Basketball

Kobe Bryant's high school will honor the NBA star with a 33 second moment of silence at Tuesday night's basketball games ... to honor the man who used to wear #33.

A rep for Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia area tells us the boys and girls varsity teams will take on Upper Darby High at the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium starting at 7 PM.

This is the first home game for the LMHS Aces since Kobe's death -- and school officials plan to address the community before the games tip-off.

"Principal Sean Hughes will read a statement on behalf of the school community. The statement will be followed by 33 seconds of silence, as 33 was the number worn by Mr. Bryant when he was an LM Aces player."

School officials ultimately decided NOT to cancel the games because they believe Kobe would WANT the players to compete.

In fact, head basketball coach Gregg Downer met with the players in private on Monday and said -- "Kobe would want the balls bouncing, the sneakers squeaking and you doing what he loved and what you love."

Kobe played for LMHS from 1992 to 1996 -- where he racked up 2,883 points and led the team to a state championship in 1996.

After his stellar high school career, Kobe went straight to the pros -- drafted 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft.

Kobe's #33 high school jersey was retired by Lower Merion in 2002 at a ceremony attended by his parents, teachers and even Shaquille O'Neal.

Several NBA stars paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Monday by customizing their sneakers with messages about the Black Mamba ... and it's heartbreaking.

Sacramento Kings star Buddy Hield wore Nike Kobe 4s against the Timberwolves -- and used a black pen to write various messages about his friend.

"R.I.P. Kobe," Hield wrote ... "Mamba 4 Life. #24."

Miami Heat player Goran Dragic marked up his Adidas kicks with "#Mamba" and "#Mambacita" -- a tribute to Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, who also died in Sunday's helicopter crash.

Kobe Bryant had already made plans for his daughter, Gianna -- AKA GiGi -- to follow in his legendary footsteps by filing to trademark her very own hoops nickname.

TMZ Sports obtained the paperwork Kobe filed for "Mambacita" on Dec. 30, 2019. Of course, the name is both a tip of the hat to GiGi's father -- the Black Mamba -- and also to her own growing prowess on the hardcourt.

According to the docs ... the plan was to put "Mambacita" on all sorts of sportswear -- shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts and hoodies.

Kobe had started referring to his 13-year-old daughter by that handle on social media. In fact, one such post, back in November, is eerily poignant today. Kobe praised GiGi's offense, and also the defense of Alyssa Altobelli.

Alyssa, her mother and father -- Keri and John Altobelli -- all perished on the chopper Sunday. Alyssa, like GiGi, was a star player at Kobe's Mamba Academy.

Kobe ended the post by shouting out the "familiar fade" shot by his beloved daughter ... "#Mambacita."

See, President Obama ain't the only ex-Prez into hoop ... check out Bill Clinton at the Lakers game!!

#42 was sitting courtside at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday to watch the Nets get smashed by the L.A. Lakers ... and judging by the smile on his face, Bill loved it!

After the game, Clinton went on to the floor and chopped it up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis ... and yeah, that's Michael Strahan right behind 'em!

In fact, 73-year-old Clinton kicked it with a ton of stars at the game -- including Matt Barnes, Dwight Howard, Marv Albert and more.

It doesn't appear Hillary was at the game -- unclear what she was doing instead.

The Lakers are still in 1st place in the NBA's Western Conference ... winning 8 out of their last 10.

Rick Fox is backing his former teammate Kobe Bryant on WNBA stars playing in the NBA ... tellin' TMZ Sports women can DEFINITELY ball out in the men's league!!!

"Skills are skills," Fox says. "I mean, you try some of these WNBA ladies and they'll give you the business, fam!"

The Black Mamba said earlier this week there are some WNBA players who can compete with the guys in the Association ... specifically naming Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne.

When we got Fox leaving Wally's in L.A. on Wednesday ... he told us he couldn't agree more, saying, "Skills have nothing to do with your sex or your race."

In fact, Fox says he's seen some pro women bust NBA players on the court before with his own two eyes!!!

"I can think of a couple women that have held their own in pick-up games and competed well," Fox tells us. "So, it's not a new thing."

As for how some of the women are feeling about a possible jump to the men's league ... we got Delle Donne at Reagan Airport on Thursday -- and she told us she's flattered by the comments, but she's got no plans to try out for the NBA just yet.

Chandler Parsons is leaving the Atlanta Hawks and heading back to California for treatment ... after the NBA player claims he suffered serious and permanent injuries in a car accident with a drunk driver.

The 31-year-old was on his way home from practice around 2:00 PM on January 15 when a man -- who admitted to drinking and had alcohol in his car -- hit Parsons and caused a 3-car wreck.

The Hawks provided an update on Parsons' condition Thursday ... saying he will head back to his home in California for recovery.

"Atlanta Hawks forward Chandler Parsons remains in the first stage of the NBA’s concussion protocol and has not progressed to exertional challenges, such as light conditioning."

The team added ... "Additionally, Parsons continues to receive treatment for symptoms of whiplash and the associated cervical disc injury."

"After discussing with Parsons, his medical team and the doctors at Emory Sports Medicine, it was agreed by all parties that it would be best for Parsons’ recovery for him to return home to California and continue to recover and rehabilitate under the treatment of a team of doctors and therapists overseen by the Hawks and Emory Sports Medicine staff."

Vanessa Hudgens was the life of the party in the crowd at the Knicks vs. Lakers game ... cheering and snappin' pics while Kyle Kuzma played.

Hudgens hit up Madison Square Garden on Thursday for LA's matchup with New York .. one day after she was spotted at an intimate dinner with Kuz in Brooklyn.

The recently single actress made sure to check out her new man(?) at work ... cheering him on and drinkin' a beer as he scored 10 points and picked up 7 rebounds.

Other huge names in attendance include J. Cole, Spike Lee, Sterling Shepard, Howard Stern, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Jim Gaffigan ... so yeah, the big names came out of the woodwork to see LeBron James and Co. ('cause who's coming to see the 12-33 Knicks??)

Back to Hudgens -- no word on whether things are getting serious with the 24-year-old hooper ... but she has been getting a lot of Kuz in her life this week.

Kansas Jayhawks player Silvio De Sousa is breaking his silence following the bench-clearing brawl on Tuesday night ... saying straight-up, "I messed up and I am sorry."

De Sousa received the harshest punishment handed down for his part in the melee ... getting slapped with a 12-game suspension.

Remember, De Sousa stood over DaJuan Gordon after a chase-down block, which kickstarted the brawl. During the fight, the 21-year-old is seen holding a stool over his head before a coach yanks it from his hands.

De Sousa owned up to his actions on Wednesday, saying there is no excuse for what he did.

"Yesterday, during the Kansas State game, I displayed highly unacceptable behavior that was a poor representation of my team as well as my own character. There is no excuse for my behavior, and I cannot justify the unreasonable choices that I made yesterday on the court. I not only showed a lack of sportsmanship, but I put myself, my teammates and the fans in danger."

He added ... "I am truly embarrassed by my actions and have let everyone down who has supported me on my basketball journey. There is no amount of regret that I can express that will correct this mistake."

"I understand that I am extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to play for KU and I recognize that I never should have let my emotions get the best of me, but unfortunately that is what happened. By doing so, I put the Kansas reputation at stake because of a moment of weakness and inconsideration."

"I will continue to support my team and do everything I can to help while serving my suspension."

"I messed up and I am sorry."

Shareef O'Neal is done at UCLA ... Shaq's son just announced he's transferring from the school after less than two years -- and it's unclear where his next stop will be.

"A part of my heart will always be at UCLA figuratively and literally," Shareef said in an emotional goodbye letter to the university. "I'm looking forward to the next chapter, wherever that may be."

Shareef came to UCLA in 2018 with sky-high expectations ... the 6-foot-9 forward was nationally ranked and had superstar potential.

But, his freshman season ended before it began after UCLA doctors discovered an irregularity with his heart ... and he was forced to undergo scary surgery to fix the issue.

All hell broke loose at the end of the Kansas vs. Kansas State game on Tuesday ... with the players getting in a bench-clearing brawl.

It all got started in the closing seconds of the Jayhawks' 81-60 win ... when K. State's DaJuan Gordon stripped the ball from Kansas' Silvio De Sousa to try for a last-second bucket.

De Sousa ended up catching up with Gordon, stuffed his layup attempt ... and then proceeded to stand on top of his opponent.

The 2 players started going at it -- and then both teams rushed over to defend their teammates.

That's when MAYHEM ensued ... with players, coaches and other staff members getting involved. Punches were thrown, kicks and even one player thought about using a stool before an assistant coach yanked it from him.

Cops on the scene eventually broke up the fight after several minutes ... and both teams went to the locker room to cool off.

The craziest part??? The teams ended up having to come BACK out on the court to finish the last 0.1 seconds left in the game so K. State could shoot technical free throws.

Of course, there WILL be punishment handed down ... so it's just a matter of time before the teams find out the consequences of the melee.

Kobe Bryant "honestly" believes there's a handful of WNBA superstars who could seriously compete with men in an NBA game ... and he's naming names.

"I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now honestly," Mamba said while talking to CNN about his 13-year-old daughter Gianna's basketball ambitions.

"There's a lot of players with a lot of skill that could do it ... Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne."

He continued, "There's a lot of great players out there so they could certainly keep up with them."

Of course, the 3 women Kobe named are some of the best players in WNBA history, with resumes like ...

-- Taurasi -- 4-time WNBA champ, 2-time Finals MVP, regular-season MVP, 9-time All-Star and 5-time scoring champ.

-- Moore -- 4-time WNBA champ, Finals MVP, regular-season MVP, 6-time All-Star

-- Delle Donne -- 2-time regular season MVP, 1-time champ, 6-time All-Star, 4-time All-NBA First team.

Clearly, they're all super talented ... but could they seriously compete on the same court as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, etc???

Delonte West looks to be in need of serious help.

Check out these disturbing videos appearing to show the former NBA player getting beaten up in the streets of D.C.

It's super sad ... Delonte is apparently saying someone came at him with a gun while he was walking down the road. He then starts ranting and keeps saying "I don't give a f***" when pressed for more details about what went down.

Magic Johnson choked back tears as he addressed the NBA legends at David Stern's memorial service in NYC on Tuesday ... telling the crowd, "I'm going to miss my angel."

Everyone who's anyone attended the event at Radio City Music Hall ... from Michael Jordan to Bill Russell to Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki.

Several NY Knicks players and staffers were there -- same with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and NFL commish Roger Goodell.

"We all know he is the greatest commissioner to ever live," Magic told the crowd ... "But, he’s a man that stood for what is right."

As we previously reported, Stern passed away on Jan. 1 after suffering a brain hemorrhage in December at a New York steakhouse.

The day after Stern's death, Magic posted a tribute -- calling him a "history maker."

"When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world."

Stern -- who served as commissioner from 1984 to 2014 -- has been praised as one of the greatest commissioners in American history. He's been credited with growing the NBA into a multi-billion dollar international powerhouse.

Originally Published -- 9:32 AM PT

LaVar Ball has HUGE plans for BBB in 2020 -- with a new BBB cartoon, new footwear and even a line of custom car rims ... and he's got some powerful supporters behind him.

Ball -- along with Master P and Metta World Peace -- joined the guys from the office for "TMZ Roundtable" ... where they talked about everything from getting their sons to the NBA, to how basketball has helped build their businesses off the court.

Of course, all the guys have kids who are rising hoop stars -- and all 3 men have made radically different decisions on how to get their sons to the pro level.

LaVar says he not only stands by his decisions to take LaMelo Ball out of high school in the United States (he went to Lithuania and Australia) ... but says he's convinced Melo will be the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Ball says his dream would be for the NY Knicks to hire Mark Jackson as the next head coach -- who would then take Melo with their first pick.

In fact, Ball says he sees a world in which all 3 of his sons sign with the Knicks and play in Madison Square Garden. He thinks his fam can save the franchise.

Metta World Peace says Ball's youngest son is the real deal -- and thinks he'll be a force to be reckoned with at the top levels.

As for Master P, his 2 sons are rising up the ranks too -- but P says even if his kids don't make it to the NBA, he's setting them up for success in the business world. You gotta hear his plans.

LeBron James will never be in the dark again ... 'cause the LA Lakers superstar just copped a SICK new diamond pendant -- and it LIGHTS UP!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Bron is the proud new owner of a "Lion Gatekeeper" pendant ... complete with 130 grams of 14k gold, encrusted with 35 carats of VS1 diamonds.

We're told LBJ hit up celeb jeweler Iceman Nick when he was in Houston to play the Rockets ... and the dude pulled out all the stops to come up with a pendant fit for a king.

Of course, LeBron's always been a fan of using lions in his brand ... and Nike once even had a "Heart of a Lion" campaign starring James.

Iceman Nick has a huge list of celeb clients -- from Errol Spence to Tyler Herro to Lonzo Ball, just to name a few.

Not only is it iced out, it's also fully functional -- the eyes of the lion light up and the door knocker moves too!!

LeBron's a big fan of jewelry and can always be spotted with some diamonds on him ... but the light-up piece is gonna change the whole game.

Some fan threw trash on Bronny James during his H.S. hoops game on Monday ... and now LeBron is calling out the fan for being a hater.

LBJ was in the stands when Bronny and Sierra Canyon were in the 3rd quarter of their game against Paul VI Catholic (VA) at Springfield College in Massachusetts ... when the person in the stands threw an item at the 15-year-old.

The ref who saw it happen immediately stopped the game and had security eject the fan ... and LeBron (surrounded by around 5 security guards) shook his head as he watched it all go down.

James went to Twitter to call out the fan ... saying, "Hating has no age limit! #JamesGang is build for it and well equipped. As we proceed."

As for the game ... SC lost 70-62, giving the Blazers their 3rd loss of the season. Duke commit Jeremy Roach had 16 points and 7 assists.