Basketball

David Grutman didn't invent the party boat scene, but he damn sure perfected it with the help of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid -- and now he's unloading their favorite floating playground.

We're told Miami nightclub and restaurant mogul Grutman is selling his 55' VanDutch boat, dubbed The GROOT, for $875k. The 2015 model is stunning and clearly built for ballers -- just ask Rob Gronkowski, Travis Scott and Hailey Baldwin.

It'll be the end of an era for Grutman -- for the last 3 years The GROOT's hosted all sorts of wild parties in the waters around South Beach.

Here's proof Orlando Magic rookie Mo Bamba has been assaulting rims his entire life ... throwing down a massive, one-handed alley-oop as an 8TH GRADER ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The 6th overall pick in the NBA Draft was playing for Cardigan Mountain School back in 2013 ... when he asked his teammate to throw him a lob on an inbound play, and what follows is nothing short of amazing.

Not only does the then-14-year-old control the pass and throw it down, he's only a few inches from being eye-to-eye with the rim ... again, as an 8TH GRADER.

LaVar Ball is already clearing off space on Lonzo's trophy case -- telling TMZ Sports he expects FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS now that LeBron James is on the Lakers!

"I called LeBron to L.A.," LaVar told us at a BBB pop-up shop at Sole Play in Atlanta ... "I knew he was coming to L.A., man! Everything lined up for me!"

But, what about the Golden State Warriors signing DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins -- is LaVar concerned about the reigning NBA champs??

Hell no.

"The Warriors can sign Boogie, Prince, Michael Jordan ... anybody they want! They still ain't gonna win with this team right here -- the Lakers with LeBron!"

"You don't give my son the best player in the game and don't think he gonna win no championships!"

LaVar -- who's getting ready for his JBA basketball games Tuesday night -- says he's still confident the Lakers will eventually sign his other 2 sons to the team and guarantees championships when they get there!

Thon Maker is suggesting that CRAZY basketball fight this week could have been prevented if there was better security in the stadium -- insinuating officials should be breaking up fights, and not players.

Maker -- who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks -- was playing for team Australia in a FIBA match against the Philippines when things got chippy and a full-on brawl broke out.

Maker jumped right into the melee -- throwing flying knees at multiple players.

Now, he's apologizing ... saying he's "deeply disappointed" in his actions but justified the violence by saying he was trying to protect a teammate.

"My hope is that this experience provides a springboard for a discussion regarding the security surrounding these games," Maker wrote.

"I take responsibility for my actions knowing that they were a result of MY DESIRE to protect my teammates and myself."

It seems he's suggesting security should be tasked with the responsibility of breaking up on-court fights ... instead of players and team staff.

Maker continued ... "Being from a war-torn country, basketball for me has always been a means to bring people together."

Doc Rivers tells TMZ Sports ... trading his son, Austin Rivers, from the Clippers to the Washington Wizards was "the right thing for all of us."

Austin played for his dad on the Clippers from 2014 to 2018. But, last week, the Clippers shipped the 25-year-old to the Wizards in exchange for Marcin Gortat.

"He'll be well," Doc says of his son ... "He'll be good there."

As for Austin, he says the move will be a "great opportunity."

Plan the parade ... with LeBron James in L.A., the Lakers are takin' down the Warriors and winning a ring ... so says 4x NBA champ John Salley.

Salley knows how to win -- he won 4 'ships with 3 different organizations -- and says LBJ's Lakers have the fire power to take down Steph Curry and Kevin Durant's Warriors ... and whoever the hell comes outta the East.

"It's destined to happen. It's gonna happen. Period."

How 'bout tix for the soon-to-be champs? J.S. says LBJ makes the Lakers the hottest ticket the town has ever seen ... hotter than when Kobe and Shaq did their thing ... hotter than Magic's Showtime Lakers.

Ever seen a dude bury a basket from the roof of the Houston Astros' ballpark?? Well, now you have ...

Harlem Globetrotters star Thunder Law took to Minute Maid Park with a basketball and a hoop to help promote the Globetrotters' upcoming games in Texas this month ... and what happened next was pretty crazy.

Thunder took the pass from Stros mascot Orbit ... and sank the shot from WAAAAY up in the stadium's center field!!

The craziest part?? Thunder says the Astros woulda been PISSED if he missed the hoop and hit the pristine outfield grass -- so he had to do it in one take!!

Impressive, of course ... but did you know Thunder woulda needed to be on top of about SEVEN Minute Maid Parks to break the record for highest-ever made basket??

Check it out -- some dude hit a 660-footer a couple months ago!!

John Witherspoon doesn't care one bit that LeBron James is heading to the Lakers ... 'cause the actor thinks LBJ "holds the ball too long" -- and the Lakers will still be garbage with him!!

We got the "Friday" star out at LAX ... and when we asked about the King's new kingdom -- John went off.

"He ain't going to help them Lakers. He's going to help them do what? Lose the title?! ... Man, he holds the ball too long!"

John's most savage burn of the new Lake Show? That was reserved for Bron's new coach, Luke Walton.

"He wasn't nothing when he was playing! How's he going to tell them how to play when he wasn't nothing when he was playing??"

While celebs like Randy Jackson fight to get tickets to see LBJ at Staples ... we're pretty sure John's out when it comes to that bidding war.

Well, that was quick.

LeBron James is no longer on the front page of the Cleveland Cavaliers online team shop -- and they're already slashing prices on his jerseys.

Don't worry, the new star getting the front-page treatment is Cavs rookie Collin Sexton -- you can buy his jersey for $110 (Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are also still on the front page).

But, now that LeBron's heading West ... the NBA's #2 selling jersey (behind Steph Curry) has been discounted from $110 to $66!

Gotta think people in Cleveland are still gonna buy LeBron jerseys though, right? Especially since the Cavs will 100% retire #23 at some point down the line.

Meanwhile, on the Lakers team store -- they're selling LeBron front and center!

Interested in some Bron purple and gold swag? An authentic #23 Lakers jersey will cost you $220!

If that's too rich for your blood, you can still find old-school Cedric Ceballos jerseys (#23) for WAYYYY cheaper!

Good luck!

Los Angeles Lakers star Kyle Kuzma can throw -- in fact, he was launching TD passes at a huge flag football game with NFL stars over the weekend ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The 6'9" power forward went under center at the Team Ross vs. Team Snoop charity game in Long Beach and did pretty well -- throwing strikes to NFL stars like Joe Mixon and John Ross.

Ultimately, Kyle's team lost after a crazy 4th quarter comeback by Team Snoop -- but it was fun as hell to watch and it all benefited the John Ross III Foundation, which helps provide educational opportunities to underprivileged kids.

Plus, the touchdown celebrations were pretty dope too -- with dancing and backflips ... and even some friendly trash talk.

VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE!

Milwaukee Bucks player Thon Maker threw FLYING KNEES AND KICKS in a crazy brawl during an international basketball game today ... and that was just the beginning!

Maker was playing for the Australian national team -- taking the Philippines -- when things got extremely chippy between the two squads.

Punches starting flying ... and so did Maker -- as the 7'1", 223 pounder took flight to try and land some shots.

One of the more devastating blows came from another NBA guy -- Andray Blatche -- who threw a crazy haymaker and knocked a guy onto the ground.

It could have been a lot worse if Blatche had hit the guy flush ...

It appears both Maker and Blatche got out of the fight without any serious injuries -- but can't say that for everyone.

Especially the dude who got hit with a flying jumping punch from one of the little guys ...

Call him BallStradamus ... because LaVar Ball told TMZ Sports the LeBron James to the Lakers thing was a done deal way back in February.

Of course, back then there were rumblings about LeBron coming out west, but it was far from official.

Still, when we saw LaVar at a Big Baller Brand pop-up shop, he made it clear that he had no doubts about LeBron's future.

"Who said it was a rumor? Didn't I tell you he was coming here," Ball said in February.

"Lonzo's gonna make him a better player."

LaVar even had a nickname for the new LeBron, Lonzo Ball duo -- and it's more about his son than James.

Mallory Edens -- the daughter of Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens -- tells TMZ Sports ... when Becky Hammon is hired as a head coach, pro sports in America will never be the same.

And she says that moment could be sooner than you think.

Edens, who's been around the NBA and writes about women in sports, says ladies are destined to have more voices at the top levels in major sports leagues ... and the hiring of Hammon will speed the process.

"I'd love to see a female commissioner one day. There are so many roles in the NBA that are yet to fill. I think even if we start to fill a few of them we'll start to see a positive change."

Edens also told us Hammon's reach could transcend basketball, and maybe make women in power positions more of a thing in sports in general.

In a step in the right direction, Hammon was promoted to lead assistant coach on the San Antonio Spurs.

And BTW ... Mallory won't just be on the sidelines, she told us multiple times she wants to follow in her dad's footsteps and own a team one day ... CONTROLLING ALL ASPECTS OF THE FRANCHISE.

"I think that I'd be all up in it, everyday."

Dikembe Mutombo is a Georgetown basketball legend, and one of the biggest supporters of the Hoyas you could ever imagine, so you'd figure his HUGE son would be destined for bball in D.C.

Doesn't seem like it.

We got Mutombo out at LAX with his son 15-year-old Ryan Mutombo, who AT 6'9" is already making some noise on the prep basketball scene.

Our guy asked if Ryan would be interested in pairing up with LeBron James Jr. to make a second generation super-team, and Dikembe said yes, on one condition.

"They can go to Georgetown."

But, then we ask Ryan where he wants to go, and he didn't hesitate to stab Pops in his long-ass back with two words ... "North Carolina."

Dikembe's response? HE DROPPED THE FINGER WAG AT HIS OWN KID!!!

Allen Crabbe is a new hero in L.A. ... 'cause the NBA star just forked over enough cash to save an entire high school!!

Frederick K.C. Price III Christian School in south Los Angeles was set to shut its doors for good this week after it lost the backing from a local church -- until the Brooklyn Nets star caught wind of it.

Crabbe -- who attended the prestigious inner-city school from the time he was in diapers to when he graduated some 18 years later -- agreed to supply the funding to keep the school ticking.

Unclear how much he actually kicked in for the cause ... but sources tell TMZ Sports it was a substantial 6-figure check.

“I was at that school practically my whole life,” Allen says. “I’m just happy and feel blessed to be in a position now to do this.”

Thanks to Crabbe ... 175 kids don't have to find a new school next year -- and school officials are calling it a "miracle."

Here's something no Laker fans (or even Cleveland fans) wanna see -- LeBron James throwing himself off a cliff!!!

But, yeah, it happened ...

LeBron and his superstar kid, Bronny, scaled a cliff in Anguilla on Thursday and essentially dared each other to jump ... which is insane considering the whole risk/reward thing.

LBJ Jr. showed pops how it's done -- jumping without hesitation -- but, when it came time for Daddy to go, he froze up like J.R. Smith in Game 1.

Don't worry, Bron eventually took the leap ... after trying to hype himself up while standing on the ledge.

"It's all about America goddammit," LeBron yelled ... "LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!"

One final war cry -- "BLACK EXCELLENCE!!!"

And then, he jumped.

Bron later commented, "Excuse my language."