Basketball

Hours after Steve Ballmer LOST HIS MIND about the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday, we spotted Knicks CEO James Dolan in Bev Hills ... and the difference in energy was HUUUUUGE.

Check out the video -- while Ballmer was ranting and raving and screaming about his excitement for the Clippers, Dolan ... well, let's just say he wasn't as outwardly enthusiastic about his team.

Of course, Ballmer has a LOT MORE to be excited about ... he landed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and resigned Patrick Beverley. The Clips are gonna be gooooood.

The Knicks whiffed on some huge free agents including Kevin Durant ... and people are way less stoked about NY's chances to to make a playoff run.

... which might explain why Dolan was more interested in zooming off in his Porsche on Wednesday, than talking about his team.

It's  been a tough year for the relationship between Dolan and Knicks fans ... remember, back in March, he banned a fan from Madison Square Garden for life after the fan told James to sell the team.

He's also clashed with Charles Oakley in the past.

Steve Ballmer is a MANIAC ... and we love it!!!

The L.A. Clippers chairman -- who's worth $52 BILLION -- just went absolutely BERSERK while introducing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the newest members of his team.

He screamed, his voice cracked ... he got the whole media group to stand up and cheer for the Clip Squad -- it was hype!!!

Ballmer says Kawhi and Paul are the two missing pieces the Clippers need to get the Larry O'Brien Trophy ... which he now calls the "Larry O.B.!"

Steve said it's championship or bust ... and gave an old Bronx Cheer when discussing the possibility of a 2nd place finish during the 2019-20 season.

HE EVEN GOT KAWHI TO SMILE!!!!!!

As for Kawhi and Paul, they couldn't have been more respectful to their previous teams and thanked their old cities and teammates ... before talking about how excited they are to play in L.A.

BUT BALLMER STOLE THE SHOW!!!

By the way, Ballmer has been going H.A.M. at public events for decades ... don't forget all the craziness from his Microsoft days. Classic!

Work hard, yacht harder!!!

After wrapping up a few DJ performances in Europe, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal decided to relax a bit on a big, ass yacht off the coast of Formentera, Spain.

The pics are great ... look at Shaq DWARF the regular-sized people on the ship!

Also, weird that he's diving into the water with his shoes on, right!?!

Of course, 47-year-old Shaq recently took his DJ skills to the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium where he was spotted raging with the crowd after his set. He then jetted over to Croatia to perform at the POW WOW Festival at the Noa Beach Club on Monday.

Clippers executive Jerry West tells TMZ Sports he's getting wayyyyy too much credit for bringing Kawhi Leonard to L.A. ... saying straight up, "I didn't close this deal, okay?!"

People have pointed to the 81-year-old Hall of Famer as the secret weapon who ultimately convinced the NBA Finals MVP to leave Toronto for Los Angeles.

But, outside of E Baldi in Beverly Hills, West explained why he's not comfortable being hailed as the hero.

"This was hard work by our front office," West said ... "Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger. All the people associated with it."

West says he's very excited for the 2019-20 season and says with the Lakers signing Anthony Davis to play with LeBron, basketball "should really be fun for fans" in L.A.

And, even though the Clippers have a sick roster -- with Kawhi, Paul George, Patrick Beverly and more ... West says he's not thinking about a championship yet.

"I don't think we're worried about championships yet ... worried about getting through the season and seeing how we play."

James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris and a bunch of other NBA stars have all bailed on playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup ... and Donovan Mitchell says that's no problem!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Utah Jazz star about some of the biggest names in the game dropping out of the big tourney this summer ... and while some folks are getting concerned about America's chances at completing a 3-peat, Spida ain't.

"All I'm worried about right now is just making the team and doing the best we can," Mitchell says.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who we have, we're going to compete for our country and I'm excited to play."

Zion Williamson has finally decided on which shoe he'll be wearing when he suits up in his first NBA game ... and he's going with Jordan!!

The #1 overall 2019 NBA Draft pick has been weighing his options since his decision to go pro ... getting MASSIVE attention from Nike, Adidas and Puma.

In fact, we know Puma had been making a very serious run at Zion -- and our sources tell us  Nike considered Puma their #1 competition in landing the New Orleans Pelicans star.

Zion even tested out some Puma kicks during the NBA Summer League earlier this month.

But, Tuesday morning, the 19-year-old rookie made it official ... announcing he's a member of Jordan Brand, which is part of the Nike family.

He even released his first Jordan Brand promo video to celebrate the announcement.

Zion will join other Jordan Brand stars like Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and more.

He WON'T be joining Kawhi Leonard who left Jordan Brand in late 2018 to sign a deal with New Balance. Not a bad replacement if you're Nike.

No word on how much Zion will be paid in his new deal with Jordan Brand -- but legendary ex-Nike exec, Sonny Vaccaro, previously told us he wouldn't be surprised if the contract hits the 9-figure mark.

In other words, ZION'S GETTIN' PAID!!!

Michael Jordan released a statement on the signing ... saying “Zion’s incredible determination, character and play are inspiring."

"He’s an essential part of the new talent that will help lead the brand into the future. He told us he would ‘shock the world,’ and asked us to believe him. We do."

Kawhi Leonard DOES have a wild side -- just check out the shoes!

The Los Angeles Clippers superstar was spotted out in Irvine, California on Saturday with an attention-grabbing pair of shoes on his size 14 feet.

We did some digging ... here's what we know -- the shoes are the unreleased New Balance 997 "Animal Print" with the Kawhi Leonard logo right on the tongue.

Of course, Kawhi signed on with New Balance in late 2018 after leaving Nike. As we previously reported, Kawhi is suing the Swoosh claiming they jacked his famous KL logo without permission.

Nike fired back in a countersuit of their own denying the allegations ... though they acknowledged the final logo was inspired by a sketch Kawhi created himself back when he was in college.

By the way, after this photo was taken ... Kawhi surfaced in Las Vegas where he got the VIP treatment at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman fight.

We're guessing Kawhi -- who just signed a 3-year, $103 million contract with the Clippers -- hopped on a private jet to get to Sin City.

Klay Thompson is heating back up with ex-girlfriend Laura Harrier -- as in, the two roasted in the sun at Dodgers Stadium together on Sunday ... months after reportedly breaking up.

The NBA superstar was spotted with the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress at the Dodgers game over the weekend ... where they baked in the sun and drank beer while watching L.A. crush the Miami Marlins.

Klay and Laura had reportedly broken up back in April -- and the Golden State Warriors star was spotted out with 'Godzilla' actress Eiza Gonzalez.

But, whatever was going on with Eiza appears to be over ... because Klay and Laura looked pretty happy together during a very public outing in front of roughly 47,000 people!

Klay is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the NBA Finals -- but it hasn't stopped him from living it up this offseason. He's been on the "Space Jam 2" set multiple times.

NBA star Trae Young says the hype about LaMelo Ball is REAL -- because he believes it's entirely possible the youngest Ball bro ends up a top 3 NBA draft pick in 2020.

The Atlanta Hawks star just came off a FANTASTIC rookie season, and has been working out with LaMelo while he's out here in Los Angeles.

So, when we saw Trae in BH (#shopping) we wanted to know if he thinks Ball has the goods to be a top three pick in the NBA draft when he's eligible next year.

"Possibly, yeah for sure. He'll be ready the by the time he gets to the league."

Young didn't stop there, telling us it really doesn't matter where Ball is drafted, because no matter where it is he's gonna be a dope NBA player.

"He'll be good in the league. If he's #1, #2, #3 ... regardless he'll be a good player."

Ball is a mystery in basketball circles -- he's 6'7" with real playmaking ability ... but his bizarre basketball journey (remember Lithuania?) is making some scouts think twice.

We'll see what happens, but at the very least we know 'Melo seems to have Trae's vote.

Gilbert Arenas was NOT the problem in a crazy car crash earlier this month that wrecked his Maybach and caused another car to FLIP OVER ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Arenas was involved in a terrifying accident back on July 7, when a 2000 Toyota RAV4 collided with his 2018 Mercedes on the 101 freeway in Encino, California.

But, the California Highway Patrol tells us a 27-year-old man, who was the driver of the Toyota, was actually at fault for the car crash ... 'cause the CHP says he was speeding when he hit the NBA superstar.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the CHP says the man only suffered minor injuries ... while 37-year-old Arenas was not hurt at all.

But, seriously, it's crazy no one was hurt ... we obtained 911 calls from the scene -- and they paint a picture of a wild accident.

We're told no arrests or citations were issued in the incident ... and it's unclear what the cost of all the damages were.

Manny Pacquiao says he wants to fight until he's 45 years old ... and when he retires, the boxing star tells TMZ Sports he will seriously consider buying an NBA franchise.

The 40-year-old superstar has made a FORTUNE during his boxing career -- and says he feels he's got AT LEAST another 5 years of fighting before hangin' 'em up for good.

"I feel like young, like late 20s," PacMan says ... explaining that he still loves the sport and all of the training that comes with it.

Pacquiao -- who's fighting undefeated star Keith Thurman on Saturday -- tells us he feels blessed by God ... and plans to use his gifts as long as his mind and body hold up.

Part of Manny's training regimen is playing basketball for 4 to 5 hours a day ... seriously.

In fact, Manny's so obsessed with the sport, he bought his own semi-pro basketball league back home in the Philippines called the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

FYI, Forbes says Manny has made more than $500 MILLION during his boxing career -- including a $26 million haul over the past year.

So, we had to ask if he had NBA ambitions and the boxer gave us an emphatic "Yes!"

New team, new pad -- L.A.'s newest superstar Anthony Davis has found a temporary home in his new territory ... renting an INSANE $14.1 million mansion in Bel-Air!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... The Brow is resting his feet in a super private gated community in L.A. ... and the 12,000-square-foot house is a perfect for a big-time baller.

The 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom pad comes with a decked out gourmet kitchen, bar, personal gym, master bedroom with marble fireplace and walk-in closet, pool ... and of course, a basketball court!!!

We're told AD is renting the place for around $50k a month ... but the guy's in the middle of a 5-year, $127 million contract ... so it's a drop in the bucket for the All-Star.

FYI -- if Davis decides to crash at this spot during the season, it's only about a 35-minute drive to Staples Center!!! (But, you never know with L.A. traffic.)

AD's not gonna be far from his bestie, LeBron James, either ... he'll be about 15 min from his Brentwood neighborhood.

Looks like R.J. Hampton made the right decision passing up college basketball to get a check in Australia ... 'cause he's already dominating pro basketball players, according to NBA skills trainer Tyler Relph.

Relph is a basketball guru, having trained guys like Julius Randle, George Hill, Marcus Smart and Amare Stoudemire. He's currently working with Hampton before he heads overseas.

How's he getting him ready? Throwing him into the DEEP water with European pros and seeing what he can do, and according to Tyler, he can do a hell of a lot.

"95 percent of the time he's the best player on the floor," Relph says ... "Athletically the things that he can do, the spots he can get to."

Relph says Hampton ain't quite Kobe yet -- he says the kid is still young and has some things to work on, some of which are actually out of his control.

"With him, it's just gonna be -- physically -- it's gonna be a tougher game, but that will come with age," Relph says.

"Reads, defensive rotations, stuff like that, that a lot of kids that if they don't go to college or just played high school don't know yet."

FYI ... Hampton is gonna be playing with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League. It's a place where a lot of NBA talent has played, so they'll be ready.

And, they better be.

Zion Williamson has still NOT signed a shoe deal -- despite being the most sought after NBA draft pick since LeBron James -- and our sources say it's all because of Puma.

Nike was believed to be the front-runner to sign Zion for months ... with legendary former Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro telling us he thinks Zion's deal could hit the 9-figure mark.

And, with Zion rocking Nikes in college, in pre-draft workouts and in some NBA Summer league games ... it seemed like it was just a matter of time before Zion signed with the Swoosh.

But, we're told Puma -- which has made a serious push in the basketball shoe space in recent years -- has come out of nowhere to become a major contender to sign the NBA's #1 overall pick.

Puma already has rising stars Marvin Bagley III and DeAndre Ayton on its roster -- the first 2 picks from the 2018 NBA Draft.

And, get this ... Zion rocked a pair of Puma RS-0 "Video Game" kicks during a Summer league game earlier this month, and our sources tell us that's no coincidence.

We're told Nike is aware of the competition and is making a hard push to get a deal done with Williamson first. As one source puts it, "He's the #1 priority."

Remember, Zion did have one bad experience with Nike in college ... when his Nike PG 2.5s blew out during the opening seconds of the Duke vs. North Carolina game.

Fun Fact: The shoes were never seen in public again after that incident ... and Ken Goldin from Goldin Auction told us he thinks the kicks could be the most valuable collegiate sneakers of all time ... worth more than $250,000 if they ever hit the auction block!!!

Here's a preview of what the NBA All-Star game's gonna look like in a few years ... Bronny James throwing some ferocious dunks while messing around with Shareef O'Neal!

The whole thing went down at LeBron James' Brentwood mansion -- where Shaq's sons, Shareef and Shaqir, rolled over for a shootaround with Bronny and some other friends, including Syracuse recruit Dior Johnson (one of the best high school players in the country).

LeBron was so impressed he whipped out his phone and started shooting video ... and it's pretty great.

Shareef seems to be doing REALLY well after heart surgery earlier this year. He's expected to get back on the court for UCLA next season.

Of course, Bronny just transferred to Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles -- one of the top hoops programs in the nation -- where he'll be playing with Dwyane Wade's kids.

Nike says the Kawhi Leonard logo they created to put on merchandise in 2014 is distinctly different from the logo Kawhi sketched himself back in 2011 ... and they claim the proof is in the pictures.

Remember, Kawhi -- who was under contract with Nike from 2011 to 2018 -- claims he got a cease and desist in late '18 from Swoosh execs who claim they own the copyright to the "Claw Design" and forbid the NBA star from using it elsewhere.

In his lawsuit, filed in June 2019, Kawhi claimed he came up with the design while sketching around in college back in 2011. His version consists of his initials K.L. and jersey number #2 in a hand design. Leonard claims since he created the logo, he should have the rights to it.

But, Nike says that's simply not the case ... explaining they collaborated with Kawhi in 2014 to come up with an original design. Nike claims they submitted several concepts to him with a "number of proposed designs."

In new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Nike admits Kawhi had sent them a copy of his K.L. hand-design sketch as part of the collaborative process.

But, Nike says they eventually settled on an "original" version that is different from Kawhi's sketch.

Nike claims Kawhi signed off on the company using the final "Claw Design" in 2014 -- so they filed a trademark application to effectively own the rights to the image.

Nike says the company found out in 2017 Kawhi also filed an application to trademark the image -- and they were pissed ... saying he has no rights to it and had "fraudulently claimed to be the author and sole owner of the Claw Design."

In their suit, Nike says Kawhi even acknowledged publicly that Nike should be given "all the credit" for the design for turning a "rough draft" into a professional logo.

Nike is countersuing for copyright infringement, fraud and breach of contract -- and they're looking for a judge to stop Kawhi from using the design. They also want unspecified monetary damages.