Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers star Metta World Peace went out on a limb -- making a bold prediction on who will win the NBA Finals ... and then the limb snapped when he tried to spell his pick.

We'll tell you this much ... Metta's riding with the San Antonio Spurs to take down LeBron James and the Miami Heat -- but you gotta hear how he spells it.

He might have been joking, but then again ...

Crazy week for celebrities ... and speaking of crazy, we gotta ask ...

5:20 PM -- Both sides have rested their case, which is now in the hands of the judge. We're told a ruling could take up to 60 days.

4:30 PM -- Nash just finished his turn on the stand ... saying his ex-wife has been making it EXTREMELY difficult to see his kids in Phoenix ... so it makes NO SENSE that she wants to move to L.A. so they can see him more often.

Nash said he sees the kids in Arizona at LEAST as much as would in L.A. ... and maintained that her only motivation for moving is so California courts can nail him for child support -- which he says would really only support her lavish taste.

“A major reason we divorced was her incessant spending, social climbing, materialism,” he said.

Nash testified about several occasions when Alejandra made it difficult for him to see 8-year-old twin girls Lola and Bella, and 2-year-old son Matteo Joel … including a Christmas homestand, when Nash wanted his girlfriend to escort the kids on a flight to L.A.

“She had none of that,” Nash said.

Nash said he can totally afford child support ... he just doesn't want it to ruin his kids: “I don’t want my high-privileged lifestyle ... to be an artificial environment.”

Steve Nash -- who plays for the LOS ANGELES Lakers -- just trashed L.A. in open court ... claiming the City of Angels is NO PLACE to raise a family.

Nash slammed L.A. on the stand in his legal war with ex-wife Alejandra ... saying point blank, "I don't want my kids to grow up in L.A."

Steve Nash is NOT trying to weasel out of paying child support to his ex-wife ... this according to Nash's attorney who tells TMZ accusations to the contrary are "absolute nonsense."

Nash and his lawyer Robert Schwartz just strolled back into a Maricopa County courtroom in AZ ... where they're set to do battle with Steve's ex-wife Alejandra for the 2nd day in their nasty child support war.

As we previously reported, Alejandra believes the Lakers star is trying to block her from moving with their 3 kids from PHX to L.A. because Steve doesn't want to pay child support. As we reported, Nash is not paying child support in Arizona, but if his wife and kids move to California a judge would likely make a significant dent in Nash's wallet.

On his way into court, Steve didn't want to talk about the allegation -- but his lawyer did ... saying, "That is absolute nonsense and it's not accurate at all."

Alejandra arrived to court soon after.

We're told the judge is expected to deliver a ruling in the case by the end of the day.

Steve Nash's attorney is grilling the NBA star's ex-wife like a cheeseburger ... accusing Alejandra of scheming behind Steve's back so she could trap him into paying child support, TMZ has learned.

Alejandra Amarilla is currently on the stand in an Arizona courtroom in the former couple's nasty custody hearing ... and things are getting pretty intense.

Moments ago, Steve's lawyer hammered Alejandra in open court -- saying, "You saw the trade [from the Phoenix Suns to the Lakers] as a way to obtain a higher child support amount regardless of what was best for the kids, didn't you?"

Alejandra denied the allegation -- shooting back with a simple, "No."

Then, Nash's attorney produced an email that Alejandra supposedly sent to a 3rd party -- in which it appears Alejandra discusses a plot to trap Nash into paying child support.

The email reads -- "My position is we are moving to California because [our children's] father is there. I believe the school is a great fit for them. I can't buy a home unless we get child support. Plan is to move to CA. Wait 6 months then get court involved in child support."

As we previously reported, Alejandra is adamant she only wants to move to L.A. so the kids can spend more time with their father -- who plays for the Lakers and lives in Manhattan Beach.

Steve Nash was in a surprisingly good mood this afternoon on his way into court -- where his ex-wife is currently fighting him tooth and nail to move their kids to L.A. ... and squeeze him for tons of child support.

We asked Steve a bunch of questions on his way back from lunch -- like why he really doesn't want his kids to move to L.A. ... and whether he can elaborate on his refusal to retire from basketball. He responds to one of them. Check the clip.

TMZ broke the story ... Alejandra Nash filed court papers last week, asking a judge to lift a restraining order Steve had obtained against her ... blocking her from moving their 3 kids to L.A.

Alejandra believes Nash wants her to stay put in Phoenix because it's a lot easier to obtain child support in California ... and Steve doesn't want to pay up.

For his part, Steve has said he wants Alejandra to stay in Phoenix in case he's traded or forced to retire ... so the family isn't uprooted a second time.

39-year-old Steve Nash swore under penalty of perjury ... the Los Angeles Lakers star has no plans to hang up his jersey and retire from basketball, TMZ has learned.

The revelation ironically came in the middle of a legal war he's having with his ex-wife over her plans to move with their kids from Arizona to California.

Steve is trying to block the move ... his ex believes it's because Nash fears a California judge would nail him for child support.

Steve is on the stand right now ... and that's where he revealed he plans to stick around the NBA for a while. In fact, Steve said he has more than a year left on the lease for his sweet pad in Manhattan Beach, the city that a bunch of the Lakers call home.

Steve Nash is making a full-court press to block his ex-wife from moving from Phoenix to L.A. with their 3 kids so he can avoid paying child support ... this according to court docs filed by his ex.

Nash and his ex Alejandra are locked in a legal battle royale over where she's allowed to move. Alejandra wants to relocate from Phoenix to L.A. ... so the kids can be closer to Steve. But the b-baller has vigorously tried to block the move, which is curious because he famously chose the Lakers over the New York Knicks to be closer to the youngins.

Alejandra says Nash has told her he didn't want her to move out West because he might be traded or forced into retirement ... which would mean uprooting the family again.

But Alejandra says Nash is simply blowing smoke -- and that the REAL reason he wants her to stay put in PHX is because California courts are likely to impose huge child support obligations against him -- something the Phoenix courts have not done.

Alejandra claims Steve is not paying a cent in child support ... zip, zero, zilch ... and he doesn't want to blow a good thing.

Alejandra says Steve's admitted that living so far from the kids is tough on him and them ... and it would be better for everyone if they could spend more time together ... but his desire to save a few bucks on child support is trumping his obligation to his family.

Atlanta Hawks player Dahntay Jones says he feels REALLLY bad about injuring Kobe Bryant's ankle right before the NBA playoffs ... but he's adamant, he didn't do it on purpose!

Jones was at LAX yesterday when he told TMZ ... even though it's only been 2 months since the controversial play, he doesn't hold a grudge against people like Ice Cube -- who called him a dirty cheater days after the play.

"I apologize once again," DJ told us ... "I wish you a speedy recovery, Kobe."

Forgive him yet?

Kobe Bryant's parents have turned their backs on their son -- claiming Kobe was LYING when he accused his mother of stealing more than a million dollars worth of his basketball memorabilia ... and putting it up for auction, TMZ has learned.

Kobe's mom and dad -- Pamela and Joe -- both filed sworn declarations in the legal dispute between Kobe and Goldin Auctions, the auction house planning to sell off the valuable stuff ... insisting Kobe willingly gave his mother the items in question ... and it's her right to sell them.

According to Kobe's dad, Kobe gave his mother the memorabilia over the years, telling her, "Here mom, these are for you." Kobe's mom insists she never took anything from him without permission.

Even Kobe's grandma has filed a declaration in support of Pamela.

Kobe's sister Sharia Washington, on the other hand, filed a declaration claiming their mother has been conspiring to sell Kobe's stuff for years ... telling her the family could profit greatly from Kobe's stardom.

He wants to stop Goldin from selling the items and to have them returned to him. A judge has blocked the auction, but only for now.

So we gotta ask ...

A judge just gave Kobe Bryant a reprieve from his mother's attempt to sell his memorabilia ... by shutting down the sale ... at least for now.

TMZ has learned a judge issued a temporary restraining order against Goldin Auctions, prohibiting them from selling Kobe's jerseys, championship rings, trophies, and lots of other stuff until a full hearing can be held next Monday.

Kobe Bryant has fired off a lawsuit of his own over more than a million bucks worth of memorabilia ... claiming his own mother stole some of the stuff right from his home.

TMZ previously reported ... Kobe's mom, Pamela Bryant, has given an auction house 100 items from Kobe's basketball career from grade school on -- including jerseys, championship rings and trophies and lots of other stuff.

Pamela told the auction house the stuff was hers and got a $450,000 advance. Kobe told the auction house the stuff was his, so the auction house sued Kobe and asked a judge to rule they had the right to sell the memorabilia.

Now Kobe has countersued the auction house, claiming Pamela stole some of the items from his home and refuses to return many other items that Kobe left at her house when he grew up and left.

TMZ broke the story ... Kobe has given Pamela millions of dollars as well as homes and cars, but the two began feuding after he offered to buy her a house in Vegas but she wanted a more expensive one and he refused.

Kobe is asking a judge to shut down the auction and order the return of the items to him.

Pamela has taken all the stuff to an auction house, claiming he gave it all to her, and she got a $450,000 advance which she says she's using to buy a house in Nevada. Kobe contacted the auction house and said they had no right to sell any of the items because they belong to him.

Sources connected with the Bryant family tell TMZ ... the dispute between mother and son erupted over real estate. We're told Kobe offered to buy his parents a "nice house" in Vegas for significantly less than a million bucks, but they wanted something bigger and more extravagant and Kobe drew a line in the sand and refused to up the ante.

Our sources say Pamela was infuriated and believed Kobe was shortchanging them, especially compared to what he does for Vanessa's mom, Sofia Laine. Kobe put Sofia up in a $3.2 million house in Newport Beach, CA, which sold recently. After the sale, Kobe moved Sofia to another multi-million dollar mansion nearby.

From Kobe's perspective, our sources say he's really upset because he believes he's stepped up for years, by giving his parents millions of dollars and buying them homes and cars.

This feud has been brewing for years ... dating back to when Kobe's parents went ballistic when he married Vanessa without a prenup.

Magic Johnson has just been swatted ... but this one is RADICALLY different from all the others ... because the LAPD is clearly hip to the prank now ... TMZ has learned.

Someone placed the electronic 911 call within the last hour ... claiming multiple shots were fired at Magic's L.A. home. We're also told the caller claimed the shooters were holding someone hostage.

As for the LAPD's response ... it was anemic compared to prior 911 incidents. We're told only a few patrol cars responded. There were no choppers, no SWAT team, no guns-drawn maneuver.

Apparently the LAPD has now figured out the markers that distinguish swatting from the real deal.

Cops on scene quickly confirmed it was a prank.

Kobe Bryant is in a tooth-and-nail fight with his mother over some priceless basketball memorabilia, including his 1998 All Star ring.

Seems Kobe's mom, Pamela Bryant, made a deal with Goldin Auctions to sell hoards of Kobe's bball swag, including a 2000 All Star game signed ball, game and practice jerseys from his days at Lower Merion High School, a Lakers jacket and shorts, trophies, his varsity high school letters and lots of other stuff.

According to a lawsuit ... obtained by TMZ ... the auction house gave Pamela a $450,000 advance, which she says will be used immediately to buy a new home. According to the lawsuit, Pamela told the auction house Kobe gave her all the stuff outright 5 years ago.

But Kobe has beef, claiming he's the owner of the stuff and he's trying to block the auction.

So a fearful Goldin Auctions has gone to court, naming Kobe as the defendant and asking a judge to declare Pamela the owner of the goods.

A judge has yet to rule.

​Not everyone in the NBA is thrilled about having a gay dude in the league -- in fact, there are definitely some "closed-minded" haters who are gonna have a hard time with Jason Collins ... so says NBA star Antawn Jamison.

The Los Angeles Lakers player was hangin' out in Beverly Hills today when we asked about Jason's big announcement ... and the 36-year-old veteran had a lot to say.

Antawn -- who's been in the league since 1998 -- told us he's glad Jason came out ... and he's happy the guy can "be who he really is."

But Antawn says not everyone feels the same way -- telling us, "Of course, you're going to have some closed-minded people, let's be realistic."

"That's life."