Basketball

LeBron James got an awesome early birthday gift last night ... playing one of his favorite video games, Madden, in an empty SoFi Stadium, on the huge video board -- all while drinking his Lobos tequila.

James -- who turns 38 on Dec. 30 -- started celebrating early this year ... partaking in one of his favorite past times, playing video games, in arguably the NFL's best stadium.

And, he had it all to himself!

"Happy Early bday gift from my guy DJ Bamboozle," James wrote on Instagram. "Appreciate you, bro."

In addition to the dope setup, DJ Bamboozle had the words "Happy Birthday LeBron" written on the scoreboard.

Naturally, LBJ spent most of the night on the sticks, playing a friend in Madden. It's unclear who won. In between plays, Bron sipped on his Lobos 1707 tequila.

The threads LeBron James wore as he secured his second NBA Finals MVP can be yours -- but ya better have some serious coin layin' around to pay for it!!

Sotheby's Auction tells TMZ Sports ... the King's Game 7 jersey from the classic 2013 series against the Spurs is hitting the block -- and could come with a price tag of over $3 MILLION!!!

James wore the #6 red and white gear in the first half of the thrilling contest -- the first Game 7 of his NBA Finals career -- and Sotheby's officials say it's "the most valuable LeBron James jersey to ever be offered at auction and among the most valuable jerseys of all time."

Nearly a decade ago, LBJ and the Miami Heat beat San Antonio 98-88 in the finale of the 2013 NBA Finals -- making it James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade's second-straight championship together.

'Bron won his second Finals MVP in the process ... locking in the honor after scoring 37 points and adding 12 rebounds.

"This game ranks as one of the most important performances of LeBron's career, during what has been widely debated as his greatest NBA season," Sotheby's officials said.

Natalia Bryant -- Kobe and Vanessa's oldest daughter -- has been granted legal protection from someone she says poses a serious risk to her safety.

Natalia had court in L.A. Wednesday, where she gave some powerful testimony about things she claims 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp has done over the last few months to put her at risk.

Natalia called into the hearing and testified she doesn't know Kemp, but is terrified of what he's capable of -- scared at any moment he could show up. She called his actions "unsettling" and claimed at one point he even contacted her eyebrow beautician, offering to pay for services Natalia had completed.

Natalia's attorney Nick Sanchez tells TMZ ... the judge was convinced Kemp is dangerous enough to warrant a 3-year order of protection. Just as the temporary restraining order required ... Kemp now must continue to stay at least 200 yards away from Natalia, her home, her job, her car, school and sorority house at USC.

As we reported ... the 19-year-old got the TRO last month, claiming he’d been stalking her and was under a delusion they were in a romantic relationship. She says he started contacting her 2 years ago, when she was still only 17.

Under the new 3-year order ... Kemp cannot possess or purchase any firearms, and he has 24 hours to surrender any weapons he currently owns.

Luka Doncic did his best Santa Claus impression Wednesday -- throwing a surprise party for pediatric patients in Dallas ... while doling out a bunch of gifts!!

The Mavericks superstar planned and funded the special day for kids at the Scottish Rite for Children medical facility ... and check out all the pics and vids -- the tots loved it!

While Luka couldn't be there in person -- he had a game against the Cavaliers to prepare for -- he made sure around 200 patients got NERF basketball hoops, NERF blasters, Jordan Brand apparel and some chess-themed goodies.

He also made sure the patients had a day filled with cookie decorating, face painting, photo booths, hot cocoa and more.

"I hope this makes them happy and puts a smile on their face," Luka said of the afternoon. "They are so brave and strong, and I want them to know I’m thinking of them during the holidays and wishing them all the best in the New Year!"

Luka brought gifts for 25 health care workers, too -- hooking them up with lower-bowl tickets to the Mavs' Christmas Day game against the L.A. Lakers.

Doncic has plans to help out even more next week -- arranging the delivery of gifts and treats for around 150 pediatric patients in his home country of Slovenia.

Of course, the amazing charity work is nothing new for the 23-year-old ... just last year, he sent a bunch of gifts and autographs to patients in Ljubljana as well.

Clipper Darrell -- the most famous L.A. Clippers fan -- was knocked out during an altercation at a game on Monday ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see Darrell -- real name Darrell Bailey -- in his famous half-red, half-blue suit ... standing with a Crypto.com Arena security guard following the Clippers' game against the Boston Celtics.

The two seem to be in some sort of argument ... where the man wearing a red polo appears to be preventing Clipper Darrell from moving through a concourse at the NBA arena.

At one point, the man can be seen in the video putting his elbow near Darrell's neck in what seems to be an effort to keep him from advancing. Darrell, the footage shows, then swiped at the man's arm to get it off of him.

That's when the man in the red balled up his fist and swung on Clipper Darrell -- connecting straight with the superfan's jaw.

Darrell crashed into a nearby trash receptacle ... and appeared to lose consciousness.

Crypto.com Arena President Lee Zeidman tells us ... the altercation all started after the security officer tried to direct Darrell and other departing fans to nearby exits.

"Clipper Darrell became involved in a verbal and then physical altercation," Zeidman said. "After receiving immediate medical attention, Darryl was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and treatment."

"An investigation of the incident was launched which determined the employee’s behavior to be a direct violation of our training and approved responses resulting in the immediate termination and arrest of the employee by the LAPD."

Clipper Darrell told us on Wednesday morning he's suffering from headaches ... and is still in a lot of pain. He added that he's currently on medication to try to alleviate some of his symptoms.

Sources close to the Clippers, meanwhile, tell us the team is aware of the incident.

Clipper Darrell has been a Clips season ticket holder for two decades -- and has gained notoriety for loudly leading taunts and cheers throughout L.A. games.

Ben Affleck made his annual visit to the Lakers-Celtics game in L.A., hitting the Crypto.com arena with his 10-year-old son, Samuel, where the guys sat courtside for an absolute thriller!

Ben, a huge Celts fan from Boston (and every other team in Beantown), and Sam, watched the Lakers battle back from 20 down, before rallying back. The game went to overtime and the Celtics ultimately won, 122-118.

Surprisingly, Ben and Sam weren't decked out in Celtics gear ... except for the actor's pair of green Nikes -- a nod to his home team.

Affleck wasn't the only celeb in the building ... Floyd Mayweather, Lou Adler and Hailey Bieber also attended the game.

For Ben, attending the Lakers vs. Celtics game in Los Angeles is somewhat of a yearly tradition. In fact, last December Affleck hit up the game with Jennifer Lopez ... and the couple packed on the PDA!

It looks like Ben and Samuel had a blast. As for the thousands of Lakers fans -- not soo much!

Draymond Green says the fan who he had booted from Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Bucks game hurled death threats his way from his courtside seat.

The Golden State superstar had animatedly exchanged words with the man in the third quarter of the Dubs' blowout loss to Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum ... when a few moments later, he grabbed a ref's attention and pointed toward the guy.

Green appeared to insist that the man should leave the game -- and after a few seconds of arguing, security escorted the guy from the area.

After the contest, Green told reporters that at one point during their heated argument, the fan had said "some threatening stuff to my life."

The 32-year-old -- who previously punched his own teammate in a fit of rage earlier this year -- said he nearly went after the guy ("I was this close to really going back," he said) ... but decided to get the refs' help with the situation instead.

"When I told the official what he said," Draymond explained, "he was like, 'Oh, he's got to get out of here.'"

The Bucks said in a statement following the game that they were investigating the matter.

This is not the first time Green has had an issue with fans this year ... he was just fined $25K two weeks ago for getting into it with a man in Dallas.

He told reporters on Tuesday night that he hoped to see significant changes at NBA arenas to try to deter the contentious interactions going forward.

The spawns of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony brought out all the stars on Monday night ... 'cause a slew of A-listers hit up a H.S. gym in L.A. -- all to catch a glimpse of the NBA stars' sons go at it on the hardwood.

Sierra Canyon, led by Bronny and Bryce James, hosted Kiyan Anthony's school, Christ The King, in a nationally televised basketball showcase in Chatsworth -- and, as expected, the matchup lived up to expectations ... both on and off the court.

LBJ, Melo, La La Anthony, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Scottie Pippen and more all had front-row seats for the action ... and the kids didn't disappoint.

Bronny and Bryce pulled off the big win, 62-51 ... with the older James having a great game, logging 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kiyan, meanwhile, had eight points in the loss.

The moment appeared to be surreal for both LeBron and Carmelo ... as 20 years ago, the two faced off against each other in a high school basketball showcase as well.

The two future Hall of Famers were spotted chatting throughout the night -- and the proud dads posted a bunch of pics on their social media pages chronicling it all.

In fact, the guys even took a group pic with their sons!!

Shaquille O'Neal was forced to sell his share in the Kings earlier this year, but the Big Fella tells TMZ Sports he's interested in getting back in the owner's box ... but this time, he wants to be "heavily involved!"

O'Neal joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where the Hall of Famer was asked about potential ownership interest in the Phoenix Suns, an organization Shaq previously played for towards the end of his career. While Shaq made it clear there hasn't been movement with the Suns, he does wish to own an NBA team.

"I haven't had any discussions with my partners, so I can't make the statement yet, but we're still looking to be heavily involved in purchasing an NBA team," Shaq told us.

A few months back Shaq again told us he was interested in buying Robert Sarver's Phoenix team, but didn't wish to bid against Jeff Bezos (or "Big Man JB," as Shaq calls him), who was reportedly interested in acquiring the team.

But, now Bezos has his sights set -- along with Jay-Z -- on the Washington Commanders.

Speaking of football ... we asked Shaq if he had any interest in owning an NFL franchise.

"Yeah, but this time around when I purchase a team, I want to be heavily involved. I would like it to be in a place where I'm living at. If it ain't the Dolphins, the Cowboys, or the Raiders, and those teams are way too expensive for me, but my main man JB can write that check!"

Sports franchise ownership isn't new to Shaq. He owned a small piece of the Sacramento Kings, which he sold in January (he had a conflict with another business). O'Neal originally bought into ownership 2013. Vivek Ranadive, an Indian-American business executive, is the majority owner.

We also talked to Shaquille about his epic Super Bowl party, Shaq's Fun House ... considered by many the best party in all of Super Bowl week! O'Neal made the announcement with TMZ Sports ... the 5th year in a row he's thrown the star-studded event.

"We're just gonna have a great time. This is the 5th year. Prior to even doing Shaq's Fun House, I would attend all the Super Bowl parties and it's just a bunch of standing around and talking," Shaq said, and it wasn't all that fun.

Enter Shaq and his partners.

"We wanted to bring the top DJs in, the top performers in, we wanted to bring some circus acts, some carnival rides, some food trucks. Just want to have a great time."

In addition to Shaq DJ'ing, Snoop Dogg and Diplo will also be performing.

Larsa Pippen is sticking to her story, insisting to Andy Cohen she and Michael Jordan's son are just friends ... even as he sat just a few feet away from her on Andy's show.

The reality star played coy to the max on Monday night on 'Watch What Happens Live' -- where Marcus Jordan was in the audience ... for moral support, we're sure. 😉

Of course, Andy tried to grill her, asking Larsa what her ex, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, thinks about her dating his nemesis' son.

Larsa totally tried to downplay it, telling Andy she has no idea what Scottie thinks about it, and says they've never discussed Marcus.

While she understands why people might have questions -- their 17-year age gap and the fact Marcus was a kid when Scottie and MJ were Chicago Bulls teammates -- Larsa says their families were never tight.

As we've reported ... Marcus and Larsa have been hanging out in public since September, often showing PDA around Miami, and looking every bit like a couple. Hell, the guy even flew to NY with her for Andy's show!

The NBA's Most Valuable Player trophy just got a makeover ... and the league revealed they redesigned and renamed the award after the G.O.A.T. -- Michael Jordan!!

In fact, the NBA unveiled six newly designed trophies on Tuesday that will be awarded to the best players of the season.

The MVP trophy is now named after His Airness and is described as a bronze trophy that features "a player breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock — a crystal basketball."

The prize pays homage to Jordan's jersey number #23 and his 6 NBA titles ... as the trophy stands 23.6 inches tall, and weighs 23.6 pounds.

It also stands on a five-sided base -- a salute to MJ's 5 MVPs -- and has a 15-degree angle base which is a nod to his 15-year NBA career.

Mark Smith, retired VP of Innovation Special Projects at Nike, Inc., and Jordan Brand designer, worked with MJ for the new look ... saying he's honored to have created such a memorable piece.

"As we worked together on this project, it was very important to Michael that the figure not be a likeness of him, but instead that the recipient should be able to see himself in the award," Smith said.

"For Michael, naming the award in his honor was recognition enough.”

The other five trophies will be named after legends Jerry West, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, and George Mikan.

The Clutch Player of the Year will be named after West, the Lakers legend who won the NBA Finals MVP back in 1969.

The Defensive Player of the Year will be renamed after 2-time DPOY and Rockets great Olajuwon, while the Rookie of the Year award is retitled after Chamberlin, who had a peerless rookie season in 1960.

Havlicek gets the honor of having his name on the Sixth Man of the Year trophy and Mikan -- known for his "Mikan Drill" layup and footwork -- will represent the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Ben Simmons has found himself in the middle of Tory Lanez's high-profile assault case -- and now, the Nets superstar is defending himself after he was accused of messing around with Megan Thee Stallion.

On Monday, the defense gave their opening statement in Lanez's trial -- where he's accused of shooting Meg in L.A. in 2020 following an argument. While addressing the jurors, Tory's attorney suggested it could've been Meg's friend, Kelsey Harris, who fired the shots, after the women were feuding.

Enter Simmons.

The defense claims Meg had a history of hooking up with men Kelsey's been with ... and accused her of doing just that with the NBA star, which they say caused a huge argument between the women.

But 26-year-old Simmons was quick to shut it down ... posting a viral video on his Instagram story of Rick Ross yelling, "Accusations. These are false accusations," during a segment with Swerve in Our Glory when the Florida rapper visited AEW Dynamite.

Ben didn't name Meg, Tory, or Kelsey in the post, but, c'mon.

It's only day 1 of the trial, but it's evident the defense's strategy is to convince the jurors that it was Kelsey who fired the gun, not Tory.

Even though the trial just started, it's a critical piece of information. If the defense can create reasonable doubt that Kelsey, and not Tory, fired the shots ... he'll be found not guilty.

Longhorns men's basketball head coach Chris Beard is in jail in Texas ... after officials say he committed an assault on one of his family/household members.

According to jail records, Beard was booked in Travis County, Texas on Monday at 2:18 AM ... on a charge of felony "assault on family/household member impede breath circulation."

A spokesperson for the Austin Police Dept. said officers were called to a residence in Austin "for a disturbance" at 12:15 AM -- and Beard was arrested a short time later. No further details surrounding the allegations have been released.

49-year-old Beard is in his second season at UT -- in 2021, he led the Longhorns to a 22-12 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, he got the team off to a 7-1 start.

The Longhorns last played on Saturday night, beating Arkansas - Pine Bluff, 88-43. Their next game is scheduled for Monday night against Rice. The school said in a statement Monday morning, "The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."

Curren$y's hometown New Orleans Pelicans are on a hot streak, winning their last 7 games -- so, now he's getting in on the celebration ... in a very personal way.

The NOLA rapper was on hand for the Pels' overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and afterward MVP candidate Zion Williamson -- who scored a season-high 35 points -- gifted the veteran lyricist his worn jersey!!!

Curren$y's other homie, Chris Paul, sent the game into overtime with a tying bucket, but the Western Conference-leading Pels prevailed, and Spitta thinks their last 2 wins -- both against the Suns -- have done wonders for the city.

An appreciative Curren$y said the postgame gift meant "the world" to him -- and he's been a proponent of the Pels' uplifting the community for some time.

We last spoke to Curren$y during the Pels' playoff run last season when it was cut short -- ironically by Chris Paul and the Suns -- where he predicted the experience would not only help the team but boost ticket sales, which in turn, boots camaraderie throughout the city.

LeBron James' family has yet another reason to celebrate today ... The King's youngest son, Bryce, has followed in Dad's footsteps -- and signed on with Klutch Sports.

The agency announced Monday it's inked the young James to an NIL deal ... welcoming the 15-year-old rising Sierra Canyon hoops star with a social media post.

Of course, LeBron's longtime friend Rich Paul founded the org. in 2012 after leaving Creative Artists Agency (CAA) ... and has inked some of the biggest deals in the NBA over the last few years.

In addition to LBJ, stars like Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons, Trae Young and Anthony Edwards are all Klutch clients.

It's unclear what dollar figure Bryce is now expected to make with the org. ... but, safe to say it'll be a whole lot more than just gas money.

Bryce is now the second James kid to get his feet wet in the NIL game ... his brother, Bronny, signed a deal with Beats by Dre and Nike in October.

Brittney Griner is back in the U.S. -- and back dominating on a basketball court -- dunking in her first workout since her release from Russia ... though her WNBA future still remains uncertain.

Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN that the 32-year-old Phoenix Mercury superstar grabbed a pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers and hit a court in San Antonio on Sunday for her first hoops sesh in nearly 10 months.

The workout was said to be "light" -- though it clearly went well ... considering she was still able to rattle the rim.

Colas, though, said Griner has yet to reveal her intentions about her basketball career going forward -- just days after she was officially traded for Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap with Russia.

"If she wants to play, it will be for her to share," Colas said. "She has the holidays to rest and decide what's next without any pressure. She's doing really, really well. She seems to have endured this in pretty incredible ways."

Colas said Griner, who has yet to make a public comment since touching down in the U.S., is expected to release a statement this week.

As for how her return has gone, Colas said the hooper has been spending time with her wife, Cherelle Griner, and other family members -- while enjoying barbeque diners ... and some of her other favorite snacks like Cheetos and Reese's.

Colas also revealed Brittney got her recent haircut cleaned up by the San Antonio Spurs' team barber on Sunday morning.

Cherelle, meanwhile, posted a lengthy thank-you note Saturday to all the people who assisted or played a role in returning Brittney home.

Some of the names she shouted out included congressman Greg Stanton, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, congressman Colin Allred, Robin Roberts, Angela Rye, Gayle King, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Tamika Mallory.

"As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits -- I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!" Cherelle said.