NBA

LeBron James didn't become the NBA's all-time leading scorer without his fair share of haters rooting against him, but he's still not above showing even them some love!!!

Take up-and-coming Detroit rapper Skilla Baby for example, who outed himself as a proud LBJ hater on a recent podcast appearance -- but King James is here for it.

Skilla started off by giving LBJ his props ... but soon flew off the handle with a laundry list of reasons he'd create a LeBron voodoo doll.

LeBron's "The Decision," his unpredictable jump shot and his penchant for playing with super-teams were all low points for SB -- but he really just sounded like a Pistons fan going hard for his team.

At any rate, LeBron got a kick outta SB's rant and quipped, "Crazy thing is I HATE ME TOO" with several 😂's.

Larsa Pippen is enraged at her 'Real Housewives' costar, Julia Lemigova ... who had the nerve -- in Larsa's opinion -- to ask Marcus Jordan to take pics of her while they were at BravoCon.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Julia asked Marcus to snap a few photos during last month's big convention in Las Vegas, using his phone. We're told they were innocent, smiling shots.

Our sources say no one around thought Julia's request was odd ... well, no one except Larsa. We're told she seemed a bit jealous, based on the fact she started complaining about the incident to other cast members.

We're told Larsa implied to others the photos were Julia's way of trying to seduce Marcus ... and she wasn't cool with her asking her man to take them, especially on his own phone.

After BravoCon wrapped, Julia asked Larsa if she could get Marcus' pics of her -- but when Larsa went radio silent, the other ladies filled Julia in on what Larsa had been saying ... and now they're giving each other the cold shoulder.

Bottom line, we're told Julia is sick of Larsa's jealousy, and she's sure Larsa is on a giant smear campaign against her.

The Clippers might've lost Sunday, but that didn't stop Russell Westbrook from having a blast celebrating his 35th trip around the Sun ... dancing the night away at his birthday party with his wife, Nina!

Nina shared video of the special moment with her 9x NBA All-Star hubby on Instagram on Monday ... showing the two hand in hand, twirling on the dance floor, celebrating Westbrook's bday.

You can hear Russ's family and friends, including L.A. rapper/singer Blxst, cheerin' them on while Nina, who claims to not be the dancing type, gives it all she has.

"The birthday boo gets one dance outta me," Nina joked.

Russ and Nina have been together since they met in 2007 when both of them played college ball at UCLA.

Of course, Westbrook went on to be the 4th pick in the NBA Draft in 2008, while Nina hit the books hard, graduating with her bachelor's in psychology and master's in clinical psychology.

She is now a licensed marriage and family therapist.

The couple tied the knot in August 2015 and welcomed their first son, Noah, in May 2017. They had two more kids, twin daughters Skye and Jordyn, in 2018.

"Happy Happy Birthday Suga!," Nina said in an IG post. "You’re so loved and appreciated! Never forget it! I love you!"

Unfortunately, the bday shenanigans come after the Clippers 5th consecutive loss ... putting them squarely in 11th place in the West with a 3-6 record.

Westbrook had 12 points and 5 assists in the loss ... and a dope party!

Gillie Da Kid's one-on-one basketball challenge to Jamal Crawford has been accepted -- and the ex-NBA Sixth Man of the Year is strongly hinting declaring he won't go easy on Gillie!!

JC got wind of Gillie flapping his gums about him during a recent episode of "Million Dollarz Worth of Game," and promised to light up Gillie just like the infamous "Martin" episode where his face got turned into hamburger meat after challenging Tommy "Hitman" Hearns to a boxing match!!!

Gillie was attempting to convince Wallo, Cam'ron and Mase that he was a better baller than JC off the strength of his past wins against actively hooping artists such as Chris Brown, Rowdy Rebel and Rob49.

Everyone stated the obvious -- an ex-pro is more skilled than a great amateur, but Gillie argued he would get his buckets on JC in spite of their size difference.

JC is widely known for being the oldest player to score 50 points in an NBA game and now travels the globe looking for competition like the B-ball version of Ryu from "Street Fighter" ... and is promising a Gillie KO!!!

Tyrese Maxey's thoughts were elsewhere after scoring 50 points in the Sixers win Sunday ... he dedicated the career-best performance to teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. after the star guard was badly hurt in a hit-and-run accident the day before.

As we previously reported, Oubre Jr. -- who joined the 76ers in September -- suffered broken ribs and other injuries when he was hit by a vehicle while walking in Philly on Saturday, hospitalizing the NBA star.

The Sixers played the Pacers the day after the accident ... and Maxey went off, dropping 50 points, with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks!

It was Maxey's best game, but he gave the shine to his teammate and friend.

"Man, this had nothing to do with me," the guard told a reporter after the 137-126 win. "This all Kelly Oubre, man."

"We praying for him. I love my dog, I just met him but I love him. Hope he gets well soon."

The Sixers -- who are currently leading the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 record -- tried to reach Oubre, who is home now, after the win but sent him a video message instead.

"Get better soon, KO," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said while recording the clip.

Oubre -- averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds with the Sixers -- is going to be out for a while ... though the team is hopeful he can return before the end of the season.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is in the hospital and on the mend after getting struck by a car in a hit-and-run in the city he plays for -- and while it sounds like he'll recover ... he's banged up.

According to the Philadelphia 76ers -- on which Oubre is a starter -- their 27-year-old star player fell victim to a reckless driver Saturday night in the Center City neighborhood of Philly ... where Oubre was out and about, it seems, during a night off in the team's schedule.

The details of what exactly happened are a little murky at the moment ... but it sounds like he got hit at the corner of Broad and Locust Street, with the vehicle in question fleeing the scene without a trace. As a result of the hit, Oubre is said to have sustained some injuries.

Shams Charania reports the SF/G is dealing with broken ribs, bruises and other abrasions ... and he's currently hospitalized. Team personnel, including Prez Daryl Morey, showed up last night to visit him ... obviously, he's going to be out for a while.

Joe Smith has a message for the cynics who believe his public feud with wife Kisha over OnlyFans was a big publicity stunt ... adamantly denying they set up the whole thing for publicity!!

The 48-year-old former #1 overall NBA draft pick shared his side of the story during an interview with VladTV this week ... where he explained how he found out his partner, former adult actress Kisha Chavis, got back into the X-rated content.

"Nah, that's not what happened and that's not what's going on right now," Smith said.

"It's a real issue. The video hurt, but then also, the fact that the way I had to find out about the OnlyFans page, that's another thing on top of that that hurts as well."

The 16-year NBA vet said he caught Kisha scrolling through her profile on her phone, which led to the infamous video on social media.

Obviously, Kisha recorded the whole thing, and Smith took it as a smack in the face when she uploaded it to the internet ... and he believes if they had kept it between themselves, they could have talked it out.

"I wouldn't put my business out in the streets, I wouldn't put nothing like this out in the streets unless it was real official, and I didn't do this one so it's hurting," he added.

"It's hurtful and I gotta listen to people's opinions every day, all day right now about my relationship and that's something I never wanted to be involved in."

Harvey and Charles spoke to Kisha on "TMZ Live" last week, and she told her side of the story ... and she sees it a bit differently than Joe.

The Atlanta Hawks' idea of running an "OnlyFans" style promo with their mascot this week isn't sitting well with at least two of their players ... who took to social media on Thursday to hilariously drag the team over the vid.

The clip was dropped by the NBA org on its social media pages early Thursday morning to promote ATL's involvement in the league's new in-season tournament.

It featured Harry the Hawk seductively posing on a bed in his ATL gear ... while a woman whispered about Atlanta fans "knowing where the real action is."

"Hawks fans know just where to get it," the woman said in the video. "Join in and wake up your wild side."

Some found the footage funny -- but others, including Atlanta stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, didn't exactly love it.

"MANNNNNNN," Murray wrote on his X page while sharing the video, "DELETE THIS S***!!!!!!!'

Added Young, "I had no part of this.. 🤦‍♂️."

Victor Wembanyama got the opposite of a warm welcome in his first game at Madison Square Garden ... 'cause a bunch of ruthless Knicks fans made it clear they're not believing the hype surrounding the hoops phenom -- chanting "overrated" in the middle of the game!!

Of course, the San Antonio Spurs' No. 1 overall pick ruffled some feathers with the home crowd prior to Wednesday's matchup with New York ... when he said the Mecca wasn't as big as he expected.

Knickerbocker backers promised to give the 19-year-old hell as a result of his comments ... and they held true to their word throughout the contest -- booing and heckling the 7'4" hooper every chance they got.

Their efforts may have worked ... 'cause Wemby didn't have his best outing -- going 4-14 from the field en route to 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Some people on social media weren't too pleased with the Knicks fans' antics -- saying it's wild to make such a claim eight games into his career ... especially when he's had some amazing performances in the Association so far.

Victor Wembanyama better prepare for the most hostile environment when he takes the court for his debut at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday ... 'cause the NBA star just pissed off the entire Knicks fanbase for downplaying the iconic venue.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was speaking to reporters ahead of the Spurs' matchup against New York ... when he was asked about playing in the Mecca for the first time.

The 19-year-old certainly seemed unenthused with his response ... saying, "It’s not as big as I expected, but still the vibe is here."

Wemby's remark was shared all over social media ... and of course, the Knicks fans didn't take it well.

"He gone learn todayyyyyy 😂😂😂😂!" one Knicks fan said on Instagram ... while another hilariously added, "Oh I'll show you big, Mr. Wobblymama."

"That’s cause you big as hell ... don’t disrespect the Garden," a Knicks backer echoed. "You see how we treat Trae Young when he come here 😂😂."

Of course, that user is referring to the hell Knicks fans put the Atlanta Hawks star through over the years -- chanting "f*** Trae Young" and more ever since he became the current villain for the entire organization.

Knicks fans AND players are prepared for Wemby ... especially Mitchell Robinson, who said earlier this week he knows how to handle a 7'4" guy like Victor.

"I'm not really worried about the tallness s***," the 7-foot center said. "Just go out there and play hard."

And Mitch knows he can count on Knicks fans to be loud as hell during tonight's game after Wemby's "diss."

FYI -- MSG seats 19,500 people ... and yeah, it's gonna sound like that in a few hours.

Zion Williamson won't be suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans' matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday ... an announcement that came just a few hours after his pregnant girlfriend posted a picture from a hospital bed.

The 23-year-old former No. 1 overall pick was officially listed as "out" for the road contest for "personal reasons" ... and his partner's recent social media activity might explain what exactly sparked his absence.

Zion and his lady, Ahkeema, announced back in June they were having a baby girl with a lavish gender reveal party ...  and she recently stated she was 38 weeks along in her pregnancy.

So, there's a chance Williamson's first child could be here soon -- if not already -- and naturally, he'd want to be around his girl for the monumental moment in his life.

Of course, Zion was over the moon when he first went public with his upcoming fatherhood ... even sending his future kid a special message.

"My baby, you’re going to see this at some point," Williamson said in a touching vid. "I don’t know what the future holds, but mommy and daddy love you."

"If you don’t know nothin' else in this world, know that mommy and daddy love you -- for life."

Jeezy se sentó con Nia Long para conversar una hora sobre diferentes temas de peso, incluyendo su divorcio de Jeannie Mai, aunque muchos espectadores piensan que él todavía está hablando en clave sobre la separación.

Según Jeezy, él y Jeannie probaron sesiones de asesoramiento para arreglar lo que él consideraba estaba roto en el matrimonio, pero en última instancia, le dijo a Nia que el daño ya estaba hecho y que el mejor curso de acción era ser responsable consigo mismo.

También expresó lo triste que estaba por la situación, pero en realidad nunca explicó exactamente por qué le pidió el divorcio a Jeannie.

Seamos realistas, eso es lo que los fans realmente quieren saber, sobre todo después de sentarse una ver una hora de conversación.

Claramente, Jeezy no está listo para soltar esas pepitas todavía, lo cual tiene sentido si tenemos en cuenta que su divorcio no se ha resuelto todavía.

Como informamos la semana pasada, Jeezy acaba de lanzar su doble álbum de 29 canciones, "I Might Forgive ... But I Don't Forget", en el que destaca la canción "Don't Cheat", un tema que repitió a lo largo de la entrevista.

Por otro lado, tanto Jeezy como Nia hablaron mucho de su traumática educación y de sus fallidas relaciones. Actualmente, Nia está luchando por la custodia de su hijo con su ex, Ime Udoka, después del escándalo de engaño a principios de este año.

Nia también admitió haber salido únicamente con traficantes de drogas en el instituto, lo que le dio una perspectiva diferente sobre los hombres.

Jeezy sat down with Nia Long for an hour-long conversation about several weighty topics -- including his divorce from Jeannie Mai -- but many viewers think he's still speaking in code about the split.

According to Jeezy, he and Jeannie attempted counseling sessions to fix what he deemed was broken in the marriage ... but ultimately he told Nia the damage had been done and being "responsible for himself" was the best course of action.

Jeezy expressed how he was saddened over the situation, but never actually explained exactly why he filed for divorce from Jeannie.

Let's keep it real, that's what fans really wanted to know -- especially after sitting through the entire hour-long chat.

Clearly, Jeezy's not ready to give up those nuggets just yet, which makes sense when you consider the divorce isn't settled yet.

As we reported last week, Jeezy just dropped his 29-track double album, "I Might Forgive ... But I Don't Forget," highlighted by the song "Don't Cheat" ... a theme he kept reiterating throughout the interview.

On the flip side, both Jeezy and Nia unpacked a lot about their traumatic upbringings and failed relationships. Nia's currently battling for custody with her ex, Ime Udoka, after his NBA cheating scandal earlier this year.

Nia also admitted to solely dating drug dealers in high school, which gave her a different perspective on men.

How do you make 6'4" Tom Brady look short? Stand him next to rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama ... who happens to be a full foot taller than the football G.O.A.T.!

The 7x Super Bowl champ shared photos of his meeting with the San Antonio Spurs rookie on Tuesday, alongside billionaire friend Michael Rubin.

Even though Wemby's height is no secret (he's around 7'4"), it's still mind-boggling to see him towering over someone as tall as Brady ... and fans got a kick out of the pics!

Brady had some fun with the caption, and even worked in a shot at former teammate Julian Edelman.

"Usually I’d make some joke here about how I think I could get 10 and 10 against you, but let’s be real… you’d send my jumper into the club level 😂😂😂," Brady wrote on IG.

"PS: @edelman11 This is how you felt all those years???"

Of course, Edelman is 5'10" ... so he's giving up about 6 inches to his quarterback.

Brady's son also got to meet the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft ... and Tom challenged anyone to see the trio in a pickup game.

"3 on 3, who's got next?!" Brady said in his IG story.

Jordan Poole is finally addressing the rumors he shelled out half a million bucks on a date with Ice Spice ... and the Washington Wizards guard says it's all fake news!!

The 24-year-old hooper's hilarious denial came during a meet-and-greet with fans this week ... when one young supporter asked him straight-up if there's any truth behind the talk of an extravagant romance with the MC.

"Definitely not," Poole said. "Definitely cap!"

If you're not aware of how this came to be, rapper Cam'ron started the drama back in May when he called out Poole -- then on the Golden State Warriors -- for his playoff performance.

"Jordan Poole, you spent $500,000 on an Ice Spice date," Cam said on his "It Is What It Is" podcast. "You’re a munch and you’re playing like a f***ing munch."

"This is not you from last year, bro. Go back to Milwaukee and figure it the f*** out and get back in the playoffs, 'cause you look crazy."

Fans ran with the $500k rumor ... especially since Ice Spice is one of the hottest female rappers out right now, and Poole had signed a four-year, $140 million extension months prior.

Poole's adamant response should be enough to clear his name of the wild rumor ... but it probably won't stop the internet trolls from sticking to it for entertainment purposes.

Poole's teammate sitting beside him thought his answer was hilarious ... but at least we now know straight from his mouth.

Let's play devil's advocate here -- Poole only denied dropping a ton of dough on a date with IS, so it's entirely possible he DID take her out ... just for much less. But it looks like she's never addressed the rumor in the first place.

Ex-NFL star Devin Funchess is keeping his hoop dreams alive ... telling TMZ Sports he's still hoping to suit up for an NBA team -- and he's putting in the work nonstop to make it happen!!

29-year-old Funchess made headlines last year ... revealing after five seasons on the gridiron, he wanted to take his talents to the hardwood.

We caught up with the 6'4", 225-pound athlete about how the process is going this week ... and it's safe to say he's dead set on making it to the Association.

In fact, he's putting his skills to the test with California's Statham Academy squad in the Asia Basket Dasmariñas Tournament in the Philippines this weekend (DF dropped 10 points, grabbed 7 boards, and had 4 blocks in their first game).

"My end goal is the NBA, get a few seasons over there just like I did in the NFL. Just to be able to compete against the best players in the world, that'll be a blessing to me. I've done it in the football realm already. And it's nothing but dedication, repetition and just having fun."

Devin -- who first dunked a basketball when he was 10 -- has been working with NBA trainers to hone his craft ... and played against pros like Michael Beasley, Amar'e Stoudemire and John Wall.

Funchess explains his unique experience as a football veteran will help bring experience to a squad -- even though he'd technically be a rookie.

But he's not looking to come in the league and be LeBron James -- Funchess says he's just looking to make an impact and help teams win.

Of course, basketball was Devin's first love ... but after an issue with his coach in his junior season of high school ball, he switched his focus to football. He went on to play at Michigan before suiting up for the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.