Basketball

The Kobe Bryant tributes were AMAZING at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night ... and some of the biggest stars in the world were front and center for all of the emotional moments.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West sat courtside at the United Center in Chicago -- surrounded by stars like Cardi B, Chris Tucker, Ludacris, Offset, Chance The Rapper, Chadwick Boseman and more!

There's more ... a LOT more -- Fat Joe, Bad Bunny, Ninja, Spike Lee, Jeff Ross, Common, Tiffany Haddish and Jon Stewart were all on hand to watch Team LeBron take on Team Giannis.

But, the show started BEFORE tip-off when Chicago-native Jennifer Hudson performed an incredible tribute to Kobe ... with a beautiful video montage in the background.

One of the cooler tributes at the game was a Kobe tribute video with music by Dr. Dre. The video was created by 23-year-old director Gibson Hazard and Jackson Bannon ... and honestly, it's pretty amazing stuff.

As we previously reported, the NBA renamed the All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe ... and Kawhi Leonard became the first person to take home the Mamba-inspired honor.

After the game, Leonard told the crowd, "This one's for him."

Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Jan. 26 -- along with 7 other people.

The strip club cavalry has arrived in Chicago with THOUSANDS of dancers, literally, making sure NBA superstars and fans are well entertained during All-Star Weekend!!!

The good folks at Ocean Gentleman's Club, Factory and Club O tell TMZ Sports ... they've hired Last Coast Entertainment to promote events at all the clubs this weekend. We're told that means 3,000 strippers will be swarming around poles all over Chi-town.

The forecast calls for some serious rain, because we're told each club will have $450,000 in single dollar bills on deck each day for customers -- NBA and otherwise -- to spend on the dancers. The clubs are ready to bring in the Brinks trucks too, if they need even more Washingtons.

As for who's leading all this fun ... Offset will be front and center hosting an epic after-party Sunday at Ocean Gentleman's Club, following the All-Star Game. Also, Kid Capri's hosed that club's Saturday night bash.

The clubs also tell us they already have 10 tables reserved each night, exclusively for NBA ballers -- and their kitchens will be working OT to serve up lamb chops, burgers, wings and shrimp. BIG dudes have BIG appetites!

BTW, NBA All-Star Weekend is like an annual Super Bowl for the strippers ... so there's high-demand to get work in the host cities each year. We're told the dancers have to fork over $300 to $350 per night to a club just to get their high heels in the door.

Other gentlemen's clubs around Chicago -- like Scores and Rick's Cabaret -- are adopting NBA themes. Dancers will wear basketball uniforms, to start anyway, and of course, there will be VIP sections just for NBA studs.

Rick Fox, like so many others, is having a hard time processing the loss of Kobe Bryant.

We got Rick at the NBA Crossover event in Chicago Saturday during NBA All-Star Weekend, and he's clearly still hurting. You'll recall his emotional words on TNT a week ago.

Rick makes it clear ... Kobe's death is a blow to so many in a very personal way, but there's also a global factor -- Kobe was a worldwide celebrity and on the precipice of starting a second chapter that could have been as awesome as his first.

Rick shared some memories of Kobe ... riding on the team bus with him as Kobe talked about his "otherworldly plans."

When our photog asks Rick what Kobe would have done over the next 20 or 30 years, you see him get visibly emotional.

Rick played for the Lakers between 1997 and 2004 and won 3 championships with the team. Kobe played from 1996 to 2016. The 2 were teammates for 8 years.

Lou Williams decided to honor Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, by getting a HUGE mural in his man cave at his Atlanta home this week .. and it's pretty amazing!

TMZ Sports has learned the Los Angeles Clippers guard hit up his good friend and tattoo artist Fennell "InkByKali" Cunningham for the Mamba and Mambacita mural.

We're told because Lou and Kobe were real close, InkByKali had to make sure the mural was perfect ... so he hit up another artist, Tay Hill, to help out.

You can see in a video of the mural, obtained by TMZ Sports, the art is a HUGE painting of Kobe in his Lakers gear with Gianna in her Mamba Academy jersey. All told, we've learned the piece took 13 HOURS to paint!

"Definitely honored to have been a part of doing this mural," InkByKali tells us.

After Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, Lou went on Twitter the next day and expressed how much pain he was in, saying, "Been crying on and off."

"Have random thoughts about things we spoke about then laugh. Cry again."

Lou even put out a song dedicated to the Mamba called "24" this week ... writing a caption along with the track that read, "Wrote a open letter to the homie."

Of course, Lou ain't the only NBA baller honoring the Mamba ... stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis have gotten tribute tats -- while others in the league have been hoopin' with messages to Kobe on their sneakers.

Bikini model Liziane Gutierrez is getting out of her bubble -- ditching the glamorous life for the bump-and-grind of basketball, and she has King James on the brain ... and her cheeks.

The Brazilian poser and a gal pal had no problem choosing sides for the NBA All-Star Game, which is going down this weekend in Chicago. Liziane took on her friend in a game of hoops -- in MUCH-shorter shorts than the pros -- and just to keep it real, they made their allegiances known.

Liziane took an L on her butt for team LeBron James, while her friend's a straight G ... for Team Giannis Antetokounmpo. Those are the actual teams competing in Chi-town.

Anyway, check out the pics of their game -- it was truly a thong o' beauty. No word on who won. Luckily, we know you don't really care.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is making sure Kobe Bryant goes down in history with the league right away -- renaming the All-Star MVP award after the late Laker legend.

The commish made the announcement Saturday at a press conference in front of the press, first discussing how Kobe and ex-commissioner David Stern -- who himself passed away this year -- were so much alike in their attitudes, goals and approaches to the game.

Adam says both Kobe and Stern prioritized winning -- and, often, neither of them had time for the niceties that come with fostering relationships because they were so hyper-focused.

He went on to list some of Kobe's personal achievements in the NBA -- including setting the record for 18 consecutive All-Star appearances, 4 All-Star MVP Awards and his famous Slam Dunk Contest appearance in 1997 ... for which he took home the 1st place prize.

Then came the big news ... the NBA is changing the name of All-Star MVP Award, now calling it the Kobe Bryant MVP Award. Adam says he's sure whoever wins it on Sunday after the All-Star game will be thrilled. He also noted it was just one of the ways the league would be honoring Kobe going forward -- David will also be honored in the future.

Besides the big name change, AS also said one small way the league wanted to remember Kobe and David was putting their photos on the back of media credentials this year.

Vanessa Bryant just shared an emotional Valentine's Day message to Kobe ... saying to the Mamba, "To my forever Valentine, I love you so much."

"Missing you so much on your favorite holiday," she said in the social media post. "Te amo per sempre."

Along with the emotional message to the Lakers legend ... Vanessa also posted a throwback photo of the two, with Lauryn Hill's famous love song "Tell Him" playing in the background.

"Kisses to you and Gigi in heaven," Vanessa said. "Happy Valentine’s Day, my babies. With all my love, your boo-boo."

Kobe -- who passed away along with his daughter, Gianna, less than 3 weeks ago in a tragic helicopter crash -- would have surely loved the message.

Remember, Bryant is a HUGE Lauryn Hill fan ... even posting a picture with the Grammy winner and Vanessa back in 2018.

"@vanessabryant surprised me with a date night to see my sister Lauryn Hill at The Hollywood Bowl," Bryant wrote at the time. "Loved catching up with her. My wife is winning the battle of best date night ideas.. FOR NOW"

A public memorial for Bryant and his daughter is set to take place at Staples Center on Feb. 24. Vanessa is expected to attend.

Terrelle Pryor just hooked up an entire boys high school basketball team with brand spankin' new Nike basketball shoes ... and it's pretty awesome.

30-year-old Pryor -- a former star athlete at Jeannette H.S. -- hooked up his alma mater's boys' basketball squad with Paul George 4's ... just in time for the district playoffs.

TMZ Sports talked to head coach Adrian Batts -- who coached the NFL stud back in the day -- and he tells us Pryor promised the kids he'd get all 12 players on the squad new kicks if they made the playoffs.

Jeannette went 15-7 (they won 14 of their last 15 games) and made the playoffs ... so true to his word, Pryor went shopping for PG4's.

Coach Batts says the kids were super-happy and appreciative of Pryor.

And get this, it's not the first time TP got gifts for the team ... he set the kids up with new LeBron's last month.

Vanessa Bryant says Kobe's charity will have a new name -- the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation -- and she says it's all to honor Gianna Bryant.

"Because there is no #24 without #2, we have updated the Mamba Sports Foundation to now be called the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation," Vanessa said Thursday.

It's an amazing tribute ... especially because Vanessa says the foundation's goal of helping young people through sports "remains the same -- and stronger than ever."

If you're unfamiliar ... Kobe's charity has helped more than 10,000 kids as well as hundreds of veterans -- with the org saying they have over 1,000 volunteers lending a hand.

The charity has been flooded with donations since Kobe and Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 -- and Vanessa says she's overwhelmed by the love.

"Thank you all for the outpouring of support and your kind donations to date as we carry forth Kobe and Gigi’s legacy," Vanessa said. "We hope to empower young athletes in a world they left us all to help shape."

A memorial for Kobe and Gigi has been set for Feb. 24 at Staples Center ... and we're told proceeds from the tickets will be donated to charity.

It's unclear which orgs will get the benefits ... but it seems safe to assume the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation will be one of the organizations to get money.

What does the greatest basketball player on planet earth eat to maintain his god-like physique??

A crap ton of french toast smothered in syrup!!! So says Tristan Thompson ... who claims LeBron James has "the worst f*cking diet ever."

TT revealed Bron's eating habits to The Athletic ... saying it's unbelievable how much he can scarf down without losing his chiseled look.

"Ask him what he eats for breakfast. He has like five french toasts, drowns it in syrup with strawberries and bananas," James' old teammate says.

But, that's just the beginning -- "Then he has like a four-egg omelet and then he goes and just f*cking dunks on somebody. It doesn’t make sense."

Of course, there are reports that LBJ spends more than a million dollars a year on his fitness -- from trainers to a chef to massage therapists.

Spending that huge amount of dough must explain why James can eat whatever the hell he wants ... and those who don't focus so much on fitness can't keep up.

"I remember one year I tried to eat like he ate and it just didn’t work out," TT says. "I started gaining weight and said, 'F*ck this.' I mean it works for him. He loves sweets. He loves sweets. He eats desserts and French toast. It’s crazy how his body just burns it."

"He’ll come with his one-week diet, vegan crap, but he literally eats like it doesn’t make sense. He’s really a specimen. He eats like sh*t."

The Ohio H.S. basketball player who had her hair pulled and hit her head during a game suffered a severe concussion and may not step on the court again ... this according to the player's dad.

As we previously reported ... the incident went down during the first quarter of the Bellevue and Norwalk basketball game on Saturday ... when a Lady Red senior guard grabbed and pulled her defender's hair after attempting a 3-pointer.

The Bellevue player was not called for a foul during the game ... but was later suspended one game for her actions.

Now, the Norwalk player's dad is speaking out on the incident ... saying his daughter is still recovering with a severe concussion and needs a brain scan to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding. He claims his daughter is experiencing neck pain, a headache and blurred vision.

The father makes it clear the player and her family have reached out and apologized for the incident, and have plans to meet face-to-face.

The dad says his daughter -- despite her condition -- does not want the Bellevue player's career ruined because of the hair-pulling ... as she has committed to play Div. 1 ball at Kent State next season.

The player released a statement of her own on Twitter, saying "My intentions were never to hurt anyone."

A one-of-a-kind basketball card with an NBA logo patch from Michael Jordan and LeBron James' jerseys just sold for $900,000!!

Yes ... that's no typo. This is legitimately the most expensive basketball card, EVER.

TMZ Sports has learned Ken Goldin from Goldin Auctions sold the card at a private sale this week ... and he tells us it was a historic purchase.

The 2003-2004 Upper Deck "Exquisite Collection" card is awesome ... and features actual NBA patches from game-worn Bron and Jordan jerseys.

Only one of these exists in the world.

The $900K sales price blows the previous record out of the water ... a 1969-1970 Topps Lew Alcindor card that went for just over $500K in 2016.

Master P ain't a politician, but he's lobbying the peeps who run H.S. basketball in Minnesota ... pleading with them to change a rule that limits players from crossing state lines to hoop.

TMZ Sports got P -- and his star 17-year-old H.S. hoops playing son, Hercy Miller -- in Beverly Hills on Tuesday ... and we asked them about the younger Miller's basketball career.

P tells us Hercy's Minnehaha Academy squad is killin' it (they beat Bronny James' Sierra Canyon team a few weeks back) ... but says if a rule instituted by the body that governs H.S. sports isn't changed, the team won't get to compete for a national title.

"Minnesota is a great place. A lot of great talent, and I think [the law's] gonna have to change real soon," Master P says.

"This is just high school basketball. This is not a crime or nothing like that. The law should be changed. These kids should have the opportunity to go to other states and play and compete."

Here's the deal with the rule ... high school athletes in Minnesota can only travel one state away to compete, thanks to a rule instituted by the Minnesota State High School League.

FYI, it's not just Hercy and his teammates that are affected ... the girls from Hopkins H.S. -- one of the top-ranked teams in the nation -- also are barred from competing.

But, P says people looking to fight for the kids aren't powerless ... and offer some advice on how to help.

"Man, y'all go out there and protest. Call your local legislator, get the government and all these different places to say, 'give these kids a chance to compete for the national championship.'"

The national tourneys are coming up ... so there's not much time left, but P hopes Minnehaha has a chance to compete.

This is the best video you'll see all day ... nearly 200 students from LeBron James' I Promise school network found out they were getting FREE college tuition, and the moment's awesome!!

The junior class from Bron's program was told they were going on a college visit to Kent State University in Northeast Ohio ... but when they arrived on campus, they got a whole lot more than a tour.

School officials revealed that all 193 kids would have all 4 years of their schooling paid for ... as well as, 1 free year of room and board.

Naturally, the kids freaked out!!

It's not something to take lightly ... tuition for in-state students is around $11K a year. 193 students attending for 4 years costs over $8 million.

While the school won't have to front all that money ... it's still a huge chunk of change.

It's not just a handout for the students ... they have to maintain a good standing with the school by attending class, getting good grades, and volunteering in the community.

Dwyane Wade's oldest son, Zaire, is making it crystal clear he will always have his sibling's back ... posting an emotional message to Zaya after coming out as transgender.

The NBA legend appeared on 'The Ellen Show' Tuesday and revealed his 12-year-old identified as female ... and shared how his family is supporting her.

18-year-old Zaire is now speaking out on the announcement ... saying "I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years."

"We did everything together...we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried. But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind... "

Zaire continued ... "I’ve told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth."

"I don’t care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there’s no love lost on this side."

Zaire's always been supportive of Zaya ... and even went with her to the Miami Pride parade last year.

As for Zaya, she spoke out against those who may disagree with her announcement ... saying "What's the point of being on this earth if you're gonna try to be someone you're not? It's like you're not even living as yourself, which is like the dumbest concept to me."

NBA teams in need of a 5'10" point guard need to look no further ... 'cause Quavo says he's available and ready to make a jump to the Association, telling TMZ Sports he's the next Master P!!

Of course, the Migos rapper balled out with Justin Bieber, Sheck Wes, Drake and more in NYC last week  -- and Huncho was in full BEAST MODE scoring at least 15 points!!

So, when we caught up with Quavo, we had to ask who really has the best skills outta the celeb bunch on that court ... and he gave us a far from humble answer.

"It gotta be me," Quavo says. "We beat OVO. I ain't even have my team with me."

Beating Biebs and Drizzy is one thing ...  going against NBA stars like LeBron, Kawhi and KD is another. But, Quavo says he's up for the challenge to make it to the league!!

"I could be the next Master P! Ima go for it!"

FYI,  Master P was signed to Charlotte Hornets in 1998 and Toronto Raptors in 1999 ... but never made it to the court for a regular-season game.