Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James is addressing the recent rumblings surrounding Bronny's college basketball future ... saying he has no idea where the reports are coming from, but he'll support the young hooper no matter what he decides to do.

Longtime sportswriter Dick Weiss reported Tuesday the 19-year-old USC Trojan planned to transfer to a new program following head coach Andy Enfield's departure for SMU.

Weiss later backtracked and admitted he couldn't confirm the story ... but that didn't stop Lakers reporters from inquiring about it following L.A.'s 128-111 win over the Toronto Raptors.

"I don't know where it came from, but at the end of the day, Bronny's his own man and he has some tough decisions to make," Bron told reporters. "And when he's ready to make those decisions, he'll let us all know."

"But as his family, we're going to support whatever he does."

There's a lot of speculation regarding Bronny -- he was once believed to be a 2024 NBA Draft prospect, but he averaged less than 5 points, 3 rebounds and just over 2 assists a game in his freshman campaign after recovering from his offseason cardiac arrest.

Some analysts think he would benefit from staying in school another year to develop his game for the next level ... but 39-year-old LeBron has long stated it is his dream to be in the Association alongside his eldest son.

Give Jaxson Hayes another assist on his career stats ... the Lakers center was seen handing out cash to kids in LA on Thursday night!!!

The 23-year-old performed the sweet gesture while outside of a Louis Vuitton event on Rodeo Drive ... after some tykes who were selling candy bars asked him for his business.

Hayes didn't want any of their chocolate -- but he decided to kick some money their way regardless.

Check out the video ... Hayes got one of the boys' numbers and then sent what appeared to be a Venmo. Seconds later, the kid jumped for joy and screamed, "He just sent me $100!"

Hayes was also spotted taking some pics with the little fans who had gathered around the storefront.

12:14 PM -- LeBron James was clearly watching every second of the first-round matchup ... 'cause the Lakers superstar was quick to congratulate his former coach on the 71-67 upset win over BYU.

"YEAAAAHHHH @DruOnDemand LFG!!!! Go Dukes @DuqMBB," Bron said on Thursday.

As the saying goes ... it's gotta be the shoes!!

The Duquesne basketball team got a sweet surprise before their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament ... brand new LeBron James XXI kicks -- from the King himself!

The Lakers superstar had the white and light blue sneakers delivered to the 11th-seeded team this week before Thursday's game against 6th-seeded BYU ... in the tourney's East Region.

The players were HYPED when they saw the new shoes ... and were super appreciative of the gift.

FYI, the LeBron 21s "Blue Diver" dropped this month ... with Air Zoom cushioning and a glow-in-the-dark outsole. The shoe was modeled after an Oyster shell.

There's a deeper meaning ... and it's a tribute to Bron's daughter, Zhuri, and how the proud dad protects his daughter just as a shell shelters a pearl.

You're probably asking, why Duquesne? Well, James' former high school basketball coach is their current HC ... Keith Dambrot, who has been the coach of the Dukes since 2017.

The special delivery comes on the heels of Duquesne's biggest basketball game in decades ... they haven't been in the NCAA tourney in 47 years, and last made a trip to the Final 4 in 1940, 84 years ago.

L.A. Lakers big man Christian Wood's ex, Yasmine Lopez, is opening up on the wild allegations made against her in court documents ... owning up to keying a car and hopping his fence -- but claiming she's seeking help following the incidents.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Wood accused Lopez of wreaking havoc on his personal life ... abusing and stalking him, damaging his property (including two luxury vehicles) on multiple occasions, and keeping their child from him.

Lopez weighed in on the recent events during an Instagram livestream ... and she expressed her regret with how their business has been thrown into the spotlight.

The influencer and model seemingly defended her actions while speaking with her followers on Wednesday ... saying, "I wouldn't be hopping nobody's fence for no f***ing reason, but I don't condone violence. I don't."

She also claimed the car she wrecked did not belong to Wood, but rather his new girl's vehicle -- regardless, she did go to jail over the February incident.

Lopez revealed she is taking the proper measures in hopes of preventing issues in the future ... including therapy.

"I'm working on myself to become a better woman, a better mom, just all around," she added. "I don't have time for the bulls***."

"The s*** I tolerated in the past, I'll never tolerate again."

The NBA's gonna have a real problem on its hands when LeBron James retires ... so says Kwame Brown, who tells TMZ Sports the league isn't putting enough focus on the next generation of athletes -- like that one guy on the OKC Thunder.

We spoke with the former 2001 No. 1 overall pick at LAX this week about the current state of the Association ... and he pointed out the top teams in the Western Conference aren't getting nearly as much coverage as the Lakers due to the LeBron effect.

"You got this young talent," Brown said. "The only thing I see what's wrong with the NBA is that they hold on to the 'superstar' thing too long. We got OKC ... before, I didn't even know their starting 5. You don't even know their coach."

"You gotta start promoting this young talent that you have. Otherwise, they're going to be scrambling when LeBron's gone."

Our camera guy pretty much proved Brown's point ... 'cause when he brought up MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he asked how his name's pronounced -- and both dudes were stumped.

"I don't know either," Brown admitted. "He's not on ESPN every day."

FYI -- it's "Shay."

As for SGA's season, the 25-year-old Canadian is averaging 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals a game ... leading the Thunder to a 46-20 record, tied for the best in the Western Conference.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's romantic afternoon had a wrench thrown in it ... or more accurately a tire -- 'cause one of theirs popped and stopped their date

The lovebirds were rollin' around Los Angeles Saturday in a silver BMW when they suffered a flat tire, quickly bringing their couple's outing to an unfortunate standstill.

Bennifer hopped out to check the damage -- with Ben in a flannel and baseball cap while J Lo rocked a tight black turtleneck and matching leggings.

Affleck and Lopez both got their hands dirty, leaning over the car -- with Ben's shirt lifting to reveal his infamous back tattoo -- but they ultimately weren't able to fix the problem.

Eventually, Lopez and Affleck just had to leave the car ... calling for a ride to come pick them up and leaving the Beamer behind as they headed for greener pastures.

Unclear who picked up the BMW or if it was taken to a shop, but it's far from the first time Ben's had car trouble ... with his luck seeming more than a little worse than the average motorist on the road.

Remember last year when Ben's classic Cadillac broke down during a heat wave in the City of Angels? Or when his son Samuel accidentally backed a rental Lamborghini into another car?

Yeah, certainly seems like bad luck seems to plague the movie star everywhere he drives.

Seems like the rest of the day went just fine for the couple ... who were at the Lakers game last night -- apparently it's gonna take more than a flat than to keep the couple from courtside seats.

Kim Kardashian and her son, Saint, sat courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers game Saturday night, leading a small group of big celebs who showed up for the event.

As per, Kim looked stunning in a tight white t-shirt and black leather pants while parked alongside 8-year-old Saint at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA.

At one point, Kim posed for paparazzi by putting her arm around her little guy who was dressed in his Lakers jersey, leaving no doubt as to who he was rooting for.

Kim was also snapped chatting with some fans and Saint even flashed a peace sign for the camera!

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck enjoyed their courtside seats, watching the matchup while holding each other's hands. The couple seemed pretty chill as they hung out with Ben's 12-year-old son, Samuel.

And that's not all ... singers Bad Bunny was also in the crowd to see the Warriors and Lakers take it to the hoop.

And in the world of sports, tennis legend Novak Djokovic was front and center to see the Warriors take the W, 128-121.

After the game, J Lo gave Bunny a little hug as Ben shook hands with some of the Golden State players.

Kim Kardashian y su hijo, Saint, estuvieron en la cancha en el partido de Los Angeles Lakers el sábado por la noche, encabezando un pequeño grupo de grandes celebridades que se presentaron en el evento.

Como de costumbre, Kim se veía impresionante en una camiseta blanca ajustada y pantalones de cuero negro, y a su lado estaba el pequeño de 8 años de edad en Crypto.com Arena en el centro de Los Ángeles.

En un momento dado, Kim posó para los paparazzi rodeando con el brazo a su pequeño, que iba vestido con su camiseta de los Lakers,para no dejar dudas de a quién animaba.

Kim también fue fotografiada charlando con algunos fans y Saint incluso hizo el signo de la paz para la cámara.

Mientras tanto, Jennifer López y Ben Affleck disfrutaron de sus asientos en la cancha, viendo el partido mientras se tomaban de la mano. La pareja parecía bastante relajada mientras pasaban el rato con el hijo de 12 años de Ben, Samuel.

Y eso no es todo, Bad Bunny también estaba entre la multitud para ver a los Warriors y a los Lakers dándolo todo.

Representando al mundo de los deportes, estaba la leyenda del tenis Novak Djokovic, viendo como los Warriors dominaban 128-121.

Después del partido, J Lo le dio un pequeño abrazo a Bunny mientras Ben estrechaba la mano de algunos de los jugadores de Golden State.

Bronny James and Isaiah Collier are making their case for teammates of the year ... 'cause the two USC hoopers just hooked the whole Trojans squad up with some custom Beats headphones!!

James and Collier revealed the nice gesture ahead of the Pac-12 Tournament ... with the Lakers superstar's son explaining they wanted to show appreciation for all the support they've gotten this season.

The team clearly loved the presents ... with everyone freaking out over the Trojan-themed colorway.

Worth noting -- Bronny and Zay have NIL deals with the brand, so we take it they didn't have to open up their wallets ... but it's a dope move nonetheless.

It wasn't the greatest season for the Trojans -- they're currently 14-17 -- but perhaps James and Collier's gesture will help turn things around.

James is currently averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 23 appearances this season ... while Collier is putting up 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists a contest.

Logan Paul's foray into the sports world goes deeper than the WWE ring ... the star wrestler, along with partner business KSI, continues to kick ass in the drink space, linking up with one of the most valuable franchises in the world, the L.A. Lakers!

Prime Hydration and the Purple and Gold announced the biz deal on social media on Tuesday, revealing the new partnership, writing ... "Lakers x @PrimeHydrate Hydration: Get ready L.A., PRIME Hydration is the new Official Sports Drink of the Los Angeles Lakers."

Of course, it's not the first time Logan and KSI's company has gone into business with a major force in the sports world ... they're also the official sports drink of the UFC, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arsenal, and FC Barcelona, amongst other teams and leagues.

They also work with individual athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Israel Adesanya.

Not too shabby ... and the Lake Show deal positions Prime as an indirect partner with LeBron James.

12:06 PM -- The L.A. Lakers say they're already in the process of fixing the typos on Kobe Bryant's statue ... admitting to ABC News on Monday they've known of the issues "for a few weeks."

"We have been aware of this for a few weeks," a spokesperson said, "and are already working to get it corrected soon."

The statue erected to immortalize Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena has multiple typos on it ... at least four, to be exact.

The flaws were discovered this week ... on the base of the monument where an image of a signed box score from Bryant's famed 2006, 81-point game was etched in.

You can see Von Wafer's name is mistakenly spelled "Vom Wafer." Jose Calderon's name is also incorrectly listed as "Jose Calderson." The word "decision" in two of the "Coach's Decision" portions of the statue is also wrongfully written as "decicion."

A copy of the box score sold at Goldin Auctions back in 2022 shows none of the errors were featured on the original document.

We've reached out to the Lakers for comment, but so far, we've yet to hear back.

The Bryant sculpture was first put up at the arena back on Feb. 8 ... at a star-studded event. Phil Jackson, Stu Lantz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Derek Fisher and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss were all there ... as was Vanessa Bryant, who helped introduce it with an emotional and, at times, lighthearted speech.

"For the record," Vanessa said before the public saw the carving for the first time, "Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see. So if anyone has any issues with it, tough s***."

At the ceremony, it was also announced the Lakers would unveil two more tributes to Bryant at their arena at a later date.

Anthony Davis' parents had several reasons to celebrate after the Lakers' massive win on Sunday ... their son's historic performance and 31st birthday -- mom and dad even surprised him with a massive cake right in the locker room!

The Lakers center put on a show at the Crypto.com Arena against the Minnesota Timberwolves (who were without Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns) ... finishing the game with 27 points, 25 rebounds, seven steals, five assists, and three blocks.

AD's folks, Anthony Sr. and Erainer, were in attendance to watch their son ... and he was incredible. The 'rents then got to surprise him with a big cake for another trip around the sun.

The Lakers helped out, too ... as mom and dad walked in, players, including LeBron James, began singing "Happy Birthday!"

AD was all smiles ... and rightfully so. His stat line from Sunday's game was a first for an NBA hooper.

"We just want to come out as a team effort knowing that where we are in the standings and how important this game was," Davis said during post-game interviews, "You know, trying to close the gap in the standings."

The Lakers are currently the 9th seed in the West, moving just one game behind the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron James plopped down next to his female bosses at the Lakers game this week and made sure to ring in International Women's Day with 'em ... which they seemed to really dig.

This clip of LBJ sitting down with Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis -- both of whom are top-level Lakers execs, and who are effectively his employers -- at Friday's game is going viral right now ... and for good reason, we suppose. It's pretty hilarious ... and eye-popping too.

Check it out ... LeBron moseys on over to where JB and LR are sitting, courtside, and takes a seat in between them -- where he starts to chop it and, apparently, drop jokes in between.

Some lip-readers think they see LeBron saying ... "First and foremost, Happy International Women's Day" -- which Linda and Jeanie seemed to love, 'cause they were all over the guy with snuggles and bicep rubs. Nothing too inappropriate, of course, but it was quite a sight.

Jeanie even leaned her head on LeBron's shoulder at one point while they yukked it up.

Like we said ... nothing overtly over the line here, but it certainly threw the Internet into a tizzy -- and became a bit of a meme over the past couple days. Y'know ... "rizz" jokes, etc.

Of course, it's silly to assume Linda and Jeanie were into LeBron here -- as some online have suggested after watching this -- because not only are both women already known to be close with him (he is THE biggest Lakers star, after all) ... but they're both happily married!

Jeanie got hitched to Jay Mohr last year on the beach ... this after dating him for a bit. And Linda, meanwhile, has been married to Kurt Rambis for quite literally decades.

Goes without saying ... LeBron is also a married man -- so everyone can settle down.

As for why LeBron wasn't playing in this game against the Bucks ... his ankle's jacked up. So, nothing wrong with a little facetime with the higher-ups -- that's essentially what this was.

LeBron James just raced past another NBA milestone ... becoming the first player in league history to break the 40,000 point mark!

James recorded the record-breaking basket just over a minute into the 2nd quarter against the Denver Nuggets Saturday night ... dazzling the packed house at Crypto.com Arena.

40k had some style, too ... Bron converted a pretty spin into a left-handed layup, earning LBJ one hell of an ovation from the Lakers faithful -- as well as family and friends.

It was all but assured that LeBron would smash the 40k ceiling before tip-off ... as the King was just nine points away from the threshold.

In fact, the team was so sure he'd reach the milestone, they had a points counter on the big screens inside the arena.

"LeBron James: Founding member of the 40K points club," the Purple and Gold tweeted after LBJ netted the basket.

It's just the latest accomplishment for James.

Remember, Bron broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring record in February 2023 ... and also became the first player to pass 30,000 points, 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in 2022.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the confrontation Lil Wayne had with a Lakers security guard on Thursday night ... and you can see he was so upset over the interaction, he bolted from the game immediately.

In the clip, Wayne -- wearing a cream-colored hoodie, black cap and headphones -- can be seen trying to get to his courtside seat with a few friends ... when, suddenly, several Crypto.com Arena officials seem to tell him to stop.

One man in a grey polo with a walkie-talkie clipped to the collar then appears to have words with the "How To Love" crooner ... seemingly gesturing to him that he needs to get to his chair via a different route.

Wayne's clearly pissed over the chat ... check out the vid, he throws up his hands in a "Come on!" motion -- before he then just jets out of the building.

One witness who was just a few yards from the scene, MaxMarketPros' Joseph Stirling, says it all happened in the second quarter of the game ... after Wayne seemed to have some troubles finding his seat. Stirling added that following the incident, he didn't see Wayne the rest of the night.

At first, Wayne wrote on his X page that he was "treated like s***" ... although during a Friday morning appearance on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," he seemed to relent that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"They was just doing their job," the rapper said.

But, he did add that he felt like the encounter was "a little much."

"So," he said, "I was like, let's just leave."

9:10 AM -- Lil Wayne joined FS1's "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless on Friday to address his beef with the team ... chalking it all up to an issue with security.

"They was just doing their job," the rap icon said ... explaining as he was attempting to make his way to his courtside seat, a staffer stopped his crew in their tracks and told them to enter from another part of the arena.

But when they got to the second entrance, Weezy noticed they would have had to ask other spectators to get up from their spots to allow his group through to their seats ... and he didn't want to bother them, so he walked back to the original entry.

When he got back there, Wayne said the same staffer got upset ... saying, "I told you guys to go to the other entrance!" -- which he felt was a bit out of line.

Wayne also said he was told after the fact that the issue was that he'd have to wait for a dead ball to get to his seat -- but that wasn't relayed to him.

Tunechi -- who admitted he was only at the game as part of a brand deal -- said the experience left a bad taste in his mouth ... and he'll only go back to Crypto because his son is a diehard Laker fan.

Lil Wayne says he was "treated like s***" at the Lakers game on Thursday night ... and he's so pissed over what went down, it seems he's ready to cut ties with his beloved squad.

It's not quite clear exactly what happened with Weezy as he made his way to Crypto.Com Arena to watch LA battle with the Washington Wizards ... but just 90-or-so minutes after the game tipped off, he took to X to criticize the Purple and Gold.

"Wow!" he wrote. "Got treated like s*** at the Laker game just now."

Wayne didn't get into specifics ... but he suspected it all had to do with some previous comments he's made about one of the team's superstars, Anthony Davis.

If you're unfamiliar ... Wayne, who's always spotted in courtside seats at Lakers games, makes regular appearances on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," and when the topic turns to LA hoops, he's often critical of Davis. In fact, during a November episode, he said the team should straight up trade the nine-time All-Star.

In his post on X, Wayne wrote, "I figured they’d do me that sooner or later" "bc of what i said abt AD," but he added that he's gotten an uneasy feeling from the team for a while now -- which apparently has him questioning his fandom going forward.

"All good I get it," he said. "F*** em. It isn’t what it isn’t. I’m used to it."

Neither he nor the Lakers addressed the matter further as of Friday morning.

It seems a bunch of other celebs, though, had no issues attending the game ... Flea, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Corey Gamble, Jay Mohr and even Chevy Chase were all spotted near courtside with grins on their faces.

Everyone there got to enjoy quite the game too -- as LeBron James and Davis combined to score 71 points in a 134-131 overtime win.