Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA star Iman Shumpert tells TMZ Sports ... he does NOT hate the show "Empire" -- and does not believe producers ripped off his life for a story line ... despite reports to the contrary.

Earlier today, it was reported that Shumpert was calling out "Empire" -- claiming two of the characters were direct rip-offs of himself and his GF girlfriend Teyana Taylor ... and even sported similar hairstyles.

But Shumpert says the whole thing has been blown out of proportion ... saying, "The 'Empire' story pertaining to myself and my girlfriend Teyana has gotten out of hand."

"Fans of the show and friends have told us on many occasions that couple favors us but we do not at all feel that our lives are being copied/stolen."

Shumpert continues, "I apologize to the actors on the show because they're just being professionals and don't deserve slander that's not what I was trying to portray and I have to be more careful with my choice of words."

"I do not appreciate the writer using his questions with my answers to draw quotes like I was making these elaborate answers but that's the media. The writer took a 2-3 min convo of locker room talk after a GREAT TEAM WIN and made it look like a sit down interview and it wasn't."

Tatyana Ali says she was "touched" to see the famous "Daddy" episode of "Fresh Prince" struck such a chord with LeBron James ... and says she knew it was a special moment when they were filming the show.

Ali -- aka Ashley Banks -- was on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" on Reelz and said she was always proud of the show for dealing with tough social issues ... including absentee fathers.

Earlier in the day, LeBron had posted about the show ... saying he stumbled upon the episode on TV and it still makes him cry because it hits home.

FYI -- LeBron was raised by a single mom and never really knew his dad.

Iman Shumpert's idea of the perfect date ... fermented grapes and nail polish ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Cavs star took his GF -- rapper Teyana Taylor -- for pedicures and red wine!

The couple hit up Anthony Vince Salon Thursday night -- a high-end shop in a Cleveland suburb -- and they went all out ... sipping vino while getting pampered.

Our sources tell us Iman and Teyana got the "Spa Pedicure" ... complete with trimming, shaping, buffing, grooming, massaging ... with a hot towel wrap and choice of polish ... all for $32.

Sources inside say Iman was in such a good mood, he was singing out loud with the music on the speakers ... and at one point he was rocking out to JLo's "I'm Real."

The royal cranium has been pampered, Your Highness.

LeBron James has landed in L.A. to take on the Lakers Thursday night -- but before the game, The King found a few minutes for some "me time" in Beverly Hills.

James and his posse stopped in to Bella Nails -- where a team of beauticians rubbed down his head and gargantuan feet.

LeBron LOOOVVEESS this particular nail salon -- and brought a bunch of his old teammates with him last year back when he was with the Miami Heat.

Seems Rick Ross is officially off the hook in his $100k NBA bet with Jalen Rose -- with Jalen telling TMZ Sports he's willing to let the whole thing go for some delicious lobster.

You know the bet ... Ross wanted to put up $100k that his LeBron-less Miami Heat would finish the
season with a better record than Bron's new team, the Cleveland Cavs.

Jalen publicly accepted the bet -- going on his Grantland podcast and saying, "You know I'm good for the money, homie."

But according to Jalen, Rick had a change of heart around Xmas time ... with Rose implying that Ross was less-than-impressed with the Heat ... even though they beat the Cavs on Xmas day.

So what happens now? "I think he's gonna take me to get lobster tempura at Prime One Twelve," Jalen says.

FYI -- Lobster Tempura cost around $25 (we called).

Here's the thing ... the Cavs are 19-19. The Heat are 16-21 ... the bet could still go either way.

We'll follow up with Ross and let you know his side.

LeBron James' kid is gooooood.

10-year-old LeBron James Jr. -- aka Bronny -- made some INSANE highlight reel shots at the 2014 Ronald Searles Holiday Classic in Houston.

Bronny is one of the top ranked 4th graders in the country (yes, they rank 4th graders) ... and it's obvious why -- the kid can shoot, dribble and pass like ... well, like his dad.

Lebron James has a message for guys like Richard Sherman and Colin Kaepernick ... when it comes to the post-game music jam, big is out ... small is in.

James was rockin' his new Beats by Dre "Powerbeats" headphones after the Cavs beat up on the Knicks in NYC last night.

They're tiny. They're wireless ... and it's a huge fashion change from the classic Beats by Dre headphones which are intentionally bulky and have become a fashion staple for tons of athletes.

James is a trendsetter -- so if he goes small ... does it mean the reign of the bulky headphones are over?

Remember when NY Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said the coolest moment in his life was when his hero LeBron James tweeted about his legendary 1-handed catch???

Well, last night ... OBJ got a new "coolest moment" in life -- when he met LeBron in person and they took a picture together!

As we previously reported, Beckham Jr. had called James his "favorite athlete" and talked about how much it meant when LeBron gave him props for that sick grab against the Cowboys.

The two finally met in person at dinner Wednesday night -- and you can by the look on Odell's face ... dude was stoked!!

In fact, James even posted about it ... writing, "Giving the game to my young king @iam_objxiii tonight at dinner! Keep going homie and #StriveForGreatness #RWTW."

Pretty cool, right?

LeBron James is finally wrecking something other than opposing defenses -- he's getting hands on to tear down and renovate a house in his hometown ... and it's all for his charity.

King James hooked up with Nicole Curtis, who hosts HGTV’s "Rehab Addict" ... and completely overhauled the home of a family in Akron, Ohio.

LeBron brought along his two sons and they didn't just watch ... they put in some work. 'Bron helped tear apart kitchen fixtures and even took a sledgehammer to a wall.

LeBron James is 29. The guy dating his mother is 32 ... and apparently, the NBA star is totally cool with it.

In fact, LeBron posed for a pic with his mom's BF -- a rapper known as Da Real Lambo -- after the Cavs beat the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Lambo has reportedly been dating Gloria James for about a year ... and he's already referring to her as his "wifey" on Instagram.

Clearly, Lambo loves the lifestyle ... posting pics in private jets, boats and expensive-looking resorts ... but it appears LeBron doesn't have a problem with it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be PROUD of LeBron James ... so says Jesse Jackson who tells TMZ Sports LeBron's work off the court makes him "great."

Rev. Jackson was leaving Boa Steakhouse on the Sunset Strip this weekend when we asked about a recent interview Jackson gave to the Northeast Ohio Media Group ... in which he praised LeBron for all he's done for the city of Cleveland

"His work in the community beyond the court makes him very great," Jackson said ... "Dr. King would be proud of that."

Jackson notes that LeBron has helped to lift up the housing projects ... he built a playground for the kids ... and made the poor feel better about themselves.

****** WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE ******

Johnny Manziel went on a cursing rant on an NBA referee during LeBron James' homecoming game in Cleveland last night ... and his rage was captured on video.

Johnny Football was pissed off after what he clearly felt was a BAD call, and repeatedly yelled -- from his courtside seat -- "Bulls**t" and "F**k" ... for a solid minute.

LeBron James stunk up the basketball court for his huge homecoming game -- but still pulled out a huge victory for business owners in downtown Cleveland ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We spoke with several restaurants, bars and pubs near LBJ and the Cavs' home arena -- and they tell us revenue was up a whopping 80% on average ... from the Lebron-less home opener last year.

The Cavs pulled out all the stops for the King's return -- Imagine Dragons and Kendrick performed -- and it paid off. One biz owner told us they attracted tons of people from the 'burbs who normally wouldn't be there.

In fact, we're told many fans spending money downtown didn't even go to the game ... because cash registers were ringing before, after, and DURING the Cavs' loss to the Knicks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers tell TMZ Sports ... they have NO IDEA why a ball boy was serving players Gatorade masked in a Powerade bottle last night -- but they're gunning to find out why.

Twitter EXPLODED last night during the Knicks-Cavaliers game when a TV camera caught a Cavs ball boy making the switch behind the Knicks bench.

Now the Cavs -- who have a sponsorship deal with Gatorade -- tell us they're investigating why their official drink was poured into a competitor's bottle.

"We are looking into why the Powerade bottles were used. We're trying to figure out what happened."

The team made sure to clarify that the incident did not occur on their bench -- however. it was a Cavs employee who made the switch.

So what the hell happened? "That's what we're trying to figure out."

LeBron James was welcomed back to Cleveland last night by a huge band of celebs -- including Justin Bieber, Michael Strahan and even Johnny Manziel.

The Cavs lost in Bron's first game back with his hometown team -- but there was one guy in the stands who was happy about the upset ... Spike Lee ... notorious Knicks fan who traveled to Ohio to support his team.

Also in the stands ... Kendrick Lamar, David Beckham, Joe Haden and Kevin Hart.

The King of the NBA now has a Princess in his realm ... with LeBron James welcoming his first baby girl to the world.

The 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player and his wife Savannah welcomed their 3rd child last week at a hospital in their hometown of Akron, Ohio.

Zhuri James is not the heir to the NBA throne ... LeBron already has 2 boys ... but something tells us WNBA officials are already looking 21 years down the line.

The couple announced the name back in August while on vacation in Greece.

Mazel tov!