Basketball

You've heard of the Red Wedding, but Stephen Jackson had a green one ... 'cause ex-NBAer Matt Barnes says everyone was tokin' up before and after his big ceremony!!

43-year-old Stak married his new wife, Tamara, at a star-studded event this weekend ... with guests like rapper 2 Chainz and fellow former hooper Al Harrington.

But, the most VIP guest of the day?? WEED!!

"We smoked before and after," Barnes tells us ... which means Stak had to be feeling reeeaaaalllly good as he exchanged vows.

"He had his close friends and family there. We had a good time."

Although folks were sparking it up, Barnes says the smoke sesh did not happen throughout the wedding -- "We didn't really smoke during the wedding because we were at the Four Seasons."

Makes sense, don't wanna lose that security deposit!!

Stak was able to smoke after exchanging vows, though ... wearing a fancy tux and rapping along to UGK and Outkast's "Int'l Players Anthem."

"It was good. We always smoke good," Barnes added.

That they do ... remember, Jackson even revealed to us in 2018 that he smoked marijuana during his whole 14-year NBA career.

Master P's 16-year-old son, Mercy, put on an absolutely incredible show ... the kid of the famous music icon just dropped a 40 piece in his first high school game as a sophomore.

Mercy, P's youngest, plays for Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota ... and they were taking on Apple Valley, and they had no answer for him all night.

As you can see in the video, Mercy was in his bag ... scoring in a variety of ways -- attacking the rim, shooting outside the perimeter, and even hitting a few mid-range jumpers.

This should come as no surprise 'cause hoops runs in the family. P had a stint in the NBA back in the day ... and Mercy's brother, Hercy, plays college ball at Tennessee State University.

P tried to warn us about the emergence of Mercy -- who committed to playing at the University of Houston -- telling TMZ Sports his son could have a legendary career like Hakeem Olujawon.

"His favorite teams was University of Houston and Duke," P told us, "That was his final choice and to be able to do that as a young kid right now ... he's blessed," P recently told us.

"A lot of the greats went to University of Houston," P said. Clyde the Glyde, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and now you got Mercy Miller -- could be on that same wall."

Russell Westbrook isn't letting the Lakers' early-season struggles put a damper on his spirit ... 'cause the SoCal native hit up the Happiest Place on Earth with his wife and kids.

The Lakers -- who last played Friday against the Clippers -- had the weekend off ... providing Russ the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the fam.

Westbrook and his wife, Nina, took their kids to Disneyland in Anaheim on Sunday ... where they enjoyed some rides at the famous theme park. And yes, they had delicious Churros too.

The Lakers star rode the Radiator Spring Racers, where he sat in the front row (photo below). The 33-year-old also hit up the new Web Slingers Spider-Man attraction in the new California Adventures Park's Marvel Land.

The former UCLA product has been all smiles since being traded to his hometown Lakers ... despite a season that has been mired with inconsistency due to injuries and lack of chemistry.

Of course, Russ isn't the first celebrity to grace Disneyland with his presence. A host of A-list stars like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Mario Lopez, Nick Cannon and Trey Songz have visited the park.

Disney was also a favorite of Kobe Bryant over the years ... who LOVED the park.

Nikola Jokic is having an insane season, but Kenny "The Jet" Smith says the Nuggets superstar won't get his second-straight MVP if his team keeps losing ... telling TMZ Sports the award needs to go to one of the best players on the best teams.

Jokic is balling the hell out this season ... averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and a player efficiency rating of a whopping 33.8.

The "Inside The NBA" analyst said despite the incredible numbers the 26-year-old is putting up, he can't call him the MVP of the league if his stats aren't resulting in W's for the Nuggets.

"Yeah, [his numbers are good], but they're not winning," Smith said. They're not winning."

"Best record in the league. Best players get the rewards," Smith added. "Same way with him last year. They were the best team. He got the award."

Of course, Kenny is referring to Jokic winning his first-ever MVP award last season ... leading Denver to a 47-25 record.

Smith said that guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul would be at the top of his MVP list ... 'cause their teams all have great winning records.

But, all hope isn't lost -- Smith said Jokic and the Nuggets haven't even hit their peak yet ... and they've still got time in the second half of the season to figure things out as a team.

He also offered some advice to Joker ... telling the Serbian big man that if he wanted to secure the MVP award, the key is staying healthy for his team and winning more games.

The Portland Trailblazers have fired general manager Neil Olshey almost a month after the team opened an investigation into toxic and hostile work allegations made by employees.

56-year-old Olshey -- who's been the GM since 2012 -- was accused back in November of bullying, intimidating and making expletive-filled rants towards staff members over his time with the team.

The Blazers immediately launched a private investigation into the allegations ... and a firm spoke with several employees on the abuse that is said to have led to "mental and physical stress."

After a review of the findings, the organization fired Olshey.

"The Portland Trail Blazers are committed to building an organization that positively impacts our colleagues, communities and the world in which we live and play," the org. said Friday.

"Following the conclusion of the independent review of concerns and complaints around our workplace environment at the practice facility, the Portland Trail Blazers organization has decided to terminate General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey, effective immediately due to violations of the Portland Trail Blazers’ Code of Conduct."

The team says they will not release any information on their investigation out of respect for those who came forward and look to make improvements in the office.

"We are confident that these changes will help build a more positive and respectful working environment."

There are now TWO LeBron James offspring who can dunk a basketball ... 'cause the Lakers star's youngest son, Bryce, just rattled the rim for the first time on Thursday night!!

Just a couple years after Bronny -- LBJ's oldest boy -- accomplished the feat ... Bryce did it in warmups for Sierra Canyon H.S., and LeBron was fired up to see it.

The King had courtside seats for the big moment ... and cameras captured a big smile on his face after Bryce threw it down.

"Ayyyyeeeeeee!!!!!," said LeBron, who actually captured the dunk with his own cell phone camera. "Yo WTH man."

The dunk was pretty sweet -- Bryce took off on two feet and slammed the ball home with one hand. And, considering Bryce is just a 14-year-old freshman, it's likely the first of many.

Of course, Bronny is already killin' it a couple years after his first dunk -- he's considered one of the best recruits in the class of 2023 ... dunking the ball with ease and hearing from all of the top colleges.

Kemba Walker getting benched isn't his problem, it's his coach's ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the guard is a Ferrari and Tom Thibodeau doesn't know how to drive it.

The 31-year-old hooper was removed from the Knicks rotation earlier this week ... as he's been averaging career lows in almost every major category this season.

Once backup Alec Burks came in and balled out with 23 points against the Hawks on Saturday, Thibs decided to pull Walker out of the starting lineup AND the rotation altogether.

We spoke with Smith about Kemba's benching, considering he signed a 2-year, $20 million deal this past offseason ... and he says this is not a testament to Walker's skills.

"The guy's a great offensive player and you just don't know how to use him," Smith told us at LAX. "That's really what you're saying. You're not saying that he can't play."

Smith says Thibs just flat-out doesn't know how to use the baller ... and can be of use for a team that knows what to do with his talents.

"It's the coach and the organization just not understanding what value of a guy like this, what they paid for."

To put it in simpler terms, Smith has an analogy.

LeBron James is officially free of COVID -- the NBA announced he's logged multiple negative tests the past two days -- and he's now been cleared to play for the Lakers again.

LBJ had been placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols on Tuesday after he had recorded a positive coronavirus test -- and was forced to miss L.A.'s win over the Kings in Sacramento.

But, the league says the King has been testing negative and is now out of the protocols and will be eligible to play in the Lakers' next game against the Clippers on Friday night.

We broke the story, LeBron initially tested positive for COVID-19 just hours before the Lakers vs. Kings game using a lateral flow test. He then tested negative on a follow-up PCR test. We're told he was given a third, tiebreaker test which came back positive and he was sent home to L.A. from the Lakers' road trip in Northern California.

LeBron seemed to be upset over it all ... writing on his social media page on Wednesday, "Something is REAL [fish emojis] going on."

The NBA -- which has implemented a rule saying players who test positive must either sit out 10 days or submit at least two negative PCR tests before returning to game action -- revealed Thursday it believes LeBron's initial testing was a false positive ... adding, "he is not a positive case."

Sad news from Hercy Miller -- Master P's Tennessee State hoops star son is out for the rest of the year after suffering a season-ending injury.

The freshman guard made the announcement on Tuesday ... saying, "Due to a lower-body injury I'll be out for the '21-'22 season."

But, don't worry, Tigers fans ... the 19-year-old says he's already looking forward to his comeback campaign.

"I'll be back next year for the show! Stronger and better," he added.

The 6'3" guard averaged 10 minutes in 6 appearances for the Tigers ... scoring an overall total of 13 points. TSU is currently 1-5.

"THANK YOU, to all the fans," Miller said, "and everyone who supported me this season."

Miller -- who was a 3-start recruit from Minnehaha Academy -- picked the HBCU earlier this year over UCLA, LSU and other Power 5 programs.

As we previously reported, Hercy signed a multi-million dollar endorsement deal after the NIL policy change ... telling us in July, he learned from his dad.

"I signed a deal with an American technology company. Like my dad said, it's a blessing," Miller said.

"I learned from my dad, I'm gonna start off by giving back to the community and everyone around me."

Get well, soon!!!

The high school basketball player who was seen on video sucker-punching his opponent in a post-game handshake line was arrested on Wednesday and charged with a felony, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court documents, officials accused 17-year-old Carter Prenosil of knocking out his opponent after the Carlisle vs. Nevada hoops game on Tuesday night in Iowa.

In the docs, cops say Prenosil "threw an unwarranted punch" at a Nevada player in both the stomach and the face.

In a video of the altercation, you can see the attack was violent -- with the alleged victim appearing to be KO'ed on his feet.

According to the docs, the player suffered a concussion and a cut to his mouth that required four stitches.

Cops -- who were in attendance at the arena -- say they launched an investigation ... and ultimately arrested Prenosil on Wednesday. He was later charged with felony willful injury -- causing serious injury.

Prenosil is facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the charge. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter on Dec. 13.

We've reached out to Prenosil's father for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

As for Prenosil's school, Carlisle Community School District superintendent Bryce Amos told us in a statement Wednesday, "This is without question an unfortunate incident that is not representative of the school culture that exists in Carlisle Community School District."

Shaqtin' a Fool, anyone??

NBA rookie Scottie Barnes certainly earned his nomination ... 'cause the Toronto Raptors guard tripped and fell to the ground before facing off against the Grizzlies -- and it was hilarious!!

In the video, you can see Barnes and his teammates were running out onto the floor to do their usual pregame entrance ... when Scottie had a clumsy moment.

20-year-old Barnes stands about 6'9" ... and every bit of his tall frame came crashing down to the floor ... as he appeared to trip over his own feet.

Luckily, Barnes wasn't hurt. He got up immediately -- with some assistance from his teammates, of course -- and laughed it off as he finally made his way to the court.

Scottie was able to joke about it all after the fact, commenting on the video ... "I'm Dead 🤣🤣🤣."

The first-round draft pick from Florida State might need to work on his coordination skills off the court ... but on the court, he seems to be doing just fine in that department.

Barnes is averaging 15.4 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in only 20 games of action ... and he's emerged as one of the best players from his freshman draft class.

Rookie of the year, maybe??

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know who Drake is?!?

The last two people who don't might've ended up courtside next to the megastar at the OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game on Wednesday ... and the interaction is priceless!!!

The "Certified Lover Boy" was sitting in the front row as the Rockets were set to take the court in OKC ... and when cameras started showing Drizzy at his seat, the old guy sitting next to him seemed to ask if he was someone of importance.

Drake was clearly amused by whatever was said -- he starts cracking up and calls for the camera to focus on his new friend ... as Rumble, OKC's mascot, comes over to join in on the fun.

After the interaction, Drake and his new friends even posed for a selfie ... captioning it, "My new parents."

BTW -- Drake was at the game to support fellow Toronto guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ... who chatted it up with him after scoring 39 points in the 114-110 loss.

Pour one out for this fan's beer -- 'cause one unlucky courtside spectator got leveled when a player dove for a loose ball on Wednesday ... and lost his drink in the process!!!

It all went down with 3 minutes left in the Georgia Tech vs. Wisconsin game ... when 6'4" guard Brad Davison tried like hell to keep the ball inbounds with the Badgers up 65-61.

In the effort, Davison ran right into a Tech fan in the front row ... sending the guy into the laps of fans next to him before hitting the deck.

To make matters worse, the guy was holding a brew at the time of impact ... which naturally went flying into his face and all over his clothes!

Unfortunately for Davison, his foot was already on the line ... so the whole thing was all for naught.

But, everyone involved appeared to be okay -- the fan even dapped up and hugged Davison before play resumed.

The Badgers went on to win, 70-66 ... so not only did the fan go home soaked, he also went home with a loss.

A high school basketball player wound up and sucker-punched his opponent twice during postgame handshakes this week ... and now cops are investigating.

Here's what we know -- Nevada H.S. was facing off against Carlisle H.S. in Iowa on Tuesday ... and when both teams lined up to say "good game" after Nevada's 72-47 win, #4 on Carlisle attacked #5 on Nevada.

Unclear what happened in the game, but it appears the players were going through the line without incident before the Carlisle guard threw punches to the opponent's stomach and head.

The player who was attacked then falls to the ground as other players and coaches step in to put a stop to the altercation ... with the Carlisle player getting wrestled to the ground.

We spoke with Nevada superintendent Dr. Steve Gray, who tells us the player is currently doing okay.

"It's a very unfortunate situation," he tells TMZ Sports. "I'm happy they deescalated it. I thought our coaches and staff handled it well and got everyone out of there without it worsening."

Carlisle PD tells us they are aware of the incident and an investigation is underway.

An officer was present during the game, but the player was not arrested.

The Carlisle superintendent tells us ... "This is without question an unfortunate incident that is not representative of the school culture that exists in Carlisle Community School District."

"I want to make it clear that this type of conduct is not tolerated at Carlisle CSD. The district will follow the student code of conduct policy and procedures throughout the investigation of this incident and implement appropriate consequences.

"All proper authorities have been notified of the incident including IHSAA."

LeBron James has been placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols and will miss tonight's game against the Sacramento Kings, the league announced Tuesday.

The news comes just hours before the Lakers are set to go up against the Kings.

It's unclear if 36-year-old James is COVID-19 positive, if he was a close contact or had a false positive.

Per the league's rules, if James is positive, he will be away from the team either for the next 10 days or until he submits at least two negative PCR tests before returning.

LeBron is fully vaccinated but has previously shied away from encouraging others to get the jab.

"We're talking about individuals' bodies," LeBron said back in September. "We're not talking about something that's political, or racism, or police brutality. Things of that nature. We're talking about people's bodies and well being."

"So, I don't feel like, for me personally, that I should get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and their livelihoods."

LBJ is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the 11-11 Lakers ... and previously missed several games this season due to an ab strain.

Enes Kanter will now be Enes Kanter Freedom -- the Boston Celtics player just announced he's legally changing his name as he's sworn in as a U.S. citizen.

The 29-year-old hooper is set to officially become an American after passing his citizenship test earlier this month ... a journey that's been more than half a decade in the making.

Enes will be adding "Freedom" to his name as he becomes an American ... moving Kanter to his middle name. He says the new last name will appear on his jersey starting Tuesday night.

Remember, Kanter told us back in 2019 he was considering taking an American name once he became a citizen ... and what's better than Freedom?!

"Dream came true," Kanter told CNN on Monday. "It's been 6 years that I've been trying to become an American citizen. finally, I can call somewhere home."

Kanter has been outspoken against the government in his home country of Turkey ... specifically president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he's referred to as the "Hitler of our generation."

As a result, Kanter was labeled a terrorist in Turkey -- his passport was revoked and there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Now that he'll be an American, Kanter can start fresh.

"Today is probably the biggest day of my life."

He added ... "To me, America gave me everything. America gave me home, gave me family. My teammates became my brothers like my real family. This means so much to me."

Kanter has most recently criticized China's treatment of the Uyghur community ... calling on LeBron James and Nike to take a stand against the country's internment camps.

As for the name change, Kanter says "freedom is the greatest thing a human being can have. That's why I wanted to make that word a part of me and carry it everywhere I go."