Basketball

LeBron James will now have a crown everywhere he goes -- 'cause the King just got his iconic "LJ" logo imprinted on his tooth!!

The Lakers shared a pic of James -- who's gearing up for his 20th NBA season -- on social media minutes ago ... showing the 4-time NBA champ sporting his new bling.

In the pic, you see James' signature "LJ" logo -- which was created to go on all his shoes and apparel when he signed his deal with Nike -- etched on his tooth.

It's plausible Bron got the idea from his homie Odell Beckham Jr. ... who dropped $1.8 million on 13-carat diamond porcelain veneers in 2021.

The flashy wide receiver didn't stop there, though ... 'cause Odell then spent $5K to get diamonds implanted on his teeth -- which aren't removable!!

No word yet on who hooked LBJ up or how much it cost, but he just signed a 2-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Lake Show ... so he can definitely afford it.

Dennis Rodman says he's going to put his dictator diplomacy to good use soon in an attempt to free Brittney Griner, who's currently jailed in Russia.

The ex-NBA star told NBC News this weekend that he's planning on jetting off this week, adding that he got "permission" to head over there and "help that girl" in a would-be prisoner swap. Unclear if Rodman is serious or not ... but his track record suggests he could be.

As we all know ... DR has visited North Korea a lot over the years and built a relationship with Kim Jong Un. Rodman has always insisted his connections in N. Korea have helped U.S. diplomatic efforts -- including the release of an American prisoner, Kenneth Bae.

Of course, he also tagged along with then-President Donald Trump for a 2018 trip to the communist country. That said, his actual influence has always gotten a raised eyebrow.

There isn't much more to the NBC interview -- which sounds like it was fast and on the move, as there's no video or anything beyond text quotes -- other than Rodman suggesting that he's also familiar with Vladimir Putin, adding that he knows the leader "well."

As NBC and other outlets have noted ... Rodman doesn't actually need permission to head to Russia right now -- and there's no word yet on whether this is a U.S.-sanctioned effort.

The feds have advised Americans not to travel to Russia at the moment -- and they're already actively working on securing BG's release -- but we suppose we'll see if DR actually touches down in the near future to do something that isn't already happening. BTW, he was in town in D.C. this weekend for an event ... so maybe geopolitics were top of mind for him.

Ex-NBA star Caron Butler is using his personal experiences to help teach young kids with his new book ... telling TMZ Sports his close friend Kobe Bryant inspired him to share his real story.

Caron played alongside the late Hall of Famer on the Lakers from 2004-2005 ... and the two remained great friends up until the legend's tragic death in 2020.

The 2011 NBA Champ says Bryant -- who had a series of children's books of his own -- once gave him pointers on how he could use his authenticity to motivate the next generation ... which led him to write "Shot Clock," alongside Justin Reynolds.

"He did like a little moment with me prior to him passing," Tuff Juice tells us. "We connected and we talked about the writing process and how it's so tough to be authentic and clear and real, but it's exactly what the kids need."

"He always told me to 'Tell your truth, be brave and people gonna accept it or reject it, but be brave in that process,'" he added.

Butler says he made a promise to Kobe that his second act would be "far better, more profound" than his playing career ... a vow he also disclosed with Bryant's wife, Vanessa.

The book is deep ... and reflects what Caron really went through in life -- from traveling the world to run-ins with law enforcement and losing friends to gun violence.

In search of more, rare Michael Jordan-era memorabilia? Horace Grant's got ya covered -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned MJ's former Chicago teammate's three title rings he won with His Airness in the early 1990s are up for auction.

The rare items come from the Bulls' first 3-peat in 1991, 1992 and 1993 -- when HG played a key role alongside Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

The rings feature the former power forward's last name ... with the Bulls' season record on one side and the World Champion title year/postseason record on the other.

We're told each ring -- which are all size 12 and have "14k Jostens" on the interior bands -- is so valuable, they could fetch over $100K apiece.

Heritage Auctions officials tell us each ring also comes with a letter of provenance from Grant as well.

Grant's 2001 championship ring that he earned while playing alongside Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers is also up for grabs. That bling, we're told, is expected to sell for over $40k.

FYI, Grant is not the consignor for the rings -- we're told Horace sold his rings a long time ago for charity.

Vanessa Bryant just talked about Kobe Bryant, Gianna, the crash and the photos that officials took of their bodies while on the stand -- and she was overcome with emotion while trying to explain how awful it all has truly been for her.

Using a handkerchief to wipe away tears after nearly every sentence -- Vanessa said she first learned of the crash after an assistant informed her of it at her home. She said L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the one who eventually told her there were no survivors.

Vanessa said on the stand that she begged him to secure the area, as she was concerned about paparazzi. She testified he didn't tell her at the time that his deputies had photographed her family members' bodies.

She later said she learned of the graphic photos through the Los Angeles Times report -- and, while speaking through sobs, she said it gutted her.

"I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream," she said in the courtroom. "I can’t escape my body. I can't escape what I feel."

She added that she was "blindsided, devastated, hurt and betrayed" to know that authorities had snapped pics at the scene.

"I trusted them," she said. "I trusted them to not do these things."

Vanessa told the courtroom one of the most disturbing things to her was that because of where Gianna was located at the crash scene, she believed officials had to have moved the 13-year-old's body in order to photograph it.

"They took advantage that Daddy couldn't protect her," she said. "He was at the morgue."

Vanessa testified that if the photos ever got out, and if she were to somehow see them, it'd rip her apart.

"I don't ever want to see my babies in that way," she said, explaining to the courtroom that she lives in constant fear that the photos could surface. "Nobody should ever have to see their family in that way."

As we reported, Vanessa arrived at the courtroom earlier Friday morning in a black dress, black coat and dark sunglasses. She wore a "Mama" necklace -- and appeared to be confident, flashing a smile on her way into the L.A. building.

The 40-year-old is suing L.A. County officials after learning deputies had taken and shared graphic photos from the wreckage scene.

James Dolan is shutting down all talk of selling the New York Knicks ... laughing at the notion and straight-up saying it's not happening.

The rumors started to swirl earlier this week ... when investment analyst Jonathan Boyar predicted Dolan would put the team up for sale after the new MSG Sphere opens up in Las Vegas next year.

An MSG rep was quick to deny the speculation ... saying there were "no plans" to sell both the Knicks and New York Rangers.

Dolan doubled down on the statement as he was leaving businessman Noah Tepperberg's birthday party at LAVO in West Hollywood ... smiling and saying, "no" after being asked about the rumors.

Some angry fans have been calling for Dolan to sell the team for years -- and chants have broken out at Madison Square Garden on numerous occasions.

As we previously reported, there have even been cases where Knicks supporters have been BANNED from MSG for telling Dolan to sell the team in person.

It's no secret -- the Knicks have struggled for a while now, but that could always change overnight with a superstar free agent signing or trade.

NBA hooper Brook Lopez -- a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic -- went to his favorite place in the world to propose to his girlfriend ... getting on one knee and popping the question right in front of the iconic Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom!

The Milwaukee Bucks center had it all planned out for Aug. 15 -- starting off with an intimate dinner with Hailee Nicole Strickland at Disney World's Tiffins Restaurant in Florida.

After filling their bellies, Lopez brought Strickland to the massive Tree of Life -- which stands 145 feet high -- and asked for her hand in marriage.

If Strickland's smile didn't give it away ... she said "YES!!"

After the engagement, the 7'0" baller enjoyed a photo shoot with his private Pilates instructor fiancée -- rockin' a special pair of Minnie Mouse ears and a diamond ring.

And, the reason for the specific date and location ... that's exactly when and where the couple first met 13 years ago!!

Of course, this is the most important ring of Lopez's life, but it ain't the first -- he won an NBA Championship with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in 2021.

LA County Fire Dept. supervisors knew the holding of graphic Kobe Bryant crash pictures could be problematic for them ... according to an LACFD official, who testified on Thursday that one of his bosses referred to the photos as "plutonium," while urging everyone to delete them.

Sky Cornell, who worked in the LACFD for public information officer Anthony Joseph "Tony" Imbrenda at the time of the January 2020 crash, made the revelation while on the stand in court.

Cornell said Imbrenda had received graphic photos from just after the wreck, and he had later seen the pics on the supervisor's phone while at an awards ceremony a couple weeks after the tragedy.

Cornell, though, said when it became public that officials had been in possession of the photos and had been sharing them, his superiors told him and others to get rid of them ASAP.

In his testimony, Cornell said one official sent an email saying, "just a reminder folks, there are no secrets! One way or another people get exposed."

Cornell added in the testimony that his boss, Imbrenda, told him, "that stuff is plutonium. If you have any, you should get rid of them."

Cornell was also asked about the awards ceremony where Imbrenda was accused of showing pictures to others ... and he admitted in court that that setting wasn't appropriate.

Meanwhile, Arlin Kahan, another LACFD official, also testified during trial proceedings on Thursday -- and informed the courtroom that he was the one who initially took photos at the crash scene and sent them to Imbrenda. Kahan alleged his objective was not to take pics of human remains -- but, rather, just document the scene. He claimed the practice was useful earlier on in his career during a wildfire case, and he had intended to delete them once the investigation was closed.

As we reported, Vanessa Bryant is suing LA County officials -- claiming they caused her severe emotional distress by taking personal pics of the bodies of Kobe and Gianna at the L.A. crash scene.

Lamar Odom's got another reason to smile -- the ex-NBA star just underwent a 4-hour veneer procedure to give his teeth a makeover ... which cost a pretty penny!!

Lamar's decision to get the work done is a huge deal -- the 2-time NBA champ is famously terrified of going to the dentist ... something that was well-documented on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" back in the day, when he admitted not getting his teeth checked out for 7 years.

Despite his fear, we're told this is something Odom has wanted to do for a long time ... and earlier this month, he got the courage to visit Dr. Victoria Veytsman in Beverly Hills, CA to change his appearance.

The 42-year-old had work done on 22 teeth ... a nearly $80,000 procedure.

The before and after pics show the transformation -- and LO thinks it was worth it, saying, "I now have the million dollar smile."

The procedure took roughly 4 hours to complete -- and we're told the hooper was able to contain his anxiety throughout the visit.

This is AWESOME, baby!!!

Legendary college hoops announcer Dick Vitale is officially cancer free again, he announced Wednesday.

Vitale said in a series of tweets that he got the great news from his doctor following a myriad of tests this week.

"Dick u have gone from being in remission to being CANCER FREE,'" Vitale said of what his doctor told him. "Thank u to ALL of YOU that have sent me 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽"

Vitale previously beat cancer last year, but he was diagnosed with lymphoma a few months later. The 83-year-old was forced to step away from doing what he loves the most -- calling college basketball games -- while he fought it.

To complicate matters further, Vitale developed a throat condition that affected his vocal cords ... and the Hall of Famer required surgery to fix the issue.

But, Vitale made it clear Thursday the medical battles appear to now all be behind him -- and he's stoked.

"I only wish & pray that EVERYONE in the fight vs that vicious disease can receive the message I received last night from my oncologist DR Rick Brown who is the Director of Oncology at Sarasota Memorial Hospital," Vitale said.

"I will continue to follow the advice of Dr Brown & keep having a positive mental attitude with a strong faith & belief that good things will happen."

Here's proof Ben Simmons is an All-Star when it comes to handling hecklers -- keeping his cool and sternly telling a troll "don't play with me" after annoyingly being called Russell Westbrook while shopping.

The Brooklyn Nets guard was minding his business in the IT'SUGAR candy store, when a random guy walked up on him with excitement, giving him a dap ... but then it turned sideways.

"Oh my God. It's you, bro!" the guy said on the clip. "Russell Westbrook, bro! Russell Westbrook, bro! Oh my God, bro!"

And, that's when the look on Simmons' face turned sour.

"Don't play with me," Simmons said to the troll. "Don't play with me."

But, the guy wouldn't stop -- purposely calling him Westbrook again. Eventually, the guys with Simmons got involved ... walking towards him to get him to kick rocks.

"You can't shoot bro," the guy said to get in one more jab. "Sorry, bro!"

Of course, the fan's comparison is because Ben and Russ have struggled to find their shooting as of late ... and both stars have been the center of criticism by the media and Twitter experts.

LeBron and Bronny James are one step closer to being teammates in the NBA -- the King just inked a 2-year, $97.1 million deal to stay with the Lakers through the 2023-24 season ... which will make him a free agent when his son becomes eligible for the draft.

The NBA superstar hasn't shied away from his dream of playing alongside his oldest ... he's mentioned it several times and made his intentions crystal clear.

Bron's new deal with the Purple and Gold now gives him the opportunity to opt out and become a free agent the same season Bronny enters the 2024 NBA Draft ... paving the way for him to sign with whatever team picks the current 17-year-old baller.

It would mark the first time both a father and son played in the Association at the same time -- and even though LeBron will be 39 when 2024 rolls around, he's hellbent on making it happen.

Bronny's currently one of the nation's top-ranked players in his class ... and recently wowed all of social media by slamming home a poster dunk in the Club Basketball Euro Tour.

Devin Booker can't hold in his love for Kendall Jenner -- the NBA star dropped a flirty comment under the model's most recent batch of bikini shots ... proving their relationship is still going strong.

In case you haven't been keeping up with the Kevin (or is it Dendall?) relationship -- multiple outlets reported the couple of 2 years had called things off back in June ... but shortly after, they were spotted smiling from ear to ear together in Malibu.

While they have assumedly been together ever since, Booker made it clear he's still got his eyes on KJ this week ... posting the "🥵" emoji underneath her latest Instagram post.

As we previously reported, DB and KJ were first spotted together back in April 2020 ... but didn't confirm their romance until Valentine's Day 2021.

Kendall has been one of Devin's biggest supporters ... hitting up as many of his Phoenix Suns games as possible.

Brittney Griner's plan to appeal her 9-year Russian prison sentence over a weed pen is underway ... but Onyx rapper Fredro Starr feels there are bigger political forces in play.

In a new interview clip from VladTV, Fredro actually admitted to smoking plenty of weed on Russian soil on several occasions!!!

According to Fredro's travels, Russia not only has better weed than top dog California, but they grow it too ... and from the picture he paints, recreational use sounds pretty common in the region.

He also suggests the country's hip hop scene is very liberal, alluding to the notion a 9-year punishment for a simple weed pen doesn't add up.

Griner officially filed her appeal on Monday, in conjunction with the United States government actively working for her release, calling her detainment unjust.

The last time we talked to Fredro, he was talking about a different kind of smoking ... as in torching Cypress Hill during their somewhat underpromoted Verzuz.

Kevin Durant says he's not hanging up the sneakers yet -- even if he's stuck on the Brooklyn Nets this season -- saying the rumor surrounding his trade request is simply untrue.

There was an eye-opening report about KD's future in BK this week ... which stated the superstar would consider retiring if his trade demands were not met before the season.

While there have been a lot of reports citing unnamed sources about the impending breakup, Durant couldn't let this one fly.

"I know most people will believe unnamed sources over me but if it’s anyone out there that’ll listen, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon," KD said on Monday. "S*** is comical at this point."

The initial report claimed the info came from "one of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly" ... but KD is calling cap.

It's interesting -- there was a report last week that claimed KD will make the Nets choose between him and Steve Nash/GM Sean Marks ... but the champ didn't come out and say anything about that.

A former LACFD member claims he was ordered to take photographs of the Kobe Bryant crash scene ... this according to new testimony in the trial.

Brian Jordan -- an ex-captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department -- testified that while he doesn't recall being at the actual site of the crash due to memory issues, he clearly remembers being told to take pictures by high-ranking officials.

"I followed many instructions that day but was told 'take pictures, take pictures, take pictures,'" Jordan said. However, a Chief from LA Co. FD vehemently denies instructing Jordan to capture images from the scene.

Jordan -- who retired from LA Co. FD in 2021 in part due to the mental anguish he suffered as a result of this ordeal -- needed to leave the courtroom multiple times at different points as he was probed with hard-hitting questions surrounding the specifics of the trial.

When asked if any of the pictures he captured contained images of body parts, Jordan said, "Thank you, now I see intestines in my head." Brian was so distraught over the proceedings that, at one point, he turned and said to the judge, "I don't want to hear this drama."

Raul Versales, a deputy with the LA Sheriff's Department, testified that he never made it to the crash site ... adding that he received approximately 30 photos from Deputy Doug Johnson. As we previously reported, Johnson said during the trial he had no regrets about taking photos of the remains, claiming higher-ups with LACFD ordered him to do so.

Versales told the courtroom that none of the photos were close-up body parts ... but did say there's a possibility arm could be visible in the distance. An investigation by the Sheriff's Dept. determined that there were violations of the use of communication protocols in Versales' cell phone.

Still, he did not receive discipline, nor was he suspended for his actions.

Rafael Mejia -- another member of the LA Sheriff's Department -- testified that he was sent the sensitive photographs and sent them to Versales. Mejia sent approx. 15-20 photos to Versales, according to his testimony.

As previously reported, Vanessa Bryant is currently embroiled in a contentious lawsuit with the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. among others .. after she learned 8 deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe and her late daughter, Gianna, and shared them with family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers.