NBA

Atlanta Hawks forward Chandler Parsons suffered several serious and permanent injuries after getting hit by a drunk driver last week ... and now his NBA future is in jeopardy, his attorney claims.

The 31-year-old was on his way home from practice around 2:00 PM on January 15 when a man -- who admitted to drinking and had alcohol in his car -- hit Parsons and caused a 3-car wreck.

Parsons' attorneys, John Morgan and Nick Panagakis, say he may never fully recover from the accident ... claiming he suffered a brain injury, disc herniation and a torn labrum.

"All these other idiots who don't play basketball and never played basketball, when they say you wanna judge a guy's greatness by number of championships ... they're idiots."

It's safe to say Robert Horry is fed up with NBA fans using rings instead of common sense in debates ... telling TMZ Sports titles don't mean a damn thing when talkin' G.O.A.T.s.

"Here's the thing that people are so stupid about. They measure great players by how many championships they win. It's the stupidest thing," Big Shot Bob told us at the California Strong charity softball game on Sunday.

Of course, the reason we brought it up with Horry is because his old teammate, Kobe Bryant, recently joined the "All The Smoke" podcast and admitted he's "pissed" he didn't catch Michael Jordan in the ring count.

But, Horry says the whole debate over championships is pointless ... 'cause not everyone is able to win in their careers.

"That's like saying Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing are not great players."

Horry points out using that logic would make him one of the greatest hoopers to ever walk the earth, considering he's got 7 championships.

Big Shot Bob says Kobe having one less ring than MJ should have ZERO impact on his legacy ... but admits Mamba has always compared himself to Jordan.

Charles Barkley's incessant attack on Draymond Green has entered 2020 ... with Chuck straight-up roasting the Warriors star for "averaging that triple-single."

A bit of a history lesson -- Barkley absolutely LOVES to insult Day Day with a burning passion ... it's so real that he once said he wanted to "punch him in the face so bad."

The 2 ended up squashing that beef (kinda) back in 2018 ... but the Hall of Famer decided to bring life back into their drama by calling out Green's stat line during Thursday night's "Inside the NBA."

“Draymond don’t talk as much since he averaging that triple-single," Barkley said.

FYI -- Green's stat line so far this season is 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Shaq and the guys rightfully lost it ... with everyone on the desk laughing.

The Carushow may be making a stop in Chicago ... 'cause the 3rd round of NBA All-Star Game fan votes have been released ... and Alex Caruso is near the top of the list!!!

FYI, fans account for 50% of the overall All-Star voting. NBA players account for 25% and a media panel gets 25%.

The L.A. Lakers guard has become a phenomenon in the NBA over the past few seasons ... there have been memes, highlight reels and a bunch of other tributes to the 25-year-old from his cult following.

It's gotten to the point where LeBron James even calls his teammate the "G.O.A.T." every time they run into each other.

Caruso Mania has taken another step on Thursday ... 'cause the beloved player has gotten more All-Star fan votes than superstars like Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry (who has only played 4 games this season due to injury), Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell in the West.

As of this post, Alex has more than 894k fan votes!!! Seriously, the dude's even beating guys in the East like Kyle Lowry, Ben Simmons and Bradley Beal.

Yes ... it's that wild.

FYI -- 5 starters and 7 reserve players get picked for the game ... and Caruso is currently 4th in the conference for guards.

Realistically, Caruso probably won't make the final All-Star squad ... but it's fun to watch!!

Oh, and the "Bald Eagle" ain't the only fan favorite getting major love ... the 7'6" Boston Celtics giant Tacko Fall is still a possibility to make it in the East ... he's 6th in the frontcourt with more than 757k fan votes!!!

Shaq's decision to pass on signing 'NSYNC after helping the boy band get off the ground is still tearing up Lance Bass' heart -- but he says there still would've been one major issue.

We got the singer at Villa Blanca in Bev Hills and our guy asked about Shaq coming thiiis close to signing 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys way back in the '90s.

Shaq's already said not signing the group is one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made, and Lance told us ... he couldn't agree more.

As you know ... 'NSYNC owes a lot of its early success to Shaq. Lance revealed their connection a couple years ago, telling us the NBA superstar lent them the recording studio in his Orlando mansion when they were starting out.

Lance says he 100 percent wishes the big fella pulled the trigger and signed them -- but adds he's not certain Shaq could've saved them from manager Lou Pearlman and his infamous ponzi scheme.

Ahhh, hindsight.

Derrick Rose just got slapped with a $25k fine ... all 'cause the Pistons star got pissed and heaved a pen into the stands at an NBA game.

The incident went down Monday night in the Motor City ... where the Pistons and Pelicans were battling down the stretch in overtime.

With 17 seconds left in OT, Pelicans guard Nicolo Melli knocked down a long jumper ... all but handing the Pistons an L.

Detroit called a timeout ... and Rose walked over to the scorer's table, grabbed a pen, and launched it across the court and into the stands.

The game might've been over, but the league was still watching ... and NBA Executive VP Kiki VanDeWeghe just doled out some ol' fashioned punishment to the tune of $25k.

Sure, it sucks ... but the 31-year-old star had a solid game (he scored 23 points), and he's making over $7 million this season.

So, $25k ain't all that bad.

That said ... get this man a pen so he can sign the check.

Steph Curry's alleged recruiting pitch to Giannis has NOBODY in Milwaukee concerned ... so says the Bucks owner's daughter, who tells TMZ Sports Antetokounmpo is loyal!

If you missed it ... Curry went viral after cameras appeared to catch the Warriors superstar trying to recruit Giannis to Golden State after their game on Jan. 8.

If ya watch the video ... it's pretty clear, Curry says "let's do it. Come on, man."

Of course, Steph has played off the tampering allegations by saying he was actually recruiting Giannis to play video games!!

But, when we got Wes Edens' daughter, model Mallory Edens, out at the California Strong celeb softball game earlier this week ... she sure seemed like she wasn't buyin' Curry's explanation.

"I don't think Giannis plays video games," she told us.

So, is there any worry Curry's pitch might actually work? Mallory doesn't seem to think so, saying, "Life is good in Milwaukee right now. They're winning. I think everyone's happy."

Think Kim Kardashian takes pleasure in watching her sister's ex take an L in public??? HELL YEAH, SHE DOES!

Check out the smiles on Kim and Kanye's faces during the Lakers game Monday night -- grinning from ear to ear as LeBron and company put a beatdown on Tristan Thompson's Cleveland Cavaliers in a 128 to 99 shellacking!

Kim even posted a pic of Tristan on the court on her IG.

For the record, Tristan and Khloe Kardashian seem to be on decent terms these days -- but with all the drama he put her through, it must still be fun to watch him get wrecked on the court.

There were a TON of stars at Monday's game -- from Halsey and Courteney Cox to Judge Mathis and Emily Ratajkowski ... even Lily Collins and boxing star Gervonta Davis.

Forget NyQuil ... Bad Bunny is apparently the perfect cure for the flu -- 'cause after he brought LeBron James onstage Sunday -- the Lakers star looked magically cured!!!

LBJ has been battling a bad cold this past week ... and he was feeling so crappy over the weekend, he missed L.A.'s game against the Thunder on Saturday.

But, on Sunday, clearly, all the guy needed was some Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton to feel better ... 'cause when Bad Bunny brought him onstage at Calibash at Staples Center, LBJ raged his face off!!

Watch the video ... LeBron sure looks like he's feeling okay to us -- boppin' around and getting the crowd fired up. He even got in a little dance sesh with Bad Bunny himself!!

The Lakers play the Cavs on Monday night ... and based on Bron's performance Sunday -- we're pretty positive he'll make his return to the hardwood for the game.

Sorry, John Beilein.

Police say they've arrested a man who allegedly heaved his drink onto the court during the Celtics vs. Spurs game Wednesday ... identifying the guy as a 22-year-old and hitting him with disturbing a public assembly charge.

Late in the third quarter of the Celtics' game at TD Garden ... Kemba Walker was ejected for arguing a non-call.

The Boston superstar was cracked on a screenplay ... and when no whistle came -- he went IN on the refs.

It didn't take long for the point guard to get tossed from the game ... and when Celts head coach Brad Stevens also got ejected for arguing the call -- a fan was so pissed, he lobbed his drink onto the court.

You can see in the video, the can -- allegedly full of hard seltzer -- BARELY missed San Antonio Spurs players ... and splashed all over the hardwood.

Zion Williamson has touched down in New York -- and the minute he stepped out of his hotel, the NBA star was mobbed by fans asking for autographs and photos!

The 19-year-old New Orleans Pelicans rookie was NOT FAZED by the swarm -- he kept his composure and knocked out a ton of autographs before eventually walking to the team bus.

The Pels are in NYC to take on the Knicks on Friday -- though Zion won't be playing, as he's still recovering from the knee injury that's kept him out the whole season.

Zion's expected to come back soon and NBA fans can't wait -- the guy is an absolute monster on the court.

If Zion WAS healthy, this would have been a great game to watch -- Zion matching up against his former Duke teammate and #3 overall pick R.J. Barrett.

Just 'cause Steph Curry and Draymond Green can't play together right now doesn't mean they can't date together ... the Warriors superstars teamed up for a double date night with their wife and finacee!!

The Dubs are in town to play the Clippers on Friday ... and their 2 superstars kicked off their trip with a night on the town at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills.

Of course, Steph has been sidelined with a broken left hand since October ... but has slowly worked his way to getting back to practice with the team.

Steph and Ayesha -- who have been married since 2011 and have 3 kids together -- met up with engaged Draymond and Hazel Renee on Thursday night. Maybe they were discussing marriage advice??

While the wedding date for Green and Hazel hasn't been made public, Draymond has said they planned the big day around the Tokyo Olympics ... so the wedding bells may be coming soon.

Kendrick Perkins thinks Kevin Durant is a "coward" for signing with Golden State in 2016.

Kevin Durant thinks Perkins was a trash player who constantly underperformed.

... This was just the beginning of an epic Twitter war between the former NBA teammates on Thursday -- and it's clear, the beef is REAL.

It all started with Perkins saying Russell Westbrook is the best OKC Thunder player ever -- even calling Russ, "Mr. Thunder!"

When NBA analyst Marc D'Amico challenged Perk, saying KD has the better resume, Perk took another swipe at Durant.

"KD lost in the second round without Russ when I was there. So what that mean?"

That's when Durant got involved -- clapping back HARD at Perk.

"Yeah and our starting center [Kendrick Perkins] averaged a whopping 2 and 3 during that series. U played hard tho champ lol."

Perk didn't back down and responded again ... burning Durant for leaving OKC to go to the Warriors.

"Boy stop you did the weakest move in NBA History!!! Up on a team 3-1 in the western conference finals and then go join them the following season?! Heart of Champion right there."

Again, KD clapped back ...

"Weak is starting at center, playing real minutes with no production. Should've worked on your skills as much as I did."

Perk ...

"That's fine!!! You worked that hard and still had to go join a 73-9 team. Truth be told, you don't even feel like a real champ, you have hard time sleeping at night huh knowing that you took the coward way out!!!"

Cavaliers coach John Beilein was forced to apologize to his players Wednesday after he says he accidentally called them "thugs" during a team meeting.

Here's the deal ... the 66-year-old was reportedly praising his Cleveland squad during a film session when he told them they were no longer "playing like a bunch of thugs."

Obviously, the term has an offensive connotation ... and, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, players were "stunned" by their head coach's comment.

But, Beilein attempted to clear the air after Cavs general manager Koby Altman brought the situation to his attention ... with the coach saying he meant to say "slugs," not "thugs."

"I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told Wojnarowski on Wednesday night. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment."

Beilein said he already had personally talked to eight of his players over the alleged mix-up, adding, "they are telling me that they understand."

It's been a rough start to Beilein's NBA coaching career ... after being hired this past offseason, the ex-Michigan coach has struggled to adapt to the pros.

He's just 10-27 this season ... and has reportedly riffed with team star Kevin Love throughout his short tenure in Cleveland.

TMZ Sports Presents: "How To Impress Your Boss" ... starring Joel Embiid!

Today's lesson ... when you dislocate your finger, SNAP IT BACK IN PLACE AND BALL OUT!

The strategy worked, judging by our conversation with Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin, who raved about his star player's toughness after the freak injury.

As we previously reported, Embiid busted his digit during Monday night's game against the OKC Thunder, but taped it up and went back in the game ... and led the 76ers to a big-time win!

"He was a warrior," Rubin said ... "That was one of the ugliest things I've ever seen!"

"It just shows how tough and aggressive he is and how badly he wants to win."

Embiid has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics -- and he's following up with a specialist. Rubin wouldn't elaborate on the injury, but 76ers fans are obviously concerned.

Andrew Yang is looking to get a King's endorsement for his 2020 presidential campaign ... telling TMZ Sports he wants LeBron James on his side!!

The entrepreneur-turned-Democratic candidate already has a solid list of celeb backing -- from Donald Glover to Elon Musk to Rivers Cuomo from Weezer -- but no big-time athletes ... yet.

Considering Yang's a big NBA fan, we asked -- hypothetically -- which baller he'd most want as his running mate ... and it took him like, a millisecond to give us his answer.

"I'd have to go with LeBron James," Yang tells us. "He's already shown he's got a heart of gold and loves the American people."

Yang showers the Lakers superstar with praise and throws some major shade at President Trump in the process ... saying, "He certainly could do better than the guy who's currently there."

Of course, Bron has shown support for Hillary Clinton in the past ... and even introduced her at a rally in Ohio.

LBJ has also made his feelings about POTUS crystal clear ... calling him a "bum" and a clown since #45 began his presidency.

Yang thinks LeBron would be a great addition to his team ... and gives him a personal message.