Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James knows a good reference when he hears it -- and after booting the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs ... a classic Mystikal line came to mind, and it's perfect.

The King was feeling cocky Saturday after the Lakers crushed Ja Morant's team in decisive fashion Friday in front of the home crowd ... which ends their season and sends LBJ and co. into the next round, where they await either the Warriors or the Sacramento Kings.

Bron took to IG with a huge flex -- posting an epic in-game photo of himself after one of his many buckets, where he's roaring in Crypto.com Arena. His caption was just as badass.

He writes, "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR."

Of course, the line is a nod to two things -- one, it's the bar that Mystikal dropped back in 2012 during a freestyle on Invasion Radio ... which has gone down in hip hop history. It also, obviously, refers to the Grizzlies as a unit in general ... and their ferocious fluffy mascot.

And yes ... it's also very likely one final shot at SF Dillon Brooks, who was talking mad s*** to LeBron early on in the series -- and who famously said after their Game 2 win that he liked to "poke bears" when asked about his back-and-forth with LeBron on the court.

You'll recall ... Dillon brazenly called Bron "old" and said he doesn't respect anybody who doesn't give him at least 40 points. LBJ never quite did that but he owned the dude in just about every respect of the game ... not to mention the Memphis squad as a whole.

Dillon has mostly avoided talking to the media since then ... and his playoff performance was mediocre, to say the least. Seems like LeBron isn't letting him live it down just yet.

Amid rumors of health issues that keep him confined to his home, Jack Nicholson made his joyous return to the public eye Friday night, attending an LA Lakers playoff game.

The 3-time Oscar-winning actor got a hero's welcome of sorts as he sat with his son, Ray, courtside to watch the Lakers trounce the Memphis Grizzles -- 125 to 85 -- at Crypto.Com Arena in LA.

Several celebs approached Jack to welcome him back to one of his favorite pastimes -- cheering on the Lakers live from the arena's floor.

"Curb your Enthusiasm" star Larry David came over to greet Jack before the start of the first-round playoff game.

Lakers legend LeBron James took some time out of his warm-up to chat with Jack and give him a hug.

Tee, the father of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, posed for photos with Jack, who gave a thumbs-up to the lensman.

A journalist also got into the mix, telling Jack, "Welcome back."

It was the first time anyone had seen Jack at a Lakers game since Oct. 2021. Stories began to surface in the tabloids that Jack had become a recluse due to mounting health concerns.

But, there was no hint of Jack's rumored demise last night. He appeared to be in great spirits, sporting his customary black shades and flashing his famous Cheshire grin.

LeBron James tried to summon some "Ted Lasso" magic to give the Lakers a boost in their playoff game Wednesday night by rockin' some show-themed gear -- but even with the power of AFC Richmond on his side ... the King and his squad still fell short in Memphis.

The L.A. superstar sported a blue hoodie with Lasso's fictional soccer team's logo on it as he entered the FedExForum in Tennessee ... clearly hoping it would help draw some good vibes for his team in their closeout game with the Grizzlies.

As you probably know by now ... the Apple TV+ show is all about how Lasso, an American football coach played by Jason Sudeikis, inspires a ragtag soccer team in Europe to improbably win games against all odds.

While James' team wasn't exactly underdogs in the playoff contest with Ja Morant and the Grizz -- the message to L.A. was still loud and clear.

But, the pregame 'fit didn't bring much luck to the Lakers ... they were kicked around for most of the night -- and ended up losing, 116-99. To make matters worse for James, he didn't play his best, scoring just 15 points.

Of course, L.A. will still have two more opportunities to put the Grizzlies away -- Game 6 will go down on Friday ... and if a Game 7 is necessary, it'll happen on Sunday.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were just a handful of celebs who bent the knee for HRH last night -- and no, we don't mean King Charles ... we're talking LeBron James.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had box seats Monday at Crypto.com Arena -- having come on down from the Santa Barbara area to catch the big playoff game against the Grizzlies  ... which King James and co. secured in down-to-the-wire dramatic fashion.

Their presence came as a surprise to many when the TNT broadcast showed them in their private suite up in the stands -- and they seemed to be enjoying themselves ... flashing grins.

Later, they were caught on the Kiss Cam ... with their image being plastered on the giant jumbotron. The couple didn't really lock lips or anything, though ... they just giggled until the camera cut to someone else. However, it does seem PH might've considered a smooch.

Pretty neat to see 'em in such a public setting like this ... considering we hardly ever do. Harry and Meg tend to stick to the 805 area code, more or less, and hardly venture to the heart of L.A. And if they do ... they come privately, as they're hardly snapped by paps here.

Like we mentioned, they were in good (famous) company yesterday -- other stars in the building included Kim Kardashian, Adam Sandler, Timothy Olyphant, Flea and more.

We'll see more of Harry next weekend for his dad's coronation -- where Harry's expected to be front and center for the actual crowning ceremony on Saturday. Meghan won't attend.

Phil Jackson says he hasn't watched the NBA since 2020 -- when it went into the bubble for the playoffs and publicly supported Black Lives Matter ... a step too far for him, it seems.

The iconic head coach -- who's got 11 championships under his belt from the '90s through the early 2010s between the Bulls and Lakers -- sat down with Rick Rubin earlier this month for a podcast ... which is making the rounds now 'cause of what Phil had to say.

Check it out for yourself ... Rick asks Phil if he watches NBA basketball to this day in the wake of retiring in 2011, and Phil says he kept his eyes on the game only through 2020.

When asked why, Phil says the NBA did something "wanky" while in Orlando -- namely, getting mixed up in politics with a bunch of slogans on the court and on the jerseys of the players themselves. He never says "BLM" ... but there's no doubt that's what he's talking about here. He even kinda mocks it -- saying he joked about it from home with his family.

Phil says guys would have phrases like "Justice" plastered across their backs instead of their surnames like normal ... and goes on to explain that he'd make cracks about "Justice" or so-and-so making a drive to the basket -- which he says his grandkids got a kick out of.

Long story short ... Phil thinks the NBA was pandering to a certain audience and demographic -- and their virtue signaling that year turned a lot of people off ... including himself. He says politics should stay out of sports, and that folks don't wanna see 'em mesh.

Phil cites athletes who've gone on to have political careers -- the implication being ... if you wanna pursue that, do it off the court and outside of the league. BTW, Rubin did a good job pressing Phil on what exactly bothered him about the BLM stuff ... and he responded clearly.

Now, as you can imagine ... Phil's getting ripped a new one on Twitter -- as this is coming as news to a lot of people who thought the dude was an unproblematic genius of basketball.

His resumé still speaks for itself, no doubt, but he's getting a helluva lot of side-eye now after these comments -- and you gotta wonder what some of his greatest former players -- many of whom were Black -- might have to say about this.

Dillon Brooks might actually be getting under LeBron James' skin ... 'cause the Lakers superstar got so fed up with being asked about the Grizzlies forward on Friday, he abruptly cut off his media availability.

Of course, Brooks made headlines for ripping the King after Wednesday's win over L.A. ... calling James "old" and saying he doesn't respect his game.

Naturally, the 4-time NBA champ was peppered with questions about his current enemy at practice just minutes ago ... and he was short and to the point with reporters -- claiming he didn't hear a word Brooks said.

James' patience clearly ran thin as media members continued to try and get a soundbite out of him ... and, eventually, he brought everything to a screeching halt and walked away.

"I don’t want to talk much more," an annoyed James said. "Tomorrow is going to be a great game. I’m not here for the bulls***. I’m ready to play. That’s it."

Some reporters in attendance laughed it off ... but Bron didn't appear to be in a laughing mood.

James didn't wanna talk, but Rui Hachimura gave a short comment about Brooks ... saying, "They’re a young team. They just want to talk. We don’t really care. We’re just going to play our game and try to win the game."

LeBron James claimed he was too cheap to keep his blue checkmark, but his account showed otherwise on Thursday -- the Lakers superstar's page is now officially subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Thursday marked the end of legacy verified accounts on Elon Musk's app -- with the majority of users losing their badges unless they ponied up $8 a month to keep it.

As we previously reported, the King made his stance on the move crystal clear last month ... saying, "Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾‍♂️"

But someone on Bron's team must not have gotten the memo ... 'cause as superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Wilson and Aaron Judge said goodbye to the verify, his still has its badge.

The 4-time champ didn't get any special treatment -- his account's check says he subscribed to Twitter Blue just like everyone else who wanted to keep it.

Tom Brady, Klay Thompson, Conor McGregor and J.J. Watt are on LeBron's side -- their accounts are all subscribed to Twitter Blue as well.

There are now two teams on Twitter -- check and no check -- so, pick a side and tweet away, folks.

If LeBron James needed any more motivation to win in this year's playoffs ... he certainly got it on Wednesday night from Dillon Brooks, who blasted the Lakers star as "old" after beating him.

The Grizzlies wing -- known as one of the biggest agitators in the NBA -- made the eyebrow-raising comments following Memphis' 103-93 Game 2 victory.

Brooks had gotten in LeBron's face repeatedly during the contest in Tennessee ... and when he was asked if he had considered that it could potentially set James off -- Brooks unloaded.

"I don't care," he said. "He's old. You know what I mean?"

Brooks then accused LeBron of only trash-talking back when the Memphis star got in foul trouble.

"I poke bears," he said. "I don't respect no one 'til they come and give me 40" points.

FYI -- LeBron had 28 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in the loss. Brooks, who said he prides himself on his defense, had 12 points, one rebound and three assists in the win.

The two teams won't play again until Saturday night for Game 3 of their series ... and something tells us LeBron's now going to be pretty pissed off heading into the tilt in L.A.

Vanessa Bryant shared a touching tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant, on Tuesday ... posting a throwback picture together in honor of their 22nd wedding anniversary.

"Happy anniversary, baby. I love you @kobebryant ❤️ #22," Vanessa captioned the picture in Florence, Italy.

Of course, Bryant held Italy near and dear to his heart -- he spent his childhood there, spoke fluent Italian and would frequently visit with Vanessa.

Kobe and Vanessa got engaged when Vanessa turned 18 ... and the couple officially tied the knot on April 18, 2001.

Vanessa's close friends Ciara and Lala showed her and Kobe love by commenting on the post ... as well as New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who Kobe mentored.

Last summer, Vanessa penned a heartfelt birthday note on Kobe's 44th birthday, writing about how much she loves and misses him.

Lamar Odom is (maybe surprisingly) all for the Lakers signing Tristan Thompson ... in fact, the former NBA star tells TMZ Sports he believes the power forward can "100%" help them win an NBA title.

We caught up with the 43-year-old at LAX on Friday, just two days before his beloved Lakers face the Memphis Grizzlies in a best-of-7 playoff series.

Despite the Lakers making it into the playoffs with a play-in win against the Timberwolves, many doubt the team can actually go anywhere. There's also been a ton of doubt about why the organization signed Thompson, who hasn't played meaningful minutes in the league in over a year.

Those people haven't talked to Lamar ... who believes Tristan solidifies the Lakers' frontcourt, which will "100%" help them as they make a run at another title.

"He's played with LeBron," Odom said. "He's won a championship and L.A. is always the best place to play."

Lamar, who also has his own podcast about the Lakers called The LADE Show, says the main components to the Lakers winning another title is LeBron and staying healthy.

"God James. His name is God James. The god of basketball," Odom said. "As long as we healthy, we're gonna win a championship."

Laker Nation better prepare for the worst ... 'cause NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein says L.A. has a snowball's chance in hell to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs -- telling TMZ Sports it would be a complete shock if LeBron James and Co. won the series.

Goldstein holds the record for attending the most NBA games in the history of the league ... so naturally, he was present for the Lakers' play-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Jimmy G says he was thoroughly unimpressed with what he saw from the Purple and Gold in the overtime thriller ... adding it just goes to show they're really not poised to make a deep playoff run this season.

Goldstein points out the Wolves were without defensive stars Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels ... and it wasn't a good sign that the Lake Show needed extra time to put them away.

He also thinks L.A.'s hot run at the end of the regular season was more due to the fact that their opponents were tanking ... which would explain why they were able to put together some wins.

Long story short -- if you're a betting person, Jimmy thinks you'd be throwing money away to pick the Lakers to win it all.

The Grizzlies vs. Lakers matchup starts on Sunday ... and if Goldstein is right, it won't be a long series.

Jeff Bezos won't be the new owner of the Washington Commanders ... the Amazon founder reportedly won't bid on the NFL franchise despite months of interest, and a secretive meeting with Jay-Z.

According to Puck News, Bezos, whose net worth is $120 billion (according to Forbes), is no longer planning to buy Dan Snyder's team ... and barring something changing, JB won't be the team's new owner.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Bezos and Jay-Z met for a secret meeting in L.A. in November, where we're told they discussed a potential partnership.

Although it won't be Bezos, it's still possible D.C. will have a famous owner. As we previously reported, Magic Johnson is part of a group with 76ers owner Josh Harris and billionaire Mitchell Rales. They reportedly submitted a $6 billion bid to buy the team.

The Lakers Hall of Famer confirmed the news on an episode of "Today" ... saying he's excited the bid is in and hopes Snyder makes the right decision.

Magic is no stranger to owning a team ... the five-time NBA champion has a stake in the LA Dodgers, Sparks, and LAFC, the pro soccer team.

Even in Year 20, LeBron James is still the most popular player in the league -- the Lakers' superstar forward led the NBA in jersey sales for the second half of the regular season.

The NBA announced the news on Wednesday ... confirming basketball fans can't get enough of LeBron and are showing their support by buying his No. 6 Lakers jersey.

Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić rounded out the top 5 ... with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Ja Morant, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving making the list as well.

Additionally, the Los Angeles Lakers sold more merchandise than any other NBA team ... which isn't surprising, considering the franchise is a global brand and has won 17 championships.

The Warriors, Celtics, Suns, Bucks, Bulls, Knicks, 76ers, Mavericks and Nets also made the list.

Of course, James -- a four-time champion and MVP -- has been one of the faces of the league since he burst onto the NBA scene in 2003.

Dubbed "The Chosen One" before ever playing a game on an NBA court, James has lived up to the expectations ... and just became the league's all-time leading scorer, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earlier this season.

Tristan Thompson's back in the NBA and back in the L.A. club scene with his brother-in-Kardashian/Jenner-dom, Corey Gamble -- they soaked up some nightlife after the Lakers took home a big fat W.

Kris Jenner's bae and Khloe Kardashian's baby daddy headed to Bird Streets Club in WeHo to celebrate Tristan's new team, the Lakers, defeating the Timberwolves to earn a spot in the NBA playoffs. They left together around 1 AM Wednesday ... in a chauffeur-driven Maybach. Nice!

Neither guy had much to say as they exited, but gotta figure they were in good spirits after the W. Shout out to Corey's stylist, 'cause dude was rocking an eye-popping Lakers gold silk leisure suit as he sat courtside.

Tristan didn't see any playing time during his first game back from retirement.

Obviously, playing in L.A. means Tristan's closer to Khloe, too ... and as we reported, the duo's been spending time together recently -- even hitting up a McDonald's drive-thru together.

BTW .. today is Tristan and Khloe's daughter True's birthday -- so, we're guessing he and Corey were hashing out gift ideas last night.

Tons of celebrities made sure they were in attendance for the Lakers' play-in game Tuesday night ... and they no doubt were glad they came -- 'cause L.A. won in an instant classic!!

Tennis legend John McEnroe had courtside seats for the playoff-clinching game with the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena -- as did Michael B. Jordan, Jimmy Iovine and Corey Gamble.

All were treated to a helluva contest ... as L.A. and Minnesota went back and forth for about three hours -- before LeBron James' squad came out on top in overtime, 108-102.

It took a herculean effort from the Lakers superstar to get his team the victory -- the 38-year-old led all scorers with 30 points ... and was a huge reason L.A. came back from down 15 to secure its spot in the playoffs.

The win was massive for Bron's team ... if they had lost -- they would have had to play the winner of Wednesday's Oklahoma City vs. New Orleans matchup in what would have been a do-or-die game for the last spot in the playoffs.

Now, however, they're safely in ... and will play a series against the Memphis Grizzlies to try to continue their advance in the postseason.

Other celebs in attendance for the big L.A. win included Al Michaels -- who looked super chipper outside the arena before the game began.

Film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, singer Rosalia and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco were all there as well.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without their star center when they face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA's play-in tournament game on Tuesday ... 'cause the team just suspended Rudy Gobert one game for punching his teammate.

Gobert -- who swung at Kyle Anderson during a timeout in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans -- will rejoin his teammates for the remainder of the Wolves' play-in tournament run and beyond.

It's a big blow to Minnesota -- the Wolves gave up four first-round picks for the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 ... and will be tasked with trying to upset a hot Lakers team that has seemingly figured things out just in time for the postseason.

Gobert was sent home from Sunday's game ... and apologized for his actions shortly after.

"Emotions got the best of me today," Gobert said. "I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organization and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate."

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wolves believe Gobert's punch was not intended to hurt his teammate ... but considering he struck Anderson in the chest, they were left with no other choice.

The report also says the whole thing started after Anderson called Gobert a "bitch" repeatedly.