NBA

LaVar Ball says he doesn't want to see Anthony Davis ballin' with Lonzo on the Lakers ... 'cause the BBB honcho tells TMZ Sports, the team's "got enough people."

"They got enough," Ball says.

Of course ... LeBron James might beg to differ -- dude told media members just a couple days ago it would "be amazing" to see the Pelicans superstar in purple and gold.

In fact ... reports say James and Davis had dinner after the two played against each other at Staples Center this past weekend.

But, the Big Baller says Lonzo, Bron and the Lake Show don't need the big center ... tellin' us straight-up he wouldn't even find it cool to see!!!

LeBron James railed on the NFL, saying the owners are a bunch of white guys who treat their players with extreme disrespect.

LeBron made the comments on his HBO show, "The Shop," contrasting the football league with the NBA. James said, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ... and it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or we get rid of y'all.'"

The Lakers star is clearly referring in part to Colin Kaepernick allegedly getting blackballed by NFL owners who were outraged by the kneeling movement the QB triggered.

With fan heckling in the NBA reaching a boiling point, we had to ask Julius Randle how he deals with all the trash talk coming from the fans.

And, his answers are perfect.

Here's the deal, in the past couple of weeks, stars like Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and more have gone ballistic on hecklers over insults that crossed the line.

And, in the NFL, guys like Marcus Peters and Leonard Fournette have threatened to fight fans who ran their mouths during games.

So, with Julius having 5 years of NBA experience ... we had to ask how he deals with all the jibber-jabber on the court.

James Worthy says L.A. should sign Carmelo Anthony ... 'cause the Lakers legend tells TMZ Sports Melo is exactly what LeBron James NEEDS!!!

Rumors have been swirling this week that the move could go down ... 'cause John Salley hinted to us something was in the works -- and then LBJ was spotted with Anthony at dinner just a day later.

Worthy tells us he supports making the move happen ... saying Anthony would bring something to the Lakers that they currently lack.

"I think Carmelo has proven that he's an outstanding shooter," Worthy says ... "Kind of what we need!"

But ... for as much as Worthy respects Melo's game -- he ain't so sure Anthony is the missing piece for LBJ to win a ring THIS season.

Add Blake Griffin to the list of pro athletes going after hecklers this year ... because the 6'10", 250-pound monster just walked up on a fan in Minnesota and things got heated.

It went down Wednesday night in overtime of the Pistons vs. Timberwolves game, when Blake heard something from courtside and walked over to confront the fan.

Unclear exactly what the fan said to set Griffin off -- but Blake got super pissed -- and told the guy, "What the f*ck did you say to me?!"

Blake never physically touched the heckler -- thanks to teammates like Zaza Pachulia who held him back. But, you can see Griffin is HEATED.

The fan was ejected from the game -- and he waved to the crowd on the way out. Griffin was not disciplined during the game, but could face a fine.

The child Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face required CPR after he went into cardiac arrest during surgery ... TMZ has learned.

According to dispatch audio -- obtained by TMZ -- 8-year-old Matadi was administered CPR Sunday at around 6 PM PT as an ambulance arrived to take him from one section of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center campus -- where he was undergoing surgery -- to an Intensive Care Unit in a nearby building.

At one point, a dispatch operator calls off one ambulance and sends another that's closer.

The surgery was scheduled to last 6 hours and Matadi went into cardiac arrest around the 6-hour mark. We don't know if the operation was completed. We've been trying to get an update for days, to no avail -- no one's talking. We were told, as of Monday night, Matadi was in stable condition and was able to move his hands and feet. Otherwise, everyone's radio silent.

A buncha kids got a SWEET pre-Christmas surprise Wednesday -- 'cause Kobe Bryant brought the gift of Mamba -- and a bunch of books -- to a school in Southern California!!

The Lakers legend dropped by Oxford Prep Academy in Mission Viejo and hung out with a bunch of kids for a great cause.

Kobe's got a new podcast called "The Punies," -- a pod about kids who learn lessons through sports -- which Mamba hopes real-life children can draw from.

Turns out ... one of the teachers at the school is turning those podcasts into an actual curriculum -- so Kobe had to swing by to see it all in person.

We're told Bryant brought the kids books, played games ... and actually watched the kids present projects they'd been workin' on.

Fat Joe loves Lil Wayne ... but he doesn't love Wayne's sports takes, because he says Weezy is 100% wrong for saying Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.

Tunechi made the statement earlier this week, shooting content for Bumbu Rum's interview series, igniting barber shops all over the world ... and making people wonder if Wayne has lost it.

Fat Joe might be one of those people, because when we got him leaving Poppy with hip-hop super producers Cool & Dre (new music coming soon?) he said Wayne was definitely on one.

"He's a Laker fan. I love Kobe, it ain't no Kobe over Jordan. Ain't nobody better than Jordan."

Fun Fact ... Fat Joe and Lil Wayne made "Make It Rain" together thus popularizing the phrase (even though Jeezy may have invented it), and Wayne singlehandedly invented the phrase "Bling Bling."

So, while the GOAT of basketball is in question, the GOAT of inventing phrases about wasting money is NOT. Long live Lil Tunechi.

LeBron James ain't the GM of the Lakers ... but it sure seems like he sent a message to the guy who is Tuesday night, saying, "I've always wanted to play along Melo."

Of course ... rumors of Carmelo Anthony teaming up with LBJ in Los Angeles have been smoldering ever since John Salley told TMZ Sports it could happen.

Those rumors weren't quieted when Bron and Melo were spotted on a double date with their wives at an NYC steakhouse Monday night.

And, on Tuesday, Bron seemed to send a clear message to Magic Johnson after L.A.'s loss to the Nets that if he can make the Carmelo move happen, LBJ would be a happy man.

"I don't run the team. And, obviously there's some things that would need to be worked on both sides," LeBron told reporters in the postgame locker room.

"But, I've always wanted to play along Melo and if the opportunity presents itself, it'd be great. So, we'll see what happens."

The death of Penny Marshall -- a beloved actor and HUGE sports fan -- rocked the athletic world Tuesday ... with teams and athletes alike mourning her passing.

The L.A. Clippers -- one of Penny's favorite teams -- posted they were "deeply saddened" to learn "a resilient pioneer with legendary talent" had died.

The Globetrotters, meanwhile, posted an old pic of Penny and the team, saying, "RIP to a long-time friend of the Globetrotters, Penny Marshall."

The MLB and the Baseball Hall of Fame also paid tribute to the "A League Of Their Own" director ... with the MLB saying, "We join the baseball community in mourning the passing of Penny Marshall."

Individual athletes expressed their remorse ... with athletes like Michael Strahan, Isiah Thomas, Mark Jackson and even Donyell Marshall taking to Twitter to pay tribute.

"R.I.P Penny Marshall," Donyell wrote ... "Still remember when you asked me for my game Jersey. You said you would go around telling people I was your nephew. We always talked before and after games when we played against the Lakers."

Legendary NBA forward Vince Carter added, "RiP to my friend the great Penny Marshall. You will be missed!!!"

Penny was 75.

LeBron James and his wife had an interesting couples dinner date Monday -- hitting up an NYC steakhouse with Carmelo Anthony and La La ... and fueling rumors Melo's coming to the Lakers.

Remember, we spoke with John Salley a few days ago and he implied he had some inside information about Melo coming to the Lakers before the NBA All-Star break in February.

So, when we saw these pics of Melo and Bron leaving Quality Italian steakhouse in midtown ... made us think Salley's intel might be pretty solid!!

Of course, LeBron and Melo have been friends for years -- so, maybe they just wanted some quality meat and wine ... but hey, maybe there was some shop talk too!

The Lakers are in NYC to play the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

The other interesting thing about the dinner ... Melo and La La seem to be in a pretty good place.

Back in October, La La told People she and Melo were still figuring out their relationship after separating in 2017 ... but noted, "We're good."

Lil Wayne says there is a basketball player better than Michael Jordan ... but it ain't LeBron James.

"These days they think the tough question is Jordan or LeBron. No. Jordan or Kobe is the tough question ... but it's Kobe."

The rapper made the shocking revelation during Bumbu Rum's interview series ... saying even though it physically pained him to make the declaration -- he says the Mamba was just that good.

"God, forgive me. Jordan, forgive me. But, it's Kobe."

Soo ... does Wayne have a legit argument??

Kobe does have one more All-Star appearance than Jordan ... but M.J. has more rings, more MVPs, more career points, more career rebounds AND less career turnovers.

Trevor Ariza ain't making any bold predictions about his new team ... 'cause when he landed in D.C. after being traded Sunday -- he told TMZ Sports he has no idea if the Wizards can win the East!!!

Ariza was sent packing by the Suns in a trade over the weekend ... and when we got the NBA star after he touched down at Dulles -- he said he has no expectations for his new squad yet.

"Shoot, I don't know. I'm just getting here, bruh!"

Seems Trevor's already a good luck charm ... the Wizards scored one of their biggest wins of the season Sunday night, beating LeBron James' Lakers, 128-110.

There's a rule for the rookies on the Cleveland Cavs -- you don't bring Tristan Thompson his donuts, HE DESTROYS YOUR LEXUS!!!!

Just ask Collin Sexton -- who learned the hard way that Tristan is deadly serious when it comes to breakfast pastries and rookie hazing.

Here's the deal ... Sexton only grabbed 12 treats instead of 24 which pissed Tristan off ... and for this, his $50,000 ride paid the price.

"There are 12 popcorn bags in your vehicle which represent the number of doughnuts you have failed to provide on game days," a sign taped to his whip said.

"We require 2 dozen doughnuts on game days, not a dozen."

It's obvious Tristan played a role in the popcorn assault ... 'cause dude threw the vid on social media and said, "That boy going to find out today. Bring enough donuts, or this is what happens."

"Respect will be had! Duties will be done!"

For his part ... Ben Simmons -- who Sexton played against Sunday -- didn't think the punishment fit the crime, saying, "Man, why they do you like that, man? That's crazy."

Did we just get Salley-Bombed?!

The 4-time NBA champ seems to know something about Carmelo Anthony's basketball future -- suggesting he'll sign with the Lakers before the NBA All-Star break.

... and then he winked at us like a guy who knows things.

Our photog smartly pushed John Salley to see what he knows -- but that's when John started to play coy ... and said Carmelo plus LeBron is the formula for Anthony to win his first NBA championship.

So, how would Salley know?

He's tight with Magic Johnson and he's still plugged in with a ton of important NBA people.

Then again, he might have just had something in his eye ...

34-year-old Anthony signed a 1-year $2.4 million contract with the Houston Rockets back in August -- but it wasn't a good fit and, in November, the team announced they were parting ways with Melo.

He's still technically on the roster -- but it's clear his days in Houston are done.

Melo and LeBron played together on the 2008 and 2012 Olympic team -- they won gold both times. The two are good friends off the court.

In fact, Melo was there during the infamous banana boat ride back in 2015 -- but Anthony never actually got on the raft.

The little boy who came over from the Congo -- with a major assist from retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo -- is on the operating table right now, and by day's end, he could be tumor free.

TMZ has learned 8-year-old Matadi went into surgery Sunday at 11:30 AM PST at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. We're told the operation is expected to last around 6 hours. His family is at the hospital waiting on word from doctors.

The operation is being led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. Dr. Osborne has volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo.

The family has been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles Wednesday. TMZ was there at Mutombo greeted the little boy as he got off the plane from Africa.

As we reported, Mutombo met the boy during a trip to the Congo and was so moved by his story he arranged to have him brought to the US for surgery.

This picture was taken shortly after Matadi arrived at Ronald McDonald. In case you didn't notice, Dikembe is on the right.

The large tumor on Matadi's face is not only life-threatening, it created a horrible set of circumstances. He has been shunned in his community, removed from school and has basically lived in his room. The surgery, hopefully, will be life-changing.