Los Angeles Lakers

JJ Redick couldn't help but sing LeBron James' praises after a 40-point performance ... to the point where he knew his admiration would come off as "glazing."

The Los Angeles Lakers coach spoke at length about King James' impressive outing in the Purple and Gold's 110-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday ... saying the 40-year-old simply isn't "normal" -- mentally or physically.

"I believe I saw the other day that he's a billionaire," Redick said. "And he's playing on the second night of a back-to-back at 40 after 22 years with every freakin' record and every accolade."

LaMelo Ball made sure to stop by and see how his dad was doing prior to torching the Lakers on Wednesday ... saying "it was only right" to check in on LaVar after his recent foot amputation.

The Charlotte Hornets star shared the pic on Thursday ... showing him posing with his famous dad -- who was standing with help from a knee scooter -- at what appeared to be their Chino Hills home.

"seen my dawg b4 da game it was only right i love u pops 5L and after," Melo said on Instagram.

Tracy Morgan flattered Jeanie Buss while possibly exposing his lack of NBA knowledge at the same time ... with Jay Mohr saying the comedy legend asked his wife if she was a Laker Girl!!

The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member revealed the hilarious interaction in a preview of an upcoming "Mohr Stories" episode ... saying it went down at the sketch show's 50th anniversary event last week.

Mohr explained one of his goals for the weekend was to get his wife and longtime friend to get a pic together ... and he made it happen -- but not before the memorable encounter.

LeBron James had a bunch of people pissed off during All-Star Weekend ... after the Lakers superstar backed out of Sunday's four-team tournament just hours before tip-off.

The four-time MVP and 21-time All-Star announced his status for the festivities two hours prior ... saying he was hoping to be able to go, but a nagging foot and ankle injury forced him to sit out the contest for the first time in his career.

With such short notice, the league wasn't able to fill Bron's spot with a fresh face ... which rubbed some people the wrong way.

The "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special wasn't about to come and go without a couple shots at Bronny James ... with the Lakers rookie's name getting dropped for laughs during the show.

The 20-year-old was targeted toward the beginning of "Weekend Update" ... with Michael Che uttering a wisecrack about bringing his own form of nepotism to the staple sketch.

"Me and Colin [Jost] are actually the longest serving 'Weekend Update' anchors," Che said. "I've done 'Weekend Update' for so long, next season I'm co-hosting with my son, Bronny."

The Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers sent shock waves through the NBA ... and the worth of his debut jersey could create even more, 'cause TMZ Sports is told the threads could fetch up to one million dollars!

David Kohler, founder of SCP auctions -- who also has arguably the most impressive personal collection of Lake Show memorabilia -- tells us the purple and gold Lakers jersey donned by Doncic is likely worth "500K to 1 million" at auction.

It's unclear if the 25-year-old NBA superstar rocked the same jersey throughout the whole contest or if he switched out at the half ... but either way, the jersey would still fetch a fortune.

Some of Hollywood's brightest stars were drawn to Crypto.com Arena on Monday night to catch Luka Doncic's first-ever Lakers game ... and the new L.A. superstar didn't disappoint.

Logging his first minutes in purple and gold since the Mavericks traded him away earlier this month, Doncic played well in a 132-113 win over the Utah Jazz ... as a ton of A-listers sat just feet away.

Adele, Rich Paul, Floyd Mayweather, Will Ferrell and a gaggle of others -- including Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki -- caught the action ... and enjoyed an impressive victory in Doncic's debut.

If you want to catch Luka Dončić's Lakers debut in person Monday night, ya better have some deep pockets ... 'cause ticket prices for the big matchup are currently soaring.

Victory Live -- a company that tracks the sales of tickets across secondary markets -- said in a statement to TMZ Sports just hours before L.A.'s tip-off against the Jazz that the demand for the tilt is going through the roof.

The co. stated that prior to Doncic's acquisition, fans could get into Crypto.com Arena for an average of about $131. But, after it was announced the game would be LD's first in purple and gold, the average price has jumped to around $358.

Luka Doncic is making his presence felt in an amazing way before even debuting for the Lakers ... by donating $500K to help his new city of Los Angeles recover after the wildfires.

The 5-time All-Star -- who was traded to the Lakers in a blockbuster deal last weekend -- revealed the generous contribution on Monday ... expressing how heartbreaking it was to witness the damage the blazes left behind since his arrival.

The fires, which occurred from January 7th to the 31st, killed 29 people ... and others remain missing. Over 57k acres were burned, including more than 18k structures that were either damaged or destroyed.

Ben Affleck scored some major dad points Thursday night ... not only did he snag himself and his kid some better seats than Kamala Harris for the Lakers game -- he also got Steph Curry to swing by for a meet-and-greet!

Ben and little Samuel Garner Affleck scored some courtside chairs for L.A.'s home tilt vs. the Golden State Warriors ... and the two seemed to have a blast as Curry and LeBron James duked it out on the floor.

The guys were seen cheering often ... with the young Affleck even animatedly celebrating a few 3-pointers in his James jersey.

Travis Scott was grabbed by a security staffer following the Lakers vs. Clippers game on Tuesday ... and TMZ Sports is told the whole ordeal was the result of a credential issue.

La Flame had courtside seats for the Battle of L.A. at the Intuit Dome ... where he was laser-focused on all the action throughout the night -- including Bronny James' first-career three-pointer.

But after the Purple and Gold secured the 122-97 victory, the fun briefly died down for the "FE!N" artist ... as he was yanked by a worker as he was making his way off the court and out of the arena.

Luka Doncic is opening up on the trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA world ... admitting getting shipped to the Lakers was a huge hit on his emotions, but he's excited for a "fresh start" in L.A.

The 25-year-old global sensation was introduced to the media for the first time as a member of the Lakers on Tuesday ... where he talked all about the whirlwind past few days.

Doncic said he was nearly asleep when he got word of the trade ... and understandably, the news hit him "really hard" emotionally, with the past few days feeling like a month.

Tons of Dallas Maverick fans are still shocked over losing former superstar player Luka Doncic ... and that includes Texas native Patrick Mahomes, who said the blockbuster deal with the Lakers rocked him.

The Chiefs signal caller met with the media Monday for Super Bowl opening night, where he was asked about his hometown team trading away the 25-year-old phenom to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers' 2029 first-round pick.

"I've watched him since he was 18 years old," he said. "I remember going to practice, and it was Dirk [Nowitzki], and seeing his maturation and how great of a basketball player he's became it's been fun to watch."

The Luka Doncic trade was so big, it even got brought up during the biggest night in music ... with Jim Gaffigan making a joke about the blockbuster deal at the Grammys!!

The silly comment came early in Sunday's event at Crypto.com Arena -- which just so happens to be Luka's new home -- when coming out of a commercial break, the comedian took the mic and said Trevor Noah was no longer able to lead the show.

"During the break -- I don't know how to say this -- Trevor Noah was traded to the Dallas Mavericks," Gaffigan said.

Washington Wizards fans piled on the sarcasm during Bronny James' minutes on Thursday ... mocking the Lakers rookie with "MVP" chants after scoring a tough bucket.

The scene went down late in the Lakers' 134-96 win over the Wizards Thursday night in the nation's capital ... with less than 10 seconds left in the contest.

After being sent to the free throw line for an and-one attempt, the Capital One Arena spectators hit LeBron's kid with tongue-in-cheek praise, which even drew chuckles from the announcers.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant passed away in the fatal helicopter crash five years ago today ... but, their legacy lives on -- through tributes and new projects they've inspired.

As you know ... on January 26, 2020, Kobe and Gigi -- along with 6 other passengers and the pilot -- were killed after their helicopter crashed on their way to Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.

According to a later investigation ... the pilot of the craft was at fault for the crash -- with investigators saying he flew into the clouds, became disoriented and ultimately crashed.