NBA

Some rappers make NBA highlights just by sitting courtside -- but a few artists actually got on the court this weekend to make some Top 10-worthy jumpers!!!

Both Travis Scott and The Game got the royalty treatment during the Utah Jazz win over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday inside Vivint Arena ... and were able to shoot around before the game, targeting nothing but the bottom of the net.

Not to be outdone, YG sank a half-court shot Sunday inside Moda Center, decked out in baggy gear from his 4Hunnid line.

The "Alone" rapper was in Portland for his Red Cup Tour stop and got to see his Lakers beat the Trail Blazers before hitting the stage.

Game hit a couple of consecutive long bombs and went the extra mile and campaigned for an NBA 10-day contract. He also called out Gillie Da Kid to pull up to his home court in L.A. and earn an ass-whooping!!!

Gillie's one of the better shooters in hip hop ... even showing out NBA organizations in the past, so this could get interesting.

Master P is still the only traditional rapper who played in the NBA, having suited up for both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late '90s.

Things are clearly getting quite serious between Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan -- the two now have a secret handshake ... one that they seal with a big smooch!!

Michael Jordan's offspring shared a vid of the couple's new intimate finger-locking greeting on his social media page Sunday night -- showing further that he and Scottie Pippen's ex are, in fact, an item.

In the clip, you can see Marcus and Larsa slapping hands repeatedly -- before Marcus, as part of the shake, put his arm over her head and pulled her in to give her a kiss.

It's a cute and romantic moment for the two -- but it also shows things have certainly progressed to perhaps official relationship status for the couple.

You'll recall, despite getting very close over the past few months, the duo has insisted they're nothing more than just good friends. But they've now each posted each other on their social media pages in the last few days -- with Larsa sharing a snap last week of the two holding hands in front of a Jordan floral arrangement.

For what it's worth, Marcus captioned his handshake video with the words, "Twistin’ up my fingers for my twin" -- something that sure seems to indicate things are heating up.

7x NBA champ Robert Horry was ejected from his son's basketball game Friday night for screaming "you suck" at the referees, and TMZ Sports has video of the incident.

52-year-old Horry's son Christian is a junior at Harvard Westlake, one of the top private schools in L.A., where he is a star guard. Harvard-Westlake was playing St. Francis in Flintridge, CA Friday night.

During the 3rd quarter, Christian picked up his 4th foul, according to a spectator, and "Big Shot Bob" wasn't exactly pleased with the call ... so he began yelling at the refs.

The video starts with Horry, mid-sentence, screaming "You suck!" while standing in the bleachers. It's not seen on the video, but this is when the ref points at Robert, and tosses him out of the game.

But, Horry didn't stop, continuing, "Hey ref, you talking about me? You suck! Oh, you're mad at me because I said you suck?"

Robert then climbed down the stands, where he stood on the sideline, jawing at the ref. It's difficult to understand what he's saying.

A few seconds later, someone came over to corral RH, and they began walking towards the gym exit.

Horry briefly stopped to talk to the HW coach. The guys quickly put an arm around each other, and Robert continued on.

Horry, who played with the Rockets, Suns, Lakers, and Spurs over his 17-season NBA career, won more championships (7) than almost any other player in NBA history (only 6 players won 8 or more titles). Robert was known for his ability to knock down big shots in clutch moments.

The man who Matt Barnes spit on during the 49ers game last weekend is now suing the former NBA champ ... alleging the ex-hooper caused him injury, emotional distress and more during the incident.

David Patterson Jr. -- the ex of Barnes' current fiancee -- filed the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, in L.A. County Superior Court on Friday.

In the suit, Patterson Jr. claims he had no idea Barnes would be at the much-anticipated Niners vs. Cowboys playoff game in Santa Clara on Sunday ... but said when the two happened to run into each other in a concourse at Levi's Stadium, they began yelling at each other from about 20 feet away.

Patterson Jr. says Barnes then came up to him unprovoked and spat directly in his face. The 37-year-old alleged multiple cell phone cameras captured the incident.

He's suing for battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He's asking for unspecified damages.

Patterson Jr. added in the docs that this was nowhere near the first run-in he's had with his ex-wife's new fiance ... claiming Barnes had harassed him and threatened him repeatedly in the past.

Patterson Jr. says he's got text messages that show the former Golden State Warriors forward called him a "bitch," "clown," "fat f***" and more. He also says at one point in 2022, Barnes told him, "Pull up & get your ass whooped in front of your kids. I'm done talking."

For his part, Barnes said in an application for a temporary restraining order against Patterson Jr. earlier this week that his fiancee's ex was the one who had been harassing him and making threats against him over the past few months.

Barnes also said Patterson Jr. was the aggressor in the altercation at Levi's Stadium.

LeBron James is the king on the court and now on the auction block too -- the NBA superstar's used jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals just sold for $3.7 million ... a new record!!

Sotheby's announced the final price tag for the incredible piece of memorabilia Friday morning -- making it the highest-selling game-worn James jersey to date.

This specific #6 jersey is the exact threads James wore when the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs, 98-88 ... securing LeBron's second championship.

It was a historical night for James ... as it was the first Game 7 of his NBA career, and he secured his second NBA Finals MVP award in the process.

The jersey sold for $3,680,000 at the auction ... which makes it the third most valuable game-worn jersey ever sold at Sotheby's, and among "the highest prices achieved for any game-worn jersey on the open market."

Sotheby's tells TMZ Sports it was purchased by a private collector.

"Today's tremendous result comes at a pivotal time in LeBron James' career, where he is in arm's reach of clenching the all-time points record -- one of the NBA's most revered accolades," Sotheby's officials said on Friday.

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.