Cleveland Cavaliers

Lonzo Ball's famous Big Baller Brand arm tattoo was covered up during his pre-season debut with the Lakers on Wednesday night ... and it's all because the NBA asked him to keep it under wraps.

Just like J.R. Smith, the NBA reached out to Ball about his tattoo -- and reminded him about a league rule that prohibits players from "displaying any commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair."

Smith has the "Supreme" logo on his right leg -- and said the NBA told him he'd be fined for every game it wasn't covered up.

Since the same rules apply to Ball -- with BBB being an apparel brand -- the Lakers tell us he decided to put tape (it could be a bandage) over the logo while the team played the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

Ball could probably afford the fine since he's in the middle of a $13 million contract -- but ultimately decided it just wasn't worth it.

Shirtless J.R. Smith made his return Thursday night ... and we all have Baker Mayfield to thank for it -- 'cause the Cavs star WENT CRAZY after the rookie led the Browns to a win!!!

It all went down at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... where J.R. had luxury box seats to see the Baker-led Browns finally win a game for the first time since 2016.

You'll remember ... the last time J.R. celebrated a massive Cleveland victory -- he went topless in public for hours ... rockin' no shirt for the entire Cavs' championship parade.

Well ... about midway through the second half of the Browns-Jets game -- J.R. promised to make another shirtless appearance if they pulled out the comeback.

And then Baker did it -- AND OFF WENT THE SHIRT!!

"It's over! Let's go! Let's go!" a topless J.R. screamed after the win. "We outchya! No shirt shorty! We out here!"

LeBron James is out ... and now the City of Cleveland has announced they're replacing the legendary banner with a new icon ... a Guardian!!!

No, not Groot. Or Rocket. Or even Mantis ... it's the Guardian of Traffic!

ALL HAIL THE TRAFFIC GOD!!

It's true -- the greatest athlete in the history of the city (maybe the world) is being subbed out for an image of the statue that overlooks traffic on the Hope Memorial Bridge.

City officials proposed the idea during a meeting early Friday morning -- claiming the statue is one of the "iconic landmarks" in town ... adding, "We all serve as guardians in terms of protecting and working within our community."

Okay, but honestly ... wouldn't you rather have Baker Mayfield or Bernie Kosar or Drew Carey?

Hell, throw Ricky Vaughn up there!

The Guardians of Traffic poster will include a slogan for the city -- "All For The Land."

And, if the guardian looks a little grainy to you -- it's 'cause the city wanted it that way ... saying it's a mosaic of "a composite of crowd-sourced images" of Clevelanders.

Immediate reaction to it hasn't been great ... with some tweeting, "Wait, is this real or a meme?"

NBA star J.R. Smith has turned himself into police in New York -- and has been charged with a crime -- stemming from a July incident where he allegedly threw a cell phone, TMZ Sports has learned.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Smith was being investigated for allegedly stealing a cell phone from a person outside of The Park -- a hot spot in Chelsea. Officials believe Smith threw the phone into a nearby construction zone, damaging the item.

Now, we've learned Smith appeared at an NYPD station in Chelsea early Friday morning where he was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and issued a desk appearance ticket to appear in court at a later date.

We spoke with Smith's attorney, Alex Spiro, who tells us, "This is nonsense, and we aren't responding to nonsense. He was issued a ticket."

No one is more plugged in to the NBA scene than Matt Barnes -- so, naturally, he's got all the inside scoop on the Draymond Green vs. Tristan Thompson incident and he's finally talking about it.

Barnes appeared on "Lunchtime with Roggin and Rodney" on AM 570 LA Sports and told the guys he's already spoken with his ex-Warriors teammate, Draymond, about the altercation and says the media got it all wrong.

"He was never actually hit and he actually tried to make peace through people that wanted him to squash it," Barnes says.

It had been reported that Tristan sucker punched Draymond when they met up at an ESPYs after-party at Delilah nightclub ... but Barnes says that's simply not true.

TMZ Sports had spoken to multiple witnesses who told us the guys actually made peace afterward and are on much better terms now.

Multiple witnesses tell TMZ Sports ... Draymond Green and Tristan Thompson cooled off and actually dapped each other up after a heated altercation at an ESPYs after-party.

We spoke with multiple people who were inside Delilah nightclub on July 18 when Draymond and Tristan came face to face.

Everyone we spoke to says it did not appear Tristan actually punched Draymond -- but he did make an aggressive gesture toward him.

LeBron and Kevin Durant did intervene and diffused the situation.

We're told when things cooled off ... Draymond and Tristan talked things out and actually made peace. At one point, our sources say they shook hands and the night went on without any more drama.

Before Draymond Green's alleged violent confrontation with Tristan Thompson ... the NBA star was partying with LeBron James and Kevin Durant and witnesses say he was in a great mood.

There are reports Draymond and his crew went from LeBron's Uninterrupted party at The Highlight Room to Delilah nightclub ... where Green approached Thompson and was struck in the face by the NBA star.

Some reports say Draymond was trying to apologize to Tristan for disrespecting him after the NBA Finals -- but TT was having nothing of it and had to be restrained.

Witnesses who saw Draymond and LeBron at The Highlight Room say the guys were hanging out and enjoying the evening ... no static, no tension.

We got video of Draymond and LeBron having a conversation before leaving for the next spot with KD -- but unclear what they were talking about.

No, this is not a picture from last season ...

LeBron James and Kevin Love were in the gym together Thursday morning -- smiling like two guys who don't hate each other's guts.

Of course, Bron just ditched Kev and the Cavs for L.A. -- and according to multiple reports, he didn't even text Love before going public with his decision.

And, don't forget ... LBJ and Love's 4 years in Cleveland together weren't exactly drama free -- remember Bron admitted he called out Kevin on Twitter a few years ago?

But, that's all water under the bridge ... because Kevin posted this reunion pic in a Vegas gym ... and captioned it, "Thursday morning work."

Nice moment between LeBron and his former Cleveland Cavs coach, Tyronn Lue, at the NBA Summer League in Vegas ... where the two embraced and bro'd out.

It appears to be the first time they've seen each other since LeBron bolted The Land and signed a new $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Our friends Bryan Salmond and Sharp and Shapiro from "The Vegas Take" radio show were next to the two at the Thomas & Mack Center as the Cavs took on the Raptors ... and watched Bron and Ty chat it up.

LeBron -- wearing his L.A. Lakers shorts -- got a standing ovation from the crowd.

Hours after officially signing his L.A. Lakers contract, LeBron James and his wife celebrated in Malibu ... with his OLD Cleveland Cavs teammate Tristan Thompson (and Khloe Kardashian!).

The foursome -- along with a ton of security and others -- hit up Nobu in Malibu ... one of the most expensive sushi joints in town.

Not like price matters (LeBron just signed a $154 million contract, Tristan is in an $82 mil contract and Khloe is rich as hell too).

So, why is Bron out with the old teammate instead of bonding with his new Lakers squad? Could be because the Lake Show is in Vegas at the moment competing in the NBA Summer League.

Then again ... it's not like LeBron couldn't have flown out (or flown them in) for a first official dinner together.

... Or maybe he just really likes Tristan and Khloe?!

On that note, TT and KK were ALL OVER each other in the car -- kissing and hugging up ... and posting it on social media for everyone to see.

It's over ... again.

The famous LeBron James banner in downtown Cleveland is officially coming down -- after the NBA superstar decided to leave the city and sign with the Lakers.

The banner -- a 10-story-tall billboard -- has become an icon in Cleveland, showing James doing his famous chalk throw before a game.

The removal ain't gonna be easy -- a Nike spokesperson said it could take a couple of days.

So, what's gonna happen to the banner? Sherwin-Williams -- which owns the building -- says it's evaluating the situation.

As we previously reported, the Cleveland Cavs official online team shop has already scrubbed LeBron from the front page -- and they're slashing prices on all #23 jerseys.

Well, that was quick.

LeBron James is no longer on the front page of the Cleveland Cavaliers online team shop -- and they're already slashing prices on his jerseys.

Don't worry, the new star getting the front-page treatment is Cavs rookie Collin Sexton -- you can buy his jersey for $110 (Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are also still on the front page).

But, now that LeBron's heading West ... the NBA's #2 selling jersey (behind Steph Curry) has been discounted from $110 to $66!

Gotta think people in Cleveland are still gonna buy LeBron jerseys though, right? Especially since the Cavs will 100% retire #23 at some point down the line.

Meanwhile, on the Lakers team store -- they're selling LeBron front and center!

Interested in some Bron purple and gold swag? An authentic #23 Lakers jersey will cost you $220!

If that's too rich for your blood, you can still find old-school Cedric Ceballos jerseys (#23) for WAYYYY cheaper!

Good luck!

Here's something no Laker fans (or even Cleveland fans) wanna see -- LeBron James throwing himself off a cliff!!!

But, yeah, it happened ...

LeBron and his superstar kid, Bronny, scaled a cliff in Anguilla on Thursday and essentially dared each other to jump ... which is insane considering the whole risk/reward thing.

LBJ Jr. showed pops how it's done -- jumping without hesitation -- but, when it came time for Daddy to go, he froze up like J.R. Smith in Game 1.

Don't worry, Bron eventually took the leap ... after trying to hype himself up while standing on the ledge.

"It's all about America goddammit," LeBron yelled ... "LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!"

One final war cry -- "BLACK EXCELLENCE!!!"

And then, he jumped.

Bron later commented, "Excuse my language."

Devin Booker ... DeAndre Ayton ... Josh Jackson ... Elfrid Payton -- that sounds like a team LeBron could get down with, right?!?!

"Zero percent chance," Suns vet Jared Dudley says ... "Bron's not coming to Phoenix."

Well, OK then ... where is he going??

"Cleveland or L.A."

We got Jared on Rodeo Dr. earlier this week ... and despite the Suns loading up on young talent the last year or two -- Jared says there's no way in hell LBJ comes to the desert.

"Zero percent chance. He's not coming to Phoenix."

Dudley says it's OK, though ... in fact, he guaranteed Phoenix will be back in the playoffs in no time.

While LeBron James decides where he's playing next season, he's been balling out in his own private mansion in Anguilla ... at a place that runs $75 GRAND a week!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Cavs superstar (for now, at least) is living it up at the Anguilla Beach House at Meads Bay ... which is essentially a villa on steroids.

Not only is it a dope pad with 8 master bedrooms, it comes with a TON of bells and whistles ... like a full-time chef, butler, 44-ft infinity pool,home theater, a full food and beverage staff, and direct access to the beach.

It seems like the perfect place for LBJ to get some R&R before the Decision 3.0 ... hell, he might say screw the NBA and just stay here for the rest of his life.

Chris Paul is going to bat for his teammate -- saying James Harden deserved to win MVP over LeBron James ... but now, he needs to add an NBA title to his resume.

"He's gonna get that too," CP3 told TMZ Sports on the way out of Catch ... "but he deserved the MVP."

There's an argument James got screwed at the NBA Award ceremony Monday night -- since he played in more games than Harden, scored more points than Harden, got more rebounds, more assists and took his team further with less talent around him.

But, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni is also siding with Paul -- saying Harden was "without a doubt" the best player in the league and "has been ready to get [MVP] for the last 3 years."