach of the reigning champions would defend his game — but that was not the case.
"I add to that I don’t watch NBA games. I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else," Mazzulla admitted, adding he'd "rather watch something else.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently pointed to "the decline of cable" TV as a factor in the lower ratings.
"Our young audience isn’t subscribing to cable, and those fans aren’t finding our games," he said.
The league has attempted to rejuvenate the regular season by adding the NBA Cup, which ended this week with the Milwaukee Bucks victorious in Las Vegas. However, most fans don't take the NBA Cup seriously, despite the money at stake.
It should be noted that TV ratings for men's college basketball and the NHL are also down 21% and 28%, respectively, from last season. Women's college basketball is also down 38%, but former Iowa star Caitlin Clark also drew historic numbers that were bound to decline.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman apologized to his daughter, Trinity, after the soccer player aired out some family issues on a podcast.
Trinity Rodman appeared on the "Call Me Daddy" podcast and called her father an "extremely selfish human being" as she dished about her strained relationship with him.
The former Chicago Bulls star wrote a message directed at Trinity in a post on Instagram.
"Sorry I wasn’t the Dad you wanted me to be but either way I still tried and I still Try and Never will Stop," he wrote. "I will keep Trying even when you’re being told as an adult not to respond to my phone calls. I will try even when it’s difficult and if it takes a long time. I’m always here And tell you all the time rather it’s your voice or voicemail how proud I am.
"I always had one wish and it was I wish my kids would call me and come see me. Hopefully one day I can get that. I’m here and I’m still trying pick up the phone you have my number, You see me calling, I’m still here."
He added that he watches her compete in the National Women’s Soccer League.
"FYI: I watch you play All the time actually flew in to watch you play and was told not to show up bc who I was with instead and me just wanting to support you," he added. "So I watched you from my hotel balcony just to make everybody happy. I love All My Kids."
Trinity Rodman spoke at length about the frustrating relationship she had with the former NBA player and expressed frustration about giving him sympathy.
"It's just hard because it's like even now I'm trying to be honest about it, and I'm still giving him sympathy, which is frustrating for me because, in reality, I think he's an extremely selfish human being," she said.
"I think everything has always been about him. He's gone through s---, but at the same time, I'm like, he loves the spotlight. He loves the cameras. He loves bringing his children on stage and being like, ‘Oh, these are my kids.’ All that stuff and even the mind … the mind f---, but like, for me emotionally, he's put me through like, oh my gosh."
It is no secret the NBA ratings have fallen on hard times.
Top stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are in the twilight of their future Hall of Fame careers, and budding young players like Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant have yet to truly capture the fervent attention of a broader basketball audience.
Rick Pitino, the current St. John’s men’s basketball coach and former head coach of the Boston Celtics, offered his two cents on how to increase ratings.
"It has been reported that the NBA ratings are down 28% this year alone," he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. "Suggestion, bring back hand checking and more physicality. The players are too strong, too quick, and have become amazing shooters."
Everyone and their mother seems to have an idea about why the game has not drawn as much interest as it once did. The increase in 3-point shooting, stars deciding against playing on back-to-back nights and fans’ interests elsewhere during the regular season have all been named as potential factors.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver seemed to agree with the latter.
"We’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are in traditional television," Silver told The Athletic. "And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which will enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service.
"And as we move to streaming service, putting aside how the actual game is played on the floor, it’s going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can’t do through traditional television. All kinds of new functionality, all kinds of new options and screens that are available.
"The vast majority of people consume us through media, not in person. So we have to pay a lot of attention."
American soccer star Trinity Rodman spoke out against her father, former NBA champion Dennis Rodman, during an interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast this week.
Trinity, who plays for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), reflected on the strained relationship she has with her father, despite his efforts to help maintain a close public image. She insisted she finds it "frustrating" whenever she is doing interviews and is asked about her father, due to the "trauma" that she has held inside about him.
"I think we never want to make him look bad, and that is at the cost of kind of holding in a lot and a lot of issues that we’ve gone through and just trauma per se," she said in the episode. "I just feel like I’ve been in a place of going through interviews where people are like, ‘Oh, was your dad there? What’s your dad feeling?’ and I feel like I try to make it obvious that I don’t know."
Trinity says she is even frustrated with herself at times for giving sympathy to her father, especially when he tries to flaunt his children in public.
"It's just hard because it's like even now I'm trying to be honest about it, and I'm still giving him sympathy, which is frustrating for me because in reality, I think he's an extremely selfish human being," she said.
"I think everything has always been about him. He's gone through s---, but at the same time, I'm like, he loves the spotlight. He loves the cameras. He loves bringing his children on stage and being like, ‘Oh, these are my kids.’ All that stuff and even the mind… the mind f---, but like, for me emotionally, he's put me through like, oh my gosh."
Trinity added that she doesn't have her father's number saved in her phone and that they will often go months without talking at all. But despite their long gaps in communicating, she claimed that he will still reach out to her to invite her to appear in a reality TV show alongside him.
According to her, simply hearing his voice is "painful," and oftentimes when he calls her, he's drunk.
At one point, Trinity said that her father attempted to call her from a different phone number that was based in Texas, then left her a voicemail that was too long for her to feel comfortable listening to.
"He’s been trying to call me, and it’s a Texas number. Didn’t know he lived in Texas, so that’s news to me. So, I’m just thinking it’s spam risk, all this stuff and I’m like, ‘Okay. They’re just spam calls. Ignore them.’ I get those all the time, so I was ignoring it, and then I see voicemails from it, and then I look, and I hear it for a second. I was like, ‘F---,’ and I think I heard it for a second because I saw that the voicemail was 40 seconds long. I was like, ‘Nah. I’m not doing that,’ and it’s just like a hit or miss day for me. It’s like if I want to go through that or not, and I’m just like, ‘No," she said.
The Charlotte Hornets may have misunderstood the purpose of the season of giving.
The team came under fire this week after someone on social media claimed a young fan involved with an on-court skit during Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers was tricked out of receiving a new video game console.
Toward the end of the second quarter, the fan’s letter to Santa was read at the arena. In it, he asked for a PS5. In the video shared online, the team’s mascot can be seen handing over a bag containing the gift.
The elated fan walked off the court with his gift. But, behind the scenes, the team reportedly took the gift back. According to a post online, the PS5 was taken away, and the young fan was instead given a jersey.
The post made its rounds on social media Tuesday, and the Hornets issued an apology.
"During last night's game there was an on-court skit that missed the mark. The skit included bad decision making and poor communication. Simply put, we turned the ball over, and we apologize," the statement, via WCNC, said.
"We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but to exceeding expectations."
The Hornets added that the fan will receive the video game console and a "VIP experience" at another game.
"Our goal is and will remain to elevate the guest experience for every person that enters Spectrum Center and to show our fans how much we appreciate their relentless support."
The next home game for the Hornets will be Monday, Dec. 23, when they host the Houston Rockets.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Latvian basketball star Janis Timma, who briefly played in the NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic, has died, the team said in a statement. He was 32.
Timma died by suicide in Moscow, according to multiple reports.
"We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of Janis Timma, who was a member of Orlando’s Summer League team in 2021 and spent time with Lakeland (now Osceola) of the NBA G League in 2021-2022," the Magic said in a statement posted on X.
"Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and all that were close to him."
Timma primarily played in Latvia before he was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013. He also played in Russia, Greece, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Spain.
Timma never got to appear in a regular-season NBA game. The Grizzlies traded him to the Magic in June 2015. He went viral in 2021 when he made his Summer League debut for the Magic.
In 16 minutes, he scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
"We are all shocked and saddened to learn the tragic news, that our former player, Janis Timma has passed away at the age of 32," Olympiacos said in a statement posted on X. "We will always remember him for his kind heart and his smile.
"Wishing to his family and his loved t strength and peace during this time of grief. Jani, May You Find Eternal Peace. You will be missed."
Timma’s ex-wife Anna Sedokova broke her silence on his death in videos posted to her Instagram Stories, according to Newsweek.
"I have never understood how people who have this in their lives can record stories," she said. "But now I beg you, please, I have a child, he is small, he should not know anything.
"You have no idea what hell I have lived through over the last few years. I just have to save my child from this information. Please, I beg you not to share anything."
Phoenix Suns great Dick Van Arsdale, who was the first player picked in the franchise’s expansion draft to build the team, has died, the team announced on Monday. He was 81.
Van Arsdale, who was a second-round pick of the New York Knicks in 1965, played three seasons with the team before he went to Phoenix. He played for the Suns from 1968 to 1977.
"The first selection in the expansion draft to build the Suns roster and the scorer of the first points in team history, Van Arsdale was a cornerstone of the Suns organization," the team said in a news release. "He earned three All-Star selections, was a member of the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals in 1976 and retired as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in 1977.
"Beloved throughout the Suns organization and fanbase, Van Arsdale held several positions with the team, including broadcaster and front office executive, following his 12-year NBA career."
A team spokesman told The Associated Press that the franchise had received the news from his family. A cause of death was not immediately released.
The tragic school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin on Monday was top of mind for Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers on Monday, as he addressed the media with an opening statement about the situation.
"Not a lot to say. Just a shame that this keeps happening," Rivers said about the shooting that left two dead, and six others injured.
"Kids can’t go to school safe, and it just seems like we don’t do anything about it. I’m not going to get up here on the podium and give a long speech except for it’s just bad. We’re thinking about them."
"It’s just sad, it really is. It’s sad. The gun violence. …I just don’t know what point [we say enough]," Rivers said, via Yahoo Sports.
"The guns are the terrorist, and until we understand that we’re going to keep having terrorist attacks. It’s sad."
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has also spoken out about gun violence, including recently with his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race.
At least two people were killed, and six others were injured in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.
On Monday afternoon, Madison Police Chief Shon Barners said a teacher and a teen student were killed, while noting the shooter’s family has been cooperating with police. Two students remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, while a teacher and three others were injured with non-life-threatening injuries.
Madison Police have not yet released the gender or age of the shooter. They identified a "juvenile" dead at the scene who is believed to be responsible for the shooting, which occurred with a handgun.
"Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened," Barnes said.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich thanked supporters in a statement on Monday as he continued to recover from a "mild stroke" he suffered in November.
Popovich, 75, has been sidelined indefinitely recovering from the health issue.
"This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and me. As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we’ve received during this time has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way," the statement read. "While I wish I could get back to each one of you, for now, let me say that my family and I are forever grateful. We’re thankful for our wonderful community, the entire Spurs organization, and our family and friends.
"No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process. They’ve quickly learned that I’m less coachable."
Popovich is the NBA’s career leader with 1,401 victories and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles. He is in his 29th season, all with San Antonio.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said Thursday that LeBron James is away from the team due to "personal reasons."
Redick called it an "excused absence," as James' status for Friday is up in the air – he was already dealing with a foot injury and missed Wednesday's game, his first of the year.
Turning 40 later this month, it seems that Father Time may just be sneaking up on the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
In fact, Redick admitted that James has felt "gassed" and the team feels they are mismanaging his minutes in his 22nd season. Redick also said James has asked to be taken out of a couple of games for some breaks.
"For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest," Redick said.
James expressed a desire earlier this season to play in all 82 games, but both he and the Lakers are now being practical with the inevitable minor injuries that arise during any season.
While he already has six triple-doubles this season – including four-straight at one point – his 23.0 points per game are the lowest he's posted since his rookie season, over 20 years ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James looks like his vintage self on the glass and passing; he's averaging 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, both over his career totals. However, his three-point shooting has taken a dip.
Through 15 games, he hit three-pointers at a career-best 43.0% clip. In his next seven, though, he hit just four of 34 and had missed 20 in a row. He did go 6 for 11 from deep in his last game, dropping 39 points, but that was just the second time he eclipsed 20 in his last seven games.
The Lakers are on a 3-7 skid since their 10-4 start to the season, but Redick remains confident in their ability to fix the problems that have bedeviled them recently in offensive consistency and defensive intensity. Redick also said he has spoken frequently with James and Anthony Davis about the Lakers' ability to stay mentally strong during bad stretches.
Separately, news of James' absence followed UFC star Colby Covington's rant about the all-time leading scorer where he questioned James' alleged ties to disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and his now-infamous "Diddy Parties."
James was recently confronted by an NFL fan who accused him of attending Combs’ parties until security intervened. It is not known if James attended any of Combs’ parties in the past or not.
Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are among a group of minority stakeholders joining the ownership group of the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Wednesday.
Jozy Altidore, the former U.S. men’s national soccer team star, is also in the group of 10.
This is the first time in franchise history the Pegula family has brought in secondary shareholders for their team. The Pegulas remain the principal owners.
According to the Bills, the private equity firm Arctos is also entering the fold as part of the new ownership group. Arctos has stakes in many leagues, including the NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS.
It is unclear just how much each new shareholder paid for a piece of the team, which is valued at $4.2 billion, according to Forbes.
For McGrady and Carter, ownership runs in the family now. They are cousins who played as teammates early in their illustrious NBA careers with the Toronto Raptors.
McGrady was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, and Carter entered in October.
McGrady was a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection and a two-time scoring champion over his 15-year career.
"T-Mac" spent his first three years in Toronto after being taken ninth overall in the 1997 NBA Draft. But his All-Star seasons — seven straight — came with the Orlando Magic over four seasons, followed by the Houston Rockets, where he was an All-Star three out of his six seasons with the team.
McGrady also played for the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks before ending his career in 2012.
Carter spent 22 seasons in the NBA, earning eight All-Star bids and two All-NBA nods. Most of his seasons came with the Raptors, who just retired his No. 15. He averaged 23.4 points per game over 403 games with the franchise.
Carter moved on to the New Jersey Nets, followed by the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Magic, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Carter retired after the 2019-20 campaign.
UFC star Colby Covington wasted no time taking shots during a media appearance Wednesday, but he didn't target upcoming opponent Joaquin Buckley.
Covington instead ripped into NBA superstar LeBron James.
It wasn’t a question from a reporter that prompted Covington to launch into a rant about basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
He started off his press conference by questioning James about an old video that resurfaced with James talking to disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs about his now-infamous "Diddy Parties."
"I’m gonna start this off, you know, since I’m the man of the hour, man of the show," Covington said. "I want to ask Lebron what does he mean by, ‘There’s no party like a Diddy party.’ I truly want to know. And not only that, LeBron, how many Diddy parties have you actually been to? I’m really curious to know. And is that the reason you left social media because all the backlash you were getting for going to so many Diddy parties?"
The comment Covington is talking about was an old Instagram Live of "P. Diddy" and James in which the basketball star said, "Ain’t no party like a Diddy party," which the music mogul loved.
It's a comment that didn’t age well since Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17.
Authorities alleged Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his business, which includes Bad Boy Entertainment, and he would frequently have "Freak Offs," described as "elaborate produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," according to an indictment.
James was recently confronted by an NFL fan who accused him of attending Combs’ parties until security intervened. It’s unknown whether James attended any of Combs’ parties in the past.
"It’s pathetic, man," Covington added. "People think this guy is a role model. He wants to defund the police, the most patriotic people in America, serving and protecting our country.
"LeBron, you’re a f---ing scumbag, and I hope you get locked up in the same cell with Diddy."
James wasn’t the only target of Covington, who also took shots at fellow fighter Jon "Bones" Jones, among other fighters in the sport.
Covington has been vocal about James in the past, and he’s always been one to speak his mind and stir some controversy during media appearances.
The American fighter is 17-4 in his UFC career. He lost his last fight at UFC 296 against Leon Edwards. He’s 2-3 in his last five fights, with his last win coming against Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith appeared to be stunned on Friday as he learned about how much OnlyFans model Sophie Rain earned from her content and how much one fan paid for access.
Rain posted her yearly earnings from OnlyFans on social media, which showed she raked in more than $43.5 million. One fan, named Charley, appeared to spend more than $4.7 million and Rain posted a screen-recorded video showing the fan tipping her $200 at a time.
Smith noted the earnings were more than some NBA players.
"Sophie Rain made more money on OnlyFans than many of the NBA’s biggest stars," Smith said on "The Stephen A. Smith Show." "Ladies and gentlemen, look at this list right here – Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Edwards, look at the money that they’re making.
"This platform has grown so much that, in 2023, OnlyFans, content creators earned a total of $6.6 billion, which exceeds the total of salaries earned by the entire National Basketball Association ($6.6 billion vs. $4.9 billion), according to Basketball Forever.
"Miss Rain says she is a devout Christian and a virgin. So Sophie made $43 million and almost $5 million from Charley. I guess he might be the horniest man in America, huh?"
Rain, 20, has maintained that the figure is real and pushed back on any notion to the contrary.
She also advised other girls like her not to think being an OnlyFans content creator is all "sunshine and rainbows."
"I do not want girls to think oh if sophie rain is making this i should do it too," she wrote on X last week. "this career is not sunshine and rainbows 24/7 and if you don’t make it big, it will NOT be worth it. anyone who is doing it i wish you all success, but please don’t quit your jobs for this."
Brown told the media after the 130-120 victory over the Pistons that he expected to hear from the NBA for his actions.
Well, he has been hit with a $25,000 fine.
It's only the second fine in the NBA this season for an "obscene gesture," according to Spotrac. Anthony Edwards was fined $35,000 for giving the middle finger.
Players were hit with fines last year due to gestures, perhaps most notably Rudy Gobert, when he seemed to indicate that referees had money on a game. That cost him $100,000.
Brown had 28 points with nine assists, and Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Celtics to their ninth victory in 10 games.
The Celtics held a double-digit lead until the fourth quarter, when Detroit hit four straight three-pointers to come within eight points, 109-101, and force Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to put Brown back in.
The Pistons cut it to five in the final minute on Tobias Harris' three-pointer, but Payton Pritchard's late three sealed it.
It has been five years since the controversy sparked by Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey led to Chinese broadcasters not airing games in the country. Morey posted on social media that he supported anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Chinese officials wanted Morey fired in 2019 after he showed his support for the anti-government protests, leading to a disagreement with China on this issue.
In turn, Chinese broadcasts reacted by not airing two preseason games played in the country after the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets traveled to play there.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the league had suffered "dramatic" financial losses due to corporate sponsors fleeing and other factors.
However, back in October, Silver said he felt a return was possible. NBA players have made numerous appearances in China over the years, despite the fractured relationship between the league and country.
The league has been under fire for its business partnerships with China for years, in part because of league-backed training camps in Xinjiang, where the government represses the Uyghur population. The United States government has deemed it genocide by China.
That was recently brought up to Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, who posted on X that he is against "Chinese and all human rights violations." However, he does agree with the NBA exporting its content to China because the league gets "paid for it."
Enes Kanter Freedom, a former NBA center, testified before Congress in 2023, arguing his criticism of China’s treatment of the Uyghur people affected his NBA career. Kanter Freedom has even suggested the NBA is run by "the Chinese dictatorship."
Fox News' Scott Thompson and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
