Golden State Warriors

Before J. Cole was smoking his rap competition, he was regularly smoking cigarettes in elementary school -- but he credits his mother for setting him straight!!!

Cole made the shocking confession on Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers' "Lead By Example" podcast and admitted to taking his first tobacco puffs at just six ... attempting to impress the older kids in his Fayetteville, N.C. neighborhood.

Cole says he didn't have a strict upbringing but when his older brother, Zach, got wind of his shenanigans, he told their mom ... and she immediately smelled the cigs on his breath and proceeded to give him a "life-changing" ass whooping!!!

The Dreamville rapper recalls immediately growing remorseful for initially lying to his mother about smoking and changed his ways, which brought him to his true love for making music. Obviously, that panned out for him.

After five platinum albums, he's been hinting at retirement but still oversees his stable of Dreamville artists, who all just combined forces for the "Creed III" soundtrack last month.

We're a month removed from Valentine's Day, but Ayesha Curry is still showin' plenty of love to Steph ... penning a mushy note to the NBA superstar for his birthday on Tuesday.

Ayesha wrote the sweet message on her social media page for her hubby's big 3-5 ... while sharing a bunch of photos of the Golden State Warriors point guard enjoying his life.

"Happy Birthday to my love!!!" Ayesha wrote on IG. "35 trips around the sun! Wow!"

"I love everything about you but your soul is unmatched. I know this will be the best year yet! Happy birthday @stephencurry30 🎂🎉🎊🥳😘😘😘"

The couple, of course, is no stranger to PDA -- they've been sharing lovey notes to each other on social media regularly ever since they officially tied the knot in 2011.

In fact, just a few days ago, Steph called her "amazing" in a post recognizing International Women's Day. And, back on V-Day in February, Ayesha called him "my forever valentine."

You can bet more adorable notes will be coming too ... the couple's anniversary is just a few months away in July.

Draymond Green wants Black History Month to be a thing of the past ... delivering a powerful speech to make his case, saying, "Why we gotta keep getting the shortest month to celebrate our history?"

"At some point, can we get rid of it?" Green asked reporters following the Warriors' 123-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night at the Chase Center.

The Warriors superstar accused current politicians of trying to wipe Black History out of schools ... and said he won't settle for celebrating just one month as a consolation prize.

FYI -- According to the ACLU, more than 30 state legislatures have recently been introduced to dampen Black history education, and hundreds of books written by Black authors about race history have been pulled from the shelves.

"I’m not going to be the fool to say, 'Yeah, we can celebrate it for 28 days,'" Green said. "So at some point, I’d like to get rid of it. We're making all these changes in the world -- can't talk about these people. Can't talk about those people. Can’t say this. Can’t say that."

Green -- who was wearing a blue shirt that read "Built By Black History" during his postgame conference -- said his choice of clothing was intentional as he made his point.

The 4-time NBA champion and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year said he doesn't want people to misconstrue his call to end Black History Month with him trying to downplay Black people.

"At some point, it’s time to get rid of Black History Month," Green reiterated. "Not get rid of Black history, like they’re trying to do. But Black History Month? Nah, teach my history from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, and then do it again. And then again. And then again. And then again."

Mac McClung's performance at NBA All-Star weekend should have the Warriors and Lakers feeling foolish, so says Riff Raff who tells TMZ Sports both teams screwed up not signing the hoop star full-time.

Some quick background on McClung ... the Tennessee native has been an acrobatic dunker since high school and played two seasons at Georgetown, where he averaged 14.7 points and 2.2 assists per game. He also spent one year at Texas Tech.

Despite McClung's athleticism and scoring capability, the point guard went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft ... but spent time with the Lakers and Bulls G-League affiliates. He also had a short stint with the Warriors.

The Sixers recently signed Mac to a 2-way contract with their affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats ... meaning he can play up to 50 games before deciding if they keep him full-time.

Now you can see why McClung wasn't necessarily a familiar face amongst the NBA crowd until he won the dunk contest in Salt Lake City last weekend, reviving a competition that has been pretty boring over the past few years.

Mac's cousin, hip hop artist, Riff Raff -- who has been promoting McClung for nearly 6 years -- tells us he's happy MM's finally "getting the notoriety that he deserves" ... and then he proceeded to call out the Lakers and Warriors in the process.

"He's been on the Warriors, they fumbled. He's been on the Lakers with some of his favorite players and he's playing with them and they fumbled that and now he's over there in Philly," Riff Raff said.

"He's the new Ivory Iverson!!!!'

Riff Raff continued ... "Any NBA team owner would be foolish to not wanna fill the stands and get hat hype around their team. To me, and to anybody who actually watches him play, he's a starter."

But, Jody Highroller wants you to have one thing straight ... there's more to McClung than dunking, calling the 6'2" baller an "actual hooper" who's more than just an explosive/athletic player.

But, don't get it twisted ... Riff Raff believes McClung will take over the dunk contest for many years to come, forcing NBA superstars to participate.

Too $hort is all for setting great examples for younger rappers and hopes his recent trip to the White House offers some inspiration to whoever needs it!!!

We linked with Short Dog in D.C. this week fresh outta the Oval Office and as expected, he said the experience was nothing short of greatness.

Short, along with E-40, Mistah F.A.B. and Sway Calloway got to meet their fellow Oakland native, Vice President Kamala Harris ... and the rap legend says he couldn't be more proud of his hometown.

The Golden State Warriors broke their boycott of the White House in light of Donald Trump no longer being the commander-in-chief and $hort says, as a lifelong fan, he was happy to support the team in person.

He has nearly 40 years in the rap game so Short knows a thing or two about perseverance ... so, we switched gears to football to ask him about Tom Brady possibly, finally retiring. Maybe.

Too $hort is in the camp of folks who say TB12 isn't hanging up his cleats just yet.

Brady and the Buccaneers just got embarrassingly bounced outta the NFL playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys -- but, Short says Tom will give us another pump fake "retirement" and be back on the field for next season.

The Golden State Warriors returned to The White House to celebrate their 2021-2022 NBA Season championship -- but it wasn't just members of the team who went -- Oakland hip hop legends joined in too!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained photos and videos of E-40, Too $hort, Sway Calloway and Mistah F.A.B. at the White House during the reception, posting up with V.P. Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

We’re told V.P. Harris was excited to meet 40 and $hort ... being a proud Oakland native herself, and the guys got to swap stories with Pelosi and her husband, Paul.

The hip hop stars are regulars at The Chase Center, supporting the Warriors through thick and thin -- so it's not totally shocking they were able to tag along. The group also got a pic in with players Andre Iguodala and Moses Moody.

Outside on the White House grounds, 40, $hort and F.A.B. discussed Oakland streetwear legacy and later connected with former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for a photo-op.

We spoke with $hort earlier this season about the potential for this year's squad, and he’s adamant the Warriors will win another chip with ease.

Last year marked the Warriors’ 4th championship in recent years, but it was their first trip back to the White House since 2015, after refusing to celebrate with Donald Trump.

The Golden State Warriors made their triumphant return to President Biden's White House Tuesday -- after twice spurning President Trump -- where they celebrated winning the NBA title last summer.

The Dubs were in D.C. to play the hometown Wizards Monday night at the Capital One Arena ... before pulling up on #46 Tuesday afternoon to commemorate their fourth championship in eight years. The Warriors beat the Celtics in 6 games during the 2022 NBA Finals.

Of course, it's the first time Curry and the Warriors have been back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since Barack Obama was president. The team publicly feuded with Trump after their championships in 2017 and 2018.

Despite it being a tradition to go to the W.H., the Warriors spurned Trump, refusing to go to the White House. Trump also disinvited the team.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a Warriors fan, opened things up ... recalling when the team gifted her a custom #49 jersey, in honor of her becoming the 49th VP in U.S. history.

Harris then introduced POTUS, who raved about the franchise's success ... led by Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and head coach Steve Kerr.

Speaking of Steph ... the reigning NBA Finals MVP said a few words, too -- before presenting Biden and Harris with a signature #46 and #1 Warriors jersey.

Curry and Biden stood side by side, posing for photos with the jerseys ... as photographers snapped pics of the two as the other players, coaches and executives stood in the background.

Draymond Green says he's still working to repair his relationship with Jordan Poole after their violent practice altercation three months ago ... admitting their dynamic has completely changed, but it's slowly improved with time.

The Golden State Warriors forward opened up about the incident in an interview with Taylor Rooks ... saying he watched the clip over and over after TMZ Sports published it on Oct. 7, and while he knew he was in the wrong, he claims there's more to the story that he will share one day.

"Once that [video] released, I'm experiencing so many emotions," Green says. "Like, I'm upset. How the hell does this get released? Going through hell because you're just at the sole discretion of public opinion."

Green says the two players have been able to go about their business as professionals since the video was released, but points out they're not rushing to hang out off the court anytime soon.

"We go to work every day together," he says. "Our lockers are right next to each other, that never changed. We ride the same buses together, we change in the same locker room on the road together -- none of that has changed."

"Did it change our relationship, of course. Absolutely. That's still a work in progress. I'll always be willing to continue to do that work because I was wrong."

BTS rapper Suga might be a "boy with luv" for a new team -- the K-pop superstar was spotted hanging courtside at the Laker game on Thursday ... bringing his Warriors allegiances into question.

Suga hit up Crypto.com Arena as Los Angeles hosted the Dallas Mavericks ... and he appeared to be in great spirits, enjoying a cold beer as he checked out the action.

The guy's presence was clearly known to the players ... with Luka Doncic even dapping him up before the game.

Of course, Suga appeared to be deep in Dub Nation prior to the season ... getting his own custom Golden State jersey and hanging out with the team when they were in Japan for a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

He was also getting close with Steph Curry ... who gifted him a pair of signed shoes after the matchup.

But, Suga might be swayed to the Purple & Gold now ... as the Lakers also got him a custom jersey prior to attending Thursday's game.

Too Short isn’t sweating the Golden State Warriors’ current slump in the season, and is advising all die-hard fans to follow his lead!!!

We recently spoke to the Oakland rap legend -- who made sure to rep in his authentic Warriors gear while offering his two cents on the Warriors season. Of course, things started a little rocky when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during practice before the season's official tipoff. They've since had some big-time losses on the court.

Short says the Warriors don’t get the credit they deserve for rising above injuries and regaining the crown last season ... and notes Kevin Durant's place in the dynasty rarely gets acknowledged.

The Warriors have one of the most tight-knit rapper fanbases in the league. Short, G-Eazy, Mistah F.A.B and his Mt. Westmore bandmate E-40 are among the familiar faces who can be seen in Chase Center on any given night!!!

The team is currently in 11th place and has a big Christmas Day matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies ... but Short says the NBA have playoffs for a reason and he's overly confident they can sneak in a repeat as champs with a late-season push.

Short may have the skills to moonlight as a sports analyst, but don't think he's abandoning rap. His Mt. Westmore album collab with 40, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube is hot off the streaming press --- and he's well aware of the firepower they possess.

No, Draymond Green ain't pillow soft for having a heckler booted from an NBA game earlier this week ... so says Michael Rapaport, who tells TMZ Sports the Warriors star was in the right in the situation.

Green had the courtside fan kicked out of Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Bucks game in Milwaukee -- claiming the man threatened his life during a trash-talking sesh.

The man has since said he did no such thing -- but when we got Rapaport out this week ... the comedian, who's usually full of hot takes, said he was siding with Green in the spat.

"Even though Draymond Green is not, you know, you know," Rapaport said out in NYC ... "Fans are inappropriate sometimes. It's a family-friendly event."

Rapaport said fans need to treat games as if they were going to Disneyland -- as in, behave themselves extra carefully -- otherwise, they should be subjected to ejections.

The fan who Draymond Green had booted from the Warriors vs. Bucks game earlier this week says he never threatened the Golden State star's life ... insisting he was actually being nice to the NBA player.

Mike Shane spelled his side of the story out on the "KJ Live" podcast this week ... explaining that when he was trash-talking Green during the third quarter of the big game at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, he was actually saying Milwaukee fans were giving him "a pass."

Shane said the city harbored a lot of anger toward Green for punching Milwaukee native Jordan Poole at a Warriors practice earlier this year ... but everyone was now willing to let it go.

"I was speaking up for the city of Milwaukee," the R&B singer said. "Basically telling him, like, we're giving you a pass. We haven't forgotten about what you did -- a big bully -- and we're giving you a pass."

"We forgive you."

Shane, though, says Green "blew it out of proportion," and had him kicked out of the arena.

But, the superfan says the Bucks were cool about it all ... and even offered him a refund and future tickets.

"There was two police officers who were actually right there," Shane added. "There was a police officer and the league security who came back there and vouched for me. They were right there and said I didn't use any profanity, I didn't say anything malicious."

Draymond Green says the fan who he had booted from Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Bucks game hurled death threats his way from his courtside seat.

The Golden State superstar had animatedly exchanged words with the man in the third quarter of the Dubs' blowout loss to Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum ... when a few moments later, he grabbed a ref's attention and pointed toward the guy.

Green appeared to insist that the man should leave the game -- and after a few seconds of arguing, security escorted the guy from the area.

After the contest, Green told reporters that at one point during their heated argument, the fan had said "some threatening stuff to my life."

The 32-year-old -- who previously punched his own teammate in a fit of rage earlier this year -- said he nearly went after the guy ("I was this close to really going back," he said) ... but decided to get the refs' help with the situation instead.

"When I told the official what he said," Draymond explained, "he was like, 'Oh, he's got to get out of here.'"

The Bucks said in a statement following the game that they were investigating the matter.

This is not the first time Green has had an issue with fans this year ... he was just fined $25K two weeks ago for getting into it with a man in Dallas.

He told reporters on Tuesday night that he hoped to see significant changes at NBA arenas to try to deter the contentious interactions going forward.

Klay Thompson believes Draymond Green's attack on teammate Jordan Poole will eventually be nothing but a "blip on the story" ... saying the team will be farther away from the incident the more they win.

Klay spoke about the October practice altercation in an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews this week ... saying he wasn't too concerned about the impact it would have on the team's chemistry as long as they handled business on the court.

"It's unfortunate it got leaked, but those guys are all brothers, Jordan and Draymond," Klay said. "I knew, with time, like the old adage, time heals all wounds. I know winning and just having fun cures all."

"We're playing that brand of Warriors basketball again and once we continue to do so, I think it will just be a blip on the story."

It wasn't all gravy for the Dubs, though -- they were slow out the gate, going 3-7 to start the season ... and many wondered if the practice incident had anything to do with it.

But they've turned things around recently ... and are currently .500 and looking much better.

Klay also spoke about what his dad -- ex-NBAer Mychal Thompson -- thought of the altercation ... saying, "He tried to downplay it."

"I mean, he played in the '80s. They were fighting each other every other game. I've seen Larry Bird have to fight off three 76ers once. Dr. J and him choking each other. He's from a different generation."

Vince Staples is boosting his acting resume with a cameo on the award-winning sitcom, "Abbott Elementary," and fans are demanding an encore!!!

The Long Beach-bred rapper guest starred as Maurice ... a potential love interest for show creator Quinta Brunson's character, Janine.

The Wednesday night episode also featured NBA champ Andre Iguodala, and it had fans doing double takes all night ... with some even getting all googly-eyed over Vince.

'Abbott' is one of the hottest tickets on TV, winning 3 Primetime Emmys after its first season on the air.

The Warriors are in an absolute tailspin this season solely because of Draymond Green ... so says Greg Anthony, who revealed Wednesday he thinks DG's preseason punch has caused massive problems for the champs.

The NBA TV analyst made his opinion known loud and clear following the Dubs' 130-119 loss to the Suns, explaining he believes that when Green rocked Jordan Poole during a practice dispute in October, it changed everything for Golden State.

"That is a seminal moment for me," Anthony said. "When that stuff gets out in the public, and it's there for all to see, it hits differently."

The Warriors are now 6-9 this season and have yet to win a game on the road. And, outside of Steph Curry -- who had 50 points in Wednesday night's loss -- nobody, including Green and Poole, is playing all that well.

Anthony clearly believes it's all due to the big practice blow.

"I still think this group is dealing with that," Greg said.

"They're going to say all the right things, but the real proof is when you watch them play. This is not a cohesive unit. They don't seem to have the same level of fire or trust, particularly on the defensive end."

The team is still obviously one of the most talented in the Association ... but according to Anthony -- it could get worse from here, saying he thinks opposing teams are no longer fearing the Dubs.

"The rest of the league is licking their chops," the former NBA point guard said. "They're looking forward to playing them now."