NBA

Time heals all wounds, right?? Not for Scottie Pippen ... 'cause he's STILL going off on Michael Jordan over the 'Last Dance' doc, claiming the Bulls legend used the series as propaganda to prove he's better than LeBron James.

Pippen -- who's been outspoken against the mega-popular Netflix show -- is crapping all over it once again in his upcoming memoir, "Unguarded" ... saying MJ was so worried about younger fans calling LeBron the G.O.A.T., he decided to release the multi-part series to show off his greatness.

“Michael was determined to prove to the current generation of fans that he was larger-than-life during his day -- and still larger than LeBron James, the player many consider his equal, if not superior," Scottie said in an excerpt published by GQ.

Pippen criticized MJ for making the doc all about him ... essentially discrediting the role that Scottie and the other Bulls’ players had in winning so many championships.

"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates," Pippen says in the book.

"Even in the second episode, which focused for a while on my difficult upbringing and unlikely path to the NBA, the narrative returned to MJ and his determination to win. I was nothing more than a prop. His 'best teammate of all time,' he called me. He couldn’t have been more condescending if he tried."

Pippen also says there's a reason why 'Last Dance' put so much emphasis on MJ ... saying, "Michael deserved a large portion of the blame. The producers had granted him editorial control of the final product. The doc couldn’t have been released otherwise. He was the leading man and the director."

James Harden gave a group of NYC kids a day they'll never forget Monday ... showing up to a Harlem playground to help them paint -- and providing words of encouragement.

Harden teamed up with Publicolor -- a not-for-profit youth development org. for at-risk and low-income NYC students -- for the gesture ... and pics from the event show it was all awesome.

The Beard helped paint walls -- using all of his 6-foot-5 frame to splash on swaths of yellow and blue -- and he also posed for a ton of pics with the kids as well.

The NBA star told media members on the scene that he was able to deliver inspiring messages too ... saying he told the group, "Keep pushing. Every day isn't going to be perfect. We all have bad days. We all have days where it's not great. We're human."

Harden added, "And as long as they can get that at a young age and keep pushing and keep fighting and stay focused on school and taking care of their families, good things will happen."

Publicolor’s founder Ruth Lande Shuman praised Harden for coming out ... while the org. also tweeted a giant thank you to the Nets guard for showing up.

"We had such a great time with you today!" Publicolor officials said. "Thank you so much for helping us transform PS 149 in Harlem!

Master P has a message for the haters who think Dwyane Wade got his son, Zaire, a spot in the G League ... telling TMZ Sports, "Life ain't fair."

As we previously reported, the former Sierra Canyon standout joined the Salt Lake City Stars earlier this month ... which just so happens to be the affiliate for the Utah Jazz, of which D-Wade is part owner.

We spoke with MP about Zaire's opportunity while at LAX this week ... and he brings the truth.

"When you look at it, it's a blessing," P said. "His dad knows the business. He played in the game."

P says Zaire is working with some top-notch trainers and busting his ass every day ... and thinks Wade can really "change the game" if he continues to put in serious effort.

MP -- who suited up for two NBA teams back in the day -- knows a thing or two about raising an athlete ... his son, Hercy, is a hoops star at an HBCU and he thinks his team can make the tournament if his son keeps it up.

"You know what, he's working hard," Master said. "He just played last night. He had a great game. They won."

"That's what life is about. Just getting better and better."

As for Wade, P also went on to rave about how bright the future is for him in the G League ... but is Zaire "finessing" the system?!? He disagrees.

"He taking advantage of an opportunity. He knows he wants to be a pro player."

Klay Thompson has every right to complain about his NBA Top 75 team snub ... so says his former teammate Festus Ezeli, who tells TMZ Sports he can't believe the Warriors star didn't make the cut.

"Klay's one of the best of all-time," the ex-Golden State center said ... "He's one of the greatest of all-time. Of course [he deserved to be on the list]. He's the best shooter!"

If you missed it ... in honor of the league's 75th anniversary, former players, coaches and other hoop experts created a list of what they believed were the best 75 players ever.

The list featured the obvious names -- LeBron James, Michael Jordan, etc. -- but it was notably missing Klay's.

Thompson eventually flipped out over it after not seeing his name -- calling it a "stupid ass list" and saying it was all disrespectful.

Ezeli, though, said it could actually end up being a blessing in disguise for the Warriors guard ... saying he'll no doubt use it as fuel when he returns from his Achilles injury.

Metta loves Meta.

Ex-NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest is giving his stamp of approval on Facebook's new look ... saying it's an awesome change!!

Mark Zuckerberg just announced Thursday his company is switching to "Meta" ... as it plans to expand from social media to the "metaverse."

Of course, shortly after the change was made public, the NBA champ's name started to trend ... with jokes starting to pour in.

But, Metta finally shared his thoughts on the company's similar name ... tweeting, "Very happy that @Meta is doing this. Metta / Meta is an awesome name."

Metta adds he's excited to see what Zuck's company does moving forward.

"I was literally working, and my phone was ringing non stop. Lol. Congrats FB / #meta."

The company responded to the shoutout ... saying, "Best name ever, right? Can't wait to see you on court in the meTTaverse."

Klay Thompson won’t let people forget that he was left off the NBA’s 75th-Anniversary team any time soon ... 'cause he showed up to the Warriors practice rocking a #77 Jackie Moon jersey!!

Remember, Klay said he was going to channel Will Ferrell's "Semi-Pro" character this season ... saying, "We goin full Jackie Moon this year."

While Moon sports #33, Klay repped #77, which he's been trolled with after being left off the NBA's 75th-anniversary team.

Thompson wasn’t pleased when the list (which had 76 players due to a tie) dropped at the beginning of the season ... saying, "Maybe I'm just naïve in my ability to play basketball, but in my head, I'm TOP 75 of all time."

Thompson has a reason to be pissed -- he's a 3-time champ, 5-time All-Star, holds the record for most points in a quarter, the most 3 pointers made in a game and is tied for most 3-pointers made in a single playoff (98) with his teammate, Stephen Curry.

Despite his beef with the list, that didn’t stop his teammates -- Curry and Draymond Green -- from having fun at his expense.

Steph and Dray left a #77 jersey with Thompson on the back in Klay’s locker as the Dubs prepared for practice earlier this week … and Klay, being the good sport that he is, decided to roll with the joke.

Kevin Durant is opening up about the Nets' early-season struggles … admitting that the team misses having their superstar Kyrie Irving out on the floor.

Irving hasn’t been allowed to practice or play at all this season since he’s unvaccinated ... and it doesn’t look like that’s changing any time soon.

The Nets picked up their third loss of the season last night — losing to the Miami Heat at home 106-93 — prompting one reporter to ask KD what’s "missing" with the team’s offense.

"I know what you want me to say," Durant joked before getting real. "Yeah, we do miss Kyrie. We do. He’s a part of our team."

"For the most part we been generating great shots, we been getting into the paint. It’s a matter of us knocking them down. I think it’ll come."

Brooklyn’s offense has clearly struggled without KI ... the squad is currently 25th in points per game in the NBA.

Supporters of Irving took to the streets this past weekend to advocate that the Brooklyn Nets star be allowed to play … and looking at this Nets offense through 5 games, it might explain why they went so hard.

“When I found out Derrick [Rose] tore his ACL, I remember the smells, who I was with, everything. I had the same feeling of when I saw the plane hit the tower [on Sept. 11th]. People will be like, ‘He’s crazy for saying that.’ No. I’m telling you how I felt.”

That's former NBA star Joakim Noah explaining he was so devastated when a young D-Rose suffered the serious injury, it harkened him back to the day thousands of Americans died in one of the darkest days in America's history.

36-year-old Noah -- who last played with the Clippers in 2020 -- dropped the shocking quote about his close friend during a long form conversation with ESPN.

Of course, the injury happened during the 2011-2012 NBA playoffs. The Bulls were the #1 seed in the East ... and were playing the Sixers in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Chicago won game 1, but the game was marred by the ACL tear to Rose, the leagues reigning MVP.

With only about a minute left in the game, Rose tore the ligament in his left knee.

Before the season ending injury, D-Rose was a rebound and assist away from a triple double (23 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).

The Bulls ended up losing the series ... and although Rose -- now one of the NY Knicks' best players -- has come back since as a highly capable player, but never returned to pre-injury form.

"We really believed we were gonna win that championship," Noah says.

"That was our time. Derrick represented that much hope. Every time he stepped onto the court, we had the most special player in the world. That's a lot of hope to carry on one person."

P.J. Tucker's insane shoe collection ain't just for show ... 'cause the NBA forward sported some ultra-rare kicks during pregame warm-ups this week -- and they're worth $25k!!!

Sneaker fanatics went CRAZY when they noticed Tucker rocking the Jordan 4 retro Eminem Carhartts before going up against the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center ... and it's for good reason.

These specific shoes are NOT easy to get -- when the Black Chromes were released in 2015, they were made exclusively for Eminem's family and friends.

And, according to top sneaker sites, Stock X, GOAT and Flight Club, these limited kicks have a price tag of $25,000!

One fan even joked about it ... saying, "Mans is warming up in shoes worth college tuition."

BTW -- that $25k price is for a size 7 and 8 in men ... Tucker wears a size 14, so he might've put up more $$ for his pair. That, or he has the best hookup in the game.

Jordan brand did make an additional 10 that were auctioned to the public via eBay -- and Em donated one pair in 2020 to raise money for a COVID-19 relief fund.

Sorry, AMC ... LeBron James didn't need a movie theatre giant for his daughter's Halloween night, 'cause he built his own setup Wednesday -- and it was AWESOME!!

The King put together a massive projector and a bunch of comfy seats for Zhuri and her friends to enjoy the new Addams Family flick, and the youngest James loved it all.

The 7-year-old took to IG to show off the structure on the James mansion's back lawn ... revealing balloons, snacks, "Addams Family Values 2" blankets and much more.

"Since Halloween is coming up," Zhuri said, "my parents let me and some of my friends have a movie night in the backyard 🍿🎬!"

She added, "We streamed The Addams Family 2 movie and it was pretty funny!"

The fun night was just the latest good evening for Zhuri ... 'cause it was her birthday less than a week ago, and you know LBJ went all out for that occasion too.

In fact, Bron posted a mushy note to his baby girl for the special day, saying, "You’re seriously one of a kind!"

"Never a down, dull, stale moment when you’re around. You excite/ignite a whole room simply by yourself! ENERGY UNMATCHED! I LOVE YOU ♾ & BEYOND my ❤️"

Jay-Z almost got a lapful of his drink at the Nets game Wednesday ... and it's all 'cause Brooklyn co-owner Clara Wu Tsai got a little too excited following a big play!!

The scene was hilarious ... just seconds before halftime of the Nets' game against the Heat, Blake Griffin threw down a dunk that brought Wu Tsai out of her courtside seat.

Video shows the team's co-owner clapped, and then grabbed Hov by his left arm to celebrate with the rapper.

The problem ... Jay's drink was in that arm's hand, and it spilled all over the place!!!

The cup looked to be filled with red wine, too ... but, thankfully, it missed Jay's jeans and sneakers -- and the 51-year-old was able to laugh it all off.

Of course, we're sure Jay would've been fine with it regardless ... he and Wu Tsai are good friends, and are famously partners in REFORM -- the org. the two helped develop in order to fight criminal injustice in America.

A young fan got the surprise of a lifetime at her first-ever NBA game Tuesday ... with Russell Westbrook kicking off his shoes and gifting her the sneaks off his feet after the Lakers' win!!

The adorable moment happened after L.A.'s game against the Spurs in San Antonio ... when Westbrook noticed a young girl rockin' a LeBron James jersey and holding a purple and yellow sign.

The posterboard read: "Brodie, can I have your 👟👟" ... and Westbrook was quick to say yes!!

Cameras caught the L.A. superstar throwing her the shoes -- and you can see in her reaction, she was absolutely shocked by the adorable gesture!!

"In her first NBA game and Lakers game with an OT win nothing could have been better for her," the little girl's father wrote in a social media post following the game.

"She literally kept repeating 'I can't believe this is real.' I'm so proud of you for staying consistent and thankful for Brodie for being so generous and making this the best experience ever."

The post was so cool, it even caught the eye of Westbrook ... who wrote in the comment section, "Appreciate your support. Hope you guys enjoyed the game."

Things are getting tenser than a lethal game of Red Light, Green Light -- "Squid Game" creator Hwang Dong-hyuk heard LeBron James bashing the show's ending loud and clear ... and fired back by clowning his panned 'Space Jam' movie!!

James was heavily critical of the Netflix series' final scene ... discussing his dissatisfaction with Anthony Davis in front of reporters after a preseason game earlier this month (don't worry, we won't spoil it here ... but seriously, why haven't you watched yet?!?)

Hwang was asked about James' review in a recent interview with The Guardian ... and his response is clearly dissing the King's recent "Space Jam: A New Legacy" flick, which currently has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Have you seen Space Jam 2?" Hwang asked in response to James' comments.

"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I'm very thankful he watched the whole series."

So, will Hwang roll out an alternate ending to appease James' critique??? Don't hold your breath.

"But I wouldn't change my ending," he added. "That's my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I'll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, 'I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"

Delonte West repeatedly hurled homophobic slurs and said he was a better basketball player than LeBron James during his arrest last week ... and the disturbing scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

West was stopped by cops in Boynton Beach, FL, on Oct. 19 ... after officers say he was yelling and banging on a local police station's doors.

Cops say he was holding two open containers of alcohol -- one beer, one vodka -- during the episode ... so they ordered him to the ground.

That's when officers turned on their body cameras -- and you can see in the footage, they needed to point a taser at the former NBA player while insisting he gets down to get him to comply.

When West finally dropped to the floor, officers told him they were detaining him for "open container and resisting" ... and the 38-year-old then went on a lengthy, rambling rant that included anti-gay rhetoric.

West repeatedly used the f-word, called cops bitches, and claimed he was Jesus Christ and the President of the United States.

In his rant, West also said, "N****, I was better than LeBron James. I'm better than Jordan. I was the best n**** to play every sport. Shut the f*** up!"

West continued to spout words off incoherently before cops finally put him into the back of a squad car.

In the police report, officers noted West reeked of booze and appeared to be drunk.

West was ultimately hit with three charges over the incident, including obstruction/resisting without violence, open container and disorderly intoxication.

He's due in court for a hearing on the case next month.

Buy all the Nikes you want ... nothings toppin' these 1984 kicks Michael Jordan rocked back in the day, 'cause the historic sneakers just sold for a record $1.47 million at auction!

The size 13 white and red Nike Air Ships are from Jordan's fifth game of his 1984 rookie season -- the first model of basketball sneakers worn by His Airness as a pro athlete.

In fact, Nike made these -- and a black and red colorway (known as the 'Bred') -- for the Hall of Famer while the Air Jordan 1s were still being made.

MJ signed and gave the priceless kicks to a Denver Nuggets Ball Boy, Tommie Tim III Lewis -- who kept them safe -- until recently putting the kicks on the market with Sotheby's.

Sotheby's expected to sell the rare sneakers for over $1 million -- and did they ever -- closing Sunday with a final price of $1,472,000.

The lucky (and clearly wealthy) MJ fan who copped the kicks is Nick Fiorella, a high-end sports memorabilia collector.

And, that's a record for the highest-priced sneakers in an auction. The outright most expensive pair of sneakers ever belongs to a fan who copped Kanye West's “Grammy Worn” Nike Air Yeezy 1 prototypes. Those went for $1.8 million at a private sale.

Richard Jefferson has big beef with a former NBA ball boy ... admitting he was a jerk to the guy, but explained it's all 'cause the man used to stare at his "junk" in the locker room.

Jefferson broke it all down in a now-deleted TikTok over the weekend ... responding to a video that a former ball boy had made recently.

In the ball boy's vid, he claimed Jefferson was "always condescending" and was "the biggest jerk I met."

Jefferson revealed he did, in fact, often give the guy the cold shoulder ... but said it was for good reason.

Jefferson accused the man of staring at his groin often, as well other players' ... and then comparing their sizes.

"What he's saying is true, I never interacted with him, but let me explain why," Jefferson said in his video response. "You literally admit to looking at our junks when we were in the locker room."

Jefferson continued, "That is why I didn't interact with you. That is why I avoided you ... That's why I didn't talk to you -- because you were looking at our junks the whole time."

Jefferson concluded his video by railing against the man further.

"I just thought you wanted the attention, I'll give you the attention," Jefferson said. "That is why I never interacted with you."