Basketball

Not many people can say the best hoops player on the planet sang his heart out for their birthday ... but that's exactly what LeBron James did for Anthony Davis on his big day!!!

... and the vid is hilarious!!!

The Brow is officially 27 years old on Wednesday ... and LBJ made sure his teammate knew he didn't forget about AD's cake day ... belting out a special rendition of "Happy Birthday" in the locker-room.

"Happy birthday, AD ... happy birthday, homie ... happy birthday, my guy guy-y-y-y-y" the King sang with all his might.

It's worth noting ... LeBron is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he's killing it in Hollywood and has made a huge impact on lives in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

With that being said ... singin' ain't his thing.

But, hey, it's the thought that counts ... and AD loved it!! The guy even pretended to be embarrassed at the end and threw his towel at James.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AD!!

Jimmy Butler is opening up about his decision to leave the 76ers ... admitting he felt like he had no idea what was going on or "who the f*** was in charge."

Butler's time in Philly was short and had its fair share of drama ... and now the 30-year-old is explaining to 'The JJ Redick Podcast' what was so challenging for him last season.

“Hell yeah, it was difficult. It was so different,” Butler told his old teammate. “And, on any given day, me as a person and as a player, I didn’t who the f*** was in charge."

"I think that was my biggest thing. I didn’t know what the f*** to expect whenever I would go into the gym, whenever I go into the plane, whenever I got into the game.”

"I think I was as lost as the next motherf***er."

Butler explains his frustrations stemmed from so many voices trying to be heard ... and meetings where "nothing got accomplished at all."

The now-Miami Heat star -- who signed a 4-year, $141 million deal this off-season -- shares the moment he knew he'd leave ... saying someone had asked if he could be "controlled" if he stayed in Philly.

"I was like, ‘You don’t got to worry about it. Sh*t, can’t nobody f***ing control me.’"

"For one, I ain’t just out there doing no bullsh*t. But, the fact that you’re trying to control a grown man? Nah, I’m cool. 'Cause I don't do nothing that's just drastically f***ing stupidly crazy. I do not do that."

Kevin Durant enlisted one of his good buddies to keep his spirits high during his Achilles recovery on Tuesday night  ... hitting up an L.A. hot spot together for a night on the town.

Oh, yeah ... and that friend is Drake!!!

Of course, KD is still working to get back on the court following the devastating injury he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season ... and it's been going VERY well -- the dude is already dunking in pick-up games again!!

The Brooklyn Nets superstar stayed busy while his team was in town to play the LA Lakers ... hitting up The Nice Guy in West Hollywood for a good time.

FYI -- Drake and KD are solid buds despite their teams going against each other in the Finals last season ... and Drizzy was very emotional in the crowd when Durant went down with the injury.

On top of that, Aubrey loves to name-drop Durant in his songs ... so the meet-up ain't all that surprising.

A Lakers fan -- who clearly hates the Clippers -- drove the WRONG WAY down a 1-way street ... just so he could scream, "F*ck Kawhi," at Lakers player Jared Dudley.

It was super dangerous and unnecessary ... but also ... kinda funny.

Dudley was hanging in Beverly Hills Sunday after the Lakers beat the Clippers in a 112 to 103 showdown at Staples Center.

We were talkin' with Dudley about LeBron James' statements on coronavirus and how he wouldn't play if the NBA blocked fans from attending games ... when all of a sudden, the heckler appeared.

Fortunately, no one was hurt ... but it got a smile from Dudley and our photog.

There's no story here ... just an appreciation post for Kevin Love and Kate Bock's very good girl, Vestry.

Seriously ... look at this dog. She's so cute it hurts.

That is all. Continue to go about your day.

GORDON HAYWARD IS HAPPY!!!!

The Boston Celtics star is expecting his 4th kid with wife Robyn -- and after that lackluster gender reveal moment back in 2018 ... ya gotta feel stoked for the guy!

Remember, back in July 2018, Robyn revealed to Gordon that she was pregnant with a little girl ... making it 3 girls to 0 boys.

Gordon's reaction was priceless ... a look of disappointment -- followed by that infamous line, "Daddy's always happy."

Of course, Hayward is happy to be a #GirlDad, but now he's got ANOTHER kid on the way -- and this one is a male. In other words, Gordon got his wish!

Robyn and Gordon, who are very self-aware, made a joke about the gender reveal ... posting, "Baby G coming in September *** yes, it’s a boy."

So, congrats to the whole Hayward family ... and to the fetus -- no pressure kid!

Draymond Green is coming at Charles Barkley's neck ... firing back at the Hall of Famer's criticism by saying Chuck's simply not qualified to comment on his game because he never won a 'ship!!!

Of course, Draymond and Chuck pretty much hate each other ... and Barkley has stopped at nothing to make fun of Green for averaging a "triple-single."

Green was asked about the criticism at Warriors practice Friday ... and oooooh boy, did he go off.

"Barkley should stop before I take his job, though." Green said. "I can do that well, too."

"If he keep talking, I'll take it soon. Sooner than he thinks. He probably should be quiet."

"He also can't talk basketball with me either. Not smart enough, not qualified. No rings, can't sit at this table."

DAMN, DRAYMOND!!!

Look, it's true -- Barkley never won a title, but that doesn't mean he's not one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Remember what Robert Horry (who has 7 rings) told us -- "idiots" use rings to determine greatness. Just putting that out there.

The NBA has hit Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with a $500,000 fine for publicly blasting NBA refs in the wake of a controversial call in a Feb. 22 game.

But, the NBA and Commish Adam Silver are making it clear, they're FURIOUS with Cuban -- and they're hoping the massive fine will send a strong message to the rest of the league.

Here's the deal ... Cuban went CRAZY on the refs and the league over a goaltending call in the final seconds of a Mavericks vs. ATL Hawks game.

Cuban felt the refs did his team dirty and ultimately blamed the officials for the Mavericks ultimately losing the game.

The NBA says, "Immediately after the game ended, Mr. Cuban walked onto the court and approached game officials shaking his head and directing comments toward them."

After the game, Cuban continued to rip the refs to reporters and then sounded off on Twitter.

The NBA says the comments were "highly critical, personal and demeaning to the league and its officiating staff."

Cuban had filed an official protest hoping the league would rule to replay the end of the game -- but his appeal was denied.

In a strongly-worded statement, the league ripped Cuban for his behavior -- saying he's setting a terrible example for the rest of the league, sending a bad message to fans and creating an "intimidating workplace environment."

Here's the official language ...

"It is a recognized part of sports for fans and the media at times to criticize officiating, but team executives must be held to a higher standard."

"A team owner’s effort to influence refereeing decisions during and after a game creates the perception of an unfair competitive advantage and thereby undermines the integrity of the game."

"Demeaning league employees also creates an intimidating workplace environment. With an increased focus on respectful conduct by coaches, players and fans during games, the actions of team executives should set an example and not lower expectations for appropriate behavior in our arenas."

The NY Knicks are working with the OKC Thunder to honor several first responders who aided in rescue efforts during the '95 Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 terror attacks, the teams announced.

The Thunder are in town to take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday -- but before tip-off and during the game the teams will pay tribute to emergency personnel.

In fact, certain heroes who responded to BOTH tragedies will have the honor of holding the American flag during the national anthem.

FYI, April 19, 2020, will mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people died in the domestic attack carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

In the wake of the attack, emergency personnel based in NYC were sent to OKC to help in the rescue and recovery efforts. So, there's a connection between the two cities.

The teams say they will also host the families of OKC responders who later perished in the line of duty while responding in the 9/11 terror attacks in NYC.

"The bravery of the first responders who are being honored was a beacon of light during unspeakable tragedies in Oklahoma City and New York. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to honor them,"  Thunder GM Sam Presti says.

Tragic news ... a top basketball recruit who was committed to play for Missouri State next season has died in an accidental shooting, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

19-year-old Ashley "A.J." James -- a 3-star prospect who had offers from Fresno State, Murray State and USF, among others -- was killed on Monday night in Chesapeake, Va., according to cops.

A police spokesperson tells us ... officers responded to an apartment just before midnight and found James with a gunshot wound "in the chest area" after he had allegedly been handling a firearm with another man when it accidentally went off.

The spokesperson says the basketball star received emergency medical care ... but later died from his injury. The spokesperson added foul play was NOT suspected.

"crazy really going to be my teammate next year praying for the James family," MSU freshman Isiaih Mosley tweeted Tuesday.

James -- a 6-foot-3, 170-pound shooting guard -- was playing at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia Beach, Va. this season before he was scheduled to join MSU's roster later this year.

The prospect, who was also being recruited heavily by N.C. State and Virginia Tech during his recruiting process, had just committed to Missouri State in December.