Basketball

Ridiculously gorgeous hoops playing sisters, the Gonzalez twins, are jumping out of the music biz to focus making it into the WNBA, TMZ Sports has learned.

Dylan & Dakota were both stars at UNLV -- and even Drake came to their games to show the love. But, they left school early to pursue music careers, mainly because of NCAA made it tough for them to play and release songs.

But, now sources tell TMZ Sports the IG superstars (over 1 million followers each) have decided to jump back into basketball, training full-time to knock the rust off and get back into form.

We're told they even have a team in mind ... hoping to get roster spots on the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces by the time the 2019 season tips off next May.

If you think it's a pipe dream you're wrong, when the 6'0" twins were at UNLV they were HUGE contributors ... with Dakota actually leading the team in scoring.

We wish the girls luck, but if basketball doesn't work out (which it probably will, they're great) the gallery below proves they have plenty to fall back on.

All hell ALMOST broke loose at a Kobe Bryant book signing in L.A. on Tuesday -- with cops responding to an upset crowd ... but sources at the scene tell us Mamba stepped in and diffused the situation.

Kobe was set to meet with 500 fans at Barnes & Noble at The Grove shopping center -- taking pictures and signing copies of his new book, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play."

We're told everything was going fine until someone at the store let in an additional 300 people with less than 30 minutes left in the event.

When time was up and Kobe had to leave, sources say the crowd became upset -- and cops responded to keep the peace.

The good news -- one witness tells us Kobe grabbed the mic, thanked everyone for coming and said he would stay late until he met every person who came out to the event.

Ever wonder what a 1-on-1 game between Lakers legends Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant would have looked like????

Good ... 'cause Kobe spilled the beans to Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" -- and the ex-L.A. superstar says it was actually pretty funny!!!

"He called every single foul," Bryant joked ... "even the ones that weren't there."

Mamba says the two basketball icons only squared off one time during a Lakers practice ... but Magic made sure to tweak the rules -- and the score -- in his favor.

"What's the score?" Kobe says Magic would ask.

"It's 10-6," Kobe would respond.

"No, it's not, it's 10-9."

"I'm like, 'Wait, what the? All right, I'm done.'"

Too Short ain't exactly throwing Jon Gruden a vote of confidence ... telling TMZ Sports he's legit torn over the way the Raiders head coach is dismantling his favorite team.

We got the legendary Bay Area rapper leaving Sirius in NYC on Tuesday ... and he made it clear right away -- he ain't pleased with what's going down in Oakland.

"I'm really mad about 1-5," he says as he showed off all the silver and black he wore ... "I'm pissed about that."

Short's biggest problem with the team? Gruden ... 'cause Short says he's got some serious mixed feelings over Chuckie's first season back as Raiders head man.

"I'm just like everybody else, I'm mixed in between trading away all our players and bringing in the coach that beat us in the Super Bowl ... it's just we all got mixed emotions right now."

Short says it's gotten so bad for him ... he's legit on the verge of tears!!!!

But ... he does have one saving grace that he says makes him feel better ... "the Warriors, man!!"

If you thought you knew everything about the Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul fight, boy were you wrong ... Donnell Rawlings has the only breakdown you need to hear, and he's telling it to TMZ Sports.

We got Rawlings out in L.A. and asked him about all things Lakers, and that's when the "Chappelle's Show" star gave us a blow-by-blow, and a spit-by-spit analysis of the brawl Saturday night.

Highlights include ...

- The exact type of spit that was used, and how it affected the melee.

- How race was a factor (we know what you're thinking, you just gotta listen).

- Why the type of punch that was used meant that CP3 never had a chance.

Nipsey Hussle tells TMZ Sports there's NO WAY IN HELL he was gonna jump in the Lakers-Rockets melee Saturday night ... despite what it might have looked like on camera.

You'll remember ... Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul traded blows near the basket Nipsey was sitting under -- and when cameras panned to the rapper -- it sure looked like he was getting ready to jump in.

But, Nipsey -- who teamed up with PUMA to refurbish a basketball court in South L.A. inspired by the brands new kicks -- tells us there was absolutely no chance he was setting himself up to throw hands.

"I would never jump in no NBA fight," Hussle says. "Hell nah!"

Nipsey says he was readying himself JUST IN CASE the fight spilled into his area of the stands.

As for who woulda won the fight if nobody held the two point guards back ... Nipsey says he ain't sure -- but he does tell us the Lakers have a real shot at the NBA title this season!!

BTW, in addition to the new court ... Nipsey and PUMA hooked 200 kids up with fresh backpacks and shirts ... and gave $10K to a local elementary school.

9:49 AM PT -- Sources tell us Kiedis was NOT ejected from the arena. He was allowed to calm down and then returned to his seat.

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis LOST HIS DAMN MIND at the Lakers game on Saturday -- cussing out a Rockets staffer following the brawl on the court ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

As Chris Paul was being escorted off the court, Kiedis -- a Lakers superfan -- was screaming at him from his courtside seats.

A Rockets staffer came over to verbally check Kiedis -- but Anthony wasn't having it and lashed back. Witnesses say Kiedis flipped the guy off and shouted, "F**k you."

You can see in our video the two definitely jawing back and forth until security walked Kiedis away from his seat to cool off.

There are conflicting reports about whether or not Kiedis was kicked out -- with some people saying he later returned to his seat.

One thing's for sure ... KIEDIS WAS HOT!!!!

Seems Carmelo Anthony is familiar with the conspiracy theory that the spit that kicked off the Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo fight came from his mouth ... and he's calling B.S.

Melo was standing right next to Paul when CP3 got hit in the face with mouth moisture -- and while most people believe it came from Rondo, there are some who believe it was a case of accidental friendly fire.

So, when we saw Anthony leaving Catch in L.A. on Sunday, we had to ask if there was any merit to the "Melo Did It" theory.

His response -- "Stop playin'!"

We also asked how he felt about the suspensions that were handed out -- 4 games for Brandon Ingram, 3 for Rondo and 2 for Chris Paul.

Melo didn't seem too bothered by it -- almost like he understood.

BTW, the Rockets -- without Chris Paul -- lost to the Clippers on Sunday.

It was fight night at the Staples Center when players from the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets got into an intense fist fight ... marring the hometown debut of LeBron James.

It all went down Saturday night late in the 4th quarter. Lakers forward, Brandon Ingram, shoved Rockets Guard, James Harden, for which Ingram received a technical foul. Moments later, Houston PG, Chris Paul and Lakers PG Rajon Rondo began trading punches.

It is unclear why Ingram shoved Harden in the first place ... he was visibly upset and took out his frustrations on the ref after being called for the shove. The shoving continued between Rondo and Paul before Rondo threw a punch, igniting the fight.

Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram are sure to be socked with suspensions.

LeBron says he tried his best to calm things down and he didn't speak to his team after the game.

Start fillin' out your March Madness brackets RIGHT NOW ... 'cause Carlos Boozer says Zion Williamson's Duke squad is the team to beat this season ... and the competition ain't even close!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the former Blue Devil about Duke's chances at winning it all ... and he says Zion, R.J. Barrett and Coach K are a lethal combo that'll be a BIG problem for the rest of the NCAA.

"I can't think of any other team that's on the same level with their athletes," Boozer says.

Booz says Zion is "one of the best athletes you've ever seen" ... and teaming up with Barrett -- the projected no. 1 overall pick in next year's NBA draft -- will make them unstoppable.

Look ... we get what you're thinking. Booz oozes Duke blue ... but college allegiances aside, he's probably right.

Paul Allen's cause of death was the septic shock brought on by his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained Allen's death certificate, and it lists septic shock and immunosuppression as causes of death ... but both were clearly the result of his cancer. According to the document ... Allen died Monday at 12:35 PM at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.

The Microsoft cofounder had announced nearly 3 weeks ago his cancer had returned after 9 years of remission.

Allen owned the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trailblazers, and cofounded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. His estimated net worth was north of $20 billion. Allen was never married and had no children. He was 65.

According to the death certificate, he opted to be buried instead of cremation.

Here's Lonzo Ball's baby mama, Denise Garcia, proving her snap back game is STRONG ... showing off her incredible post-baby bod less than 3 months after giving birth!!

As we previously reported ... Garcia gave birth to Zoey Christina Ball on July 22. If you've been paying attention to her social media, she's been practically living in the gym ever since.

Two boxers. Two coasts. One message -- famous fighters get REALLY good seats at NBA games!

Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather both sat courtside at NBA season openers on Wednesday night. Floyd was at Staples Center taking in the Clippers game while Canelo sat on the floor at MSG for the Knicks.

Knicks beat the Hawks. Clippers lost to the Nuggets.

Floyd was flossin' hard with multiple expensive diamond necklaces. Canelo had a big ol' smile like he just signed a $365-million contract!

Alvarez was also sporting a Dolce & Gabbana sweatshirt and some expensive Balenciaga sneakers.

They weren't the only superstars to support the NBA last night -- the Clips had Billy Crystal and Scooter Braun.

Skylar Diggins-Smith is winning even in the off-season ... 'cause the WNBA superstar is pregnant with her first child!!

The 4-time All-Star and husband Daniel Smith announced the big news on Wednesday with an Instagram post of the sonogram captioned, "Can’t wait to meet you!"

Obviously, it's great news for the couple ... but could be bad news for the Wings -- they might've lost one of their best players for a little bit (if our math's right).

The WNBA season kicks off in May, and if Skylar is at least 12 weeks preggo, she's most likely gonna need some time away from the squad.

FYI -- it's incredible how quickly female athletes can get back to competing after giving birth. Candace Parker returned to practices a little over a month after giving birth in 2009 ... and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres competed again just 3 weeks after having a child in 2006.

Congrats to the couple!!

How do NBA superstars prep for the regular season?? If you're John Wall, you dance your freakin' face off at the club ... and TMZ Sports has the video!!

Two nights before the Wizards' season kicks off, the All-Star guard hit up The Park at 14th Tuesday night for one final rager ... straight-up gettin' it while Lil Wayne's "Uproar" blasts in the speakers.

You can see in the footage Wall is having a blast -- dancing with everyone right in front of the DJ booth and sippin' on some Ciroc with the owner of the club.

Wall's famous for his dance moves -- and Troop 41 even released a song dedicated and inspired by his trademark dance.

An animated film festival in L.A. just kicked Kobe Bryant off the festival jury over backlash stemming from his 2003 rape case.

The Lakers legend was set to be part of the jury at the Animation is Film Festival this weekend at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood ... but event organizers announced Wednesday that ain't happening.

“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury” ... event honcho Eric Beckman says.

Kobe, of course, won an Academy Award for his "Dear Basketball" short ... and seemed to be completely embraced by Hollywood. Kobe says he's even dished out movie-makin' advice to Barack Obama.

But last week, a petition popped up on Change.org demanding Bryant be dropped from the event -- and apparently, that was the thing that pushed festival officials to remove Kobe.

"This is an urgent time to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women,” the petition reads ... "Keeping Kobe Bryant on the jury sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.”

The petition only got 159 signatures -- but clearly, it was enough to make an impact.