Los Angeles Lakers

A sculptor in Los Angeles has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant by placing a statue of the two at the site where they tragically passed away in 2020.

The artist, Dan Medina, tells TMZ Sports he created the 160-pound bronze figure and pulled it up to the scene in Calabasas via a wagon on Wednesday.

The sculpture is only a temporary piece -- Medina says he'll haul it back down at sunset -- but the artist tells us he's hoping the city will allow him to put up a larger, more life-sized version permanently at the site.

The artwork, while smaller than what Medina hopes it'll ultimately end up being, is incredible -- it's a depiction of Kobe in a Lakers uniform with his arm around Gigi, who's also in a basketball uniform holding a ball.

At the base of the statue, Medina added the names of all nine of the victims who tragically died in the helicopter crash on the Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.

"Heroes come and go," words on the base of the statue read, "but legends are forever."

As we previously reported, Kobe, Gigi and the others were on their way to a girls basketball game, when the chopper suddenly wrecked in the terrain.

Tributes to the Bryants and the other victims of the crash have poured in on the anniversary Wednesday, with athletes and celebs from all over remembering them all on social media.

In fact, Kobe's old Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom, was gifted a diamond pendant on Wednesday to honor and remember the Bryants.

Lamar Odom will now have Kobe and Gigi Bryant with him everywhere he goes -- the ex-Lakers star was just gifted an incredible piece honoring the late NBA legend and his daughter on the second anniversary of their tragic helicopter accident.

TMZ Sports has learned ... LO -- who played alongside Kobe from 2004-2011 and remained close friends with the Hall of Famer in retirement -- received the special tribute to the Mamba and Mambacita from his manager, Tonita B.

The finished product is a diamond chain and pendant featuring Kobe kissing Gigi on the head ... which was based off a famous picture of the two sitting courtside at a Laker game in 2019.

We're told the chain -- designed by Scoobie Da Jeweler -- is made of 25 carats of VS diamonds ... and the whole finished product is worth around $17,000.

The back of the piece features a special quote from Kobe ... which reads, "Rest at the end, not in the middle."

We're told this all came to be when Tonita decided to do something unique for Lamar to commemorate their new Savvy Talent Management Group partnership ... and given his admiration for Bryant and his family, she chose a Mamba-related keepsake.

Odom has previously spoken about the impact Kobe left on his life after the fatal accident on Jan. 26, 2020 ... saying he not only helped him on the court, but was by his side during his darkest times.

Odom posted about his new gift on social media minutes ago ... saying, "To understand that Kobe meant the world to me and have this made as a constant reminder for me to keep going has me at loss for words. 💜"

The Los Angeles Lakers might be a dumpster fire right now, but that hasn't stopped fans from buying up all their gear ... with the Purple & Gold leading the NBA in merchandise sales this season.

The league just released its list of most popular fan purchases through the 2021-22 season so far ... and LeBron James sits at the top of the throne for player jersey sales, with the Lakers coming in at #1 for overall team merch sold on the NBA Store website.

It's pretty interesting, considering the Lake Show has stunk up the place this season -- they're 22-23 and head coach Frank Vogel is on the verge of losing his job.

But, it's clear fans aren't going anywhere ... stocking up on their swag as the team falls apart.

Stephen Curry comes in at #2 in jersey sales, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic rounding out the top 5.

Russell Westbrook -- who's had a pretty tough year -- didn't make the list ... but Anthony Davis was able to come in at #7.

The Dubs, Bucks, Nets and Celtics follow the Lakers in team sales.

Charles Barkley is so tired of the Lakers, he went on an epic rant on Thursday saying the team flat-out sucks and is a bunch of "cowards" and "wussies."

The "Inside the NBA" host held nothing back on the set of the insanely popular TNT hoops show ... railroading L.A. for its recent losses and the team's responses to them.

"The Lakers are such wussies," Barkley said, "and I only say wussies because I can't say the word I want to say."

"The way they have tried to throw Frank Vogel and Russell Westbrook under the bus is really pissing me off."

Ernie Johnson, the show's host, interrupted Charles ... reminding him that they had a scheduled guest about to come on, but CB wasn't about to let some interview stop him from going in on the Lakeshow.

Check out the clip ... Barkley responded to Johnson by saying, "The Lakers still suck when we get back from this interview."

Barkley went on to express his disgust for the Lakers' front office ... accusing it of "running and hiding" after putting together a crappy roster.

"I'm not going to sit at like all these clowns on other networks that got they heads up the Lakers booties," Barkley said.

"The people up top who put that trash together are running and hiding like cowards. You put all them old geezers out there. The best guy, other than LeBron, for the last month has been who? Stanley Johnson."

"It's ridiculous, man," an exasperated Barkley continued.

Charles ultimately said he doesn't care who wins or loses ... joking that he can't wait for the season to be over so he can golf and fish.

Antonio Brown's very public tour of the country following his infamous exit from the Buccaneers continued at Crypto.com Arena on Monday -- where he jumped on a railing to get love from fans who were chanting his name.

The former Tampa Bay star -- who's been spotted in NYC, Miami and now L.A. since being cut from the Bucs -- caused quite the scene outside of the Lakers game ... being mobbed by people who wanted autographs and pics with the NFL player.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows it all went down just minutes after Brown watched LeBron James beat the Utah Jazz from courtside seats inside the building.

People wanted his pic and signature so badly -- Brown stayed for several minutes, and then he hopped on some skinny railing to entertain them.

The fans chanted "AB" over and over again ... all while he was standing on the fencing and waving his arms.

What's interesting -- Brown has claimed his ankle is completely jacked up ... but it certainly looked like it was healing up well while he was feet in the air balancing on the barrier.

Brown has not shied away one bit from the public eye since he threw a shirtless temper tantrum at MetLife Stadium -- he's been seen at NBA games repeatedly and has also been spotted dining with stars like Kanye West in recent days as well.

LeBron James is quickly getting over the Lakers' struggles and focusing on the positives ... by losing his mind over his wife's latest Instagram post.

The Lakers are below .500 with a 21-22 record so far this season, forcing the King to publicly apologize via social media on Sunday.

While LBJ's social media activity seemed like a downer, it got much better once Savannah posted a gorgeous look on Instagram Sunday night ... with Bron gushing multiple times over the shot.

"When you walked downstairs I said to myself 'GODDAMN!!! That’s MINE'🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥," LBJ said in response to Savannah's red hair and black outfit.

"SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL Queen 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍"

James didn't stop there ... he reposted the video on his own IG, saying, "GODDESS QUEEN 👸🏾!!"

"Lucky Black Man I am. SHEESH she’s BAD!!," he added. "It’s gone be a great week when you start it off with a Monday like this!"

Of course, LeBron and Savannah -- who were were high school sweethearts -- got married in 2013 and have three kids together ... Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri.

Russell Westbrook can't catch a break -- the Lakers star was hilariously mocked by the Sacramento Kings' in-house DJ on Wednesday ... who played the song "Cold As Ice" every time he missed a shot.

It's no secret -- Russ hasn't necessarily been lights-out from the field recently ... and the shooting slump continued against the Kings in Sacramento.

Check out the clip -- you can hear the DJ drop a snippet of Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" track every time Westbrook missed a shot.

BTW, Russ finished the game with just 8 points -- going 2-14 from the field -- so the song was played quite a bit.

But, that wasn't the only troll job of the night -- in the waning moments of the game, the Kings put up a graphic on the scoreboard ... calling Westbrook the "Ice Cold Player Of The Game."

This isn't the first time we've seen the former MVP struggle to shoot the rock. In fact, here are some of Russ' most recent shooting woes.

7-of-19 vs. MIN

7-of-19 vs. SAC

4-of-14 vs. ATL

2-of-12 vs. MEM

2-of-14 vs. SAC

Westbrook brushed it all off after the game ... telling reporters "That's funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It's funny they play it now. That's cute."

To Russ' credit, he did take personal responsibility for his shooting struggles ... saying, "Man, who you telling. I can't f**king hit a shot, boy."

Halsey is not letting Grizzlies player Desmond Bane get away with coming at the King ... ripping the guard for being rude to LeBron James and having a "big a** f***in' mouth."

23-year-old Bane was clearly chirping throughout the Lakers' home game against Memphis ... and it got so heated at one point, LBJ shoved the guy for continuously running his mouth.

The award-winning singer -- who's a die-hard Lakers fan -- was sitting courtside through it all ... and had some words for DB after the game.

"Courtside observations: Bane got an unnaturally loud and rude big a** f***in mouth," Halsey said via Twitter.

Grizzlies fans quickly replied with shots of their own ... but Halsey wasn't having it.

"Bruh shut the f*** up," Halsey replied, "This man LeBron almost had to give him a masterclass in decorum."

"Everyone s*** talks but word on the court was 'he’s a problem.'"

FYI, Bane -- who's in his second season with the Grizz -- replied to Halsey's analysis with a few laughing emojis and a thumbs down ... but he later deleted the tweet.

Shaq is back on the mic -- the NBA legend just teamed up with EDM superstar Steve Aoki to drop a new banger ... and the song is 🔥🔥🔥!!

Shaquille O'Neal -- AKA DJ Diesel -- dusted off his notebook and came up with some words for "Welcome to the Playhouse" ... rapping about being at the top of the game and partying like crazy.

"Do you know what the cost to be the boss is? 'Til you got more endorsements than loses," the Hall of Famer raps ... adding, "Do you want Shaq to put you in your place? I'll make Steve throw a cake in your face."

Aoki was clearly pleased with Shaq's performance ... sharing a behind-the-scenes vid of when he first heard the verse.

O'Neal even sprinkled some hoop terms into his verse ... saying, "Turn your wrist overshoot a jump shot. Follow through then you won't get blocked."

FYI -- Aoki had been teasing the collab all week ... posting a pic with Shaq (but cropping the big man's head out).

As we previously reported, Shaq has been welcomed with open arms in the DJ universe ... with Diplo telling us back in 2019 the ex-Laker has all the skills needed to kill it in the industry.

Now that the new song is out, it's time to rage -- and just in time for Shaq's annual Funhouse Super Bowl bash in L.A. next month.

Tristan Thompson's rough week got a bit worse Tuesday night ... with his good friend LeBron James talking serious trash right in his face during the Lakers vs. Kings game.

It all went down in the closing minutes of L.A.'s matchup with Sacramento at Crypto.com Arena ... when LBJ drove the lane for a clutch and-1 layup to put the Lakers up 118-112 late in the game.

After the play, Bron headed right to the Kings' bench and yelled, "I'm a motherf***ing problem, bitch" ... with Tristan -- who didn't play in Tuesday night's game -- standing just feet away.

One of the game's announcers clearly thought it was a message directed for his ex-Cavs teammate ... saying James "looked right at him."

Tristan's reaction is priceless ... giving a sheepish look as the Lakers went on to take the win, 122-114.

Now, LeBron and Thompson have remained tight for years -- they played 4 seasons together (winning a title in 2016) ... and have remained close since LBJ joined the Lakers in 2018.

It's been a difficult stretch for Thompson -- on Monday, he revealed he fathered a child with a Houston woman and publicly apologized to his ex, Khloe Kardashian, and daughter, True, in the announcement.

Giveon had royalty present during his concert in L.A. on Monday ... 'cause the R&B singer brought out Lakers superstar LeBron James in the middle of his show!!

LeBron -- who was enjoying the Lakers' day off -- made a special guest appearance at the L.A. Live concert ... and judging from the reaction of the crowd, everyone was pumped.

The "Heartbreak Anniversary" crooner had to playfully persuade King James to come out and address the crowd ... chanting "LeBron, LeBron. LeBron," before the 4-time champ strolled out on stage.

"Make some noise for LeBron, please," Giveon said.

The entire interaction was dope ... as Bron -- who routinely shows love for his favorite musical artists -- embraced the songwriter in front of the packed crowd.

Of course, LBJ made sure to return the favor by giving a shoutout on his Instagram saying, "A star flat out. My brother @Giveon love my brother."

"Thank you to the GOAT @kingjames for coming out ... my brother 4L," Giveon replied.

If you listen closely enough, you can even hear chants of "MVP" from some of the concertgoers in the building.

And, judging from his latest string of performances, it's not hard to see why fans would be moved to shower LBJ with such high praise.

Two Kobe Bryant and LeBron James game-used jerseys just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned they're so unique, they're expected to bring in over $100K apiece.

The white Bryant one is ultra-rare -- it's a "Noche Latina" Lakers uni that the Mamba wore when he played against the Bulls back in 2013.

The jersey features "Los Lakers" stitched onto the front for the Latin-themed night -- and, on the back, Bryant signed his name in white inside of the 2.

The jersey also features some significant patches -- there's a "JB" on the front to honor Jerry Buss, and there's also a "Noche Latina" emblem placed on the chest. A "Noche Latina Latin Nights" logo sits on the front tail, too.

James' jersey, meanwhile, doesn't come with an autograph ... but what makes it so unique is that it's a uniform he wore several times during his first season as a Laker.

The guys at Goldin, which is running the auctions, tell us the 37-year-old actually wore the uni for six games in the 2018-19 season -- recording three triple-doubles and a 36-point game with it on.

Both pieces are now on the auction block -- and we're told the Bryant jersey may go for $125k while James' could go up to $150k.

The Big Diesel is officially The Big Generous now ... 'cause Shaquille O'Neal just raised $2 MILLION for charity -- all by selling some unique NFTs of himself.

The NBA legend, along with NFT platform Notables, dropped the collection of the digital images earlier this month ... and TMZ Sports has learned they all sold out on Monday.

In total, they brought in a small fortune -- which Shaq and his camp say is all going toward The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, which helps underserved youth in America.

The NFTs were pretty awesome -- each one featured unique depictions of The Big Aristotle ... showing the former Lakers superstar in different costumes with funny facial expressions.

Some had him in Lakers-colored gear, while others had him wearing a Magic-themed uniform. Some even showed him with donuts, pizza and Christmas lights.

Shaq's team says they're all "1-of-1 unique digital collectibles" -- and the hope is they continue to bring in money for charity going forward.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James' use of a COVID Spider-Man meme was so reckless ... it could cost people their lives.

The NBA legend sounded off on the Lakers superstar in a scathing post on Monday ... ripping LeBron for sharing an image that showed three Spider-Mans pointing at each other.

In the meme -- shared by LeBron over the weekend -- the Spider-Mans were labeled "COVID," "Flu" and "Cold" ... and LeBron captioned the image by saying, "Help me out folks."

Abdul-Jabbar said he was so peeved by the implication of the post ... he straight-up called it all a "blow to [James'] worthy legacy."

"By posting the uninformed meme," Abdul-Jabbar said, "LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk."

Abdul-Jabbar then implored James to urge people to get the vaccines ... saying his support for the shots "could save thousands of Black lives right now."

As we reported, LeBron is vaccinated ... although he's said he will not pressure people to do the same, telling reporters before the season "That's not my job."

LeBron James seems to agree with Jay-Z -- that no one can stand on the same stage with him for a 'Verzuz' -- and maybe, just maybe, he feels the same way about himself on a basketball court.

LBJ was definitely feeling good Sunday night ... rapping along, line-by-line, to Jay's "Imaginary Player" while in the middle of what looks like a pretty swanky evening with his wife, Savannah, and friends.

What's interesting is ... the video plays like a public service announcement to all the haters dissing the Lakers for their sub-par season -- they're only 16-18 right now. Check the look on LeBron's face as he drops lines like, "Y'all rapping ass n***as, y'all funny to me ... Selling records, being you, but still you wanna be me."

As we previously reported ... Jay-Z recently shot down any hopes he would do a "Verzuz" battle, boasting there's no one on his level in hip-hop who even deserves to stand on a stage with him.

It's no secret LeBron's a big fan of Jigga -- so, you'd expect him to ride with Mr. Carter, but it's also clear certain Jay tracks are really speaking to the Lakers superstar right now.

BTW, LeBron's biz partner, Maverick Carter, joined in later, rapping with him to "Hova Song." Remember, Maverick was kicking it with Jay-Z, Adele and her BF, Rich Paul ... who, of course, is LBJ's agent.

Magic Johnson says he won't be tuning in when HBO's "Showtime" Lakers series comes out ... telling TMZ Sports he's "not looking forward to it."

"Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty" -- starring John C. Reilly, Sally Field and Jason Segel -- is a highly-anticipated new drama series that covers the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers.

While most people are excited to watch the show, Magic ain't one of them ... saying he's working on his own project.

"No, we got different shows coming out," Magic tells us. "I got one, then you got Jeanie Buss got one on Showtime coming out."

"Those are the ones I'm looking forward to."

Of course, Magic helped lead the "Showtime" Lakers to 5 NBA championships in the '80s ... alongside fellow NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.

Johnson's Lakers have been celebrated over time ... for the impact they had on the league and for the up-tempo, fast-paced style of play they cultivated.

But Magic seems very adamant he's not thrilled about the release of the HBO project ... saying, "I'm not looking forward to it. I'm going to leave it at that."