Basketball

Ice Cube says Michael Rapaport deserves a trip to the White House for his heroics on a flight after a BIG3 game over the weekend ... and he's sending a message directly to Donald Trump.

As we previously reported, Rapaport (the BIG3 sideline reporter) saw a man trying to open the emergency exit door Saturday -- IN-FLIGHT -- and sprung into action to make sure the door stayed shut!

Rapaport credited BIG3 players Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Baron Davis with the assist.

So, when we saw BIG3 honcho Ice Cube at LAX (on his way to Friday's game in Chicago), we asked if he considered Rap to be a hero ... and wondered how he should be rewarded.

"Trump ... invite him to the White House," Cube said ... "Stop bullsh*tting!

Devin Booker let his car do the talking Sunday night ... and we were listening -- 'cause his murdered-out Ferrari was singing!!

We got the quiet Phoenix Suns superstar -- and what looks like a Ferrari 488 -- outside of Craig's with a lady friend when we couldn't help but linger on the $250,000-plus machine.

The whip was dope ... with a sleek matte black finish that made it look straight outta Bruce Wayne's garage.

T.I. is the King of Atlanta ... Trae Young is ATL's brand new basketball star ... so it's only right that the King bestow some words onto the kid, and he's using TMZ Sports as his royal messenger.

We got T.I. at LAX and asked him if he had any advice for the former Oklahoma star ... who's headed to hoop for ATL as a rookie for the Hawks.

Tip obliges us ... and tells our guy the one place Trae should steer clear of is Magic City ... one of the greatest shake joints of all time ... because the kid needs to concentrate on basketball.

Here's the thing ... we love T.I., but we're not sure he's right here. Not going as a matter of fact, it's kinda pointless to live in ATL and not visit this place and the places like it.

Ex-NBA star Al Harrington wants everyone to know he's NOT a Donald Trump fan -- so, he wore a shirt spelling it out for everyone in Hollywood.

Taking a page from Melania Trump's playbook, Harrington used his back as a billboard -- his message read, "Anti Trump Social Club."

And if you're not into politics, Harrington also backs Master P -- who recently told us LiAngelo Ball should go back to college and get a degree.

At least one NBA star is convinced LeBron James has already made up his mind ... with Willie Cauley-Stein telling TMZ Sports the King is coming to L.A.

"He's coming HERE," the Sacramento Kings star told us outside Nightingale Plaza nightclub in L.A.

He also noted that there's no loyalty in the NBA, so anything is on the table when it comes to players and teams making moves.

By the way, Willie is DRIPPIN' in this clip -- with a Gucci bandana around his head, all sorts of diamonds around his neck and a Louis Vuitton x Supreme side bag around his chest.

Before Kim Jong-un met Dennis Rodman in North Korea -- he reached out to Michael Jordan, but got shot down by His Airness ... this according to Rodman himself.

The Worm appeared on "TMZ Live" and said the first time he met Kim Jong-un was in 2013 on a basketball trip with the Harlem Globetrotters.

During the trip, Rodman says Kim Jong-un's people invited him to meet with the North Korean leader and they hit it off ... and became friends.

But Rodman says he wasn't Kim's first choice -- revealing, "Basically, he asked Michael Jordan first and Michael Jordan said, 'No.' So then he asked about me and I said, 'Yes.' That's how it all started."

Turns out, Kim Jong-un is a huge fan of the legendary Chicago Bulls teams of the '90s!

So, why did Rodman -- who's now working as a consultant for AnyTickets.com -- accept the invite? His explanation is actually pretty interesting.

LaVar Ball doesn't know it all, and the proof is that LiAngelo didn't get drafted ... so says Master P, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks Gelo should go back to school.

LiAngelo didn't hear his name called draft night ... leaving some to wonder what's next for the kid, who LaVar promised would one day join Lonzo on the Lakers.

We got P out in L.A. and he made it clear he thinks it was a mistake for Gelo to leave UCLA in the first place, and told our guy he thinks the 19-year-old should hightail it back to Westwood.

"I mean if he can, I would go back."

P wasn't finished ... saying he thinks the fact that he's currently without a basketball team should be a wake-up call to LiAngelo ... about his father.

"It just show you that Lavar don't have that magic ball like he thought he had."

Clyde Drexler says the BIG3 league is packed with at least 12 dudes who have a real shot at NBA glory in 2018 ... telling TMZ Sports he expects his league to launch those guys back to The Association.

Drexler just took over as the commish of Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league and says he's been blown away by guys like Amare Stoudemire, DeShawn Stevenson and Andre Owens.

Ice Cube has previously said he hopes the BIG3 will be a pipeline for players to get back in the NBA -- and so far, the plan has worked ... with Xavier Silas signing a contract with the Boston Celtics after an impressive stint in the BIG3.

Pistons power forward Eric Moreland doesn't see a problem with LiAngelo Ball not getting picked in Thursday's NBA Draft ... telling TMZ Sports, if Gelo works hard enough -- it won't even matter!!

See, Moreland went undrafted himself back in 2014 ... and he turned out alright -- latching on with the Sacramento Kings for a couple seasons before playing 67 games in Detroit last year.

So, for Eric ... he could care less what happened to the middle Ball bro this week.

"It's OK, he'll come back," Moreland told us.

"I didn't get drafted, you know? He'll be there. He'll be fine."

Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate is going to bat for the future NBA Hall of Famer ... with Matt Barnes telling TMZ Sports Kobe will end up in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences someway, somehow.

Remember, Bryant was just denied entry into the exclusive club, despite winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball."

Barnes was at an Athletes vs. Cancer event at Skybar on Thursday where he told us Kobe's bounced back from far worse Ls in his career ... and he expects to see the same thing with the Academy membership.

"They're gonna make it tough on him, but I know he's a hard worker," Barnes told us ... "One way or another, he'll end up in there."

Ben Simmons is pulling a Khloe Kardashian -- getting back together with his significant other after she sucked face with another person!

Just weeks after Kendall Jenner was spotted making out with Anwar Hadid, she seems to be fully back with the 6'10" Simmons ... because the 2 partied in Hollywood on Thursday until 2 in the morning!!

Check out this video of the couple (?) leaving Hyde nightclub on the Sunset Strip right around closing time and driving off in the same SUV.

One thing we also noticed ... 21-year-old Ben gave a stiff-arm to the rose lady who was hoping the NBA star would reach into his pockets to impress Kendall after the club.

How much dough would you cough up to own a piece of the biggest boneheaded play of 2018??

For one fan, the magic number is a whoppin' $23,548!! ... 'cause that's what J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Game 1 jersey sold for Thursday night ... TMZ Sports has learned.

ICYMI -- the bidding started at $620 ... but things started heating up on the final day of bidding, with the number reaching around $11k ... then DOUBLING before the auction closed.

To put things in perspective, LeBron James' Game 1 threads -- which he wore during his historic 51-point performance -- fetched $100,322 ... but that was probably bought for different reasons.

LaVar Ball has heard the trade rumors involving Lonzo Ball going to the Spurs ... and has a message for the Lakers:

"If they wanna trade him, trade him. It'll be the worst move they ever made."

LaVar went off at his JBA season opener on Thursday afternoon -- when we asked about the rumblings that Magic Johnson could ship Lonzo to San Antonio to get Kawhi Leonard.

"If they wanna trade him, trade him. If they don't wanna trade him, keep him. He's gonna do his thing. I'm not worried about no trades.

LaVar says he's still 100% confident all 3 of his boys will eventually play on the same NBA team, despite the fact LiAngelo wasn't drafted on Thursday.

"He'll come in the back door as a free agent," LaVar explained.

LiAngelo Ball -- who strongly believes he'll be drafted by an NBA team -- is NOT currently at an NBA Draft party. Instead, he's at a big event for his dad's new basketball league.

The former UCLA/Lithuanian league player was courtside at LaVar's JBA season opener at Citizen's Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.

Remember, 'Gelo previously told us he was getting strong interest from NBA teams -- which may be the case -- but there's no draft fanfare like there was for Lonzo last year ... when he was selected as the second overall pic in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Speaking of Lonzo, he was also at the JBA event, along with his pregnant GF, Denise Garcia.

As for LaVar ... there's plenty of support at the JBA opener from close friends and family members -- but, to be honest, the arena is pretty empty.

With the first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns select Deandre Ayton ... the gigantic beast of a center from the University of Arizona!!

OK, so there wasn't much doubt about this one ... Ayton's been called a player of a generation and possibly the next Wilt Chamberlain, so it was a no-brainer for the Suns to take him first.

Plus, he gets to stay in the state where he made a name for himself in college and already has a huge fanbase, so ... solid move.

Ted Cruz says he's still fired up about beating Jimmy Kimmel in their 1-on-1 basketball game over the weekend ... especially after all that trash Jimmy talked before, during and after the game!

"Jimmy is very good at smack talk," Cruz tells TMZ Sports ... "He did smack talk all during the game. He did smack talk the whole week before the game. But at the end of the day, you gotta go to the court and you gotta perform!"

The two had clashed Saturday at the Blobfish Basketball Classic -- which raised more than $80k for Texas Children's Hospital and Generation One, a Houston-based education nonprofit.

"We had a lot of fun," Cruz said ... "It was not pretty, but thankfully we got the W."