NBA

Anthony Davis might not be "Taco Tuesday" material ... 'cause the Lakers superstar is admitting LeBron James told him he's not FUN enough for his weekly ritual!!

The NBA 2K20 cover athlete was invited over to LBJ's L.A. mansion for the epic mealtime back in July ... joining in on the craze that's gone insanely viral. Seriously, the King's even trying to trademark the phrase, it's been THAT popular.

AD is finally giving some behind-the-scenes details on the experience in a Q&A with fans on Friday ... saying he wasn't up to snuff on LeBron's fun meter.

"I've been invited once ... he said I wasn't fun enough, so hopefully I get invited back soon and make you guys laugh. If you can, make sure you enjoy Taco Tuesday with LeBron!"

To prove his value to LeBron's prestigious dinner ... AD let out his own "TACOOOO TUEEESDAYYYY" impression ... and we gotta admit, dude seems like he's been practicing.

Obviously, not just ANYBODY gets invited to the table for Taco Tuesday ... and now we know why.

Add another shiny object to Jerry West's packed trophy case ... 'cause Donald Trump presented the Logo with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday.

POTUS invited the Hall of Famer to 1600 Penn to gift him the highest honor a civilian can receive ... praising West's basketball accomplishments on and off the court -- including helping the L.A. Clippers acquire Kawhi Leonard this past summer.

Trump also praised West's work away from the sport, saying "Jerry works harder than just about anybody I can imagine helping our nation's veterans."

"Jerry West is one extraordinary American."

West joins other huge sports stars like Michael Jordan, John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tiger Woods to receive the honor.

"I swear my name is going to look like a misprint on this list," West joked in the Oval Office.

Sacramento Kings star Buddy Hield has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for Hurricane Dorian relief -- and the first BIG check just came from his head coach, Luke Walton.

Hield -- a native of the Bahamas -- announced his campaign on Wednesday to help relief efforts in his home country. Dorian hasn't just wreaked havoc on buildings and homes, at least 20 people have been killed so far with numbers expected to rise.

Enter Hield, who's channeling JJ Watt ... and doing his best to get money to people in need.

Not only is the Kings hooper encouraging people to donate, he's contributed $100k of his own to get the ball rolling on the campaign.

"I personally know many people who still need rescuing, and there are thousands without medical help, power, food, or other basic necessities," Hield says. "Bahamians are a strong people, but they still need our help to get them through this."

"Together, our donations can help restore hope, life, and basic human needs to these battered areas."

Walton got involved to help out his player's cause on Wednesday ... making a $10,000 donation on the campaign page.

Hield's goal is to raise $1 million ... and has raised nearly $50k so far.

Lonzo Ball is admitting he KNEW his $500-per-pair Big Baller Brand ZO2 Prime sneakers were faulty -- and would explode on him during games -- but he continued to hawk 'em anyway.

"Those ZO2s I was playing in, they was not ready," Ball admitted on Josh Hart's 'LightHarted' Podcast.

Ball -- who was playing for the Lakers during the BBB shoe era -- says he would bring 4 pairs of the shoes to games because he knew they would break and he had to switch them out every quarter.

"If you literally had my shoes from those games, they just exploded, bro."

If you recall, BBB initially offered the ZO2 Prime shoes to the public for $500 a pair in 2017 -- but later announced they were scrapping the original design in favor of the ZO2 Prime Remix shoe, a completely different sneaker.

It seems obvious now why BBB made the change. Unclear if any of the faulty shoes were actually sent to customers.

When asked why he wore them -- even after he knew they were defective -- Ball explained, "Because they were my shoes, I had to debut 'em."

Ball says he actually HATED wearing the shoes and implied that his game suffered as a result.

"And, it's crazy," Ball says ... "Right when I switched my shoes, magically, I got good again."

Ball says he kept the secret about his crappy shoes to himself to protect the brand.

Things eventually went south with the Big Baller Brand -- with Lonzo's manager later telling customers to throw their shoes in the trash ... and Lonzo himself eventually covered up the BBB tattoo he had on his arm.

Still, LaVar Ball claims the brand is still alive and he's looking to relaunch at some point in the future.

Ever seen a black mamba go backwards????

Now ya have ... 'cause Kobe Bryant just backpedaled completely on his stance that he would've won a ton of rings if Shaq wasn't so damn lazy, saying, "I kinda said that tongue-in-cheek!"

Of course, Kobe poked fun at Shaq in an interview with Patrick Bet-David last month, saying he would've had 12 championships if the big man had worked harder ... and doubled down by claiming he tells that to Shaq all the time!

Shaq quickly fired back on social media, saying Kobe would've had those rings if he had just passed more!!!

The two squashed the beef publicly minutes later ... and when Kobe went on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' this week, he explained it's because he was actually PRAISING Shaq with the comments!

"Here's the thing, it was really a compliment," Kobe said. "People missed the whole first half of that in which I said he was the most dominant player I've ever seen and I felt like he could've been the greatest of all time."

"So, people kind of missed that part of it -- they caught onto the lazy part. But, that was like, I kinda said that tongue-in-cheek! We weren't going to win 12 rings!"

Kobe said he actually had to text the Big Diesel after the comments went viral, saying, "No hard feelings, I still got love for you!"

Bryant says he even followed that text up by buttering up to Shaq -- saying he can't wait to watch Shareef O'Neal ball at UCLA this year.

LeBron James should pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and get his best friend, Carmelo Anthony, on the Lakers ... so says Rip Hamilton, who tells TMZ Sports Melo would be a "good piece" for L.A.

Y'all know the situation by now ... Anthony has been trying to get back in the NBA since he was released in November. It's been one of the hottest topics of the off-season.

There have been a lot of people -- most notably Royce White -- furious over the fact King James hasn't made some calls to get Melo in Purple & Gold ... and Rip says it's time LBJ pick up the phone.

"I think he should be in the league right now," Rip told us outside Nightingale in L.A. on Sunday ... saying Bron should "absolutely, 1000%" hit up Melo.

"I think it's still a possibility it could happen. They were talking about it for a long time. And, when you think about what the Lakers have right now, and then Melo's a guy that can really be helpful playing with LeBron and knowing [Anthony Davis'] game and stuff like that."

"And, he's a vet, and he's a guy that can close the game, so it would be a good piece for the Lakers."

Things have been picking up steam for Anthony lately, though .. with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pushing to get him to the Brooklyn Nets ... and Melo told us he'd love to join them in BK.

The L.A. home of Lakers center JaVale McGee was burglarized over the weekend -- with scumbags stealing everything from cash to an NBA Championship ring, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... McGee only discovered the burglary Tuesday, but surveillance footage shows the incident took place on Saturday.

We're told the thieves stole TWO safes from the home which contained at least $200k in cash and jewelry -- including one of the two rings McGee won during his stint with the Golden State Warriors. Unclear which ring was taken.

McGee is also missing the celebratory goggles he used in the locker room for the champagne celebration after winning one of those titles.

McGee won a 'chip with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 -- before signing with the Lakers in July 2018.

We're told cops have been reviewing the surveillance video -- but so far, no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified. They're working on it though.

As you probably know, McGee has a pretty solid surveillance system in his home -- it recently captured the NBA star fighting with a giant bug in his driveway.

Unfortunately, celebrities (and athletes in particular) have become targets for burglars in the L.A. area -- with stars like Yasiel Puig and L.A. Rams WR Robert Woods having been victimized.

Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre is vouching for Dwight Howard -- telling TMZ Sports the guy was a good teammate during their time in Washington ... despite being a "little distant."

23-year-old Oubre kept it 100 when we spoke with him at LAX -- describing Howard as a "psychological dude" who was "very down to earth" ... and NEVER a distraction.

As for being "distant," Oubre notes Howard was dealing with an injury -- so he understood why Dwight wasn't 100% engaged with the team.

There have been reports over the years that Dwight rubbed previous teammates the wrong way -- and people are concerned about how he'll do with the Lakers, but Kelly doesn't seem worried at all.

We also spoke with Kelly about the bigger issue in his life -- are thing getting serious with insanely hot supermodel Jasmine Sanders, one of the top bikini models on the planet?!

Remember, the two were spotted holding hands on their way out of an L.A. nightclub back in August -- and it APPEARED like a brand new supercouple was on the scene!

But, Oubre tells us they're NOT exclusive ... explaining they're good friends and she's a great person, but he's just not ready to settle down with ANYONE yet!

"Man, I'm 23 ... ya feel me?! I got a long life to live!"

You do you, bro ... but good lord. Jasmine Sanders is RIDICULOUS HOT!!!!

Carmelo Anthony is all in on joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn ... telling TMZ Sports he considers the 2 NBA superstars "family" ... and teaming up would be "bigger than basketball."

The 10-time All-Star has been jobless since November ... but has publicly made it clear he's NOT ready to ride off into the sunset just yet.

KD and Uncle Drew don't want that to happen either, with the new Nets ballers reportedly "pushing" for the team to sign the 35-year-old free agent.

We spoke with Melo out in NYC on Saturday night about being recruited by the pair of NBA champs ... and he seems more than ready to team up.

"That's family," Melo said. "So, that's bigger than basketball. If something happens, something's gonna happen."

Anthony also has a message for everybody campaigning to get him back in the league ... and says he's ready to get to work.

Charles Oakley says he's still persona non grata at Madison Square Garden ... telling TMZ Sports he feels "blackballed" by James Dolan ... and he wants the commissioner to get involved.

The Knicks legend was infamously dragged out of MSG and arrested for getting physical with security after an altercation with Dolan at a game in Feb. 2017.

Oak still has hard feelings about how it all went down ... and tells us he wishes the league would've had his back in his fight against Dolan.

"It's been 2 years plus. The league hasn't done nothing to him about it," Oakley says. "Take a stand. They take a stand for everything else. [Colin] Kaepernick took a stand in the NFL. I'll probably take a stand in the NBA."

Even after all this time, Oak says he can't figure out exactly WHY Dolan doesn't like him ... "They just don't like me. For what reason, I don't know."

Oakley says he wants Adam Silver to get involved and make things right ... because "the problem hasn't been solved yet."

L.A. is Dwight Howard's final shot at returning to NBA dominance and he knows it ... so says Matt Barnes, who tells TMZ Sports it's "time to put the bullsh*t to the side" and get back to business.

Of course, it's been over 6 years since Howard's disastrous first stint with the Lakers ... and the guy's career has never been the same.

So, when we spoke with Barnes -- who played with Howard on the Magic in 2009 and 2010 -- about the reunion in L.A. ... he says it could be a new spark in Dwight's career.

"I think he realizes it's his last chance and really need to put all the bullsh*t to the side and just go out there and play basketball," Barnes says.

For his part, Howard says that's exactly what he's trying to do -- even attempting to shut down a beef with Shaquille O'Neal because he wants to focus on basketball.

Of course, Dwight has been considered a disruption in the locker room for most of his career. We asked Barnes if that was a fair rap.

DeMarcus Cousins is facing a major obstacle in his domestic violence case -- he just underwent knee surgery and is unable to fly to Alabama to turn himself into police, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Mobile Police Dept. confirmed a warrant was issued for the NBA star's arrest stemming from a threatening phone call Cousins allegedly made to the mother of his child.

We're told Cousins wants to cooperate with law enforcement but the issue is that he just underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee on Wednesday and he's not cleared to fly yet.

It's unclear where the procedure took place, but we're told it was definitely NOT in Alabama. Most doctors recommend not flying for days (and sometimes weeks) after an ACL surgery because of the risks of clotting.

Cousins is facing a 3rd-degree misdemeanor for harassing communications which carries a sentence of up to 1 year behind bars.

We're told Cousins plans on reaching out to law enforcement to come up with a reasonable solution so he doesn't get in trouble.

Cousins tore his ACL during a workout in Las Vegas just weeks after he signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

We broke the story ... Boogie's baby mama Christy West claims Cousins threatened to "put a bullet in your f**king head" when she declined his request to let their 7-year-old child attend his wedding in Atlanta.

Charles Oakley says Carmelo Anthony's gotta be bummed to see Dwight Howard join his best friend LeBron James on the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports "it's embarrassing for Carmelo" to remain unsigned.

Melo's status in the league has been one of the biggest topics this off-season ... and the superstar has been very public about wanting to play.

Even ex-NBAer Royce White called out LeBron for not helping out his guy ... especially after the Lakers brought Howard back after a less than stellar first stint a few years back.

We spoke with the Knicks legend about teams passing on the 10-time All-Star ... and Oak says Anthony's problem is that he left New York to begin with.

"Carmelo should've never left New York," Oak tells us ... "I think if he'd have stayed in New York, he probably would've gotten a new contract and maybe the Knicks would've made the playoffs the last couple years."

Lonzo Ball just shaded the hell outta his old NBA team for trading him this off-season ... and also went after his ex-business partner, Alan Foster, in the process.

It's clear, Zo is motivated by the blockbuster trade that sent him packing for NOLA in exchange for superstar Anthony Davis -- spittin', "You know I'm all about business ... L.A. is gonna regret their decision" in the hook of his song, "Last Days."

But, the Lakers aren't the only target in his song ... he also mentions his old family friend, Foster, who he's currently suing for allegedly stealing MILLIONS from the family's Big Baller Brand.

"Put my trust in the wrong person, lost out on some Ms ... put that on a side bet the next day at the MGM."

It's a huge mess with the Ball family right now -- Zo's manager, Darren "DMo" Moore, even encouraged people to throw their BBB shoes in the trash in wake of the drama.

On top of that, Lonzo covered up his BBB logo tattoo recently as well. Like we said, HUGE mess ... so it was only a matter of time before the Pelicans star addressed it in a song.

Of course, the oldest Ball bro spends a lot of time in the booth when he's not on the hardwood. He's even dropped a song about his younger bro, LaMelo.

Here's a bit of advice for people looking to cross Lonzo Ball -- don't ... unless you wanna start a rap beef too.

An arrest warrant has been issued in Alabama for DeMarcus Cousins stemming from a threatening phone call he allegedly made to the mother of his child, cops say.

"An arrest warrant has been issued," a spokesperson for the Mobile Police Dept. told USA Today.

According to the MPD's website, Cousins is facing a domestic violence charge -- 3rd-degree harassing communications, a misdemeanor.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 1 year behind bars.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the NBA star's ex-girlfriend, Cristy West, told police she recorded a phone call with Cousins in which he threatened to "put a bullet in your f*cking head" if she wouldn't let their 7-year-old child attend his wedding.

West lives in Alabama and the wedding took place in Atlanta.

During the call, West told Cousins she would NOT allow the child to attend -- though she did not explain why.

In court docs filed by West, she claims Cousins had choked her during a previous incident -- but she did not elaborate.

As for Cousins, the Los Angeles Lakers star -- who suffered an ACL tear earlier this month -- has not commented on the allegations.

The NBA says it's looking into the allegations.

Calls to Cousins' reps have not been returned.

Think Kevin Durant is gonna let a little thing like a devastating Achilles injury keep him from a Summer yacht trip to the Amalfi Coast with smoking hot bikini babes?!

Yeah, neither did we ...

The NBA superstar is floating around off the coast of Italy on a sick boat with some friends and a bevy of attractive ladies.

Don't worry Nets fans, KD was getting treatment for his injury on the yacht in his down time ... and from the pics, it seems he's keeping that leg elevated as much as possible!

Still, guy's gotta relax right!

The ladies seem to be keeping themselves busy too -- with some amazing yoga poses on the deck of the yacht.

It's good to be rich and famous ... ain't it?!