NBA

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are under investigation by the NBA for apparently tanking in one of their final games of the season ... which means they're out of the playoffs.

The announcement came down Saturday from NBA spokesperson Mike Bass, who said .. "The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions."

The reason Adam Silver and Co. are digging into this is because of what seemed to be an obvious move by upper management and the coaching staff to not play their best guys.

Before Friday's matchup against the Bulls, HC Jason Kidd surprisingly announced a number of the best Mavs players were out due to injuries ... including Kyrie Irving. Luka Doncic only played for a quarter and change -- the rest of the game was carried by bench players.

But even with their backup dudes, the Mavs still had a chance to close the game out and secure a spot in the play-in tournament -- which could see them move on further into the playoffs. However, the Mavs somehow blew an 11-point lead in the 4th ... and it appeared they weren't playing their best basketball -- at least that's the consensus on Twitter, anyway.

Adding insult to injury was Cuban's reaction to his team missing the game-tying shot in the final seconds of the game -- which officially ended their chances at getting into the play-in -- and he seemed to be smirking ... further fueling speculation they were tanking on purpose.

Of course, Kidd himself didn't do a great job of masking anything either -- pregame or postgame -- because he essentially said ... yeah, we sat a lot of guys and it was upper management's decision in the hopes of building a better roster for next season. Yikes ...

We were this close to finding out when Bronny James was going to announce his decision about college ... but a publicist stopped him from answering the question!

The McDonald's All-American nearly revealed a timetable for his decision while speaking to reporters after the Nike Hoop Summit practice in Oregon on Thursday ... his first time speaking with the media.

A reporter started off asking Bronny about Oregon signee Jackson Shelstad and other top players trying to recruit him to their schools while the guys are at the summit.

"It's fun times," Bronny said with a big smile on his face.

"It's good to know that they want me there with them, but at the end of the day, it's my decision, and I gotta make the right one for me."

The reporter quickly followed up, asking WHEN Bronny was going to make the decision. But, right as he was about to answer, a publicist shut down the line of questioning.

"I think we can move on to questions about U.S. Basketball and the Hoop Summit," the PR rep said.

Of course, the 4-star recruit -- who graduates from Sierra Canyon this spring -- has received offers from all over the country, including Ohio State, Kentucky, Memphis, and USC.

He also has the option to go pro ... in fact, last month LaVar Ball said Bronny should skip college and play ball in Australia, like his NBA star son, LaMelo.

LeBron James' daughter appears to have a future on a court ... but it might not end up being a basketball one -- 'cause the Lakers superstar said Thursday she could very well be a volleyball player!!

The 39-year-old just posted a short video of Zhuri James getting in a vball sesh in their backyard ... and he seemed bullish on her potential after watching her on the grass.

In the clip, Zhuri seemed to crush a ball over a net that had been set up on their lawn ... and Bron couldn't have been happier about it.

"My 🏐⭐ in the making," James wrote on the video.

If volleyball is indeed her future, Zhuri would become the first James offspring to not follow in Dad's footsteps.

As you know, LeBron's two sons, Bronny and Bryce, are both touted high school basketball players who many have already projected to be on future NBA rosters.

Michael Jordan's $15 million mansion was broken into this week ... and now, an 18-year-old faces several charges, including criminal damage to the property.

Highland Park Police Department responded to a robbery in progress call from neighbors at the 2700 block of Point Lane around 4:10 PM on Tuesday, April 4th, according to Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

The home belongs to the Chicago Bulls legend ... and when police arrived, they found Raiden Hagedorn still inside the 56,000-square-foot home.

Hagedorn was arrested and charged with criminal trespass to an occupied residence and two counts of criminal damage to property -- all misdemeanors.

Thankfully, Jordan was not there at the time of the incident. In fact, MJ hasn't lived at this address since he placed the mansion on the market in 2012.

The property comes with 9 bedrooms, 19 baths, an indoor basketball gymnasium, an infinity pool, a tennis court and a cigar room.

It also has the famous personalized gate with Jordan's #23.

It was also the scene of a recent Travis Scott song featuring Young Thug and M.I.A. called "FRANCHISE." The video was shot on the grounds.

The Jordan estate was initially listed for $29 million but has been dropped to $14,855,000 ... but Michael has still been unable to unload the property.

Here's a big shocker from señor Ben Affleck, who's breaking down his new movie, "Air" ... in perfect Spanish!!!

Ben threw social media into a tizzy Thursday as a lot of folks were shocked to learn he's bilingual ... despite the fact it's something of an open secret.

Ben sat down with El Cine En La Ser for an interview about his film ... explaining why Michael Jordan himself doesn't appear in the movie about his groundbreaking Nike contract.

If ya don't have the gift of gab en español, fear not, we did the translation, and Ben says there's not an actor in the world who could make an audience believe they're MJ, so the movie tells the story without focusing on Michael.

Still, Ben says he wouldn't have made the movie without Mike's blessing, which is why he had a sit down with the legend ... who told him the most important parts of the story were nailing 3 characters ... Howard White, George Raveling and MJ's own mother.

It's funny ... Ben says Jordan told him they had to get Viola Davis to play his mom, which Ben jokes is like asking someone to play basketball and they will only do so if MJ's on their team.

Ben's explained the same stuff in English, but it's impressive to hear him say it in Spanish -- which, btw, he learned in his youth ... pre-J Lo.

It took a total of FIVE cops to subdue Ben Gordon during his arrest outside a Connecticut juice shop on Tuesday morning ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the clip, you can see three officers were trying to get Gordon onto the ground after he had allegedly threatened employees with a knife inside of the Stamford store moments earlier -- but they struggled to wrestle him to the pavement.

The footage shows they were eventually able to push him into a storefront sign -- causing him to fall -- but they still couldn't get cuffs on him.

Finally, two other officers raced in -- and Gordon was ultimately taken under control.

As we reported, cops say after they placed the former NBA star into custody ... they found a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They also say they found a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his bag as well.

Gordon was arrested ... and booked on several charges. Following a mental health evaluation at a local hospital, he was released on $10,000 bond.

Court records show the 40-year-old has since been hit with eight total criminal charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

Gordon briefly addressed his latest run-in with the law during an Instagram Live session on Thursday ... sharing his side of the incident.

Ben Gordon has been arrested again ... TMZ Sports has confirmed this time he was taken into custody on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened juice shop employees with a knife.

Cops in Stamford, Conn. tell us ... they got a call at around 9:15 AM that the former NBA star was inside of a downtown-area Juice Kings acting aggressively and bizarrely while wielding a blade.

Authorities say officers arrived on the scene quickly ... and were able to coax the 40-year-old out of the establishment without incident.

They say, however, the ex-Chicago Bulls guard became aggressive when they attempted to pat him down outside. They claim it then took several officers to subdue him and put him in cuffs.

Cops say an ensuing search of his person showed he had a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They say when they searched his bag, he also had a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his possession.

Gordon was arrested and transported to a local police station ... but according to cops, he began acting so aggressively and so bizarrely, he was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Gordon was released back to cops a short time later, but authorities say he continued to act erratically. They claim a behavioral unit and some of Gordon's family and friends were ultimately able to calm him down -- and he was then processed.

Gordon was booked on several charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Cops say his family posted his $10,000 bond, and he was released at around 7 PM.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.

BTS superstar Suga has a new three-letter combination in his life -- NBA -- 'cause he just became a league ambassador!!

The news just dropped minutes ago ... with the league saying the rapper/producer will help expand the NBA brand around the globe through promotional activities and initiatives.

Of course, Suga is a big hoop fan ... and has been spotted courtside at several games in the past. In fact, he even got to meet Stephen Curry and the Warriors when they played in Japan last September.

Suga addressed the move on Thursday ... saying, "Music and basketball have been shared passions of mine since my youth, and it’s a dream to be named an NBA Ambassador."

"I'm excited to formalize my relationship with the NBA, and I can’t wait to share some exciting collaborations I have planned with the league over the coming months."

"We’re thrilled to join forces with SUGA -- a superstar musician, fashion icon, and passionate NBA fan," league Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum added. "We look forward to working with SUGA to bring the same excitement he engenders from his global fanbase in support of our continued efforts to grow our brand."

The league even says the NBA will have a presence during Suga's first solo world tour ... which sold out in minutes.

Forget LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard ... Odell Beckham Jr. might have been the biggest star at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night -- at least, that's based on the reaction he got outside of the stadium, where he was mobbed by a throng of fans!!

The NFL superstar could hardly move as he attempted to make his way inside the downtown L.A. venue for the pivotal Lakers vs. Clippers game ... as people tried to get photos with him -- and recruit him to their favorite team.

To his credit, Odell handled the situation super well -- posing for a few selfies ... and even joking with our photog about his next NFL team!!

Seems the L.A. crowd wanted to see him in Las Vegas next season for some reason -- as multiple fans pled with the free-agent wide receiver to sign with the Raiders.

Once inside, Odell had a killer spot for the big game ... sitting just a few feet away from the Clippers' bench.

Unclear which team he was rooting for -- he was dressed in neutral colors -- but hopefully for him it was the Clippers ... 'cause the Lakers got smacked pretty good, 125-118.

Beckham wasn't the only celeb in the building taking in the action ... Michael B. Jordan was courtside too -- but no word if the guys ended up rubbin' elbows.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson clearly had a hankerin' for the golden arches ... hitting the McDonald's drive-thru to pick up a bunch of grub.

Tristan and Khloe pulled up to the fast food joint Tuesday in Rialto, CA -- unclear what their whole order was, but eyewitnesses say it was a LOT of food.

We're told they did get some happy meals as part of their big order, so it's possible their kiddos True and new baby boy were in tow ... or at least waiting for the goodies at home.

KK and TT have been together quite a bit recently -- she was right by his side earlier this year when his mom died after suffering a heart attack. They both were spotted landing in Toronto, with Khloe being there to comfort him during his loss.

Tristan also showed face at Khloe's BFF Malika's birthday party, an event that most of the Kardashian sisters attended.

She also posted a super heart-warming birthday message about him last month, calling him "the best father, brother & uncle."

Looks like things are going well ... and we're lovin' it!

LeBron James tried his hardest to keep a straight face while his teammates serenaded him with goat noises during his postgame interview after L.A.'s OT thriller -- but eventually, the King caved and cracked a smile at the flattering gesture.

James and the Lakers defeated the Jazz, 135-133, in an overtime thriller at Vivint Arena -- and as reporters asked him about the game, Bron's teammates, led by DeAngelo Russell, went out of their way to show how grateful they were for his performance Tuesday night.

ICYMI, the Lakers blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Still, LeBron had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but missed a contested layup ... a shot he makes 9 out of 10 times.

James avenged his late-game miss in overtime -- with Demi Lovato and Lindsey Vonn in the building -- scoring the deciding basket by powering his way to the hoop, this time making the layup, and propelling the Lakers to victory.

Bron finished the contest with 37 points, six assists, and five rebounds and said ... "I had to redeem myself at the end of regulation," adding, "I smoked a layup."

Although James seemed flattered by the goat noises from his teammates, the 4x NBA champ knows the Lakers still have work to do if they want to make a playoff run, saying, "I got to stay focused. I'm locked in."

The Lakers (41-38) play the Clippers (41-38) at Crypto.com Arena Wednesday night.

Warriors fans were thrilled to see Andrew Wiggins make it back to the Golden State bench on Tuesday night -- giving the guy a standing ovation that was so loud, it brought a huge smile to the star's face.

The 28-year-old had been away from the team since February while dealing with a family issue -- and while he said things weren't entirely resolved back at home yet, he felt it was at least "in a safe place where I can come back."

And, nobody was more thrilled to see it than those in the Bay Area -- who showered him with cheers and applause during the Warriors vs. Thunder game at Chase Center.

Wiggins did not play in the contest -- Dubs GM Bob Myers said they want to make sure his conditioning is right before he steps back on the court -- but the forward told media members he didn't think it'd be "too long before" he's back out there.

As for the absence, Wiggins declined to get into specifics of it all ... saying, "I'd rather just keep that private."

Wiggins, though, told media members he felt love from his teammates throughout his extended time away from the team, and he was super happy to be back.

Joey Chestnut gave the whole Detroit Pistons squad a front-row seat to a grub-guzzling extravaganza this week -- downing 38 chicken wings in just over three minutes -- and the players couldn't believe their eyes!!

The greatest eater of all time is slated to be the halftime entertainment when the Pistons host the Miami Heat on Tuesday ... where he'll down as many Coney dogs as he can to raise money for Forgotten Harvest, an org. that helps feed the needy.

Apparently, Jaws needed to warm up his jaws before the big moment ... getting in some practice by showing Pistons hoopers how many wings he could eat in three minutes and 13 seconds (get it, 313?).

Guard Jared Rhoden was starstruck over Joey's visit ... saying he's been a big fan for years.

Center James Wiseman didn't have to say much to get his feelings across -- his eyes grew massive as Joey wrecked some drums and flats.

The Pistons even cheered for the guy ... chanting "Joey, Joey!" while the pile of bones grew bigger.

3:13 later, Joey's total was officially announced ... and he hilariously replied, "That's it?!?!"

After the incredible feat, the team got to take some pics with Joey ... and they were all super pumped over what they just saw.

Lamar Odom is sharing how he turned his pain into purpose by investing in drug treatment centers ... saying he couldn't be happier to help others and save lives around the world.

The former NBA star joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to explain why he acquired 3 rehab centers in California, and it's pretty inspiring -- he says his goal is to help others battling addiction turn their lives around, as he did years ago.

Lamar tells us he now feels certain he found his purpose after God saved him from his nearly fatal overdose ... adding the fulfillment he's gotten as a basketball star doesn't compare to the feeling he gets from helping others.

He says it feels amazing to see and hear how he can touch and save lives ... simply by sharing his story.

You'll recall, LO overdosed at a Nevada brothel in 2015 and suffered kidney failure, heart attacks, and several strokes.

Since then, he's done a complete 180... after he himself went through rehab.

And, he has high hopes for others to do the same. As we told you, he teamed up with Christian hip hop artist Dontae Ralston and former Hall of Fame skateboarder Dennis Martinez to acquire the facilities in San Diego, El Cajon and Lemon Grove.

The 2-time NBA champ tells us the 3 centers are only the beginning and his plan is to expand all over.

We also asked him about former "Jackass" star Bam Margera, whose struggle with sobriety has him in a ton of drama with his estranged wife and son. Lamar has a word of advice for Bam and others in the grips of addiction.

Lamar Odom has just invested in three drug treatment centers in California ... with the hopes of helping people turn around their lives -- just as he did with his own several years ago.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former L.A. Lakers star teamed up with Christian hip-hop artist Dontae Ralston and former Hall of Fame skateboarder Dennis Martinez to acquire the facilities in San Diego, El Cajon and Lemon Grove.

A rep for Odom tells us the venues consist of a women's residential treatment home and two men's detox and residential treatment homes.

The buildings will be, fittingly, called "Odom Wellness Treatment Centers" -- and Lamar is vowing to be "highly involved" with the patients at the facilities. In fact, we're told Lamar is "ready to start saving lives" ASAP.

"He wants to help everyone he can," Odom's rep says. "He is thankful that he was given a second chance at his life and feels his destiny is to help others."

You'll recall, the 2-time NBA champ overdosed at Dennis Hof's Love Ranch brothel in Nevada in 2015 and suffered kidney failure, heart attacks, and several strokes.

Odom insisted to TMZ in the special "Lamar Odom: Sex, Drugs and Kardashians" that the brothel owner tried to kill him and drugged him.

Odom, fortunately, recovered from it all ... went to rehab, and eventually got his life back together -- and now, he's getting serious about helping others follow in his same path. We're told he brokered the deal with his management K&R and Gitoni.

A stripper's twerkin' sesh at a Chicago Bulls game is bringing her big money ... 'cause after her dance in a suite at the United Center went viral earlier this week -- she tells TMZ Sports business has been boomin'!!!

The stripper, Pretty Rebel, went off in the middle of the Lakers vs. Bulls game on Wednesday ... and when video of her performance hit the internet -- fans couldn't take their eyes off of it.

The footage -- which showed Pretty Rebel in a red two-piece twerking and doing splits on the suite floor -- has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times!!

Pretty Rebel -- who was actually hired for her friend Jazz's birthday -- said she had a blast at the game ... and since it all went down, her phone has been blowing up!

"I've gotten so many requests for more bookings," Pretty Rebel tells us.

The United Center, meanwhile wasn't too pleased over it all, officials for the venue said her moves violated their fan code of conduct and "appropriate steps to address the matter" have been taken.

But, Pretty Rebel told us she hasn't heard anything from the team or its stadium, as of yet.