NBA

Delonte West is back on the basketball court ... and TMZ Sports has learned the ex-NBA star is training for a chance at playing in Ice Cube's BIG3 league!!

Sources tell us the 38-year-old has been training at the Pat The Roc Basketball Academy in Gaithersburg, Maryland every single day for the past month ... in hopes of making a huge comeback.

We're told despite everything that's happened recently, West hasn't lost his touch ... and looking at footage that surfaced online this week, it's true.

In video posted on social media, the guy is able to hit several shots ... and his handles look great as well!!

Not only has West been training hard for his return, we're told he's also been speaking to the kids at the academy and shelling out advice on hoops.

Remember, DW -- the 24th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft -- played 8 seasons in the league for the Mavs, Celtics, Cavaliers, and SuperSonics ... but fell on hard times with mental struggles and substance abuse.

With the help of his family and Mavs owner Mark Cuban, he entered rehab in 2020.

Ex-Atlanta Hawks superstar Josh Smith says covering his body in ink was not cheap -- admitting this week that it all cost him around $65,000 ... and maybe even more than that.

The former NBA player was chatting about his tattoos with Inked NBA when he made the stunning revelation ... explaining he "probably spent that much for real."

Smith says the tattoos were that expensive -- though he did add that he was including airfare and other fees for his artists that were associated with getting the ink.

Smith, though, clearly thinks it's all worth it -- because in the long talk with the outlet, he gushed about his tats and what they all mean to him.

Smith said he has nods to Atlanta on him, his parents, his kids -- and even said he has Chuck Taylors on his shoulder as well.

The 36-year-old said he doesn't really have plans on stopping anytime soon either, but he did say he would likely never put the needle on his face.

Machine Gun Kelly is ready to "Lace Up" for the All-Star Celebrity Game ... 'cause the Cleveland rapper/rocker just gave a glimpse of his 3-point shot during a recent shooting sesh ... and the dude's looking like a taller Darius Garland!!

The award-winning rapper is taking his spot in the All-Star festivities VERY seriously ... and has been training with NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews -- AKA the "Lethal Shooter" -- leading up to the game.

Matthews posted a video of MGK's shooting skills on Instagram ... showing the "Emo Girl" singer draining 6 straight 3-pointers while rocking a Shawn Kemp jersey.

"He's been going hard in the gym getting ready for All-Star weekend," Matthews said.

"Look forward to seeing this celebrity game on Friday. Do your thing, bro!"

FYI -- Matthews has worked with a TON of clients in the past -- from Drake to Anthony Davis to Dwight Howard.

Of course, this All-Star game hits different for MGK ... after all, it's in his hometown.

MGK won't be the only musician on the court -- Jack Harlow, Quavo, Jimmy Allen, Kane Brown, Anjali Ranadivé and Anuel AA will also be in Friday's game.

The two greatest shooting guards in NBA history are featured on a super-rare, SIGNED jersey card ... and now's your chance to own it.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a basketball card featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant has hit the auction block with PWCC Marketplace ... and could come with a massive price tag.

This piece of NBA memorabilia features both superstars' John Hancocks ... as well as a piece of both Jordan and Bryant's game-worn jerseys.

PWCC describes the card as "the single most desirable" card from Upper Deck's Series 2 release in 2000 ... and the first to feature both Black Mamba and His Airness.

The card's in great shape -- it's been stamped 9/10 on the grading scale ... and has been preserved in a Beckett 8 holder to ensure it remains in mint condition.

PWCC Exec Jesse Craig tells us it's very rare that an item like this comes up to auction ... and that only 10 copies of this card were made.

"One of the things that is just so impressive about this card is that it exists at all," Craig said. "Jordan was an obvious legend by this time, but Kobe’s greatness was just getting started."

"We look back at the totality of the careers now and the connection is obvious, but at the time it still required some imagination to craft an asset such as this."

MJ and Kobe became tight over the years ... and the Chicago Bulls legend even spoke at Bryant's funeral in February 2020.

The PWCC auction is currently live ... and ends on February 19. No official word on what the card will go for, but we're told this same card recently sold for $516k!!!

Ja Morant held his sister down on Valentine's Day, hooking up his younger sibling with a brand-spankin' new Jeep Wrangler ... a car she's wanted forever!

The Memphis Grizzlies star -- one of the most electric players in the league -- captured the heartwarming moment on video, posting a clip surprising his younger sister, Teniya, on his Instagram Monday.

Morant and Teniya were hanging out in a parking lot when a brand new white Jeep -- with a red bow -- pulled up, and her reaction was priceless!

Teniya immediately started crying tears of joy ... and she gave her brother a big hug before walking over to the whip in disbelief.

The 22-year-old guard was all smiles ... saying, his sister had "been asking for a Jeep for the longest."

And, with V-Day here, and her birthday just around the corner, Ja thought it was time to give the extravagant gift ... which starts at about $30K!

"Happy Valentine's Day and early birthday lil sis," Morant said.

BTW ... Ja isn't the only hooper in the fam. Teniya plays ball, too. She's a junior at Houston H.S. in Tennessee.

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.