NBA

Believe the hype ... Victor Wembanyama could really redefine what an NBA superstar looks like -- at least, that's according to Rudy Gobert, who tells TMZ Sports the phenom has absolutely no limit on his potential.

Of course, Gobert would know about Wembanyama's game as much as anybody ... the two Frenchmen squared off in a two-on-two contest back in 2020 -- and the teenager more than held his own against the NBA star.

Using his 7-foot-5 frame, Wembanyama sank basket after basket -- at some points rising up over Gobert's 7-foot-1 body to hit jump shots.

When we got Gobert out in Beverly Hills this week ... he explained he's a true believer in all of the buzz surrounding the 19-year-old.

"I think he's going to be very unique," the Minnesota Timberwolves star said. "I don't think there's any ceiling on what he can do. I'm very excited to see how he's going to change the game."

Nearly every draft expert has projected Wembanyama to go No. 1 overall in this year's NBA draft ... and shoe brand industry legend Sonny Vaccaro actually said the guy is so special, he could get an unprecedented sneaker deal that could include "a blank check."

Seems Gobert wouldn't dispute any of that ... telling us, "He has the right mindset. I'm excited to watch him grow."

Ja Morant appeared to brandish a gun while filming a selfie video on social media late Friday night ... and now, the NBA says it's investigating it all.

The two-time All-Star went live on his Instagram page following the Memphis Grizzlies' loss to the Denver Nuggets ... showing him while out at what seemed to be a strip club.

Morant, shirtless, was dancing around ... rapping along to NBA YoungBoy's "Bring 'Em Out." Suddenly, he flashed what appeared to be a gun in front of the camera.

In the footage, you can see the 23-year-old brought the object near his face for a brief moment, before pulling it away.

It's not clear if the gun was real or not. An NBA spokesperson said in a statement Saturday morning, "We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating."

Morant was recently accused of flashing a gun at a teenager following an altercation the two had at his home in Tennessee over the summer.

Cops investigated the claims, and officials ultimately declined prosecution in the case, citing a lack of evidence.

Morant was also recently seen doing a finger gun celebration during a game against the Rockets.

The former Murray State Racer has become an NBA star since he was drafted in 2019 ... leading the Grizzlies to two playoff appearances while averaging 22.5 points per game.

Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes says LeBron James has done enough in a Laker uniform to be forever enshrined outside Crypto.com Arena ... but tells TMZ Sports they gotta focus on getting Kobe Bryant's statue up before they even think about it.

We spoke with Barnes weeks after James became the NBA's all-time scoring leader ... and we asked if the record, plus his one NBA title in L.A., is enough to get a monument at 1111 S. Figueroa Street.

The former Lakers forward says he's with it ... but not before Kobe, who has yet to get the treatment since his retirement in 2016.

"S***, they gotta worry about getting that Kobe statue up first," Barnes said at LAX on Wednesday.

The Lakers retired both Bryant's #8 and #24 in 2017 ... but as of right now, no details have been announced regarding his statue outside "The House That Kobe Built" -- aside from the fact it will happen eventually.

Of course, Bryant has been honored in many ways since his death in January 2020, including murals and themed basketball courts across the world. Sculptor Dan Medina, also placed a temporary statue of Kobe and his daughter, Gigi, at the crash site on the anniversary of their death.

The NBA also renamed their All-Star Game MVP trophy in his honor.

As for James, Barnes believes a King James statue in L.A. will still happen -- 'cause let's face it, he's "an all-time great."

"I'm sure they'll find a way to honor him with a statue," Barnes said.

If it happens, LeBron and Kobe will join fellow Lakers greats like Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and broadcaster Chick Hearn.

Mac McClung put on a legendary performance during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and now you can cop the actual Puma kicks he wore during the epic performance, 'cause they're hitting the auction block!

The Philadelphia Sixers/Delaware Blue Coats (G-League) guard brought life back to the Dunk Contest last month after winning the competition with some insane dunks.

TMZ Sports has learned the Rise Nitro sneakers he wore -- and the basketball he used -- are now up for grabs at Goldin ... in an auction featuring all game-used memorabilia and apparel.

If winning the kicks and/or ball isn't enough, there's another big bonus. We're told the winner will get a personal FaceTime with the 24-year-old.

Even better, we're told a portion of the proceeds for each item will go to the ALZ Alzheimer's association.

"Mac McClung is a star in the making who deserves to take center stage at our first-ever auction featuring only game-used items,” Goldin founder Ken Goldin said.

“We’re thrilled to be charged with these items from Mac that commemorate one of the most exciting dunk contest performances in history."

LeBron James' foot injury didn't stop him from going to Bronny's playoff game on Thursday night ... and he's sure as hell glad that was the case, 'cause he got to see his kid go OFF in a thriller!!

The young James and his Sierra Canyon squad went up against sixth-seeded Etiwanda in Chatsworth, Calif. in a CIF State regional quarterfinal game ... and Bronny had quite the night.

The 6-foot-3 guard -- who was just selected to the McDonald's All-American Game -- scored 21 points from all over the court ... and even got a chance to throw down a huge dunk in front of dad.

LeBron was front and center to watch it all -- cheering his face off -- while making sure to keep his injured foot protected by a huge walking boot.

Riding Bronny's performance, the Trailblazers ultimately won the important game, 61-55 -- and LeBron couldn't have been happier about it afterward.

"Bronny you were SPECIAL tonight kid!!" James said via Twitter. "Keep going! AlwaysProudDad"

Bronny's S.C. team will now head to the semifinals to face Bishop Montgomery, the tourney's No. 2 seed, on Saturday.

Lucky for 'Bron, the Lakers are off on that date ... so, it's more than likely he'll be courtside for the big game then, too.

The Toronto Raptors created a video in honor of Women's History Month this week ... and after it was met with backlash, they quickly deleted it -- and now, they're apologizing for it all.

The clip featured three Raptors players answering why they believe the statement "girls run the world" is a fact.

Two of the players, Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa, gave cringeworthy responses.

"They are the only one that can procreate," Flynn said.

"They birth everybody," Achiuwa said.

Scottie Barnes had a more palatable answer, simply stating, "all women are great because they are queens." But, that wasn't enough to stop critics from blasting the video on social media as soon as it was posted.

Many called it tone deaf and offensive -- and the Raptors took it down a short time later.

On Thursday, the team offered up an apology for it in a statement to the Toronto Sun.

"We're an organization that prides itself on doing the right thing when it comes to inclusion and representation, and we made a mistake [Tuesday]," Toronto officials said. "Our sincerest apologies to our players, our staff and our fans -- we'll work to do better today and every day after."

LeBron James' right foot issue has officially been classified as a "tendon injury" ... which will keep the Lakers superstar sidelined at least three weeks, the team announced Thursday.

It's unclear if James will play again this season ... as he will be reevaluated again after his time away.

The news is a big blow to the Lakers, who are trying to claw their way into playoff contention with the season winding down.

L.A. is currently 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 30-33 record ... and will need to move up at least one more spot in order to make the NBA play-in tournament.

LeBron was initially listed out of Tuesday's matchup against the Grizzlies with a sore foot ... but required more testing to figure out what exactly was wrong. He was spotted limping while wearing a big boot on his lower leg during the loss.

The Lakers have been dealing with multiple injuries recently -- Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell also missed Wednesday night's game against the Thunder ... but despite being short-handed, the Purple and Gold were able to pull out a win.

New troubling allegations surrounding the alleged pickup basketball brawl between Ja Morant and a teenage boy in July ... with the young hooper claiming the Memphis Grizzlies superstar flashed a gun at him during the altercation.

TMZ Sports broke the story in January -- Morant is accused of punching a 17-year-old boy after getting in an argument during a game at Ja's residence in Tennessee ... which resulted in a lawsuit filed in September.

According to the docs, the boy claimed he "accidentally" hit Ja in the face after throwing the ball in his direction ... and the All-Star guard retaliated by hitting him with a closed fist and knocking him to the ground.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that not only did the teen accuse Morant of punching him at least 12 times, resulting in a "large knot" on his head ... but the 23-year-old also went into his house and returned with a gun in his waistband -- with his hand on the weapon.

The boy told detectives Ja's dad, Tee, then yelled at him ... telling him to go back inside.

When Morant was questioned about the incident, police mentioned the boy's claims of exposing a weapon, but did not explicitly ask if he had a gun. The outlet notes Morant and his attorneys did not deny the claim.

As for the altercation, Morant told detectives he did, in fact, hit the teen ... but claimed it was out of self-defense after he was hit with the ball. In his eyes, "The ball was the first swing to me."

As we previously reported, Morant filed a police report of his own a few weeks later ... claiming the teen threatened to "come back and light this place up like fireworks" and he feared for his safety.

Police investigated the allegations for several weeks ... before they submitted the case to the district attorney's office on Oct. 4. Less than a month later, cops say the D.A. declined prosecution, citing a lack of evidence.

LeBron James might not be playing right now, but he's still gaming -- the NBA superstar recently teamed up with PlayStation for a limited edition console cover and controllers -- designed by the King himself!

Eric Lempel, PlayStations' SVP and Head of Global Marketing, made the announcement on Wednesday ... saying the video game giant and LBJ joined forces and created an exclusive PS5 console cover and DualSense wireless controller.

"We couldn’t have asked for a more ideal partner to be the first-ever collaborator to design limited-edition PlayStation products," Lempel said.

"It was great to see LeBron’s vision for the design come to life and showcase his passions for gaming and community. We hope PlayStation fans will love this design as much as we enjoyed helping create it."

It came out dope -- the black cover and controller have bright images of King James' crown and the middle touch panel features, "Nothing is given. Everything is earned."

It also pays tribute to LBJ's "I Promise" charity on the right-hand side, including phrases "Chosen Ones" and "Build. Uplift. Empower."

"Had fun with this one @playstation!! 🎮," the 38-year-old said on Instagram.

"These words inspire me and my I Promise students and I hope do the same for gamers all over. Still crazy to think a kid from Akron who grew up playing games is getting to create something like this!"

The partnership is pretty much perfect for LeBron -- he was famous for traveling around with his own PS2 console when he entered the league in 2003.

And, if you're a fan of LBJ, then you know he's still a big gamer at 38 years old ... and his wife, Savannah, has caught him on camera several times goin' in on PS5, especially when it comes to 'Madden.'

In fact, the 5-time NBA champ recently featured in the "God of War Ragnarök" video game trailer with his son, Bronny Jr.

Draymond Green wants Black History Month to be a thing of the past ... delivering a powerful speech to make his case, saying, "Why we gotta keep getting the shortest month to celebrate our history?"

"At some point, can we get rid of it?" Green asked reporters following the Warriors' 123-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night at the Chase Center.

The Warriors superstar accused current politicians of trying to wipe Black History out of schools ... and said he won't settle for celebrating just one month as a consolation prize.

FYI -- According to the ACLU, more than 30 state legislatures have recently been introduced to dampen Black history education, and hundreds of books written by Black authors about race history have been pulled from the shelves.

"I’m not going to be the fool to say, 'Yeah, we can celebrate it for 28 days,'" Green said. "So at some point, I’d like to get rid of it. We're making all these changes in the world -- can't talk about these people. Can't talk about those people. Can’t say this. Can’t say that."

Green -- who was wearing a blue shirt that read "Built By Black History" during his postgame conference -- said his choice of clothing was intentional as he made his point.

The 4-time NBA champion and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year said he doesn't want people to misconstrue his call to end Black History Month with him trying to downplay Black people.

"At some point, it’s time to get rid of Black History Month," Green reiterated. "Not get rid of Black history, like they’re trying to do. But Black History Month? Nah, teach my history from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, and then do it again. And then again. And then again. And then again."

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have reached the "meet the parents" level of their relationship ... which means Scottie Pippen's ex-wife spoke face-to-face with Michael Jordan about dating his son -- and apparently, the G.O.A.T. is totally cool with it.

48-year-old Larsa opened up on going full BF and GF with Marcus, 32, on the "Tamron Hall Show" on Tuesday ... and she said Marcus' mom and pops have no issue with them coupling up -- despite MJ's well-documented beef with his on-court wingman over the years.

Larsa added both families are happy and fine ... and when pressed on whether she's gotten His Airness' blessing, she's adamant Michael isn't intervening and trying to sink their ship.

"Yeah, I feel like we're great, yeah," Larsa told Hall. "I feel like -- we've spent holidays together and it's good. We're in a great place."

Larsa also spoke about the 16-year age difference with Marcus ... and she believes age doesn't determine one's maturity -- and all that matters is that she's happy.

As for why she's dating MJ's son of all people, Larsa said she doesn't care one bit about how Scottie feels about the Jordan clan ... and their relationship wasn't something that was planned.

Larsa said she first met Marcus four years ago at a party in L.A. ... shutting down any notion she knew her man as a kid when they both lived in Chicago as MJ and Scottie racked up championships with the Bulls.

When asked if they're in love ... Larsa said, "I think so. We're in a really good place."

Vanessa Bryant just received a heck of a lot more money from L.A. County after her initial $15 million win last year ... another $13 mil or so, in fact, which now accounts for her kids.

Kobe Bryant's widow has settled with L.A. County, amounting to a total of $28.8 million -- this according to her lawyer, who says this resolves both Vanessa's original complaint and subsequent award ... as well as any potential future claims from her surviving daughters.

Unclear when, but it seems Vanessa amended her initial lawsuit to add 20-year-old Natalia, 6-year-old Bianka and 3-year-old Capri. The settlement resolves all claims.

Vanessa's lawyer, Luis Li, says, "Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct." He adds, "She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice."

You'll recall ... Vanessa actually went to trial over this, taking the stand with emotional testimony about how the thought of those photos of Kobe and Gigi's remains possibly being leaked out publicly tortured her -- something a jury agreed with in the end.

They awarded her $16M ... but a mil got knocked down afterward due to a clerical error. Vanessa and her team had previously said she'd be donating the money from this to her Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation -- and in light of this, there's more to go around.

Here's one accessory no Laker fan ever wants to see the stylish LeBron James wearing -- a huge walking boot on his right leg ... that could signal his season is very much in jeopardy of being over.

The King wore the massive foot protector to L.A.'s game against Memphis on Tuesday night -- just two days after he initially injured the lower leg playing against the Dallas Mavericks.

James walked gingerly in the brace as he made his way around the Tennessee arena in street clothes -- a horrible sign for the Lakers, who need to win the majority of their remaining 20 games to have a chance at making the playoffs next month.

To make matters worse for LeBron's L.A. squad -- the Lakers took it on the chin without their star player ... falling to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, 121-109.

It's not clear when -- or even if -- LeBron can make it back to the team at some point this season ... he's reportedly been shut down for at least two weeks to allow the foot a chance to heal.

And, if the team isn't in striking distance of making the postseason by the end of those 14 days, he reportedly could be done until the 2023-24 season.

James clearly ain't happy about it all -- he posted an Instagram of his injured leg on Monday night saying, "Fkn sucks!!!!"

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe went at it Tuesday morning on their FS1 show "Undisputed" ... after Skip insinuated LeBron James is lying about his injury.

Of course, it was reported Monday that James might miss substantial time with a right foot injury ... but Skip isn't buying he's hurt, questioning the legitimacy of LeBron's injury.

Bayless told Sharpe he hasn't seen any difference in Bron since the Lakers superstar turned 38 in December, and said he appeared to be fine during Sunday's game vs. Dallas.

Sharpe, however, took issue with Skip's comments, especially since LBJ said he "heard it pop" against the Mavs, prompting a war of words between the two hosts.

“Why is it when someone says something is wrong with LeBron James you either say it’s not that serious or he’s lying?” Sharpe asked. "But you’ve never called into question when Tom Brady said anything."

James, meanwhile, posted a pic of his right foot on Instagram Monday ... with the caption, "Fkn Sucks!!!! "

Giannis Antetokounmpo took some big-time shots at Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant on Monday -- and while they were totally scripted and not his words ... it was hilarious to hear the 2-time MVP talk-trash nonetheless!

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar's "roast" of his peers all went down on "The Daily Show" ... when host Hasan Minhaj wanted to get Giannis out of his ultra-nice-guy role and into villain mode.

Minhaj queued up some scorching burns for Giannis to read out loud ... and while the basketball player didn't quite get through the one about Doncic, he certainly delivered on the other two.

"Joker," the Greek Freak read off a teleprompter, "how are you going to make it through the Finals when you look like you can barely make it through a Burger King drive-through."

Giannis tried to then compliment the Denver Nuggets center -- before Minhaj interrupted ... and then made him go after KD.

"You keep joining these super teams to win an NBA title," Antetokounmpo said. "How about we work out together sometime so I can teach you how to carry your own team."

Yeeeeesh.

Of course, Antetokounmpo didn't last long in the character ... 'cause then he proceeded to shower Durant with praise, before refusing to even remotely come close to saying a negative word about LeBron James.

Bam Adebayo believes he should have won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards -- saying when it comes to the last two winners, Rudy Gobert and Marcus Smart, he can do more than they can -- and when it matters most.

The Miami Heat star was asked by Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks to state his case for why he thinks he's the best defender in the NBA ... and Adebayo said he's one of a handful of players who guards all five positions.

"I guard 1-5," Adebayo told Rooks. "It's not a lot of us. Me, Draymond [Green], Giannis [Antetoukoumpo] ... Who else?" he asked.

Adebayo's biggest gripe with Gobert, who won the DPOY award three times in his career (2018, 2019, and 2021), and Smart, who won the award last season, is the Timberwolves big man's defense doesn't translate in the postseason ... and the Celtics guard is too small too defend centers.

"It has to translate and I feel like Rudy in the playoffs didn't translate and Marcus Smart guards 1-4," Adebayo said. "That's the thing that I thought was different between me and them."

Adebayo finished fourth in the DPOY voting last season behind Gobert, Mikal Bridges, and Smart, who became the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton did in 1996. In 2021, Bam came up short as well ... finishing behind Green, Ben Simmons, and Gobert.