NBA

It's a helluva night to be a Spurs fan ... San Antonio just came away with the first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery -- AKA the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes -- paving the way for the organization to draft the hottest prospect since LeBron James!!

The lottery just went down in Chicago ... and when all the ping pong balls settled, the Spurs were the last team called, which means they get first dibs on the 7'2" player from France in June's draft.

Wembanyama has impressed NBA scouts with his ability to create a shot off the dribble and run the fast break, which is rare for a man his size. He's any GM's dream come true ... and some actually consider him the most coveted prospect EVER.

In fact, we recently spoke to Sonny Vaccaro -- the man behind Michael Jordan's legendary Nike deal -- and he told us Wembanyama has the type of talent that could land him an unprecedented sneaker deal.

Of the 30 NBA teams, 14 had a chance (albeit different percentages) to land the big man, but it was ultimately the Spurs who walked away with the coveted lottery pick.

Wembanyama reacted right after the announcement ... saying he wants to win championships as soon as possible.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is clearly extremely disappointed with Ja Morant ... saying he was "shocked" to see the Memphis Grizzlies star once again flashing a firearm on social media.

The commish directly addressed Ja's latest incident before Tuesday's NBA Draft lottery on ESPN, telling the network ... "Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video. Now, we're in the process of investigating it."

Silver admits the footage, which appears to show Ja holding a handgun while in a car with his buddy, is grainy ... but given Morant's past, Silver says he's "assuming the worst."

The latest video comes just 2 months after Ja was seen holding a pistol on Instagram Live while at a Colorado strip club ... an incident that resulted in Morant being suspended 8 games.

Silver says he had a lengthy conversation with Ja after the first incident, with the commish making it clear to Morant why it was such a big deal and why the consequences were so severe.

The commish says Ja seemed to be taking the first incident seriously, which is why he was so shocked to see Morant waving another gun around for the cameras.

The Grizzlies suspended Ja from all activities pending the NBA's review, and it sounds like Silver will come down even harder on Morant this time.

Stay tuned ...

Steve Kerr is admitting Draymond Green's violent incident with Jordan Poole had a serious impact on the Warriors' season ... saying the practice punch broke trust and "compromised things."

The Golden State head coach was open with reporters during the team's exit interviews on Tuesday ... and he felt the players' lack of chemistry following the October altercation had the whole team facing an uphill battle all season.

"Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost," Kerr said. "That's as blunt as I can be."

"We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better."

Kerr specifically mentioned the Green/Poole incident as he addressed the team's change in identity compared to previous seasons ... adding, "It's hard for that not to impact a team."

Despite what went down at the beginning of the season, Kerr says Green -- who has a $27 million player option for next year -- is vital to the team's success moving forward ... and even though the 4-time champ would have to work on his relationships in the locker room, coach wants him back.

Stephen Jackson defended Ja Morant when he flashed a gun on IG Live in March ... but the former hooper says he can't have the back of the Grizzlies superstar this time around,  calling the act "the dumbest thing he could've done."

"It's not what you do, it's what you do after. And, what you do after is not do the same thing again, like what [Ja] just did," 45-year-old Jackson said on I Am Athlete's Paper Route show.

"All the people like me that was taking up for him, that's said 'it was a mistake, he's a young kid.' We can't go to bat for him this time. This is the dumbest thing he could've done. This is a moron move."

Of course, 23-year-old Morant was suspended by the Grizzlies over the weekend after another video surfaced, showing the 2x NBA All-Star holding a handgun while in a car with his buddy.

The video comes just two months after Ja was seen holding a pistol on Instagram Live while in a Denver area strip club on March 4. Morant was suspended 8 games ... and decided to seek treatment, entering a counseling program in Florida, where he stayed for a few days.

In a sitdown interview with Jalen Rose, Ja vowed to make better decisions going forward ... though Jackson always doubted the effectiveness of the treatment Morant received in the Sunshine State.

"It's just a f**ked up situation, but you gotta really just put everything in his lap and let him deal with it. He gotta deal with everything that comes with it because he done the same dumb thing again that he act like he went and got help for," Stak said.

He continued ... "Just like I told yall, he didn't talk to nobody and get help that fast. There was no way. That was a publicity stunt. This is all on him and can't nobody defend him. I definitely won't stand up and defend him because that was the dumbest thing you could've done."

Jackson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, says he had Ja's back before the first incident because he was once in a similar situation to Morant ... but Stephen says he learned and made changes where necessary.

"I was one guy that actually went to bat for him because I've been a guy who was thrown a lot of money at a young age and made a mistake, but I'm totally different than the person I was. A lot of people commend me on the changes I made after the mistakes I made."

Ja Morant has set social media ablaze with another apparent gun incident ... this time flashing what appears to be a weapon Saturday during an IG Live.

Morant is having fun in a car with a friend, listening to NBA YoungBoy's album. As the camera pans toward him, you see what appears to be the Grizzlies star holding a gun ... just for a second, and then the camera turns away.

Fans recorded the moment and it's making rounds on social.  What we don't know ... whether the gun's real, and whether it's his.

There was a previous incident in March with Morant and a gun ... he was at a Denver nightclub on IG Live, but later said the gun wasn't his.

This had its consequences ... Morant was suspended for 8 games without pay for the incident. However, police investigated and ended up not charging Morant with a crime. The NBA also did its own investigation and could not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant. It was also unclear if he brought the gun into the club.

The 23-year-old enrolled in a Florida counseling program before returning to the court.

We reached out to a rep for the Memphis Grizzlies about the IG video taken Saturday ... so far, no word back.

A super rare card that features an NBA Logoman patch from one of LeBron James' jerseys during his epic 2016 Finals series has just gone up for sale ... TMZ Sports has learned.

PWCC officials tell us they put the card on their auction block Thursday ... and it's truly a one-of-a-kind item.

It's a Panini Eternal piece that was created just after the trading card co. scored one of LBJ's jerseys from the series against the Warriors where he came back from down 3-1 to win Cleveland's first title.

Panini cut the NBA Logoman patch from the threads -- built it into the card ... making it a true 1-of-1.

No word on what it's ultimately expected to fetch when the final gavel hits ... but PWCC exec Jesse Craig called it "one of LeBron's best cards" ever.

"Outside of some rare booklet-style cards, this is the only series of cards I am aware of that included LeBron James NBA Finals-worn jersey pieces in them," Craig said.

"It's of interest to see it go to auction right now because of the playoff battle between LeBron and Curry. That 2016 Finals is the notorious 3-1 Golden State lead that LeBron and the Cavs overcame to secure their elusive championship. This card was constructed as a monument to the victory of King James."

Bidding on the card -- which is graded Mint 9 and features James holding the Larry O'Brien trophy with a short blurb about his legendary Game 5 performance on the back -- ends on May 25.

The LA Lakers trounced the Golden State Warriors on Friday night to inch closer to an NBA Championship ... and a bevy of Hollywood stars came out to support their team.

Led by The King, Lebron James, the Lakers walloped the Warriors 122 to 101 to win Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinal matchup and advance to the finals in their division.

Needless to say, the celebs loved every moment of it as they rooted for the Lakers from their courtside seats at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. Among the boldfaced names were Leo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Michael B. Jordan, Jack Nicholson, Woody Harrelson, Orlando Bloom, Jack Harlow, Lewis Hamilton, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bill Maher, Kendall Jenner and her boyfriend, Bad Bunny.

Kendall and Bad Bunny were seated side by side looking around and smiling ... Leo, as always, went incognito with his baseball cap pulled down over his face ... Jack Nicholson was enjoying the game with his son Ray ... Woody, Bill and Orlando all got together for a little chat on the sideline. And the rest of the stars were having plenty of fun, too.

Kenyon Martin has a bone to pick with Julius Randle ... and it's a weird one -- the former NBA star says it irks him when the Knicks forward kisses his wife after playoff games.

Martin unleashed the bizarre tirade against Randle on the "Gil's Arena" live stream on Thursday ... hours after the NY star was seen smooching Kendra Randle following the Knicks' Game 5 win over the Heat.

"I saw something last night at the end of the game and it bothered me," Martin said on the show. "We just got done playing a hard-fought game in a playoff series, and the first thing you do is you go kiss your wife."

"Like," he added, "that's the first thing you do?! Where's your mind at?!"

Martin said Julius should have been more focused on celebrating the victory at Madison Square Garden with his teammates ... instead of loving on his significant other.

"I'm sitting there watching the game with my wife, and I'm like, 'I love you to death,'" the 15-year NBA veteran said, "'but ain't no way in that instance I'm going to walk over. I'm going to be with my guys -- we just got done winning. I'm not even thinking about you.'"

For what it's worth, there weren't many others on the show that seemed to agree with Martin's take ... they pointed out to the 45-year-old that Kendra is Julius' most ride-or-die supporter, and deserves the postgame love.

Mark Jackson is addressing his controversial decision to leave Nikola Jokic off his MVP ballot ... apologizing to the Nuggets star and claiming it was a complete oversight.

Jackson was the ONLY media member to not include the two-time MVP in his top-five players this season ... electing to go with Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell instead.

The submission resulted in a ton of backlash ... with Charles Barkley saying, "There's one person -- I don't even know this fool's name -- didn't even have Joker in the top five. People like that shouldn't get a vote ... He's a damn idiot."

Jackson broke his silence on the matter on Thursday ... and he believes the criticism is warranted.

"Made an honest mistake with my MVP votes," Jackson said on Twitter. "My apologies to the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. He’s not only a legitimate MVP candidate who deserved my vote, but he is truly one of the all time greats!"

"Again my apologies."

Jackson further explained what happened on "NBA Today" on SiriusXM ... saying he actually thought he was voting for All-NBA teams. Had he known, he claims he would have included Jokic third on his list ... behind Embiid and Giannis.

Jackson said he completely understands if the mix-up results in losing the privilege ... adding, "If you want to take away my vote or whatever, you're more than welcome."

The good news? Jackson's snub ultimately didn't matter ... as Embiid would have won regardless.

Kendrick Perkins and JJ Redick don't always see eye to eye when debating sports, but the NBA champ tells TMZ Sports he loves the idea of the former three-point sniper becoming an NBA head coach -- saying, "He knows his s***."

We caught up with Perkins at LAX, where we asked how he felt about the Raptors reportedly interviewing Redick for the open spot after they fired Nick Nurse following a disappointing season, and he gave his ESPN colleague a ringing endorsement.

"I actually love it, to be honest with you," Perkins told us. "One thing about it, he [Redick] knows his s***. Also, on top of that, man, any time you can see a former player that played the game get an opportunity to go sit in that seat, you would love to see it."

Perk said if Toronto hires Redick ahead of other viable candidates with more coaching experience, he would feel bad. Nevertheless, Perk told us he'd be happy if Redick became an NBA head coach, believing he brings value to any team's locker room.

"Obviously, he's jumping ahead of a few guys that I would love to see get an opportunity that's been waiting in line," Perk said. "Sam Cassell. Phil Handy. You hate to see it because those guys served as assistants for about 10, 15, 20 years."

"But you always want to see a guy like JJ do it. He knows his s***," he continued.

Perkins and Redick have gained popularity for their spirited back-and-forth on "First Take" about who should win the NBA MVP Award this season, but Kendrick reassured fans it's all love between him and JJ and gave the impression there's mutual respect on both sides.

Stephen A. Smith is regretting some controversial comments he made about Anthony Davis' head injury on Thursday ... apologizing and saying he was wrong.

Smith was talking to Jay Williams on ESPN's "First Take" about Davis possibly suffering a concussion during the Lakers' playoff loss to the Warriors ... when he questioned the legitimacy of the injury.

"I ain't seen nothing yesterday that made me say, 'concussion, concussion,'" SAS said. "Now I don't know if it's true or not. Did a wheelchair get him to the locker room? I'm not sure. Really? A wheelchair? That's where we are."

Davis was initially hurt after his head made contact with Warriors center Kevon Looney's arm. He seemed woozy after the blow -- and did not return to the game. Reportedly, he had to leave the courtside area in a wheelchair.

Due to the potential magnitude of Davis' wound, Smith's words were blasted by some on social media -- causing the ESPN commentator to issue a mea culpa Thursday afternoon.

"Blow back is Blow back," Smith tweeted. "Comes with the territory, peeps. I was in no way minimizing the seriousness of a concussion. I was questioning whether Anthony Davis really had one, considering the play I saw & other hits I’ve seen him absorb."

"But, bottom line, it was wrong for me to do. Period! My bad."

Having a rough Thursday morning? This will certainly cheer you up ...

Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley got a case of the giggles on the set of "NBA On TNT" on Wednesday night ... and the two cracked each other up so hard, it's impossible not to laugh out loud while watching them.

The NBA legends began chuckling right after Ernie Johnson had spoken about the injury Anthony Davis suffered against the Warriors in the Lakers' playoff loss at Golden State ... and check out the video, even though they tried like hell to stifle the giggles -- they just couldn't stop.

Every time one of the two appeared composed, the other one busted out a huge laugh. It alll looked like a scene straight of a middle school classroom.

And, at one point, even Kenny Smith joined in too!!

Johnson eventually got control of the chaos on set, and Barkley resumed breaking down the Lakers' 121-106 defeat as if nothing had happened.

It's unclear what had all the guys in stitches ... some say they were laughing over the way Davis needed to leave the court following his head injury -- though neither has addressed that speculation publicly.

Whatever it was, though, it all made for some pretty great two minutes of television.

Kim Kardashian has become a fixture, and maybe even a good luck charm, at the recent Los Angeles Lakers playoff games -- and while there's plenty of speculation as to her motivation in going -- we've got some answers.

If you tuned in to games 3 and 4 of the Lakers vs. Warriors this week, you likely saw the cameras pan to Kim sitting courtside with her friend Sarah Staudinger. Of course, social media was buzzing, wondering if Kim was there to support a possible love interest.

Our Kim sources say she's "absolutely not" dating anyone on either team, she's simply there to hang with her friend and to support her hometown Lakers.

What's more, we're told the courtside seats belong to Kim's agent, Ari Emanuel, who also happens to be Sarah's husband ... so the two women have easy access to two of the best seats in the house to watch the game.

Of course, Tristan Thompson is now on the Lakers' roster, so it's nice for Kim to be able to support him -- she's even posted a couple pics of TT at the game -- but our sources say she'd go and watch regardless of him being on the squad or not.

Kim's become quite the sports enthusiast over the last couple years, taking her kids to events both in L.A. and around the world. She's become a regular at L.A. Rams games with her son Saint, even taking him and some buddies across the pond for soccer matches. We're told she also brought Saint to one of the Lakers' playoff games.

Of course, Kim's always on the sidelines when her kids are playing sports too ... most recently taking in a soccer game over the weekend, which Kanye attended as well.

As for that Kardashian curse ... the Lakers are now 3-0 with Kim courtside, so they might wanna keep her around in their quest for another championship.

Ex-NBA player John Amaechi is calling out West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins over the anti-gay comments he made earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports everyone involved in the conversation is straight-up "disgusting."

As we previously reported, Huggins used homophobic slurs during a Cincinnati radio appearance on Monday ... referring to Xavier fans as "Catholic f**s" while speaking with Bill Cunningham on 700 WLW.

Amaechi -- who came out as gay in 2007 -- got wind of what the coaching legend said ... and he believes, unfortunately, Huggins isn't the only one in a sports leadership role who would use such a term.

"I don’t know the man -- but he sounds like a dinosaur," Amaechi tells TMZ Sports. "College (and indeed pro) sports are littered with them."

But Amaechi isn't just disappointed in Huggins -- he continued to speak out against the show's hosts ... saying they "are also disgusting and to blame for egging this conversation on and calling him 'the best' after he said those words."

"It's hardly surprising that some people still think it’s OK to say these words," he added. "As to whether he should be an educator (as a coach or otherwise), I would remind people that the vociferously anti-trans and anti-gay usually sit in a constellation where many other minority groups (including Black and Brown people) are also held in contempt."

Amaechi -- who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz over the course of 5 seasons in the Association -- has become a voice for the LGBTQ+ community since coming out ... and has also built a career as a psychologist and professor at a Russell Group university.

He was recently honored for his work at an event ... where he gave a powerful monologue that actually ties in with Huggins' controversy.

"I won an award the other day from the Sports Industry, and in my acceptance speech, I talked about sports being an empty vessel that people fill with who they are -- if you imagine what this man fills his sport with, it's hard to imagine that the human outcomes will be positive, even if sporting success occurs," Amaechi says.

Former Phoenix Suns general manager Lance Blanks died by suicide ... his daughter revealed.

In an emotional piece that Riley Blanks Reed penned for ESPN on Tuesday morning ... she announced Lance killed himself last Wednesday.

"People will want more information," Blanks Reed said of her father's death. "But the fact is we will never truly know why. And we don't need to. All we need to do is remember him, honor him, celebrate him, and pour our love into the family that made him happy."

Lance was 56 years old.

In her letter, Blanks Reed reminisced on all the good times she had with her father ... remembering him as "my person, my idol, my teacher, my best friend and my confidant."

"He encompassed everything to me," she said.

Lance starred at the Univ. of Texas from 1988 through 1989 -- and had such a great two seasons there, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Honor in 2007.

Following his Longhorns days, Lance went on to have careers as a player and an exec in the NBA -- ultimately working for the Suns as their GM from 2010 to 2013 -- before he signed on to be an analyst for the Longhorn Network.

Blanks Reed said while all of his career accomplishments were incredible ... she knew him best for being "a leader and a guardian angel."

"In the darkness of my worst nights," she wrote, "he always picked up the phone."

Blanks Reed added, "Daddy, Lance, LB, my forever hero, has left a void that cannot be filled. And yet, I find solace in the promise to honor him with everything he left us. In the loving embrace of my sister, Bryn, I will remember that we are both forever connected to the remarkable man who was our world."

Kim Kardashian is showing some clear signs Tristan Thompson is back in good graces with the fam, and even potentially back with Khloe ... because she posted a pic of him looking as happy as can be after Monday night's Lakers win.

KK uploaded the snap of TT after Monday night's W against the Golden State Warriors -- with a big "YESSSSS GOOOOO LAKERS" plastered above his noggin. For the record, Tristan didn't get any time on the court, but it's a big team win nonetheless.

Worth noting, Kim appears to have taken the photo down as of Tuesday morning ... unclear why.

Regardless, Kim was super happy for Tristan and co., chilling courtside for yet another Lakers game. She was also there Saturday, and posted a pic of Tristan after that big win as well.

This time, she was with her mom Kris Jenner and Kris' boo Corey Gamble. A slew of other celebs were in the crowd -- Chris Pratt, Floyd Mayweather, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Judd Apatow.