Los Angeles Lakers

Shaquille O'Neal is responding to Master P's interest in coaching the Lakers together ... saying he's totally down for the job -- if they cough up $25 million a year.

Remember, the rap legend recently told TMZ Sports he wants to take Frank Vogel's old gig at the head of the bench in L.A. ... adding he'd love to have the Big Aristotle join him on the coaching staff.

Shaq got wind of the interview ... and it may not be the best news for P, 'cause the 4-time champ wants a fortune to take the job.

"If the Lakers offer me $25 million a year for 4 years, I'll coach the Lakers," Shaq said on The Big Podcast. "I need a 4-year contract. I'll coach them right now."

Here's the catch -- Shaq says he's not a package deal with P ... and if the No Limit mastermind doesn't get the gig, he's still interested.

"Let's just say they have a conversation with Master P and they don't pick him, now I'll just go in as a side meet and say, 'Hey, I know you didn't wanna consider my good friend Master P, but if you want me, this is the fee.'"

Now, Shaq's demands legit would never happen -- the highest-paid coach in the NBA right now is Gregg Popovich, who's raking in $11 million.

Jerry West is breaking his silence on his hot-tempered, booze-fueled depiction in the HBO hit series "Winning Time" ... calling the show a "baseless and malicious assault" on his character and demanding a retraction, an apology and damages.

The Logo -- played by actor Jason Clarke -- is portrayed as a raging alcoholic in the series ... and while a warning explicitly says the show is a dramatization of real events, West says it has caused serious anguish to his family, according to ESPN.

In fact -- West's so pissed about the show ... his attorney, Skip Miller, fired off a letter to HBO and producer Adam McKay accusing the show of acting with malice ... and claiming the warning does not protect the project from liability.

"Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success," the letter read, according to ESPN.

"It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him."

The show is based off Jeff Pearlman's book, "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s" ... but West's team says his scenes in the show did not appear in the book -- nor did they happen in real life.

Many members of the Lakers org. also backed West -- including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mitch Kupchak and Michael Cooper ... who claim the fits of rage and binge drinking were entirely fabricated.

Quincy Isaiah -- who plays Magic Johnson -- defended the show to TMZ Sports recently ... saying it's meant to be entertainment and they meant no disrespect to the real people portrayed in the show.

Clarke previously raved about his experience on the show ... applauding producers and directors for giving actors the freedom to be as expressive as they'd like.

As for the real West, he's been hailed as a true professional and basketball genius ... even receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019.

Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late husband, Kobe, on their wedding anniversary, posting a throwback photo of the two with a heartfelt message on what would've marked their 21st year as a married couple.

On Monday, Vanessa shared a photo on her Instagram of her and Kobe from their younger days, paying homage to the love the two shared over the years.

"I love you forever, baby. Happy Anniversary @KobeBryant #21" she captioned the pic.

The Bryant's were married on April 18, 2001 ... so this would've been 21 years Kobe and Vanessa celebrated their matrimony.

It's been over two years since Kobe (along with eight other people including his daughter) tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA ... and Vanessa has been doing everything in her power to keep Mamba's name and legacy going.

She recently announced the longstanding partnership between Kobe and Nike -- which temporarily ended last year -- was repaired, paving the way for the release of the "Mambacita Sweet Sixteen" shoe under the Swoosh brand.

Master P isn't giving up on his NBA coaching dreams just yet -- the rap legend tells TMZ Sports if Jeanie Buss hires him as the team's next head coach, he guarantees they'll win a championship.

Remember, P was campaigning to join the New Orleans Pelicans' staff last season ... even hiring an agent in an attempt to secure an interview.

The mogul didn't land the gig, but now that there's an open spot at the head of the Lakers' bench ... he wants owner, Jeanie Buss, to look his way.

"Bring me in, I can help get us some W's."

The rap icon said he's not used to seeing the Lakers like this -- having witnessed Hall of Fame players such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant win 5 titles during their careers.

P says he has a plan to get the Purple and Gold back on track ... and it starts with bringing in Shaquille O' Neal to be one of his assistants.

"They need some alpha males over there," P said. "Cant get nothing bigger than me. If you want to win, bring me in."

"I'll bring some hell of assistant coaches with me. Shaq, John Lucas. I don't know if Shaq wants to do that, but if he do, we can take over. I can't see another team like that."

P knows his hoop -- the guy almost made an NBA team back in the '90s ... and has experience coaching Bulls star DeMar DeRozan at the AAU level.

LeBron James is gonna be happy to hear this ...

Kenny "The Jet" Smith says he loves the idea of Mark Jackson becoming the Los Angeles Lakers' next head ... telling TMZ Sports he can lead the team to a championship.

The Lake Show just fired Frank Vogel after a horrendous 2021 season ... and there are reports the 4-time NBA champ favors the former Golden State Warriors head coach to take the reins.

We spoke with The Jet about the vacancy ... and he thinks landing Jackson would add trophies to the Lakers' already-stuffed case.

"Mark Jackson, he knows how to handle that kind of environment," Smith said at LAX this week ... pointing out the success he had with the Dubs before he was fired in 2014.

Remember, the Warriors went on to win three championships over the next 4 years after Jackson's ousting ... while coach went on to work as an analyst for ESPN.

"He put the Warriors in contention of what they are," Smith said. "The way they play, their style of play. Steph Curry owes a lot to his career, because before Mark got there, Steph Curry wouldn't even play in 4th quarters. We wouldn't think he was a great player, a great defender."

"Mark Jackson could coach the Lakers to a championship, for sure."

Lamar Odom says if the Lakers want to win a title next season, they need to hit up an old friend and hire the Zen Master himself -- Phil Jackson!!

Remember, last time TMZ Sports spoke with Odom about his beloved Purple & Gold, he thought they could still turn things around and win it all ... but unfortunately for his prediction, L.A. was eliminated from the playoffs last week.

Odom tells us the biggest reason for the Lakers' struggles this season is because the team didn't spend enough time playing together due to injuries to several key players.

"They needed more time," Odom said. "Anthony Davis missed damn near half the year. They just needed time together to bond, but they'll be back next year."

"It'll be LeBron's 20th year next year, so I look forward to see how that's going to go."

Odom -- who won back-to-back rings with the Lakers during his career -- believes the team should keep the guys currently on the roster ... but a new coach can help bring success back to the franchise.

"I think they need to keep the same core intact," Odom said. "Just taking new demands from somebody else. New coach. New direction from someone else.

"It's hard to coach LeBron this far along in his career because he's so advanced mentally."

Despite the daunting challenge of coaching LBJ, Odom tells us the one person who can handle it is Jackson ... who led the Lakers to 5 NBA titles in his career.

"Phil Jackson, I know can coach LeBron with the triangle offense," Odom said. "I think that would keep [LeBron] around a little longer. Preserve him a little longer."

"I would love for Phil Jackson to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers."

LO told us if the Lakers hired Phil [Jackson] as their next coach, they will win the NBA championship next season.

"If he was to come back and coach the Lakers, I think the Lakers would be the pick -- the fan-favorite."

There's more -- Lamar tells us he's officially making his way to the Metaverse via his very own "Baller Heads Club" NFT collection.

We're told members of the community will have the opportunity to win awesome rewards -- meet and greets with LO and other NBA players, signed gear ... and even three $5,000 scholarships will be given away as well.

Lamar says he saw it as an interesting way to give back -- with a percentage of earnings going to charity each month as well.

Lakers guard Wayne Ellington just got slapped with a $20,000 fine by the NBA ... after he threatened to put his "hands on" Facundo Campazzo following an incident between the two during a game over the weekend.

NBA exec Byron Spruell announced the fine on Wednesday afternoon ... reprimanding Ellington for his threatening tweet.

If you missed it, during the Lakers vs. Nuggets game on Sunday, Campazzo intentionally shoved Ellington in the back -- sending him crashing to the floor.

At the time, Campazzo was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game -- but Ellington clearly didn't think that penalty was enough ... 'cause he tweeted afterward he wanted some street justice.

"When I see you I’m putting my hands on you @facucampazzo," Ellington said.

In addition to fining Ellington for the tweet ... the NBA also said it's suspending Campazzo for one game without pay for the shove.

Frank Vogel is out of a job ... the Los Angeles Lakers have fired the longtime NBA head coach after a terrible 2022 season -- just two years after he led his squad to an NBA title.

Vogel, who coached the Lakers to a championship in 2020 -- his first season with the team -- was relieved of his coaching duties following a disappointing season this year.

The Lakers finished with a 33-49 record -- 8th worst in the NBA -- and Vogel received his fair share of criticism and blame for the Lakers' struggles.

Vogel wraps up his tenure in L.A. with a 127-98 record in the regular season ... and a postseason record of 18-9.

Lakers VP Rob Pelinka released a statement announcing the firing.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court. Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”

Things weren't always bad for Vogel  ... during the 2020 season, the Lakers posted a 52-19 record -- the best record in the Western conference -- and third best in the league.

Vogel's been an NBA coach since 2001 -- getting his start as an assistant with the Boston Celtics, before serving as the head coach for the Indiana Pacers for 10 seasons.

The departure of Vogel leaves the Lakers, who missed the play-in tournament this season, with a void to fill at head coach.

Magic Johnson ain't watching HBO's hit series about his time with the Showtime Lakers ... but the actor who plays him is defending the show -- telling TMZ Sports everyone on the project means absolutely no disrespect to the Hall of Famer.

Icons like Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have recently spoken out against "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" ... with Johnson telling us earlier this year he wouldn't be watching, and the latter saying the show is a waste of time to any REAL Laker fan.

We spoke with Quincy Isaiah -- star of "Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" -- out at LAX this week ... and he wants Magic to know that he meant no harm with how he portrays his character in the doc.

"I mean, I understand where they coming from because it's a story about their life," Isaiah said. "So, it's tough. But I really feel like we did a really good job of showing humans and showing a full version of who we at least perceive them to be."

"There's no malice behind it."

FYI, 'Winning Time' chronicles the professional and personal lives of the Lakers in the 1980s -- a dynasty that won 5 championships and went to 9 NBA Finals.

Quincy -- who plays Magic in the series -- says despite some of the pushback he's received from the real Lakers, the purpose of the doc is to take real-life events and turn them into entertaining content.

"At the beginning and end of every episode it says 'this is a dramatization,'" Isaiah said. "We take real facts that happen, and we make it good for TV."

Q tells us he's thankful for the persona Magic created for himself as a star athlete ... 'cause it's opened doors for him in his acting career.

"Magic, man, I love you dude," Isaiah said. "You literally lived an incredible life so that I could ... I'm getting into an Escalade because he lived an incredible life. I have nothing but love and respect for that man," Isaiah said.

Isaiah believes if he ran into Johnson one day, there would be no bad blood because Magic understands he's just acting, and there's no ill-will.

Although Johnson's not watching Quincy, Isaiah says he's looking forward to the Laker legend releasing his doc "They Call Me Magic," which premieres on April 22 ... and he encourages everybody to watch both.

Finally, we asked Q about this year's disappointing Lakers team, and he said what NBA fans had known all season.

HBO's "Winning Time" hit the nail on the head (literally) when addressing Spencer Haywood's infamous self-circumcision ... 'cause the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports everything is 100% true!!

In case you haven't tuned in to last week's episode of the hit series about the Showtime Lakers, Haywood's teammates gossip about how he was known for, uh, taking matters into his own hands and putting a razor to his junk when he was a kid.

While some folks featured have criticized the validity of events on the show, we spoke with Haywood about Wood Harris' portrayal of his character ... and he says straight-up -- "It's the truth."

The 4-time All-Star says he has no issue with the show doing a deep dive into his life ... saying, "I'm fine with it because I'm fine with Wood Harris playing me in this role and he's a good person and a great actor."

"I'm okay with it and I did some bad s***."

Haywood -- who famously fought to allow players to jump straight to the NBA -- says he's come to terms with all he's done in the past ... he's 34 years sober and has a loving family and a podcast (rightfully titled The Spencer Haywood Rule).

The ex-hooper says he knows his life adventures make for great TV ... including the circumcision.

"Yeah, but let me explain it to you," Haywood says. "In this small town in Silver City in Mississippi, it ain't no silver and it ain't no city. It's population of like 370 people and you had no doctors, you had no anything, so my mother was doing it in a biblical standpoint that you gotta be circumcised."

Haywood says he had help from his brothers during the procedure ... and has a perfectly logical explanation for taking care of business himself.

"We did it to the hogs so why not do it to the humans? It's country!! It's country-folk!!"

While Haywood prides himself in the job he did, he admits he later went to a doctor to get it "cleaned up."

Magic Johnson is doing his best to douse any potential flames between LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... telling TMZ Sports there's no real beef between the two NBA legends.

We spoke with Magic out in NYC Tuesday night ... and the Lakers great reassured us there's no need to sit down for mediation with LBJ and KAJ -- 'cause he trusts they'll hash it out.

"I think they'll work out," Johnson said. "They'll work out. It's not that big of a deal. They'll work it out."

Kareem recently criticized James for engaging in actions "beneath him" -- most notably when LBJ imitated Sam Cassell's infamous "big balls" dance earlier in the season -- saying that type of behavior was "embarrassing" for the 4x champion.

Abdul-Jabbar also took issue with James' reluctance to promote the COVID-19 vaccine. Although LeBron was vaccinated, he clearly wasn't comfortable pushing the vax on people.

In fact, LBJ used a popular Spider-Man meme that compared COVID and the flu.

"Help me out folks," James captioned the post.

It hasn't been all negative from Kareem. Cap has publicly praised James for his philanthropic efforts ... saying he "admires the things he's done," and that he has "deep admiration and respect" for the Lakers star.

KAJ has since apologized to LeBron, saying, "It wasn't my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He has done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball."

"We may not always agree, but I want to wholeheartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. And if he can accept that, I'll be very happy."

Magic didn't say whether he spoke with James or Kareem, but sounds confident their relationship hasn't been fractured as a result of Kareem's remarks.

Frustrations have clearly reached an all-time high for Russell Westbrook ... because after yet another Lakers loss Tuesday night, he got into a very uncomfortable and heated talk with a journalist over a question.

The tense exchange all went down in the press conference area following L.A.'s 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks ... when LA Times reporter Brad Turner asked Russ, "What changes going forward?"

Westbrook immediately bristled, saying, "Nothing, man, nothing" before he eventually turned the question on the reporter.

"What do you think should change?" Westbrook asked Turner.

When Turner responded, "Winning," Russ got up from his chair and confronted the reporter off the podium.

The two then went back and forth for several seconds -- before Russ finally diffused the situation by asking other reporters if they filmed the entire interaction.

Westbrook and Turner eventually shook hands, before the star point guard left to head back to the team's locker room.

The incident is yet another lowlight for Russ in his first season with the Lakers -- he's played so poorly for most of the year that he's had to fire back at hecklers repeatedly on the streets and at games.

In fact, the jeers have gotten so bad recently, Westbrook had to plead for fans a few weeks ago to stop calling him "Westbrick."

LeBron James hopes his invite for Kevin Love's wedding still stands -- 'cause he said after he dunked all over his former teammate on Monday night, he's worried it might get canceled.

If you missed it, the Lakers superstar put Love on a poster with an insane dunk during the first half of the Lakers-Cavs game in Cleveland.

The throwdown was sick -- James jumped over Kevin and slammed it so violently, his good buddy actually went crashing to the floor.

The play was great for the Laker, who ended up using the momentum from the basket to win the game -- but afterward, James said he felt a ton of remorse for doing that to his BFF.

"To be completely honest," James said, "I hate it had to be him. He's my guy, that's my brother."

"I hope I'm still invited to the wedding," he joked.

Love -- who got engaged to Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Kate Bock last January -- was able to get a little payback after the dunk, putting James in a playful headlock.

LeBron told reporters it wasn't even his best dunk at the end of the day -- and he promised to keep it out of his highlight reel.

"I wish I could take those 2 points back and we'd still win the game by 9," James said. "K Love, I love you. I take it back."

Love clearly still needs some time to recover ... he said on Twitter after the game, "I’m not f*cking with my guy @KingJames for at least the next 48hrs!!!!"

Drake had some divided loyalties Friday night ... he's a die-hard Raptors fan but he's also buds with one LeBron James.

Drake was front and center in Toronto ... cheering on his home team with a trusty bottle of Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo by his side -- FYI ... it's LeBron's tequila company. So, in a way, he supported both his team and his pal.

Hope the booze was good, because his support for the Raptors fell on deaf ears ... they lost to the Lakers 128-123.

Drake was stunned when Russell Westbrook -- who's gotten more than his share of hate lately -- delivered big time ... with only 10 seconds left in regulation and the Lakers down by 3, Westbrook raced down the floor and scored a 3 pointer, forcing the game into OT.

Russell Westbrook had yet another altercation with a heckler this week ... this time, the Lakers star got into it in the street with a guy who simply wants him to play to his full potential.

The video made rounds on social media Friday ... showing a man approach Russell and express his frustrations with #0's slump.

The fan is heard saying things like, "I f*** with you, I just want you to play better" ... and "I bet on you every night."

Westbrook is clearly annoyed with the man's advice ... telling the guy he's "not a little kid."

Of course, this has consistently happened all season -- and it got so bad, Westbrook had to plead with fans to stop calling him "Westbrick," as he finds it disrespectful to his family.

Just this week, Russell confronted a heckler for calling him the infamous nickname ... and that interaction was caught on video as well.

The Lakers have been clapping back at trolls in the stands all season -- even having fans ejected for jawing at them during games -- as they continue to fall to the bottom of the Western Conference.

Magic Johnson says he's not tuning in to HBO's new show about the "Showtime" Lakers, but the NBA legend should definitely reconsider -- so says "Winning Time" actress Caitlin O'Connor, who tells TMZ Sports he'd love the series!!

As we previously reported, the 5-time champ told us he was NOT looking forward to Adam McKay's project starring John C. Reilly ... pretty much distancing himself from the entire thing.

But, O'Connor -- who plays legendary Laker fan Dyan Cannon in the series -- is hoping Magic changes his mind ... saying Quincy Isaiah's portrayal of the 3-time MVP is certainly worth a watch.

"I think Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson gives an amazing performance," O'Connor said outside Urth Caffe. "He has a smile that lights up a million rooms."

O'Connor even sends a personal message to the legend ... saying, "Magic Johnson, if you're watching this, you should watch 'Winning Time.' It's so funny, it's so fast-paced. Jerry Buss breaks the fourth wall. John C. Reilly does an amazing job on the show. I think that Magic is gonna love it, so I hope that he watches it."

As for her time on the show, O'Connor also says she hasn't met Dyan just yet ... but she'd LOVE to hit up a Laker game with her in the future.

O'Connor says she did a deep dive into everything about Dyan's life to prepare for the role ... and McKay worked tirelessly to make sure the show was done right.