Dallas Mavericks

Jason Kidd lit NBA Twitter/X on fire for saying Luka Doncic is better than Dirk Nowitzki ... but Shawn Marion is coming to his defense -- telling TMZ Sports the Mavs coach's comments were simply based on skill set, not accolades.

ICYMI, Kidd -- who started coaching the Mavs in 2021 -- recently said Doncic has surpassed Nowitzki in his eyes ... as the 24-year-old "does things that Dirk could never do."

Kidd was ripped for his comment ... especially since Dirk -- a 7-foot forward who can drain threes -- led the Mavs to their first NBA Finals title in 2011.

But Marion -- who was on that championship squad with Dirk and J. Kidd -- said people were mixing up what Jason truly meant ... and he doesn't think it was meant to downplay all Nowitzki did for the franchise.

"He's talking about the whole package," Marion told TMZ Sports. "He's talking about his skill set."

"He's not approaching [Dirk] in the accolades. There's no comparison [there]."

Marion is not taking anything away from Doncic ... pointing out the Mavs guard has amazing highlights at just the age of 24, including his recent 73-point game -- his career-high and franchise record.

Of course, old-school NBA fans would say Doncic can get so many points up because of the lack of defense in today's game ... but Marion -- who played 16 seasons -- says the game is just evolving at a faster pace.

"Layups are almost becoming null and void," the 45-year-old said. "They're making a conscious effort to get shots up within two passes."

"We ran systems, we had sets [in our era]. It's a big difference when you just running to score."

Kyrie Irving went off in more ways than one in his return to Barclay Center Tuesday night ... dropping 36 points against his old Nets team AND also taking a jab at NYC Mayor Eric Adams!

And, no, this wasn't a random diss directed at the mayor ... there's some bad blood here.

The drama began when a fan sitting courtside asked Irving ... "Why you didn't play like this when you were on the Nets?"

The Mavericks star had a response ... "Thank Mayor Adams for that, bro."

Of course, Irving, an 8x All-Star, spent parts of 4 seasons with the Nets ... but despite having two of the best players in Kyrie and Kevin Durant, the team didn't win, and Ky was ultimately traded to Dallas last season.

Irving's response to the fan was certainly referring to Adams' COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy during the pandemic ... which meant Ky, who chose not to get the vax, couldn't play any home games (or games in New York).

Not having Kyrie was a blow to the Nets team on the floor during the 2021-2022 season ... but it was also the root of a ton of controversy, given the polarizing nature of the vaccine mandate issue.

Despite the shot during the game, after the game, 31-year-old Irving talked positively about his return to BK.

"I don't think about it too often now," Irving told reporters, adding, "Pretty much at peace with what happened and spending time here. I wish a lot of guys well and a lot of people that I've gotten a chance to get to know."

"Got to see a lot of smiles. Got to make some kids really happy and that's what this job's about."

Not everyone was smiling, though ... before Irving's shot at Adams, some fans booed their former star guard during player introductions.

Jason Kidd just shoveled a mountain full of praise on Luka Doncic ... saying the Dallas Mavericks superstar is not only better than Dirk Nowitzki -- but he's approaching Michael Jordan territory as well.

The Mavs head coach -- who won an NBA title with Dirk in 2011 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments on 97.1 The Freak's "The Downbeat" on Tuesday ... explaining he truly believes Doncic is already the best player to ever wear a Dallas uniform.

"He does things that Dirk could never do," Kidd said ... adding, according to ESPN, "He's in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]."

Doncic has certainly made Kidd's stance one that's hard to argue with recently -- as he's coming off one of the greatest three-game stretches the Association has ever seen.

On Jan. 26 against Atlanta, he scored 73 points. The next day vs. Sacramento, he logged a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. And on Monday night while facing Orlando, he poured in another 45 points with 15 dimes and nine boards.

Kidd said it's all led him to believe the 24-year-old will win several titles in his career.

"He's a winner," Kidd said, "and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. And, he will get there and not just win one, but he will win multiple when it's all said and done."

Luka Doncic was in a testy mood Wednesday night ... first, he ejected a fan for heckling him -- and then he beefed with a journalist for reporting on the incident afterward.

It all started during the Mavericks vs. Suns tilt at American Airlines Center in Dallas ... when a Devin Booker supporter allegedly ribbed Doncic from his courtside seat.

Luka said the trash talk happened throughout the game ... and, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Mavs superstar had enough after the fan had screamed for him to "get your ass on the treadmill!"

Video from inside the arena shows Doncic appeared to wave to a referee after the comment had been made ... before the guy was seen leaving the area.

Luka and the Mavs went on to lose, 132-109 ... and once he stepped to the postgame podium, it wasn't hard to see he was annoyed at MacMahon for sharing details of the incident with the public.

"I knew you would be the first one to point out something like that," Doncic said. "It's just funny. You always seem to be the first one to put some bad stuff about me."

Luka seemed pissed that the treadmill comment was the only jab MacMahon had reported. But, when the 24-year-old was pressed to reveal what the fan had actually done/said to make him seek an ejection ... he declined to get into specifics -- only saying the barbs had flown all night long.

"I'm just saying," Doncic told MacMahon, "you seem to be the first one to always put something bad about me."

"I never would eject a fan," he continued. "They pay for tickets. But I had enough, you know? It's a little bit of frustration."

Jennifer Hudson y Common tienen un vínculo muy fuerte entre ellos. Ambos estuvieron tomados de la mano y muy pegados mientras veían un partido de los Lakers en la cancha.

La pareja se paseó de la mano en el Crypto Arena para el partido del miércoles contra los Mavericks de Dallas, dejándose caer en sus asientos para tener una experiencia en la primera fila y luciendo muy a la moda.

La cita de J-Hud y Common es una prueba de que siguen en serio como pareja. Ambos estuvieron sonriendo y conversando y Jennifer incluso le presentó a Common a otra pareja que estaba sentada a su lado.

LeBron James y los Lakers ganaron por 127 a 110, y Jennifer y Common salieron juntos antes del pitido final, mientras se despedían de algunas personas en su camino de salida.

Jennifer y Common han estado juntos desde hace un tiempo y esta salida significa que no están mostrando signos de desaceleración. Él ha dicho que podrían hacer un disco juntos eventualmente, pero tiene que suceder orgánicamente.

Jennifer Hudson and Common have a strong bond between them ... they were holding hands and joined at the hip sitting courtside at a Lakers game.

The couple strolled hand in hand into Crypto Arena for Wednesday's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, plopping down in their seats for a front-row experience ... and looking pretty fashionable.

J-Hud and Common's date night is proof they're still going strong as a pair ... they were smiling and chatting, and Jennifer even introduced Common to another couple sitting beside her.

LeBron James and the Lakers won in a blowout, 127-110, and Jennifer and Common hit the exits together before the final buzzer ... saying goodbye to some folks on their way out.

Jennifer and Common have been together for a while now, and this outing means they're showing no signs of slowing down. He's said they might make a record together eventually, but it's got to happen organically.

The Warriors' home matchup against the Mavericks slated for Friday has been postponed ... with the NBA making the decision to move the game following Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević's tragic death.

The Association made the announcement just minutes ago ... saying the contest will be made up at a later date, and the Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers game will air on ESPN instead.

The move is understandable -- the entire organization is grieving over the loss of Milojević ... with Golden State head coach Steve Kerr saying Wednesday it was "a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him."

As we previously reported, the team stated 46-year-old Milojević -- a former pro in Europe -- suffered a heart attack during dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday ... and he tragically passed away Wednesday morning.

The league also postponed the Warriors' game against the Utah Jazz, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

Mark Cuban is making sure his Mavericks employees are being taken care of following his sale of the majority stake in the NBA franchise ... promising to dole out $35 million-plus in bonuses in the near future.

The former Dallas owner made the announcement in an email to Mavs staffers on Friday, according to ESPN ... explaining new owners Miriam Adelson and Sivan and Patrick Dumont will be helping to contribute to the large bonus pool as well.

Cuban said the payouts will be based on "a framework that took into consideration how long you have worked for the Mavs." He added the cash will be hitting bank accounts "in the very near future."

"I'm excited to continue our work making the Mavs the best franchise in all of sports!" Cuban said in the letter.

Of course, Cuban officially gave way to Adelson and the Dumonts late last month ... selling the families his controlling interest in the team for $3.5 billion.

The 65-year-old, however, still maintains a 27% stake in the org. ... and he told reporters after it all became official that he'll still have control of basketball operations.

As for why he made the surprising move ... he said it's simple -- he thinks the new owners can grow the business exponentially.

"When you get a world-class partner who can come in and grow your revenue base and you're not dependent on things that you were in the past," Cuban said, "that's a huge win."

Eric Montross -- the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft -- has passed away after a battle with cancer, his family announced Monday.

He was just 52 years old.

Montross was a star for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels ... winning a national championship in 1993 before playing eight seasons in the pros for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.

"The family of Eric Montross (Laura, Sarah, Andrew, and Megan) is announcing that he passed away on Sunday, December 17, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Chapel Hill," a statement released by UNC said.

"Eric was diagnosed with cancer in March 2023, and his family is grateful for the tremendous support and the truly overwhelming love expressed by so many people as he battled with his signature determination and grace."

"They also thank the many members of the medical community -- and particularly those at UNC Lineberger Cancer Center -- who matched his fight with equal passion. To know Eric was to be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples from the generous, thoughtful way that he lived his life will continue in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and sincere kindness."

Montross was an All-American for UNC ... and received All-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994.

Mark Cuban says if he were in charge of the ball at the center of the Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Pacers tiff ... the Bucks superstar would be disappointed -- 'cause he would've given the memento to Indiana.

The Dallas Mavericks honcho didn't mince words when talking about the topic to TMZ Sports on Thursday ... saying, "if you have a rookie who's never scored before in an NBA game, that's a big deal that only happens once."

"So," he continued, "I'd give the ball to the rookie."

Of course, Giannis felt differently following Milwaukee's 140-126 win over Indiana at the Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night ... going absolutely ballistic when the Pacers wanted to hand the ball off to Oscar Tshiebwe for scoring his first NBA basket instead of to the two-time MVP who had just scored 64 points.

Antetokounmpo ran to the front of the Pacers' locker room to confront them -- before he sprinted back on the court to complain to arena officials about the ball some more.

Eventually, a basketball was given to Giannis ... though he told reporters afterward he wasn't sure if it was actually the one he used to drop a franchise-high mark for points during the game.

Cuban said the home team should ultimately be the one to make the call in the situation -- though he said he'd just have to give it up to the rookie in this instance ... but would still do something nice for Giannis.

"With situations like that," he said, "I'd take the box score, I'd get his teammates to sign it and I'd frame it for him."

He added that if Giannis really wanted the ball -- he recommended bartering with the rookie for it ... perhaps by signing a jersey or even forking over some cash.

Luka Doncic is apparently having a difficult time keeping his postgame interviews PG ... letting yet another F-bomb fly on Wednesday night -- although, as he's done previously, he apologized right away.

The latest potty-mouth incident from the Mavericks superstar happened just after the Dallas point guard netted 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 147-97 win over the Utah Jazz.

Doncic was asked about the importance of the W after his squad had started December with an 0-2 record -- and that's when began cussin'.

"I said before the game, you know, we just can't f*** around," Doncic said.

Almost immediately, he realized his blunder -- and told the reporter on the floor, "Ah, s***. My bad."

To his credit, the journalist helped Luka brush off the embarrassing moment -- attributing it all to the lack of sleep he's gotten due to the birth of his first child.

Of course, Doncic has been doing this since well before his newborn arrived ... in fact, it just happened in late October, when he described a player's game as "f***ing amazing."

Doncic said he was sorry for that incident as well -- looking just as sheepish as he did Wednesday night.

Daymond John ha predicho que el éxito de "Shark Tank" continuará mucho después de la salida de su coprotagonista Mark Cuban, a quien atribuye el mérito de mantener la serie a flote.

El fundador de FUBU no tiene reparos en la decisión de Mark de salir, diciendo que ya ha hecho lo suficiente por hacer lo que ningún otro multimillonario conocido hizo... creer en el espectáculo, mientras que estaba al borde de la cancelación de tres temporadas.

Daymond dice que la devoción de Mark era profunda, permaneciendo en el programa durante tantos años, con su entrada jugando un papel importante en hacer de él el fenómeno cultural que es hoy.

Lo que quiere decir es que si alguna vez has tenido sueños de lanzar su sueño en "Shark Tank", eso es todo Mark.

Claramente, Daymond ha forjado un fuerte vínculo con Mark los últimos años, diciéndonos que le desea lo mejor y añadiendo que el equipo quiere seguir con su duro trabajo para darle su asiento a la próxima generación de empresarios.

¿Quién podría hacerse con el codiciado asiento? El propio Mark ha respaldado a la socia de las Kardashian Emma Grede como su sustituta, elogiando su experiencia y carisma televisivo.

Daymond John has predicted the success of "Shark Tank" will continue long after the departure of his costar Mark Cuban ... whom he credits for keeping the series afloat.

The FUBU founder has no qualms over Mark's decision to leave ... saying he's already done enough by doing what no other well-known billionaire did ... believe in the show while it was on the brink of cancelation three seasons in.

Daymond says Mark's devotion ran deep ... staying on the show for so many years with his input playing a significant part in making it the cultural phenomenon it is today.

What he means is that if you've ever had dreams of pitching your pipe dream on "Shark Tank" -- that's all Mark.

Clearly, Daymond has forged a strong bond with Mark over the years ... telling us he wishes him well and adding the 'ST' team wants to pay his hard work forward by giving his seat to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

As for who could potentially snag the coveted seat? Mark himself has endorsed Kardashian biz partner Emma Grede as his replacement ... gushing over her experience and TV charisma.

Congrats are in order for Luka Doncic and his fiancée, Anamaria Goltes -- the NBA star and the model just introduced their baby girl to the world!!

The Dallas Mavericks hooper and Anamaria shared the amazing news on Instagram on Friday ... captioning a picture of the little bundle of joy with one word -- "Gabriela."

This is the first child for the pair ... and their famous friends couldn't be happier for them.

"Congrats my man!" Patrick Mahomes said in the comment section ... with many others -- including Luka's mom, Mirjam Poterbin -- showing love as well.

Doncic is missing his first game of the season as the Mavs face off against the Memphis Grizzlies in a few hours. His absence was originally disclosed as personal reasons, but now we know it was for his daughter's arrival!

Doncic has been dating Goltes since 2016 ... and the two first met in Croatia when they were just kids. On July 7, they announced their picturesque engagement in Slovenia.

Mark Cuban dice que no hay "ninguna posibilidad" de que esté tratando de hacer campaña para llegar a la Casa Blanca tras las especulaciones de que podría postularse para Presidente en 2024 después de vender una participación mayoritaria en los Dallas Mavericks de la NBA.

Comentarios de la supuesta jugada política inundaron X, aunque el multimillonario le dice a TMZ que una campaña presidencial para el próximo año no está en los planes y añade que "la familia me repudiaría".

Recordemos que después de años de construir su imperio, Mark está poniendo a la familia en primer lugar, anunciando en el podcast de Showtime "All The Smoke" el lunes, que dejaba "Shark Tank" después de 16 temporadas ya que entra en conflicto con su tiempo personal.

Además que convertirse en Presidente —posiblemente el trabajo más ocupado en el mundo— no haría mucho para despejar su agenda.

Sin embargo, ha entretenido la idea antes, divulgando a Harvey en "OBJECTified" en 2017 que se postularía como republicano para desafiar a Donald Trump. En 2019, Mark nos dijo que su familia "votó en contra" de su serio deseo de postularse a la presidencia en 2020.

La renovada charla política ganó tracción después de que TMZ Sports confirmara que Mark estaba vendiendo su participación mayoritaria, supuestamente valorada en $3.5B, a Miriam Adelson, obteniendo un retorno masivo de la inversión después de comprar el equipo en 2000 por $285 millones.

Él conservará algunas acciones y ser el líder de la toma de decisiones cuando se trata de operaciones de baloncesto, pero la viuda/heredera multimillonaria Adelson, tiene algunos planes propios para los Mavs. Principalmente la construcción de un nuevo estadio y casino, y un proyecto de ley de juego pasa en Texas.

Mark Cuban says there's "no chance" he's trying to campaign his way into the White House ... following speculation he might run for President in 2024 after selling a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

Comments of the supposed political move flooded in on X ... though the billionaire tells TMZ that a presidential campaign trail for next year was "galaxies off" and adding, "family would disown me."

Remember ... after years of building his empire, Mark is putting family first -- announcing on the Showtime podcast "All The Smoke" Monday he was leaving "Shark Tank" after 16 seasons as it conflicts with his personal time.

And of course ... becoming President -- arguably the busiest job in the world -- wouldn't do a whole lot to clear up his schedule.

However, he's entertained the idea before, divulging to Harvey on "OBJECTified" in 2017 that he'd run as a Republican to challenge Donald Trump. In 2019, Mark told us his family "voted down" his serious desire to run for President in 2020.

The renewed political chat gained traction after TMZ Sports confirmed Mark was selling his majority stake, reportedly valued at $3.5B, to Miriam Adelson ... getting a massive return on the investment after buying the team in 2000 for $285 million.

He'll retain some shares and be the lead decision-maker when it comes to basketball ops -- but billionaire widow/heiress Adelson has some plans of her own for the Mavs ... mainly building a new arena and casino -- if a gambling bill passes in Texas.