Los Angeles Clippers

James Harden is going going, back back, to Cali Cali -- the NBA superstar was shipped to the L.A. Clippers in a blockbuster deal late Monday night ... officially ending all his drama with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The trade went down while many on the East Coast were catchin' Zs -- Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev will join the Clips in exchange for Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and some draft picks -- including two first rounders.

The transaction was pretty much inevitable -- 34-year-old Harden made it clear he didn't want to play in Philly anymore ... claiming he felt Sixers GM Daryl Morey was a "liar."

The Beard sat out all preseason ... and when he finally showed up ahead of the season opener, the team told him to turn around and head home.

He did not play a single minute for the Sixers this season.

The Clippers will now have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Harden and Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

It's a bit of a homecoming for Harden -- he grew up in SoCal ... playing high school ball at Artesia in Lakewood.

Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas seemed thrilled with the move -- saying, "CHEF HARDEN BACK HOME," on X.

Amir Coffey's July arrest has led to criminal charges ... TMZ Sports has learned the Clippers forward was hit with two misdemeanors late last month.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has filed one count of carrying a loaded firearm and one count of carrying a concealed firearm against Coffey ... after alleging he had a gun in his ride during a routine traffic stop in Hollywood earlier this summer.

We broke the story ... a car Coffey was in was initially pulled over on July 30, after authorities claimed it had been speeding at around 2:30 AM.

According to law enforcement, officers said the vehicle smelled like marijuana -- so they searched it and found a loaded gun they say Coffey claimed was his.

Coffey was then placed into custody -- and spent several hours behind bars before he was released.

Clippers forward Amir Coffey was arrested in L.A. on Sunday morning ... after cops say they found a loaded gun in his ride during a routine traffic stop.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... officers pulled over a car that Coffey was a passenger in at around 2:30 AM in Hollywood -- after they say they saw it speeding.

When cops approached the vehicle, they said it smelled like marijuana -- so they searched it, and found a loaded gun.

Cops say Coffey admitted it was his -- and he was then arrested for misdemeanor possession of a firearm. We're told one other person at the scene was cited for weed.

Records show Coffey was booked into jail at around 5:05 AM -- though he was released four hours later on his own recognizance.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later next month.

If the Clippers acquire James Harden in a deal with the Sixers this year ... Baron Davis tells TMZ Sports he thinks it could lead to a title for Los Angeles at the end of the season.

"I think that'd be dope!" the former NBA star said.

Davis seemed super fired up about the possibility for his former team while hosting a party to celebrate his SailGP team investment earlier this month ... telling us a guy like Harden is exactly what L.A. needs.

He explained ... Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and the rest of Clips move at such a frenetic pace most of the time that adding a guy like Harden could help change things up for the better.

"The Clippers need another playmaker," he said. "Somebody that can get fouled and slow the game down."

As for if the trade could actually happen ... it does seem like a very real possibility. After all, Harden's reportedly been upset with the Sixers' brass -- and seems to want out badly.

Brandon Miller's 📍 Cloud Nine ... 'cause the Charlotte Hornets rookie just met Paul George -- the man he considers the G.O.A.T. -- and the Clippers star offered to mentor the #2 overall pick throughout his NBA career!

"Use me, use me as much as you want," George told Miller. "Use me as a resource, bro. That's what I'm here for. I want to help you in every step that you need if you need."

The All-Star continued ... "Make that journey a lot smoother and easier for you."

The two finally linked up on George's podcast weeks after the former Crimson Tide hoops star revealed PG13 was the player he considered to be the greatest ever ... not LeBron James, Michael Jordan or anyone else.

Of course, fans roasted Miller for picking George over James and Jordan ... but it's clear BM couldn't care less as he sat down with the L.A. Clippers.

"It's exciting just him being in my presence," Miller said to PG's co-host. "It's definitely a great moment, been lookin' up to him for a long time."

Miller explained to George that he became his GOAT when he played on the Indiana Pacers and put Chris "Birdman" Anderson on a poster back in the day.

"Now I'm up here with him, now I get to compete against him I think is an even better experience."

Of course, George knows what it takes to be an NBA star ... he's been in the league for 13 seasons and is an 8-time All-Star, NBA's Most Improved Player, in addition to many other earned accolades.

Miller, were it not for Victor Wembanyama, would've been the top pick ... and many people believe he has Kevin Durant-like skills on the court. So, skies the limit ... and Paul's there to help.

The stars were out both on and off the hardwood at the Clippers vs. Suns playoff game Thursday night ... as Floyd Mayweather, Queen Latifah and the Cavinder Twins all pulled up for the huge contest!!

Game 3 of the two teams' series went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles ... and even though both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sat with injuries, the A-listers still packed the venue.

Mayweather, as usual, sat courtside ... and he was joined there by Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who was just booted out of the playoffs last week.

Famous basketball twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder also had some great seats ... and they were even gifted personalized Clippers jerseys for the night too.

Scooter Braun, film producer Dick Wolf, Disney CEO Bob Iger and "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris were all there to watch the Clips go at it with Devin Booker as well.

Queen Latifah -- who was just inducted into the National Recording Registry -- also made an appearance with a big smile on her face.

Everyone who got a ticket saw a heck of a game ... though the home squad ended up ultimately losing to Phoenix, 129 to 124.

Russell Westbrook got into a heated confrontation with a fan Sunday night ... and, at one point, told the man, "Watch your mouth, motherf***er," and it was all captured on video.

It all went down during game 1 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix ... Russ, on video, repeatedly told the guy wearing Suns gear to watch his mouth as the two exchanged words.

It's unclear what led to the encounter ... but it happened in the club area during halftime of Game 1 of the Clippers-Suns first-round matchup.

According to a Suns insider, visiting players have been going through the club area where the incident occurred all season to get to the visitor's locker room.

As for the game ... Westbrook struggled to hit shots all night, scoring just nine points on 3 of 19 shooting from the field.

However, the former MVP was a presence on the glass, securing ten rebounds and making the game's defensive play, blocking Devin Booker's shot and sealing the deal for the Clippers.

Forget LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard ... Odell Beckham Jr. might have been the biggest star at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night -- at least, that's based on the reaction he got outside of the stadium, where he was mobbed by a throng of fans!!

The NFL superstar could hardly move as he attempted to make his way inside the downtown L.A. venue for the pivotal Lakers vs. Clippers game ... as people tried to get photos with him -- and recruit him to their favorite team.

To his credit, Odell handled the situation super well -- posing for a few selfies ... and even joking with our photog about his next NFL team!!

Seems the L.A. crowd wanted to see him in Las Vegas next season for some reason -- as multiple fans pled with the free-agent wide receiver to sign with the Raiders.

Once inside, Odell had a killer spot for the big game ... sitting just a few feet away from the Clippers' bench.

Unclear which team he was rooting for -- he was dressed in neutral colors -- but hopefully for him it was the Clippers ... 'cause the Lakers got smacked pretty good, 125-118.

Beckham wasn't the only celeb in the building taking in the action ... Michael B. Jordan was courtside too -- but no word if the guys ended up rubbin' elbows.

Scary moment for Paul George on Tuesday night ... he suffered a gnarly knee injury in the Clippers' game against the Thunder -- and his status going forward is now in question.

George hurt his leg in the fourth quarter of the contest against OKC -- as he was coming down from grabbing a rebound.

Broadcast cameras showed when he landed on the court, he awkwardly bumped into Luguentz Dort ... causing his knee to bend backward.

The 32-year-old immediately crumpled to the court in pain. Trainers tended to him for several minutes, before they helped him off the floor. George didn't appear able to put any pressure on the leg.

Clips head coach Ty Lue didn't have much of an update on his star after the game -- but, reportedly, George was seen leaving Crypto.com Arena on a cart with his leg locked in an extended position.

Of course, George is no stranger to severe injuries ... back in 2014, he suffered a gruesome broken leg while playing for Team USA. The knee he injured Tuesday was a part of that same leg, though the two ailments don't appear to be related.

The Clippers ended up losing the game without George -- and they'll certainly need him moving forward if they want to avoid more of that ... they're currently in a fight with seven or eight other teams vying for some of the last spots in the playoffs.

Get well soon, PG.

Bones Hyland has only been a Clipper for a minute, but the former Nuggets star can already bond with his new teammates over a horrific incident they experienced last month ... admitting "we thought it was over wit" after their plane was struck by lightning.

It all went down on Feb. 25 -- the Clippers were flying to Denver for a contest against Hyland's former team the following day ... when disaster suddenly struck.

The Clippers' team plane began to shake and rattle moments after departing from LAX ... and several players reported hearing a loud bang before the plane's engine went silent momentarily.

"Us players, we're trying to nap away," Eric Gordon told ESPN, calling it the second-worst flight he has experienced in his 15 NBA seasons. "Oh, everybody was up after that for sure."

The engine eventually came back on ... but multiple staffers aboard the aircraft echoed Gordon's sentiments -- saying it was one of the worst moments they've experienced on a flight, according to the outlet.

The Delta Air Lines plane transporting the Clippers landed safely in Colorado ... but the team noticed visible damage on the tail of the aircraft, indicating it had, indeed, been struck by lightning.

As if the lightning-strike scare wasn't horrifying enough ... just four days later, the team was walking the tarmac at LAX to board their charter flight to San Francisco when it started hailing.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue quipped, "Our luck was so bad, we even got struck by lightning."

Shannon Sharpe is a man of many words ... but the NFL legend dropped one you definitely can't say while on live television on Thursday -- accidentally muttering the F-word!!!

Sharpe used the TV no-no on "Undisputed" while in a heated convo with his cohost, Skip Bayless ... as the two were discussing the Clippers and Russell Westbrook.

Sharpe tried to make an analogy ... when, suddenly, an F-bomb flew outta his mouth.

"If I'm making fried chicken and somebody says, 'I got some chocolate for you,'" Sharpe said. "What the hell? Yeah, I like chocolate but what the f*** that have to?"

The FS1 commentator immediately caught himself ... and said, "Oops, sorry!"

He then joked, "You got me up here cursing, Skip," before finishing his thought, "Why would I need chocolate to go with fried chicken?"

Sharpe eventually continued making his point to Bayless ... and both men agreed the Clippers were better off before they added Russ to their team.

Of course, this isn't the first time the guys have used some PG-13 language on the show ... Skip recently accused Mavericks star Luka Dončić of "bitching" about foul calls.

Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet blasted NBA referees Wednesday night ... calling some of them "d***s" who are trying to "f*** the game up."

VanVleet received a technical foul -- his eighth of the season -- from NBA ref Ben Taylor with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter against the Clippers ... and the point guard was clearly pissed about the tech when speaking with reporters in his postgame news conference.

"I don't mind, I'll take a fine, I don't really care," VanVleet said. "I thought Ben Taylor was f***ing terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there's one or two that just f*** the game up. It's been like that a couple of games in a row."

He continued ... "[Losing to] Denver was tough, obviously. You come out tonight, competing pretty hard, and I get a bulls*** tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game."

"Most of the refs are trying hard. I like a lot of the refs, they're trying hard, they're pretty fair, they communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be d***s and just kind of f*** the game up. And nobody's coming to see that s***. They come to see the players."

FVV said the reason the Raptors lost, 108-100, to the Clippers is that they got outplayed ... but he did say dealing with officials who appear to have beef with him makes it an uphill battle for his team.

"I think we're losing a little bit of the fabric of what the NBA is and was," VanVleet said. "It's been disappointing this season. You could look up most of my techs this year have been with Ben Taylor officiating. At a certain point, as a player, you feel it's personal."

"That's never a good place to be."

The L.A. Clippers' new arena isn't gonna be a dump -- but you can certainly take one there -- 'cause Steve Ballmer is hyped up about all the toilets being installed at his team's new $2 billion facility.

Ballmer -- the former CEO of Microsoft -- took the podium at the construction site on Tuesday ... and let Clippers fans know that going to the bathroom won't be an issue at the team's new home in Inglewood.

"1,160 toilets and urinals!!" Ballmer told the crowd. "Three times the NBA average number of toilets and urinals. We do not want people waiting in line. We want them back to their damn seats at the end of the half, before the game."

Ballmer was clearly fired up about Intuit Dome, set to open in 2024 ... and so were his players, led by superstars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.

Of course, the Clippers currently share Crypto.com Arena -- formerly known as Staples Center -- with the Los Angeles Lakers ... but will move to Intuit Dome for the 2024-2025 season after more than 20 years.

The Clips have been playing in the same city as the Lakers since 1984 ... but the two teams have only been playing in the same arena since 1999.

Ballmer and his players -- dressed in construction vests and hard hats -- toured their new facility ... and were all smiles as they took team pics at the ceremony.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins says Ja Morant could miss more than two games as a result of his gun-flashing Instagram Live video over the weekend ... telling reporters there's no set timetable for his return.

Jenkins briefly talked about his superstar guard's controversial clip prior to Memphis' matchup with the Clippers on Sunday ... saying it's a "very tough moment, for sure."

Morant -- who apologized for the vid on Saturday -- said he was going to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Jenkins said he will not disclose details of private conversations held with Morant and the front office following the incident ... but voiced his support for the guard as he seeks help.

"We love him. We want what's best for him. We support him. It's going to be a difficult process, but we got a great group to get through this."

Coach added the focus is on getting Morant in a better place on and off the court ... and he hopes the All-Star can take accountability and understand the expectations the team has for him.

As for how long Morant will be away from the team, Jenkins said there is "not a definitive timeline."

LeBron James nearly lost his cool with a heckler on Tuesday night -- having to be held back from the man after the guy shouted insults at him, including one dig that featured a shot at the Lakers star's hairline.

The moment happened as the King and his squad were headed into the locker room at halftime of their game with the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena ... when a guy started going off on the L.A. forward.

"Hey Bron! Hey Bron!" the man said from his floor seat as the Lakers were down 77-54. "You better get this s*** together!"

The fan continued, "With that receding-ass hairline!"

LeBron turned quickly, appearing to want to go after the man, before security intervened.

"Look, he mad!" the heckler shouted as LeBron was being ushered away from the scene. "Look at him! You sick!"

It's unclear if the fan faced any punishment over the interaction.

The trolling, while clearly annoying, didn't stop James from going off ... he scored 46 points in the contest with the Clips, making him the only NBA player to score 40-plus against every team in the league.

Clipper Darrell was welcomed back to Crypto.com Arena with open arms on Tuesday ... as the L.A. Clippers and AEG showered their iconic superfan with gifts, champagne and some awesome tickets!

CD -- real name Darrell Bailey -- got the red carpet treatment in his second game back since he was knocked out by an arena security guard during an L.A. game on Dec. 12 ... and you can see in pics and videos, obtained by TMZ Sports, he had a blast in his return.

Darrell got to hang out with ex-NFL star Terrell Owens and actor Joe Torry -- after being hooked up with a bunch of goodies in the bowels of the arena.

Darrell, who also attended Sunday's Clippers game against the Atlanta Hawks, had a big smile on his face, appearing to have some courtside seats for the contest too!

And, as icing on the cake, the Clippers even treated Clipper Darrel to a big win ... as they rolled over the Dallas Mavericks, 113-101.

Of course, the scene was very different at the Clippers vs. Celtics game last month ... when a Crypto.com Arena staffer knocked out the superfan with a big punch following a dispute.