Los Angeles Lakers

Marshmello. Skrillex. Dillon Francis. DJ DIESEL?!

The 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer could be the next big (literally) DJ in the music industry ... so says Diplo, who tells TMZ Sports, Shaquille O'Neal has what it takes to be a legit force in EDM.

"He's great, Shaq Diesel, man. He's killin' it right now. Very heavy music," Diplo says.

The Major Lazer contributor says he's been working with the NBA legend on a few "great records" ... and says Shaq's already won half the battle.

"Half of a DJ's life is the way they brand themselves ... and he has that down pat."

BTW -- Shaq's already well on his way after landing a gig at TomorrowWorld in 2015 ... and he's been touring ever since.

Chill out Lakers fans ... no matter what came out of LaVar Ball's mouth, he ain't wreckin' your season ... so says Kenny Smith.

Remember ... LaVar said Luke Walton was the worst coach Zo's ever had ... and that their relationship was beyond repair.

So, what's that mean for the Lake show? Absolutely nothing, according to The Jet.

"It's not about dads and uncles and cousins in the NBA. It's not like high school," Smith told us ... "The relationship is only your agent and player. As long as the agent and the player doesn't say anything, you're fine."

In other words, LaVar can say whatever the hell he wants in the media ... and it won't mean a damn thing for the Lakers on the court.

In fact, Kenny's guaranteeing they make the playoffs.

LaVar Ball just issued a stern warning to Magic Johnson and the Lakers' brass ... saying if they trade Lonzo -- they will NEVER win another championship.

And he clarified ... LeBron James NEEDS Lonzo if he wants another ring. Period.

It all went down on FS1's 'Undisputed' just moments ago ... when the Big Baller guaranteed L.A. will never have another title parade if Zo is shipped off.

"I told the Lakers a long time ago, 'If you trade my son, it'll be the worst thing you ever did.' And I guarantee, if they trade my son, they will NEVER get a championship."

Lonzo, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac are all reportedly part of a trade package the Lakers have offered the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis.

LaVar says the trade package is a mistake -- saying, the Lakers are trying to become a "one hitter quitter" to try to get a ring and it's a total mistake.

Ball warned the Lakers and LeBron James ... if you ship out Lonzo, you lose your best chance at a title.

In fact, the BBB honcho was so pissed about hearing the latest reports -- he went on an Arizona radio show this week and RIPPED Luke Walton, calling him, "the worst coach ever for Lonzo."

Derek Fisher is going to bat for his boy, Luke Walton -- telling TMZ Sports he's not the loser LaVar Ball says he is.

Lonzo's dad went on a tear against the Lakers coach on Tuesday saying Luke is to blame for Lonzo's uncertain future with the Lakers.

Remember, LaVar had previously said Lonzo was going to make an immediate impact in the NBA -- and he and LeBron would lead the Lakers to a championship, ASAP.

But now that Lonzo's on the trading block, LaVar is pissed and he's been bashing Luke Walton on the radio.

So, when we saw former Lakers star Derek Fisher -- who's now the head coach of the L.A. Sparks -- we asked if LaVar had a point.

"I'm not a member of the Ball family. Luke Walton is a friend," Fish said ... "What I do know is Luke is a great person and he's a great basketball coach."

There's a little buzz in L.A. that the Lakers could be looking for their next head coach -- but publicly, management is sticking behind Walton.

The awkward thing for LaVar Ball ... there's a real chance the Anthony Davis trade plans could fall through and Lonzo remains with the Lakers for the rest of the season.

LaVar Ball just went scorched earth on Luke Walton ... saying the Lakers head man gave Lonzo Ball a "losing attitude" and was "the worst coach ever" for his son.

The Big Baller appeared on the "Doug & Wolf" show in Arizona on Tuesday morning ... and ripped Walton to shreds.

"The Lakers gave my boy that losing attitude. If you look at my boys, the one thing they do do is win … my boys don’t lose too much."

"When he got to the Lakers -- Luke Walton was the worst coach ever for Lonzo because he had a losing mentality. They’ve been losing for three years. That’s how you develop losing.”

LaVar's comments came just a day after he told ESPN if Lonzo is indeed traded -- he wants the point guard to be dealt to the Phoenix Suns ... not the New Orleans Pelicans -- as has been rumored.

Of course, Lonzo's been one of the key pieces New Orleans appears to be seeking in a trade for superstar Anthony Davis.

Clearly, LaVar's upset about all the talk ... and he issued yet another warning to Lakers brass when it comes to trading Lonzo.

"Like I told them before, if you trade my son, it’ll be the worst thing you ever did for your franchise, I guarantee it.”

The 14k gold and diamond Lakers championship rings Kobe Bryant purchased for his parents could now be YOURS -- because the jewelry is hitting the auction block ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Goldin Auctions, Kobe bought two identical, blinged out rings for his parents to commemorate his first NBA championship with the Lakers following the 1999, 2000 season.

The rings -- which contain 40 diamonds each -- are the same rings the players got after beating the Indiana Pacers. They're legit and they're awesome.

The rings have an interesting backstory ... Kobe's mom, Pamela Bryant, famously tried to sell the rings, along with a bunch of other Kobe memorabilia back in the day ... and Kobe sued to try and stop the sale.

Kobe ultimately agreed to allow his parents to sell 6 items -- including the rings -- and, in 2013, they sold to a private collector (a big Lakers fan) for a total of $280,000.

Now, that collector is ready to part ways ... and went back to Goldin Auctions to make the sale.

The auction is officially underway -- and starting bids are $35,000 for Joe "Jellybean" Bryant's ring and $20,000 for Pamela Bryant's ring. They're expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kobe and the Lakers won the series 4 games to 2. Shaquille O'Neal was named Finals MVP.

TINSELTOWN TRASH TALK!!!

NBA star Danilo Gallinari says Anthony Davis to the Lakers doesn't scare him one bit ... telling TMZ Sports the Clippers are still the team to beat in L.A. -- Brow or no Brow.

We spoke with Gallo at LAX about the rumors of the Lake Show shipping out all their young ballers like Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball in exchange for A.D. ... and Gallinari doesn't bat an eye.

"We have a great team, a good thing going," Gallinari says.

We asked straight-up if the Clippers come away with the win against a Lakers team led by LeBron James and the Brow ... and DG doubled down.

"Of course."

Halsey has a message for Magic Johnson -- quit messin' around and figure out a way to sign Anthony Davis already!!!

The superstar singer was one of the MANY famous faces in the crowd as the Lakers took on the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center in L.A. on Tuesday night ... and it was clear she's no fair-weather fan.

The video of Halsey is cool -- not only does she talk basketball, she signs autographs and takes pics with her fans after the game. Great stuff.

As for a potential Davis signing, it's possible -- but it would require the Lakers to give up almost all of their young stars ... Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and others. They might also have to give up some draft picks.

It seems L.A. is where Davis wants to end up -- in fact, he was just fined $50,000 this week for "tampering" because NBA officials believe he broke league rules by demanding a trade.

Oh, and ... A.D. and LeBron have the same agent. Just sayin' ...

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Meanwhile, check out all the superstars at the game -- the Kardashians were there supporting Kendall's boyfriend, Ben Simmons.

Leo DiCaprio was also on hand ... same with Kevin Hart, Rami Malek, Diplo, Flea and Ashton Kutcher.

Move over Ari Emanuel (he's a big agent), LeBron James is coming for your job ... 'cause now Hollywood star Octavia Spencer is crediting Bron with getting her equal pay on a new Netflix series.

Spencer -- an Academy Award-winning actress -- worked with LeBron on a biopic about Madam C.J. Walker (America's first black self-made millionaire) and spoke at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association panel at Sundance about how instrumental James was in helping her get fair pay.

"I have to say, when I was negotiating my deal for ‘Madam C.J.,’ LeBron James had to intervene."

Spencer has been incredibly vocal in the fight for equal pay for women in Hollywood, banding together with huge actresses like Jessica Chastain to demand their dollars, but Octavia told the press in Park City it has to be a group effort.

"We need all our male counterparts to be in the fight with us.”

Manny went for the handshake.

Floyd went for the dap.

The result was ... well, it was a mess.

Once again, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao came face-to-face at the Lakers game -- in what seems to be more shameless promotion for an upcoming rematch.

Floyd was sitting on the court at Staples Center in L.A. to watch the Lakers take on the Warriors (they lost) ... when Manny came up from behind to say "What's up."

The handshake greeting was a disaster -- but they got the point across.

The big problem ... Manny reportedly suffered an eye injury during his victory over Adrien Broner this past weekend -- which could throw a huge wrench in the rematch plans.

According to reports, Manny feared he suffered a detached retina in his left eye. Later, his manager said the eye was "fine" and he'll be okay.

Manny was wearing shades at the game -- so you can't see if the eye looks damaged on the surface.

As we previously reported, Manny and Floyd have been teasing a rematch for months ... and with both fighters looking pretty solid in their last fights, it seems a deal could be close.

The two originally fought back in 2015 -- with Floyd winning a unanimous decision in a pretty boring fight.

We recently spoke with Manny who told us he had a bad shoulder at the time -- and now that he's fully healed, he's confident he would whoop that ass.

No deal has been made at this point -- but we're guessing it's just a matter of time ... considering the money these guys could rake in.

There were other big stars at the Lakers game too -- including Halsey, Alexis Ren, Mahershala Ali, Jack Nicholson and LeBron James ... who was a spectator Monday night due to injury.

Get well soon!

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally broke their 12-game losing streaking against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday -- while Khloe Kardashian was in the stands cheering on her man Tristan Thompson.

Coincidence? She thinks not!

Khloe and TT were leaving Craig's after the game -- all smiles in great moods -- where they jokingly took the credit for the big 101-95 win over the LeBron-less Lakers at Staples Center.

In all seriousness, Tristan had a solid game, posting a double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) -- and he's having a pretty solid year overall.

No sign of their daughter True out last night -- but there was definitely baby on brain for our photog ... who asked the couple if they were planning on having any more adorable kids in the future.

Byron Scott knows what it's like to go through a nasty public divorce ... so here's the ex-NBA coach giving some very valuable advice to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos!!

The ex-Lakers star was leaving Craig's in WeHo when we broke the news to him that Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, are calling it quits after 25 years.

Scott can relate -- he called things off with his wife Anita after 29 years of marriage back in 2014. The divorce wasn't exactly the friendliest split ... they went to war over everything from mansions to clothing and even hair care.

Byron's divorce became official in 2015 after a yearlong battle -- so we had to ask if he had any pointers for Bezos.

"Tell him I said, 'good luck' ... AND GET A GOOD LAWYER!!"

Lonzo Ball was a human highlight reel Wednesday night ... and he had his biggest little fan in the front row cheering him on the whole time!!

Zo's baby mama, Denise Garcia, brought 5-month-old Zoey -- decked out in her own little Ball jersey -- to the Lakers vs. Pistons game at Staples Center ... and they picked a great one to go to.

Ball had a handful of incredible plays in his 11-assist game that had everyone -- including Baby Baller -- going crazy. The Lake Show ultimately beat Detroit in a 113-100 butt-kicking.

We broke the story ... Zo and Denise welcomed Zoey into the world back in July.

Unclear if this was Zoey's first time watching her daddy at work ... but it's great to see the fam together after the whole "deadbeat" drama.

Other celebs at the Laker game include Charlize Theron, model Kaia Gerber and Andy Garcia.

But, if Lonzo plays like this every time his daughter's in attendance ... expect to see her a LOT more from now on.

LeBron James says bringing the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors makes him the greatest basketball player of all time ... but does his teammate agree??

TMZ Sports spoke with Richard Jefferson -- who was part of that 2016 NBA title team in Cleveland -- about LBJ's bold proclamation ... and R.J. says there's no question that something "great" happened.

"It was the greatest performance I ever saw," R.J. says.

But, having witnessed firsthand what the King was able to do against the 73-9 Dubs in the 7-game thriller ... we asked R.J. if he agreed with LBJ's decision to declare himself the G.O.A.T.

Antonio Gates disagrees with LeBron James saying NFL owners have a "slave mentality" ... 'cause the TE says players know what they sign up for and make a great living doing it.

Of course, LeBron went off on the NFL on his HBO show, "The Shop," last week, saying, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ..."

"And, it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or, we get rid of y'all.'"

When we got Gates out in Bev Hills ... he told us he ain't buying what LBJ's selling -- saying NFL players know what they're getting into when they ink their contracts.

"I don't know all the owners -- I know my owner. And, my relationship with my owner has been phenomenal. And, it's sports. You know what I mean? You get paid to play."

Gates added, "We all know what we sign up for."

As for the differences between the NBA and the NFL ... Antonio says he does hope one day his league can guarantee contracts like LeBron's -- but he still doesn't see NFL owners having a "slave mentality" at all.

Worry not Laker fans ... Halsey thinks Kyle Kuzma will hold the fort down while LeBron is out ... and we gotta admit, the singer really seems to know her basketball.

The whole sports world held their collective breath when LeBron injured himself on Christmas day and, now that we know he's gonna be out a while, the question is how will the Lakers respond?

We got Halsey at LAX and she has all the faith in the world in the young guys, saying they played the second half beautifully without LBJ, and she expects more of the same, especially from one guy.

"I think they did fine in the second half. I think Kuzma's a star."

Kyle Kuzma is BALLING this season ... averaging 18 points a game and providing the second guy LeBron has needed for the turnaround season.

Halsey seems to think he can now be the MAIN guy, and with LeBron sidelined for at least a couple games, he's gonna get his chance.