Sweet gesture from Lakers head coach JJ Redick -- he held a special basketball clinic on his day off on Sunday for kids who have been impacted by the recent wildfires in L.A.
Los Angeles' sideline manager put on the one-of-a-kind camp in conjunction with his LA Strong Sports foundation ... inviting a bunch of little tykes to help learn ball at the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo.
Redick spoke to the campers before giving them pointers on jump shots and defense ... and check out some of the pics the Lakers shared from the event -- everyone seemed thrilled.
The Pistons vs. Timberwolves game turned into fight night on Sunday ... with both sides getting into a massive brawl that flooded into the stands -- leading to a whopping seven ejections.
The chaos broke out in the second quarter ... when tensions were already high after Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart got T'd up for bumping Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo.
Shortly after, Detroit's Ron Holland slapped the ball out of Minnesota forward Naz Reid's hands as he was driving the lane -- who responded by getting in his face and waving his finger.
Dallas Maverick fans are still pissed about Luka Doncic getting traded to the Lakers ... but Mark Cuban is reiterating he had NOTHING to do with it -- claiming he was promised he'd maintain control of basketball operations when he sold the team, but that didn't happen.
Cuban -- who has a net worth of $5.7 billion -- took time to respond to a fan on Facebook who said he should be "run out of Dallas" as a result of the shocking transaction ... firing off in the comment section to defend himself.
He told the fan that when he sold the team 16 months ago to Miriam Adelson, he expected to run basketball operations for the squad, but "Someone obviously changed their mind."
LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith can end their feud once and for all with their FISTS ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a popular boxing promotion is drafting an offer to make a fight happen!!
King James and the ESPN talent have exchanged verbal blows ever since their infamous confrontation at the Lakers game earlier this month ... and on Wednesday, the argument turned to hypothetical violence -- with SAS claiming if LeBron put his hands on him, he would've retaliated with a punch.
The Stephen A. Smith Show
After LeBron trolled the hell outta Smith by posting his old training vids, Celebrity Boxing founder Damon Feldman immediately got to work ... and started making calls to rich investors in hopes of putting together the funds needed to lock down a matchup of this caliber.
Stephen A. Smith is owning up to a mistake he made as his LeBron James feud intensifies ... apologizing for claiming the Lakers superstar didn't attend the memorial service for Kobe Bryant.
The ESPN host incorrectly stated during his passionate rant on Thursday's "First Take" that James was nowhere to be found when the basketball community mourned Bryant's tragic death at the then-Staples Center following the Hall of Famer's tragic death in 2020.
According to multiple reports, James was, in fact, in the building ... but requested not to be shown during a livestream of the emotional event.
Russell Wilsonput pen to paper on his New York Giants contract less than 24 hours ago ... but he's already getting some reps in -- throwing passes to fans while sitting courtside at a Knicks game!
Mr. Unlimited made the trip across the Hudson River to catch some hoops at the Garden, with New York welcoming James Hardenand the Clippers into town.
It was a warm reception for the Giants' newest signal caller ... who tossed an autographed ball a few rows up.
Austin Reaves got creative for a gender reveal for his big bro ... surprising him by wearing pink sneakers during Wednesday's Lakers game -- and Spencer absolutely loved it!!
The L.A. star delivered the exciting news to his brother and his pregnant wife, Casey, right on the court during his game against the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Reaves made his way to the hardwood rockin' pink and white kicks, signaling the baby is a girl.
7:27 AM PT -- We knew this was coming -- Stephen A. Smith opened Thursday's "First Take" going off on LeBron ... saying his nemesis' real issue stems from the fact he refuses to consider him the greatest NBA player over Michael Jordan.
ESPN
Smith made it clear he's never going to back down from his stance ... and he's not going anywhere.
As for his colleague Pat McAfee giving his rival a platform, SAS doesn't blame him one bit -- saying no one would pass up on an interview with James.
Smith also addressed James' trolling with his boxing vid ... and he even admits it wasn't his best work, but claimed he would've looked much better if he wasn't injured at the time.
LeBron James hit the game-winning shot for the Lakers on Wednesday, but the real dagger came on Instagram later in the night ... when he ruthlessly clapped back at Stephen A. Smith AGAIN by mocking his fighting skills.
The King added another chapter to the beef after L.A. beat the Indiana Pacers ... clearly getting wind of the ESPN host claiming earlier in the day he would've "swung" on the four-time champ if he had put his hands on him during their Crypto.com Arena confrontation a few weeks back.
The Stephen A. Smith Show
Even though SAS admitted it probably would've resulted in getting his ass whooped, LeBron made sure the talking head knew how he felt about the comments ... sharing an old video of one of his boxing sessions, which didn't necessarily mimic a Ryan Garcia left hook.
Duke fans better enjoy Cooper Flagg while they can ... 'cause Seth Curry tells TMZ Sports it won't be long before the Blue Devils baller is starring on NBA courts.
Flagg's currently got Duke rolling into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament ... but on Wednesday, Curry told us he has no doubts the freshman phenom will be lighting it up in the Association soon.
Steph's younger brother -- who played at Duke from 2010-2013 -- said Flagg can score and play defense with the best of them ... and he didn't push back when we said it certainly looks like the 18-year-old will be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft.
The beef between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is still clearly sizzling ... the Lakers superstar just shaded his nemesis on live TV -- with a Taylor Swift quip!
The King joined Pat McAfee on Wednesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" for a lengthy sit-down interview ... and at one point, his now-viral, in-game spat with Stephen A. came up.
James quickly took a dig at the ESPN analyst to kick off the topic ... dissing the 57-year-old for the way he's gone on multiple television shows to talk about their March 6 Crypto.com Arena quarrel.
Things got intense on the Grizzlies' bench in a matchup with the Jazz on Tuesday ... with Desmond Bane forcefully shoving his own teammate during a timeout.
The incident went down early in the contest at the Delta Center ... when Utah came out the gates strong offensively.
As Memphis called for a break in the action, Bane was caught on video yelling at Santi Aldama to get a stop on defense ... and then extending his arms to push him into a seat.
Damian Lillard has been ruled out indefinitely with a serious medical issue -- a blood clot -- but the NBA superstar isn't calling it quits on the season ... we're told he hopes to return for the playoffs.
The team announced that the 34-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot -- deep vein thrombosis (DVT) -- in his right calf and has been put on a blood-thinning medication. Serious stuff. The good news is the team says it has stabilized the clot.
But, with only 11 games left in the regular season, the timing is unfortunate for Dame and the Bucks.
The good news? Our sources tell us Lillard hopes, and plans, to return this season ... as long as he's cleared by the docs.
We're told DL will be reevaluated next week ... and there's hope he will show progress.
Bronny James is on a bit of a scoring tear ... less than a week after his 17-point NBA career high, Bron's son dropped 39 in a G League game, and pops couldn't be prouder!
Despite being ~2,500 miles away with the Lakers, who were in Orlando to take on the Magic ... LeBron Jameswas still keeping tabs on Bronny's game for the South Bay Lakers, and was hyped on X after seeing his oldest son's stat line.
"SMILE THROUGH IT ALL YOUNG," LeBron wrote. "KEEP GOING!!"
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's ex-wife, Nikki, is setting the record straight after wild rumors made rounds on social media ... adamantly denying she's hooking up with Miami hooper Jaime Jaquez Jr.
The speculation went viral on Sunday ... with internet users claiming Nikki's interactions with the 24-year-old forward/guard's Instagram page gave reason to believe she was moving on from her ex with one of his own players.
Some also pointed out one of Nikki's recent posts about dating men below 25 and how it was more beneficial because they're easier to manipulate.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA, but Norm Nixon tells TMZ Sports he's not entirely sold they're a real threat to win the championship.
We caught up with the former "Showtime" Lakers star out at LAX this week ... and he made it clear, he's got some serious questions about Cleveland's roster.
He told us he thinks the Cavs are good -- they do, after all, own the most wins in the Eastern Conference -- but he wondered out loud how they'll handle the bright lights of April, May and June.
