Basketball

Drake's beef with NBA player Kendrick Perkins went from 0 to 100 real quick ... the two shouted at each other during the Raptors vs. Cavs game -- with Drake reportedly calling him a "f***ing p*ssy."

The two started exchanging words at halftime ... with things getting so heated one of the Cavs players was holding Drake back.

Things continued after the game when Drake shouted to Perkins that he's a "f***ing p*ssy" and challenged him to come out of the tunnel, according to the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur.

FYI, Perkins is 6'10" and 270 lbs.

After the game, Perkins told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "What happened was I was talking to my old teammate Serge [Ibaka] walking into halftime telling him 'We about to win this game,' and Drake butted in talking sh*t to me. So I said something back to him."

Drake's a Raptors superfan -- but he's also friends with a ton of NBA stars.

Kanye West shouldn't just laugh off gang threats in L.A. ... so says Matt Barnes who says the real gangsters in Los Angeles don't mess around.

The ex-NBA star was leaving Catch when we talked about Kanye's appearance on "TMZ Live" -- including Yeezy's reaction to Daz Dillinger's recent call for the Crips to "f*** up Kanye."

"You gotta be careful," Barnes said ... "They don't play out here with gangs so you're treading on thin ice."

Barnes also reacted to Kanye's confession about getting liposuction -- and says it shows Kanye is "not in a comfortable, secure place as a man."

Barnes says a lot of what Kanye is talking about these days -- from Trump to his views on slavery -- are "bullsh*t" -- but he believes the old Kanye can still be saved.

Here's a couple of VERY rich guys hanging out -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft taking in the Boston Celtics game Monday night with team owner Wyc Grousbeck.

Kraft and Grousbeck have been hanging out a lot lately -- they were also together at the Celtics game Saturday night with another member of the Boston Billionaire's Club ... Red Sox owner John Henry.

The Celtics beat the 76ers on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Kraft and Grousbeck were high-fiving on the court during the end of the game.

So, who's got the biggest bank between the three? According to Forbes, Kraft's worth $6.2 billion and John Henry's valued at $2.5 billion ... but Grousbeck's net worth isn't listed.

With the Celtics valued at more than $2 billion, he ain't poor either.

LaVar, Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo are officially back in L.A. from Lithuania -- but it ain't exactly the triumphant return they envisioned when they left in the first place.

As we previously reported, LaVar just announced 'Gelo & 'Melo wouldn't be continuing their seasons overseas, citing injuries and disagreements with the coaches.

The boys are back now ... and even though the cameras from their "Ball In The Family" reality show were shooting, the guys weren't putting on much of a show -- with Lonzo munching Pringles and LaVar uncharacteristically quiet.

Have they been humbled? We doubt it, but the silent treatment is extremely interesting considering the family's recent number of setbacks.

Dennis Rodman damn near packed President Trump's complete bibliography when he went to North Korea last year ... and then gifted the set to Kim Jong-un.

We got a shot of the 8 books, all translated, the NBA Hall of Famer handed over in June 2017 to North Korea's sports minister, Kim Il Guk. The set includes "The Art of the Deal" and "Time to Get Tough." We're told the sports minister handed them over to Jong-un.

TMZ broke the story ... Rodman's ecstatic his friends, Kim Jong-un and Trump, are getting along. He thinks the books might have greased the wheels for Jong-un to have a change of heart about his dealings with the Prez and America, in general.

Meek Mill is now free to start doing shows outside of Philadelphia ... thanks to his archnemesis, Judge Genece Brinkley.

Judge Brinkley amended the order regarding his bail conditions, and he now has approval to travel outside of Pennsylvania's Montgomery County for scheduled business activities. He just has to submit his travel plans to the probation dept. 72 hours in advance.

The amended order also gives Meek approval to live in Montgomery Co. The original bail conditions required him to live in neighboring Philadelphia County. Meek still has to submit to at least one urine test per month.

The judge signed the new order on Friday, and Meek took advantage almost immediately. We got him out in NYC that night with 76ers owner Michael Rubin ... after they had a biz dinner with Meek's Roc Nation management team.

LeBron James has two very big wins coming in the near future ... 'cause according to Chris "Kid" Reid, LBJ is going to kill it doing the new 'House Party' movie ... and raise the trophy as an NBA champ.

We got Kid leaving Craig's in L.A. and of course wanted to know what his take on LeBron's production company rebooting Kid 'N Play's classic teen comedy for a brand new audience.

"LeBron and his people are in control, so I trust them."

That's not the only thing Kid trusts LeBron with, because when we asked Chris if he thought Meek Mill's good mojo would lead the 76ers to an NBA title, he said nah 'cause LeBron's got that, too.

"LeBron all day. LeBron knows how to do the Kid 'N Play, so I'm always gonna roll with LeBron."

Kid ain't lying -- LeBron did the dance in a State Farm spot and nailed it.

As for his NBA prediction? Not so sure about that one ...

Kenny Smith says he's in the "courting stages" for the NY Knicks head coaching job -- and says he believes he's battling 7 other candidates.

Smith met with the Knicks last week and tells TMZ Sports it "went well" -- but he knows he's not the only fish in the sea.

"We're in the courting stages. I know they're courting other people as well."

Smith's competition is reportedly steep -- big names like Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, David Fizdale and ex-NYK coach Mike Woodson.

Smith makes his case to TMZ Sports ... saying he's got the experience and winning record the Knicks desperately need.

Dwyane Wade is about to do something your dad can't do -- and his son is about to do something you probably can't ... and even worse, they're doing it TOGETHER.

Enjoy this father/son dunk session.

It starts with Wade, who lobs the ball off the backboard to his 16-year-old (and budding hoops star) Zaire, who throws it down 2-handed off the glass.

The family sharing didn't stop there, because then Zaire threw one jelly-style off the glass to the 36-year-old Wade, who rocked it EASILY, proving daddy's still got some bounce.

The great Lithuania experiment is over ... because LaVar Ball is pulling his 2 sons off BC Vytautas after just 3 months.

LaVar told Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas he's bringing both LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball back to Los Angeles.

The move comes after Vyautas announced the Ball bros would not be playing in Wednesday's game.

LiAngelo is currently nursing an ankle injury. LaMelo has been dealing with a back issue.

According to Urbonas, LaVar said his beef is with the coach ... and not Lithuania, the Lithuanian people, or the organization.

"We're not going to waste our time no more," Ball reportedly said ... "Coach ruined everything and he’ll have to pay the price that Melo is not coming back.”

LiAngelo has already declared for the NBA Draft -- but what happens if he doesn't get selected? He could always join LaVar's new semi-pro league.

And what about LaMelo? He could join, too.

Did you know ... the Villanova basketball team was SUPPOSED to ring the bell at the 76ers game Tuesday night until they got bumped for Meek Mill?

It's true ... but they seemed VERY cool with the change of plans and kicked it with the freed rapper in the moments before tip off.

The Nova players -- who won the NCAA National Championship this year -- were stoked to see Meek ... and huddled together for a photo right before Meek went out and rang the bell.

He made it ... Meek Mill has finally arrived at Wells Fargo Center in Philly in time for the 76ers playoff game -- but first things first, dude needs a shower.

Meek arrived with 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin -- who flew Meek from the prison to the arena on his private helicopter.

Once he landed, Meek and his crew got in a waiting SUV and booked it for the arena.

Meek will hit the showers -- let's face it, gotta wash that prison stench off his body -- and then he'll get his hero's welcome before the 76ers take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the playoffs.

"I feel great," Meek said.

Enjoy it!

Meek Mill is out of prison ... and in a helicopter heading for the Philadelphia 76ers playoff game!!!

Sources tell us the chopper belongs to 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, Meek's close friend who promised to personally pick him up.

Meek has about an hour to get to the arena if he wants to make it for tip off ... and with this kind of air transportation, he'll probably make it!!

Jay-Z just spoke on Meek's release saying, "Today, Meek Mill, a son of Philadelphia, is a free man. He was incarcerated unjustly and caught in a probation trap for years by a broken system. Now we can celebrate his release. We thank every individual that has supported and fought alongside Meek every step of the way."

A statement from Roc Nation adds, "We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Meek Mill bail and allow him to return home to his loved ones."

It continues, "We are grateful for all the support that Meek has received from his fans and public advocates over the past five months and look forward to working alongside Meek to fight for criminal justice reform.”

The prison is about 12 miles from the arena -- where the 76ers will take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series.

The 76ers are up 3 games to 1 and have a chance to close out the series tonight!!!

1:58 PM PT -- Our sources tell us the plan is for Meek to attend Tuesday night's game, but the key issue is time.

If Meek can get formally checked out of prison and then get to the arena in time for the game, which starts at 5 PM PT, he'll be there as the team's VIP guest.

It's a 12-mile drive from the prison to the arena.

LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!!!

Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin says he's on his way to Chester State prison to personally pick up Meek Mill when he's released ... and it's a good bet the rapper will be at the game tonight.

Rubin and Meek have become very close -- with Rubin not only visiting him several times since Meek was incarcerated, but also bringing a bunch of high-profile and influential people to the prison ... including Robert Kraft, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Kevin Hart and more.

Now, with Meek officially being released after 5 months ... Rubin posted, "Meek Mill is free. Just left visiting Meek with Kevin Hart and I'm on the way back to pick him up as we speak #MeekIsFree #GoSixers."

Someone just posted from Meek's Instagram account, "Go Sixers."

The 76ers play the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center in Philly for Game 5 of their playoff series ... and the smart money is that Meek will be the VIP guest who gets to ring the famous bell.

Most polite war ever!!!

Here's DJ Khaled telling TMZ Sports why the Miami Heat will come back and beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA playoffs.

And here's Kevin Hart explaining why Khaled's OUT OF HIS DAMN MIND!!!

The Heat are currently down 3-1 to the 76ers -- and Philly can close it out Tuesday night in the City of Brotherly Love.

But Khaled -- who's a diehard Heat fan -- ain't giving up hope. In fact, he says Miami has that championship pedigree you can't ever count out.

Enter Kevin Hart (or exit Kevin Hart) who says he's getting on a plane and heading to Philly ... and shocker, he's repping hard for his squad.

Lookin' for a big ass house with 14 bathrooms? Hit up Chris Paul's realtor ... 'cause the Rockets star just put his Houston mansion up for sale ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Paul bought the ridiculously huge 18,717 square ft. place last October ... a few months after he was traded from the Clippers to the Rockets.

It's unclear why he's selling so quickly ... though the drive from the property to the Toyota Center -- where Houston plays -- is about an hour.

CP3's asking price ... $6,975,000.