NBA

Kenny "The Jet" Smith says the NBA should do their best to keep playing through the spike in COVID-19 cases ... but tells TMZ Sports if fan safety becomes an issue, ya gotta consider pausing the season.

We asked the former Rocket great if the league should follow the NHL's lead and pause their season ... and he says if the outbreaks are only affecting the players, the show must go on.

"No," Smith said at LAX. "I mean, the thought process should always be for the society, for the fans. It's not for the players. So meaning, we're just a part of society."

The NBA champ adds that although the money these games bring in is important, it ain't everything ... and if spectators are getting sick as a result of being close to each other, then the league needs to reconsider postponing the season.

"So, if society needs to shut down because of proximity, because you're in arenas, yes. But just because of players, no."

"It's the lives that matter," Smith says. "So, if the games itself are causing people to get COVID, then you have to think about pausing."

There's more -- we also asked the "Inside The NBA" analyst if it was a bad look that LeBron James walked into the arena with a cigar in his hand ... and he told us that he was in disbelief.

"You can't lose when you walk in with a cigar," Smith said. "And if we lost to them with a cigar, I'd be upset."

"It shows that he's not thinking about us," he added.

Kenny points out Celtics legend Red Auerbach would spark a stogie on the bench after wins .. joking maybe that's what LeBron was planning to do.

Chill out Laker Nation -- Dwight Howard says everything's gonna be good by the time NBA playoffs come around ... telling TMZ Sports, "it's not about how you start, it's how you finish!"

The Lakers have been struggling so far this season ... which has shocked a lot of fans, considering they have LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and a solid (yet aging) roster.

But, Howard says the season is still young, so they haven't shown their full potential just yet.

"We good, man. It's early," the Lakers center told us at his OxeFit after-party at the Soho Warehouse, "We gonna be ready by the time the playoffs start. That's when we start dominating."

"Don't worry, Lakers fans! When it's time to dominate, the Lakers gon' be there!"

The 36-year-old also wants fans to remember this is an entirely different squad compared to last year ... and that it will take some time for everyone to get on the same page.

"This is a brand new team than it was in 2020. All of us are really trying to learn how to play together and get our games going."

"It's not about how you start, it's how you finish!"

As they say, patience is a virtue -- the Lakers aren't in terrible shape and still have a few months to turn things around ... that is, as long as COVID doesn't halt the season like it did with the NHL.

Howard -- who just got out of COVID protocol -- hopes that doesn't happen ... saying "I'm not worried about it. But, anything can happen. Everything is about safety right now."

"I think if you got your immune system right, then you'd be good to go. I'm not really concerned about it."

Love isn't dead after all -- NBA baller Kyle Kuzma and supermodel Winnie Harlow are officially dating again ... just five months after breaking up.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Kuz and Harlow picked up right where they left off earlier this month, deciding to give their relationship another try.

We're told the split wasn't ugly to begin with -- both sides kept in touch and remained friends during their time away from each other.

We broke the story -- the Wizards forward and former "America's Next Top Model" contestant ended things back in August after more than a year of dating.

They were one of the biggest quarantine couples to develop during the pandemic ... after Harlow says Kuz successfully slid into her DMs on Instagram.

Their love remained strong during the NBA bubble in Orlando ... with Winnie sending a plane over the Disney campus on Kuz's birthday to give him a special message.

Austin Rivers had two fans removed from their seats on Wednesday ... after he claims the "punks" and "clowns" would not stop heckling him about his family.

The Nuggets guard snapped in the fourth quarter of Denver's loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, grabbing a ref after he made a 3-pointer and telling him to eject two fans from their seats immediately.

In video of the play, you can see Rivers was irate -- pointing out the fans who appeared to yell about his dad, Doc Rivers, in the middle of his shooting stroke.

After the game, Austin explained the situation ... saying every time he ran down the court, the two talked trash about Doc -- and even began mentioning his sister, Callie Rivers, who's married to Steph Curry's brother, Seth Curry.

"I don't mind it most nights," a clearly ticked-off Austin said. "But, it was constant. Every time down the floor, they were saying something about my dad. Somebody said something about my sister. That's when I was like, 'OK. I've had enough.'"

Austin continued, "You could say I suck, that's fair game. But, you talk about my family? Like, what are we doing here?"

"Imagine me showing up to where they work and I'm just talkin' s*** about their family the whole time while they're trying to work. I don't know. It's just weird, man. Bunch of punks."

Of course, this is far from the first time an NBA player has done the same this season ... both Tristan Thompson and LeBron James had fans ejected from games earlier this year for heckling, too.

Cardi B wasn't the only one to shower Offset in gifts for his 30th birthday -- LeBron James also sent some dope presents to the rapper to celebrate the big night!

The King signed a pair of all-white Air Force 1s and shipped them over to Offset's bday bash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and they're pretty awesome.

The Lakers superstar put his autograph on both sneakers ... and added a happy birthday message to one of the shoes as well.

James also gifted Offset with a custom bottle of his Lobos 1707.

Offset clearly loved the presents -- he shouted out LeBron on social media, thanking the NBA player for the swag.

Of course, the gifts were great, but LBJ had a ton of competition to win the night's best present award.

A bunch of celebs showed up to celebrate Offset at the bash, with most coming baring gifts -- including Cardi B, who handed over her man a $2 MILLION check.

Yeah ... LBJ's signature is great, but hard to beat cash!

Jimmy Goldstein -- the rich businessman who allegedly goes to more than 100 NBA games a season -- says the league needs to close up shop ASAP ... telling TMZ Sports the fans shouldn't be forced to watch crappy basketball.

The Association is currently dealing with a massive COVID-19 outbreak as players test positive left and right ... forcing teams to pick up free agents or G League players in order to compete.

While Adam Silver recently announced the NBA will not follow the NHL's lead and suspend the season, Goldstein says the best thing to do is shut it down.

"Regardless of what the NHL did, the NBA should close down as soon as possible," Goldstein said at Dwight Howard's OxeFit after-party at the SoHo Warehouse.

"Most of these players (who test positive) are healthy. If the NBA wants to let them play, that's another story. But if they forbid them from playing, I feel cheated as a fan, going to the games and watching G League players play instead of the stars."

Goldstein points out there's a huge game between the Lakers and Nets on Christmas Day ... and the majority of Brooklyn's star players will not be taking the court.

"It's time to recognize the fans are not getting a fair deal."

A Phoenix Suns player almost wiped out JoJo Siwa while she was sitting courtside at the Lakers game Tuesday ... but somehow, the influencer avoided catastrophe.

The near-collision all went down early in L.A.'s contest with Phoenix at Staples Center Crytpo.com Arena ... when Jae Crowder went flying into the stands to try to save a loose ball.

You can see in the footage of the play, as Jae dove head-first to nab the basketball -- his 6-foot-6, 235-pound body nearly went crashing into Siwa!!!

Fortunately, JoJo was able to duck out of the way -- and Crowder rolled over her seat without causing any injuries.

Siwa clearly loved the experience ... she was all smiles as Crowder picked himself up off the floor -- and she even tweeted her experience went "quite well!"

The night ended up being an overall bummer for Siwa, though -- 'cause her Lakers ended up losing badly to the Suns.

Dennis Rodman's a member of the new mile high club -- the one composed of people who allegedly refuse to wear a face mask on commercial flights -- and cops were waiting for him when he landed.

Rodman flew from L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale Monday morning, and was allegedly told several times to put his mask back on by JetBlue staffers. Law enforcement sources tell us Rodman would first oblige, but then pull the mask down, citing he was having trouble breathing.

That's a big no-no -- especially since there's still a federal mask mandate in effect which all airports and airlines have to abide by. Not to mention ... Omicron's on the rise.

Deputies from the Broward Co. Sheriff's Office spoke to Rodman upon landing, we're told he was cooperative and, in the end, they cut him loose, letting him leave on his own without citing him.

An eyewitness on the flight says Rodman was in first-class ... and was asked 4 different times to keep his face covering over his mouth and nose. We're told he constantly lowered it to his chin, and wouldn't immediately put it back on when asked.

Shaquille O'Neal came through with the gifts -- and the jokes -- this holiday season ... giving back in a huge way for more than 500 kids in Atlanta ... and roasting Charles Barkley in the process!!

The Big Aristotle joined Charles and Babcock on "TMZ Live" to talk about his 20th annual Shaq-A-Claus event that went down on Monday ... which included hooking students up with backpacks, Walmart gift cards, toys, clothes, haircuts and more.

On top of that, the extravaganza came with BBQ, DJ music and games.

The Hall of Famer says he first started the yearly holiday bash back in 1992 when his mom asked him to help kids at the local Boys & Girls Club ... so, he went to the nearest Toys "R" Us and bought out the store.

O'Neal loved helping out so much, he decided to do it every year.

"This is all about making the kids happy," Shaq said. "But, more importantly, it's all about making my mother happy ... for her to see her baby boy doing good things like she taught him to do, that right there is one of the best feelings."

"Today is a special day," he added. "I saw a lot of happy kids."

Now, considering Christmas is a time when people tend to put on some holiday weight, we also had to ask how Shaq keeps off the extra pounds -- and naturally, he had to make fun of his "Inside The NBA" co-host.

"I always said to myself, I don't want to have the C.B.O.T.B.B. -- that's the Charles Barkley Over The Belt Belly," Shaq joked. "I never wanna have that, so I just try to eat right and try to stay slim."

DeMarcus Cousins unloaded on a security guard who was trying to block a fan from getting an autograph from the NBA star ... and the unique scene was all captured on video.

While Cousins and the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Rockets in Houston earlier this month ... Boogie spotted one of his biggest fans in the crowd and dapped him up.

The two then posed for a pic ... and when the fan -- noted YouTuber JiDion -- asked for an autograph on his #15 Cousins jersey, Boogie was all about it.

But, a security guard stepped in and tried to shut the whole thing down ... which clearly ticked off Cousins.

"I can sign his jersey! Stop acting like that," Cousins told the arena staffer. "You taking your job too serious!"

The security guard fired back, "Excuse me?!"

But, Boogie kept his head down, signed the jersey and then left the area to get back with his team.

JiDion, meanwhile, was fired up over it all -- you can see in pics and in the video he was absolutely giddy over the interaction.

Take a chill pill, Laker Nation -- Magic Johnson is NOT ready to give up on his beloved team this season ... 'cause the Lakers legend tells TMZ Sports that despite their early struggles, they've still got time to turn things around.

We asked the Hall of Famer if LeBron James and Co. -- who've been inconsistent all season -- needed to make changes ... especially as trade rumors surface surrounding one of their biggest stars, Russell Westbrook.

"You know, you gotta give him time," Magic told us on Friday, "Gotta give the whole team time. 16-13 is not where we wanna be, but we still got time. Still got time."

Magic also told us that although Anthony Davis has gotten off to a slow start ... he's not worried about the Lakers big man.

"Sometimes people get off to a start that they know they can play better," Johnson said. "Sometimes you struggle in the beginning. AD knows he can play better so he'll put it together. I'm not worried about him. He got a lot of talent."

Johnson believes that any aspirations the Lakers have of winning a championship this season is contingent on their defensive effort -- an area Magic says the team needs to improve in significantly.

"Well, defensively we gotta get better," Magic said. "That's it right there." "We cant win no championship unless we play defense. We gotta play better defense, but again, you know, we can't be impatient."

Ultimately, the 5-time NBA champ hasn't lost any faith ... saying, "I still believe in the Lakers, that's the main thing. Now its just the matter of can they put it together."

Kyrie Irving is BACK -- well, partially -- the NBA superstar will soon play in road games and practice at home with the Brooklyn Nets, the team just announced Friday.

Irving has already begun the process of returning to the team ... as he's undergoing team COVID-19 testing, according to Shams Charania.

Due to NYC's current mandates, Irving hasn't played a game or practiced with the Nets all season ... as he remained unvaccinated.

As we previously reported, the Nets took a strong stance against Irving's unwillingness to get the jab ... telling him in October to stay home instead of playing when he could.

While there were reports Irving was anti-vax, he adamantly denied it ... saying he was standing up for local workers who were being forced into getting vaccinated in order to save their jobs.

Now, it appears both Irving and the Nets have reached an agreement that will allow him to suit up for the Nets in some capacity soon, but his return date has not been determined yet.

Irving even teased his comeback earlier this week ... showing himself putting on his sneakers.

If you thought Frank Gore and Deron Williams were just gonna spar for a few rounds on Saturday, think again -- the NFL star tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to put a hurt on the ex-NBAer ... and come away with the win!!

Frank and Deron will both be making their boxing debuts on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II undercard in Tampa ... and with just over 24 hours to go, we asked Gore what he's expecting in the fight.

"I wanna look good, man," he tells us. "I wanna show everybody whatever you put your head to, you can do it."

"I'm going for the W. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win. If the knockout come, it will come. I wanna show everybody that I got skills."

BTW -- Frank and Deron weighed in on Friday ... and they both looked GOOD. Since Gore's been training like crazy, we had to ask if this was just a one-time thing, or if we'll see him in the ring for years to come.

"If I have a good time and feel like I want to do it again, I'll do it," he said. "I'm very happy about my decision to take this fight."

Gore admits he's a bit nervous as he gets closer to stepping in the ring ... but he's looking forward to showing the world what he's got.

Meek Mill and Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin treated 26 kids to the experience of a lifetime ... playing hoops with the youngins before Wednesday night's Sixers vs. Heat game!!

The event was put together by the Reform Alliance -- a criminal justice reform campaign that advocates to change probation and parole laws -- which was founded with Jay-Z, Robert Kraft, and Clara Wu Tsai, among others, in 2019.

Kids at the event received a ton of cool items ... such as custom uniforms, which they got to sport in a star-studded basketball game right on the 76ers home court.

That wasn't all ... the kids also got to watch the team's shootaround, have a Q&A session with Philly's head coach, Doc Rivers, and receive basketballs and gear from Rubin's Fanatics apparel brand.

The VIP list of guests in attendance to support the youngsters included rapper Lil Baby and TikTok stars Charlie and Dixie D'Amelio.

Of course, everyone stayed to watch the game with their families -- the kids took in the NBA action in style as they were treated to some pretty dope courtside seats ... with some getting to watch the game in a suite.

Unfortunately, Miami defeated Philly 101-96 ... but if the kids remember nothing else, it'll be the VIP experience they received compliments of the Philly native and Rubin.

L.A. Lakers guard Austin Reaves came up BIG for his squad last night -- the rookie hit a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime -- and the locker room celebration was WILD!

The Lakers were in Dallas taking on the Mavericks in a back-and-forth game that came down to a last-second 3-pointer by LeBron James ... that he missed.

So, cue OT, and insert Reaves -- the undrafted former Wichita State and Oklahoma star -- who, as it turns out, has ice water in his veins .... knocking down a 3-pointer off a dime of a pass by Russell Westbrook, propelling the Lake show to a 107-104 victory.

After the game, the celebration moved from the court to the locker room ... where Lakers vet  DeAndre Jordan poured a bucket of ice-cold water on Reaves' head -- as Bron tossed him a game ball.

Steph apparently wasn't the only Curry putting up shots on Tuesday night -- TMZ Sports is told the NBA superstar's dad was "respectfully flirty" with a former Playboy Playmate while sitting courtside at the Warriors vs. Knicks game.

Model Ana Cheri tells us her group of friends showed up to the historic game at Madison Square Garden together ... and by coincidence, they ended up sitting right next to Dell in the front row.

We're told the ex-NBAer couldn't have been nicer to Ana, Toria Ranae and Kirzlyn Gabriola throughout the night ... but was obviously giving a bit more attention to Miss October 2015.

Make no mistake -- Dell never crossed lines or made anyone feel uncomfortable, but Ana's friends back it up ... the guy was clearly flirting.

Ana says she congratulated Dell on Steph's success and chitchatted with him during the game ... but after the group snapped shots with each other after the game, they parted ways.

We broke the story -- Dell is recently single after his wife, Sonya, filed for divorce back in June. The breakup has been pretty messy, as both sides accused each other of cheating.

Both sat on opposite ends of the floor ... but it sounds like Dell at least enjoyed himself.

Naturally, we had to ask Ana if Dell got her number.

"No comment."