NBA

A super-rare Kobe Bryant card just netted a fortune in a private sale ... with TMZ Sports learning the piece sold for a staggering $2 MILLION!!

The card is a 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems piece -- and it's one of the rarest Black Mamba cards in existence.

It's numbered to 100, although only 10 of the emerald version were ever made, and with an 8.5 grade, it's still in ridiculously good condition.

Officials at PWCC Marketplace -- which brokered the sale -- tell us the historic sale went down last week ... saying it set an all-time record for a Kobe card.

"This is arguably Kobe's best card in existence," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said. "It's more desirable than even a Kobe Bryant rookie card or a Kobe Bryant autograph."

The front of the card features a still image of a young Bryant donning his #8 Lakers jersey ... and passing the basketball with flair.

The back of the card displays the Mamba with a focused look on his face ... and his stats from the '96-'97 season.

Craig tells us the card's design is also what makes it so valuable ... because it was one of the first-ever created in the "insert" style mold.

"These Precious Metal Gems variants are arguably the most desired insert card in the entire world," Craig said. "These set the tone for the insert market going forward."

No word on who the buyer is ... but something tells us they're pretty rich.

Mitchell Robinson's dad is missing ... and the New York Knicks center is asking everyone for help finding him.

Robinson -- who was drafted in the second round by the Knicks in 2018 -- expressed concern on social media ... saying his dad, Mitchell Robinson Jr., has been MIA since Feb 13.

"My dad is missing if you have info on his whereabouts please contact 850-436-9620," the number for the Escambia County Sheriff's Dept., Mitchell wrote.

Days later, Robinson once again took to social media ... pleading with the public to help him locate his father.

"Don't know a place the devil will hide you ... Come home pops," Robinson wrote on his Instagram story.

The Escambia County Sherriff's Office is aware of Robinson Jr.'s disappearance ... and reports that Robinson Jr. was actually last seen on Feb 11.

The sheriff's office is currently investigating the manner ... and shared a photo of Mitchell's dad, as well information surrounding his last whereabouts on its Facebook page.

Robinson has played in 53 games for the Knicks this season ... and has seen an increase in his productivity and efficiency across the board.

No All-Star Game selection (and no healthy elbow) for Paul George, clearly no problem ...

The Clippers forward was spotted living it up in St. Barts instead of healthily playing in the NBA's showcase this weekend ... being seen shirtless in the sun with his fiancee, Daniela Rajic.

George looked to have no issue whatsoever with being away from the trainer's room and the hardwood for a few days ... and Rajic, sporting a colorful one-piece, didn't seem to have too much issue with it either.

The couple has a few more days to burn in the Caribbean Sea too ... as George's Clippers don't return to action until Friday when they take on the Lakers.

George's teammates, meanwhile, are certainly hoping the vacay heals their star ... the guy started the season on fire but has been out the past few weeks with a serious elbow injury.

Lamar Odom is sending a message to ex-wife Khloe Kardashian ... after he was evicted from "Celebrity Big Brother."

The former Los Angeles Lakers star had his exit interview with Julie Chen Moonves -- after getting kicked out of the "Celebrity Big Brother" house -- and she asked if there's anything he'd like to say to Khloe.

His response ... "I miss you and I hope to get to see you soon."

Lamar and Khloe -- who were together from 2009 to 2016 -- had a tumultuous relationship ... much of it fueled by Lamar's drug abuse. He's said he has deep regrets and would like a redo if that were possible.

Earlier in the season, Lamar told singer and choreographer Todrick Hall ... "I had some good dreams last night. I dreamt about my ex-wife last night I wish I could take that time back. I miss her so much."

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

Lamar was eliminated on 'CBB' with Todd Bridges during a double-elimination episode. Lamar and Todd have used their time in the house to bond over their sobriety.

And, Lamar says they have a special bond ... "Todd has been sober for 33 years now, so I asked him to be my sober coach. That is why I joined the 'Celebrity Big Brother' cast because sobriety is really important to me at this point in my life."  Lamar says he's been sober for seven years.

Hornets star LaMelo Ball received a custom 17-carat diamond pendant from Puma -- celebrating his first All-Star appearance -- and we're told the pendant is worth $80k!!

TMZ Sports has learned Puma hit up renowned jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills in L.A. ... and asked him to create the super-flashy piece of bling for Ball to rock at ASW.

Of course, Ball is signed to Puma ... so when news broke 20-year-old Ball was selected to play in the game in Cleveland they wanted to make sure LaMelo showed up and showed out all weekend.

Check out the video, the chain features 17 carats of flawless white diamonds set into yellow and white gold.

If you look closely ... you can see the iconic Puma logo as well as the words "All-Star" in honor of LaMelo's first appearance in the NBA's showcase of elites.

FYI, at age 20, LaMelo became the fourth-youngest player to ever participate in the game -- behind LeBron James (20 years, 52 days old), Magic Johnson (20 years, 173 days old), and the late Kobe Bryant who did it at just 19 years old.

We're told Ball was gifted the serious drip in Cleveland ... just in time for him to showcase the ice to his fellow peers and fans.

Michael Jordan shared a special moment with Kobe Bryant's wife at the All-Star Game on Sunday ... with MJ embracing Vanessa after the Lakers legend was honored during halftime.

The Black Mamba received a powerful ovation as members of the league's 75th-anniversary team were recognized in Cleveland ... and Vanessa was visibly overcome with emotion as her husband was featured on the scoreboard.

Jordan, Jerry West and Lakers GM/Kobe's longtime agent Rob Pelinka were spotted alongside Vanessa during the festivities ... as #23 went up and gave her a big hug and chatted with her on the court.

Kobe's presence was felt throughout the night ... as Vanessa was in attendance to hand Chris Paul the WNBA's first Kobe and Gigi Bryant Advocacy award, which honors players for their contributions to women's hoops.

Stephen Curry won the newly-designed Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award ... after nailing 16 3-pointers to help Team LeBron beat Team Durant, 163-160.

The exchange between MJ and Vanessa was truly emotional for fans to watch -- Jordan and Kobe were close, and the Bulls legend even gave a tearful speech at Bryant's service in 2020.

Adele is trying to tune out any distractions in her life ... even cameras that are right up in her face!

Adele was at the NBA All-Star Game Sunday night -- no doubt showing support for BF Rich Paul -- and a camera crew unsurprisingly got a shot of her.

The cameras got super close to her, but Adele just pretended they weren't there ... looking away to either side. The shot lasted an uncomfortably long time. Typically the director stays on the shot until the person they're shooting acknowledges it, but that never happened.

Adele hasn't been seen in public much since the cancellation of her Vegas residency... where she went online and apologized -- breaking the news just one day before the first show would begin.

She's mostly been on the down-low since the cancellation, with the exception of a night out at a gay bar in London.

This was a big night for Rich, and Adele was there to support him and watch the game. They were seated next to another musical icon -- Mary J. Blige.

Macy Gray’s the latest to try something different with the National Anthem during the NBA All-Star weekend ... and yet again, it evoked some would-be chuckles from the players.

The Grammy-winning singer did a take on the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ Sunday ahead of tip-off for the All-Star game, and it definitely conjured up memories of Fergie from 4 years ago ... when she did something similar during her appearance.

Just like then, MG’s rendition now is getting widely mocked -- but more importantly, it’s causing the same sorts of reactions among the guys themselves, most notably ... LeBron James, who was seen apparently fighting back laughter when the camera panned to him.

He was standing next to Steph Curry, who kept his composure this time ... and you can see LBJ with a big grin on his face as Macy sings. When he looks up to the Jumbotron and sees his reaction was captured, he bows his head in embarrassment -- trying to hide.

He wasn’t the only one who was left stunned by the show -- one Bill Murray was in the crowd as well, and he seemed dumbfounded by what he was hearing.

Others, too, looked on with confusion ... maybe even terror!

Still, Macy powered through it ... and ended with one of the shortest “brave” refrains we’ve ever heard. She got a round of applause, obviously, and was graceful upon completion.

Funny enough, she’s actually had some thoughts on Old Glory of late ... suggesting the flag needs to be redesigned to reflect modern-day America.

Bill Maher delivered a devastating blow to celebrities, companies and woke American culture for turning a blind eye to the horrendous abuses in China ... mostly to make a buck.

Maher lasered in on freestyle skier Eileen Gu, an American who chose to join Team China for the Beijing games. As he puts it, "She chose to represent a totalitarian police state over America." He also notes she's made $23 million from a ton of endorsements in China.

Bill ticked off some of the horrendous human rights abuses in China, including genocide. He then wondered out loud why Americans -- in particular celebs -- who show outrage for abuses at home are either silent about the abuses in China or say something critical and then apologize.

He recalls NBA GM Daryl Morey who tweeted a few years ago he stands with Hong Kong -- a country whose freedom is being crushed by China. LeBron James fired back that Morey had to be "educated." And, what does Maher think is behind LeBron's jab -- $$$. Maher notes the NBA has a $1.5 billion deal for TV rights in China, then saying of LeBron ... "I got some shoes to sell."

And, then Maher led in hard on John Cena, who once called Taiwan a separate country from China. Point of fact, it is, although it's pretty clear China wants to change that. So, Maher noted 34% of global box office is generated from China, and Cena's a big movie star ... so then Maher played Cena's video, apologizing to the Chinese for saying what he said. BTW, Cena apologized in Chinese. Wait till you hear Bill's joke about small balls.

He goes on and on ... the remake of "Top Gun" has scrubbed the Taiwanese flag from the bomber jackets.

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game had challenges Friday night ... because there was a major distraction in the crowd -- and her name is Megan Fox.

It must've been super hard for some players to concentrate as Megan cheered on her fiance Machine Gun Kelly, who played on Team Walton in the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

MGK was festooned in bling as he showed off his skills ... btw, he has mad skills on the hardwood.

Team Walton also included Quavo ... himself a pretty awesome player. He was more than happy to mug for a selfie with former WNBA great Lisa Leslie.

The opposing team -- Team Nique -- included the likes of Tiffany Haddish, singer Kane Brown and Jack Harlow!

Good sportsmanship clearly abounded at the event, as Jack Harlow of Team Nique was seen sharing a heartwarming embrace with Quavo of the opposite side.

Matt James of 'Bachelor' fame and a member of Team Walton had a misstep when he was shooting from the foul line and hit teammate Brittney Elena in the chest by mistake. People started trolling Matt on social media, and Brittney then jumped in ... "🤣🤣🤦🏽‍♀️🤣🤣 He said sorry y'all! It was a simple mistake lol."

Warriors forward Draymond Green's L.A. house was ransacked during Super Bowl weekend ... and over $1,000,000 worth of stuff -- watches, jewelry, and other property -- was stolen, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us 31-year-old Green -- who attended Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles -- came home later that night and discovered someone had busted their way into his home.

Our sources tell us the alleged perps entered Green's residence through his window ... and made off with watches, jewelry, and other personal property.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to an athlete in Los Angeles. During Game 7 of the World Series in 2017, Dodgers star Yasiel Puig's home was burglarized.

In 2019, the NFL warned the Rams of the potential for burglaries ... and advised the players to beef up security.

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.