Los Angeles Clippers

Boban Marjanović plays for the Rockets, but he was arguably Clippers fans' favorite player on Sunday ... 'cause he helped them all win free chicken!!!

The Houston center -- who's known as one of the biggest hams in the Association -- got the job done for the L.A. faithful late in the Rockets' meaningless game against the Clips at Crypto.com Arena.

After missing a free throw with around five minutes left in the fourth quarter of the contest ... Boban realized if he missed another, he could score everyone in attendance chicken sandwiches on the house.

You see, the Clippers run a promotion on game days where if an opposing player misses back-to-back shots from the charity stripe in the final quarter, it's Chick-fil-A for all.

So, Boban purposely shanked his shot -- and everyone in the building went crazy. Even Marjanović couldn't help but get in on the celebration after the miss.

Boban -- who's 7 feet 4 -- went on to have even more fun seconds later, appearing to intentionally lose a tip-off to 6-footer Xavier Moon.

Of course, if the game had mattered, the antics likely would've been panned ... but with the Rockets out of playoff contention and the Clippers' postseason fate already sealed -- the fun was appreciated by all.

Kentucky's coaching job is still up for grabs, and Dan Hurley should stay far away from it ... at least that's what John Salley thinks!!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former Bad Boy Piston out in L.A. while he was on his way to record an episode of the "Wander Well" Podcast ... and he told us one of his ex-teammates would be a much better fit for the job than Hurley.

Salley said while UK is one of the most prestigious programs in all of college basketball ... Hurley has a dream situation after winning back-to-back Natty's with UConn -- so he shouldn't make the leap to Lexington.

Russell Westbrook helped the Clippers take down the Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon, and afterward, he beat up Tristan Thompson's ego too ... taunting Khloe Kardashian's ex right on the court following the game.

It all happened after Russ and L.A. came back from down 26 points to beat Cleveland at Crypto.com Arena, 120-118.

Video shows after the final buzzer sounded, Russ appeared to point at Thompson, before he threw his hands in the air in a mocking fashion. Westbrook then repeated the gesture over and over again.

It's unclear why exactly Westbrook went after the Cavs center -- some online have speculated it was due to Tristan aggressively cheering on his team from the bench during the game -- but nonetheless, Thompson didn't like it one bit.

Check out the footage, the 33-year-old looked pissed as he walked to confront Russ over the taunts ... although, thankfully, one of Westbrook's teammates intercepted him before things could escalate.

The two then left the court without further issue.

Westbrook certainly had rights to brag following the victory, he logged eight points, seven rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes. Thompson, meanwhile, did not play.

A hefty fine is surely coming Kelly Oubre Jr.'s way -- the Philadelphia 76ers hooper absolutely unloaded on referees over a blown call at the end of Wednesday's game ... appearing to call them a bunch of bitches.

The Sixers' 108-107 loss to the LA Clippers ended in controversy ... when KO drove the lane in hopes of getting the lead in the final seconds of the contest, but made contact with Paul George instead.

Oubre and Sixers coach Nick Nurse were both LIVID over the non-call after the buzzer ... yelling at officials and needing to be restrained.

The internet lipreaders seemed to figure out what Oubre said in the confrontation ... claiming Oubre pointed at Kevin Scott, Brandon Adair and JB DeRosa individually and said, "you're a bitch, you're a bitch, you're a bitch."

It didn't stop there -- some believe Oubre even started talking about their relatives ... also referring to them as bitches.

Some on the internet have felt the 28-year-old's frustration was perhaps warranted ... as Scott admitted after the game a foul should've been called on the play.

Despite being technically right, Oubre expressed remorse for his actions in the locker rooms ... saying, "I want to apologize for just losing my cool, because that's something I try to work on each and every day, and try to represent God in the best way I possibly can, and that wasn't it."

"So I just ask for forgiveness."

Believe it or not, Paul George turned down Nicki Minaj ... when the Queen of Rap wanted the NBA star to make a cameo in her music video!

The Los Angeles Clippers star made the surprising revelation on his "Podcast P" show this week, telling co-host Jackie Long he had the opportunity to make his cameo with the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper.

"You know what’s funny, this was maybe like a year or two ago, Nicki Minaj reached out for me to be in her music video," George said.

The 9x All-Star was unsure if he would've had the role of being Nicki's lover ... but joked his wife Daniela wasn't havin' it.

"I looked at Daniela, Daniela looked at me ... 'ay, I ain’t going to be able to do it'," PG13 said.

"I’m playing! She was excited about the opportunity too, but I declined."

George -- who married Daniela in 2022 -- says his wife would've been right there on set if it happened ... but his schedule had them both miss out.

"It was just a scheduling conflict that I couldn't [get out of]," George said.

"It would've been dope. It's Nicki Minaj, one of the biggest female artists -- not even just female, biggest artists of our lifetime!"

If PG's hoping for another shot, it doesn't sound like it's going to happen anytime soon ... Nicki's currently on her "Pink Friday 2" world tour while George, who is averaging 22 points a game, is smack in the heart of the NBA season ... with the playoffs approaching.

Had he accepted, George would've joined other NBA stars who appeared in music videos, including Michael Jordan, who was in Michael Jackson's "Jam" video, and Kobe Bryant, who made his cameo in "Bug-A-Boo" by Destiny's Child.

This is not the headline NBA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer envisioned when he sunk $2 billion into building a brand new state-of-the-art arena.

Cops are on the lookout for the 2 male teenagers who broke into the Intuit Dome -- which is still under construction in Inglewood, CA -- and ran around the place like they owned it ... shooting hoops, climbing on scaffolding and spraying fire extinguishers.

They pulled off the brazen caper last week, recording the whole thing ... and proudly posted it on TikTok, which is likely what will get them busted.

The video shows them climbing a construction crew's ladder at night to gain entry, and then strolling around the empty hallways and bleachers. When they found an unfinished basketball court, they decided to take a few shots.

They did all of this while showing their faces, and, as a result, Inglewood Mayor B has since identified the pair and their parents. Butts told ABC 7, "It will be very clear to these young men -- and to people who are TikTok followers -- that you have a moment of TikTok greatness followed by a little bit of misery. And so we don’t play around with these things.”

It's unclear if cops have made contact with the suspects yet, or what their punishment might be.

P.J. Tucker's straight-up not having a good time in L.A. ... and somehow, it's gotten worse -- the Clippers forward was just fined a whopping $75,000 for publicly saying he wanted to be traded earlier this month.

Tucker -- who was part of the James Harden deal with the 76ers back in October -- has grown more and more upset with his current team in recent months ... having only played in 12 matchups for the Clips.

It got to the point where Tucker told the media he was ready to pack up his shoe collection and leave town for a new squad ... saying he had his "fingers crossed" he'd get either traded or bought out.

"I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all," Tucker told Andscape last week.

The league got wind of Tucker's comments ... sharing a statement on the hefty punishment just minutes ago.

"The NBA announced today that LA Clippers forward P.J. Tucker has been fined $75,000 by the NBA for public comments reported during the week of February 5 expressing a desire to be traded to another team," the Association said.

Ty Lue has opened up about Tucker in the past ... saying he understands the athlete wants to compete, but hopes he can still have a positive impact on the team.

Tucker wasn't traded prior to the trade deadline ... and he will be away from the Clippers until after the All-Star break.

Snoop Dogg is hoping to add a familiar foe to Laker Nation ... recruiting Clipper Darrell to the Purple and Gold just a little over one year after the LA super fan was KO'ed at a Clippers game.

The legendary rapper -- and big Lake Show fan -- minced no words while on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... saying he straight up wants Clipper Darrell to switch allegiances after the guy was socked in the face by a security guard while attending a Clips game in 2022.

"Oh, man," Snoop said on the show. "Security disrespected him. Clipper Darrell, come on home, man. The Lakers would never do you like that. Come on home, man. Flip that s***, man."

Darrell, of course, is going to need a whole lot more selling than that to change all of his red and blue ... he's known as arguably the biggest Clippers fan in the world. In fact, he loves his team so much, he's painted his car to match his favorite squad!!

But, Snoop clearly thinks the punch-out he received after getting into a squabble with a Crypto.com Arena official in December '22 should be enough to make him come to L.A.'s other team.

"Flip it!" Snoop said.

Don't expect Darrell, though, to go running to the other side of town even if the "Drop It Like It's Hot" MC extended his own personal invite ... CD -- real name Darrell Bailey -- told us back in November that despite the punch and everything he's suffered since, he's still riding or dying with his squad.

Russell Westbrook's three-pointer in the Clippers' win over the Lakers was a shoo-in for highlight of the night honors ... 'cause the NBA star nailed the jumper with just one sneaker!!

The wild play went down in the final minute of the first quarter of the Battle of L.A. at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday ... when Brodie's Jordan Brand kick came loose during an offensive possession.

Westbrook tried to squeeze his shoe back on while keeping his dribble alive at the same time ... but once he started to get pressure from Lakers guard Jarred Vanderbilt, he decided to ditch it on the sideline.

Despite the wardrobe malfunction, the former MVP didn't give up on the chance to score -- pulling up from behind the arc and draining a beautiful trey.

It didn't stop there -- Westbrook rushed back on defense after the bucket ... and in the meantime, Clippers coach Ty Lue grabbed his shoe and put it on the scorer's table.

Once the next dead ball came around, Westbrook reunited with his right sneaker ... and the game went on without any other issues.

The three ball was one of many big plays for the Clippers -- Kawhi Leonard and James Harden led the way as the home team beat up on the LeBron James-less Lakers ... coming away with the 127-116 win.

The classic "$500k or a dinner with Jay-Z?" debate just turned into "$25k or dinner with Jerry West?" ... 'cause that's what one lucky bidder shelled out for an evening with the Logo at a big charity event.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a special one-on-one with the Pro Basketball Hall of Famer was one of the big auction items at a gathering for the Aiming High Foundation this week ... with an anonymous bidder winning the RSVP with a massive, quarter-hundred thou donation.

Not only did the winner get a din-din with West, but two VIP passes to an upcoming L.A. Clippers game were also included in the bundle.

The Aiming High Foundation -- founded by celebrity agent Darren Prince -- raises funds for those seeking help with mental health and substance abuse issues ... so the money is going to a good cause!!

Prince's clients like Brande Roderick, Jesse Metcalfe, American Idol star Nutsa and influencer Rudy Mawyer were also present at Komodo in Miami ... so it sounds like it was quite the shindig.

Russell Westbrook found himself quarrelling with fans yet again on Monday night ... and this time, he needed to be separated from the tiff by not only his teammates, but his opponents as well.

The Clippers star got into the heated spat with what appeared to be a couple of men at Crypto.com Arena toward the end of L.A.'s 113-104 loss to Denver.

Video from the scene shows Westbrook began verbally jarring with the courtside fans during a break in the action late in the fourth quarter ... before he returned as the final buzzer sounded to argue some more.

The 35-year-old point guard was clearly peeved at the guys ... though, thankfully, a referee, his teammates, and a few Nuggets players helped pull him away from it all.

Afterward, Westbrook refused to say specifically what the altercation was all about ... though he seemed to insinuate the fans had said something inappropriate about his family.

"Fans think they can say whatever they want," he told a throng of media members. "I'm not going to say [what they said] now because it's not appropriate, but I'm just protecting myself."

"Just unfortunate fans think they can get away with saying anything and, personally, I won't allow it."

Of course, this is hardly Westbrook's first heated incident with hecklers ... just seven months ago, he got into a screaming match with a man following a playoff game in Phoenix. Numerous other times recently -- including several instances during one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 -- he beefed with fans as well.

On Monday night, Westbrook explained that now that his children are older ... he's simply refusing to take any cross-the-line shade from fans.

Clipper Darrell says the punch that sent him crashing to the ground following a game in L.A. last year is still causing him issues ... and they're so bad, he tells TMZ Sports they're currently preventing him from going to see his beloved team in person this year.

The Clippers superfan -- real name Darrell Bailey -- suffered the initial injury back on Dec. 12, 2022 ... after a security guard tagged him on the chin following a dispute in the bowels of Crypto.com Arena.

Darrell says despite having 11 months to recover ... he's still not doing so hot, telling us, "I'm still in therapy."

CD says frequent headaches and dizziness are commonplace for him still ... adding that he'll never "tease another player in life" over concussions due to the horrible experience he's having with the one he sustained.

"The headaches and the dizziness is still there," he said.

Clipper Darrell dice que el puñetazo que le envió a estrellarse contra el suelo después de un partido en Los Ángeles el año pasado todavía le está causando problemas. Le comentó a TMZ Sports que actualmente le están impidiendo ir a ver a su amado equipo en persona este año.

El superfan de los Clippers cuyo nombre real es Darrell Bailey, sufrió la lesión inicial el 12 de diciembre de 2022, luego de que un guardia de seguridad lo golpeó en la barbilla después de una disputa en el Crypto.com Arena.

Darrell dice que a pesar haberse recuperado durante 11 meses, todavía no está bien: "Todavía estoy en terapia".

Dice que los dolores de cabeza son frecuentes y los mareos son habituales, añadiendo que nunca "se burlará de otro jugador en la vida". Tiene algunas conmociones cerebrales debido a la horrible experiencia que sufrió.

"Los dolores de cabeza y los mareos siguen ahí", dijo.

Much of Clips Nation is panicking over the team's disastrous start with James Harden, but not the team's most loyal fan, Clipper Darrell, who tells us he has complete confidence that the squad will not only turn things around but will also be a top seed in the Western Conference!

And, they could even compete for an NBA title.

Yes, Darrell Bailey is doubling down on the Clippers ... despite them being winless at 0-5 since acquiring the former NBA MVP from the Philadelphia 76ers about 2 and a half weeks ago.

"Anytime a new person comes in, especially of James Harden's caliber, it's gonna take time," Clipper Darrell explained, before making it clear he still has faith in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the roster's ability to mesh with The Beard.

"I still believe in this team. I know we're having a hard time right now, but this team is definitely going to prosper."

Not everyone feels the same way ... Darrell admits much of the fan base is, let's call it, highly concerned.

"Oh no, they're freakin' out, they're freakin' out! They're goin' crazy! 'I told you, I didn't want him!' But hey, ya gotta believe. It's early in the season. Now if this was March, Babcock. Come on! I'd be pulling my hair out."

The good news for the 3-7 L.A. ... the NBA season is still young. We asked Darrell to look in his crystal ball and predict where the team stands after the full 82 games.

"Second seed," CD said, continuing ... "We definitely gonna be a top 3 team, but I'm looking at second seed. I want first, but I ain't gonna be greedy."

The Clippers might've lost Sunday, but that didn't stop Russell Westbrook from having a blast celebrating his 35th trip around the Sun ... dancing the night away at his birthday party with his wife, Nina!

Nina shared video of the special moment with her 9x NBA All-Star hubby on Instagram on Monday ... showing the two hand in hand, twirling on the dance floor, celebrating Westbrook's bday.

You can hear Russ's family and friends, including L.A. rapper/singer Blxst, cheerin' them on while Nina, who claims to not be the dancing type, gives it all she has.

"The birthday boo gets one dance outta me," Nina joked.

Russ and Nina have been together since they met in 2007 when both of them played college ball at UCLA.

Of course, Westbrook went on to be the 4th pick in the NBA Draft in 2008, while Nina hit the books hard, graduating with her bachelor's in psychology and master's in clinical psychology.

She is now a licensed marriage and family therapist.

The couple tied the knot in August 2015 and welcomed their first son, Noah, in May 2017. They had two more kids, twin daughters Skye and Jordyn, in 2018.

"Happy Happy Birthday Suga!," Nina said in an IG post. "You’re so loved and appreciated! Never forget it! I love you!"

Unfortunately, the bday shenanigans come after the Clippers 5th consecutive loss ... putting them squarely in 11th place in the West with a 3-6 record.

Westbrook had 12 points and 5 assists in the loss ... and a dope party!