NBA

Charles Oakley says Devin Booker was right to get pissed off about the Toronto Raptors mascot's free throw antics ... telling TMZ Sports the dino was crossing the line.

We spoke with Oak about the Phoenix Suns star's ongoing feud with mascots across the league ... and he says the 25-year-old should be left alone -- especially when fans aren't in the stands.

Of course, Oakley is referring to when Booker called on officials to move the Raptor from underneath the basket while at the charity stripe last week ... during a game that was played in Toronto's empty arena due to COVID-19 protocols.

Oak says if fans aren't in the stands, there's no need for the dino to be hanging out around the court ... and it definitely shouldn't be trying to impact the game.

The Knicks legend says if things get worse between Booker and mascots across the league, he thinks the NBA will intervene and tell the furry creatures to cut it out.

We also spoke with Oak about his book, "The Last Enforcer," which drops next month ... and he says he's dishing on what went down with some of the biggest names in his era.

"Tyrone Hill, Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley Pat Riley. Everybody in the book. Bringing 'em out."

And, what'll happen if those guys get upset over what's in the book?

The Los Angeles Lakers might be a dumpster fire right now, but that hasn't stopped fans from buying up all their gear ... with the Purple & Gold leading the NBA in merchandise sales this season.

The league just released its list of most popular fan purchases through the 2021-22 season so far ... and LeBron James sits at the top of the throne for player jersey sales, with the Lakers coming in at #1 for overall team merch sold on the NBA Store website.

It's pretty interesting, considering the Lake Show has stunk up the place this season -- they're 22-23 and head coach Frank Vogel is on the verge of losing his job.

But, it's clear fans aren't going anywhere ... stocking up on their swag as the team falls apart.

Stephen Curry comes in at #2 in jersey sales, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic rounding out the top 5.

Russell Westbrook -- who's had a pretty tough year -- didn't make the list ... but Anthony Davis was able to come in at #7.

The Dubs, Bucks, Nets and Celtics follow the Lakers in team sales.

Charles Barkley is so tired of the Lakers, he went on an epic rant on Thursday saying the team flat-out sucks and is a bunch of "cowards" and "wussies."

The "Inside the NBA" host held nothing back on the set of the insanely popular TNT hoops show ... railroading L.A. for its recent losses and the team's responses to them.

"The Lakers are such wussies," Barkley said, "and I only say wussies because I can't say the word I want to say."

"The way they have tried to throw Frank Vogel and Russell Westbrook under the bus is really pissing me off."

Ernie Johnson, the show's host, interrupted Charles ... reminding him that they had a scheduled guest about to come on, but CB wasn't about to let some interview stop him from going in on the Lakeshow.

Check out the clip ... Barkley responded to Johnson by saying, "The Lakers still suck when we get back from this interview."

Barkley went on to express his disgust for the Lakers' front office ... accusing it of "running and hiding" after putting together a crappy roster.

"I'm not going to sit at like all these clowns on other networks that got they heads up the Lakers booties," Barkley said.

"The people up top who put that trash together are running and hiding like cowards. You put all them old geezers out there. The best guy, other than LeBron, for the last month has been who? Stanley Johnson."

"It's ridiculous, man," an exasperated Barkley continued.

Charles ultimately said he doesn't care who wins or loses ... joking that he can't wait for the season to be over so he can golf and fish.

Tyler Herro's girlfriend just poured her heart out for his 22nd birthday ... penning an emotional tribute to the Miami Heat baller on his big day.

"Happy birthday to my best friend, boyfriend, baby daddy, my dawg, my rock, my twin, my soulmate, my heart," Katya Elise Henry said on Instagram ... sharing a pic of the couple getting cozy on a boat in South Beach.

"I am so proud of the man and daddy to Zya you’ve become. You are wise beyond your years, it’s my favorite thing about you."

KEH gushes over Herro as the "most genuine, giving, loving, smart, driven, hard working" and "most focused" guy she's ever met ... all while being a dedicated father and partner.

"This man does it all," she added. "I love doing life with you! You are so appreciated and I am so grateful for your love. You deserve everything and more. I love tfffff out of you Tyler ❤️"

Herro and Henry became an item early in 2020 ... with the sharp-shooter seemingly shooting his shot on social media. They've been inseparable ever since ... and welcomed their daughter in September 2021.

Kyrie Irving clapped back at a fan and now it's going to cost him -- the NBA just fined the Nets star $25,000 for his "motherf***er" retort in a game on Monday.

The league announced the punishment on Thursday afternoon ... saying in a statement they levied the fine "for directing obscene language toward a fan."

The incident took place during Brooklyn's game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland ... when in the second quarter of the Nets' 114-107 loss, a fan appeared to ask Irving, "Kyrie, you need LeBron?"

Check out the clip ... you can hear Irving fired back at the troll by saying, "I got ya'll a championship and ya'll motherf***ers still ungrateful."

The back and forth between the hecklers and Kyrie continued ... as another fan appeared to yell, "It was just one. It was just one."

Irving -- who is only allowed to play in the team's road games due to his vax status -- then told the crowd, "Keep it, keep it. Save it."

NBA superstar Devin Booker might not be the most athletic person in his relationship after all ...

Here's video of Kendall Jenner absolutely carving up a mountain on a snowboarding trip in Aspen on Wednesday -- reaching high speeds and hitting jumps with ease!

The supermodel (and Booker's girlfriend) posted the footage of her epic run to her social media page ... and it's clear, she's got skills on the board.

Kendall flew down the mountain and stuck the landing on two jumps ... and then nearly landed a third one flawlessly before she skidded to a stop on her backside.

Of course, the Shaun White-style athleticism shouldn't surprise anybody -- Kendall's got great genes (thanks, Caitlyn Jenner!) and is one of the most in-shape people on the planet.

NBA referees just called out Dak Prescott -- pressuring the league to take action against the Cowboys QB after he praised fans who threw objects at officials after the playoffs game with the 49ers.

If you missed it ... Cowboys fans were pissed over the controversial ending to the wildcard game (Dallas lost 23-17) on Sunday ... which abruptly ended their season.

Of course, Dallas fans blame the refs for the L -- since the ump wasn't able to spot the ball with enough time for Dak to get a snap off and clock the ball ... leaving time for one last play in the end zone.

After the game, reporters asked the Dallas Cowboys QB about fans throwing stuff ... and he simply replied, "Credit to them. Yeah, credit to them."

Well, the NBA referees (NBRA) feel some type of way about it ... and called him and the league out.

"The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials," the National Basketball Referees Association said via Twitter on Tuesday.

"As an NFL leader, he should know better."

The NBRA added, "We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

The NFL has been totally mum ... neither addressing Dak's comments, nor the NBA Refs' statement. Does anything change now that the refs have called on the league to punish Dak?

NBA player Chandler Parsons announced he's walking away from the game on Tuesday ... 2 years after suffering serious injuries in a car accident.

The 33-year-old small forward gave a heartfelt goodbye to hoops in an emotional Instagram post ... saying, "I've had so many ups and downs and thankful for every single one of them."

"My entire life all I wanted to be was an NBA player. I didn't even realize, or think what came with that, I just wanted to compete and play basketball at the highest level. I can proudly say, I did THAT!"

CP added, "It wasn't perfect, but it was a blast and I want to take a moment to thank every single person who helped me reach my dreams."

Parsons was a 2nd round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft ... playing for the Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Hawks over the course of 9 seasons.

In 2020, CP was driving in his Rolls-Royce when he was hit by an alleged drunk driver ... suffering a brain wound, disc herniation and a torn labrum.

Despite the accident, Parsons was working to get back on the court -- in fact, he told us last November that he was training to return to the game, but said the process was "pretty intense".

"Working out, staying in shape," Parsons said at the time, "but trying to still recover from the car crash last year, so we'll see."

Now, Parsons is ready for life off of the hardwood.

"To all the staff, trainers, doctors, coaches, teammates, agents, and most important the fans who supported me, THANK YOU."

Chandler finished his career averaging 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Devin Booker opened a can of worms by going after the Raptors mascot ... 'cause now the Spurs' fuzzy character is getting in on the fun with a "Cone of Silence."

If you missed it, the Phoenix Suns star had referees move the Raptor from underneath the basket in the empty Scotiabank Arena last week ... claiming the dino was being too distracting.

Fast forward to Monday, and the San Antonio Spurs' beloved Coyote mascot decided to poke fun at the incident ... by holding "Quiet" and "Shhh" signs and rocking a "Cone of Silence" over his head during Booker's free throws.

Booker noticed what was going on and laughed it off ... 'cause even he had to admit the troll job was pretty epic.

FYI -- Booker had a solid outing at the charity stripe ... going 7-for-8.

The Spurs aren't alone in trolling D-Book -- last Friday, the Indiana Pacers mimicked the Raptors incident by putting someone in a dinosaur costume right behind the basket.

LeBron James' youngest son Bryce James had himself quite the performance on MLK day ... the 14-year-old hooper dropped 21 points -- including a slick layup -- and dad was pumped!

Bryce, like older brother Bronny, plays for Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles ... one of the top teams in the country.

Check out the clip ... Bryce starts the fast break, avoiding defenders in the process before finishing with a jelly layup at the basket.

Of course, LBJ was hyped ... and showed his youngest son some love for the insane layup package.

"Bryce did what?" LeBron posted on Instagram. "Young🤴🏾Keep Going," he added.

Athleticism clearly runs in the family. Just a couple years after Bronny started dunking, Bryce accomplished the feat during warmups last month.

Charles Barkley has some pretty strong words for the Philadelphia 76ers ... telling TMZ Sports it's time they stop being stubborn and trade disgruntled star Ben Simmons already.

We spoke with Charles at LAX ... and asked whether he agreed with Doc Rivers' son, Austin Rivers, who told us he thought Simmons' Sixers career was over.

And it's safe to say Chuck agrees.

"He's never going to play another game in Philly," Barkley said. "The fans won't forgive him."

"They have to make a trade," he added. "You have to move on from a bad relationship. They're not using him and Joel Embiid has been playing great this year, so they're wasting his talents."

Barkley -- who spent 8 seasons with the Sixers -- is familiar with how ruthless Philly fans can be ... recalling times they were hard on him when he played for the org.

"I know those fans very well," Barkley said. "I thought my name was Charles Barkley Son of a Bitch for a long time when I was there."

CB offered some suggestions on how to end the Simmons saga ... saying Philly needs to hop on the phone and call the Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets, or the Sacramento Kings to help get a deal done.

Speaking of the Kings, Barkley wasn't too fond of SAC trolling Lakers star Russell Westbrook for his shooting slump the other night ... telling us, "The Sacramento Kings should not be making fun of anybody."

Warriors part-owner Chamath Palihapitiya is attempting to clarify his controversial comments made about Uyghur concentration camps in China ... acknowledging his initial statements came off as cold, and claiming he really does care about human rights.

Palihapitiya -- who owns a minority stake in the Warriors franchise -- came under fire for his recent appearance on the "All-In Podcast" ... in which he said, "Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs."

According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, more than 1 million Chinese Uyghurs have been detained in mass detention camps. There are reports that they've been subjected to slave labor, sterilization and rape.

But as Palihapitiya put it, "Of all the things I care about, yes it is below my line."

The Warriors quickly denounced the billionaire's comment ... saying, "his views certainly don't reflect those of our organization" ... adding he has zero day-to-day operating functions within the team.

Amid the backlash, Palihapitiya released a short statement Monday trying to put out the fire.

"In re-listening to this week's podcast, I recognize that I come across as lacking empathy," Palihapitiya said. "I acknowledge that entirely."

"As a refugee, my family fled a country with its own set of human rights issues so this is something that is very much a part of my lived experience."

"To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States, or elsewhere. Full stop."

Chinese affairs have become a huge issue within the NBA ... starting with now-Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey tweeting support for protesters in Hong Kong ... and more recently, with Enes Kanter Freedom calling on the Association to take a stand against the Chinese government over human rights violations.

Shaquille O'Neal is putting his ass on the line with his latest bet -- literally -- saying if Phoenix wins the NBA title this year, he'll walk two blocks with the word "Suns" written on his butt cheeks.

Seriously.

The Big Aristotle came up with the idea on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" ... after his co-host, Nischelle Turner, claimed it wasn't a foregone conclusion that the Warriors would win it all in 2022.

"Place a bet on it," Shaq told Turner. "Let's do something crazy and embarrassing."

O'Neal then came up with the wild idea ... saying that if Phoenix were to win the championship this season instead of Golden State, he'd slap the team's name on his keister.

The Hall of Famer -- who played for several teams throughout his NBA career -- even said he'll post the footage of him fulfilling the bet live on his IG.

Of course, both the Suns and Warriors have been two of the best teams in the league all season ... so Shaq's bet could very well blow up in his face.

Phoenix and GSW have played each other three times already ... with the Dubs winning two out of the three matchups.

LeBron James is quickly getting over the Lakers' struggles and focusing on the positives ... by losing his mind over his wife's latest Instagram post.

The Lakers are below .500 with a 21-22 record so far this season, forcing the King to publicly apologize via social media on Sunday.

While LBJ's social media activity seemed like a downer, it got much better once Savannah posted a gorgeous look on Instagram Sunday night ... with Bron gushing multiple times over the shot.

"When you walked downstairs I said to myself 'GODDAMN!!! That’s MINE'🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥," LBJ said in response to Savannah's red hair and black outfit.

"SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL Queen 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍"

James didn't stop there ... he reposted the video on his own IG, saying, "GODDESS QUEEN 👸🏾!!"

"Lucky Black Man I am. SHEESH she’s BAD!!," he added. "It’s gone be a great week when you start it off with a Monday like this!"

Of course, LeBron and Savannah -- who were were high school sweethearts -- got married in 2013 and have three kids together ... Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri.

Russell Westbrook can't catch a break -- the Lakers star was hilariously mocked by the Sacramento Kings' in-house DJ on Wednesday ... who played the song "Cold As Ice" every time he missed a shot.

It's no secret -- Russ hasn't necessarily been lights-out from the field recently ... and the shooting slump continued against the Kings in Sacramento.

Check out the clip -- you can hear the DJ drop a snippet of Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" track every time Westbrook missed a shot.

BTW, Russ finished the game with just 8 points -- going 2-14 from the field -- so the song was played quite a bit.

But, that wasn't the only troll job of the night -- in the waning moments of the game, the Kings put up a graphic on the scoreboard ... calling Westbrook the "Ice Cold Player Of The Game."

This isn't the first time we've seen the former MVP struggle to shoot the rock. In fact, here are some of Russ' most recent shooting woes.

7-of-19 vs. MIN

7-of-19 vs. SAC

4-of-14 vs. ATL

2-of-12 vs. MEM

2-of-14 vs. SAC

Westbrook brushed it all off after the game ... telling reporters "That's funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It's funny they play it now. That's cute."

To Russ' credit, he did take personal responsibility for his shooting struggles ... saying, "Man, who you telling. I can't f**king hit a shot, boy."

You can tell Lamar Odom still has love for his ex-wife, Khloe Kardashian, based on what he's saying about her recent embarrassment at the hands of Tristan Thompson ... and telling us what'd he do to comfort her.

We got the former NBA superstar Wednesday at the Atlanta Fish Market in Buckhead, and he said he hasn't reached out to Khloe since TT copped to getting another woman pregnant.

LO says he and Khloe haven't seen each other in a long time, but he feels like this would be a great time to be able to give her a hug.

Rocking a fur coat as he and his manager, Tonita B, entered the restaurant ... Lamar echoes what a lot of people have said about Khloe being a strong woman -- and he also told us what advice he'd give her ... if he had the opportunity for a face-to-face.

While we asked directly about Tristan, Lamar clearly didn't want to discuss him ... simply saying "he's corny" for what he did. TT and Lamar have butted heads in the past, like earlier this year after Lamar left a comment on a Khloe post.

Of course, Lamar's had his challenges over the years -- including his nearly-fatal OD in 2015 -- and other substance abuse struggles, but he seems to be on the straight and narrow lately.

Khloe and Lamar got married in 2009, and Khloe filed for divorce in 2015 ... but she withdrew the filing when he suffered his OD so that she could make medical decisions on his behalf while he was in a coma. The divorce was finalized in 2016.