Basketball

Magic Johnson is painting a dire picture for the Los Angeles Lakers ... saying if the team doesn't completely revamp its roster this offseason, they're in serious risk of getting left in the dust.

Fresh off L.A.'s elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers legend gave his two cents on the disappointing season on Tuesday ... and he's not sugar-coating anything.

"Laker Nation, we have a problem," the five-time champion said on X. "All the good teams in the West are young and talented: the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, the Thunder, the Clippers, and the Mavs."

Diana Taurasi is standing by her comments on Caitlin Clark and the learning curve she'll inevitably face as a pro, despite a wave of backlash, with the former MVP describing fans of the rookie hooper as "really sensitive!"

In case you missed the OG comments ... the WNBA legend was recently on TV following 22-year-old Clark's selection as the number one overall pick, where Taurasi cautioned Caitlin would face her fair share of struggles.

"Reality is coming," Taurasi said earlier this month. "There's levels to this thing. That's just life. We all went through it."

"You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you're gonna come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time -- not saying that's not gonna translate."

Taurasi added, "There's gonna be a transition period where you're gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie."

Clark fans didn't appreciate the take -- unloading on the Phoenix Mercury star -- though Taurasi isn't taking a single syllable back, despite the hate.

"The new fans are really sensitive these days," Taurasi told reporters, adding, "You can’t say anything."

"It’s kind of like when you go to kindergarten to first grade, there’s a learning adjustment. When you go from high school to college, there’s a learning adjustment."

"I don’t think I said anything that’s factually incorrect. Like anything, greatness is going to translate. And she’s proven that at every level. I don’t see why that’s going to be any different in the WNBA."

Of course, it'd probably behoove Clark to listen to 41-year-old Taurasi -- who was given the "White Mamba" nickname by Kobe Bryant -- is one of the greatest female hoopers ever ... with 3 WNBA Championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 10 All-Star nods, 10 All WNBA First team bids, and a league MVP, amongst many other accolades.

The UConn legend also knows a thing or two about coming in and being an immediate difference-maker. The number one overall pick went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2004.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tried to to find the silver lining after the Lakers' early exit from the playoffs ... congratulating the Purple & Gold on winning the In-Season Tournament a few months ago -- but it was met with so much backlash, she ended up scrubbing the post from her page.

LeBron James and Co. got booted from the postseason on Monday ... falling to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round matchup.

Bass attempted to share some positivity shortly after the final buzzer ... pointing out the Lake Show had a bit of success earlier in the 2023-24 campaign when L.A. won the meaningless mid-season competition in December.

Galveston, TX is returning fire after Charles Barkley took a shot at their "dirty" beaches on national television ... with the city clapping back, saying millions of people visit for their "beautiful shoreline."

ICYMI, the NBA legend roasted the city, nicknamed the "Queen City of the Gulf," located about 50 miles southeast of Houston ... after the New Orleans Pelicans disappointing 106-85 loss to Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

"They didn't even try, man," Barkley said on NBA on TNT. "We're not giving them no plane ticket to the beach."

LeBron James says he's yet to make a decision about his NBA future following L.A.'s playoff exit Monday night ... telling media members he's not sure if he'll return to the Lakers in 2024.

LBJ played coy when he was asked multiple times about his plans for next season ... even at one point ducking a question from a reporter who wanted to know if he considered the possibility of the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets being his last in the Purple and Gold.

"I'm not going to answer that," he said.

La cantante Olivia O'Brien está capitalizando su fama viral después de asistir al partido de los Lakers este fin de semana, diciéndole a todos los que comenzaron a seguirla por su delantera, que comiencen a reproducir su música.

La artista "Josslyn" estuvo presente para el partido de playoffs en casa de L.A. contra los Denver Nuggets el sábado, y en el momento de la contienda, fue vista en el fondo de la transmisión.

Capturas de pantalla aparecieron rápidamente en redes sociales, y finalmente O'Brien fue identificado como el fan de la NBA que mostró su emoción en Tuiter y X.

Singer Olivia O'Brien is capitalizing off her viral fame after attending the Lakers game this weekend ... telling all the horn dogs following her for her boobs to stream her music.

The "Josslyn" artist was present for L.A.'s home playoff game against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday ... and at one point in the contest, she was spotted in the background of the broadcast.

Screenshots quickly made rounds on social media ... and eventually, O'Brien was ID'd as the fan that got NBA Twitter/X all excited.

The Wells Fargo Center looked and sounded more like Madison Square Garden on Sunday ... 'cause Knicks fans took over the Sixers' arena for Game 4 of their NBA Playoff series -- and Joel Embiid's pissed!

The Knicks beat the Sixers, 97-92, taking a 3-1 series lead ... and their fanbase let their presence be known.

During the live broadcast, you could hear the Knicks faithful cheering -- louder than the Sixers fans -- as the Knicks won the pivotal game behind Jalen Brunson's epic 47-point performance.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were forced to finish their series-clinching win over the Phoenix Suns without Chris Finch -- the head coach suffered a painful knee injury after his own player crashed into him on the sidelines ... and it was so bad, he had to be helped off the court.

The unfortunate incident went down in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter on Sunday ... when Wolves guard Mike Conley took the ball up the court and bumped into Suns star Devin Booker.

Conley tumbled toward the sideline right where Finch was standing ... and the momentum forced him down to the hardwood, despite the hooper trying to brace his fall.

Sonny Vaccaro says he believes Caitlin Clark could have gotten a much better deal from Nike -- telling TMZ Sports he's sure the former Iowa superstar could've inked a pact similar to the one Michael Jordan got back in the day.

The shoe industry legend, of course, knows all about the deal MJ received -- he was the one who helped negotiate it. And, when he heard Clark only received $28 million over eight years to be with Phil Knight's co., he was surprised it wasn't more.

Vaccaro tells us she could've landed a contract that not only gave her more annual money -- but also allowed her to take a cut of every Clark-branded item sold ... just like Jordan got with his initial Swoosh agreement in 1984.

Sanya Richards-Ross is returning to the Olympics, but not as an athlete -- her pajama/loungewear line will help keep Team USA nice and cozy in Paris ... and she tells TMZ Sports she's hoping to catch the country's biggest stars like LeBron James and Simone Biles wearing her gear!!

The four-time Olympic gold medalist and her two-time Super Bowl champion husband Aaron Ross partnered with Team USA to distribute their Coordinates collection to athletes for the 2024 and 2028 games ... and she tells us she's over the moon about being able to share their product with the Red, White and Blue.

'We want everybody in it," Richards-Ross said. "We get to gift it to Team USA. There's some incredible athletes that we're all excited to watch compete and we would love it if they wear it."

Of course, one of those athletes is the Lakers superstar ... who will be attempting to win his third Olympic gold medal with the Team USA basketball team.

SRR made sure to specifically shout him out -- and the James Gang.

"LeBron James and the fam. Savannah, the boys -- we wanna see you guys in it!" Richards-Ross said.

She hopes to catch gymnastic star Biles and track star Sha'Carri Richardson wearing their comfy clothes this July, too.

Sanya explained the idea for the Coordinates line came from when she used to match outfits with Aaron while at the University of Texas. Then they launched the brand last November -- and sold out in one month!

"This basically started all from her heart," Aaron said. "We got together in 2003 in college and she's been coordinating us from that day."

Marriage and running a business together can be a tough combination ... but the Ross duo -- who got married in 2010 -- said it works for them because of their great foundation and recognizing each other's strengths and weaknesses ... as well as their own.

"I think because we know each other so well, we're able to make it work," Sanya said.

"It ain't gon' be perfect, it's gonna be some tough conversations sometimes that come up but I think if you can give the person grace and really love on them, I think it could really work."

Kelly Oubre Jr.'s recent car accident has raised some questions within the Philadelphia Police Department ... and now, an internal investigation has been launched.

TMZ Sports has learned -- the PPD's Internal Affairs Division is looking into the handling of Monday night's crash involving Oubre and another driver ... specifically officers' response and actions while at the scene.

As we previously reported, cops told us Oubre's Lamborghini ran a red light and hit a 2023 Hyundai Elantra ... with both cars being towed from the scene.

Philadelphia 76ers hooper Kelly Oubre Jr. is considering handing over the keys after his recent car accident ... revealing he's mulling over the idea of hiring a personal driver.

Oubre -- who had 15 points and 7 rebounds in Thursday night's Game 3 matchup -- spoke about his wreck after the Sixers' big win ... saying he's doing fine, but will likely make some drastic changes to his day-to-day as a result of the incident.

"Everything is good," the 28-year-old said, according to reports. "I'm okay. The people that were involved were okay, but I need to probably get a driver or something and just stay off the road and behind the wheel, but everything is good. I'm good."

Kelly Oubre Jr. lost a playoff game Monday night and then he lost his beloved car ... TMZ Sports has learned he wrecked his Lamborghini in a crash just hours after the Sixers fell to the Knicks in Game 2 of their postseason series.

The Philadelphia Police Dept. tells us the wreck happened at around 1:45 AM on Tuesday ... shortly after Oubre and the 76ers dropped a heartbreaker at Madison Square Garden, 104-101.

Cops say Oubre's 2021 matte purple Lambo "disregarded a red traffic signal" ... and plowed into a 2023 Hyundai Elantra.

Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes' Cancun vacation looks like a scene outta "High School Musical" ... 'cause the hooper showed off his awesome singing abilities during a karaoke session!!

The 2021 No. 4 overall pick's offseason started early after the Dinos failed to make the postseason ... but he seemed to be in great spirits nonetheless -- belting out the classic Maroon 5 hit, "This Love."

Barnes put 100% into the performance ... dancing along to the song and doing his best to hit Adam Levine's high notes.

Cops are continuing to make headway in their investigation into Nikola Jokic's brother ... telling TMZ Sports they've located the man who Strahinja Jokic punched in the face earlier this week.

A spokesperson for the Denver Police Dept. said on Thursday morning they've "been in communication" with the fan who Strahinja socked after Game 2 of the Lakers vs. Nuggets game at Ball Arena on Monday night.

The rep did not reveal, however, if the man is seeking to press charges -- or if he's formally filed a police report.