NBA

Matt Barnes is getting court-ordered protection from his fiancée's ex-husband ... after the former NBA champ said the guy had terrorized him in the lead-up to a wild spitting incident at the 49ers game on Sunday.

Barnes got a judge to sign off on a temporary restraining order against David Patterson Jr. on Wednesday ... just days after he spat on the man in a concourse at Levi's Stadium before the S.F. vs Dallas playoff game.

Barnes' TRO is slated to last until Feb. 16 -- when a hearing on the matter will go down in Los Angeles.

As part of the order, 37-year-old Patterson Jr. is required to have no contact with Barnes ... and must stay at least 100 yards away from the ex-Golden State Warriors forward. Patterson Jr. has also been ordered to have no firearms.

As we reported, 42-year-old Barnes initially filed for the TRO on Tuesday -- after he alleged Patterson Jr. had made his life hell the past few months.

Barnes claimed in his TRO application that Patterson Jr. was "jealous of my relationship with my ex-wife" ... and had harassed him repeatedly. At one point, according to Barnes, Patterson Jr. had threatened to shoot him with a gun.

Barnes also claimed in the documents that Patterson Jr. "hunted" him down at the 49ers game on Sunday ... and "aggressively confronted" him. Barnes said the guy yelled profanities and threats, and shoved him. It all ultimately led to Barnes spitting on him.

Dennis Schroder's Wednesday night went from awesome to pretty crappy real quick ... 'cause just after the Lakers point guard helped his team beat the Spurs -- a vehicle he was riding in was stopped by cops in Hollywood.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... it all went down at around midnight, just a couple hours after the Lakers game had ended. According to an LAPD spokesperson, the stop was initiated after the vehicle allegedly had improper plates.

Video from the scene shows cops spoke with Schroder and what appeared to be his driver for about half an hour after pulling over the ride at a gas station.

It all seemed cordial, according to videos of the interaction ... with Schroder, at times, sporting a big smile on his face.

"I don't know what happened," the 29-year-old told a camera person during the stop. "I'm still surprised."

The LAPD says someone received a citation for improper plates during the stop, though it's unclear who the alleged violator was. Video shows Schroder was allowed to leave the scene without any issue.

Schroder's night had been going very well up until the pullover -- he played 37 minutes in the Lakers' win over San Antonio at Crypto.com Arena, logging nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.

Rui Hachimura made his debut as the Los Angeles Lakers' newest addition on Wednesday ... but a lot of his fans back home missed out on the action -- 'cause the historic moment caused the NBA's streaming service in Japan to crash.

The Lakers acquired the 24-year-old from the Washington Wizards earlier this week ... shipping Kendrick Nunn and a handful of second round picks to secure the deal -- making Rui the first Japanese-born player in Lakers franchise history.

Fans were quick to complain on social media about not being able to watch Rui check in towards the end of the first quarter of the Lakers' home win over the San Antonio Spurs ... forcing the streaming service to address the issue.

Rakuten -- the Association's official streaming partner in Japan since 2017 -- released a statement on the matter ... saying, "Starting around 12:20 PM Japan Time on Thursday, January 26, the NBA Rakuten site became inaccessible when a sudden surge in user traffic caused a server issue," according to The Sun.

"This was around the time that the San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers game tipped off."

To resolve the issue, Rakuten says it made the game available on YouTube until the site was back up and running again.

Rakuten claims the problem was fixed ... and service has returned to normal.

Matt Barnes spit on his fiancee's ex during a heated altercation at the Cowboys vs. 49ers game on Sunday -- video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows -- but the former NBA champ claims the man started it all, threatening him and shoving him.

The incident happened at around 3:40 PM just before the playoff contest began at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara ... when Barnes encountered his fiancee's former husband, David Patterson Jr., in a concourse at the venue.

In the footage, you can see Barnes sprayed the man with spit -- before he later got in the guy's face.

The clip shows the two exchanged words and got in a bit of a wrestling match -- before, thankfully, they separated and walked off in different directions.

According to an application for a temporary civil restraining order filed by Barnes in L.A. County court two days after the incident, the NBA star alleges Patterson Jr. was the aggressor in the situation.

In the court documents, Barnes says Patterson Jr. "hunted me down and aggressively confronted me." He said the 37-year-old yelled profanities and threats at him, called him names, and incited the crowd around them "into a frenzy by yelling out my full name repeatedly."

Barnes added that Patterson Jr. eventually "shoved me, and I was forced to push him off of me." He continued, "I did not want the altercation to physically escalate further, and out of frustration with him seeking me out and his unrelenting repeated harassment I spit in his direction in disgust."

Cops tell us they were called to the scene to investigate an allegation of battery -- where they say the alleged victim ID'ed 42-year-old Barnes as the suspect. They said an investigation into the case remains ongoing.

As for Barnes' request for the TRO, he says Patterson Jr. has been terrorizing him for months -- believing the man "is jealous of my relationship with his ex-wife." He said at one point in 2022, Patterson Jr. threatened to shoot him with his gun. He's asking the court to restrict Patterson Jr. from coming within 100 yards of him.

Barnes, who played three seasons in the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors in his NBA career, appeared to go on with his Sunday night without further incident ... seeming to be in great spirits as he watched the game from suite seats.

Jimmy Butler and the Heat turned a nightmare into a dream come true for one Argentinian fan who flew all the way to Miami to watch his favorite player ... gifting the kid a signed ball and a jersey after the NBA star missed the game due to an injury.

The young fan -- 12-year-old Felipe -- was spotted holding a huge sign that read, "Dear Jimmy: We flew over 4,405 miles to see you play. Can we get a photo or a big face coffee? ;)" before the game ... but unfortunately, Butler was ruled out with a back injury.

Cameras caught the moment the young fan and his sister, Zoe, found out Jimmy would not be playing in Tuesday night's matchup against the Boston Celtics ... and it's absolutely crushing.

But, this story has an amazing ending ... 'cause Butler and the Heat got wind of the kid's predicament and decided to hook him up with an even better experience.

The Heat gifted the fan with an autographed Miami Heat basketball and a new Butler Nike Mashup Vol. 2 Authentic jersey ... and gave him on-court access, which led to a photo with Heat point guard Gabe Vincent!!

Butler addressed the gesture on his Instagram story -- captioning a photo of the interaction, "I got you."

Of course, Butler always looks out for his fans ... with TNT's Jamal Crawford saying he's not one bit surprised the All-Star went above and beyond for one of his fans -- because he's done it throughout his career.

Awesome move, Jimmy.

Shaquille O'Neal is making good on his promise ... putting the final wheels in motion to rebuild his Krispy Kreme shop in Atlanta after its historic original burned down nearly two years ago.

The NBA legend shared photos of plans for the new-and-improved doughnut place on his social media page Tuesday ... saying the famed Ponce de Leon location will be back in business once again starting this summer.

"I told u me and @krispykreme would bounce back better than ever in Atlanta!" Shaq said in his post. "Can't wait to turn on the Hot Light at our brand-new Ponce shop this summer."

Shaq, who bought the place in 2016, had initially promised to repair it in Feb. 2021 -- after officials say an arsonist set it ablaze, ruining it.

At the time, the Diesel said, "we will bounce back better than ever."

The proclamation was well received by the community -- as the doughnut shop is considered one of the most famous in the country following its donation of boxes of treats to mourners who flocked to Atlanta to grieve the death of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

"The community has shown us so much support and patience as we designed the new shop," Krispy Kreme exec Dave Skena said.

The McDonald's All-American game rosters have been released ... and none other than LeBron's son, Bronny, is one of the 24 players who will participate in the marquee event.

The East and West squads were announced just minutes ago ... with huge names like Bronny, Kentucky recruits Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner (son of ex-NBAer Dajuan Wagner), Aaron Bradshaw and Reed Sheppard, USC commit Isaiah Collier and future Texas Longhorn Ron Holland getting the nod.

Of course, the game is one of the biggest events for high school hoops ... with a ton of future NBA superstars suiting up for the matchup each year.

In fact, LeBron destroyed the competition when he played in the game in 2003 ... scoring 27 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and handing out 7 assists. He was named the MVP of the contest.

Bronny -- ESPN's 28th-ranked player in the class of 2023 -- is the only player on either roster who has yet to announce their next step after graduating college ... but it's only a matter of time before he picks a school.

The game will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston on March 28.

Amazing news for Slava Medvedenko -- the ex-Lakers player was gifted replacement championship rings on Monday ... after selling his original bling to help raise money for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss presented the new rings to Medvedenko at an event for L.A. fans ... five months after he decided to help his native country fight against the Russian invasion.

Medvedenko -- who was on the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led squads that won it all in 2001 and 2002 -- sold the rings for $253,534 ... and all of the proceeds went to his "Fly High Foundation," an organization devoted to helping kids affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Medvedenko started the org. in 2022 ... and it focuses on repairing sports facilities at schools in areas hit hard by the war.

"In this moment, I just decided, 'Why do I need these rings if they’re just sitting in my safe?'" Medvedenko said of parting ways with the bling at the time. "I just recognize I can die."

"After that, I just say I have to sell them to show people leadership, to help my Ukrainian people to live better, to help kids."

Slava did more than sell his rings, though -- the 6'10" NBA hooper served in Ukraine's territorial defense during the war, despite having no prior military experience.

Get ready, Seattle ... the NBA is coming back -- at least, that's according to Gary Payton, who tells TMZ Sports he truly believes the Association is gearing up to put a squad back in the city soon.

The NBA legend said he feels it'll all come as part of an expansion effort in the next two or three years.

Payton explained ... he thinks NBA commissioner Adam Silver will add two teams to the league, one in Las Vegas -- and the other in Seattle. He said he figures it'll all go down around 2025.

"I think it's gonna happen," The Glove said. "I think us and Vegas should be a good starting point for what the NBA wants to do."

Of course, the league used to have a team in Seattle -- Payton played for it for 13 of his 18 NBA seasons -- but it relocated the franchise to Oklahoma City following the 2007-08 season.

Seattle mainstays have been pining for a return of the SuperSonics almost ever since -- with even Russell Wilson fighting for it during his time as the Seahawks' quarterback.

Payton tells us he's doing everything he can to facilitate the move ... saying he's already had talks about potentially being involved in the new ownership group.

"I'm already in the works with that," he said.

Lil Baby strives to be the most fly rapper in the game and that mentality obviously trickles down to his own children!!!

The Atlanta rapper recently hit up Icebox Diamonds & Watches, his home away from home, to lace his 7-year-old son, Jason, with a couple of new diamond emblems modeled after a pair of Baby's pre-existing pieces.

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Jason's 4PF chain consists of more than 5 carats of VS diamonds with blue and green enamel accents -- a junior take on Baby's chain, which has 70+ carats!

The fresh father and son duo also plan to stunt at NBA games, as they frequent State Farm Arena for their hometown Atlanta Hawks ... and Skylar says they now have matching pieces to rep their team.

Jason's Hawks pendant sports 2 carats of diamonds and 25 grams of gold -- while his dad's has 10x the bling with 20 carats of diamonds, and 150 grams of white gold.

Larsa Pippen and Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, just went Instagram official ... and Scottie Pippen may have taken a stray in the process!

Scottie's ex-wife of 24+ years (they divorced in 2021) posed in a see-through shirt and short-shorts with 32-year-old Marcus on Monday at his Trophy Room retail boutique in Orlando ... and the two are clearly holding hands.

But, what makes the whole thing a bit awkward ... the two are standing right in front of a floral arrangement designed to look like the Chicago Bulls legend's number 23 jersey.

Of course, Scottie and MJ had a notoriously rocky relationship ... and the all-time legendary teammates are far from best friends.

Larsa has downplayed the situation from the jump, claiming several times it's not an issue because the families don't hang out.

Marcus and Larsa first sparked dating rumors when they were spotted in Miami late last year, and haven't shied away from cameras since.

Soccer superstar Vinícius Júnior will be among the G.O.A.T.s when he sweats it out at home from now on ... 'cause he just got an incredible new mural of his favorite athletes inside his gym!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- the 22-year-old Real Madrid winger hit up famous artist René Mäkelä for a truly one-of-a-kind art piece inside his home ... which features realistic images of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and fellow Brazilian footballers Ronaldo and the late Pelé.

We're told Vini Jr. idolizes these superstars ... and ya gotta assume staring at the legends will provide some extra motivation during workouts.

Dubbed the "Idols Wall," the whole thing stands almost 23 feet wide and over 7 feet tall ... and was made with oil and acrylic paint.

It's a very fitting piece for the guy -- Vini Jr. is one of the best young stars in the sport ... and he's fresh off his first World Cup appearance for Brazil.

As for the artist, Mäkelä has worked with a ton of big celebrities in the past ... including Madonna, Chris Brown, Cam Newton, Manny Machado, Jarvis Landry, Matt Kemp and more.

Now's your chance to cop an incredibly rare pair of Jordans -- originally created a few years back to commemorate Biggie's birthday -- and now the kicks are hitting the auction block, but they won't come cheap!

The Air Jordan 13s were designed in 2017 to honor what would've been Notorious B.I.G's 45th trip around the sun ... but the sneakers were never released. They remained locked away ... until now.

23 pairs of the AJs will be auctioned off at Sotheby's ... sizes 7 to 13. The auction tells us they expect each pair to sell between $2,300 to $5,200! There's no reserve price, meaning bidding starts at $1 (and goes way up from there).

As for the design of the sneakers ... the 13s are black with a hint of red. The silhouette of the Brooklyn rapper is stitched on the tongue.

They also feature the words ... "it was all a dream" and "if you don't know, now you know" on the inside of the tongue, which, of course, are some of Biggie's most iconic bars from his 6-time platinum hit "Juicy".

As for why they picked 23 pairs to auction, and chose to auction the sneakers now ... we're told it's to honor Michael Jordan's jersey number and mark the 50-year anniversary of hip hop music.

"This auction marks the only opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts alike to acquire these special limited-edition sneakers that bring together the legacies of the greatest athlete of all time with the greatest rapper ever," Sotheby's exec Brahm Wachter said.

Proceeds from the online auction, which ends February 3, will go towards the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation ... an organization that helps inner-city kids excel in school by providing sponsorships and grants, among much more.

Notorious B.I.G. -- who was shot and killed in Los Angeles in 1997 -- is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Shannon Sharpe offered a mea culpa Monday morning, apologizing for getting into an altercation with several Grizzlies players and Ja Morant's dad near his floor seats at the Lakers game Friday night, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.

"I want to apologize for my behavior," Sharpe said this morning on "Undisputed," adding ... "For the last six and a half years, I've preached accountability and responsibility. And I take full responsibility for what transpired. It does not matter what Dillon Brooks said or how many times he said it."

"Me being the responsible person. Me having the platform that I have and having so many people look up to me, I was wrong. I should have lowered the temperature in the arena. Instead, I turned the temperature up, and I let it get out of hand."

Sharpe then apologized to Jeanie Buss, the Lakers organization, and their fans for "any harm or unwanted attention" he may have caused. The FS1 commentator also apologized to the Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks, and Morant, whom he raved about after witnessing him play in person.

Of course, sitting courtside for the Grizzlies-Lakers game Friday night, Shannon got into a heated back-and-forth with Brooks, causing Ja and Steven Adams to come to Dillon's defense.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was also jawing with Ja's dad, Tee, "saying, "I bet you won't," multiple times as security, arena staffers, referees, and players tried to separate them.

Despite the chaotic scene, Sharpe returned to his seat a quarter later to finish watching the game -- and even made amends with Tee later in the night.

Basketball's King apparently has the Midas Touch when it comes to pickleball too ... 'cause Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn tells TMZ Sports LeBron James' recent investment in the league brought BILLIONS of eyeballs to the sport!!!

LBJ -- alongside Kevin Love and Draymond Green -- bought a team in the MLP back in Sept. 2022 ... and Kuhn tells us immediately afterward, interest in the org. absolutely exploded.

"This year, stories about Major League Pickleball hit 11 billion eyeballs," Kuhn said, "and the LeBron announcement alone was four billion."

Of course, the sport had been on the rise even before LeBron got involved ... the unique, tennis-like game is widely considered the fastest-growing activity in America.

And, while LeBron's inclusion in the action was huge for the league ... he's hardly the only sports superstar to jump into the mix. Everyone from Tom Brady to Drew Brees to Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka and Kevin Durant have bought into the MLP as well.

Even LeBron's best buddy, Rich Paul, is an investor -- and he told us earlier this month he could see it all eventually becoming a huge deal in the U.S.

As for if the NBA and NFL players would ever get ON the pickleball court ... Kuhn -- like the rest of us -- is hoping that happens soon.

Shannon Sharpe and Ja Morant's dad, Tee, got into a heated altercation at the Laker game Friday night ... with both sides needing to be separated before eventually making amends.

It all went down during the first half of the Lakers' home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena ... when the focus shifted from the court to the crowd.

Memphis guard Dillon Brooks and the FS1 commentator -- who had courtside seats for the game -- had been jawing back and forth during the contest ... when Dillon's teammates Steven Adams and Morant inserted themselves into the picture.

Adams can be seen barking at Sharpe ... as everyone else tries to restore some semblance of order. As the chaos ensues, Shannon and Tee got into a war of words, too.

In the video, Shannon appears to yell "I bet you won't" at Tee multiple times as staffers, security and referees get between them.

Shannon was then escorted out of the seating area and into the tunnel.

After the commotion, Shannon spoke to ESPN's Dave McMenamin at halftime and said it all started after he told Brooks he couldn't guard LeBron James.

"I said he was too small to guard LeBron. He said, 'F*** me,'" Sharpe told Dave. "I said, 'f*** you back.'"

Sharpe claims that's when Brooks came after him ... followed by Ja and his father, which led to him responding the way he did.

"They didn't want this smoke," said Shannon. "They do all this talking and jockeying, and I ain't about that jockeying."

"I wanted anything they had. Don't let these fools fool you now."