Brooklyn Nets

Four amazing things in this 23-second clip ...

1) Joel Embiid says his playoff series with the Brooklyn Nets is already OVER -- even though it's only 3-1.

2) Embiid's post-game meal is Shake Shack (the burgers are awesome).

3) He stops to take a picture with a kid (always cool with his fans).

4) Embiid's girlfriend makes a cameo ... and good lord.

So, we spotted Embiid after his 76ers beat the Nets on Saturday -- in a game that was pretty contentious. Remember, Joel's teammate, Jimmy Butler, and Nets' player Jared Dudley got ejected when things got a little too chippy.

The 76ers ended up winning the game 112 to 108. Embiid had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists.

After the game, Embiid stopped for some celebratory fast food -- and that's when our 23-second encounter began.

Oh, and his girlfriend ... she is Anne De Paula -- a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition model from Brazil. The two have reportedly been together since late 2018.

While the Knicks are busy booting fans from MSG ... the Nets are on the brink of making the playoffs ... and DeMarre Carroll says the city's totally buzzin' for them!!!

Of course ... New York's always been Knicks' territory. Even when the Nets came over to Brooklyn in 2012, the vast majority of folks held on to their beloved Knickerbockers and didn't care too much for the team from Jersey.

But, as it turns out ... the Nets are currently 7th in the East thanks to breakout seasons from players like D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Earlier this week, BK had an insane 25-point, 4th-quarter comeback against the Kings ... behind Russell's 44 points.

And, the Knicks ... well, their 14-58 record is the worst in the NBA.

So, when we saw the NBAer out in Santa Monica on Thursday ... he said there's a lot of support for the squad as they head into the postseason.

"I think everybody's excited about what's going on, so it's a big time for the city," Carroll says.

Rasheed Wallace is in for a world of annoyance at his new job as a high school hoops coach ... this according to his fellow ex-NBAer, Kenyon Martin ... who says kids don't listen to a damn thing nowadays.

Sheed was officially announced as the next head coach at Jordan HS in Durham, NC on Friday ... and when we got K-Mart at LAX, he had some slightly bad news for Wallace.

"It's gonna be tough, but I wish him all the best," Martin tells us.

Why exactly??? Kenyon -- whose son is a prodigy at Sierra Canyon in California -- has been around youngins since his boy has been playing ... and says they all have one thing in common.

The Brooklyn Nets are completely unfazed by the lawsuit over their Notorious B.I.G.-themed jerseys ... 'cause the team's rockin' the threads on Friday, despite Coogi taking legal action.

We broke the story ... Biggie's favorite sweater brand claims no one from the team or the NBA or Nike ever got permission to use the iconic pattern ... and called for the league to stop selling the "Brooklyn Camo" jerseys.

The Nets don't seem to care one bit ... announcing the team will be honoring the rap legend in the special jerseys when they take the court Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.

Coogi claims they have copyrights for their most famous designs -- called "Pea Soup" and "Ricotta" -- and they feel the Nets straight swiped their swag.

A rep for the NBA told the New York Times, “There is no merit whatsoever to their claims.”

Of course, jersey selections can be made months in advance -- especially for certain tribute nights ... but the decision to stick with the Biggie alternates proves the Nets ain't sweatin' a legal battle with Coogi.

Notorious B.I.G.'s favorite sweater brand, Coogi -- as in, "Every cutie with a booty bought a Coogi" -- says the Brooklyn Nets stole their iconic fashion pattern ... and now they're suing the team.

Coogi is pissed off about a special jersey the Nets created called "Brooklyn Camo" -- which players wore during a Nov. 17, 2018 game as a tribute to Brooklyn's own Biggie Smalls, who loved Coogi sweaters.

The problem, according to Coogi, no one from the team or the NBA or Nike or New Era or Russell Brands ever got permission to use the iconic Coogi pattern ... so now, Coogi is suing all of 'em!

Coogi claims they have copyrights for their most famous designs -- called "Pea Soup" and "Ricotta" -- and they feel the Nets straight swiped their swag.

Coogi says the Nets should have known better -- considering the brand is often worn by huge stars like Conor McGregor, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Floyd Mayweather and more.

Plus, Biggie -- the guy the Nets were trying to honor -- shouted out the brand in two of his biggest hits ... 1994's "Big Poppa" and 1996's "Hypnotize."

Coogi is not only suing for damages ... they also want everyone involved to stop selling the "Brooklyn Camo" jerseys and other sportswear.

In the meantime, here's Biggie ... enjoy!

9:30 AM PT -- LeVert reportedly dislocated his right foot and ankle in the incident ... and he can return later this season.

The NBA community is rallying behind Caris LeVert after his sickening leg injury on Monday ... with superstars like LeBron James and Paul George showing support for the Brooklyn Nets player.

LeVert went up for a block toward the end of the 2nd quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... and he landed awkwardly on his right leg, which appeared to snap.

If you haven't seen the video already, it should probably stay that way. If you DO want to see it ... we warned you ... it's painfully gruesome.

"Young Fella prayers to you!" LeBron tweeted Monday night. "Speedy recovery and even stronger impact coming soon for sure!"

George added ... "God bless you youngin tough road ahead but we’re here to help lift you @CarisLeVert ! You know how to reach me"

"Prayers for Caris LeVert," Kevin Love tweeted. "Hate to see this. Having a hell of a season. Keep strong"

Gordon Hayward -- who also suffered a nasty injury last season -- offered his assistance in recovery ... saying "Best wishes and prayers to @CarisLeVert on a speedy recovery! The journey back is hard, but you’ll be stronger in the end. Please reach out if you need anything!"

FYI -- 24-year-old LeVert was having his best NBA season by far ... averaging 18 points a game.

LeVert was stretchered off the court and rushed to a Minneapolis hospital for treatment. Players in the game were so shaken up by the injury that some were reportedly crying in the locker room at halftime.

Chris Paul shared his sympathy, saying, "Prayers out to @CarisLeVert!!! Been watchin him play this season and I’ve loved every bit of it! Hate to see him get injured."

11/13 9:30 AM PT -- LeVert reportedly dislocated his right foot and ankle in the incident ... and he can return later this season.

Brooklyn Nets star Caris LeVert suffered a nasty leg injury Monday night that was reminiscent of the injury that sidelined Gordon Hayward for an entire season.

LeVert landed awkwardly after going up to attempt to block the Timberwolves' Josh Okogie and appears to have snapped his ankle. You can see how much pain he's in right away as he covers his face. LeVert had to be taken off the court by stretcher.

The injury is eerily similar to the one Hayward suffered last year during his debut with the Celtics. Hayward also landed awkwardly on his ankle, and had to undergo surgery to recover.

Jalen Rose was talking out his ass when he claimed the Brooklyn Nets aren't text buddies in the offseason ... at least, that's the takeaway after hearing from Allen Crabbe and Jeremy Lin.

Rose made the comments on 'Get Up' -- saying teams that aren't winning don't REALLY have fun with each other. He pointed to the Nets and said:

"I promise you, the Nets. OK. They play right here in Brooklyn. Those players are not exchanging texts with each other this offseason."

So, when we saw Crabbe in Bev Hills hours after the show ... we asked if Rose's theory was true.

"I don't know where he got that from," Crabbe tells TMZ Sports ... "I feel like our team's pretty cool. We all hang out together."

Crabbe ain't the only Net who says Rose is wrong ...

Jeremy Lin weighed in saying ... "Hmm Jalen much respect to you but no idea where this came from lol. I just had the whole team over for a fat bbq last week."

Another hair transformation for Jeremy Lin ... this time, he's taking his cue from The Game -- and rockin' french braids!

Lin just debuted his new look -- right before he was officially introduced as one of the new members of the Brooklyn Nets.

It's not the first time Lin's mixed up the hair look -- he's rocked the mohawk, the man bun and the Miley Cyrus.

Donald Trump is taking himself out of the running to buy the Brooklyn Nets ... telling TMZ Sports he won't even consider making a bid for the NBA team now that they're up for sale.

Of course, Trump flirted with the idea of buying the Buffalo Bills last year ... and it seemed like the guy was pretty serious about adding a major professional sports team to his portfolio.

George Lopez ain't a fan of Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov -- saying he's not just shocked the guy is "bailing" on the team ... but couldn't believe he would do something as "low" as trading the coach.

Lopez was out in D.C. when he heard the news that Prokhorov is looking to sell the team -- less than 5 years after buying the majority share of the Nets for $223 million.

"That guy's bailing on them already?" Lopez asked ... "it's shocking to me."

Lopez also ripped Prokhorov for trading away head coach Jason Kidd to the Bucks last year -- "Trading a player, that's what they normally do. But trading a coach? That's low."

Check out the clip -- Lopez says he's also planning to round up some of his huge celebrity friends like Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria to buy the franchise.

Clippers star Matt Barnes says he LOVES the video of the overzealous 1-legged Nets fan who had be carried out of a recent game -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to buy him tickets the next time the Clips play!

The video went viral ... showing a very intense Nets fan being removed from Madison Square Garden during Tuesday night's match-up with the Knicks ... after reportedly screaming and yelling like a maniac while waving his prosthetic leg in the air during the game.

The fan was BANNED from MSG -- but last night in L.A., Barnes told us he LOVED the guy's passion -- and says he wants the guy to be a part of Clipper Nation.

"When we come to New York, I want him to be my guest to the next game," Barnes said ... "Next time we come out there I'm gonna buy him tickets."

He adds, "Come to the West Coast!"

Carmelo Anthony's Knicks are crushing their crosstown NBA rivals ... in the closet, anyway -- according to one of NYC's biggest names in fashion.

The Brooklyn Nets made the playoffs last season, while the Knicks were sitting at home -- but Sean John President Jeff Tweedy explained why 'Melo still leads his team to dominance on the NY fashion scene.

Cheer up Nets, at least you still have hip hop legend Jay Z as an owner. Oh, right.

Well ... your black unis are very slimming.

NBA star Andrei Kirilenko says he's shocked that burglars broke into his Salt Lake City home and jacked a bunch of his stuff last week -- telling TMZ Sports they took a few special items that made him really upset.

The Brooklyn Nets player was heading to the Celebrity Dodge Barrage charity event at Basketball City in NYC -- when he opened up about the incident ... saying, "I know Utah is the safest place in the world and I'm very surprised it happened there."

Overall, AK47 (who played for the Jazz for 10 years) says he's staying positive about the incident -- even though cops have yet to make an arrest -- but it's clear he's bummed out that he'll probably never see some of his most treasured possessions ever again.

Jay Z and Beyonce are sitting courtside TOGETHER at the Brooklyn Nets playoff game in NYC tonight ... clearly sending a message they're still on the same team after the big elevator fight with B's sister.

The couple didn't get to their seats until the 2nd quarter. Once they sat down, they were smiling and acting like their usual couply selves ... and even chatted it up with LeBron James like nothing was wrong.

We broke the story earlier today ... B's sister Solange went bersek on Jay in a hotel elevator on May 4th ... kicking and punching him like crazy while B stood by and watched.

Emmy Rossum is a die hard Knicks fan ... DIE HARD ... and she doesn't take kindly to people who jumped ship to root for the Nets because Jay Z told them to.

Rossum was at LAX this weekend -- proudly rockin' her Knicks hat -- when she admitted it's been hard being a NYK fan over the years, but says ... "I love my team so I don't give up on them."

Then she fired the shot -- "I didn't just hop to the Nets 'cause they were cool ... like other people."