Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James has quite the bone to pick with a California car company ... publicly admonishing the joint for "lying" about hooking him up with a new set of wheels.

The Effortless Motors dealership in Riverside shared a clip of a new Bugatti being driven into the back of a truck on Wednesday ... featuring a caption claiming the Lakers superstar was its "biggest VIP customer" and congratulating him for "trusting" its business.

James himself eventually got wind of the post ... and was quick to call BS on the whole thing on Instagram.

Shaquille O'Neal is updating his past hip hop hits for the digital era -- his 1996 Biggie collab "You Can't Stop the Reign" is on streaming for the first time!!!

Such will be the case for Shaq's 3rd album of the same name ... he and his Jersey Legends Productions are planning to re-release the full 'Reign' album on June 28 ... the tracks with Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, DJ Quik, Peter Gunz and Lord Tariq will also get a fresh drop on the public.

Not many artists can brag about having a Biggie feature ... especially one with impact.

12:45 PM PT -- Terrence Shannon Jr. breaks his silence on the not guilty verdict ... saying on Friday, he's thankful to those who stood by him during the case.

"I knew I was innocent of these horrible crimes and I had faith in God that someday everyone else would know that too," Shannon said on Instagram.

"I am so grateful to all of you for believing in me, especially my family, friends, and legal teams whose support kept me going.

Shannon said he's ready to move on from this and focused on "my path forward."

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley is opening up on his decision to reject the Lakers ... admitting the team succeeded in piquing his interest -- but ultimately, he has many more reasons to keep his current gig.

Hurley -- who just turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from Los Angeles -- spoke with reporters about his eventful week on Thursday ... and said the idea of taking the reins for the Purple and Gold was "obviously tempting" and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The opportunity to coach a future Hall of Famer in LeBron James wasn't lost on Hurley either -- in fact, he revealed he spoke with the four-time champion on the phone during the interview process.

Lakers legend James Worthy says he's heartbroken over Jerry West's death ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to miss his good friend dearly.

Worthy -- who West actually selected with the first pick of the 1982 NBA Draft when he was LA's general manager -- spoke with us just hours after Jerry's passing on Wednesday ... and reflected on his time with the Hall of Famer fondly.

James said he learned of the news at a place Jerry loved -- a golf course -- and initially, his heart hurt. But he said moments later, the memory bank of his time with West kicked into high gear.

9:16 AM PT -- The NBA will hold a moment of silence in Jerry West's honor prior to Game 3 of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics Finals matchup on Wednesday, TMZ Sports is told.

The NBA world is mourning the passing of one of its legends, Jerry West ... with Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa, among those expressing their grief shortly after the announcement.

"I am so deeply saddened at the news of Jerry's passing," Jordan said following the news on Wednesday.

NBA legend Jerry West -- the inspiration behind the league's iconic logo -- has sadly died.

The Los Angeles Clippers said in a statement the Hall of Famer passed away on Wednesday morning with his wife, Karen, by his side.

No further details surrounding his death were released.

LeBron James is in good spirits despite missing out on a championship this season ... FaceTiming in to Kai Cenat's stream and cracking jokes about not being in the NBA Finals!!

The hilarious cameo appearance went down as Cenat chopped it up with guests Kevin Hart and Druski on Monday ... when the movie star decided to hit up the Lakers hooper while hundreds of thousands of viewers followed along.

The four-time champ casually dropped the N-word as he greeted the trio ... which caught Druski and Cenat off-guard.

2:20 PM PT -- Dan Hurley just addressed the elephant in the room ... saying it was a humbling experience.

"At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut," he said.

Hurley added he met with the team prior to Monday's practice ... and now, they're switching focus back to getting better as a team and defending their championship this season.

Dan Hurley is slamming the door on the Los Angeles Lakers ... with reports saying he will not accept their lucrative, $70 MILLION offer to become their next head coach -- choosing to remain at UConn.

The news broke on Monday ... with Fox Sports' John Fanta saying Hurley will pursue his third-straight national championship instead of making the jump to the Association.

Hurley's ties to the Purple and Gold seemingly came out of nowhere last week ... when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the Lakers were eyeing the back-to-back championship-winning coach the entire time -- and were preparing to back up the Brinks trucks to make it happen.

Spencer Dinwiddie is suing a famous car shop in Los Angeles ... claiming the company botched a deal involving a Ferrari and a rare Mustang so badly, it's caused him quite the headache.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the NBA star says he first got into biz with Wires Only -- a custom automotive co. that's helped trick out cars for celebs like Bad Bunny, Kim Kardashian and Travis Barker -- back in November 2022 ... when he bought a 1976 Mustang Shelby for $699,000.

Dinwiddie said trouble with the org., though, began a few months later ... when he wanted to purchase a 2022 Ferrari SF90 from the shop's showroom.

The L.A. Lakers want UCONN head coach Danny Hurley, and despite a fat new contract and an opportunity to go back-to-back-to-back, the coveted coach needs to listen to Lake Show execs, according to Dan Dakich, former Indiana University player and coach.

Dakich, host of Outkick's "Don't @ Me," joined Babcock on "TMZ Sports" (airs nightly on FS1) on Thursday -- only hours after news of the Purple and Gold's interest in Hurley rocked the basketball world -- and we asked the longtime player, coach, and media personality about the bigtime development.

"Well, you got to listen. You got to listen. I mean, you're talking the highest-paid NBA coach is [making] 17 and a half million. I don't give a damn. You got to listen," Dan said.

Move over JJ Redick ... the Lakers reportedly have their eyes on a new man for their vacant head coach role -- Dan Hurley!!

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning Los Angeles is so enamored with the idea of making the UConn honcho their next bench boss ... it's preparing to send "a massive, long-term contract offer" his way.

According to Woj, the two sides have already engaged in preliminary talks ... but they're expected to ramp up those conversations in earnest in the coming days.

NBA coach James Borrego is certainly taking a liking to Los Angeles lately ... popping up in town amid reports the current New Orleans Pelicans assistant is a lead candidate for the Lakers' job opening.

The 46-year-old landed at LAX on Tuesday ... and cameras were quick to ask him if he was taking a business trip -- specifically, one that could result in him donning the Purple and Gold next season.

Borrego was tight-lipped on everything ... but his presence could mean the Lakers are close to making him an offer, as outlets stated the team already had a formal interview with the former Hornets head coach.

Bronny James is done playing college basketball ... his agent, Rich Paul, said Tuesday the 19-year-old is staying in this year's NBA draft class.

LeBron James' kid had until Wednesday night to make the decision ... but Paul told ESPN the former USC star's mind is already made up.

"He's staying in the draft," Paul said.

JJ Redick is a legit candidate for the Lakers head -- despite never having spent a minute on the bench -- and Byron Scott isn't sold on the idea quite yet!

The 3x NBA champ and former longtime NBA head coach talked to TMZ Sports this week about Redick -- a 15 seasons NBA vet -- and the prospects of him landing one of the most coveted jobs in all of sports ... L.A. Lakers head coach.

"It's hard jumping in that seat as a first-time head coach," Scott said.

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever team is off to a slow start -- and some fans are already hopping off the hype train -- but not LeBron James ... who says he knows exactly how the star hooper feels, 'cause he's been in her shoes!

James and (maybe future head coach) JJ Redick spoke about Clark and the expectations surrounding the WNBA rookie -- who despite averaging 17 points a game -- has received a crapload of criticism ... and Bron knows what it's like.

"I think for my advice to Caitlin, and my advice to anyone coming in with this level of notoriety, 'out of this world' expectation -- be a horse," James said on the "Mind the Game" podcast on Wednesday.