NBA

The hype for Bronny James is REAL ... the college basketball player is already sellin' out games just like his pops, and before his big USC debut.

Bronny and the rest of the USC Trojans are going up against Long Beach State on Sunday, but good luck gettin' a ticket -- 'cause every single one has already been snatched up!

Sunday's game marks the first time Bronny's hitting the court as a college athlete, and LeBron told reporters on Thursday how excited he was for his boy's big milestone ... saying it's a match he's incredibly looking forward to.

LeBron even claimed he'd miss his own Lakers game if it fell on the same night as Bronny's ... luckily, it doesn't.

TMZ broke the story, Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during a workout on campus back in July, and ended up spending a couple of days in the hospital ... and was cleared last month to get back on the court.

Adam Silver just spoke on the Josh Giddey situation ... explaining the NBA is currently taking "a backseat" on the matter while police investigate claims the point guard had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

The Association's commish didn't get into too many specifics on the topic while addressing it with ESPN's Malika Andrews on Friday afternoon ... but he did confirm the NBA will allow cops to do their due diligence before it decides on how it'll move forward with the Oklahoma City Thunder star.

"I think if you look back," Silver said, "I can't think of many circumstances where we've suspended a player based on an allegation alone."

"I'd also add," he continued, "where there is a criminal investigation, we take a back seat."

The disturbing allegations against Giddy cropped up last month ... when an X user posted images to their account that appeared to show the now-21-year-old with an underaged girl.

A short time following the posts, the Newport Beach Police Dept. told TMZ Sports it was looking into the matter. Days after that, we learned the family of the girl at the center of the probe hired famed attorney Gloria Allred to assist in the case.

However, Giddey has been allowed to play for the Thunder despite it all ... something that Silver seemed to say will continue as long as the police investigation remains ongoing.

The New Orleans Pelicans are trying like hell to get Zion Williamson to work on his fitness, but the franchise player is tuning them out -- this according to a new report.

The 2019 No. 1 overall pick appeared gassed throughout the Pels' In-Season Tournament semifinal game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday ... something many analysts pointed out as a reason why it was a 133-89 blowout in favor of LeBron James and Co.

Of course, Zion's size has always been a hot topic since he entered the league ... and the team even reportedly implemented a weight clause in the five-year extension he signed last season that would penalize him if the sum of his weight and body percentage surpassed 295.

FYI -- Zion reportedly weighs in at 284.

According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, the Pelicans have continuously told Williamson he has to work on his diet and conditioning ... but simply put -- he "doesn't listen."

LeBron James and the Lakers punched their tickets to the In-Season Tournament championship Thursday night, but there was a different matchup the NBA superstar said he was pumped about -- Bronny's first-ever game at USC.

King James addressed the big news of his eldest son being slated to make his big debut this weekend with reporters on Thursday ... and he explained how it'll mean "everything and more" to see his kid fully return from his cardiac arrest in July.

"Looking forward to that for sure," LBJ said after the Lakers routed the New Orleans Pelicans in the semis in Vegas. "Super excited for that moment."

Bronny is expected to play in USC's home game against Long Beach State on Sunday ... after completing his first full-contact practice on Thursday.

LeBron explained he is excited to see Bronny run out on the court with his teammates following his medical clearance ... but also when he enters the game -- whenever that may be.

"It's a big milestone for our family, for sure," LeBron said. "It's another step for him on his journey in his basketball career. Looking forward to it."

Of course, LeBron previously stated he was willing to miss one of his own games in order to be there for his son ... so we take it he will be front and center to soak it all in on Sunday.

The divorce drama between Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor is heating up ... he's now calling BS on her claim he made her feel endangered when she was with him.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Shumpert says Teyana never proved he made her feel endangered, despite making the claim in recently filed divorce papers. Iman wants the court to take action, and to remove Teyana's accusations from the documents.

To get specific, Teyana put something called "cruel treatment" as grounds for the couple's divorce, which is defined as "willful infliction of pain bodily or mental ... [that] reasonably justifies apprehension of danger to life, limb, or health."

Iman says that's nonsense, and the only grounds should be "irretrievable broken bond." He wants the "cruel treatment" grounds thrown out.

What's more, Iman says despite Teyana's claims, he's never been irresponsible when it comes to the care of their two daughters, seven-year-old “Junie” Tayla, and three-year-old Rue Rose.

The new filing from Iman is just another chapter in what's already become a nasty custody battle. As we reported, Teyana first filed the divorce docs using only the couple's initials in an attempt to keep everything private from the public.

However, Iman blew the lid off the secret when he filed a motion asking the court to attach their full names to the documents ... and allowing the public to know what was going on.

LeBron James is fed up with the lack of change to America's gun laws after the recent mass shooting on UNLV's campus ... saying it's "ridiculous" to see yet another tragedy unfold somewhere people should feel safe.

LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers are slated to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans in Vegas for the semi-finals of the In-Season Tournament on Thursday ... and when speaking with media members, the four-time champ expressed his frustrations with hearing about yet another act of gun violence.

"It just goes back to what I said before about guns in America," LeBron said Wednesday. "I think it's such a longer conversation, but we're the only ones who keep dealing with this same story, this same conversation every single time it happens, and it just continues to happen."

"The ability to get a gun, the ability to do these things over and over and over, and there's been no change is literally ridiculous. It makes no sense that we continue to lose innocent lives, on campuses, on schools, at shopping markets and movie theaters and all type of stuff. It's just ridiculous."

67-year-old college professor Anthony Polito is accused of opening fire on UNLV's campus ... killing three people and wounding a fourth. Investigators are reportedly looking into whether a recent job rejection played a role in the act.

LeBron -- who has been outspoken against gun violence in the past -- believes lawmakers are asleep at the wheel ... claiming firearms have become even more accessible throughout the country.

"The fact that we haven't changed anything -- it's actually been a lot easier to actually be able to own a firearm, it's stupid."

Luka Doncic is apparently having a difficult time keeping his postgame interviews PG ... letting yet another F-bomb fly on Wednesday night -- although, as he's done previously, he apologized right away.

The latest potty-mouth incident from the Mavericks superstar happened just after the Dallas point guard netted 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 147-97 win over the Utah Jazz.

Doncic was asked about the importance of the W after his squad had started December with an 0-2 record -- and that's when began cussin'.

"I said before the game, you know, we just can't f*** around," Doncic said.

Almost immediately, he realized his blunder -- and told the reporter on the floor, "Ah, s***. My bad."

To his credit, the journalist helped Luka brush off the embarrassing moment -- attributing it all to the lack of sleep he's gotten due to the birth of his first child.

Of course, Doncic has been doing this since well before his newborn arrived ... in fact, it just happened in late October, when he described a player's game as "f***ing amazing."

Doncic said he was sorry for that incident as well -- looking just as sheepish as he did Wednesday night.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes ... the Laker game!!

Fresh off exchanging "I Dos" in Mexico over the weekend, newlyweds Vanessa Hudgens and MLB player Cole Tucker decided to stop by Crypto.com Arena to catch the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns game on Tuesday ... and the married couple looked as happy as ever!!

The duo showed up to the venue in pretty casual 'fits ... with Tucker rocking a white crew neck and snapback, and Hudgens electing for a long coat and red ball cap.

As we previously reported, the actress and athlete had their closest friends in Tulum for the occasion ... with the whole crew celebrating their vows on the beach.

There were a ton of other celebrities in attendance for the Lakers' In-Season Tournament win over the Suns ... including Kim Kardashian, Flea, Druski, Rich Paul and Floyd Mayweather.

The A-listers picked a good one, as the home team won, 106-103 ... eliminating Phoenix from the tourney.

With the 1st pick in the 2040 WNBA Draft, [team name here] selects Kaari Morant! 😊

Ja Morant's 4-year-old daughter showed the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ... the NBA superstar's baby, Kaari, showed off her hoops skills in a 1-on-1 matchup against her mom, Kadre -- and it's adorable!

Kadre shared the video on social media, despite being scored on (sometimes the offense is just that good!), showing Kaari driving to the left, with handles that'd make dad proud, before knocking down the lefty layup, as mom could just stand there and watch.

Kaari was clearly impressed with her work on the court ... and she let everyone know about it, yelling, "You see the guns?! You see the guns?!" as she flexed.

Kadre -- who gave birth to Kaari in 2019 -- captioned the video with a question ... how does her daughter already have A+ trash talk?!

Ja's sister, high school hooper Niya, took the credit, saying her niece got it from her.

"Deflee got it from her tt," Niya said, "but whateva 🙄😂😂😂😂."

It seems hooping runs in the family (and some trash-talking, too) ... and thankfully for NBA fans, Morant is gearing up to return later this month when his 25-game suspension ends.

Ja will be eligible on Dec. 19, and the 5-14 Grizzlies desperately need him.

Jay Williams has no issue with Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka going off on LeBron James in the middle of a game ... telling TMZ Sports trash talk is all part of the nature of the sport.

ICYMI, Udoka -- who became Houston's head coach in April -- got into a heated confrontation with James during the Rockets vs. Lakers game on Dec. 2 ... appearing to tell the NBA superstar and his team to "stop crying like bitches."

Udoka was ejected from the game and later criticized for his manner as a coach ... but when we asked Williams about the clash while he was out at LAX this week, he defended the former player.

"Basketball to me is what you see at Rucker Park," Williams said. "Basketball to me is what you see at the Dyckman [Park]. It's what you see on Venice Beach."

"That's the world it comes from, that's where it's rooted from and people get things twisted. Ime Udoka was a player."

Of course, Udoka played for seven seasons in the NBA from 2004-2011 ... meaning he competed in the same era as LeBron.

That's where that aggression toward LBJ came from, Williams believes ... and it also shows why Ime acts differently from other coaches in the NBA.

"For me, I like people that engage and trash talk like that, 'cause it comes from a place -- you can tell there's history there," Williams said.

"I'm sure there'll be some type of fine for crossing the line, but you don't think subtle trash-talking like that exists? What do you think Gary Payton did his entire career? What do you think Draymond Green does?"

Williams added ... "One of the things that makes Ime different is that he's involved in the trenches of the game as a player."

A man at Monday night's Sacramento Kings vs. New Orleans Pelicans game tragically lost his life while inside the arena ... after officials say he suffered a medical emergency.

The Kings wrote in a statement that the fan needed medical attention at some point during the first quarter of the NBA contest at the Golden 1 Center in Northern California.

"EMS immediately responded and administered CPR," the team said. "Tragically, these efforts were unsuccessful and the guest passed away."

"The organization offers its deepest condolences to the guest's family and loved ones."

The Sacramento Fire Department told FOX40 following the tragedy that the fan was "a 30's aged male" who they administered CPR to for 20 minutes to no avail.

After the game -- which the Kings lost, 127-117 -- Sacramento forward Keegan Murray told media members the players on the court were not made aware of the incident in the stands during the matchup.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is finally speaking out about the hit-and-run accident that left him with serious injuries last month ... speaking with media in Philly ahead of his return to the basketball court on Wednesday.

Remember, the Philadelphia 76ers forward hasn't played any basketball since he suffered a broken rib, in addition to hip and leg injuries, after he was struck by a vehicle on November 11.

The 27-year-old has kept quiet about the incident ... until now, as he's been cleared to play and is expected to be available against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

"First and foremost before anything, I just want to say thank you to my family and my friends, the 76ers organization, especially coach [Nick] Nurse, for the utmost support throughout this whole process," Oubre said to the media on Monday.

"I’ve spoken to the police about this situation and they have an ongoing investigation. So I’ve spoken to who I need to speak to about it and I keep that where that is. I won’t be speaking on any details about that because they’re looking into it."

Even with all the injuries, Oubre says he does not have any ill will towards the driver, saying he's always about "love and peace".

Kelly also addressed rumors he made up the incident.

"I'm just really blessed that it wasn't worse than what it is and that I'm able to come back to work and smile, walk, talk, and breathe," Oubre said. "So yeah, that's what I have to say about the conspiracy theorists."

Remember, TMZ Sports posted video, with permission, showing Oubre returning home after the accident, clearly in a great deal of pain. His wife immediately called 911, and Oubre was rushed to the hospital.

Oubre -- who signed a 1-year, $2.9 million deal with the 76ers in September -- was averaging 16.3 points and 5 rebounds a game before the incident.

Kobe Bryant's last Lakers road uniform, from signature Nike sneakers to gold shorts and number 24 jersey, worn by Mamba during his last NBA road game just sold for nearly half a million dollars at auction!

The historic pieces of memorabilia, photo matched to prove they were worn by KB on April 11, 2016, were on the block at SCP Auctions, and as expected, they sold for a pretty penny!

Kobe's game-worn, 3XL Adidas Climacool shorts and 4XL jersey sold for $366,967 ... while the size 14 Nike Kobe 11 Elite Lows went for $118,230. That's $485,197 total!

The Lakers lost the game, 112-79 ... and Bryant scored 13 points, all in the first quarter, while clearly dealing with fatigue and injury. Still, that didn't stop Mamba from attacking Kevin Durant.

The identity of the buyers isn't known ... but whoever it is, they got themselves a piece of history.

After all, it was the second to last game of his career, and it's difficult to imagine the Bryant family ever letting go of the jersey from his final NBA game ... where KB went off against the Utah Jazz in L.A.

The Saturday night tiff between LeBron James and Rockets head coach Ime Udoka all started over a "bitch" comment -- a word that the Lakers star blasted Udoka for using "so loosely."

The quarrel went down during Los Angeles' tilt with Houston at Crypto.com Arena ... after Udoka was pissed with James for pleading with officials for a foul call.

Arena microphones captured Udoka telling LeBron, "Stop crying like bitches, man" -- and during a break in the action on the court a short time later, LBJ went after Udoka.

"We're all grown men," James said to the coach, "that bitch word ain't cool. Don't use it so loosely."

Udoka, however, didn't back down ... and a heated exchange then ensued.

"What're you going to do about it?" Udoka can be heard saying.

Eventually, the referee threw Udoka out of the game after he appeared to call James "soft-ass boy."

Daymond John has predicted the success of "Shark Tank" will continue long after the departure of his costar Mark Cuban ... whom he credits for keeping the series afloat.

The FUBU founder has no qualms over Mark's decision to leave ... saying he's already done enough by doing what no other well-known billionaire did ... believe in the show while it was on the brink of cancelation three seasons in.

Daymond says Mark's devotion ran deep ... staying on the show for so many years with his input playing a significant part in making it the cultural phenomenon it is today.

What he means is that if you've ever had dreams of pitching your pipe dream on "Shark Tank" -- that's all Mark.

Clearly, Daymond has forged a strong bond with Mark over the years ... telling us he wishes him well and adding the 'ST' team wants to pay his hard work forward by giving his seat to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

As for who could potentially snag the coveted seat? Mark himself has endorsed Kardashian biz partner Emma Grede as his replacement ... gushing over her experience and TV charisma.

Gloria Allred can add another high-profile case to her resume ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the famed attorney has been hired by the girl at the center of the investigation into OKC star Josh Giddey as cops work to determine if he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

We broke the story earlier in the week ... Newport Beach PD launched an investigation into the situation, but the girl and her family are not cooperating with law enforcement.

Now that Allred is involved, it begs the question ... why?

She could be tasked with liaising with cops, or even talking to Giddey's people about a potential settlement.

We reached out to the powerful attorney who told us, "We represent the family and we have no comment."

21-year-old Giddey is one of the better young players in the league, and the story has gotten a lot of attention ... but that's not a foreign concept to Allred.

Among some of her firm's high-profile cases ... she represented over 50 women who accused Bill Cosby of misconduct. She also worked for several women who accused former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of sending sexually explicit photos and messages.

There are still a lot of questions surrounding the alleged relationship, which first came to light publicly last weekend, including the girl's age, the state where it allegedly took place, and the nature of their relationship.