Los Angeles Lakers

Expect to see Bronny James and Paige Bueckers in a fresh pair of Kobe Bryant kicks this season ... 'cause six bigtime NCAA hoops powerhouses were selected as "Mamba Programs" and will be wearing the NBA legend's Nike sneakers on the court this year!

Vanessa Bryant made the announcement via social media on Tuesday ... listing the universities that were picked as the first group to represent her husband's Nike brand.

"So excited to see their players wearing Kobe and Gigi’s NIKE shoes this upcoming season," Vanessa wrote in the caption.

No mid-majors here.

The selected schools were USC -- where LeBron James' son Bronny is playing -- as well as Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, LSU, and UCONN, the team Gigi supported.

"We are grateful for the amazing support of these prestigious universities (in no particular order) towards the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation - to further the legacies of Kobe and Gigi!" Bryant added.

Vanessa didn't disclose which Kobe's the teams will rock, but the Swoosh recently relaunched Bryant's line with the release of the Protro 8 "Halos" ... which hit the market on what would've been KB's 45th birthday (August 23).

Snoop Dogg is proclaiming Shaquille O'Neal to be the best NBA player to ever release hip hop music ... this, after getting wind of The Big Aristotle's latest rap collab!!!

As we told you last week, Shaq linked up with L.A.-based group Coyote for their single "3 Lokos" ... the first of a newfound partnership.

Shaq told the artists he wanted to bring "'90s energy" to the song ... which clearly struck a chord with Snoop to the point he crowned the big man with such a big honor!!!

Shaq's place in hip hop is indeed solidified ... having his 1993 debut album "Shaq Diesel" go platinum while earning respect from many established rappers at the time.

The NBA legend also brought 3 championships to Los Angeles with the Lakers in the early '00s ... undoubtedly an extra reason to get Snoop's top pick. 😉

NBA rappers have gotten a lot more competitive since Shaq's era and Damian Lillard, will likely have something to say about Snoop's taste ... he's long touted himself to be the best NBA player to ever clutch a mic.

He just dropped his new album with co-signs from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and even performed during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, where he also played.

Lamar Odom's keeping it in the family ... he hired his son and daughter to work for his substance abuse treatment company, and he treated them to a company getaway.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... he's focused on strengthening his bond with his kids, and that includes getting his son, LJ, and daughter, Destiny, jobs at Odom Recovery Group.

Lamar's son is a marketing consultant ... we're told he's basically been mirroring Lamar, learning the ins and outs of the company so he can be Lamar's backup when needed.

Meanwhile, Lamar's daughter is a client representative ... she's responsible for taking down patients' information and making sure they're all set up when they start their recovery journeys. We're told both kids even participated in a commercial for the company, which will air on Hulu in various locations.

In recognition of their hard work on the job, we're told Lamar took his newest employees on a little vacation in Orange County, spending a few nights at an oceanfront property in Newport Beach.

Not a bad work perk!!!

The job opportunities and company vacations are all part of Lamar's attempt to reconnect with his kids ... and we're also told they've all been living under the same roof since the end of May.

Lamar definitely needs the help at his company ... Odom Recovery Group keeps expanding, he's added 14 new rehab centers to his portfolio and it's all hands on deck at work, with his baby mama Liza also helping out on the job.

Jeanie Buss is usually rocking power suits in business meetings, but over the weekend -- she was decked out in all white on the beach ... this after getting married, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the Lakers owner got hitched to comedian Jay Mohr Sunday during a small, intimate ceremony in Malibu -- where about 20 close friends and family members in attendance ... and the bride and groom looking happy as can be.

As you can see in this photo, Jay was over the moon when Jeanie said "I do" ... sweeping her off her feet and holding his bride up with a gorgeous backdrop behind them. BTW, our sources say there weren't any famous people in attendance ... meaning no players.

That's reflected in the vibe here -- super casualchill, but Jeanie looks great in her gown -- which is quite traditional. It's a great ending for a couple who's been together for years now.

While she first went public with their relationship just in 2021 ... we know she and Jay had quietly started dating as early as 2017 -- this after she broke it off with one-time fiancé Phil Jackson in 2016. Since then, Jeanie and Jay have been inseparable -- and very in love.

They announced their engagement in December 2022 ... and now 9 months later, they're man and wife.

Shaquille O'Neal is back in the rap game!

The basketball legend linked up with an L.A.-based rap group for a new song and music video, and it slaps.

TMZ Sports talked to Coyote -- made up of rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco -- and they tell us The Big Aristotle was a fan of their work going back some time, and they developed a relationship. The guys began talking about hopping on a track together

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop '90s-type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' and he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!" Ladies Love Guapo told us.

The guys say O'Neal loved the beat and a few hours later, voila ... his verse was in their inbox.

"4 hours later he FaceTimes us and he shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there."

Shaquille even pulled up for the music video shoot in Los Angeles ... shot in the city where he delivered three championships.

"3 Lokos" is the first song Coyote ft. Diesel are releasing ... but it won't be their last.

In fact, Blanco says they already have a second song they've recorded with Shaq, and plan on dropping more music in the near future ... including rapping on a beat that O'Neal produced.

Bronny James is already back in the USC classroom just a month after going into cardiac arrest, according to head hoops coach Andy Enfield ... who's hoping his star freshman makes a return to the hardwood very soon!

Enfield met with reporters on Monday and provided an update on the star 18-year-old freshman hooper ... and it's positive news!

"The good thing is [Bronny's] doing extremely well and he's in class right now. And we all love him," Enfield said.

"I think everybody is hopeful that Bronny will return to the court. We just have to be patient and take it step by step."

Whether he returns to the court or not, Enfield made it clear James' well-being is most important, and they plan to take things slowly.

"Our goal is to support Bronny in any way we can academically, athletically, and be patient with how things develop in his return."

Of course, the James family made a major revelation on Friday, announcing Bronny's cardiac arrest resulted from an "anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect."

It sounds scary ... but it's actually good news, according to doctors, who say the birth defect can be treated.

"We are confident in Bronny's full recovery and return to basketball in the near future," the James statement read.

Despite not playing basketball, we've seen Bronny out, living his life. In fact, he recently hit up a Dodgers game and Drake concert with LeBron.

James was a 4-star recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon in L.A. ... where he was regarded as one of the top 50 high school basketball players in the country.

Kobe Bryant's long-awaited statue finally has a release date -- the Lakers legend's wife, Vanessa, just announced the five-time champion's tribute will be unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on a special date -- 2/8/24.

"As you know, Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker," Vanessa said in a video from the team facility.

"Since arriving in the city and joining the Lakers organization, he felt at home here playing in the City of Angels."

"On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that right in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as 'The House That Kobe Built,' we are going to unveil a statue so that his legacy can be celebrated forever."

Feb. 2, 2024 is truly symbolic -- Kobe wore Nos. 8 and 24 during his Hall of Fame career ... and his daughter, Gigi, donned No. 2 throughout her time on the court.

There are rumblings Gigi may be honored in some capacity as well ... although renderings of the project have not been released.

Kobe will join fellow Lakers superstars like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and more ... who have gotten their own statues outside the venue in years past.

Kobe and Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash in Jan. 2020 ... and fans have been wanting a permanent tribute outside the arena for years.

The tributes are pouring in on what would have been Kobe Bryant's 45th birthday ... with the late Lakers legend's wife, Vanessa, sharing an emotional post.

"Happy birthday, baby. I love you always & forever. ❤️ #82378," Vanessa said on Instagram alongside several pics of the couple together.

Bryant's former teammates like Caron Butler and Carlos Boozer showed love in the comments ... as well as Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who said, "A timeless and inspiring love story ❤️❤️❤️❤️."

Bryant has been the center of countless social media posts on Wednesday ... as many have been sharing their favorite memories.

Kobe and Vanessa first met on a music video set back in 1999 ... and were married 19 years before the five-time champion's death in 2020. They had four kids together -- Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri.

Drake paid homage to LeBron James on Monday night, but on Tuesday, he tipped his cap to another Laker legend -- Kobe Bryant -- and the impromptu tribute to the Mamba was pretty cool.

Drizzy was performing yet another show at Crypto.com Arena as part of his "It's All A Blur" tour -- his sixth stop in the City of Angels this month -- and when someone threw a black, Bryant Lakers jersey on stage ... he paused his show to remember the Hall of Famer.

The 36-year-old rapper picked up the No. 24 uni and told the sold-out crowd at the venue where Bryant played almost all of his home games for his entire NBA career, "I'mma hold this up 'cause we got to show love to Kobe one time."

"Ya'll make some noise for Kobe at this time," he added.

The fans in attendance roared for several moments ... before Drake continued on with his performance.

It's the second time in as many days that Drake has urged his crowd to support the Lakers -- at Monday's show in Crypto, he featured James and the L.A. star's son, Bronny, a couple times during the concert.

Tuesday's tribute, though, was perhaps the most fitting ... considering this week is a special one for Bryant and his family.

LeBron James may not wear No. 6 anymore, but he's still got love for the 6 God -- the Lakers superstar and Bronny were front and center at Drake's concert in L.A. on Monday ... escorting the rapper out to the stage at the start of the show!!

Drizzy has made it a thing throughout his "It's All a Blur" tour ... enlisting famous celebs and friends to walk out with him before his performance.

Fittingly enough, Drake decided to give the James Gang the honor at Crypto.com Arena ... and judging by their faces, the ballers were thrilled with the rockstar treatment.

It's great to see Bronny at yet another public outing ... considering he suffered cardiac arrest at a USC workout less than a month ago.

Drizzy also gave Bron a big shout-out during the show ... thanking the four-time champ for being a day one supporter.

The war between Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon on HBO's "Winning Time" was blown way out of proportion ... so says one-half of the former Lakers duo, who tells TMZ Sports that's not how it went down in real life.

Season two of the hit show has been largely centered around the terrible relationship between the veteran point guard, Nixon, and Johnson, the team's young star. One scene even depicted Michael Cooper breaking up a locker room fight between the players.

So, when we saw the 2x All-Star outside LAX on Monday, we asked him whether the show got things factually correct.

"Naw," Nixon responded ... "Not even close."

Norm, who is portrayed by his son, DeVaughn Nixon, isn't the only former Lake Show star who isn't exactly a big fan of the hit show.

In fact, we recently talked to Hall of Famer James Worthy ... who doesn't count himself as a viewer.

"I just think [Winning Time] could have been done really, really good. And I was disappointed that it wasn't," Worthy told us.

Back to Norm, we also asked the 2x NBA championship-winning PG about Steph Curry's recent claim that he was the greatest point guard ever.

Nixon averaged nearly 16 points, 8+ assists, and 1.5 steals a game over his 10-season NBA career. He obviously also played with Magic (who he didn't hate ).

There's no debate ... Steph Curry is the greatest point guard of all time -- at least, that's what the Golden State Warriors star himself believes.

Curry joined Gilbert Arenas on the ex-NBA star's "Gil's Arena" podcast this week to make the proclamation ... putting himself ahead of Magic Johnson on the GOAT PG list.

"It's me and Magic?" he asked Arenas. "Is that the conversation?"

The guys then kicked around the topic for a few moments -- but Curry made it clear, in his eyes, he's No. 1.

Of course, he's definitely got a case ... he's a four-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and the league's greatest-ever 3-point shooter.

Johnson, meanwhile, is a five-time champ, a three-time MVP, and a 12-time All-Star.

But Curry told Arenas he just has to put himself on top ... saying, "I have to answer it that way."

"But I really feel like, to your point, Magic's resume is ridiculous," the 35-year-old added. "So the fact that we're even having that conversation that's a place I never thought I'd be in."

All seems to be back to normal in the James' household -- as Lebron, Bronny and Bryce all hit Dodgers Stadium to honor LeBron -- about a month after Bronny's scary health emergency.

It was LeBron bobble-head night Saturday in L.A. and fans packed the stadium to get their hands on one of the free souvenirs. Even more special -- LeBron was there in person to show his gratitude while also accepting a $100k check for his LeBron James Family Foundation.

Of course, it was even more special to see Bronny with Dad considering it was less than 2 months ago when he collapsed at a USC basketball practice.

TMZ broke the story -- Bronny was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital after he went into cardiac arrest. At the time, the family told us, "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU."

We've seen Bronny out and about since the incident, but the guys seemed totally carefree while taking in Friday night's game.

We also got video of LeBron and Bronny in Minnesota a couple weeks back visiting the Mayo Clinic -- one of the top medical heart facilities in the world -- safe to say the family's been doing all they can to get to the cause of the scary issue.

Shareef O'Neal just dropped some great news ... telling TMZ Sports Bronny James is doing well following his health scare -- and all signs seem to indicate the medical emergency won't affect his basketball career "at all."

Shaq's son -- who famously battled his own heart problems in 2018 -- provided the positive update while out at LAX on Friday ... saying he's been in contact with his good pal and LeBron James' kid since the 18-year-old returned from the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest.

"He's good," O'Neal said.

As for the recovery process and how he anticipates all of it impacting Bronny's future goals on the hardwood ... Shareef said he believes the young James should be just fine moving forward.

"I don't think it'll affect anything," he said.

Of course, Shareef knows a thing or two about it all ... after he had open-heart surgery five years ago -- he went on to make a full recovery and returned to the court without issue.

It's still not yet known publicly what exactly caused Bronny's ailment or if it's even remotely similar to O'Neal's ... but we learned earlier this month he hit up doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. to try to pinpoint the exact problem.

LeBron James and his son, Bronny, have jetted off to Minnesota ... in an effort to seek out further treatment for the USC hooper following last month's medical scare.

The two touched down in Rochester at some point over the weekend ... and they've been spotted in and around the Mayo Clinic there since -- seemingly seeking further answers to why the 18-year-old suffered cardiac arrest back on July 24.

Following one of their visits to the medical facility on Monday ... the duo -- plus some friends -- got dinner at Terza Ristorante in downtown, though when they left, they were mobbed by a crush of fans.

In video from the scene, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see Bronny -- wearing a white shirt and black jacket -- exiting the eatery's backdoor first ... with LBJ not far behind.

Once the two get into a waiting SUV -- a group of LeBron supporters pull out their phones and begin screaming for the Lakers superstar, while surrounding the ride.

The guys, though, are able to peel away before the scene gets too chaotic.

As we reported, Bronny needed to be hospitalized for several days following his emergency on SC's campus ... though he was released on July 27 -- and seen just one day later looking fine while out at dinner with his family in Los Angeles.

Former Lakers point guard Derek Fisher is giving basketball coaching another shot ... but not in the pros or college -- he's going to high school!!

The five-time NBA champion is back to planning Xs and Os after getting hired by Crespi Carmelite High School, a boys prep school in the greater Los Angeles area, officials announced Monday.

The gig marks Fisher's first return to the bench after being fired by the Los Angeles Sparks in June 2022, and his third job overall.

Remember, Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate and buddy started out as the New York Knicks' head coach from 2014 to 2016 ... and was let go after recording a 40-96 record.

Derek took over as the Sparks' head coach role in December 2018, where he would also eventually become general manager.

The 48-year-old Laker is now taking over the Encino-based program, which previously developed NBA talents like guard De'Anthony Melton and forward Brandon Williams.

Fisher's Celts will play in the Mission League ... where they will face off against the likes of Sierra Canyon, where Bronny James, Marvin Bagley III and Brandon Boston Jr. suited up ... and Notre Dame, where LeBron James' second-eldest son, Bryce, is reportedly considering attending next year.