NBA

Matt James tells TMZ Sports he's planning to say sorry for hitting a photographer with a golf ball last week by treating him to steak and an NBA game.

We got the 'Bachelor' star out in Los Angeles just days after he drilled a camera guy in the leg in Arizona with an errant tee shot ... and he told us he STILL feels bad about the swing.

So much so, James said he's planning a big night out for the photog as soon as he gets back into the Scottsdale area.

James tells us he wants to take the dude to Toca Madera, and then hit up a Suns game. After that, it seems like James feels like they'll be even.

Good news, bad news, Lakers fans -- Shaquille O'Neal says LeBron James' squad WILL turn things around and make the playoffs this season ... but, bringing home a championship "probably" ain't happening.

TMZ Sports talked to the Big Fella at his "Shaq's Fun House" Super Bowl party on Friday ... and he kept it a buck about the Lake Show's title hopes as they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 26-30 record.

"They definitely will make the playoffs," Shaq says ... adding there's always pressure within the Lakers organization to be the best.

"This was one of the hardest franchises I ever had to play for," Shaq says.

"I remember when I came here, Jerry West said, 'Look, I know you do movies, I know you do rap albums and all that,' But, he made me look up [in the rafters] and I seen Wilt [Chamberlain] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and he said, 'At the end of this, you're either going to be a bust or you're going to be a legend.' So, those guys have to decide how they want to be remembered."

Shaq believes the problem is this Lakers team is old and playing like it ... but if they bring the energy for all 48 minutes each game, they'll start to find more success against the younger teams in the league.

Of course, O'Neal knows a thing or two about winning in L.A. -- he helped the Purple and Gold with 3-straight titles from 2000-2002 ... something he paid tribute to during his DJ Diesel set at the party.

The current Lakers seem far from locking in title #18 this year ... and James Worthy recently said his former team is at the "lowest point" he's ever seen.

Shanna Moakler's boyfriend is having second thoughts about proposing ... because he's not liking what he's seeing from her and Lamar Odom on the "Celebrity Big Brother" live feed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Shanna's boyfriend, Matthew Rondeau, is NOT happy with the subtle sexual innuendos flying back and forth between his girl and Lamar inside the 'CBB' house.

We're told Matthew's been watching the live feeds, plus the reality show, ever since Shanna entered the house ... and he's picked up some troublesome behavior between the two.

In one clip, Shanna says to Lamar ... "These are wetter so just keep pushing" ... and he replies "that's always better." The exchange continues with Shanna saying, "Always better when it's wetter, that's my motto."

Our sources say Matthew noticed Shanna using some of the same phrases he uses around her, and he finds it disrespectful and hurtful and doesn't know why she's doing it.

Matthew understands Shanna's on a reality show, but he feels boundaries are being crossed ... and assumes producers are egging on the narrative for the show.

Regardless, we're told things aren't sitting well with Matthew because Shanna is still his girlfriend ... TV cameras be damned.

Add it all up, and our sources say Matthew is second-guessing whether he wants to take the plunge with Shanna and ask for her hand in marriage.

Two NBA superstars finally got their wish in one trade -- James Harden has been shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons.

The blockbuster deal is currently being finalized, according to Shams Charania ... and will reportedly include Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks heading to Brooklyn.

The trade officially ends Simmons' stand-off with the Sixers -- he hasn't played a minute of basketball this season ... saying he was not mentally prepared to compete.

More recently, Harden reportedly hated his time in BK ... and was hoping to get traded to a new franchise.

It's crushing for Sixers coach Doc Rivers, who told us back in the summer he wanted Simmons back this season.

The move rocks the Eastern Conference -- the Sixers are currently 5th in the standings with a 32-22 record ... and the Nets are sitting in 8th with a 29-25 record.

Christmas wrapped up nearly two months ago, but Floyd Mayweather still did his best Santa impression outside of the Lakers game on Tuesday night ... doling out $100 bills to kids!

It was a super generous act for the legendary boxer ... who said, "I'm all about giving back to the kids" as he forked over cash to youngsters who were trying to sell candy bars at Crypto.com Arena.

In total, Floyd handed over $400 or $500 to the kids ... and he didn't blink an eye parting ways with the money -- adding, "The kids out here selling candy, they ain't doing nothing wrong."

Floyd then promised to repeat the gesture "every time" he sees them at the games going forward.

It should be noted ... Mayweather did not take any candy in return for the cash, a sign that he's taking his upcoming exhibition match later this month pretty dang seriously.

Scary moment in the NBA on Monday ... a Wizards assistant coach jumped into the stands and charged at a fan, but fortunately, he was grabbed before a Malice At The Palace-like scene could break out.

The incident happened at the end of Washington's blowout loss to the Heat ... when broadcast cameras showed Mike Batiste appearing to lunge at a fan sitting a few rows behind the Wizards' bench.

You can see in the footage, Batiste got up from his chair, jumped over a row of seats, and nearly made contact with a fan -- but, thankfully, Wizards players grabbed him before anything got physical.

Batiste -- a former pro basketball player who's now serving as the Wizards' manager of player development -- was ultimately escorted into the locker room as the final seconds ticked off the game clock.

Following the loss, Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said he believed Batiste lost his cool because people "said something that was out of line."

"Obviously, we have to take the high road and just can't indulge in that," Unseld Jr. said. "But, I think it was a situation where something was said that was a bit over the line and I think it got the best of one of our coaches. But, either way, you have to take the high road."

Nothing gets in the way of Anthony Edwards and his McChickens -- not even work -- 'cause the NBA star paused his postgame presser Thursday night so he could place a McDonald's order!

It all happened after the Timberwolves knocked off the Pistons in Michigan -- when Edwards told media members to hold their questions while he pounded away on his phone.

"Hold on y'all," the 20-year-old Minnesota guard said. "Don't ask no questions yet. I'm trying to put an order in."

The scene was hilarious ... Edwards sifted through the menu on his phone -- suggesting he was getting McChickens and a drink with no ice -- and the reporters were all good sports about it.

In fact, one reporter joked with Edwards asking if his $44.27 million, 4-year rookie contract is forcing him to eat off the fast-food chain's Value Menu -- and he played along.

"Yeah, yeah, cheap dude," Edwards replied. "I ain't gon' say cheap dude 'cause I like cars and jewelry but, yeah. Cheap dude, man. I'ma wait until my other contract hit. For sure."

McDonald's isn't the only food spot Edwards has brought up in his pressers -- last season, he literally brought Popeyes chicken to one of his postgame interviews.

The NBA just unveiled the newly-designed Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the All-Star Game MVP later this month, and Vanessa Bryant said she's in love with it.

The league revealed the piece Thursday morning ... announcing the new award has four levels, all designed to pay tribute to the Black Mamba.

The first level has 24 stars -- symbolic of the #24 Kobe donned in the second half of his career. The level measures in at 7 inches tall, which pays homage to Bryant's 2007 All-Star Game MVP honor.

The second level features 10 stars, which represent the number KB wore when he played for Team USA in the Olympics. Its 9-inch height is a hat tip to Bryant's 2009 ASG MVP award.

Of course, Kobe won 5 NBA championships in his career with the Los Angeles Lakers ... so the trophy has five stars on the third level.

On the fourth level, the league said "a single star represents Kobe’s NBA MVP Award in the 2007-08 season." The NBA also noted its 2-inch height is emblematic of his two Finals MVP awards.

The mastermind behind the design, Victor Solomon, said in a statement Thursday he worked "tirelessly" to make the piece ... and in an IG post, Vanessa said she resoundingly approved of it.

"I love everything this trophy represents," Vanessa wrote, "all of my husband’s hard work and dedication ~ Mamba Mentality 👑🐍💪🏽 Thank you @NBA & @victorsolomon."

A Colin Kaepernick hater heckled the former NFL star on his way out of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday -- calling the ex-QB a "bum" and saying, "You could never throw a football."

The jerk was heard loud and clear as Kaepernick left the Knicks game in New York and got into his ride ... with the man yelling twice, "You're a bum."

"Get in that car," the heckler added.

Kaepernick never acknowledged the man ... and quietly walked through a swarm of people on his way out of the NBA game and into the waiting car.

Inside of the arena, Colin clearly had a much better time -- he sat next to Spike Lee, and was also spotted chatting it up with former MLB star CC Sabathia before tip-off.

During the game, ESPN Films announced a new docuseries was in the works about Kaepernick, with the production company saying Lee had been tapped to direct it. Officials promised it would tell Kaepernick's story in a way that's never been heard before.

New York fans can thank James Dolan for never landing LeBron James ... so says Knicks legend Charles Oakley, who claims the King's main reason for not signing in the Big Apple was the controversial owner.

Oakley recalled a conversation he had with Bron during the 2014 season in his new book, 'The Last Enforcer,' ... which happened after Oak met Dolan for the first time.

Oak claims the Knicks owner refused to shake hands or even look at him throughout the interaction at All-Star Weekend ... and when he relayed what happened to LeBron, the Chosen One had words of his own.

"I walked back to LeBron and said, 'This motherf***er (Dolan) wouldn't shake my hand,'" Oakley claims. "All LeBron said was, 'This is why I'm never going to New York.'"

Oakley says he was shocked by Dolan's coldness at the time ... saying, "You would have thought I did something to his wife."

"I didn't do anything to this man. What did I ever say that was so bad that he would ignore me like that? I wondered. Man, I wanted to hit him in the head."

Of course, Oakley and LeBron have been good friends for quite some time ... so it's no surprise the 4-time champ would have the Cleveland native's back in the feud.

Tension between Dolan and Oakley reached a boiling point during an incident at Madison Square Garden in 2017, when Oak was hauled out of the arena and arrested by NYPD for getting physical with security staffers.

Oakley -- who spent 10 seasons with the Knicks -- was banned from the Garden (at the behest of Dolan) ... and while the ban was lifted, he has not yet returned to the Mecca.

Lamar Odom is clearly not over Khloe Kardashian ... the ex-NBA star recently said that he misses his ex-wife "so much" -- and is still dreaming about her.

"Celebrity Big Brother" cameras captured Odom's revelation while he was making his bed on the show ... with Lamar repeatedly telling his housemate, choreographer Todrick Hall, that he thinks about Khloe often.

"I had some good dreams last night," Odom can be heard telling Hall in the footage. "I dreamt about my ex-wife last night."

"I miss her so much," Odom continued. "I wish I could take that time back ... I miss her so much."

The 42-year-old married Khloe back in 2009, but the two were divorced just a few years later.

Since their split, Khloe had a daughter, True, with Tristan Thompson ... whom Odom recently called "corny" over the way he's treated Khloe.

Former NBA star Chris Bosh says he's so pissed off over the lack of Black head coaches in the NFL -- he's straight up done watching it until things change.

The 37-year-old ripped the league on Monday via his newsletter "The Last Chip" ... accusing NFL owners of treating Black coaches differently than white ones.

In his post, Bosh said the firings of Brian Flores in Miami and David Culley in Houston were unjust ... saying he believes if the two men were white, they'd still have jobs right now.

"Watching the way the NFL is treating Black coaches has me pissed off," Bosh said. "Plain and simple. Until they fix this, I cannot keep spending my weekends supporting the league."

Bosh noted there's now just one Black head coach in the league -- Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin -- something he called "appalling."

"I'm happy anytime anyone gets a job," the ex-Miami Heat forward said, "but it sure seems like the white guys are having an easier time becoming head coaches and general managers nowadays, while Black coaches are held to an entirely different standard."

The two-time NBA champ says he will no longer spend his Sundays watching ball -- at least until he and his kids see more coaches on the sideline that look like them.

"I want them to know that the next great strategic mind might belong to a coach who isn’t necessarily white," Bosh said. "Because I know they're out there, future Belichick's and Lombardi's and Madden's who happen to not be white men."

NBA legend Allen Iverson got emotional at a signing event over the weekend ... after a young fan handed him a poster that featured an image of him with the late Kobe Bryant.

The cool moment was all captured on camera while Iverson was out in Texas.

You can see in video, after the kid handed him the picture -- which showed the two basketball players together on the court -- he paused to appreciate the image.

"Damn, whose is this?!" Iverson said of the photo. "This yours?!"

"Man, you going to give me one? You got another one for me? Man, I need one of these!"

Iverson eventually autographed the piece ... and then he gave some advice to the kid about always listening to his parents.

Allen's great relationship with Kobe, meanwhile, has been well documented -- the two were both a part of the 1996 draft class -- and competed against each other for decades.

Bryant -- who spent his entire career with the Lakers -- battled AI's 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, and although The Answer was able to steal a game from Shaq/Kobe ... Philly ultimately lost the series, 4-1.

Lamar Odom is still holding out hope for this season's Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports despite their struggles, the Purple and Gold are still his pick to win the NBA title.

LeBron James and Co. have underperformed so far in 2021-22 -- they're far from the top of the Western Conference and can't seem to find a rhythm.

Odom -- who won 2 titles with the Lakers -- says he's not concerned about the Lake Show's lack of success so far ... and it's all thanks to the talent on the roster.

"I think they're good enough to win a championship," Odom tells us. "They're still my pick to win the championship. I don't know if that's Laker pride or me just being a Laker at heart. But they're still my pick."

"Anytime you have LeBron James on the court and a healthy Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony as your 6th man, I think they'll give you a really good shot."

Odom -- who recently launched the Savvy Talent Management Group -- says the team needs to pick it up defensively ... and would like to see LeBron lead the team like Kobe Bryant did for 20 years.

"Of the teams that I played for that won championships, we had a tremendous leader in Bean Bryant," Odom adds. "A lot of his will, tenacity ... it kind of rubbed off on us. I would like to see LeBron James' will and tenacity and his will to win rub off on these Laker guys."

"I think once that happens, once they coincide that, they'll be all right."

The power of K-Pop is real ... just ask Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins, who landed a spot in the NBA All-Star Game starting lineup with the help of one of the genre's biggest stars -- Got7 member BamBam.

The starting 5s for the ASG in Cleveland were officially announced on Thursday ... and while LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and Steph Curry unsurprisingly made the cut for the West, many were wondering how Wiggins landed the honor.

So, how did it happen?? As the SF Gate points out, BamBam -- who became the Dubs' global ambassador this season -- called on his millions of social media followers to vote for the 26-year-old baller on Twitter earlier this month ... and the Ahgase fan base clearly delivered.

Of course, the 2014 #1 overall pick is having a great year -- 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists per game -- and may very well deserve All-Star recognition this season, but getting the third-highest fan votes (3.45 million) among frontcourt players in the conference was completely unexpected.

But, if you know anything about K-Pop fans, they're the most loyal supporters in all of music ... and proved it by tweeting their fingers off to lock in the spot for Wiggins on Thursday.

FYI -- fan votes counted for 50% of the final results, with players and media accounting for the other half.

Wiggins finished with 46 votes from the players -- less than 1/3 of the other frontcourt starters -- earned 4 total votes from the media, and had 1 million more votes than the next frontcourt player, Draymond Green.

BamBam wasn't the only celeb trying to get their favs into the ASG -- Kendall Jenner rallied her millions of followers to vote for her boyfriend, Devin Booker ... but he came up short of Curry and Morant.

Shaquille O'Neal is fed up with Ben Simmons -- the NBA legend wrecked the 76ers star with a rant on Thursday ... calling the baller nothing but a "crybaby."

Shaq's comments on "Inside the NBA" came during a conversation about Joel Embiid ... which turned into a comparison between the two teammates.

"The difference between [Embiid] and his soft partner is he can take criticism without being a crybaby and he still wants to play," O’Neal said.

"The other guy I don’t respect," Shaq said in reference to Simmons. "And I’ve been thinking about it. You’re missing the whole season because they asked your coach a question – can we win without you?"

"And your coach gave a funny answer. That should tell you, in the summertime, you need to work on your game."

The moment Shaq is referring to is a postgame interview with Doc Rivers, when he was asked if Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team ... to which coach responded, "I don't know the answer to that right now."

Shaq pointed out he was criticized by guys in the media over the course of his legendary career ... but he didn't let it get to him, and it motivated him to get better.

“You don’t think I haven’t been criticized by you guys and Stephen A. [Smith] and haven’t been criticized by LA media and New York media?" the Diesel said.

"Great players get criticized but the great players also step up to the criticism and perform."