Los Angeles Lakers

Vanessa Bryant was victorious in a lawsuit over one of the biggest investments Kobe Bryant ever made ... and in the process of winning, she exposed some pretty awful, racially-charged smack talk.

The background -- Kobe plunked down $6 million back in 2013 for a 10% interest in the sports drink company, BodyArmor. Several years later, the company sold to Coca-Cola for a whopping $5.6 BILLION. Kobe's investment reportedly netted him $400 million.

In 2019, six months before Kobe was killed in a tragic helicopter accident, the President of Kobe Inc., Molly Carter, claimed Kobe promised her 2% of his cut. Kobe called BS on her, saying he never made such a promise.

Molly sued, and Vanessa picked up the mantle and not only defended the case, she filed her own counterclaim, alleging Molly violated the duty of loyalty and the non-disparagement clause in her employment contract by trash-talking Kobe and his family.

As for the alleged trash-talking ... Vanessa claimed she referred to Kobe as an "asshole," a "douche nugget," and a "dick wad." She says Molly called her the "f***ing devil," "bitch" and PSYCHO," even mocking Vanessa's newborn as having "botox lips."

Vanessa says while Molly was working for the company, she was permitted to travel to an NBA All-Star game and on the jet she groused, there were "a lot of fancy-ass Black people" on the plane.

The case went to arbitration and Vanessa prevailed on both the lawsuit and her counterclaim and was awarded more than $1.5 mil in attorney's fees.

Bam Margera left detox early and is telling friends he's going to spend the weekend in Las Vegas ... sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ.

The former "Jackass" star had been detoxing in San Diego at a place Lamar Odom helped him get in, but we're told Bam didn't want to complete the program ... and on Monday he bounced.

Our sources say Lamar was desperately trying to get Bam to return to the detox center and finish up at Odom Wellness Treatment Centers, but Bam instead agreed to stay at Lamar's home in Calabasas this week, with Lamar continuing to encourage Bam to finish treatment.

Despite Lamar's best efforts, we're told Bam bolted Thursday ... and he's since been telling friends he's planning a weekend trip to Sin City.

Bam dined at Nobu in Malibu with a friend Thursday ... shortly after leaving Lamar's place ... but it's unclear who is joining him on his Vegas trip.

It's a sharp turn for Bam, who started the detox June 7 after cops put him on a 5150 psychiatric hold following a video rant where Bam threatened to smoke crack until he died or saw his son, Phoenix.

Bronny James might be a college guy now, but the Lakers superstar's son isn't going to the dining hall anytime soon -- 'cause he grabbed dinner at an L.A. hot spot with USC head coach Andy Enfield and top recruit Isaiah Collier!!

The Trojans commit showed up at Catch Steak in West Hollywood in his Porsche 911 on Thursday ... where the group broke bread and, we're assuming, chopped it up about the upcoming season.

Bronny -- a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon -- recently announced he would suit up for the Trojans for college ball ... where he'll be joined by Collier, widely regarded as the top player in the class of 2023.

James also announced Thursday he will don #6 for USC ... the same number LeBron currently wears for the Purple and Gold.

Of course, 18-year-old Bronny's been used to living in L.A. for a few years now ... but it's gotta be a bit different now that he's the big man on campus.

Bronny James will honor his dad, LeBron James, during his freshman year on the USC Trojans hoops team this fall ... wearing jersey number 6, the same number as his pops.

The University of Southern California confirmed the jersey number news on Thursday, sharing a photo of Bronny in the cardinal and gold threads.

Remember, the former Sierra Canyon star wore 0 during his high school career, explaining it was a tribute to his favorite NBA player, and his dad's former teammate, Russell Westbrook.

Bronny also previously wore #23 in honor of his dad.

Of course, King James first wore #6 in Miami in 2012, before ultimately switching back to 23, and then returning to 6, which he now wears for the Lakers.

But, Bron isn't the first great player to rock the digit ... Julius Erving, Ben Wallace, and Bill Russell also wore the number. In fact, the NBA retired #6 leaguewide after Russell passed away last July, a way of honoring the 11-time champ.

LeBron James put down the basketballs this week and grabbed a handful of Rihanna's pregnant belly instead -- and the adorable moment was all captured on video!!!

The King has been in France the past few days enjoying a little vacation during the Lakers' offseason ... and while at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris -- he ran into his longtime friend, Rihanna.

The two shared a warm embrace ... and at one point during the hug, LBJ couldn't help but give a squeeze to the most famous stomach on the planet at the moment.

Check out the footage, Bron palmed it like a basketball for several seconds -- and the "Work" singer was loving it!!

RiRi grabbed James' hand and appeared to thank him for some kind words he was whispering ... and it was all a super sweet moment.

Of course, the meetup was just one of many memorable occasions LeBron's gotten to experience this week ... he was able to dine with Draymond Green just a few days prior -- and he even received some serious praise for the 'fit and grill he rocked to the LV show.

LeBron James and Draymond Green were spotted enjoying the fruits of their labor in Europe over the weekend ... and the timing is pretty interesting, considering the Warriors star is slated to test the market in free agency in a matter of days.

The NBA stars both rocked bucket hats and sunglasses as they shared a meal and chatted with restaurateur Samy Sass in a pic posted to Instagram ... which also showed Draymond holding a cigar in his hand.

The duo of 4-time NBA champions have been friends off the court for years and there is a ton of mutual respect between the two ... so it's not necessarily earth-shattering to see them hanging out.

But the timing is something of note, as many believe Green and James -- who share agent Rich Paul -- could end up on the Lakers together next season.

Green -- who will hit free agency after declining his $27.5 million player option to stay with the Dubs -- has had nothing but high praise for the King over the years ... going as far as to say he's the greatest player of all time over Michael Jordan.

Maybe it was just two friends chilling during the offseason ... or perhaps it was much more.

Wood Harris is getting the stamp of approval from the guy he portrayed in LeBron James' new "Shooting Stars" movie ... 'cause St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Dru Joyce says the actor was spectacular!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Lakers superstar's longtime childhood coach about the new Peacock flick that documents the historic rise of LeBron and his teammates Sian Cotton, Romeo Travis, Willie McGee and Lil Dru en route to high school championships ... and he said he was pleased with the end result.

Joyce admits he was a bit nervous to watch the movie at first -- after all, Hollywood has its way with things -- but once he checked it out, all his worries went away.

"The thing that I was most concerned about, what I wanted to see portrayed most was the friendship and how the friendship was built," Joyce told us. "So, that came across very clear. So, I was happy."

Joyce believes Harris did a great job showing his real coaching skills ... which focused much more on raising good young men than simply basketball players.

In fact, Joyce told us Harris reached out and bounced ideas prior to shooting scenes ... but ultimately, "I just kind of let him run with it."

"I thought he caught the essence of me."

LeBron James heard the Nuggets talkin' spit about the Lakers during their championship parade on Thursday ... and now, the NBA superstar is clapping back HARD.

In case you missed it, Michael Malone threw shade at reports of LBJ considering retirement after losing to Denver in the Western Conference Finals ... cracking jokes and claiming he was going to hang it up for good, too.

There was also a cringe moment at the rally, where Malone was referred to as "the Lakers' daddy."

James is now unloading on the Nuggets franchise ... saying he was minding his own business in Europe when he found out about the disses -- so he asked, "I'm on your mind that much huh???"

"I mean I guess I see why. 🤷🏾‍♂️," LeBron said on Instagram with a pic of him waving the starting flag at 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"But Wave the flag on these lames!! Please make being player cool again cause the lame machine is at an all-time high. Enjoy your light but just know I’m the SUN. I stay on forever!"

Austin Reaves' hot streak continues -- fresh off his breakout season with the Lakers, the former undrafted NBA prospect has inked a signature shoe deal that's reportedly worth millions!!

The 25-year-old signed a multi-year contract with Chinese brand Rigorer that could "reach over seven figures per year," according to Shams Charania ... and it includes getting his very own sneaker, the "AR1."

Reaves talked about the business move on Thursday ... saying, "If you would have told me I'd have had a signature shoe at 18, I'd have looked at you and called you a liar."

"Honestly, I'm blessed to play basketball for a living and I just have to pinch myself sometimes to really understand what's going on."

Reaves blew up this past season ... becoming an important piece on the Lakers roster, averaging 21 points a game in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The Arkansas native's shoe deal isn't the only major source of income -- he's expected to be a big target in free agency, with teams prepping to offer him more than $50 million over four years.

LeBron James' second-oldest son is celebrating his Sweet Sixteen on Wednesday ... and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar made sure to wish Bryce a happy birthday with a special shout-out to the teen hooper.

"SCREAMING HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ to my Twin MAXIMUS @_justbryce!!!!!!" Bron said on Instagram. "I LOVE YOU YOUNG 🤴🏾!!!"

"Keep going up and up and up! Love the young man you are and becoming every single day!! 🙏🏾🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎👑."

LeBron's tribute also came with several recent pics of Bryce ... showing him balling out on the court and enjoying some downtime as well.

LBJ's oldest kid, Bronny, just graduated from Sierra Canyon High School and will attend USC in the fall ... and Bryce is slated to suit up for Campbell Hall for his remaining two years before college -- so yeah, we're all officially old.

The bday also means there could be another member of the James Gang on the road ... and if Bryce is getting his license, we're sure he'll be riding around in style.

Khloe Kardashian wasn't messing around when her son was born, giving him the Kardashian last name instead of Tristan Thompson's ... but later had a change of heart.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Tatum Thompson -- as he's now known -- was initially legally a Kardashian. Our sources say Tatum also wasn't his first name, though we're not sure what first name Khloe originally chose for the kiddo.

Eventually, our sources say Khloe decided to drop the Kardashian name for Thompson, and that's now Tatum's legal name moving forward.

As for why Khloe may have made the initial decision to leave Tristan out of things -- it seems pretty clear ... as we reported, Tristan got another woman, Maralee Nichols, pregnant after Khloe and Tristan had decided to go ahead with a surrogate to carry Tatum.

TMZ broke the story about the surrogacy in July of 2022, just a couple months after it was discovered Tristan had gotten Nichols pregnant. It was about a month later when Tatum was born, so you gotta imagine there was still a lot for Khloe and Tristan to figure out ... making it totally understandable Khloe wanted her son to have her last name.

Obviously, things have gotten better since that time, and it's almost certainly the reason Khloe decided to change Tatum's legal name to include Thompson.

As we've reported on multiple occasions, Khloe and Tristan are incredible co-parents ... hitting events together with their daughter True all the time. We were the first to report both Khloe and Tristan were at True's pre-K graduation last week ... along with exes Kylie and Travis Scott and family foe Blac Chyna.

With plenty of milestones and significant happenings for their son for the next several decades, it's nice to see Khloe and TT on the same page.

The Miami Heat are on the ropes in the NBA Finals, but their celeb turnout is still top-seeded in the league ... right up there with legendary LA Lakers Showtime.

Lil Wayne, Conor McGregor, G-Eazy, Chris Tucker and J. Balvin filed into the primo seats at Miami's Kaseya Center.

McGregor actually got some playing time -- not in the game, which the Denver Nuggets won -- but he was part of the center court entertainment. The UFC legend squared off with the Heat mascot Burnie ... and earned a one-punch W.

Some other famous fans in the crowd included Odell Beckham Jr., Flo Rida, Forest Whitaker, Neymar, Ozuna and Paul Pogba.

Lamar Odom is serious about getting Bam Margera the desperate help he needs ... stopping in to visit the "Jackass" star while he's in the hospital, and inviting him to Lamar's very own rehab center.

The former NBA star stopped in to see Bam Tuesday with an offer to get him back on the right path -- sources close to Lamar say he's trying to arrange for Bam to get treatment at one of his Odom Wellness Treatment Centers once he's released from his 5150 hold.

We're told Bam was receptive to going to rehab and was very hopeful during their chat ... saying he wants to see his son, Phoenix. Sources say Bam and Lamar hugged it out as the former NBA star told Bam he'd do everything he can to get him treatment.

As we reported, Lamar has opened up 3 drug treatment centers after his own battles with addiction in the past. He's got Gold Bridge Addiction Center in Louisburg, KS, Wavelengths in Huntington Beach, and Project West in San Diego.

TMZ broke the story, LAPD tracked down Bam Sunday to Trejo's Tacos in L.A. -- law enforcement sources told us his erratic speech and behavior, mixed with his recent threat to smoke crack until he dies, was enough to warrant the psych hold.

Lamar also sent Bam a rehab invite in April after Bam turned himself in for allegedly assaulting his brother. At the time, Lamar talked to us about the advice he'd love to pass along to Bam, as well as why his treatment centers could be a huge help.

Robert Horry played alongside Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan -- three of the greatest players to ever grace a court -- but who was the best?? Big Shot Bob says it's The Dream, and it's not even close!

52-year-old Horry recently joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on their "All The Smoke" podcast ... when the convo turned to the 7x NBA champ's list of the top five big men in NBA history.

"Dream is number one by far," Horry told the guys. "Nobody wants to talk about it. I think you have these guys who are quiet. Dream, he's a really quiet guy. You can't get him to do much, to say much. So, we kind of veer away from him. We don't talk about him."

Of course, Horry was with Hakeem for four seasons, Shaq for seven, and Duncan for five.

Rob says if you look at the totality of Hakeem's career (winning Defensive Player of the Year and MVP in the same season), he deserves the top spot over Shaq and TD. Dream also made 12 All-Star teams.

Horry won back-to-back championships with Olajuwon in 1994 and 1995 before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was an integral piece in winning three championships with Shaq and Kobe Bryant.

After his time in L.A., Rob finished his career with the Spurs, winning another two titles alongside Duncan.

As for who's the best ... pick your poison. All three legends have out-of-this-world numbers and career achievements.

Shaq won an MVP in 2000. He's also a 15x All-Star and 3x NBA Finals MVP. Duncan was a 2x NBA MVP and 15x All-NBA defender who was named to 15 All-Star games.

Ultimately, Rob says he's grateful he was able to play with Hakeem, Shaq, and Tim, but it's Olajuwon who gets the nod.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are essentially operating as one parental unit, but that doesn't mean they're romantic again ... despite growing speculation online.

Sources close to the two tell us they're still operating as they have been for months -- as co-parents -- but Tristan lives near Khloe's place, so they're spending a lot of time together. Remember, they now have two young kiddos, and we're told it's important to Khloe that the kids get to spend as much time with Tristan as possible.

Another clue that things are good between Khloe and Tristan -- she was spotted driving around in one of his vehicles last Tuesday -- so they're sharing keys too. Our sources say the two are in a great spot as friends.

What's more, we're told Khloe let Tristan and his younger brother stay with her in the immediate time following the funeral for Tristan's mom. At the time, Tristan was getting work done on the roof of his home after some water damage ... so Khloe opened up her doors.

TMZ broke the story ... it was back in January when Khloe boarded a private jet to be with TT in Toronto after his mom's sudden death. At the time, our sources told us Khloe wanted to be there as a source of support and comfort for Tristan -- Kim and Kris eventually came too.

Clearly, the family bond hasn't broken between anyone ... as we continue to see the Kardashian family support Tristan, even sitting courtside to cheer him on with The Lakers.

LeBron James has tons of free time now that he's out of the playoffs, including family time -- which he soaked up this weekend with yet another graduation drop-in.

The Lakers superstar attended Chaminade High School's ceremony Saturday in West Hills, CA -- where his "nephew," Auston Mims, was all set to walk across the stage in a cap and gown as part of the Class of 2023. Mims played football there, and LBJ is close with the kid ... having attended games of his in the past. Although it's unclear if they're actually related.

Auston appears to be the son of LeBron's longtime friend and business partner Randy Mims. In any case, Bron was front and center to watch Auston receive his high school diploma.

Check out these videos, obtained by TMZ, where you can see the King is trying to lay low as the names are called, checking out his phone and keeping his head down. In these clips, he seems to be alone ... but eyewitnesses tell us he was actually there with family and friends.

Of course, he totally stands out -- at about 6'9", no less -- so, eventually, he parked it and had a seat. That didn't stop people from approaching him and fanning out a bit, though.

At one point, a young guy walking by spotted him ... and tapped him on the shoulder for a little handshake -- which Bron obliged and reciprocated. There was even an adult who came over to say hello ... but it kinda seems like LBJ just wanted to keep to himself here.

Anyway, this is the second graduation (that we know of) that LeBron's gone to in recent weeks. Remember, he was just at his own son's Thursday ... and was one proud papa.

The backdrop of all this is the question of whether he's going to hang it up on the court and retire from basketball. He suggested he might in his Game 4 loss presser ... noting he had a lot to think about in the offseason. Stuff like this might be at the forefront of his thoughts.

Fact is, if he was still playing ... it's possible he might have missed these types of moments. Certainly possible, but if a game was scheduled to be played on a Saturday ... it'd probably be tough to do both. Lucky for him, he was able to catch all the big days this year.