Los Angeles Lakers

In a rare public appearance, former NFL star Colin Kaepernick was spotted at the Lakers game Sunday night, choppin' it up with Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts.

During the broadcast of the Lakers-Suns game, cameras panned to Kaepernick, who was standing with Betts during a TV timeout ... which, of course, is worth noting 'cause Kap maintains a relatively low profile.

Seeing Betts and Kap together is interesting. Colin's known for kneeling and Mookie, at one point, said he'd never kneel because his father served in the Air Force. Betts later changed his position by kneeling before a Dodgers game in 2020, saying, "I wasn't educated. My fault."

Kap's attendance at the game comes on the heels of the 34-year-old releasing a video last week of him working out ... which clearly served to put NFL owners on notice that he's still interested and capable of playing QB in the NFL.

The last time Kaepernick took a snap under center in the NFL was in 2016 ... as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Kap's final season certainly wasn't his best, but the dual-threat QB contends he's been doing his part to stay in shape, and he's ready to play.

"For The past 5 years, I’ve been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself," Colin tweeted on Sunday. "I’m really grateful to my trainer, who I’ve been throwing to all this time."

"But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners. Who’s working?? I will pull up."

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett stepped up and responded to Kap's request -- telling him that he would run routes for him. “Let’s do it bro! Me and my brother will come run routes for you!” Lockett wrote to Kap.

Jason "White Chocolate" Williams felt the heat for saying Kobe Bryant is not a top-five all-time Laker -- and, now, he's retracting his statement, officially deeming the Black Mamba L.A.'s G.O.A.T.

The former point guard says he misunderstood the question on the "Players Choice" podcast last week when he said he was "not sure" if Bryant was a top-five Laker.

"In the conversation you all heard," Williams said in a lengthy post on his social media page Sunday, "my thinking was that we were talking about ALL the greatest NBA players EVER who wore the Laker purple and gold jersey for at least ONE season."

"I wasn’t talking about the greatest LAKER ever… because of course that’s Kobe!!! Kobe IS the Lakers!!! 💛💜"

In other words ... Williams says he thought the question was strictly from a basketball standpoint -- NOT what each player actually meant to the franchise.

In his IG statement, Williams explained he believes Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James are better hoopers than Bryant, but they don't mean nearly as much to L.A. as Kobe.

"My bad if I've hurt any of y’all feelings, it’s just my opinion!!!" Williams said. "I love this game and I respect this game!! It has nothing to do with Kobe bustin my team’s ass just about every time we played them either."

Jason "White Chocolate" Williams is wrong ... Kobe Bryant's not only in the top five greatest Lakers of all time -- he's number one!

... that's according to former Los Angeles Lakers center (and former Kobe teammate) John Salley, who tells TMZ Sports there is no better Laker ever than the Black Mamba.

"Kobe is the greatest Laker of all time," Salley said outside of LAX this week.

Of course, Williams is clearly not in agreement with Salley -- because he said on the popular basketball podcast "Players Choice" earlier this month that he wasn't sure if Kobe belonged even in the top-five Laker conversation.

Williams didn't elaborate on why ... but he said he knew the opinion would ruffle feathers.

Salley wasn't pissed about the former NBA point guard's hot take -- but he made it clear to us, Kobe is his No. 1 all-time.

"When you say greatest Laker, I'm just going to go with Jerry West, then it was Magic Johnson," the four-time champion said. "And then, 20 years of Kobe changed the whole attitude."

Ex-NBA star Jason "White Chocolate" Williams just pissed off a whole lot of Kobe Bryant fans ... saying he's "not even sure" the Black Mamba is a top-five Laker of all-time.

The former point guard made the shocking claim on the popular hoops podcast "Players Choice" this week ... while discussing where the NBA's greatest should land on an all-time rankings list.

"I haven't really thought about where I got Kobe," Williams said. "But, Kobe's not as high on my list as people would really think he should be."

"I'm not even sure he's on the top five of the all-time greatest Lakers."

One co-host kind of agreed with Williams ... but several others on the show thought the dude was crazy.

Of course, Laker Nation is surely clenching its fists over Williams' comments ... because nearly everyone who's rooted for the Purple and Gold has him pinned somewhere definitively in their top three.

Williams -- who spent 12 seasons in the NBA with the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat and Magic -- went head-to-head with Bryant throughout his career, so it's plausible his opinion was formed as a result of firsthand experience.

Williams didn't mention who he'd possibly have above Kobe ... but the Lakers do have a rich history of ballers (Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Shaquille O' Neal and LeBron James, to name a few).

Kobe's place amongst the Laker icons, though, is cemented in the eyes of many L.A. fans ... as he won five titles, two finals MVPs, and one regular-season MVP in his 20-year career.

Russell Westbrook says he's done with fans calling him "Westbrick" ... telling reporters Monday night the taunt is now deeply affecting him, his kids and everyone else he closely associates with.

"A lot of times, I let it slide," the L.A. Lakers superstar said following his team's loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. "But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice."

Westbrook has heard the heckle repeatedly this year -- both at home and on the road -- after he's struggled to put up good performances for L.A. on a consistent basis.

Now, though, he said it's gotten so bad ... he's worried about the potential impact it's having on him and his family -- and he says he's going to do everything in his power to stop it.

"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son," said Westbrook, following a a game in which he had 17 points and five turnovers. "And, the teacher told me, '[My son] Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.''"

"And, I kind of sat there in shock," Westbrook added. "And, it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to call me Westbrick].'"

Russ was seen Monday night in San Antonio appearing to shut down the taunt from a courtside fan, yelling at the person from the baseline, "Don't disrespect my name!"

"Every time I do hear it now," Russ said of the taunting, "I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Westbrook's wife, meanwhile, has also urged fans to stop with the jeers ... urging people in a series of tweets this week to cool it -- claiming their family has even gotten death threats over the course of the season.

Kobe Bryant's shooting shirt from his iconic 81-point game just sold for a massive $277,000 at auction -- and the lucky buyer also got a one-of-one NFT that came with it.

The shirt is a one-of-a-kind piece ... not only was it worn by the Mamba before he scored the 2nd-most points ever in an NBA game (back in 2006), experts at Sotheby's tell TMZ Sports it's the ONLY worn piece from that game on the market.

We're told it was worn six other times by Kobe, too -- including in the 2006 playoffs.

We're also told the shoes from that historic game were sent to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the uniform is owned by Bryant's family -- so this might be the only Bryant-donned item from the game that ever becomes available.

The auction for the shooting shirt closed last week -- and after a bunch of bidding, the rare piece sold for a total of $277,200.

The lucky buyer is David Kohler, President of SCP Auctions and owner of one of the largest private Lakers memorabilia collections in the world, and he said after the sale he's pumped to now own the item.

"After collecting Kobe Bryant memorabilia throughout many years, I am thrilled and honored to add this very special artifact from one of the most significant games in NBA history to my collection," Kohler said.

You could say LeBron James had a crappy night.

The Lakers superstar described exactly how he was feeling after losing to the Dallas Mavericks at home on Tuesday ... saying bluntly, "I feel like poop right now."

The Lakers suffered a 109-104 loss at Crypto.com Arena ... their 7th L in 10 games.

After the disappointing outing, LeBron was asked about his confidence level as L.A. plummets to the bottom of the Western Conference ... and despite the lack of success and a clear feeling of sadness, he's still holding out hope for a turnaround.

"Until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance," James said. "So, that's my confidence."

"At the end of the day, we gotta come in and win ball games and play better."

James then detailed how he's feeling during the slump ... saying, "I hate losing. I feel like poop right now, but tomorrow's a new day and I'mma be prepared and ready for the Clippers on Thursday."

James and Co. found themselves down big early against Luka Doncic and the Mavs ... a theme that's become all too familiar to Lakers fans this season.

The Lakers have been so awful this year -- their own fans booed them off the court on Sunday during an embarrassing loss to the Pelicans.

Tensions got so high during that game, James clapped back at a fan ... which he also addressed after Tuesday's game.

"If you follow my career, I will get into it with a fan. So, that wasn't nothing out of the ordinary for me," James said.

The 37-year-old said he doesn't mind fans booing or cheering him ... but he won't tolerate someone trying to tell him how to do his craft.

"Can't tell me how to play basketball. Not him. Not that guy."

Kobe Bryant was one of the most clutch players in the NBA, but he REALLY came through for Chandler Parsons during his rookie year -- 'cause the newly retired hooper says the Black Mamba once paid a $22,000 bill for him at a famous L.A. nightclub!!

Parsons joined former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on their "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... where he shared how the encounter with Bryant went down.

Chandler says Kobe approached him in the fourth quarter of their game against the Lakers in 2012 ... telling the rookie he'd take care of him later that night if his team was spending more time in L.A.

Parsons says he got a text from none other than Kobe himself later that night ... confirming he arranged reservations for Chandler and his teammates at The Supper Club L.A.

When it was time to pay the bill at the spot, Parsons says the waitress walked up and gave him the check ... which came with a hefty price tag at the time.

Parsons admitted on the show he was worried that Bryant stuck him with the bill ... thinking it could have been some sort of rookie hazing into the NBA fraternity.

But, much to his surprise, the waitress told Parsons to "sign for Mr. Bryant" ... 'cause Kobe already took care of the tab.

The coolest part of the story is Parsons says he still has the text messages from Bryant ... proving that Kobe, indeed, did lookout for him after all.

A super-rare Kobe Bryant card just netted a fortune in a private sale ... with TMZ Sports learning the piece sold for a staggering $2 MILLION!!

The card is a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems piece -- and it's one of the rarest Black Mamba cards in existence.

It's numbered to 100, although only 10 of the emerald version were ever made, and with an 8.5 grade, it's still in ridiculously good condition.

Officials at PWCC Marketplace -- which brokered the sale -- tell us the historic sale went down last week ... saying it set an all-time record for a Kobe card.

"This is arguably Kobe's best card in existence," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said. "It's more desirable than even a Kobe Bryant rookie card or a Kobe Bryant autograph."

The front of the card features a still image of a young Bryant donning his #8 Lakers jersey ... and passing the basketball with flair.

The back of the card displays the Mamba with a focused look on his face ... and his stats from the '96-'97 season.

Craig tells us the card's design is also what makes it so valuable ... because it was one of the first-ever created in the "insert" style mold.

"These Precious Metal Gems variants are arguably the most desired insert card in the entire world," Craig said. "These set the tone for the insert market going forward."

No word on who the buyer is ... but something tells us they're pretty rich.

Lamar Odom is sending a message to ex-wife Khloe Kardashian ... after he was evicted from "Celebrity Big Brother."

The former Los Angeles Lakers star had his exit interview with Julie Chen Moonves -- after getting kicked out of the "Celebrity Big Brother" house -- and she asked if there's anything he'd like to say to Khloe.

His response ... "I miss you and I hope to get to see you soon."

Lamar and Khloe -- who were together from 2009 to 2016 -- had a tumultuous relationship ... much of it fueled by Lamar's drug abuse. He's said he has deep regrets and would like a redo if that were possible.

Earlier in the season, Lamar told singer and choreographer Todrick Hall ... "I had some good dreams last night. I dreamt about my ex-wife last night I wish I could take that time back. I miss her so much."

Since their split, Khloe had a daughter, True, with Tristan Thompson ... whom Odom recently called "corny" over the way he's treated her.

Lamar was eliminated on 'CBB' with Todd Bridges during a double-elimination episode. Lamar and Todd have used their time in the house to bond over their sobriety.

And, Lamar says they have a special bond ... "Todd has been sober for 33 years now, so I asked him to be my sober coach. That is why I joined the 'Celebrity Big Brother' cast because sobriety is really important to me at this point in my life."  Lamar says he's been sober for seven years.

Good news, bad news, Lakers fans -- Shaquille O'Neal says LeBron James' squad WILL turn things around and make the playoffs this season ... but, bringing home a championship "probably" ain't happening.

TMZ Sports talked to the Big Fella at his "Shaq's Fun House" Super Bowl party on Friday ... and he kept it a buck about the Lake Show's title hopes as they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 26-30 record.

"They definitely will make the playoffs," Shaq says ... adding there's always pressure within the Lakers organization to be the best.

"This was one of the hardest franchises I ever had to play for," Shaq says.

"I remember when I came here, Jerry West said, 'Look, I know you do movies, I know you do rap albums and all that,' But, he made me look up [in the rafters] and I seen Wilt [Chamberlain] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and he said, 'At the end of this, you're either going to be a bust or you're going to be a legend.' So, those guys have to decide how they want to be remembered."

Shaq believes the problem is this Lakers team is old and playing like it ... but if they bring the energy for all 48 minutes each game, they'll start to find more success against the younger teams in the league.

Of course, O'Neal knows a thing or two about winning in L.A. -- he helped the Purple and Gold with 3-straight titles from 2000-2002 ... something he paid tribute to during his DJ Diesel set at the party.

The current Lakers seem far from locking in title #18 this year ... and James Worthy recently said his former team is at the "lowest point" he's ever seen.

Shanna Moakler's boyfriend is having second thoughts about proposing ... because he's not liking what he's seeing from her and Lamar Odom on the "Celebrity Big Brother" live feed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Shanna's boyfriend, Matthew Rondeau, is NOT happy with the subtle sexual innuendos flying back and forth between his girl and Lamar inside the 'CBB' house.

We're told Matthew's been watching the live feeds, plus the reality show, ever since Shanna entered the house ... and he's picked up some troublesome behavior between the two.

In one clip, Shanna says to Lamar ... "These are wetter so just keep pushing" ... and he replies "that's always better." The exchange continues with Shanna saying, "Always better when it's wetter, that's my motto."

Our sources say Matthew noticed Shanna using some of the same phrases he uses around her, and he finds it disrespectful and hurtful and doesn't know why she's doing it.

Matthew understands Shanna's on a reality show, but he feels boundaries are being crossed ... and assumes producers are egging on the narrative for the show.

Regardless, we're told things aren't sitting well with Matthew because Shanna is still his girlfriend ... TV cameras be damned.

Add it all up, and our sources say Matthew is second-guessing whether he wants to take the plunge with Shanna and ask for her hand in marriage.

Christmas wrapped up nearly two months ago, but Floyd Mayweather still did his best Santa impression outside of the Lakers game on Tuesday night ... doling out $100 bills to kids!

It was a super generous act for the legendary boxer ... who said, "I'm all about giving back to the kids" as he forked over cash to youngsters who were trying to sell candy bars at Crypto.com Arena.

In total, Floyd handed over $400 or $500 to the kids ... and he didn't blink an eye parting ways with the money -- adding, "The kids out here selling candy, they ain't doing nothing wrong."

Floyd then promised to repeat the gesture "every time" he sees them at the games going forward.

It should be noted ... Mayweather did not take any candy in return for the cash, a sign that he's taking his upcoming exhibition match later this month pretty dang seriously.

The NBA just unveiled the newly-designed Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the All-Star Game MVP later this month, and Vanessa Bryant said she's in love with it.

The league revealed the piece Thursday morning ... announcing the new award has four levels, all designed to pay tribute to the Black Mamba.

The first level has 24 stars -- symbolic of the #24 Kobe donned in the second half of his career. The level measures in at 7 inches tall, which pays homage to Bryant's 2007 All-Star Game MVP honor.

The second level features 10 stars, which represent the number KB wore when he played for Team USA in the Olympics. Its 9-inch height is a hat tip to Bryant's 2009 ASG MVP award.

Of course, Kobe won 5 NBA championships in his career with the Los Angeles Lakers ... so the trophy has five stars on the third level.

On the fourth level, the league said "a single star represents Kobe’s NBA MVP Award in the 2007-08 season." The NBA also noted its 2-inch height is emblematic of his two Finals MVP awards.

The mastermind behind the design, Victor Solomon, said in a statement Thursday he worked "tirelessly" to make the piece ... and in an IG post, Vanessa said she resoundingly approved of it.

"I love everything this trophy represents," Vanessa wrote, "all of my husband’s hard work and dedication ~ Mamba Mentality 👑🐍💪🏽 Thank you @NBA & @victorsolomon."

Lawyers representing L.A. County are trying their best to keep hardcore Kobe Bryant fans off the jury in their crash photos case against Vanessa Bryant ... new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

The attorneys submitted a list of questions they want to ask potential jurors ... and it includes several Kobe-related questions presumably designed to weed out any super fans who have immense Kobe/Lakers bias.

Some of the proposed Bryant questions include: "How would you describe your feelings toward Kobe Bryant?" and "How would you describe your feelings toward the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team?"

If the answers showed a juror would be less than likely to objectively look at the evidence in the case ... the lawyers would use it as a basis for striking that person from the jury pool.

Other questions the lawyers are hoping to ask also include ones that help show if a person has a particular bias against law enforcement, such as "Have you ever had had a negative experience with a Los Angeles County Sheriff or the LA County Sheriff's Department?"

As we previously reported, Vanessa is suing the county of Los Angeles, alleging officials took pictures of Kobe's dead body and then showed them off at a bar and an awards banquet.

The county, meanwhile, has argued that officials on the crash site only took pictures as "part of doing their jobs," while contending that none of the photos were publicly disseminated in a way that would be harmful to Vanessa.

New York fans can thank James Dolan for never landing LeBron James ... so says Knicks legend Charles Oakley, who claims the King's main reason for not signing in the Big Apple was the controversial owner.

Oakley recalled a conversation he had with Bron during the 2014 season in his new book, 'The Last Enforcer,' ... which happened after Oak met Dolan for the first time.

Oak claims the Knicks owner refused to shake hands or even look at him throughout the interaction at All-Star Weekend ... and when he relayed what happened to LeBron, the Chosen One had words of his own.

"I walked back to LeBron and said, 'This motherf***er (Dolan) wouldn't shake my hand,'" Oakley claims. "All LeBron said was, 'This is why I'm never going to New York.'"

Oakley says he was shocked by Dolan's coldness at the time ... saying, "You would have thought I did something to his wife."

"I didn't do anything to this man. What did I ever say that was so bad that he would ignore me like that? I wondered. Man, I wanted to hit him in the head."

Of course, Oakley and LeBron have been good friends for quite some time ... so it's no surprise the 4-time champ would have the Cleveland native's back in the feud.

Tension between Dolan and Oakley reached a boiling point during an incident at Madison Square Garden in 2017, when Oak was hauled out of the arena and arrested by NYPD for getting physical with security staffers.

Oakley -- who spent 10 seasons with the Knicks -- was banned from the Garden (at the behest of Dolan) ... and while the ban was lifted, he has not yet returned to the Mecca.