NBA

Tristan Thompson is all about changes these days ... and he's just changed his citizenship to the U.S. of A.

Tristan was sworn in as an American citizen earlier this week ... shortly after deciding to join the Boston Celtics.

Tristan was a Canadian citizen and came to the United States to study at the Univ. of Texas back in 2009. He was only there a year, before joining the NBA draft.

Tristan says, “I came to the U.S. on a student visa and have always had big dreams. I’m now truly living the American dream.”

Dude's got a lot to celebrate. The Boston deal's netting him $19 mil over 2 years.

The athlete’s U.S. citizenship comes after news broke on November 21 that he reached a two-year, $19 million deal with the Boston Celtics as its new center.

Thompson began his professional basketball career in 2011 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played for nine seasons.

On the home front, Khloe says she and 2-year-old True are staying put in L.A. ... she just bought a new home right next to her mom. Presumably, there will be lots of commuting.

Khloe and Tristan got back together during the pandemic, and from all accounts, they're going strong.

"GUARANTEEEEEED!!!!"

LaVar Ball says there's NO DOUBT in his mind his son, LaMelo, will receive the highest honors of his draft class ... telling TMZ Sports the #3 overall pick is a shoo-in for the Rookie of the Year award.

We spoke with Papa Ball at his family's Thanksgiving giveaway in South Central L.A. on Tuesday ... and in pure LaVar fashion, he made another bold prediction.

"Teaming up with Michael Jordan and you can't get rookie of the year?? Are you crazy?!," LaVar tells us.

It may not be as farfetched as LaVar's predictions in the past -- Melo can straight-up BALL and was once considered a favorite to go #1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Of course, LaMelo ended up with the Charlotte Hornets ... and LaVar is expecting big things when his son teams up with the GOAT.

"This the ugliest ball in the world right here."

That's Charles Barkley talking about the golf balls his partner, Phil Mickelson, gave him to use on the course Friday ... with Shaquille O'Neal's face plastered on them!!!

Chuck and Phil are going head-to-head with Steph Curry and Peyton Manning for "The Match 3" charity golf outing -- raising money for historically Black colleges and universities -- and Phil tried to give his teammate extra incentive to hit a good shot.

Mickelson told Barkley he's tired of his "NBA on TNT" colleagues disrespecting him -- most notably Shaq -- so it was time for a little payback.

Unfortunately, Charles didn't follow up with a hole-in-one, but didn't hit a bad shot either ... which has been the story of the day so far.

Chuck -- who's known to have a notoriously bad hitch in his swing -- has been swinging pretty smoothly ... and he and Phil are currently up 3 through 9 holes of the 18-hole showdown.

NBA star Markelle Fultz is taking Wakanda Forever literally ... he just got a foot-long image of the Black Panther tattooed on his thigh -- and it's AMAZING!!

TMZ Sports has learned back in the summer, Fultz hit up "Ink Master" star Roly T-Rex about getting some ink done.

And, with Chadwick Boseman's death and the Black Lives Matter movement at its peak ... the two got to thinking a "Black Panther" piece would be perfect.

According to Roly T-Rex, the artwork -- featuring a stern Black Panther surrounded by lightning -- embodied BLM's message and paid tribute to the late Boseman ... so Fultz was all about it.

The Orlando Magic star was able to sit for the needle sesh this week ... and Roly tells us everything went great.

The piece -- which is about 12-13 inches tall -- took roughly five hours to complete ... and Roly says Fultz was "ecstatic" at its finished result.

"He loved it, man," said Roly, who also does tattoo work for Fultz's Magic teammate, Aaron Gordon. "He loves the tat."

Terrible news for hoops fans hoping to see Michael Jordan and LaVar Ball face off on the court ... the Big Baller is calling off a 1-on-1 game, saying they're just too old!!

It was a rare moment of humility from LaVar, who has been hyping up a mano-a-mano matchup with the GOAT for years.

But, at the Ball fam's turkey giveaway in South Central L.A. on Tuesday, LaVar told us straight-up -- it's not happening.

"Realistically, neither one of us is gonna do this," LaVar told TMZ Sports. "We over 50!"

Don't get it twisted -- LaVar joked both guys would be down if it came with a crazy price tag of $200 MILLION and at a crazy location like the Empire State Building ... but in reality, the only one getting the W is father time.

As we previously reported ... LaVar's son, LaMelo was just drafted by MJ's Charlotte Hornets -- which is why people thought the two could actually step on the court together.

But, now that LaVar's pulled off the game, we asked if he's chopped it up with his son's new boss and maybe smoked a cigar or 50 together.

By the way ... MJ will def consider this video a victory -- he's an insane competitor and would never say he's too old for anything.

There's more ... we also spoke with LaVar about the Balls unloading a semi-truck-worth of supplies for the Thanksgiving holiday ... and why it's so important for the family to give back to the community.

Michael Jordan collectors are gonna LOSE THEIR MINDS -- because some of the most coveted shoes from his career are hitting the auction block for the first time ever.

First, check out the black and red Jordans that MJ rocked during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in 1991 ... the year Jordan won his first NBA championship.

The kicks were signed by MJ and gifted to Sonny Vaccaro -- the former Nike executive who signed His Airness to his first sneaker deal.

And now, Vaccaro is putting them on the auction block through Goldin Auctions, where the shoes are expected to fetch between $500k and $750k!!!

"In my 6-decade career in basketball, I was fortunate to spend 7 years working together with Michael Jordan during my time at Nike, and these Air Jordans represent the moment that he became the most iconic athlete on the planet, as well as the culmination of my career and friendship with Jordan," Vaccaro said in a statement.

"Worn during his very first NBA Championship with the Bulls, and the first for Nike with Jordan, the sneakers were a gift from Jordan to commemorate this amazing achievement."

"The sneakers have remained in my collection for 30 years, and as Jordan’s legacy has only grown as the undisputed greatest of all time, I feel that now is the time to share them and their story with a new generation."

There's more ... Goldin Auctions also MJ's 1985-86 game-used Air Jordan Dunk Sole Sneakers -- 1 of only 5 pairs known to exist!

Goldin says these are the first pair to ever hit the public auction block -- and are expected to hit the $800,000 mark!

"The sneakers are a classic pair of red and white Air Jordans worn during Jordan’s second season, which have the black Nike swoosh logo on each side and the original Air Jordan logo on the ankle," Goldin says.

"Jordan returned from injury during the March 15th, 1986 game against the Milwaukee Bucks after recovering from his broken foot, and he wore variations of the Air Jordan 1s for the remainder of the season."

The shoes also contain a Nike code which show the letters "PS" -- which means they were a "Player Sample," not made for the masses.

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW YOU CELEBRATE SIGNING A $195 MILLION NBA CONTRACT!!

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was so fired up the moment the deal was done over the weekend, he ripped off his shirt and dove right into the pool ... with his socks still on his feet!!

Technically, the contract only guarantees $163 million -- but Spida can hit $195 mil if he makes one of the 3 All-NBA teams.

Still, Donovan lost his mind when the deal was done -- and the reaction video is perfect!!!!

After he dried off, Donovan cracked open a bottle of Don Julio 1942 while his agent, Ty Sullivan, gave an emotional toast.

"You're a role model," Sullivan said ... "Hopefully we're doing this again, and again and again."

"My thing to you is continue to inspire and be responsible and just continue to grow."

Sullivan added ... "You earned this and I know you're going to do the right thing. And from all of us at our agency, myself and my family, congratulations to the 3 of you and your family."

FYI -- 24-year-old Mitchell has averaged nearly 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists a game since entering the league as the #13 overall pick in 2017.

It's the end of an era ... NBA star (and legendary bachelor) Chandler Parsons is officially off the market after popping the question to his girlfriend -- and she said YES!!

The 32-year-old proposed to Haylee Harrison over the weekend -- a business owner (who also used to be a model) ... and yeah, the ring is HUGE!

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... the rock is nearly 7 carats -- and while we don't know the price, it's obvious money was no object to a guy who's reportedly made north of $126 MILLION during his NBA career.

"Now til forever," Parsons said on IG. "@hayleexharrison you came into my life and changed it forever. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you so much future Mrs. Parsons!!!"

The two have been dating since 2019 -- but we're told Parsons and Harrison met through mutual friends a few years back. They currently live together in Malibu and West Hollywood.

Of course, Parsons is a 9-year vet in the Association, while Harrison is days away from launching her own cosmetics line, Treats Beauty.

"I can’t believe I get to marry my best friend," Haylee said Sunday. "You are seriously so special. I just feel so lucky to get to live life by your side and learn from you and grow together."

"We’re so lucky we have each other. Chandler Evan Parsons, I am so so in love with you and so excited to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Congrats to us baby, we did it!!!"

Parsons had a pretty amazing run back in his single days ... dating beautiful stars like Bella Thorne to Toni Garrn and Arianny Celeste.

2020 started off rough for Parsons -- he was badly injured in a car accident back in January, when a drunk driver slammed into his vehicle.

We're told his basketball career is still up in the air, which sucks -- but at least he's ending the year on a much happier note!

Another sports card collector just hit the JACKPOT -- pulling a rare 1-of-1 LeBron James jersey card ... and he's already getting some huge offers to sell!

It all went down Thursday night at Jaspy's Case Breaks card shop in Hermosa Beach, CA -- which was hosting a "live break" of a box of 2019-20 Panini Immaculate Premium Edition cards.

Each individual box runs about $2,500 -- and contains ONE pack with SIX cards. High stakes card collecting!!!

Jaspy's was hosting an event where collectors could buy rights to cards based on an NBA team -- for example, you could buy the Houston Rockets for $100 and any card pulled featuring a player on the Rockets would belong to you.

Huge upside, but if the pack contains no Rockets players, you get nothing. Get it? Great.

In this case, a collector purchased the rights to the Lakers cards for $70 -- and man, BEST $70 INVESTMENT EVER!!

During Thursday's live break, Jaspy's staffer Joe pulled the holy grail from the set ... a LeBron game-used jersey card from LBJ's championship run with the Lake Show!!!

The guys at the shop went crazy -- and the collector who was watching virtually quickly realized they had something special!

We spoke with Erick Mitchell -- high-end card expert and card broker -- who tells us he was getting hit up by clients making big offers (from $50k to $75k) in the hours after the pull!

We're told the lucky fan hasn't sold the card yet -- instead, he wants to put it up for auction, where experts believe it could fetch more than $100,000!!!

So, who buys these kinds of cards?

Mitchell told us there are a handful of high-end LeBron "super-collectors" who pounce on anything they can ... price is no object.

As we previously reported, there's been a surge of interest in high-end cards lately ... even Rob Kardashian is getting in on the craze.

L.A. Clippers center Ivica Zubac says Shaquille O'Neal is flat-out WRONG to say Paul George needs to be traded ... telling TMZ Sports the team can be successful with PG-13 AND Kawhi Leonard on board.

Remember, the NBA legend was critical of the Clips following their 2nd round exit in the 2020 playoffs ... saying the team needs to ship George elsewhere and let Klaw be the guy.

We asked Zubac if he agreed with Shaq's comments Thursday at LAX ... and while he didn't say much, he got his point across.

"No," the 7-footer told us ... adding, "that's the man!!!"

Now, there were reports of serious locker room drama within the Clips organization this past postseason ... and while Zubac wouldn't dive into that discussion, it's clear he's sticking with his guy.

While the Clippers will be led by a different coach next season -- Doc Rivers is out, Ty Lue is in -- the squad is still one of the favorites to win it all.

Dwyane Wade definitely saw that clip of Mike Tyson grilling Boosie Badazz over offensive comments the rapper made about Wade's transgender daughter ... and D-Wade loved it!!!

Remember ... it was back in October, "Iron" Mike pressed Boosie HARD over the transphobic public comments he made about D-Wade's 13-year-old child Zaya.

Tyson didn't hold back -- and asked Boosie if the hateful comments stemmed from his own insecurities with his sexuality and gender identity. The video was powerful.

Now, Wade is opening up about the incident in a new interview with "Central Ave" ... explaining why he appreciates Mike's support.

"I actually talked to Mike about that earlier in the pandemic -- we had a conversation and I appreciated it."

"He's one of those people ... he's so smart, he's so educated and knowledgeable about life and for him to drop that nugget on the world … to me, it was great to hear him say that."

Wade also implied he doesn't harbor any ill-will toward Boosie.

"I understand that everyone has their own path, their own journey toward accepting things."

"I've never came out and said anything to anybody that feels a certain way about me or someone else in my family, my loved ones -- because they don't know us, they don't know our heart and they definitely don't know Zaya."

"All I do is what my momma say ... just pray for 'em."

As we previously reported, Mike credited his own daughter for convincing him to speak up about the comments when Boosie appeared on his podcast -- and he's glad he did.

"I think we know how it would turn out, to be honest."

That's LaMelo Ball trying REALLY hard not to piss off his father or his new boss Friday when asked who would win in 1-on-1 ... LaVar Ball or Michael Jordan!?!?!

The answer is obvious to most people ... but LaVar has been talking A TON of trash for years about how he would crush MJ if they ever squared up on the court.

And, now that Melo was drafted by MJ's Charlotte Hornets this week -- reporters asked the 19-year-old Friday straight-up ... who ya got?!

"I don’t think it's gonna happen," Melo said at first ... before adding, "And then, I think we know how it would turn out, to be honest."

Melo then explained his dilemma ... "I mean it is my pops and my boss ... so I’m on both sides now."

TRANSLATION -- MJ WOULD BEAT THAT ASS AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT!!

Look, LaVar has been making the "I'd destroy MJ" claims for years -- saying Jordan is simply "too little" to compete with him.

MJ famously fired back -- saying, "I don't think he could beat me if I was one-legged."

LaVar then told TMZ Sports, "I could beat him with 1 hand tied behind my back with some glasses on with one eye lens out with some flips flops on in the rain."

Think COVID could stop Russell Westbrook from helping out some families in need during the holiday? HELL NO!!

The NBA superstar grabbed some masks, gloves and sanitizer and hit the streets of L.A. on Thursday for his annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway ... with some minor adjustments to keep everyone safe!

Westbrook's Why Not? Foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank and others to host a drive-thru event at Jesse Owens Park ... where all volunteers were decked out in PPE to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

It's the 9th year of Westbrook's food event -- but due to the pandemic, he had to make some changes this time around -- a challenge he happily met.

"This year is a little different with COVID and everything going on in our society," Russell said ... "But I'm thankful to be here to be able to give back to so many families."

He later added on Twitter, "Things are challenging right now & people are struggling. This is why it is more important than ever for me to support my community any way I can while keeping everyone safe."

Lonzo Ball is stepping up as big brother to help LaMelo get his beloved jersey number ... hitting up Malik Monk and asking if he's down to swap digits!!

Of course, #1 has ALWAYS been Melo's number -- from high school to Lithuania to Australia -- and the dude even has a massive tattoo to prove his loyalty to numero uno.

But, the youngest Ball Bro hit a snag after getting drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday ... 'cause Monk currently has ownership over #1.

Melo was introduced to the Hornets with a #2 jersey on Friday ... and Zo, who also wears #2 on the Pelicans, immediately went to work on getting lil bro his #1.

"Ayo @AhmadMonk what’s good?! You know you want 5!! 🤣 ", Lonzo tweeted at Melo's teammate.

The question is, is Zo doing this out of brotherly love ... or does he REALLY not want baby bro to have the same number as him??

Most likely the latter ... but either way, Monk would have to pick something other than #5 -- that currently belongs to Nicolas Batum.

The Tampa Bay Raptors? For now, yes.

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they will begin the 2020-21 NBA season playing their home games in Tampa ... hours after the Canadian government reportedly ruled they could not host home games up north.

The long story short ... due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government didn't want teams flying in from the U.S. and possibly spreading the virus.

The U.S. is still considered a coronavirus hotbed -- with more than 11.8 million cases compared to just 315k in Canada.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri says the team had "productive" conversations with govt. officials in the hopes of keeping the team in Canada -- but with the season set to kick off on Dec. 22, Toronto decided it was better to start the season in Tampa and figure things out from there.

"Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida," Ujiri said.

Ujiri says the team is committed to planning a safe return to Toronto -- "and as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada."

"So we'll be away from our home and our fans for now. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure that's possible for us -- we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA."

You win Rookie of the Year, you get the giraffe -- or should we say, Ja Raffe!! -- 'cause Grizzlies star Ja Morant officially has a baby giraffe named after him at the Memphis Zoo!!

And, we must say ... it's JA-mazing!!

The zoo announced its newest addition to the fam on Thursday ... saying it welcomed a baby boy on Nov. 10.

Fresh off Ja's JA-dropping rookie campaign -- he averaged nearly 18 points and 7 assists a game for Memphis -- the place decided to JAnor the 21-year-old with the long-necked namesake.

"We have some new hooves on the African Veldt. His name is Ja Raffe to celebrate @memgrizz’s @JaMorant winning @NBA Rookie of the year," the zoo said on Twitter ... revealing the cute baby giraffe in a video.

Ja hasn't spoken about the big token of JA-ppreciation from the zoo just yet ... but we're sure he's JA-st thrilled.

We take it they're saving the bear naming for when Ja wins MVP??