Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are about to hit the reset button and blow up the entire roster -- and it'll be LeBron James who decides which players get to stay in L.A. ... so says Jalen Rose.

Sure, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka technically make the roster moves, but it's obvious keeping James happy is the #1 priority ... and probably the road to a winning team.

Rose says the guys on the current roster are basically auditioning to stay in Purple & Gold -- and right now it looks like Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are the only ones who appear safe.

So, where does that leave Lonzo Ball?

"I love Lonzo. He got game. But, they're taking the ball out of his hands," Rose explained ... "I'm rooting for him."

Translation -- Lonzo needs to get used to playing a style of basketball that he's never played before ... one where he doesn't have the basketball.

For the rest of the roster, Rose gives this advice:

Kobe Bryant's just been made an ambassador for the new 2019 hoops World Cup ... and he's got a message for his home country heading into the big tourney.

"DON'T F*** THIS UP!"

No pressure ...

The FIBA World Cup is a brand new, 32-team tournament set to go down next August and September in China ... and Kobe's new role is to help promote the event globally.

Bryant kicked that off with a video Tuesday ... callin' out Brazil, Spain, Australia, France and China to show him what they got.

But, the Lakers legend made sure to let the Stars and Stripes know they better win the damn thing (Team USA's roster has yet to be picked ... but they've been warned.)

FYI ... Yao Ming was the first ambassador for the event -- and he'll help with the draw for the tournament on March 16 in Shenzhen.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are bad without LeBron James -- like, 0-wins bad -- but that's not such a terrible thing if you're a fan looking to score a REALLY cheap ticket last minute.

The Cavs squared off with the Brooklyn Nets in Cleveland Wednesday. Neither franchise has high hopes for the season, but it's still early, and the contest was only Cleveland's second at home.

However, in looking at Flash Seats -- the ticket sale and resale service launched by Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert -- you'd think the team was 0-60.

Nosebleed seats were reselling for as little as $2 an hour and a half before tip-off.

Granted, the seats suck ... but when a ticket goes for less than a bottle of water in your arena, there are some major issues.

All hell ALMOST broke loose at a Kobe Bryant book signing in L.A. on Tuesday -- with cops responding to an upset crowd ... but sources at the scene tell us Mamba stepped in and diffused the situation.

Kobe was set to meet with 500 fans at Barnes & Noble at The Grove shopping center -- taking pictures and signing copies of his new book, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play."

We're told everything was going fine until someone at the store let in an additional 300 people with less than 30 minutes left in the event.

When time was up and Kobe had to leave, sources say the crowd became upset -- and cops responded to keep the peace.

The good news -- one witness tells us Kobe grabbed the mic, thanked everyone for coming and said he would stay late until he met every person who came out to the event.

Ever wonder what a 1-on-1 game between Lakers legends Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant would have looked like????

Good ... 'cause Kobe spilled the beans to Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" -- and the ex-L.A. superstar says it was actually pretty funny!!!

"He called every single foul," Bryant joked ... "even the ones that weren't there."

Mamba says the two basketball icons only squared off one time during a Lakers practice ... but Magic made sure to tweak the rules -- and the score -- in his favor.

"What's the score?" Kobe says Magic would ask.

"It's 10-6," Kobe would respond.

"No, it's not, it's 10-9."

"I'm like, 'Wait, what the? All right, I'm done.'"

If you thought you knew everything about the Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul fight, boy were you wrong ... Donnell Rawlings has the only breakdown you need to hear, and he's telling it to TMZ Sports.

We got Rawlings out in L.A. and asked him about all things Lakers, and that's when the "Chappelle's Show" star gave us a blow-by-blow, and a spit-by-spit analysis of the brawl Saturday night.

Highlights include ...

- The exact type of spit that was used, and how it affected the melee.

- How race was a factor (we know what you're thinking, you just gotta listen).

- Why the type of punch that was used meant that CP3 never had a chance.

Nipsey Hussle tells TMZ Sports there's NO WAY IN HELL he was gonna jump in the Lakers-Rockets melee Saturday night ... despite what it might have looked like on camera.

You'll remember ... Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul traded blows near the basket Nipsey was sitting under -- and when cameras panned to the rapper -- it sure looked like he was getting ready to jump in.

But, Nipsey -- who teamed up with PUMA to refurbish a basketball court in South L.A. inspired by the brands new kicks -- tells us there was absolutely no chance he was setting himself up to throw hands.

"I would never jump in no NBA fight," Hussle says. "Hell nah!"

Nipsey says he was readying himself JUST IN CASE the fight spilled into his area of the stands.

As for who woulda won the fight if nobody held the two point guards back ... Nipsey says he ain't sure -- but he does tell us the Lakers have a real shot at the NBA title this season!!

BTW, in addition to the new court ... Nipsey and PUMA hooked 200 kids up with fresh backpacks and shirts ... and gave $10K to a local elementary school.

9:49 AM PT -- Sources tell us Kiedis was NOT ejected from the arena. He was allowed to calm down and then returned to his seat.

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis LOST HIS DAMN MIND at the Lakers game on Saturday -- cussing out a Rockets staffer following the brawl on the court ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

As Chris Paul was being escorted off the court, Kiedis -- a Lakers superfan -- was screaming at him from his courtside seats.

A Rockets staffer came over to verbally check Kiedis -- but Anthony wasn't having it and lashed back. Witnesses say Kiedis flipped the guy off and shouted, "F**k you."

You can see in our video the two definitely jawing back and forth until security walked Kiedis away from his seat to cool off.

There are conflicting reports about whether or not Kiedis was kicked out -- with some people saying he later returned to his seat.

One thing's for sure ... KIEDIS WAS HOT!!!!

Seems Carmelo Anthony is familiar with the conspiracy theory that the spit that kicked off the Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo fight came from his mouth ... and he's calling B.S.

Melo was standing right next to Paul when CP3 got hit in the face with mouth moisture -- and while most people believe it came from Rondo, there are some who believe it was a case of accidental friendly fire.

So, when we saw Anthony leaving Catch in L.A. on Sunday, we had to ask if there was any merit to the "Melo Did It" theory.

His response -- "Stop playin'!"

We also asked how he felt about the suspensions that were handed out -- 4 games for Brandon Ingram, 3 for Rondo and 2 for Chris Paul.

Melo didn't seem too bothered by it -- almost like he understood.

BTW, the Rockets -- without Chris Paul -- lost to the Clippers on Sunday.

Winnie Harlow and Wiz Khalifa have been projecting their relationship on us for months now with signs and gestures -- but none are more clear than this one ... they're dating.

The Canadian supermodel was spotted holding hands with the Pittsburgh MC Saturday night as they were leaving the Staples Center in L.A., following the Lakers' loss against the Rockets ... and a nasty brawl that'd broken out between the two teams.

BTW ... Wiz's ex-wife, Amber Rose, gave her blessing to the new pair last month, saying she thought Winnie was a "f****** sweetheart," but noting she wasn't sure if Winnie had met Amber and Wiz's kid, Sebastian, yet.

Also worth noting ... their fashion-statement-making outfits. Winnie wore a full-body Fendi outfit, while Wiz was out there rockin' purple and yellow (not 'Black and Yellow').

It was fight night at the Staples Center when players from the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets got into an intense fist fight ... marring the hometown debut of LeBron James.

It all went down Saturday night late in the 4th quarter. Lakers forward, Brandon Ingram, shoved Rockets Guard, James Harden, for which Ingram received a technical foul. Moments later, Houston PG, Chris Paul and Lakers PG Rajon Rondo began trading punches.

It is unclear why Ingram shoved Harden in the first place ... he was visibly upset and took out his frustrations on the ref after being called for the shove. The shoving continued between Rondo and Paul before Rondo threw a punch, igniting the fight.

Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram are sure to be socked with suspensions.

LeBron says he tried his best to calm things down and he didn't speak to his team after the game.

Start fillin' out your March Madness brackets RIGHT NOW ... 'cause Carlos Boozer says Zion Williamson's Duke squad is the team to beat this season ... and the competition ain't even close!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the former Blue Devil about Duke's chances at winning it all ... and he says Zion, R.J. Barrett and Coach K are a lethal combo that'll be a BIG problem for the rest of the NCAA.

"I can't think of any other team that's on the same level with their athletes," Boozer says.

Booz says Zion is "one of the best athletes you've ever seen" ... and teaming up with Barrett -- the projected no. 1 overall pick in next year's NBA draft -- will make them unstoppable.

Look ... we get what you're thinking. Booz oozes Duke blue ... but college allegiances aside, he's probably right.

An animated film festival in L.A. just kicked Kobe Bryant off the festival jury over backlash stemming from his 2003 rape case.

The Lakers legend was set to be part of the jury at the Animation is Film Festival this weekend at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood ... but event organizers announced Wednesday that ain't happening.

“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury” ... event honcho Eric Beckman says.

Kobe, of course, won an Academy Award for his "Dear Basketball" short ... and seemed to be completely embraced by Hollywood. Kobe says he's even dished out movie-makin' advice to Barack Obama.

But last week, a petition popped up on Change.org demanding Bryant be dropped from the event -- and apparently, that was the thing that pushed festival officials to remove Kobe.

"This is an urgent time to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women,” the petition reads ... "Keeping Kobe Bryant on the jury sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.”

The petition only got 159 signatures -- but clearly, it was enough to make an impact.

They might be on different teams -- 2,300 miles away -- but J.R. Smith and LeBron James are still giving each other crap ... and it's pretty funny.

Smith was walking around East Lansing, Michigan (the Cavs play the Pistons on Friday) when he started joking about how LeBron is following him everywhere.

"I can't go nowhere and get away from this motherf**ker," Smith said while pointing the camera at a Blaze Pizza sign.

FYI, James is an investor, franchisee and paid endorser of the pizza company.

Smith continued to joke ... "Look at this sh*t. Look at this n****. He everywhere. He just keep following me!"

Of course, Smith and James had the awkward moments when J.R. brain farted, and screwed the Cavs at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals last year ... but it's clear the two are still friends.

One more thing ... J.R. was spotted by some fans with cell phones and he DIDN'T steal them and throw them into a construction site!

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.

LeBron James is straight-up PISSED that one of his NBA rivals lost a great player ... dropping an f-bomb when he learned Spurs baller Dejounte Murray was done for the season.

Murray's right knee buckled as he went up for a layup against the Rockets in San Antonio's preseason game Sunday ... and the team announced Monday he suffered a torn ACL.

Bron wasn't the least bit pleased to know one of his Western Conference rivals took that big of a blow, saying, "Man I feared that would be the case when I saw the play! F*#% man!"

In fact, the Lakers superstar made sure the 22-year-old knew he can lean on him if he needs him through the recovery process.

"You know how to reach me and where to find me if needed. Love lil bro!!"

As for Murray ... he was keeping his head up, writing on social media, "I Will Attack This Process Every Single Day And Use This Time To Become Even Sharper In All Aspects."

BTW ... Murray's still dating Jilly Anais ... which has gotta soften the blow at least A LITTLE bit, right??