Cleveland Cavaliers

Kevin Garnett to the Cavs????

Probably not ... but he got lunch with the coach Tuesday.

Turns out KG is longtime friends with Ty Lue -- and the two hooked up for a fancy lunch yesterday at Crustacean in Bev Hills.

First Kobe ... now Obama??

The President just announced he finally "hung it up" -- and will no longer play competitive basketball games.

54-year-old Obama revealed the move during a phone call with Cleveland Cavs coach Ty Lue -- saying he actually "hung it up about 2 years ago."

The reason? Fear of injury.

"You know, I had too many friends ... seen that achilles pop ... being in a boot for 6 months."

For years, Obama was a regular in pick up games -- and was praised for being a pretty good player. In fact, he once played in a game with LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Magic Johnson, D-Rose and Carmelo Anthony.

Now, it seems those days are over -- but there are reports B.O. wants to own an NBA team after he's done being the leader of the free world.

LeBron James went full Richard Pryor during his speech at the Cavaliers championship parade ... shocking fans and giving TV censors heart attacks.

We can't recall the King ever dropping even a single 4-letter word on camera, but this time on the mic he let loose -- working the stage like a stand-up comedian -- even though kids, including his own, were watching.

Senator Marco Rubio -- a huge Miami Heat fan -- says he's genuinely happy LeBron James won another NBA championship ... because, "I'm not a hater like that."

"I'm happy for him, I'm happy for Cleveland," the junior senator from Florida told us at Reagan National Airport.

LeBron James is channeling his inner-Birdman ... telling his haters straight up, "Put some respeck on my name!"

Bron just issued a love letter to his critics ... putting 'em all on blast for doubting his ability and insinuating he's a crap stirrer behind the scenes.

"They said u lost a step, wasn't explosive as once was, the best days was in the real view, questioned your drive, your leadership, your commitment, you don't have killer instinct, going back home is the worst mistake in your career, he got the coach fired, players traded, won't work between him and Kyrie, Him and Kev won't work, love your teammates to much, there's no way he can deliver a championship in his hometown, etc etc etc.... But guess what THATS NONE OF MY BUSINESS."

Then came the hashtags -- "#StriveForGreatness #ThisOneIsForTheLand #PutSomeRespeckOnMyName Hahahaha!!! Yes sir"

He ain't gonna say it no more.

Madness in Cleveland.

Thousands of Cavs fans have packed the I-X Center next to the airport in Cleveland ... waiting to greet LeBron and company the second the champs step off the team jet!

The scene is crazy ... people decked out in Cavs gear, holding signs, chanting -- and the traffic to get anywhere close to the action is reportedly insane.

The Cavs plane is supposed to land around 12:30 PM ET -- and it should an epic welcoming party.

Stay tuned ...

Charles Oakley was PISSSSED while waiting outside of the Cleveland Cavs locker room after Game 7 Sunday night -- at one point telling security, "Touch me, see what happens."

The 52-year-old NBA great is a Cavs fan -- he's from Cleveland -- and we're guessing he was waiting around to celebrate with the team.

But something went awry -- as captured on video by USA Today's Sam Amick -- and it culminated in Oakley essentially challenging security to step up ... or shut up.

Rihanna ... talkin' trash!!

Didn't take RiRi long to go in on Steph Curry after Game 7 -- throwin' a little shade at the NBA's regular season MVP on Instagram.

Rihanna's a HUUUGE LeBron James fan -- and overloaded her social media with tributes to King James after the Cavs took the title ... even calling him "Bae" at one point.

It's good to be the champ.

The Cavaliersmade a pit stop on their way back to Cleveland -- landing the team jet in VEGAS for a wild Sin City championship celebration ... complete with insane champagne showers!

LeBron, J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the squad rolled into XS nightclub at the Wynn -- and were greeted like they just won the Larry O'Brien trophy ... 'cause they did!

J.R. Smith even took his shirt off at one point ... because ... well, why the hell not?

Congrats!

There was a report that crazy fans in Cleveland stole a fire truck in the wake of the Cavs championship victory.

The Cleveland PD shot down the report ... kinda.

Stay safe out there.

Didn't take long for President Obama to weigh in on the NBA Finals -- with POTUS taking to Twitter to dap up LeBron and the Cavs for shocking the Warriors in Game 7.

"What a game and what a series for the @Cavs," Obama tweeted roughly an hour after the game ... "Happy to see @KingJames bring it home for Cleveland!"

LeBron reacted to the tweet live on NBA TV.

As if the Cavs needed another reason to clinch Game 7 ... a Cleveland bar is offering LeBron and co. FREE FOOD FOR LIFE if they bring home the title this Sunday!!

Red Bar and Lounge -- about a 20 minute drive from Quicken Loans Arena -- is pumped about the potential victory and said, if they win, they will hook up every single player on the roster with free grub for life.

One of Red Bar's owners, Maha Metri, tells TMZ Sports, "Cleveland has been waiting for over 50 years for a championship. With one game away LeBron and the team can make the city's dream come true."

Mark Cuban might've just gotten his northern California privileges revoked for good ... 'cause the Mavs boss just publicly proclaimed he's throwing his support behind the Cavs in the NBA finals.

Justin Bieber got into an all-out street brawl with a guy much bigger than him Wednesday night in Cleveland.

TMZ obtained this video of Bieber, shot shortly after 11 PM, outside his hotel in downtown Cleveland -- he was face-to-face with the guy, who threw a light blow at Justin's head. That's when Justin uncorked a blow right to his face ... and then it's on!

Several people were standing nearby and tried to jump in, but the fight ends up spilling to the ground.

It's unclear what started the scrap. Bieber was in town for the game 3 of the NBA Finals, and was wearing a Cleveland Cavaliers shirt ... so it could be post-game trash talk. Also, witnesses say Bieber was getting peppered with requests for photos, and we know how he feels about that.

Overall ... we'd say Justin held his own, though he ended up on the bottom of the pile.

This is a cool shot ...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar personally greeting LeBron James as he jogged through the tunnel after Thursday night's playoff blowout ... and LeBron was all smiles.

KAJ was on hand at Quicken Loans Arena as the Cavs stomped all over the Raptors to take Game 2 over the Eastern Conference Finals. He's clearly a fan of the team.

It's even more interesting considering the Cavs have won 10 straight playoff games -- 1 game shy of passing Kareem's '88-'89 Lakers, which won 11.

The record is 12 straight playoff wins -- set by the '98-'99 Spurs.