Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is making it known he's got DeMar DeRozan's back amid the hooper's feud with Drake ... rocking a Kendrick Lamar shirt courtside when the Raptors came to town!

Cameras spotted the 67-year-old wearing a tee that said "They Not Like Us" for Wednesday's contest at the Golden One Center in Sacramento -- a clear message to the Toronto-based rapper after comments he made on Saturday's broadcast.

The beef was ignited after Drake was asked if the Raptors should retire DeRozan's jersey -- after having spent nine seasons in the Six.

Ex-NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim is opening up on his brother Amir's tragic death ... saying his loved ones are thankful for everyone who has shared their support following the news.

"On behalf of my family, I want to express our gratitude to all who have reached out regarding Amir's passing," the former Atlanta Hawks forward and current G League president  said in a brief statement on his X account.

"Please remember our family in your prayers. As @sunsetAMIR would say, to God be the Glory."

Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis is welcoming his new teammate, DeMar DeRozan, to the squad with open arms ... telling TMZ Sports he's totally stoked about the new addition.

We caught up with the three-time All-Star at LAX fresh off the three-team deal that went down this week ... which sent Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duarte and two second-round picks to the Chicago Bulls -- and, of course, DeRozan to Sac-Town.

It's safe to say the league's back-to-back rebounding leader approves of the deal ... 'cause he couldn't say enough good things about it.

Fans in Detroit are still lickin' their wounds after the crushing NFC Championship loss ... and things didn't get any better for Motor City sports fans last night when they were trolled by the Sacramento Kings!

But, Big D got the last laugh!

The last place Detroit Pistons were in Sactown Wednesday night, and for some reason, the Kings (29-21) chose video violence, playing lowlights from the Lions' loss to the San Francisco 49ers during player introductions.

The Kings played the key Brandon Aiyuk catch, where the ball bounced off Lions DB Kindle Vildor's helmet ... a miraculous play that ended up being the start of the end for the Lions, who blew a 17-point lead, losing 34-31. Crushing. And, they put it on repeat.

The bright side for Detroit fans ... the Pistons players seemed to take things personally.

Jaden Ivey balled out, scoring a career-high 37 points. Ivey’s breakout performance gave Pistons fans some sweet revenge, shocking one of the better teams in the NBA, 133-120.

Just the Pistons winning alone is news ... they're having a historically bad year, once losing 28 consecutive games.

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.

Two former Sacramento Kings dancers are suing the team ... alleging one of the org's choreographers was a total creep who prevented them from making this year's dance squad.

The two dancers -- ID'ed only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 -- filed the lawsuit against the NBA franchise in a California court on Tuesday.

Doe 1 said in the suit she was hired by the Kings in 2022 ... and a short time later, she noticed a pattern of misconduct from team choreographer Matthew Day.

According to the woman, Day would inappropriately touch dancers as he worked with them, "causing emotional discomfort." She said she went to HR over it ... but she claims in the suit "no changes were made."

Doe 1 alleged Day's unprofessional behavior continued as he remained employed by the team ... claiming Day sent her various messages on Instagram, including some that contained "flirtatious comments and emojis." She said in the suit she never engaged "in any flirtatious behavior in response."

Doe 2, who was also hired by the Kings in 2022, listed similar allegations against Day in the suit.

Both Doe 1 and Doe 2 said when they attempted to rejoin the team for the 2023-24 season ... Day was on the judges panel, much to their surprise.

And, when the two were not picked for the team following auditions -- they said in the lawsuit they were sure it was retaliation for their complaints against Day.

Both are suing the Kings and Day for unspecified damages.

College hoopers looking for a place to showcase their skills this summer just got some great news ... The Game, Dom Kennedy and a host of other hip hop stars are helping to start a new basketball league in L.A.!!

The program is called the Real Run College Basketball Summer League -- and it's all slated to begin on June 17 ... and run until August 13.

It'll feature both women's and men's basketball players ... and ex-NBA player Pooh Jeter, who's partnering up with Real Run founder Deanthony Langston, tells TMZ Sports he's hoping it'll change countless lives.

Jeter explained ... the league will not only offer high-level games for college players, but rappers like Game, Dom Kennedy, BlueBucks Clan and G PERICO will all be in charge of teams -- and will help provide athletes a bridge from sports to musical culture in addition to on-court competition.

"A lot of the rappers was like, 'This is something amazing,'" said Jeter, an L.A. native who played for the Sacramento Kings in 2010. "'This is something we can change the game with.'"

Jeter says college basketball stars like Boogie Ellis and JuJu Watkins have already planned to play ... and he's hoping it will all eventually inspire other musicians to join in too.

"I would love for Diddy and Snoop or whoever!" Jeter said. "If you from L.A., show up, and let's do something amazing for our community."

E-40's been hot about Sacramento Kings' security booting him from Game 1 of their playoff clash against the Golden State Warriors ... but tensions have since subsided, and their beef's officially been squashed.

On Thursday, 40 dropped his new single, "Front Row 40" ... which features the legendary rap star spitting his patented slang from inside the Chase Center where his beloved Warriors play.

Sources close to the production of the Jae Synth-directed video tell TMZ Hip Hop that 40 actually filmed the visual several months ago, and had always planned to drop it parallel to the Warriors' postseason run.

The clip also leverages plenty of star power ... with cameos from JAY-Z, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, 2 Chainz and GSW stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

But, the rollout takes on new meaning now in the wake of his removal from Sacramento's Golden 1 Center last Sunday, which resulted in 40 deeming the org racist -- but both sides are putting it in the rearview.

40 and the Kings released a joint statement that spoke to the issue's conclusion ... “Contrary to speculation, Mr. Earl 'E-40' Stevens did not stand excessively from his ticketed courtside seat; the outcome resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding between both parties.”

Hip-hop legend E-40 will not be attending Game 2 between the Warriors and the Kings Monday night ... after he was kicked out of Game 1 for what he claims was "racial bias."

Shams Charania just tweeted the news ... saying a rep for the Bay Area rapper said 40 wouldn't be at the Golden 1 Center to see his Warriors play following Game 1's incident. TMZ Sports also confirmed the news.

ICYMI ... E-40 was escorted out of the Kings arena Saturday night after a heated confrontation with Kings fans and security.

40, a big Warriors fan, sitting courtside for Game 1, was accused of standing up and blocking the view of the fans sitting behind him during the game, causing them to complain to arena personnel.

After an alleged back-and-forth, 40 was ultimately booted from the game, missing the end of the Kings' 126-123 win over his Dubs.

The rapper sees the situation differently, releasing a lengthy statement explaining he was "subjected to disrespectful heckling" throughout the game, admitting he "turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner."

40 said the ordeal was another reminder that "racial bias remains prevalent," explaining "security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault."

The Warriors will look to tie up the series against Sacramento ... but they'll have to do it without their number one celebrity fan in the building.

As for 40, he'll be back in the building in San Fran this Thursday for game 3!

E-40 got the boot at the Kings-Warriors game this weekend following an apparent argument with a fan that escalated into a shouting match with security ... and his eventual removal.

The Bay Area rapper -- who's a big Warriors fan -- was sitting courtside Saturday night in Sacramento's Golden 1 Center for Game 1 of the series ... but, somewhere around the 4th quarter, he appears to have gotten into it with a Kings fan who was sitting behind him.

Per reports, E-40 was standing up a lot and blocking the view of folks a row or two back -- who were complaining. After being issued warnings from Golden 1 Center staffers on hand -- security had to get involved at a point ... which then erupted into a full-blown scene.

As you can see, 40 wasn't happy about the situation ... and was even seen yelling at a Golden 1 Center security guard -- which was also snapped up close for a dramatic photo.

Eventually, the Warriors' guys had to step in and help cool things down ... escorting E-40 from the premises as he continued to chirp with security and fans -- who were mocking him and waving at him as he left. Pretty ugly situation ... and E-40's claiming racism here.

He issued a statement to Shams Charania, saying the culprit was a white woman whom he claims was heckling him throughout the game. 40 says he finally turned around to address her directly, which then spurred security to jump in and only deal with him ... not the lady.

You can go read his full remarks, but essentially ... he says racial bias was at play -- and that despite his success ... he still got the short end of the stick as a Black man. 40 says he was humiliated and that the whole thing was jarring. He also thanks his fans for backing him.

Amazing moment in Memphis on Sunday night ... Ja Morant gifted a kid the shoes off his feet following a game -- and the act was so generous, it brought the youngster to tears!!

The emotional scene happened after Ja and the Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings, 118-108 ... when Morant saw 9-year-old Zander Carr holding a sign that read, "Ready to JAM out in my JA 1's #summer2023."

The 23-year-old NBA superstar took off his pink, Ja 1 Nike kicks ... and walked over to the kid -- who was already sobbing at the up-close site of the Memphis point guard.

Eventually, Ja signed the shoes and gave Carr a hug -- which turned the youngster into a complete puddle of emotions.

Check out the video the Grizzlies posted of the interaction -- it's pretty awesome!!

Carr's mom, Krissi, could be heard in the clip in complete disbelief ... telling Morant the game was her son's birthday present. The three ultimately posed for a photo ... before Morant headed back to the locker room.

FYI, the kicks Carr got are Ja's debut sneakers with Nike ... that were released on Christmas Day. Morant had dedicated the new signature sneakers to his 3-year-old daughter, Kaari, whose name is actually imprinted on the inner half of the shoe.

T.I. has been performing at Atlanta Hawks' games for 10 years and for his next halftime performance, he's bringing his son Domani along as the father-son duo are bridging their Trap Museum brand with the team.

T.I. and Domani will perform their "Family Connect" single on November 23 when the Hawks face the Sacramento Kings ... and the State Farm Arena will be decked out for their presence.

The Hawks will don their PEACH 2022-23 Nike NBA City Edition uniform ... and the home court will also reflect the unis.

“I’m a true Atlanta Hawks fan and have performed in State Farm Arena on numerous occasions, but this time it feels different being able to take the stage with Domani," T.I. said in a statement.

"The Hawks are off to a great start this season, hopefully, we can continue the momentum. I can’t wait to hit State Farm Arena on the 23rd and give the fans a memorable performance."

Ticket bundles for T.I.'s Hawks-Kings performance come with a courtesy ‘Trap Commandment CDIV (404)" t-shirt and a ticket to Trap Music Museum -- an artifact house T.I. has maintained for years, and uses to host exhibits from the likes of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Future and Gucci Mane.

Domani has been steadily building his hip hop career outside of trap music ... collaborating with fellow MCs Rapsody and D Smoke on his last album to carve out his sound ... and his older brother Messiah has officially entered the country music scene.

Former NBA and college basketball standout Chris Webber is entering the cannabis biz via his new Player’s Only strain -- collaborating with several other rapper brands in the process!

On Thursday, C. Webb rolled out his Players Only strains C4, Time Out and G.O.A.T.’s Milk strains in addition to collaborations with Quavo’s BIRKINZ strain, Royce 5’9’s “Heaven” and Raekwon’s “Compliments Of The Chef” brand.

The Wu-Tang Clan legend’s company actually pays people to grow weed in their home state while Royce’s strain will double as an NFT.

And, the last time we checked with Quavo, his Birkin business was booming without any fear of copyright claims!

Naturally, C. Webb’s “Players Only” also lobs to athletes with cannabis companies and today’s launch reunites the Hall of Famer with his ex-Sacramento Kings teammate Jason Williams who has his “White Chocolate” strain, former Fab 5 teammate Ray Jackson and his Black Sox strain and former NBA champ and “All The Smoke” podcast co-host Matt Barnes, who launched “The Smoke” strain with Stephen Jackson.

Barnes was recently appointed Chief Collaborations Officer of PO and C. Webb calls it a big move for minorities and entrepreneurs alike.

For those who don’t know, C. Webb is quite the rap head … having produced for Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" album and even dropped a rap album towards the peak of his NBA career!

Malik Monk may no longer be a Laker, but he says his old team will be just fine with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all returning ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the big three will work things out this season.

The Lake Show made news this week after reports of a three-way phone call between the superstars ... in which they allegedly expressed their commitment to figuring out how to coexist.

We spoke with Monk -- who recently signed a 2-year, $19-million deal with the Sacramento Kings in the offseason -- out at LAX on Tuesday ... and he says he's confident his old teammates can bounce back and have a better season.

"They grown men," Monk said. "Especially when they have convos like that, it’ll work out for them. They all great."

Of course, the 2021-22 season was a mess for the Lakers -- they missed the playoffs as AD missed a ton of games due to injury ... and Russ' production was a serious issue.

Despite all that, Monk had the best season of his career ... and said the leader of the Lakers deserves some credit for it.

"LeBron had a big part of everything," Monk said when asked how James shaped his career. "He had a big part in me coming to L.A."

"It's Bron, bro. He gon' try to help every teammate he comes in contact with. So, I have nothing bad to say about him."

"You got to play at a level he plays at," Monk added. "If not, you going to get surpassed. That’s why he’s so great."

As for his new team, Monk has a message for NBA fans ...

Tristan Thompson's rough week got a bit worse Tuesday night ... with his good friend LeBron James talking serious trash right in his face during the Lakers vs. Kings game.

It all went down in the closing minutes of L.A.'s matchup with Sacramento at Crypto.com Arena ... when LBJ drove the lane for a clutch and-1 layup to put the Lakers up 118-112 late in the game.

After the play, Bron headed right to the Kings' bench and yelled, "I'm a motherf***ing problem, bitch" ... with Tristan -- who didn't play in Tuesday night's game -- standing just feet away.

One of the game's announcers clearly thought it was a message directed for his ex-Cavs teammate ... saying James "looked right at him."

Tristan's reaction is priceless ... giving a sheepish look as the Lakers went on to take the win, 122-114.

Now, LeBron and Thompson have remained tight for years -- they played 4 seasons together (winning a title in 2016) ... and have remained close since LBJ joined the Lakers in 2018.

It's been a difficult stretch for Thompson -- on Monday, he revealed he fathered a child with a Houston woman and publicly apologized to his ex, Khloe Kardashian, and daughter, True, in the announcement.