Los Angeles Lakers

Put your hands on Kobe Bryant ... he's gonna put a beatdown on you -- even if you're his coach.

During an interview with Jim Rome ... Kobe reacted to the infamous video of now-fired Rutgers coach Mike Rice getting physical with his players, saying if he was on that team ... "I woulda smacked the hell out of him. No question about it."

It's interesting since Kobe never played college hoops -- going straight from high school to the NBA -- but he points out that as an 18-year-old he didn't take crap from Shaquille O'Neal ... so why would he take it from a coach.

There is one person Kobe will let smack him around ... check out the clip.

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.

Magic Johnson has never talked about it before ... but he wanted to open up about his gay son and the implications that Earvin Johnson III's coming out will have in the black community, in the sports community and in their lives.

TMZ sat down with the NBA legend for an unbelievably candid interview -- we've divided the video into three parts:

1) How Magic went to his son around the age of 13 and asked, "Are you gay?" Magic explains why he felt the need to approach his kid and the importance of letting EJ know his whole family loved and supported him.

2) Magic tells us how he feels about some of the hateful reactions to EJ's coming out on African-American blogs and whether he's bitter, given his unparalleled support of the black community.

3) Magic talks about how his son's coming out could inspire professional athletes to follow suit. Harvey also asks Magic how, as the owner of the L.A. Dodgers, he would react to a player coming out.

You gotta watch Magic -- he's awesome and inspiring.

Kobe Bryant is awestruck by a former Lakers star who rivals him -- Magic Johnson ... telling TMZ Magic's support of his gay son is a lesson everyone, including pro athletes, should learn.

TMZ broke the story ... Magic and Cookie are 100% behind their son, EJ, who is openly gay. Kobe tells us ... "Of course Magic is supportive of and loves his son. Why should anyone be surprised?"

Kobe says, "What I can't tolerate is a lack of tolerance."

The strong implication -- tolerance is not just limited to parents and their kids, but to pro athletes whose teammates may soon come out of the closet.

In case you aren't reading between the lines -- given Kobe's stature, his statement could have a huge impact on athletes coming out.

Magic Johnson's 20-year-old son hit the Sunset Strip, hand in hand with his boyfriend ... and his parents couldn't be happier for their kid.

Earvin Johnson III -- aka EJ -- is one of Magic's 3 kids. The Lakers legend tells TMZ, "Cookie and I love EJ and support him in every way." Magic goes on, "We're very proud of him."

The feeling is mutual ... 'cause EJ told us he's been "hoping and praying" for his dad's team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, ever since Magic and his business partners took over the franchise.

He's also a huge Lakers fan ... obviously.

EJ -- who's a student at NYU -- has a close relationship with his parents. Back in August, Magic tweeted, "Thx to my son EJ for hosting me at NYU. Look forward to taking him to dinner tonight in the city."

L.A. Lakers legend Jerry West is a slam dunk for best dad ever ... dropping $1.3 mil on a condo for his 24-year-old son. No justice.

The 3,000-square-foot condo sits on a golf course in the exclusive MountainGate complex on L.A.'s Westside. And speaking of West and side ... the condo is 5 minutes from Jerry's estate.

The West kid will have 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, hardwood floors, high ceilings, spa tub, top-of-the-line finishes and golf course views. Homeowners dues -- $980 a month.

Delia, who's in her late 20s, says she knew all along ... Jerry, who died at 80, had multiple, young girlfriends. Jerry was famously a player in L.A., but Delia says she was his #1. Delia ungenerously added, "The others were just slutty arm candy."

Delia tells TMZ ... in addition to giving her the condo and the Bentley in his will, Jerry also left her a large amount of money, though she would not disclose the amount and how she got it -- through the will or otherwise.

Jerry Buss -- who owned the L.A. Lakers before he died -- has given a girlfriend many decades younger than him an awesome parting gift -- his Honolulu, Hawaii condo and his 2009 Bentley!

TMZ just obtained a copy of Jerry's will, and he leaves just about everything to his family trust. The trustee is Jerry's daughter, Jeanie Buss. According to the will, the estate is worth in excess of $5.5 million (although his assets obviously total way more than that).

Now ... as for the young woman. Her name is Delia Cortez. She lives in Hawaii. She's in her late 20s and was studying to become a vet.

Sources who were close to Jerry tell TMZ ... she and Jerry had an "intimate relationship." We also know Jerry had an eye for young ladies and got around.

As for the condo and the car ... Jerry amended his will in March, 2012 to include the gifts to Delia.

We finally found out why NBA superstar (and non-Jewish person) Steve Nash made an appearance at Bar Mitzvah in L.A. last weekend ... and it was all made possible thanks to one of the RICHEST men on the planet.

Turns out, the boy who became a man is 13-year-old Mike Feinberg -- and his daddy Jeff is a very wealthy person.

How wealthy, you ask? Well, Mr. Jeffrey Feinberg is a big-shot hedge fund manager who worked as an executive at Soros Fund Management -- as in, billionaire George Soros ... the wealthiest hedge fund manager in the world.

After a couple of years kicking ass and raking in billions for the hedge fund, Jeff branched off and ran his own investment company -- and it seems he did pretty well, 'cause back in 2009, he was reportedly in the hunt to buy a stake in the Brooklyn Nets.

Sources close to Feinberg tell us ... Jeff is a huge basketball fan with a TON of NBA friends -- including Mr. Nash.

Jeff's wife Stacey ain't exactly a nobody either ... she's the daughter of legendary sports agent Bob Woolf ... whose client list included Larry Bird, Doug Flutie, John Havlicek and even Larry King.

Kobe Bryant is right ... Atlanta Hawks player Dahntay Jones is a dirty cheater who knew what he was doing when he hurt the Black Mamba on the court last week ... at least according to Lakers superfan Ice Cube.

Cube -- decked out in Lakers gear -- was at LAX this weekend when we asked the rap legend about Kobe's claim that Jones cheap-shotted him during a fadeaway jumper last week ... causing Bryant to injure his ankle.

"It's kinda whack when you gotta cheat to win," Cube said ... saying, "But [Kobe's] a champ, he'll come back. That ankle will be strong."

Guess Kim Jong Un just isn't a Lakers fan ... 'cause Kobe Bryant claims he was NEVER approached by the North Korean dictator to come visit ... a la Dennis Rodman.

Bryant appeared on Jimmy Kimmel last night and talked about the missile crisis ... saying, "You know it’s a crazy world ... I mean, our President is a Chicago Bulls fan. Dennis obviously has great history with that and North Korea."

He added, "I mean, I think we are all just as shocked as everybody is here about that ... but it’s a weird world."

When asked if KJU ever reached out to him, Kobe replied, "No, I haven't heard anything yet."

And then came the zinger ... when Jimmy asked if Kobe would consider heading over to N. Korea if called upon.

Kobe: "Yeah, I would probably pass, I’d probably pass."
Jimmy: "Oh, for once you are passing!?"

Late L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss suffered from prostate cancer before ultimately succumbing to kidney failure ... this according to his death certificate.

According to the doc, Buss suffered from metastatic sarcomatoid prostate cancer in the 15 months leading to his death on February 18th. The cancer is listed as the second underlying cause of death.

It was widely reported that Dr. Buss was battling cancer before his death, but the cancer was never specified.

The immediate cause of death is listed as renal (kidney) failure, and the first underlying cause of death is listed as respiratory failure.

Buss was 80. He's survived by his 6 children.

Mark Cuban learned everything he knows about winning NBA championships from late Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- and he tells TMZ, he'll always remember Jerry for his priceless words of wisdom.

Mark -- who owns the Mavs -- told us, "Jerry Buss was the guy I looked up to in the NBA. When I got into the NBA he was the one guy who told me don't worry about what other people are saying. Just stay true to yourself. Believe in what you're doing and good things will happen."

He added, "The NBA will definitely miss him. I'll miss him."

Metta World Peace was roused out of bed early this morning when police responded to a report of 4 armed men in the basketball star's condo complex ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us LAPD got a call around midnight about 4 guys -- 3 with handguns and one with a shotgun -- lurking around the L.A. Laker's westside home.

We're told officers called out the suspects over a loudspeaker, and 2 men -- Metta's brother and cousin -- heard the commotion and came out to talk to cops.

Only problem is ... we're told they didn't have any ID, so police handcuffed both men until they could make sure they weren't suspects.

Sources say officers had to wake up Metta -- who quickly vouched for his brother and cousin, and both men were released. We're told Mr. World Peace was very "understanding and professional" ... naturally.

Eventually the "armed suspects" came out and proved to cops they were residents of the complex -- unrelated to Metta -- who were returning home with BB guns used while recording a video.

We're told the 4 men got off with a warning -- presumably about carrying weapons in public -- and possibly about unnecessarily alarming Lakers superstars ... who, let's face it, need all the rest they can get this season.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss was such a force in the high-stakes poker world ... the World Series of Poker wants to honor his memory by naming a championship tournament after him, TMZ has learned.

A rep for WSOP tells TMZ, "At the appropriate time, we will seek to ask the family to honor [Jerry's] legacy by possibly naming our WSOP Seven Card Stud Championship after him or awarding the victor a special perpetual trophy in his honor."

Buss has been a fixture in the high-stakes poker circuit for years -- placing high in several national tournaments since the 90s ... including 3rd at the 1991 WSOP 7-card stud event.

The WSOP rep adds, "We’re definitely going to miss seeing him ... Even when the Lakers were playing in the NBA Finals, you could often find Dr. Buss playing his favorite game -- Seven Card Stud -- at the World Series of Poker."

Buss died early this morning at an L.A. hospital following a battle with cancer. He was 80.

And to show you just how obsessed Buss was with poker -- here's a pic of the guy playing cards at a cheesy casino back in 2009 ... while the Lakers parade was taking place just 10 miles away.

Jerry Buss -- owner of the Los Angeles Lakers -- died early this morning at the age of 80.

Buss had been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. for the past few months due to a previously undisclosed intestinal problem ... though it was revealed yesterday he'd been battling cancer the entire time.

After starting his career as a chemist, Buss soon found his true calling in the real estate biz ... snapping up properties all over L.A. before moving on to the sporting world.

In 1979, Buss made history when he purchased the Lakers, the L.A. Kings and The Forum for $67.5 million -- at that time, the largest transaction in sports.

Under his ownership, Buss watched dozens of all-time greats -- including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant -- win the Lakers 10 NBA Championships. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Buss was also an avid poker player ... and appeared on several TV shows, including "High Stakes Poker" and "Poker After Dark."

He is survived by his six children.