NBA

Grizzlies star Ja Morant is sharing his side of the altercation at his sister's volleyball game that led to a police investigation ... saying he only showed up to the event to make sure she was safe.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Morant, his family and a group of adult men were investigated for simple assault in September ... after they were accused of confronting a high schooler who allegedly called his sister a "bitch."

Morant was asked about the incident in an interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose on Wednesday ... and he's adamant he only acted out of fear his sister could be in danger.

"That's my baby sister," Ja said in the sit-down with Rose. "I received a call and was checking on her safety."

Ja claims once he knew his sister was okay, he left the school ... but says it was made out to be a bigger deal because he's a recognizable NBA player.

"Obviously, I realize Ja showed up and that's all everybody needed to paint whatever picture they want," he added. "I realize now that's a problem and I put myself in those situations."

Ja and his family were ultimately not charged for their involvement in the incident.

Morant is currently serving an 8-game suspension for flashing a gun at a Colorado strip club earlier this month ... just the latest off-court issue he has faced in his short career.

Ja Morant is making one thing clear -- the gun he flashed in a Colorado strip club was NOT his -- but as far as whose weapon it was, the NBA star is remaining tight-lipped.

The Grizzlies guard sat down for a one-on-one interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose on Wednesday -- shortly after his 8-game suspension was announced -- and he was asked straight-up who owned the gun he showed off on Instagram Live on March 4.

"The gun wasn't mine," Morant said. "It's not who I am. I don't condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions."

"I made a bad mistake and I can see the image I painted over myself with my recent mistakes," he added. "But, in the future, I will show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative."

Morant -- who hasn't played for the Grizzlies since March 3 -- said he's been in a good mental place following the incident ... and he spent his time away from the game speaking with therapists, getting reiki treatment and working on anxiety breathing to help deal with stress.

Morant added he realized he needed help when he made the video ... and his daughter inspired him to open up about his issues with professionals.

The All-Star also discussed his meeting with Adam Silver ... and he said it was a productive conversation, as the commish voiced support for him.

Morant says he still takes pride in being a role model ... saying, "I realize I have a lot of kids who look up to me. Even probably some adults, a lot of fans."

Kobe Bryant's hand and footprints were forever enshrined at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, and the Bryant family was on hand for the moving ceremony ... with Natalia Bryant delivering an emotional speech about her dad.

Mamba's prints were originally cast in February 2011 -- the day before KB was named All-Star Game MVP -- but were permanently displayed on Wednesday in front of the iconic theatre.

Until today, the one-of-a-kind concrete was displayed inside the theatre and was only visible to fans seeing a show.

"I'm honored to be here today to recognize the man we all knew and love, my dad, Kobe Bryant," Natalia Bryant told fans at the ceremony, also attended by Lakers owner Jeannie Buss and Byron Scott.

"When most people knew him as a basketball player or storyteller, I got to know him and love him as my dad and let me tell you, he's the MVP of girl dads, to say the least."

"As you visit here for years to come, I encourage you to place your hands in his and take a moment to stand in his shoes."

Natalia, who is studying film in college, was clearly touched her pops was honored at such an historic location.

"Dad, you are an icon, a legend, a storyteller," Natalia said ... "And, most important, the best girl dad any young woman can dream of."

Kobe was the first athlete to have his hands and feet stamped in concrete.

Bones Hyland has only been a Clipper for a minute, but the former Nuggets star can already bond with his new teammates over a horrific incident they experienced last month ... admitting "we thought it was over wit" after their plane was struck by lightning.

It all went down on Feb. 25 -- the Clippers were flying to Denver for a contest against Hyland's former team the following day ... when disaster suddenly struck.

The Clippers' team plane began to shake and rattle moments after departing from LAX ... and several players reported hearing a loud bang before the plane's engine went silent momentarily.

"Us players, we're trying to nap away," Eric Gordon told ESPN, calling it the second-worst flight he has experienced in his 15 NBA seasons. "Oh, everybody was up after that for sure."

The engine eventually came back on ... but multiple staffers aboard the aircraft echoed Gordon's sentiments -- saying it was one of the worst moments they've experienced on a flight, according to the outlet.

The Delta Air Lines plane transporting the Clippers landed safely in Colorado ... but the team noticed visible damage on the tail of the aircraft, indicating it had, indeed, been struck by lightning.

As if the lightning-strike scare wasn't horrifying enough ... just four days later, the team was walking the tarmac at LAX to board their charter flight to San Francisco when it started hailing.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue quipped, "Our luck was so bad, we even got struck by lightning."

Ja Morant was just hit with an 8-game suspension without pay for flashing a gun at a strip club earlier this month ... with NBA commissioner Adam Silver calling his conduct "irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous."

Ja -- who met with Silver and other NBA execs in NYC on Wednesday -- will be eligible to return to the Memphis Grizzlies on March 20 against the Dallas Mavericks.

The league conducted an investigation into the incident ... and determined Ja was "in an intoxicated state" when he showed the firearm on his Instagram Live.

The league says the investigation could not determine Ja owned the gun, brought it to the club, or even had it "beyond a brief period."

The league also says its investigation did not find that Morant had the gun while traveling with the Grizzlies or at any NBA facility.

Morant apologized shortly after the video surfaced ... and sought treatment at a counseling program in Florida.

Silver didn't hold back when addressing Morant's actions ... saying, "Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous."

"It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him. He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior."

Silver says Morant has "made it clear" he used the incident as a learning experience ... and he now understands his role as one of the faces of the NBA.

Ja Morant is a product of the gangsta rap he hears every day -- so says his elder NBA statesman Patrick Beverly, who also thinks the embattled All-Star can make a proper comeback.

Pat Bev recently weighed in on the Ja situation on his Barstool Sports podcast, and pinpointed today's rap music as the catalyst for the 22-year-old's shocking downward spiral.

PB said, "I think music has a lot to do with this now. Especially with this culture, everybody holding a gun in the video is okay, bling on your teeth that's okay, pants halfway down your ass, that's okay."

The current Chicago Bull also valued music from "back in the day" over today's tunes ... "The culture now is ‘shoot 'em up, bang, bang, shoot 'em up, bend you over, I got this amount of money, I’m on private jets, that that that.’ That’s what the younger generation is."

Bev also speculated had Eminem rapped about totin' guns, his rabid fan base would've followed suit, but instead, they opted to copy Slim Shady's baggy hoodies and jeans from the "8 Mile" era.

On Monday, Ja entered a counseling program and is rumored to miss the remainder of the Memphis Grizzlies' season. He's been vocal about the hardcore hip hop he consumes before games -- citing Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, NBA YoungBoy and the incarcerated Pooh Shiesty as his go-to rappers.

Pat Bev's commentary may mirror old-school ethos -- repeated by OGs like Melle Mel -- but younger crops of rappers have been voicing similar opinions regarding the state of hip hop.

LeBron James is still sidelined with an injury, but that didn't stop him from making a highlight play on Tuesday  -- the L.A. superstar had an adorable moment with a young fan when he penned a special message in a copy of his "I Promise" book for her!!

James was on the bench as his Lakers defeated the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans ... but when he wasn't cheering on his teammates, he was busy connecting with a little girl in the stands named Parker, who was wearing a purple and gold #6 James jersey.

"Dear Parker, Nice meeting you!" LeBron said of the interaction on Instagram. "You’re a beautiful Young Black Queen! Don’t let nothing stop u from being whatever your mind and heart desires! Just from our short encounter yesterday I know you’re destined for greatness and i will always love you!!!"

"God bless you and best wishes to you ♾️🤎! Sincerely Mr. LeBron James aka Bugs Bunny friend!"

Of course, the "I Promise" book, published in 2020, shares the same name as the "I Promise" school that James helped start in Akron, Ohio ... and it reminds kids that success starts with them.

After James finished writing in the book ... he shared a warm embrace with the little girl, and it appears she mouths, "Thank you," to the 4-time MVP before walking away.

As we previously reported, James was working out and getting up some free throws at the team's shootaround earlier Tuesday ... the first time since he went down with the tendon injury.

Suns forward Torrey Craig will have to make an unexpected visit to the dentist chair today ... and it's all thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who accidentally knocked a tooth out of the dude's mouth during a game on Tuesday night.

The painful moment happened in the third quarter of Milwaukee's tilt with Phoenix ... when Giannis was trying to blow by Craig to get to the basket.

As the Bucks superstar was dribbling, though, he stuck out his elbow -- and inadvertently smashed it into Craig's mouth.

The 32-year-old went crashing to the ground ... and a few seconds later, cameras showed he was searching on the court for a tooth he had lost in the collision with the 7-foot, two-time MVP.

Broadcast cameras showed Craig was able to eventually find it ... and, yeah, it was kinda gross.

Craig somehow stayed in the game ... but to add insult to injury, his team went on to lose, 116-104.

He and Giannis, however, didn't appear to have any bad blood over the collision -- the two former Milwaukee teammates were seen chattin' it up after the contest, smiling.

Upstart Bronx MC Connie Diiamond is currently basking in the glow of a King's cosign ... after LeBron James publicly approved of her show-stealing "Move" freestyle!!!

LBJ has been nursing a right tendon injury in his foot for weeks now ... but the NBA scoring champ's ears are just fine, and Tuesday he posted a celebration of Connie's flow and tenacity on the mic.

The Def Jam signee celebrated LBJ's validation on her IG page ... letting fans know the song -- which she recorded months ago -- is now on digital service providers.

The track samples Ludacris' stadium classic "Move Bitch" -- which was also released on Def Jam back in 2001, so the synergy is real.

LeBron James just gave L.A. fans a reason to be optimistic ... the Lakers superstar is back working out on an NBA court for the first time since suffering a right foot injury.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin posted a clip of James -- who was diagnosed with a "tendon injury" earlier this month -- shooting some free throws at the team's shootaround before the Lakers face the Pelicans Tuesday night in New Orleans.

James was ruled out of action for three weeks ... and many Lakers fans feared their season was in jeopardy after LBJ was spotted in a walking boot.

James ditched the boot during the Lakers' game against the Knicks on Sunday ... which was a welcoming sight for fans who are still clinging to hopes of making the playoffs.

After the game ... James and his wife, Savannah, hit up the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party -- and as usual, the star-studded couple was dressed to impress!

In between rehabbing and blazing red carpets, the 4-time MVP supported his oldest son, Bronny, as he wrapped up his high school basketball career with Sierra Canyon.

It's unclear when LeBron will officially return ... but James seemingly hinted that day could be soon with his recent Instagram post.

The Lakers are currently 9th in the Western Conference ... and it'll be a tight race for the postseason. Needless to say, the Purple & Gold are hoping the King is out there.

We're a month removed from Valentine's Day, but Ayesha Curry is still showin' plenty of love to Steph ... penning a mushy note to the NBA superstar for his birthday on Tuesday.

Ayesha wrote the sweet message on her social media page for her hubby's big 3-5 ... while sharing a bunch of photos of the Golden State Warriors point guard enjoying his life.

"Happy Birthday to my love!!!" Ayesha wrote on IG. "35 trips around the sun! Wow!"

"I love everything about you but your soul is unmatched. I know this will be the best year yet! Happy birthday @stephencurry30 🎂🎉🎊🥳😘😘😘"

The couple, of course, is no stranger to PDA -- they've been sharing lovey notes to each other on social media regularly ever since they officially tied the knot in 2011.

In fact, just a few days ago, Steph called her "amazing" in a post recognizing International Women's Day. And, back on V-Day in February, Ayesha called him "my forever valentine."

You can bet more adorable notes will be coming too ... the couple's anniversary is just a few months away in July.

Anthony Edwards is proving once again why he's a fan favorite -- the Minnesota Timberwolves star made a 15-year-old cancer survivor's dream come true Monday night ... and gifted the youngster his shoes and signed his jersey!!

Edwards and the T-Wolves were in Atlanta playing the Hawks at State Farm Arena ... and after the game, Ant got some facetime with Preston, who's always wanted to meet the All-Star guard.

Take a look -- not only did Edwards grant Preston's wish, but he came bearing gifts ... giving him a pair of his Adidas BYW Select "ANT-MAN" kicks.

AE and Preston were all smiles as they posed for pictures ... and to cap things off, Ant autographed the #1 Edwards jersey Preston had been wearing.

The moment was special ... and Preston got to witness Edwards -- an Atlanta native -- go off in the game, scoring 32 points and grabbing eight rebounds as Minnesota defeated the Hawks, 136-115.

Marcus Smart's on-court scuffle with Trae Young is gonna cost him ... 'cause the NBA just fined the Boston Celtics player $25K as a result of the altercation.

The two guards got into it with 1:25 left in the game at State Farm Arena on Saturday ... when Young drove to the basket and got fouled by Smart.

It appeared Young may have accidentally kicked Smart in the groin during the play -- and Smart didn't like it one bit.

After the whistle was blown, Smart got into Young's face ... and the two exchanged some heated words.

That's when Smart and Young took their beef to the hardwood ... as Smart pulled the Hawks guard down with him as he fell to the floor.

Both players' teammates and referees broke them up ... and Smart was ejected from the game, while Young received a technical.

On Monday, an NBA executive announced that Smart -- the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year -- was fined $25K for "initiating an on-court alteration and pulling" Young to the floor.

As for Trae ... it seems he got away with just a tech.

It was the Lakers and Knicks who took priority for Denzel Washington and Spike Lee on Hollywood's biggest night -- the two A-listers skipped the Oscars to catch the NBA teams go at it in L.A.!!!

Washington and Lee ditched stage-side seats at the famed movie award ceremony for courtside ones at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday evening ... and didn't seem one bit displeased with their choice.

The guys were seen sharing a hug before the game ... clearly not stressing about missing the Oscars -- which were taking place at the same time less than 10 miles away at the Dolby Theatre.

Lee, of course, is a huge Knicks fan -- and Denzel is a big Lakers one ... and the two talked smack to each other about their teams throughout the contest.

Lee ended up getting the last laugh -- the Knicks beat the Lakers 112-108 ... though Washington didn't seem too beat up over it all.

The actors weren't the only celebs at the game ... star boxers Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, plus Flea, were there too.

In fact, Washington and Davis had a moment with each other before the game, where Denzel voiced some big support for the fighter.

Ja Morant was investigated by cops for assault after allegedly clashing with a high school student back in September ... TMZ Sports has learned -- but the NBA star was never charged over the incident.

According to a Germantown Police Dept. report, the interaction between the teenager and the Memphis Grizzlies point guard happened at Houston H.S. in Tennessee on Sept. 22 at around 7:10 PM.

In the docs, police say at an after-school volleyball game, Morant's sister -- who attends Houston H.S. -- got into a verbal argument with another student.

Witnesses on the scene, according to the docs, told officers both parties had called each other "bitch" -- prompting Ja's sister to contact Ja about it all.

A short time later, cops say Ja, Ja's mom and dad, Ja's baby daughter and "a group of" adult males all came into the gym together. According to the documents, most of the group -- excluding Ja's father -- went to confront the student in the stands at the game who had been quarreling with Ja's sister.

"Which one of ya'll called her a bitch?" Jamie Morant, Ja's mother, allegedly said.

Cops say in the docs they told Jamie she "can not come upstairs and confront the students and they did not need to make a scene at the school." But, officers say while they were talking, one of the men with Ja moved past police and walked toward students.

According to the report, witnesses on the scene said the man slapped a phone out of a student's hand who had been attempting to take a picture of Ja in the stands ... and then said, "I don't care about none of that, I will beat y'alls ass."

A witness later said that man "was about to pull a gun" -- though cops on the scene said in the documents they never observed a firearm during the incident.

Police say everyone eventually left the gym without further problems.

The next day, cops say the mother of the student who had been in the spat with Ja's sister wanted to press charges against all parties, including Ja, for intimidation and harassment. Cops say Jamie Morant also wanted to press charges against the student who had been in the tiff with her daughter for threats and intimidation.

Cops investigated Ja for simple assault, intimidation -- no physical contact, but no charges were ever filed.

The mother of the student, meanwhile, tells TMZ Sports her son was also investigated, but did not end up being charged either.

According to the police report, the Grizzlies' head of security -- ID'ed as Kevin Helms in the report -- came to the school to discuss the incident with authorities. Cops say Helms "was asked to give a verbal trespass warning to all parties per the request of the Principal."

We've reached out to the Grizzlies for comment on the situation, but so far, no word back yet.

The situation was one of at least three times in the last calendar year that Ja has been investigated by cops. In the summer, police probed into allegations that he roughed up a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Earlier this week, cops looked into video he posted where he brandished a gun at a Denver-area nightclub. He was not charged in either incident.

Ja -- a 23-year-old, two-time All-Star who's considered one of the best young players in the NBA -- is currently away from the Grizzlies in wake of the gun video.

Hold your breath, Suns fans ... Kevin Durant injured his ankle during pregame warm-ups on Wednesday night -- and now, there's fear the ailment could keep him out of the rest of the regular season.

The new Phoenix superstar was getting in some shots before what was supposed to be his first-ever home game as a Sun against the Thunder at Footprint Center ... when his left leg buckled.

You can see in video of the play, Durant's ankle folded on itself ... sending the 34-year-old crashing to the hardwood in pain.

The forward -- who was just traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix last month -- popped back up and continued warm-ups for a little bit ... but he ultimately went into the locker room for further evaluation, and didn't return.

KD ended up missing the game -- and he was seen leaving the arena in a walking boot. Later on Wednesday night, the Arizona Republic reported he now could miss the next four-to-six weeks.

The Suns went on to win without Durant ... and after the game, head coach Monty Williams said he didn't have a timetable for his injured star when he was asked about the injury.

"We'll probably get some more imaging just to make sure everybody's on the same page," Williams said.

Durant has hardly played for the Suns since the blockbuster trade -- he had been nursing a knee injury when he was dealt to Arizona, and has only logged time in three games with his new team since the swap with the Nets.

Playoffs begin in less than a month ... get better soon, KD.