Basketball

Orlando Magic star Aaron Gordon is dropping highlights even in the off-season by putting out a brand new rap video -- and we're not gonna lie ... it's pretty 🔥.

The 25-year-old baller is no stranger to getting in the booth -- he even famously dissed Dwyane Wade back in April for screwing him out of the Slam Dunk title with his track, "9 out of 10."

This time around, Gordon is back with "LVL Up" featuring Moe ... and it's filled with some not-too-shabby lyrics.

"I had to level up, haters ain't never love ... they gon' remember us long, after we turn into dust."

"She fell in love, now she spilling her guts ... she gotta grow up she still just a pup."

"Smokin' ya'll boys, ya'll gon' need a crutch ... dodgin' no kiss from the cameras."

"Sh***in' since I was in Pampers, bruh."

The song comes with a baller-ass music video ... with Gordon and Moe spittin' in front of private jets, inside party buses and beautiful buildings while sipping on expensive alcohol. Ya know, the fun stuff.

Gordon has previously said he was using quarantine to shape up his rap game ... and so far, it's moving in the right direction.

Now, there are a bunch of other rappin' NBAers who have jumped into rap -- from Damian Lillard to Iman Shumpert and even LeBron James -- so Gordon's got some competition.

"Right now, this is an absolute disgrace!"

That's N.Y. congressman Max Rose going IN on Knicks owner James Dolan ... saying the dude should sell the team ASAP -- and adding he believes even our TMZ Sports camera guy could do a better job!!!

"They don't make the playoffs. Nothing's happening," Rose told us in an angry rant on Capitol Hill in D.C. "Every year that they don't make the playoffs, New York City loses out."

"We lose a piece of our soul. Sell tomorrow. Sell today. Do it for the good of all of us, brother!"

Rose continued, "Look, the Knicks got to stay. Dolan's just got to sell. Drives the team into the ground, man! It's disgraceful!"

Of course, Rose's remarks now beg the question ... will Dolan go after a congressman?!?!

You'll recall ... James does NOT take criticism lightly -- and has punted multiple fans recently from Madison Square Garden, including a "sell the team" heckler back in 2019.

Seems Rose's comments could put him in perma-ban territory as well ... which would make for an incredible storyline -- given, you know, Rose is a decorated war hero in addition to a congressman.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri says he really struggled mentally in the days after the cop shoving video was released ... even though the footage completely exonerated him.

"This was very hard for me," Ujiri told the media Thursday ... "When the video came out, I didn't sleep for a few days."

So, what bothered Ujiru -- who was clearly shoved by a white cop TWICE for no reason in June 2019 while trying to get on the court to celebrate his team's championship???

Two things ...

First, Ujiri says the false allegations that he was the instigator of that incident really started to mess with his mind.

"[After the incident] you question yourself and as time goes on you begin to doubt yourself. I doubted myself and what really happened there."

Obviously, the video clearly shows Ujiri calmly trying to show his ID badge to the officer -- and it was the officer who CLEARLY overreacted by putting his hands on Masai twice.

But, Masai says his mind would run wild about the incident -- especially while he was alone in the NBA Bubble -- and he began to wonder if he was misremembering how things really went down.

Secondly ... when the video was released, he started feeling horrible for other Black people who don't have the money, power, clout and other resources to fight back against false allegations.

"That began to bother me as a person."

Ujiri says the incident has not made him hate white people -- he says there are many white families he would trust with his own kids.

Cleveland Cavs star Kevin Love says talking about his mental health may have saved his life ... revealing he nearly died during a particularly dark battle with depression if not for some help from some close friends.

"If it hadn’t been for a couple of my closest friends, I don’t know if I would be here today telling my story," Love said in an article he wrote for "The Players Tribune."

Love's battle with mental health issues is no secret -- he's talked about it for years. But, in the wake of Dak Prescott being criticized for talking about his own depression, seems obvious Kevin feels it's more important than ever to share his experiences.

In his article, Love gets candid about being "paralyzed with depression" while recovering from injuries during his time with the Timberwolves ... saying he barely left his apartment to hide his feelings from the outside world.

"The future started to feel meaningless," Love said ... "And when it gets to the point where you lose hope, that’s when the only thing you can think about is, 'How can I make this pain go away?'"

"I don’t think I have to say much more than that."

Love credits his closest friends for helping him through that dark time -- saying it was super important to feel like he could talk with other people about his struggles.

He emphasizes that it's important to know those battling mental health issues are not alone ... and encourages people in need to talk with others, seek medication and therapy if necessary.

"You would be amazed at how freeing it is just to talk to somebody, and tell them the truth about what you’re going through."

"If you’re struggling right now, I can’t tell you that this is going to be easy. But I can tell you that it does get better."

"And I can tell you that you are definitely not alone."

Bradley Beal's wife is standing up for her hubby -- saying it's COMPLETE BS he didn't make a 2019-20 All-NBA Team ... and she ain't holdin' back!!

"BRADLEY BEAL IS A F-ING ALL STAR AND ALL NBA!!!!!!!!!! Put some respect on his name," Kamiah Adams-Beal tweeted.

Here's the crux of her argument ... Beal finished the season as the NBA's 2nd leading scorer, averaging 30.5 points per game.

The only player with a higher scoring average this season was James Harden.

In fact, Beal is the only player in modern NBA history to average more than 30 PPG and NOT make an All-NBA team!!

The counter-argument is that Beal's Washington Wizards were pretty bad this year, finishing with a 25-47 record and missing the playoffs.

But, Kamiah says the team record shouldn't matter when it comes to All-NBA honors ... because "It’s an individual accolade. Therefore, the team wins, shouldn’t play a role."

She continued, "[Beal] has been undervalued and quite frankly DISRESPECTED far too long... them numbers don’t lie."

"And I don’t wanna hear sh*t about 'tHe wIzARdS aReNt wInNiNg tHo' all nba is an INDIVIDUAL accolade. So miss me with the bullsh*t."

Kamiah continued, "The REAL know what it is!! Amazing season baby!! Keep grinding! Keep giving it your all! Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed!! I love you."

For his part, Beal responded to his wife on social media -- saying, "I love [Kamiah Adams]!! Ride or die."

So, who picks the All-NBA team? Certain sportswriters and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada vote every year -- it's not players and coaches.

The All-NBA teams were announced Wednesday -- the 1st team included LeBron James, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

2nd team features Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Nikola Jokic.

"Would you look at that? It's the first time Paul George has been on fire all night!"

One angry L.A. Clippers fan was SO heated over his team's epic collapse in the 2nd-round of the playoffs ... he took a flame to his own Paul George jersey!!

It's no secret -- losing to the Denver Nuggets is NOT what the Clips had in mind this season ... with many expecting Kawhi Leonard and PG13 to lead the team to its first title.

This fan decided he'd had enough of repping George on Tuesday night ... destroying his jersey and ripping the baller in the process.

FYI -- Playoff P had just 10 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.

This isn't the first time we've seen George jerseys set ablaze ... some angry Indiana Pacers fans did the act back in 2017 when their All-Star announced he would be leaving in free agency the following season.

This reaction is CLEARLY a bit of an overreaction ... but the frustration is understandable -- after all, Kawhi and George combined for 0 points in the 4th quarter as the Clips were eliminated from the playoffs.

But hey, there's always next year!!

WNBA star Maya Moore just dropped a bombshell -- she MARRIED the man she helped free from prison!!

Moore -- considered one of the greatest WNBA players EVER -- had stepped away from the league in 2019 and 2020 to focus on social justice issues ... starting with freeing Jonathan Irons.

40-year-old Irons was serving a 50-year prison sentence stemming from a 1998 burglary and assault conviction in Missouri, despite no real evidence proving his guilt. Irons was only 16 at the time of the conviction.

Moore says she met Irons when she was 18 through a prison ministry program and grew close over the years while fighting for his freedom.

When he was released from prison in July, Moore was there waiting for him ... and they tied the knot shortly after.

"We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we are doing together, but doing it as a married couple," Moore announced on "Good Morning America."

"We got married a couple months ago and we're excited to just continue this new chapter of life together."

Moore explained the growth of their relationship ... saying, "Over the last 13 years we have just developed a friendship and just entered into this huge battle to get him home and just over time it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts and now we're sitting here today, starting a whole new chapter together."

Irons told GMS it became clear he wanted to marry Moore while he was still locked up at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, but didn't want to make a move until he was free.

"I wanted to marry her but at the same time protect her because being in a relationship with a man in prison, it's extremely difficult and painful," Irons said.

"I didn't want her to feel trapped and I wanted her to feel open and have the ability any time if this is too much for you, go and find somebody. Live your life. Because this is hard."

Irons says he eventually proposed in a hotel room after hanging out with some close friends.

"It was just me and her in the room and I got down on my knees and I looked up at her and she kind of knew what was going on and I said, 'Will you marry me?' She said, 'Yes!'"

As for the wedding reception, Moore and Irons say they had special COVID protocols -- including guests in masks and social distancing.

THIS LEAGUE!!!!

Trailblazers stars Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum took the ultimate low road and clowned THE HELL out of the Clippers for their early playoff exit ... and it's saaavaagggeeee!!!

In case you weren't aware ... Lillard and McCollum have big beef with the Clips -- and it all stems from a non-playoff bubble game back in early August.

During the Portland-L.A. matchup ... Lillard wasn't his usual clutch self -- and Clips star Patrick Beverley let him hear it -- chirping and laughing at the guard as L.A. won the game.

Afterward, Lillard, Beverly and Paul George all got into a spat on social media ... with Beverly and George believing at the time Lillard wasn't going to make the playoffs.

In one of Beverly's comments toward Lillard ... the Clippers guard said "Cancun on 3" -- insinuating Damian would be off to Mexico instead of chasing a world title.

Turns out, Lillard and McCollum DID get into the playoffs ... and despite losing in the 1st round to the Lakers -- they never forgot the smack talk, and returned the favor BIG TIME after L.A. was shockingly bounced by the Denver Nuggets in the conference semi-finals Tuesday.

"I guess I should extend this Cancun invite since I haven’t made my arrangements yet," Lillard shot at Beverly.

"I’ll bring the wine," McCollum added. "Weather nice as ever too."

McCollum continued, "My last tweet before I finish this glass. They did vote they ain’t wanna play no more. . . But I didn’t think they was gonna go out like that."

Steve Nash says his haters will NOT be his motivators with the Brooklyn Nets -- telling TMZ Sports he's too busy working to worry about outside noise.

And, there has been A LOT of noise ... with current and former NBA players, coaches, analysts and fans criticizing the Nets for hiring Nash over a qualified Black candidate.

So, when we saw Nash leaving Lilia in Brooklyn over the weekend, we asked if he's using the backlash as fuel to succeed.

"No," Nash told us straight-up ... "I'm busy trying to build something and collaborate with my staff."

Nash understands the criticism -- he has no real coaching experience and admitted to "skipping the line" to land the Nets job. But, he also argued that he's extremely qualified saying last week, "I think leading an NBA team [as a player] for almost 2 decades is pretty unique."

There's more in our convo with Nash ... here are the quick hits:

TMZ Sports: Have you spoken with Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant about the social justice movement?

Nash: "I haven't actually spoken with them about that," Nash says ... "but they know I'm an ally."

TMZ Sports: "Have you reached out to other coaches for advice?"

Nash: "I have."

TMZ Sports: Anyone, in particular, you can share?

Nash: "I can not."

TMZ Sports: "What's one goal you have in Brooklyn?

Nash: "Build a great environment for my players and make the community proud."

TMZ Sports: Were there any other teams you considered?

Washington Wizards superstar John Wall was captured on video this month throwing up a series of gang sign hand gestures ... and on Sunday, the 30-year-old apologized over it all.

"I made a mistake, something I regret," the point guard said. "I will continue to work hard to be better on the court and more importantly off the court."

The video appeared to be shot at a recent party ... and the footage showed a shirtless Wall with some pals giving the middle finger and flashing a series of gang signs.

At one point, Wall and another man on camera brought out what appeared to be a stack of money as well as a red bandana. Men on the video could be heard saying "f**k n***a" too.

Wall added in his statement, "I want to apologize to my family, my teammates and all of those that have always supported me."

This ain't the first time Wall has made headlines for public gang signs ... he's famously thrown them up after highlight plays in a couple NBA games before.

The NBA bubble was the scene of a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, as protesters were trying to get the attention of athletes who have led the charge in recent months for social justice.

Protesters gathered around the Walt Disney World campus, close to the public entrance. The demonstrators wanted LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and other NBA stars to see them as they held signs and shouted messages with the help of megaphones.

Many of the protesters focused on the fatal shooting of Salaythis Melvin, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot in the back at a mall in Orange County, Florida ... just 15 miles from the Bubble.

R&B star Kenny Lattimore says his music sales SKYROCKETED thanks to that memorable scene from "The Last Dance" featuring Michael Jordan rocking out to his songs more than 20 years ago!

In other words, THE MJ EFFECT IS REAL, YO!

You remember the scene ... MJ was on the Chicago Bulls team bus, on the way to Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, when someone asked what he was listening to on his headphones.

Jordan bragged he had some unreleased Kenny Lattimore tracks -- and seemed to really dig it.

So, when we saw Lattimore at LAX the other day, we had to ask if the cameo in the docu-series spiked a surge in music sales.

And, man ... THEY DID.

"The Michael Jordan effect is definitely real!!!" Kenny said.

"There's so many people from around the world that started following me, sending me messages [because of 'The Last Dance]."

"People were like, 'This is Jordan's guy' or 'I'm gonna listen to this 'cause this is what Jordan listens to.'"

Lattimore says his music sales went "to another level" thanks to the doc -- noting streams of his songs were up big, too.

If you're not familiar with Lattimore's music ... GET ON YOUTUBE ALREADY AND CHECK IT OUT!

Dude was huge in the '90s and even got a Grammy nod for his smash hit "For You."

Danuel House ... is being sent home.

The Houston Rockets player has officially been kicked out of the NBA bubble environment in Orlando, Florida after league officials say he broke COVID protocol by having an unauthorized guest in his hotel room.

House reportedly invited a female COVID tester to his room on Sept. 8th -- despite the fact she is not allowed to hang with players when she's off the clock.

Players are only allowed to have authorized guests in their hotel room -- people who have been approved by the league.

The NBA investigated the allegations and while they didn't identify the unauthorized guest by name, the league clearly states House broke the rules.

"The NBA has concluded its investigation of a recent violation of campus health and safety protocols."

"The findings are that: Houston Rockets forward Danuel House had a guest in his hotel room over multiple hours on September 8 who was not authorized to be on campus."

The league says there was "no evidence" that other players or staff had contact with the guest or were involved in this incident.

"Mr. House is leaving the NBA campus and will not participate with the Rockets team in additional games this season."

Damian Lillard is giving rookie Michael Porter Jr. a quick lesson in what NOT to say to the media ... calling out the Nuggets baller for "selfish" comments he said after Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

MPJ was an open book to reporters after Denver's 96-85 loss to LA ... questioning coach Mike Malone's game plan and suggesting he should get the ball more in order to win.

"I just think to beat that team, we've gotta get more players involved," MPJ said ... essentially saying he wanted the rock in his hands more often.

When asked if it were his place -- as a rookie -- to speak up to the coaching staff, 22-year-old Porter doubled down.

"If Imma be out there on the court playing a lot of minutes, I think I should voice that."

Enter Lillard -- who got wind of MPJ's comments and immediately let his feelings known by tweeting out, "Smdh ..."

Several Twitter users clapped back at Dame, saying Porter's comments weren't wrong, it just wasn't the right time to air out his feelings.

"Yes he is wrong," Lillard responded. "If you know you know and ima leave it at that" ... adding, "clearly y’all mfs think on a selfish level to think this is coo ."

Lillard explains his problem with the comments ... saying, "If I want to win ima have this conversation with my coaches and teammates and express that."

"This is their second time being down 3-1 so if [Nikola Jokic] and [Jamal] Murray didn’t carry them here we wouldn’t be having this convo."

Others cited Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" when defending MPJ's comments ... but Dame says this is NOTHING like that.

"The disrespect smh."

"See you when I get there coach..."

That's Allen Iverson's emotional message to John Thompson ... after the Hall of Famer served as a pallbearer at the funeral for his legendary college coach.

Thompson -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time -- passed away Monday morning at the age of 78.

The list of NBA legends JT coached at Georgetown University is long ... and former players -- including A.I., Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing -- took part in service at St. Augustine Church in D.C. ... carrying Thompson's casket during the touching ceremony.

Iverson and John had a special relationship ... and A.I. even credited JT with "saving his life" after The Answer was accused of injuring people in a bowling alley brawl.

It's not only GU hoopers who have sent love in the wake of Thompson's passing ... the NBA had a moment of silence for Big John before playoff games this week.

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also celebrated Thompson's life on "Inside The NBA."

Steve Nash admits he was able to "skip the line" to land the Brooklyn Nets head coaching gig ... but strongly believes he's the best man for the job.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer made his first appearance as the new Nets head coach on Wednesday ... and was asked about the notion he didn't earn the right to have the job since he has no coaching experience in the NBA.

Of course, some critics like Charles Oakley and Byron Scott have said they're disappointed the job didn't go to a Black candidate with a better resume ... like Mark Jackson.

"Well, I did skip the line, frankly," Nash said. "But at the same time I think leading an NBA team [as a player] for almost 2 decades is pretty unique."

"So, while I haven't necessarily learned some of the skills that I'll definitely seek to understand and learn as far as the technical aspects of coaching, I was never far from that."

Nash says he learned "a tremendous amount" during his playing career -- and although "I haven't grinded it out as an assistant coach like many people's path," he says "there's a precedence for players who have strong careers and are leaders and thinkers to get this opportunity."

The 2-time MVP says he will rely on support staff to fill the gaps where he needs help ... but is gunning to use his experiences as a player to lead the way.

"I did skip the line in many aspects. At the same time, there's some experiences there that other people just aren't going to have because of the type of career [I had] in the league."

Of course, Nash is considered one of the best guards in NBA history with 8 All-Star appearances and 7 total All-NBA selections.