Dallas Mavericks

DeAndre Jordan knows it's coming, knows he's gonna catch it -- the absolute WRATH of Dallas Mavericks fans, but last night he could NOT care less ... for one awesome reason.

DJ celebrated his 27th birthday with a bunch of NBA pals at Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills, and on his way out addressed the inevitable -- the Clippers' first game in Dallas and how the fans will treat him.

Watch the video ... 'cause DeAndre's response makes it clear he's soooo FULL of something, and that's dessert.

Dallas Morning News ... wins.

Mark Cuban says he got straight lied to by DeAndre Jordan -- claiming the NBA star insisted he was "on a date" Wednesday night ... when he was really in a secret meeting with the Clippers.

Mark Cuban says he's MOVING ON from the DeAndre Jordan drama ... saying he wants to focus on the future ... but he still doesn't wanna have to hear his name in public.

The Dallas Mavericks owner was speaking at the Presidential Leadership Scholars 2015 Graduation at S.M.U. ... when the M.C. brought up the Jordan scandal.

"Aw, you had to say his name," Cuban joked ... before explaining that he considers the matter over.

When asked to reflect on the drama, Cuban said ... "There's nothing you can do about it. You think for a second, 'Is there anything I can change?'"

"You think for another second, 'What have I learned so I can do it differently next time?' And then you move forward and say, What are our options?'"

Cuban said he's not worried about the Mavs -- "We have this big tall German who's pretty good and he's still around."

Mark Cuban is finally opening up about what happened between him and DeAndre Jordan last night -- claiming the NBA star didn't pick up his call ONCE ... and says he hasn't heard from him since Tuesday night.

Major props to Dallas Mavericks star Chandler Parsons ... who seems to be on a PDA level with his apparent new girlfriend Toni Garrn -- a super hot model who once dated Leo DiCaprio.

The couple was spotted out in NYC on Wednesday -- holding hands and kissing as they walked along the street.

No word on how long the two have been dating or how serious they are ... but they look great together.

FYI -- Garrn is a 22-year-old German model who's worked for Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein. She started dating DiCaprio back in 2013 ... but they broke things off back in December.

He's already got a green jacket ... now Jordan Spieth is looking to make another dream come true -- dude wants to golf with Dirk Nowitzki.

Turns out the 21-year-old is from Dallas and happens to be a big fan of the big fella -- and when we asked if he could golf with any celeb in the world, the first name that came to mind was Dirk.

Good news for Jordan ... the feeling's mutual -- in fact, the Dallas Mavericks star fired off a congratulatory tweet at Spieth right after he won the Masters this weekend. So, it seems pretty likely they'll end up on the links together.

Derek Jeter just got some major props from one of the most respected guys in the business world -- Mark Cuban ... who tells TMZ Sports Jeter's newest endeavor could be a real money maker.

FYI -- Jeter is reportedly opening a brand new restaurant at Tampa International Airport called The Players’ Tribute Bar & Grill ... inspired by his digital media company, The Players’ Tribune.

Cuban pointed out that 95% of restaurants fail ... but says Jeter has what it takes to turn the place into a winner.

You ever see a fashion item that you just NEEDED TO HAVE???

NBA star Richard Jefferson did -- a Vans cheetah-print snapback baseball hat ... and he paid $700 to buy it off some random dude's head!!!

RJ was at Hi Fi Kitchen & Cocktails in Scottsdale, AZ Saturday night -- when a dude named Andrew walked in with the cheetah cap.

Andrew tells TMZ Sports ... the Dallas Mavs star beelined it over his way with cash in hand ... and started making offers for the dome piece. Andrew declined at first ... but ultimately gave in for a handful of $100 bills -- 7 in total.

So, why was Jefferson so obsessed with the hat? Andrew says RJ actually purchased the lid for teammate Chandler Parsons ... who was also eyeing the cap that night.

The best part of the story -- Andrew says he originally bought the hat for $25.

Not a bad return on investment.

It's like a real-life version of "The Wire" ... NBA star Richard Jefferson says he was taken for $2 MILLION ... and played a key role in a covert FBI operation to catch the (alleged) bad guy and recover his cash.

It's all part of new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which the 34-year-old Dallas Mavericks forward claims his former business manager Ted Kritza drew $2 million from Richard's bank credit line without permission.

Jefferson says he reported the crime to the FBI which launched an investigation -- an investigation that included RJ getting Kritza on the phone and secretly recording a conversation.

During the phone call, RJ says Kritza "confesses to wrong-doing" ... and the incriminating recording is now with the feds.

BTW -- the bank ended up suing Jefferson for part of the money ... but he wants the court to press pause on that case until the federal investigation into Kritza runs it's course.

Mark Cuban wasn't joking when he promised a "Shark Tank" entrepreneur he'd get his product into Mavs gift shops -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned U-Lace is planning to drop at American Airlines Arena beginning next season.

We spoke with Tim Talley -- who got Mark to invest $200k into his customizable shoe lace business on a recent episode of "Shark Tank."

Talley says sales have exploded since Mark came aboard -- and so far, Cuban has been dead serious about delivering on the promises he made on the show, starting with the plan to sell at Dallas Mavericks team shops.

"We'll likely get the laces into the arena early next season," Talley says ... adding that U-Lace is also gunning for deals with other NBA teams ... as well as organizations in the NFL, MLB and NHL.

Talley says the company is also developing shoes to go along with the laces.

Makes sense to us.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Devin Harris tells TMZ Sports ... he knows EXACTLY how to save Justin Bieber's life ... by kicking his ass into shape at the gym with some serious basketball workouts.

"Come on Bieber, you know better," Harris says ... adding "come get in some workouts with me and we'll get you focused and back on track."

Harris made the statement in the wake of Bieber's DUI arrest yesterday ... after he was pulled over by cops for drunkenly street racing around Miami.

Lamar Odom is drugged out of his head ... but he's telling people he will sober up and play basketball again this coming season ... yes, he's that delusional.

Sources who have been spending time with Lamar tell us his drug problem is out of control -- that one of his drug dealers alone has sold him thousands of dollars in coke. We're told Lamar is now freebasing with pure cocaine.

As crazy as it sounds ... Lamar has done it before. We know he was using while on the Lakers and on the Mavericks. In addition, he was off the rails using drugs just months before joining the Clippers but cleaned up enough to get through the season.

We're told Lamar is full-on paranoid now ... he believes people are trying to set him up to get caught. As he told one friend, "Everyone wants to see me fail, but I'm not gonna let that happen."

Lamar Odom was deep into drugs while he was playing for the Dallas Mavericks and there is evidence he was doing the exact same thing while playing for the Lakers ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to a Westin hotel in Memphis tell TMZ ... in March of 2012, shortly before Lamar was cut from the Mavs, he stayed in one of the guest rooms while his team was in town playing the Grizzlies.

Our sources say when Lamar left, hotel employees found major carpet damage ... including quarter-sized burn marks. The damage was so bad, the hotel had to replace the carpeting in the room.

Our sources say hotel employees also found white powder on the desk blotter and the room reeked of noxious smoke. Our sources say it was obvious there was serious drug use going on in the hotel room.

The Westin is one of numerous hotels where NBA players stay when they're on the road. TMZ has contacted a number of these hotels in various cities. We've learned from several hotel employees ... they had complained about the state of the rooms when Lamar left -- similar to what happened in Memphis -- and this was while he was playing for the Lakers.

Our sources say no one on the Mavs knew Lamar was a substance abuser while he was on the team, but everyone knew something was seriously wrong with him.

We're told that during at least part of the time he was playing for the Mavs, Lamar was smoking Oxycontin and cocaine.

Odom's problems were so severe, he was cut from the Mavs mid-season and paid in full just so he would go away.

TMZ broke the story ... the drug use escalated to crack -- and we're told Lamar's level of crack use is now alarming and life-threatening.

The nasty feud between Mark Cuban and Jason Kidd is officially OVER ... at least for now ... 'cause Mark tells TMZ the two have made up -- and have even started emailing each other again.

Cuban famously TRASHED Kidd in the media last year after Jason decided not to re-sign with Cuban's Dallas Mavericks ... and instead struck a deal with the NY Knicks.

Cuban had said he was "more than upset" with Kidd -- and said there was "no chance" he'd ever honor Jason by retiring his Mavs jersey.

But something happened over the last few months ... 'cause when we asked Mark how he felt about Jason landing the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job this week, M.C. told us:

"I'm excited for him. He has great knowledge on the game so I'm sure he will do well. And yes we have started emailing again so all is well with the world.”

It's only a matter of time before an active NBA player comes out as gay ... so says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who tells TMZ he would be honored if the player was a member of his team.

Cuban called in to "TMZ Live" moments ago to discuss how Magic Johnson's support for his gay son will impact professional sports.