Golden State Warriors

Steph Curry tells TMZ Sports the talk about teaming up with Diddy to buy the Carolina Panthers is 100 percent real ... and he's taking steps toward getting a deal done.

Steph was out in Beverly Hills Friday with his wife, Ayesha, when he told us he's getting closer to buying his beloved football team, and says ... "This is a real thing, so hopefully it happens sooner than later."

Curry says he's been in contact with Diddy and they're formulating a strategy to make a legit play for ownership of the NFL team ... but there's a lot of work to do still.

There's more -- since Ayesha's an accomplished chef with her own restaurant, we asked what she would cook for their good friends, the Obamas ... and wait 'til you hear the answer.

Nick Young says it's painfully obvious why the Patriots are so damn successful -- the NFL's CHEATING FOR THEM.

On the same night as his accidental Iggy Azalea reunion, we also got Swaggy P to weigh in on the controversial Pats-Steelers ending from last Sunday.

Young told us Pittsburgh got screwed on the overturned TD call ... not like it surprised him.

"Yeah man, they got cheated," Young told TMZ Sports. "They always cheat for the Patriots ... they can't do no wrong."

Swaggy even speculated the NFL might have its own Tim Donaghy problem ... saying gambling probably played a role in the Pats getting the W.

Newly-retired Matt Barnes says the 'B' in his last name could stand for BILLIONAIRE in just a few years ... revealing his master money plan to join the 3 Commas club by the time he's 50.

Barnes was getting ready to attend an event for his new company, Active Dreamers -- which makes NBA pillows and blankets -- when he told us why he's dead serious about getting to that next level of wealth.

There's more ... Barnes says his portfolio is ready to explode -- he's even got a production company kicking out big projects, including a documentary called "Tale of Four Cities" due out in 2018.

It's over for Matt Barnes ... the scrappy NBA star has announced he's retiring after a "cool 15 year run."

"Traveled the world met alota cool people, some will be brothers for the rest of my life," Barnes posted on social media.

Barnes was drafted by the Memphis Grizzles in the 2nd round of the 2002 NBA Draft -- and went on to play with the Clippers, Kings, Lakers, Warriors and more.

He was a part of the Warriors team that won the championship in 2017.

37-year-old Barnes says he'll be focusing on expanding his businesses and spending more time with his kids ... and hopes to be a billionaire by the time he's 50!

He reportedly made more than $31 mil during his career ... so, not a bad start!

Here's Kenny Smith giving a basketball expert's opinion on a pretty hot topic -- WHO WOULD WIN AN ALL-OUT BRAWL BETWEEN KEVIN DURANT AND DEMARCUS COUSINS?!

Oh, yeah. It's on.

We got the Jet at LAX and after he finished giving us some wisdom on the Derrick Rose situation in Cleveland, we had to ask about the newest biggest beef in the NBA -- Durant vs. Cousins.

The two guys have been extra chippy on and off the court lately, and we wanted to know if it came down to the come down, who'd wax whose ass.

Smith takes Boogie ... who outweighs Durant by about 1,000 lbs. ... and says Boogie would take the whole contest in a scant 3 rounds.

We want to see it.

Britney Spears -- lookin' smokin' hot -- was the real MVP of Lakers vs. Warriors on Wednesday ... smooching the night away with 23-year-old BF Sam Asghari courtside at Staples Center.

The Dubs and Lakeshow had an epic OT battle ... but it's pretty obvious Britney and Sam were more into their own 1-on-1 matchup -- while her 2 boys watched the action on the court.

Tons of other huge celebs were in attendance -- including Will Ferrell, Diddy, Jack Nicholson (of course) and proud papa LaVar Ball.

The Lakers lost ... but Lonzo Ball actually knocked down some shots!!

Moral victory?

Klay Thompson got a lesson in unlimited range at Warriors practice yesterday -- but it wasn't from Steph or KD.

Harlem Globetrotters Zeus McClurkin and Dizzy English hit the hardwood in Oakland to show Klay how to get wet from 4-point distance (30 FEET) ... but it looked like the Splash Bro had it covered.

The best part of the vid was definitely when Zeus asked Klay if he thought the NBA should add a 4-point line. Thompson's answer -- "I think it would only really benefit us."

Burn.

Hard to argue with Klay, though -- remember when he did THIS?!

Move over, Lonzo Ball -- Nick Young's not only down to star in his own reality show -- he says he's already gotten a bunch of offers to put the life of Swaggy P on TV!!

Swaggy dropped the news at Warriors practice today -- looking happy as hell telling reporters about his future plans for Hollywood domination.

But there's a catch -- "I gotta get the best offers ... gotta take my talents to the best place."

His asking price -- "Kardashian prices."

Nick lives the life reality producers gush over -- dates celebs (Iggy Azalea), has famous friends (Gilbert Arenas) and has all sorts of real life drama (D'Angelo Russell).

Kinda doubt Swaggy's worth $150 mil ... but hey -- shooters gonna shoot.

It's a bird! It's a plane!! It's ... a dinosaur???

We asked Warriors baller Nick Young what the hell coulda smacked into the OKC Thunder airplane on Friday night -- making a HUGE crater on the nose of the Boeing 757.

Swaggy P's scientific deduction -- "A dinosaur ... or something."

FYI, a Delta spokesperson said it was probably a bird ... but Young ain't buyin' it.

A blowout game ain't gonna come between Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan's friendship ... 'cause the 2 baller buddies grabbed dinner together after the Warriors beat up on the Clippers Monday night.

K.D. and Jordan hit up Catch LA around 11 PM after the Dubs destroyed the Clips 141-113 at Staples Center ... and Jordan was all smiles despite the loss.

Catch appears to be the go-to spot when DJ's friends are in town ... the All-Star center's also been spotted there with his pals Jimmy Butler and Russell Westbrook after games.

Fake Klay Thompson's making fans outta real-life NBA ballers -- 'cause ex-Kings star Hedo Turkoglu says he's on the bandwagon!

"It is ridiculous. It is funny, though," Hedo told TMZ Sports in the Beverly Hills.

FYI, a prankster that looked A LOT like Klay sat courtside for the Warriors' season opener ... and the Internet loved it.

Turkoglu did too ... and told us Thompson ain't alone 'cause he comes across Hedo imposters all the time (he was kidding ... we think).

On a more serious note, we got the former King to talk about his former squad's prospects ... and he had pretty high hopes.

Matt Barnes says he's blessed to have won a ring with the Warriors ... but tells TMZ Sports the whole thing was "bittersweet."

Matt grinded 15 YEARS for a 'chip -- and says it was an "amazing experience" being a part of one of the greatest teams in NBA history ... but the injury he suffered right before the playoffs really put a damper on things.

"It's bittersweet 'cause I wanted to be out there crying and bleeding and sweating with my teammates," Barnes said ... "I had to sit back and watch our team win the finals."

Makes sense -- Barnes is one of the toughest competitors in pro sports ... so you can understand how hard it must have been to sit back and watch even when his team was dominating.

Overall, though, Matt says the experience was dope.

Just like the after-parties.

Kevin Durant says he's 100% behind Jemele Hill "standing up for what she believes in" ... telling TMZ Sports he totally supports the embattled ESPN star.

"I'm behind Jemele -- I support her," Durant told us outside Poppy in L.A.

Donald Trump came at ESPN on Friday for Hill's "white supremacist" tweet -- demanding the network "apologize for untruth" ... this after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Hill's comment a "fireable offense."

Of course, KD has his own issues with POTUS -- remember when he told us he "don't f**k with" the Donald? Yeah, not a fan ... but still, having an MVP publicly support Hill is a HUGE deal.

Christmas is coming early for Kobe Bryant -- the Lakers are planning to retire his jersey before the Warriors game on Dec. 18 ... multiple sources tell TMZ Sports.

The Lakers aren't officially acknowledging it -- but the team sent a letter to Lakers season ticket holders advising them to "hold on to your tickets for the game on Dec. 18" for a "special event."

We've made some calls and everyone's saying the same thing ... it's Kobe's big night.

The big question ... which number will go up in Staples Center -- #8 or #24 ... or both? (Our money's on both).

The Lakers also play the Golden State Warriors that night -- so LaVar Ball can finally watch Lonzo take on Steph Curry!

Those tickets are gonna be PRICEY on StubHub.

Steph Curry is disgusted that Colin Kaepernick is still in the unemployment line ... and he's got a message for all the NFL teams refusing to sign him -- FREE KAEP.

Steph was in attendance for the 49ers vs. Panthers game at Levi's Stadium ... and shared a photo of the field with a #FreeKaep caption.

This statement comes a day after Curry spoke about Kaep deserving an NFL roster spot ... adding that his national anthem protests "shook up the world ... for the better."

“He definitely should be in the NFL," Steph told The Charlotte Observer.

"If you’ve been around the NFL, the top 64 quarterbacks, and he’s not one of them? Then I don’t know what game I’m watching."

As for Kaep ... the former Niners QB was social media silent on Sunday -- but his Know Your Rights Camp account posted messages urging fans to boycott the NFL.

The Steph Curry party train is rollin' HARD this summer -- dude crashed a random house party this weekend and slammed beers at 2 in the mornin' ... and it was all caught on video.

The 29-year-old NBA superstar was in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday night for the wedding of his ex-Warrior teammate, Harrison Barnes -- and after the party, he was on the hunt for the after-party.

So, he rounded up a gang of 5 dudes -- including Kent Bazemore -- and rolled over to a nearby house that was bumpin' loud music.

They knocked and asked if they could join in -- and the gang of 20-something-year-olds inside immediately passed over the Bud Lights.

They wanted Steph to shotgun the beers -- but Curry decided it was best to just chug. He ended up wearing half the can on his Steph Curry UA shirt.

We're told the guys partied for about 30 to 45 mins and everyone had a blast.

Epic end to an epic night. No sign of Kyrie, BTW.