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Marcelo Huertas had a rough run with the L.A. Lakers ... and now he's clapping back at his former team and the NBA for how they coddle their superstars.

"In the NBA, players are babies ... everyone is afraid of dealing with the athletes," Huertas told Brazilian hoops blog Bala na Cesta.

"That's not a thing in Europe. If you step over the line, you're punished athletically, financially, you're thrown out, suspended, whatever the hell. That doesn't exist in the NBA. I would see things and say, 'There's no way this is possible."'

Marcelo -- a Euroleague veteran -- says his 2 seasons with the Lakers were pretty tough on him emotionally ... claiming he put in a TON of hard work, even mentoring his younger point guard competition, just to ride the pine.

"Everything you can imagine, I would do it. If it had been in Europe I would've played."

FYI, Huertas averaged 15 minutes -- and 4 points a game -- in L.A. He's back playing in Spain now.

Tom Petty was honored this week in a private service that appears to have been attended by only his family and closest friends ... at the same place a Beatle was laid to rest.

Tom's daughter, AnnaKim Violette Petty, posted a handful of photos from the service Monday, which was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in the Pacific Palisades. George Harrison's funeral was also held there in 2001. He was a bandmate of Tom's in The Traveling Wilburys.

Not many details about the procession were immediately released, but the temple was closed to the public on Monday.

We broke the story ... Tom died earlier this month after going into full cardiac arrest ... and ultimately being taken off life support by his family.

His official cause of death is still a mystery ... as the results of a complete autopsy are pending.

Gregg Popovich is absolutely fed up with President Trump ... calling POTUS a "pathological liar" and "soulless coward" for comments he made while talking about the deadly ambush in Niger.

Here's the deal ... Trump has been criticized for not publicly addressing the 4 U.S. soldiers who were killed in an ambush in Niger on October 4.

Today, POTUS defended himself while calling out former presidents ... claiming he is more caring with families of fallen soldiers.

Popovich -- whose never held back when it comes to Trump -- RIPPED into 45 in a conversation with The Nation about his swipe at Barack Obama and George W. Bush ... and everything else.

"This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others," Pop said.

"This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner -- and to lie about how previous Presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers -- is as low as it gets."

"Trailer Park Boys" actor John F. Dunsworth -- who played Jim Lahey on the show -- has died.

Dunsworth's daughter told a Canadian outlet her father died after a brief and unexpected illness.

John was a part of the show's original cast, and played a former cop-turned-security supervisor at Sunnyvale Trailer Park.

He broke into show biz as a casting director in the late '80s before making it big on the Canadian comedy. "Trailer Park Boys" has been on air for 11 seasons.

Dunsworth was 71.

R.I.P.

The Atlanta Hawks announced Dennis Schroder will be disciplined for his "unacceptable" September 29 arrest ... but the team has vowed to support the NBA star throughout the ongoing investigation.

Schroder was arrested for battery outside an Atlanta hookah bar last month after he and his friends got into a physical altercation with a man. According to cops, Schroder initiated the fight.

"That behavior is unacceptable, will not be tolerated by the Hawks organization, and will result in discipline for Dennis at the appropriate time once the matter has been more fully developed through the law enforcement process and otherwise," Hawks GM Travis Schlenk says.

Rick Pitino has officially been FIRED by UL ... less than 3 weeks after he was put on unpaid administrative leave over his suspected involvement in the NCAA bribery scandal.

The University of Louisville Athletic Association today voted to fire Pitino -- a Hall of Famer who coached the school's basketball teams since 2001 -- for "just cause."

As we previously reported, UL prez Greg Postel fired off a letter to Pitino last month ... saying the school believed evidence from the FBI investigation incriminated the coach.

For his part, Pitino and his lawyers have vehemently denied any wrongdoing ... and vowed "a bare-knuckle fight" ... if they were to fire him.

Yeah -- that's a pretty effective way of promoting a fight.

Earlier today in Norway, undefeated boxing star Cecilia Braekhus was facing off with Sweden's Mikaela Lauren for their upcoming fight ... when Mikaela decided to show Cecilia some love (literally).

Hard to say if it was mind games or if Mikaela just thinks Cecilia's hot ... either way, that was a serious lip-lock.

Cecilia shoved her face in shock, but took the kiss like a champ -- laughing off the gesture and even thanking her future opponent for giving her some sugar.

Dwyane Wade is a Ferrari guy ... but for his son, Zaire, it ain't time for a Supercar just yet.

D-Wade went full Dad mode in a dealership sesh with his 15-year-old son over the weekend ... making sure the young baller stayed in his lane while shoppin' for his first set of wheels.

The Cavs superstar's got an All-Star squad of luxury vehicles (including a $300k Ferrari) but Wade shut down any possibility of his kid coppin' a car like that -- "Keep dreaming."

Not that Zaire didn't have options -- Wade was on board with an $40k-$50k Audi Q5 or $50k-$60k Audi Cabriolet convertible.

Still ... kinda rough when your Dad's already given you a taste of the good life.

From one 'Long Beach legend' to another ... Snoop Dogg had HIGH praise for Dodgers hero Justin Turner after crushing a 3-run walk-off homer against the Cubs Sunday night.

Snoop is known for giving his hilarious commentary -- both positive and negative -- for his favorite sports teams. This time, he was lovin' the late-game drama from his fellow L.B. native.

J.T. took notice ... and thanked the rap icon for the shout-out on Instagram.

Al Michaels thought it'd be funny to compare the NY Giants sucking to Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment/assault allegations on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."

It wasn't ... but at least he apologized for it (and in record time!!).

"I mean, let's face it -- the Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein, and they're up 14 points,” Michaels said in the 3rd quarter of Giants vs. Broncos.

FYI -- the Giants lost Odell Beckham Jr. for the year to a nasty injury, a player was suspended, and just about everything else went wrong.

The legendary sports announcer ended up apologizing early in the 4th, telling viewers it was "not meant in that manner."

The Giants won, 23-10. As for Weinstein ... his situation is very different.

Steph Curry loves the thrill of victory ... but he's also a fan of da feet.

Turns out, the Golden State Warriors superstar has a thing for footsies, according to his wife Ayesha Curry.

"My husband really loves my feet," Ayesha admitted Friday on The Real (check local listings).

"So, when he says to send nudes, he gets a picture of my bare feet!"

Steph now joins a select group of celebrity foot lovers -- which includes Rex Ryan, Quentin Tarantino and Ludacris.

Congrats!

Georges St-Pierre UNLOADED on Michael Bisping in a backstage confrontation today ... warning the champ to never put his hands on him again after their UFC 217 media event in Toronto.

"Don't touch me, man! Don't touch me. I'm not afraid of you. I don't give a damn."

GSP is basically the nicest guy ever ... so what happened??

Well, at the end of their news conference, Bisping dangled his finger on Georges' chin when they faced off ... and GSP didn't like that at all, shoving Mike off him.

Bisping told St-Pierre to "keep your hands to yourself" when they saw each other in the back ... and that clearly set him off.

Got a feeling this won't be the last time these 2 go at it.

Jerry Jones thinks Ezekiel Elliott is getting a raw deal -- saying the 6-game suspension is simply unfair.

The Dallas Cowboys owner called in to "G-Bag Nation" on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas early Friday morning and said, "I'm very familiar with all of the facts and the details of this case. Very familiar ... Zeke did not get treated fairly here."

As we previously reported, a federal appeals court issued a ruling essentially clearing the way for the NFL to enforce the 6-game suspension it handed to Elliott as a result of a domestic violence investigation.

Elliott was never charged with a crime -- but the NFL's private investigators believe Elliott did, in fact, attack his girlfriend back in 2016. Zeke denies all wrongdoing and Jones clearly believes him.

"Zeke and his team and the Cowboys do not think [the NFL's suspension and punishment process] was done in a fair way. We are trying to get that looked at, and we got a setback yesterday."

Derek Jeter got a proper Miami introduction on Thursday night -- a star-studded welcome bash co-hosted by P. Diddy!!

The new Marlins owner turned up with Diddy and friends at KOMODO ... with huge artists like DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, French Montana and Prince Royce also coming through.

We're told Diddy's signature Ciroc vodka was free-flowin' ... and that Puff even stood up to toast the former Yankees captain at the end of the night.

A bunch of the gang headed to STORY Nightclub for the after-party ... but not Jeter.

DJ's an MLB CEO (and Dad) now -- probably the right call.

Team USA soccer coach Bruce Arena has officially "resigned" -- just days after the team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

People had been calling for Arena's job after the USMNT lost to Trinidad & Tobago -- eliminating them from World Cup contention ... but moments ago, Arena quit before he could be fired.

"It is the greatest privilege for any coach to manage their country’s National Team, and as I leave that role today I am honored and grateful to have had that opportunity twice in my career."

"In the end, we came up short," Arena said ... "No excuses. We didn’t get the job done, and I accept responsibility."

TMZ Sports had spoken with Arena earlier this week -- and he didn't seem too concerned about his job ... even giving a sarcastic response to his critics.

Still, Arena kept it classy in his goodbye statement ... and says he still believes in the U.S. soccer program.

10:25 AM PT -- Panthers executive director of risk management Lance Emory says the team has identified the fan in the video and is currently working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD to "pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law."

"The behavior exhibited by the perpetrator is unacceptable and will not be condoned at Bank of America Stadium."

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY VIOLENT AND DISTURBING

NFL officials are investigating a brutal incident involving a Carolina Panthers fan blasting another fan in the face during Thursday Night Football.

It all went down toward the end of the game -- the person who shot the footage at Bank of America Stadium says the Panthers fan had been standing for most of the game and the older fan had repeatedly asked him to sit down.

Instead, the Panthers fan berated him with insults -- and ultimately punched the other fan in the face, instantly opening a nasty gash that began to gush blood.

The Panthers fan ran away while witnesses called for security, as seen on the video published on Crossing Broad.

The NFL told Ian Rapoport it's working with the Carolina Panthers security team -- saying, "We take all of these very seriously."

We reached out to the Panthers who told us ... "We are reviewing the incident with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department."

So far, no word from police. We're working on it.