NBA

No matter what you think about LaVar Ball's antics when it comes to his sons, you gotta respect it ... so says Matt Barnes who tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, he got 'em all to the NBA.

Remember, LaVar has aways been his boys' official hype man for years -- praising Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo any chance he gets ... promising fans (and haters) they would all be in the big league.

LaVar ended up being right ... Gelo is on a G-league team, Zo is dominating with the Bulls and Melo has brought the Hornets back to life.

Barnes applauds LaVar for it, telling us he's a great dad for making sure his kids got to the top level.

Even if he did do a lotta trash talk.

"As far as him being a great dad and helping his kids to where they're at to succeed, I definitely salute him," the 41-year old tells us at LAX this week.

"The kids are very talented. Hope Gelo gets a real chance to make an NBA team but to have 2 kids in the league that are doing well and a hopeful third..."

"I can do nothing but respect that."

LeBron James just gave a huge spotlight to somebody controversial in the rap world -- and that'd be one Tory Lanez ... who's embroiled in a legal fight with Megan Thee Stallion.

LBJ took to IG Saturday to do what he often does when he stumbles across some new tunes ... blasting it in the car and vibing out. In this case, he was playing TL's new album, 'Alone at the Prom,' and gave it a big endorsement ... showering Tory with compliments.

He captioned one of his Tory videos with, "MAN THIS BOY COLD AS HELL MAN!!! ALONE AT THE PROM IS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥" Later in the clip, LeBron films himself, seemingly singing along to Tory's lyrics.

Normally, this would be NBD -- like we said, LeBron does this all the time. The difference here ... Tory is very polarizing right now, but that doesn't seem to bother the King.

It's interesting ... LeBron is outspoken over just about everything these days, but he's been mum on the drama between Tory and Meg -- and now, he appears to have shown he's cool with Tory (or at the very least, his music) despite the allegation against him ... namely, that he shot MTS in the foot.

The L.A. District Attorney has charged Tory with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm ... also claiming he caused great bodily injury as it relates to Meg. He's pled not guilty and maintained his innocence.

Delonte West has just cut a deal with prosecutors -- agreeing to pay $100 and keep his nose clean in order to close out his police station meltdown case next month.

The agreement is all spelled out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show the former NBA guard is close to putting his most recent criminal case behind him.

According to the documents, prosecutors have agreed to stop pursuing the case if West forks over $100 to the court and avoids any new arrests or criminal law violations.

West had initially been hit with misdemeanor obstruction/resisting as well as misdemeanor disorderly intoxication after cops say he threw a drunken fit outside of a police station in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Oct. 19.

Video of his interaction with officers was disturbing ... West can be heard on camera hurling anti-gay insults at cops -- while also claiming he's "was better than LeBron James."

West, through his attorney, had initially pled not guilty to the charges earlier this month.

Kyle Kuzma's middle finger just cost him -- the NBA just hit the Wizards forward with a $15,000 punishment ... after he flipped the bird at a fan earlier this week.

The incident took place when Kuzma -- a native of Michigan -- was in town playing against his hometown Detroit Pistons.

The Wizards were winning 94-88 in the fourth quarter when Kuz nailed a corner three ... then turned around and gave a fan the middle finger gesture.

Unclear what, or even if, the fan said something ... but you can tell Kuzma did it deliberately.

The game went to overtime -- Kuzma finished with a team-high 28 points and his team secured the W, 119-116 ... but let's be honest, the bird was the highlight of the night.

Of course, this isn't the first time Kuz has gone at fans this season -- he nailed a dagger three against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and blamed hecklers for motivating him to knock down the game-winning shot.

Kuzma is typically a good sport ... when social media roasted him for wearing that oversized pink sweater, Kyle seemed to go along with the jokes.

Memphis star Dillon Brooks went off on the officials who threw him out of the Grizzlies' game vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday -- calling the refs' actions straight-up "bulls***."

The 25-year-old wing didn't hold back in his postgame press conference -- which took place just minutes after he was ejected from the Grizzlies' contest -- accusing the refs of not protecting the players on the floor throughout the night.

"I felt like this crew came out there and just made it about them and that's bull," Brooks said of the refs, who called a total of 44 total fouls during the game.

"This crew did not protect the players," he continued. "They just wanted to get the game over with and that's bulls***. That's bulls*** from the very beginning. That's bull."

Brooks was tossed from the Grizzlies' loss late in the 4th quarter after he screamed at refs over their whistles.

In video of the ejection, you can see Brooks was so furious, he needed to be held back by Memphis assistants as he charged toward the referees.

No punishment for Brooks has been announced yet ... but you can bet a fine is coming for the Grizzlies player as early as later today.

Shaquille O'Neal says the current Los Angeles Lakers don't deserve to play at the Staples Center ... admitting he's HAPPY about the arena's name change because LeBron James and Co. are stinking up the place.

"I'm glad they taking the name of the Staples Center down," the NBA legend said on "The Big Podcast with Shaq." "That was our building."

"Congratulations to the owners on getting a new deal," he added. "But, hey, Staples Center belongs to Shaq and Kobe. Forever."

Of course, it was announced last month that the iconic building is changing its name to Crypto.com Arena as part of a $700 million deal.

The switch is already underway, as the Staples sign started coming down earlier this week.

Shaq said his tenure at Staples was a blessing -- he reflected on moments like playing in front of his favorite actors and actresses, scoring 61 points on his birthday, and winning three championships in a row for the city -- but ultimately, he says he's glad the name Staples Center is no more.

Shaq doesn't seem to care what the building is called ... 'cause the Diesel says he has no intentions of watching his former squad play.

"I'm not even going, I'm not even going anymore," O'Neal said. "Who wanna watch them people play?" he asked the host.

The Lakers -- who suffered an embarrassing loss to a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks on Thursday -- fell to 13-13 on the season. The Lake Show is currently in 7th place in a top-heavy Western Conference, while the Warriors -- who Shaq prefers to watch -- have the best record in the NBA.

"I don't celebrate seventh place at all. I celebrate Steph Curry. I'll go to Golden State and watch him play."

L.A. Clippers rookie Brandon Boston Jr. had the best game of his young career against the Celtics on Wednesday ... and dedicated his performance to the late Terrence Clarke.

The guard went off on the Cs in the 114-111 win ... scoring 27 points (including 5 3-pointers, going perfect from the free throw line and earning 4 steals in just 25 minutes off the bench!

The effort resulted in career-highs in points, threes and steals ... and after the game, Boston Jr. devoted the stellar performance to Clarke, his former Kentucky teammate.

"He would of called or screamed," " BJ said to reporters during post-game interviews. "Just excited with a bright smile on his face, just telling me, 'I told you! I told you! You the best in the world! Just keep going.'"

"That's the type of relationship we had."

Boston and Clarke both played college hoops together for the Wildcats -- and were both set to enter the 2021 NBA Draft.

However, Clarke was tragically killed in a car accident in Los Angeles on April 22 -- just months before the draft. Boston witnessed the crash as he was riding behind him.

"He always pushed me to be my best self so I always keep that in the back of my mind," BJ added.

"I actually like dedicated this game [to him] cause he's from Boston and he wanted to play for Boston."

"So, just going out there and carrying that chip on my shoulder. His energy just carried me along the way."

BJ has been honoring his close friend in many ways since his death -- including a tribute tattoo on his left leg featuring Clarke's UK basketball photo and "TC World."

One of sports TV's power couples has broken up -- ex-NBA player Jalen Rose filed for divorce from ESPN host Molly Qerim, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show Rose filed docs earlier this year ... kickstarting the process to end their 2 and a half year marriage.

Sources tell us the breakup was amicable and both sides remain cordial.

Rose first went public with the "First Take" host in June 2016 ... and they tied the knot at a lowkey NYC ceremony in July 2018.

Jalen filed April 30, 2021 ... just months after the couple starred in a Gatorade commercial together. Jalen says in court docs the marriage broke down irretrievably after Qerim moved to Connecticut.

It should be known -- in the docs, Jalen does not want alimony and doesn't want Molly to have it, either. We're told there was not a prenup and Molly does not want any spousal support.

The breakup signs were all over social media -- Molly previously included "Rose" in her name on Instagram and Twitter, but has recently scrubbed it from her accounts.

On top of that, the couple hadn't been photographed together much at all in the months leading up to the filing ... and Jalen and Molly also haven't posted each other on their pages for months.

However, Qerim has shown public support for Rose even after the filing -- in June, she spoke out about his struggles with deaths in the family in an emotional segment on "First Take."

Rose played in the NBA from 1994-2007 before taking his talents to television. Qerim previously worked at NFL Network.

Forget popcorn and beer, Ben Affleck got a side of Jennifer Lopez at the Lakers game on Tuesday ... with the Oscar winner getting some serious PDA from J Lo all night in front of LeBron James!

Ben and Jen sat courtside for L.A.'s tilt with the Boston Celtics at Staples Center ... and cameras caught them getting cozy throughout the evening.

Early in the game, the two were seen on the broadcast cameras -- with J Lo holding Ben's hand while LeBron was just feet away playing on the hardwood.

In the middle of the game, the couple was spotted on the jumbotron, and their flirtatious convo was viewed by everyone in the venue's packed crowd.

And, after the game, J Lo was seen wrapping her arms around Ben, snuggling her man as everyone filed out of the venue where the PDA continued at an event sponsored by PrettyLittleThing.

Of course, it was all lovey-dovey ... but Ben didn't exactly get to go home super pleased -- his beloved Celtics were blown out by LBJ and the Lakers, 117-102.

Tristan Thompson is trying to keep a tightly-sealed lid on info from his latest paternity case -- asking a judge to silence the woman who claims she's carrying his child from leaking info about the case ... while he continues to blast her as being out for fortune and fame.

The NBA star filed an emergency petition Tuesday in Harris County, TX -- asking the judge to issue a gag order in the case ... barring the parties (himself and Maralee Nichols) from speaking out about the case as it plays out in court.

Tristan points to multiple instances in which he believes Maralee has violated what he claims is a confidentiality order the judge orally granted earlier in the case after she sued him over paternity.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tristan claims Maralee has been doing interviews with the media, leaking personal info and even taking to IG and other social media to spread what he says are blatant lies about himself and his family. Specifically, he claims certain Snapchat messages -- which Maralee has claimed were sent to her by Tristan -- were fabricated.

The reason Tristan thinks she's doing all this is "to achieve some sort of notoriety and gain for herself in this lawsuit."

Bottom line ... Tristan wants to keep this entire proceeding under wraps, including any discovery or evidence submitted by either side. He also wants the court to sanction Maralee for the alleged leaks.

To hit that point home, he wants a judge to force her to fork over a $30k bond to ensure she has some money on the line if she breaks the confidentiality order.

Kyle Rittenhouse says he's no longer a fan of LeBron James ... saying the Lakers star's shade toward him during his trial "really" ticked him off.

"I liked LeBron," the Kenosha shooter said Monday on The BlazeTV's "You Are Here" show. "And, then I'm like, 'You know what, f*** you, LeBron.'"

If you missed it ... LBJ mocked Rittenhouse after the 18-year-old gave an emotional testimony on the stand during his homicide trial last month.

Rittenhouse fought back tears while explaining how the Aug. 25, 2020 shootings in Wisconsin unfolded ... and then he got so choked up, the judge actually paused the court proceedings for several minutes.

LeBron, though, didn't believe Rittenhouse was actually remorseful or even crying at all ... writing in a social media post, "What tears????? I didn't see one."

"Man knock it off!" James continued. "That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court."

LeBron added several crying emojis to the post as well.

When Rittenhouse finally spoke publicly about James' comments -- he made it clear, he now despises the NBA superstar over it all.

"I was a Lakers fan too before he said that," Rittenhouse said. "I was really pissed off that he said that."

LaMelo Ball or high-flying Miles Bridges didn't make the most spectacular play of the Hornets game ... that honor belonged to hip-hop star DaBaby, who saved Gordon Hayward from taking a nasty spill!

The North Carolina native was on hand Monday night to take in some NBA action ... as his hometown Hornets battled the 76ers in an Eastern Conference showdown.

It's not uncommon for the "Baby on Baby" rapper to sit courtside at the Hornets game ... he's a big supporter and always puts on for the city of Charlotte.

But, last night he was way more than just a spectator in the crowd.

Hayward attempted to save a ball before it went out of bounds ... and his momentum carried him into the first row of the stands, sending Gordon tumbling into DaBaby's arms.

After helping the hooper get stead on his feet, DaBaby jumped back into fan mode, pumping up Hayward as he returned to the court.

That wasn't the only memorable moment from the Hornets-76ers game ... minutes after Hayward's spill, Kelly Oubre Jr. blew a wide-open layup with the game tied at 119 in overtime.

Despite the blunder, Oubre finished the game with 28 points ... shooting 6-10 from 3-point range.

You've heard of the Red Wedding, but Stephen Jackson had a green one ... 'cause ex-NBAer Matt Barnes says everyone was tokin' up before and after his big ceremony!!

43-year-old Stak married his new wife, Tamara, at a star-studded event this weekend ... with guests like rapper 2 Chainz and fellow former hooper Al Harrington.

But, the most VIP guest of the day?? WEED!!

"We smoked before and after," Barnes tells us ... which means Stak had to be feeling reeeaaaalllly good as he exchanged vows.

"He had his close friends and family there. We had a good time."

Although folks were sparking it up, Barnes says the smoke sesh did not happen throughout the wedding -- "We didn't really smoke during the wedding because we were at the Four Seasons."

Makes sense, don't wanna lose that security deposit!!

Stak was able to smoke after exchanging vows, though ... wearing a fancy tux and rapping along to UGK and Outkast's "Int'l Players Anthem."

"It was good. We always smoke good," Barnes added.

That they do ... remember, Jackson even revealed to us in 2018 that he smoked marijuana during his whole 14-year NBA career.

Russell Westbrook isn't letting the Lakers' early-season struggles put a damper on his spirit ... 'cause the SoCal native hit up the Happiest Place on Earth with his wife and kids.

The Lakers -- who last played Friday against the Clippers -- had the weekend off ... providing Russ the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the fam.

Westbrook and his wife, Nina, took their kids to Disneyland in Anaheim on Sunday ... where they enjoyed some rides at the famous theme park. And yes, they had delicious Churros too.

The Lakers star rode the Radiator Spring Racers, where he sat in the front row (photo below). The 33-year-old also hit up the new Web Slingers Spider-Man attraction in the new California Adventures Park's Marvel Land.

The former UCLA product has been all smiles since being traded to his hometown Lakers ... despite a season that has been mired with inconsistency due to injuries and lack of chemistry.

Of course, Russ isn't the first celebrity to grace Disneyland with his presence. A host of A-list stars like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Mario Lopez, Nick Cannon and Trey Songz have visited the park.

Disney was also a favorite of Kobe Bryant over the years ... who LOVED the park.

Anyone have a staple remover??

The iconic Staples Center signage is officially coming down on Monday ... with workers slowly removing the red letters off of the building to make way for Crypto.com Arena.

As we previously reported, the cryptocurrency company bought the naming rights to the venue last month ... which came with a whopping $700 MILLION price tag.

While the name change won't officially happen until Christmas Day, AEG wasted no time kick-starting the rebrand ... which will undoubtedly have some fans upset.

Of course, Staples Center was often referred to as "The House That Kobe Built," as a nod to the late Lakers legend, who played at the venue for the majority of his Hall of Fame career.

No matter what people officially call the arena, Vanessa Bryant made it clear all the history that Kobe made inside will always live on.

Nikola Jokic is having an insane season, but Kenny "The Jet" Smith says the Nuggets superstar won't get his second-straight MVP if his team keeps losing ... telling TMZ Sports the award needs to go to one of the best players on the best teams.

Jokic is balling the hell out this season ... averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and a player efficiency rating of a whopping 33.8.

The "Inside The NBA" analyst said despite the incredible numbers the 26-year-old is putting up, he can't call him the MVP of the league if his stats aren't resulting in W's for the Nuggets.

"Yeah, [his numbers are good], but they're not winning," Smith said. They're not winning."

"Best record in the league. Best players get the rewards," Smith added. "Same way with him last year. They were the best team. He got the award."

Of course, Kenny is referring to Jokic winning his first-ever MVP award last season ... leading Denver to a 47-25 record.

Smith said that guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul would be at the top of his MVP list ... 'cause their teams all have great winning records.

But, all hope isn't lost -- Smith said Jokic and the Nuggets haven't even hit their peak yet ... and they've still got time in the second half of the season to figure things out as a team.

He also offered some advice to Joker ... telling the Serbian big man that if he wanted to secure the MVP award, the key is staying healthy for his team and winning more games.