NBA

Kevin Love knows firsthand how LeBron James can change a franchise -- and he's telling TMZ Sports why NBA fans would be dumb to count out the Lakers in the 2019-20 season.

The Cleveland Cavs star is back in L.A. where he went to college (UCLA) -- so, we had to ask if he was reuniting with his old teammate while he's in town.

Love says there are no plans to get a workout in with #23 -- but he's still a big fan of James ... explaining what the Lakers need to do in order to get back to relevancy next season.

We also spoke with Love about those ongoing trade rumors and if he ever gets bothered by the rumblings he could get shipped out CLE.

Love also talks about his friendship with current UCLA star Shareef O'Neal and why he could be the next big thing in basketball.

They're gonna need a higher ceiling at the Dean Smith Center for next year ... 'cause Greg Anthony's basketball star son, Cole, put his dunking skills on display on Friday ... and the dude can fly!!!

He may be an ex-NBA player's son, but the North Carolina Tar Heels commit has already made a name for himself ... and if you're watching the video above, you know exactly why.

The 19-year-old was the McDonald's All-American game and Jordan Brand game MVP ... and was easily considered one of the best high school hoopers this past season.

Beyonce's publicist is calling for Bey's insanely faithful followers to fall back ... and stop harassing and threatening people like the wife of the Golden State Warriors owner.

Yvette Noel-Schure responded to the Beyhive's hateful Instagram bullying of Nicole Curran by reminding them of better times. Attempting to silence the buzz, she posted a #tbt photo of Bey and Jay-Z from their last tour, and then lectured them about spewing hate in their queen's name.

Yvette reminded the hive the On the Run II Tour "was a place of joy, unimaginable entertainment from two of the best performers in the world, and a place of love." Nice, calming touch.

Then she went in ... "I know your love runs deep but that love has to be given to every human. It will bring no joy to the person you love so much if you spew hate in her name. We love you."

As we reported ... the hounding of Nicole began after a TV camera showed her leaning over Beyonce to talk to Jay-Z. The moment went viral due to the perceived side-eye from Bey.

Curran tried to clear things up and pled for everyone to "help and support each other," but the Beyhive was so relentless she deactivated her Instagram account, saying the barrage of insults and cyberbullying also included death threats.

All this, Curran says, because she was asking Jay what he wanted to drink and leaned closer because she couldn't hear him.

The Dunking Deutschman is goin' American ... 'cause Dirk Nowitzki has officially started the process to become a U.S. citizen!!!

The recently retired 40-year-old Dallas Mavericks superstar and his Swedish wife, Jessica Olsson, are working on getting their green cards together ... which is the first step in a VERY long process to becoming a citizen.

"So once we accomplish that, then you have to be a green-card holder for, I think, over five years before you can even think about doing that [becoming a U.S. citizen]," Dirk told the Dallas Morning News.

"So we're going to do that and see how it goes. But obviously our [three] kids were born here and they all have U.S. passports and the wifey and I have been on a visa for the last few years. So hopefully that's going to be accomplished soon."

According to the Dept. of Homeland Security, Dirk's right ... he can apply for full citizenship 5 years to the day of obtaining his green card.

Dirk has previously said he won't give up his German citizenship -- the goal is to be a dual-citizen.

"But we're living here [in Dallas]," Nowitzki told DMN ... "This is where life is. We're going to continue to travel a lot in the summers, but once the school year starts, my oldest [daughter Malaika] is going into first grade next year."

Dirk and his wife won't be able to vote or hold a U.S. passport until they become official citizens in 5 years -- but they're not worried.

Until then, Nowitzki will fill his days eating ice cream and chilling with his family.

Al Sharpton says NBA teams are 100% right to scrap the "owner" title ... saying the term is historically insensitive and disrespectful to a large number of players and should be gone.

TMZ Sports reported that multiple NBA teams have gone away from calling their majority stakeholders "owners" because some believe the term has a negative connotation.

We got Sharpton in ATL, and he not only tells us he agrees with the move but gives us a history lesson on why the rest of the league should follow suit.

"Many of the NBA players are descendants of people that were enslaved. When we hear the term owner, it's a much different connotation than other people."

There are a lot of people who think the league is being too "woke," saying the word is used solely to describe the person in charge, and the NBA is nitpicking.

Sharpton says those people are wrong, and any league that's 75% black should do it's best to care about what its employees think.

Houston Rockets player P.J. Tucker ain't happy with the NBA's 1-year ban against Golden State Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens ... telling TMZ Sports, "It should be more!"

As we previously reported ... in addition to the 1-year ban, Stevens was also fined $500,000 for pushing Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals after Lowry dove into the crowd trying to save a loose ball.

Lowry says Stevens also cussed at him several times during the interaction.

Tucker says the NBA's punishment feels very light -- and says everyone should be outraged by Stevens' conduct.

"Don't put your hands on people," Tucker says ... "There's nowhere in the game for that."

Tucker says he's not sure what the punishment SHOULD be ... but noted, "If a player put his hands on a fan, it would be a lot harsher."

2:20 PM PT -- The NBA has handed down Stevens' official punishment -- a 1-year ban effective immediately and $500k fine for "pushing and directing obscene language towards" Lowry during the incident.

1:00 PM PT -- Lowry says Stevens said "go f*** yourself" multiple times during the incident ... and is calling for Stevens to be banned from all NBA games moving forward.

Klay Thompson had a different take ... saying it was an unfortunate incident ... but wants to give Stevens the "benefit of the doubt."

12:20 PM PT -- The NBA has BANNED Golden State Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens from attending NBA games after pushing Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

An NBA spokesperson says Stevens' conduct has "no place in our league."

Unclear how long the ban will last -- but for now, he's persona non grata.

Here's the full statement from the NBA:

"A team representative must be held to the highest possible standard and the conduct of Golden State Warriors investor Mark Stevens last night was beyond unacceptable and has no place in our league."

"As the review of this matter continues, Mr. Stevens will not be permitted to attend NBA games.”

LeBron James is FURIOUS at the Golden State Warriors part-owner who put his hands on Raptors star Kyle Lowry during Game 3 of the NBA Finals ... saying, "Privilege Ain't Welcome Here."

The original incident took place during the 4th quarter -- when Lowry dove into the stands to try and save a loose ball, and Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens shoved Lowry while he was still down.

Lowry was PISSED when he got up and called for officials to eject Stevens from the game. After the game, Lowry suggested Stevens should get a lifetime ban.

Now, LeBron James has weighed in ... saying, "There’s absolutely no place in our BEAUTIFUL game for that AT ALL."

"When you sit courtside you absolutely know what comes with being on the floor and if you don’t know it’s on the back on the ticket itself that states the guidelines. But he himself being a fan but more importantly PART-OWNER of the Warriors knew exactly what he was doing which was so uncalled for."

"He knew the rules more than just the average person sitting watching the game courtside so for that Something needs to be done ASAP! A swift action for his actions."

LeBron continued ... "Just think to yourself, what if [Kyle Lowry] would have reacted and put his hands back on him. You guys would be going CRAZY!! Calling for him to damn near be put in jail let alone being suspended for the rest of the Finals all because he was protected himself."

"I’ve been quite throughout the whole NBA playoffs watching every game (haven’t missed one) but after I saw what I saw last night, took time to let it manifest into my thinking I couldn’t and wouldn’t be quiet on this! #ProtectThePlayers#PrivilegeAintWelcomeHere"

For their part, the Warriors claim they're investigating the incident and say Stevens will not attend ANY of the remaining NBA Finals games.

FYI, Stevens -- a prominent venture capitalist -- joined the Warriors ownership group in 2013.

Cops in Toronto have arrested the moronic Raptors fan who went on a live TV news broadcast and said he was going to "F**k" Ayesha Curry.

The incident occurred on June 2 following the Raptors loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals ... a game in which Ayesha's husband, Steph Curry, dropped 23 points and 4 assists.

A CP24 news reporter in Canada was interviewing Raptors fans during a live news broadcast after the game to get their reactions when 28-year-old Tristan Warkentin stepped up to the mic.

When asked what it was like to be at the stadium for the game, Warkentin responded ... "The vibe was unreal and I just want to let everyone know Ayesha Curry we're gonna f**k her right in the p**sy."

The Toronto Police Service says Warkentin was arrested for criminal mischief since he knew his comments would air on live TV.

A court date has been set for July 11.

After the incident, Warkentin said he had been receiving death threats because of his comments.

He also told the Toronto Sun, "I’m not in a position to defend myself in terms of what happened. I am sure you understand the influence of alcohol."

"What I did was disgraceful; it was an alcohol-influenced situation ... To be honest I don’t even remember being there but I am responsible for my own actions at the end of the day” and “am not sitting here claiming victim.”

Matt Barnes thinks it's FUNNY AS HELL that Paul Pierce used a wheelchair to take a dump in that infamous 2008 NBA Finals game ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's funny as a mother f*cker."

If ya missed it ... Pierce came clean on ESPN's Finals pregame show Wednesday night about why he needed a wheelchair to get off the court in that Celtics-Lakers series, saying, "I just had to go to the bathroom."

When we got Barnes out in Hollywood just hours later ... he couldn't stop laughing at Pierce's revelation.

"I never knew why he went out like he got shot and he came back like Superman, I was just like damn," Barnes says ... "But, he sh*tted. That's crazy. It takes a hell of a man to admit that sh*t, though, man."

"That's funny as a mother f*cker."

As for how Barnes would have handled the crappy situation? He tells us he definitely wouldn't have used a wheelchair to get to the toilet ...

"I would have slid on my ass all the way back to the locker room. Hopefully, I didn't make a streak on the court."

#Gross.

2:00 PM PT -- Curran says she has received death threats over the interaction ... further explaining that she was just trying to get Hov's drink order and leaned closer because she couldn't hear what he said. For what it's worth, he ordered a vodka soda.

Who dareth upset Beyonce?!!?!?!

Check this out ... Beyonce and Jay-Z were sitting courtside at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday ... when a woman leaned over Her Beyness to talk to Jay.

Suddenly, Bey went from smiling and happy ... to SIDE-EYE -- and it was all captured on video.

So, who is the woman? Her name is Nicole Curran -- and she's not just some random fan -- she's married to Warriors owner Joe Lacob!!!!!

After the clip went viral, Nicole was CRUSHED on social media by the Beyhive -- so she posted a pic essentially telling everyone to chill out.

"We should all help and support each other," Nicole said.

Oh, and she also disabled the comments on the post because the Beyhive can be RUTHLESS!!!!

Meanwhile, Twitter is going crazy over the incident ...

@KaraRBrown -- "I would leave the earth if Beyonce looked this ready to smack me"

@Cyn_Santana -- "How you hover over Beyoncé like that is she crazy???"

@NiaNRiley -- "Who’s the bitch annoying Beyoncé?!"

@KingJosiah54 -- "Beyonce: 'This Becky with the good hair bout to get her wig split'"

@Quotemeorelse -- "I swear Beyonce looked like she was bout to snatch a bitch up during #game3."

And, to top it all off, the Warriors got WHOOPED by the Toronto Raptors ... so bad night for Golden State.

TMZ Sports has obtained PROOF that Zion Williamson is, in fact, a human being ... stinkin' it up at the driving range to show he's not incredible at literally everything.

The ex-Duke superstar is obviously a one-of-a-kind freak athlete on the hardwood and he's shown he can throw a football into outer space ... but Z-Dub hit an L.A. golf course on Tuesday and shanked up a storm.

Look, he's definitely no John Daly ... but we gotta note that we have no idea how much he was trying or if he even cared to give it a good attempt.

So, next time you get down on yourself 'cause you can't dunk like Zion, just remember you're probably a better golfer than him.

As we previously reported, Williamson has been training in L.A. -- while wearing Nikes -- leading up to this month's draft ... enjoying his time on the west coast before he inevitably ends up in New Orleans.

The Golden State Warriors are taking their beef with Drake to new levels, and hitting back where it hurts ... Pusha T.

With Steph Curry warming up on the court at Oracle Arena before Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors ... the pregame playlist featured Pusha T's diss track, "The Story of Adidon."

As you know ... Drake had MASSIVE BEEF last year with Pusha T, with both rappers going back and forth at each other with diss tracks. Saying things got heated is an understatement.

So, why are the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors taking shots at Drake???

Drake's a HUGE Raptors fan ... and he's been thrusting himself into these Finals with his courtside antics during Games 1 and 2 in Toronto. Dude even got into it with Warriors stud Draymond Green after the Raps took Game 1.

The Warriors are obviously fed up with Drake ... because after they won Game 2 to even the series, stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson heckled him outside their locker room, calling Drake a "bum ass."

No, this is not a shot from "Dirty Dancing" ... it's NBA star D'Angelo Russell lifting his new soccer friend, Riqui Puig, up for his first slam dunk ever!!!

DLo -- a huge FC Barcelona fan -- visited the team facility in Spain for a VIP tour ... and got to hang out with the 5'7" midfielder to shoot and kick some balls around.

Puig shows off his J, but admits he's too vertically challenged to ever graze the rim on his own ... so the 6'5" hooper gave him a hand for his first-ever dunk!!

DLo gets major props for his footwork during some keep-ups ... and even lands a goal in the back of the net when they tested his skills on the pitch.

1:46 PM PT -- Young Thug has broken his silence about a video that shows his young daughter behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, and he seems to be putting the blame squarely on the adult his kid was with in the clip.

YT writes, "Never would I put my child's life in danger nor anyone else's life,i am out of town that video is clearly in Atlanta." He goes on to say, "I am a very safe man, especially when it come down to my kids. I am very smart, last thing I'm looking for is clout/fame I have both."

He finishes by adding, "Plus she (his daughter, we assume) wouldn't dare even ask me could she drive a car... But it'll be handled 'expeditiously.'"

It's unclear who his child was with during the joy ride, as Young Thug doesn't mention anyone specifically. Presumably, though, the kid was with her mom ... and it sounds like papa's gonna have a convo with someone about pulling stunts like this in the future.

8:50 AM PT -- A source close to Young Thug says his daughter was with her mother and driving just outside her home in Georgia. We're told no one else was in the area and she only drove for a short time ... less than 30 seconds. Young Thug was not aware of the situation.

One of Young Thug's young daughters -- who seems to be under 10 -- drove a car on a public road while an adult sat right next to her, recording the dangerous incident.

The video surfaced on social media, reportedly showing one of YT's children -- this one a little girl -- behind the wheel of the car, and slowly driving down a residential road. The child is IN the driver seat, NOT on someone's lap ... and is struggling to see above the steering wheel.

At one point, an adult hand reaches in to assist with steering, and that person is recording the video. There's no audio.

It's unclear who the adult is, but it appears to be a woman's hand and not Young Thug's.

Several celebs commented on the video after it was posted on The Shade Room. Tyrese said, "I'm almost sure DFCS is gonna see this." Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes chimed in, "Stupid" -- and 'Love & Hip Hop' star Milan Christopher simply said, "Oh he going to jail."

We've reached out to Young Thug's camp for comment on the disturbing video ... but no word back yet.

So, Shaquille O'Neal was on his way to the gym in L.A. ... when all of a sudden he got caught up IN JONAS BROTHERS MADNESS!!!!

It's hilarious ... Shaq starts off asking our guys why hundreds of people are screaming and going crazy across the street -- and when he finds out it's all because of a Jonas Bros. event, he LOVES IT!!

But, we also talked hoops with Shaq ... specifically about Drake, who's been heavily criticized for taunting Golden State Warriors players and going crazy on the sidelines during the NBA Finals.

"Drake is a smart guy," Shaq says ... "He knows what he's doing. It's called marketing, people!!"

Shaq also tells us he thinks the criticism of Drake is a load of crap -- and compares Drake to Clippers' chairman Steve Ballmer, who's famously animated at Clippers games.

"[Drake] is just having fun, having a good time ... as a guy sitting there watching on TV, it's very entertaining."

Shaq also weighs in on the NBA Finals drama between the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors -- and explains why this series is GREAT!!

But again, the best part of the clip is Shaq's unbridled passion for Nick, Joe and Kevin -- even though he only knows one of their names!!!

The NFL needs to take a page out of NBA's book when dealing with social issues ... so says "Power" actor Omari Hardwick, who tells TMZ Sports the Association's "leaps and bounds" above other leagues.

As we previously reported ... multiple teams have moved away from using the "owner" title over the past year ... given that the term can feel racially insensitive in a league of mostly black players.

We asked Ghost -- who played college football at Georgia before switching to acting -- what he thought of the idea ... and while he says it's a great move, he's not surprised one bit that NBA teams are taking action ... essentially saying being woke is the NBA's style.

"It's smart ... it only adds to the brand of the NBA," Hardwick says. "The NBA has curated for a while now -- with David Stern and Adam Silver -- a different style of environment."