NBA

Bad news for the rest of the NBA -- LeBron James still has half a decade left in the tank "body-wise" ... so says the Lakers superstar's agent, Rich Paul, who believes he can physically keep going for several years before retiring.

The Klutch Sports founder weighed in on his top client's future on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes this week ... and he said there are a number of factors that will play into when Bron decides to call it a career.

But when it comes to the 39-year-old keeping up with the younger guys in the league, Paul feels James isn't anywhere near slowing down.

Willis Reed, Walt Clyde Frazier, and Patrick Ewing are generally considered the greatest Knicks ever, but the trio of Hall of Famers may have to slide over ... 'cause diehard NYK fan, Fat Joe, says Jalen Brunson's on the verge of being the G.O.A.T.!

"[Jalen's] so close to being the greatest Knick ever," Crack told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1), adding ... "So close, and in such short time."

Of course, the hip-hop superstar grew up in The Bronx, New York, and has been a loyal Knicks fan through the good, and unfortunately for New Yorkers, many bad times in his 5 decades as an NYK supporter.

Darvin Ham is out of the job -- the Los Angeles Lakers just fired their head coach after two seasons on Friday ... days after the Purple and Gold were booted from the playoffs in the first round.

Rumors of a change on the bench started right after LeBron James and Co. lost to the Denver Nuggets ... with many pointing the finger at Ham's lack of leadership or ability to make adjustments.

It wasn't all bad for Ham -- the team did make a solid run in the playoffs last year ... and won the inaugural In-Season Tournament back in December.

Saquon Barkley's goin' in on New York fans who were irked at his presence at the 76ers vs. Knicks game in Philadelphia Thursday night, with the NFL star telling the supporters of his former team to get over him jumping ship!

"It’s been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game 😂😂😂," 27-year-old Barkley tweeted on X after he was heckled for attending the game at the Wells Fargo Center in the City of Brotherly Love, where he sat courtside with Eagles WR A.J. Brown.

Of course, Barkley -- drafted by the G-Men in 2018 -- signed with the Eagles ... the Giants hated rivals, this offseason.

8:33 AM PT -- Malinda Adams, the reporter who Patrick Beverley bullied on Thursday, said on her X page the Bucks guard reached out Friday morning to apologize.

"I appreciate it," she said, "and accept it."

She also revealed the Bucks' org. reached out to say it was sorry as well.

Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track, "Euphoria," is popping up everywhere ... even in the middle of the NBA Playoffs, but it's making some NBA legends uncomfortable.

The song opened up TNT's "Inside the NBA" halftime broadcast of the Clippers vs. Mavericks Game 5 showdown, and Kenny Smith and Shaq couldn't believe their ears!!!

Ernie Johnson attempted to unfold the first 2 quarters of play, but the pair of NBA champs were too distracted by Kendrick's onslaught blasting in the studio.

Charles Barkley's feud with Galveston, Texas is far from over -- the NBA legend was just targeted with a bunch of billboards throughout the city after dissing it on national television!!

As we previously reported, Chuck ruffled some feathers in the Queen City of the Gulf after claiming it had "dirty ass water" on TNT's "Inside the NBA" ... which prompted a response from the Visit Galveston tourism organization.

The back-and-forth didn't stop there ... 'cause now, a bunch of shots directed at the Round Mound of Rebound have started popping up all around the area -- and they ain't too nice.

Charles Barkley went scorched earth on the people throwing coaches Darvin Ham and Frank Vogel under the bus for the Lakers and Suns' early exit from the NBA playoffs ... saying the real blame for their woes should go on the folks putting together these "trash-ass" teams.

Ham and Vogel have been at the center of criticism following the first round of the postseason ... with many claiming their two squads would be better off with someone else at the helm.

Chuck's clearly heard enough ... 'cause the Hall of Famer unloaded on the notion during TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Wednesday -- calling out other outlets for pushing the narrative.

As if things couldn't get any worse for Michael Porter Jr.'s family -- the Denver Nuggets star's brother, Jevon, was arrested on suspicion of DWI late Friday night ... just days after his sibling, Coban, was sentenced to six years in prison in his fatal DUI case.

TMZ Sports has confirmed .... Jevon -- who recently transferred to LMU after previously playing at Pepperdine -- was initially pulled over around 1:30 AM in Missouri for speeding prior to getting busted for DWI.

Officials are still investigating the incident ... so further information has not been made available at this time.

LMU acknowledged Jevon's situation in a statement ... saying the school is working on getting more details.

Coban learned his fate on April 19 ... after officials said he had a BAC of 0.19 (nearly 2.5x over the legal limit) after running a red light and hitting another car, killing a woman and injuring a passenger in Colorado back in January 2023.

It's been non-stop drama for Porter Jr.'s family recently -- not only did Coban get sentenced to more than half a decade behind bars for his drunk-driving accident, but Jontay was banned from the NBA just weeks ago after an investigation determined he was involved in a major betting scandal.

Charles Barkley says there are only "losers" in the Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan relationship ... with the Hall of Famer revealing he feels bad for Michael and Scottie amid the "messy" coupling.

Chuck -- who used to be best friends with MJ -- weighed in on the Larcus fiasco on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast this week ... and it's safe to say he doesn't approve of Jordan's son and Pippen's ex-wife getting romantic following the infamous fallout between the former Bulls superstars.

"I feel bad for Michael, I feel bad for Scottie," Chuck said on Wednesday. "That is so messy. I don't like messy because when it's messy, everybody has an opinion on it. And you know, the internet is not a place for messy."

La hija de Kobe Bryant, Gigi, habría cumplido 18 años este miércoles y la esposa de la leyenda del baloncesto, Vanessa, está recordando a su difunta hija con un emotivo homenaje, diciendo que ella sigue inspirando a innumerables personas todos los días.

"¡Feliz cumpleaños a mi preciosa niña, Gigi!", escribió Vanessa en su Instagram. "Te quiero. Te extraño. Estoy tan orgullosa de ti".

El post es realmente triste, y en él Vanessa lamenta todo lo que Gigi estaría experimentando en este momento de su vida, su graduación de la escuela y las decisiones de la universidad.

Kobe Bryant's daughter, Gigi, would have turned 18 years old on Wednesday ... and the basketball legend's wife, Vanessa, is remembering her late child with an emotional tribute -- saying she continues to inspire countless people every day.

"Happy birthday to my gorgeous girl, Gigi!" Vanessa said on Instagram. "I love you. I miss you. I'm so proud of you."

The post is truly heartbreaking ... with Vanessa lamenting over what Gigi would be experiencing at this point in her life -- high school graduation and college decisions.

LaMelo Ball is vying to be the NBA's most tatted hooper ... the Charlotte Hornets star just got his entire back tattooed, and the space-themed ink is awesome!

TMZ Sports has learned the All-Star guard went to his go-to guy, Herchell L. Carrasco -- AKA RockRollG -- at Pachuco Tattoo in Orange, California ... after months and months planning the huge tattoo.

Ball wanted to keep with the space-themed tats ... so RockRollG had friends Niz Carrillo, Jorge Garibay, Juan Nambo, Jonas Aguilar, and Elvis Ramos help him bring the concept together.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a bit of extra motivation through the rest of the playoffs -- the Oklahoma City Thunder star is a new dad!!

The MVP candidate and his longtime girlfriend, former college soccer player Hailey Summer, revealed they were expecting last December ... and on Tuesday, SGA announced to his 3.2 million fans on Instagram their son has arrived.

"Ares Alexander 🤍," SGA said in the caption.

Ares was born on April 25, 2024 ... which was right in the middle of the Thunder's first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Luckily, SGA was off that day ... as the Thunder were fresh off a Game 2 win the night prior.

SGA's fans think this will be like a superpower for the Canadian baller ... with many flooding the comment section to give their two cents on the impact the family milestone might have on his game for the rest of the postseason.

"Shai is about to get a fatherhood attribute boost," one follower said.

Shai averaged 30.1 points and 6.2 assists per game this season ... so it would be great news for OKC fans, who are celebrating their first playoff series win since the 2015-16 season.

The Thunder are now waiting for the Clippers and Mavericks series to end ... and the winner will meet them in the conference semifinals.

Magic Johnson is painting a dire picture for the Los Angeles Lakers ... saying if the team doesn't completely revamp its roster this offseason, they're in serious risk of getting left in the dust.

Fresh off L.A.'s elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers legend gave his two cents on the disappointing season on Tuesday ... and he's not sugar-coating anything.

"Laker Nation, we have a problem," the five-time champion said on X. "All the good teams in the West are young and talented: the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, the Thunder, the Clippers, and the Mavs."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tried to to find the silver lining after the Lakers' early exit from the playoffs ... congratulating the Purple & Gold on winning the In-Season Tournament a few months ago -- but it was met with so much backlash, she ended up scrubbing the post from her page.

LeBron James and Co. got booted from the postseason on Monday ... falling to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round matchup.

Bass attempted to share some positivity shortly after the final buzzer ... pointing out the Lake Show had a bit of success earlier in the 2023-24 campaign when L.A. won the meaningless mid-season competition in December.