NBA's Bismack Biyombo Collapses On Bench During Game ... Scary Scene Caught On Video

Oklahoma City Thunder center Bismack Biyombo collapsed in the middle of a game Wednesday night -- scaring the hell out of his teammates ... and the troubling scene was all captured on video.

It happened during the second quarter of OKC's tilt against the Trail Blazers in Portland ... when Biyombo was trying to lift up some Thunder players as they walked toward the bench for a timeout.

But, as you can see in the game's broadcast footage, as Biyombo was slapping some hands ... he started to sway -- before he dropped into some chairs nearby.

The 31-year-old laid on the ground motionless for several seconds ... sending his teammates into a panic. Thankfully, however, he was able to get up and walk off the court under his own power -- while holding the back of his head.

It's unclear what exactly went wrong with the NBA veteran ... but OKC head coach Mark Daigneault said it looks like he's avoided a serious ailment.

"He's fine," the coach said after the game. "He just fainted, basically. He was in the locker room at halftime laughing and joking."

Biyombo -- who joined the Thunder last month after beginning the season with Memphis -- did not play in the rest of the game ... although the Thunder still won, 128-120.

NBA's Haywood Highsmith Emotional After Gruesome Car Crash ... Police Video Shows

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THE DRAMATIC AFTERMATH

New police video shows Haywood Highsmith was visibly shaken up after being involved in a gruesome car crash last month ... appearing to be on the verge of tears in the minutes after the wreck.

The footage was captured on a Miami-Dade Police Dept. officer's body camera at around 11:20 PM on Feb. 6 ... shortly after Highsmith had played in the Heat's game against the Magic at the nearby Kaseya Center.

In the clip, you can see as a cop was questioning Highsmith about how he ran into a 21-year-old who was helping a stranded motorist in the middle of the roadway, causing serious injuries, the basketball player was emotional.

Highsmith, who at one point needed to be consoled by a woman at the scene, told the officer the car he slammed into had been stopped with no lights on. Other witnesses in the area can be heard in the footage saying similar things.

"It didn't have emergency lights on," one said, "at all."

"It was just abandoned in the middle," another added, "blacked out."

Police documents state Haywood was driving 45 MPH in a 40 MPH zone when he hit Alekxei Pino and another car from behind. The docs say Pino sustained a partial amputation on his right leg, as well as a compound fracture to his left leg.

Cops say they believe drugs and alcohol were not involved -- but Highsmith was still issued a citation for careless driving. He didn't play in Miami's game the following night on Feb. 7 -- although he's logged minutes in multiple Heat games since.

Pino, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit against Highsmith, claiming the hooper's careless actions on the roadway caused him to suffer life-altering injuries that will require "a very long road of rehabilitation."

A GoFundMe set up to help Pino with his medical bills has already raised $34,000.

Travis y Jason Kelce Son invitados de honor en el partido de los Cavs...

Travis y Jason Kelce fueron honrados con pequeñas figuritas de ellos mismos en el partido de los Cleveland Cavaliers el martes, pero no es exactamente lo que piensas, ¡cada uno recibió su propio muñeco!

Los hermanos Kelce acudieron al Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse de Cleveland anoche, su ciudad natal, y presenciaron en primera fila el partido entre los Cavs y los Boston Celtics. Los Cavs ganaron en un apretado 105-104.

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Los hermanos Kelce en miniatura
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Pero esa fue solo una parte de la emoción. Resulta que todos los aficionados de los Cavs recibieron figuritas especiales de Travis y Jason (conocidas como Bobbleheads), donde aparecen con camisetas de Cleveland y balones de baloncesto en sus manos. Como saben, los Kelces crecieron en Cleveland Heights y asistieron a una escuela en los suburbios.

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Los kelces se reúnen con los Cavs
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Los dos invitados de honor también fueron invitados a la cancha por los Cavs antes de que comenzara el partido. A Jason le entregaron su propia camiseta con el número "62" en un marco de fotos en el marco de su emotivo retiro de la NFL esta semana.

Más tarde, los hermanos fueron filmados con sus bobbleheads personales, los que recibieron el sello de aprobación de Travis y Jason. Echa un vistazo al video publicado en X, los hermanos estaban encantados con sus regalos y la única crítica de Travis fue que se le había olvidado llevar una cadena en el cuello como su figurita.

Parece que Jason se está lanzando de cabeza a la jubilación, ¡y a mesas en llamas!

Los hermanos rodaron una promo acrobática para el episodio de esta semana de su podcast "New Heights" en la que Jason hizo la mayor parte del trabajo, saltando sobre una mesa en llamas, mientras Travis se quedaba al margen riéndose a carcajadas.

En cuanto a la novia de Travis, Taylor Swift, la cantante ha estado viajando por todo el mundo en el marco de su gira "Eras" y tiene algunos shows más en Singapur.

Estamos cubriendo todo lo relacionado con Taylor en el nuevo Swift-Tea Podcast, disponible en todas las plataformas de podcast.

Joey Chestnut Downs 39 Pierogies In 2 Minutes!!! ... Dominates 3v1 Contest

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The Kelce Bros. weren't the only superstar athletes at the Cavs game Tuesday night -- the world's best eater, Joey Chestnut, rolled through Cleveland as well ... putting his unbelievable abilities on display for everyone in attendance!!

Jaws returned to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the Wine and Gold's home matchup against the Boston Celtics ... but the real contest went down at halftime, when the hot dog champ faced off against three normies in a pierogi challenge.

Chestnut -- who's by far the most famous figure in professional eating -- completely wrecked the field ... finishing 39 dumplings in two minutes, while everyone else combined for 23.

Joey looked pretty stuffed after the final buzzer -- his eyes got super wide as he was handed a championship belt.

It's not the first time Chestnut has taken on a trio of Cavs fans -- he previously crushed 47 back in 2022.

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Joey was eating fast, but the Kelces were drinking just as quickly ... 'cause Jason and Travis gulped on some beers in the blink of an eye while at the big game.

The Cavs went home winners, too -- coming all the way back from down 22 in the fourth to snap the Celtics' 11-game streak.

Travis And Jason Kelce Guests Of Honor At Cavs Game ... Get Personalized Bobbleheads

Travis and Jason Kelce were honored with small statues at the Cleveland Cavaliers game Tuesday, but it's not quite what you think ... they each got their own bobblehead dolls!

The Kelce brothers showed up at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in their hometown of Cleveland last evening – and they sat front and center for the Cavs matchup against the Boston Celtics. The Cavs won in a squeaker 105-104.

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Bobblehead Brothers
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But that was only part of the excitement in the arena. Turns out Cavs fans all received special bobbleheads of Travis and Jason in Cleveland jerseys with basketballs gripped in their hands. As you know, the Kelces grew up in Cleveland Heights and attended high school in the suburbs.

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The Kelces Meet The Cavs
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The two guests of honor were also invited onto the court by the Cavs before the game started. Jason was handed his very own number "62" jersey in a picture frame after his emotional retirement from the NFL this week.

Travis and Jason were later filmed with their personal bobbleheads, giving the dolls their stamp of approval. Check out the video posted to X ... the siblings did a pretty funny bit with Travis' only criticism being that he forgot to wear a neck chain like his figurine.

Looks like Jason's diving headfirst into retirement ... and flaming tables!

The bros shot a stunt promo for this week's episode of their "New Heights" podcast where Jason did the bulk of the work -- leaping on to a flaming table, while Travis stood on the sidelines on laughing his ass off.

As for Travis' girlfriend Taylor Swift, the superstar singer has been galivanting around the world on her "Eras" tour and has a few more shows in Singapore.

We're covering all things Taylor on the new Swift-Tea Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Paul George Nicki Minaj Wanted Me In Her Music Vid ... But, I Turned Her Down!

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WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Podcast P with Paul George

Believe it or not, Paul George turned down Nicki Minaj ... when the Queen of Rap wanted the NBA star to make a cameo in her music video!

The Los Angeles Clippers star made the surprising revelation on his "Podcast P" show this week, telling co-host Jackie Long he had the opportunity to make his cameo with the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper.

"You know what’s funny, this was maybe like a year or two ago, Nicki Minaj reached out for me to be in her music video," George said.

The 9x All-Star was unsure if he would've had the role of being Nicki's lover ... but joked his wife Daniela wasn't havin' it.

"I looked at Daniela, Daniela looked at me ... 'ay, I ain’t going to be able to do it'," PG13 said.

"I’m playing! She was excited about the opportunity too, but I declined."

George -- who married Daniela in 2022 -- says his wife would've been right there on set if it happened ... but his schedule had them both miss out.

"It was just a scheduling conflict that I couldn't [get out of]," George said.

"It would've been dope. It's Nicki Minaj, one of the biggest female artists -- not even just female, biggest artists of our lifetime!"

If PG's hoping for another shot, it doesn't sound like it's going to happen anytime soon ... Nicki's currently on her "Pink Friday 2" world tour while George, who is averaging 22 points a game, is smack in the heart of the NBA season ... with the playoffs approaching.

Had he accepted, George would've joined other NBA stars who appeared in music videos, including Michael Jordan, who was in Michael Jackson's "Jam" video, and Kobe Bryant, who made his cameo in "Bug-A-Boo" by Destiny's Child.

Next time, PG!

Charles Barkley Vows to Punch Any Black Person ... Wearing Trump Mug Shot!!!

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TRUMP PUNCH
CNN

Charles Barkley has a pointed, somewhat violent message for any Black person backing Donald Trump simply because he got arrested ... he's gonna knock you out.

The NBA Hall of Famer issued the warning Monday night on his CNN show with Gayle King as they discussed Trump's recent remark about Black people liking him more after he was arrested in Georgia for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Trump went on to brag about Black people "walking around with his mug shot" on t-shirts.

None of that sits well with Barkley, who said, "If I see a Black person walking around with Trump's mug shot, I'm [gonna] punch him in the face."

Barkley explained he feels Trump's comments are "an insult to all Black people" ... because he's comparing his arrest to the centuries of discrimination the Black community has faced.

The NBA legend is no stranger to slamming Trump ... as he's previously called out the Republican presidential candidate for using "pseudo-racist rhetoric" when discussing immigration.

Trump has been undeterred by any backlash from Barkley or any other critics, as "The Apprentice" alum remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination -- and the Super Tuesday primaries in 15 states, and one territory, could put the race nearly out of reach for Nikki Haley.

DT hasn't responded to Barkley's comment, but ya know that's coming.

Anthony Edwards Late For Tip-Off ... I Swear I Wasn't Poopin'!!!

Anthony Edwards didn't start against the Trail Blazers on Monday night because he was late for tip-off ... but he insisted after the game his tardiness had nothing to do with any sort of lengthy trip to the can.

As Minnesota was preparing to take on Portland at the Target Center ... Edwards was nowhere to be found -- forcing the T-Wolves to start Nickeil Alexander-Walker instead.

Edwards eventually made his way to the floor as action got underway -- but he had to wait at the scorer's table until he could finally check in at the 11:25 mark of the first quarter due to his pregame absence.

Many online suspected the NBA superstar had a bit of a toilet emergency -- and even the game's broadcasters hinted at it too ... saying, "Long lines at the bathroom!"

But, Edwards explained following the contest that he merely "lost track of time."

The whole snafu didn't seem to bother the 22-year-old and his teammates regardless ... Edwards ended up playing 34 total minutes, logging 13 points, four rebounds and six assists -- as the Wolves won, 119-114.

Edwards was able to have a laugh about the situation with reporters amid it all ... joking that he was trying to take teammate Naz Reid's Sixth Man of the Year honors.

Good times ... but maybe a watch investment is now suddenly a priority for the Ant-Man???

Cops: Drew Eubanks Suffered Bloody Gums, Loose Teeth ... In Fight W/ Isaiah Stewart

Sounds like Isaiah Stewart's got a mean right hand ... at least according to Drew Eubanks, who told cops his Valentine's Day fight with the Detroit player left him with bloody gums and loose teeth.

According to a Phoenix Police Department incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Eubanks made the complaint roughly five hours after he and Stewart were involved in an altercation at the Footprint Center just prior to the Pistons vs. Suns Feb. 14 matchup.

Eubanks, cops wrote in the report, said Stewart confronted him while he was entering the arena due to interactions the two had previously had while playing in a game three months prior.

"He got off the bus and he started, um, just talking s***," Eubanks told cops. "He said something along the lines of, 'You wanna run it back? We're right here. We can do it right now.'"

Cops say Eubanks told them he tried to walk away from the situation, but Stewart kept advancing toward him ... until they were face-to-face inside of a tunnel in the arena.

Eubanks told cops, according to the report, Isaiah then said, "We can do this s*** right now" ... before he threw "a sucker punch."

Eubanks stated the blow landed in the center of his mouth, causing his gums to bleed. He added, the report states, "My teeth definitely are like looser and they hurt."

When pressed more about why he believed Stewart was so upset, Eubanks stated nothing out of the ordinary happened between the two in their previous matchup.

"Just basketball stuff," the Phoenix center said. "It was, you know, lowering your shoulder. Trying to hit, hit somebody for a box out. Being physical. Talking on the court. That's all it was."

At the time, Eubanks told cops he wished to prosecute ... and Stewart was issued a citation.

However, the report states that on Feb. 17 -- three days after the encounter -- Eubanks called cops and said he no longer wished to press charges.

On Feb. 19, cops say Eubanks told them "he had been thinking about the incident for a couple days and at the time, he was upset, but had time to think about it."

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I'D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE
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Stewart was still suspended by the NBA for three games. After serving the ban, he apologized to his team during a meeting with media members.

Eubanks, meanwhile, has played between six and 25 minutes per game since the fight.

L.A. Clippers Teens Break into New Arena, Post Mayhem Vids ... Cops Search for Suspects

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STADIUM SHANANIGANS
TikTok / @shawty_grandmaa

This is not the headline NBA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer envisioned when he sunk $2 billion into building a brand new state-of-the-art arena.

Cops are on the lookout for the 2 male teenagers who broke into the Intuit Dome -- which is still under construction in Inglewood, CA -- and ran around the place like they owned it ... shooting hoops, climbing on scaffolding and spraying fire extinguishers.

They pulled off the brazen caper last week, recording the whole thing ... and proudly posted it on TikTok, which is likely what will get them busted.

The video shows them climbing a construction crew's ladder at night to gain entry, and then strolling around the empty hallways and bleachers. When they found an unfinished basketball court, they decided to take a few shots.

They did all of this while showing their faces, and, as a result, Inglewood Mayor B has since identified the pair and their parents. Butts told ABC 7, "It will be very clear to these young men -- and to people who are TikTok followers -- that you have a moment of TikTok greatness followed by a little bit of misery. And so we don’t play around with these things.”

It's unclear if cops have made contact with the suspects yet, or what their punishment might be.

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The Clippers started work on the dome in September 2021, and it's set to open in August ... and in addition to being the Clippers' new home court, it will be a concert venue. In fact, Usher is slated to be the first performer this summer.

Lebron James Surpasses 40K Career Points First Player In NBA History!

LeBron James just raced past another NBA milestone ... becoming the first player in league history to break the 40,000 point mark!

James recorded the record-breaking basket just over a minute into the 2nd quarter against the Denver Nuggets Saturday night ... dazzling the packed house at Crypto.com Arena.

40k had some style, too ... Bron converted a pretty spin into a left-handed layup, earning LBJ one hell of an ovation from the Lakers faithful -- as well as family and friends.

It was all but assured that LeBron would smash the 40k ceiling before tip-off ... as the King was just nine points away from the threshold.

In fact, the team was so sure he'd reach the milestone, they had a points counter on the big screens inside the arena.

"LeBron James: Founding member of the 40K points club," the Purple and Gold tweeted after LBJ netted the basket.

It's just the latest accomplishment for James.

Remember, Bron broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring record in February 2023 ... and also became the first player to pass 30,000 points, 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in 2022.

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SURREAL MOMENT
Los Angeles Lakers

Lebron James! 👏👏👏

Lakers' Christian Wood Granted Temporary Restraining Order ... Claims Son's Mom Vandalized Car

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood was just granted a temporary restraining order against his model ex-girlfriend ... after he claimed the mother of his child made his life a living hell following their breakup in December 2022.

The allegations are all laid out in court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... with the 28-year-old hooper accusing Yasmine Lopez -- who boasts more than a million followers on social media -- of causing not only mental and emotional stress, but also financial damage to his valuable property.

Wood claims on February 23, 2024, Lopez and her friends trespassed at his California residence by climbing a fence ... and she proceeded to scratch the hood and doors of his Mercedes-Benz.

He says Lopez then entered his other vehicle, opened the front gate and began walking in his yard -- and neighbors who witnessed the incident called the police, resulting in her arrest.

Wood -- who has an 8-month-old son, Kobe Sean, with Lopez -- says cops then told him to pick up his son from her friend's house to avoid being processed through child protective services... but she refused to hand him over and began "making allegations against me and misrepresenting facts to the media to gain favor."

Wood also details an August 2023 incident in which he says Lopez broke into his home in Encino ... destroying statues, glass and vases and attempting to hit him. He says friends who were present at the time called the police, who de-escalated the situation.

It doesn't end there -- Wood also accuses Lopez of trespassing at his home in January 2023, when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks ... claiming she spray-painted his Lamborghini.

Wood believes Lopez is stalking him by using his publicized work schedule to track his location and vandalize his property.

Wood is also accusing Lopez of getting physical with him on numerous occasions and alienating him from their son.

He requested joint legal custody and primary physical custody of their child.

As part of the restraining order, the judge ordered Lopez to steer clear of Wood. She must stay at least 100 yards away from the hooper ... whether he's at home, at work, or even in his car. The one exception is for "brief and peaceful contact" ... which is permitted, but only when it comes to conversations about their child.

The TRO specifically directs Lopez to "not abuse" Wood, including any harassing, attacking, striking, threatening, or stalking of her ex-boyfriend.

There are several other boilerplate restrictions ... Lopez cannot possess a firearm while the order is active.

The temporary restraining order expires on March 20.

Steph Curry's Wife, Ayesha I'm Pregnant!!! ... Couple Expecting 4th Kid

Steph and Ayesha Curry are adding to the family roster ... the NBA superstar's wife is pregnant with their fourth child!!!

Ayesha just revealed the amazing news in her newest Sweet July magazine issue ... explaining that she and the Golden State Warriors guard initially thought they were done having kids after their third child was born in 2018 -- but had a change of heart.

"Last year, we looked at each other and agreed we wanted to do this again," the 34-year-old said.

Ayesha -- a TV personality and cookbook author -- added this pregnancy hits differently ... especially when it comes to her cravings like watermelon, Japanese peaches and McDonald's McGriddles.

She explained she's happy and grateful for the support system helping her through her pregnancy ... but admitted it can be difficult at times.

"I was really stubborn in my earlier pregnancies," Ayesha said. "And that hurt me in the end. It made things really hard on me. I had to learn to put my pride aside and realize it was okay to take help, to have people around me help and to not shy away from it."

"I know I can’t do this alone -- it truly takes a village."

Steph and Ayesha's relationship is like something out of a movie -- they met at a church youth group in Charlotte, N.C. when they were teenagers ... and got engaged in 2010.

They tied the knot a year later ... and since then, Steph has become a four-time NBA champion, while Ayesha hosts her cooking show on the Food Network and runs her lifestyle publication that launched in 2020.

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Steph and Ayesha have three other kids -- Riley, who was born in 2012, Ryan in 2015, and Canon, who arrived in 2018.

Congratulations!!

Lil Wayne Confrontation W/ Lakers Security Caught On Video

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STOPPED BY SECURITY
TMZSports.com

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the confrontation Lil Wayne had with a Lakers security guard on Thursday night ... and you can see he was so upset over the interaction, he bolted from the game immediately.

In the clip, Wayne -- wearing a cream-colored hoodie, black cap and headphones -- can be seen trying to get to his courtside seat with a few friends ... when, suddenly, several Crypto.com Arena officials seem to tell him to stop.

One man in a grey polo with a walkie-talkie clipped to the collar then appears to have words with the "How To Love" crooner ... seemingly gesturing to him that he needs to get to his chair via a different route.

Wayne's clearly pissed over the chat ... check out the vid, he throws up his hands in a "Come on!" motion -- before he then just jets out of the building.

One witness who was just a few yards from the scene, MaxMarketPros' Joseph Stirling, says it all happened in the second quarter of the game ... after Wayne seemed to have some troubles finding his seat. Stirling added that following the incident, he didn't see Wayne the rest of the night.

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HOW IT WENT DOWN
FS1

At first, Wayne wrote on his X page that he was "treated like s***" ... although during a Friday morning appearance on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," he seemed to relent that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"They was just doing their job," the rapper said.

But, he did add that he felt like the encounter was "a little much."

"So," he said, "I was like, let's just leave."

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For the Lakers' part, they've yet to address the matter.

Lil Wayne Goes on 'Undisputed' Explains Lakers Game Mishap

UPDATE

9:10 AM -- Lil Wayne joined FS1's "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless on Friday to address his beef with the team ... chalking it all up to an issue with security.

"They was just doing their job," the rap icon said ... explaining as he was attempting to make his way to his courtside seat, a staffer stopped his crew in their tracks and told them to enter from another part of the arena.

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HOW IT WENT DOWN
FS1

But when they got to the second entrance, Weezy noticed they would have had to ask other spectators to get up from their spots to allow his group through to their seats ... and he didn't want to bother them, so he walked back to the original entry.

When he got back there, Wayne said the same staffer got upset ... saying, "I told you guys to go to the other entrance!" -- which he felt was a bit out of line.

Wayne also said he was told after the fact that the issue was that he'd have to wait for a dead ball to get to his seat -- but that wasn't relayed to him.

Tunechi -- who admitted he was only at the game as part of a brand deal -- said the experience left a bad taste in his mouth ... and he'll only go back to Crypto because his son is a diehard Laker fan.

Lil Wayne says he was "treated like s***" at the Lakers game on Thursday night ... and he's so pissed over what went down, it seems he's ready to cut ties with his beloved squad.

It's not quite clear exactly what happened with Weezy as he made his way to Crypto.Com Arena to watch LA battle with the Washington Wizards ... but just 90-or-so minutes after the game tipped off, he took to X to criticize the Purple and Gold.

"Wow!" he wrote. "Got treated like s*** at the Laker game just now."

Wayne didn't get into specifics ... but he suspected it all had to do with some previous comments he's made about one of the team's superstars, Anthony Davis.

If you're unfamiliar ... Wayne, who's always spotted in courtside seats at Lakers games, makes regular appearances on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," and when the topic turns to LA hoops, he's often critical of Davis. In fact, during a November episode, he said the team should straight up trade the nine-time All-Star.

In his post on X, Wayne wrote, "I figured they’d do me that sooner or later" "bc of what i said abt AD," but he added that he's gotten an uneasy feeling from the team for a while now -- which apparently has him questioning his fandom going forward.

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"All good I get it," he said. "F*** em. It isn’t what it isn’t. I’m used to it."

Neither he nor the Lakers addressed the matter further as of Friday morning.

It seems a bunch of other celebs, though, had no issues attending the game ... Flea, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Corey Gamble, Jay Mohr and even Chevy Chase were all spotted near courtside with grins on their faces.

Everyone there got to enjoy quite the game too -- as LeBron James and Davis combined to score 71 points in a 134-131 overtime win.

Originally Published -- 6:36 AM PT

NBA's Scot Pollard Throws Hallway Party As He Leaves Hospital ... Two Weeks After Heart Transplant

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Post-Surgery Celebration

Scot Pollard's having a really good Thursday ... the ex-NBA champ is leaving a hospital just two weeks after undergoing heart transplant surgery -- and to celebrate, he had a little bit of a hallway party at the medical facility!!

Check out footage of the former Kings center as he made his way out of the Nashville building some 13 days after getting a new ticker ... he danced his tail off -- before he rang a victory bell.

Docs and aides were all there to congratulate him on the big moment ... as was his wife, Dawn, who shared video of it all.

"HE MADE IT!!" Dawn wrote on her X page. "13 days post heart transplant and he got to ring the bell."

The scene is obviously an emotional one for the Pollard family ... 'cause a few months ago, many wondered if it would ever happen.

If you weren't familiar, the 49-year-old 7-footer -- who played for five different teams in his NBA career -- revealed earlier this year a genetic issue caused by a flu-like virus affected him to the point where he needed a new heart. But due to his size, the task to get a suitable one was not easy.

In mid-February, though, he found a match ... and docs put it in place ASAP.

Dawn revealed on social media the road to recovery following the operation had its ups and downs -- but Scot remained jovial and positive throughout.

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He's still got a ways to go 'til he gets to full health ... but just look at him Thursday -- dude's clearly excited about what lies ahead!!