Los Angeles Lakers

When Kim Kardashian first arrived to Cedars-Sinai to deliver her baby, she didn't get the fancy celebrity suite she had hoped for 'cause they were all in use ... and one of the VIP occupants was Dwight Howard's newest baby mama, TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the births tell us ... before Kim went into labor, she had made arrangements to stay in one of the fancy suites at the L.A. hospital. But the baby came 5 weeks early, and the fancy suites were all booked. So Kim was placed in another unit.

But while Kim was laid out in bed, Kanye roamed the maternity ward ... and bumped into NBA superstar Dwight Howard, whose lady was giving birth to his child.

FYI -- Dwight's a seasoned vet when it comes to the maternity ward ... he's reportedly fathered 3 other kids (with 3 different women).

We're told Kanye and Dwight got along great ... with Yeezy giving Howard a preview of his new album "Yeezus."

As for Kim ... we're told she's finally out of the hospital -- and mother and the baby are shacked up in a private location.

When the Heat and the Spurs went into OT during last night's dramatic Game 6 of the NBA Finals ... Dwight Howard was busy eating dinner -- telling TMZ he didn't have the stomach to watch.

Howard hit up Crustacean in Beverly Hills last night -- at the very same time LeBron and Co. were taking on Tony Parker and the rest of San Antonio.

Sources inside the restaurant tell us ... The L.A. Lakers star (at least for now) was nowhere near the TV during the game ... and focused on dinner with his buddies the entire time.

On his way out of the restaurant, Dwight explained why he chose not to watch -- telling us, "I'm not watching ... I'm not playing so ain't no need to be [watching]."

He added, "I don't want to see nobody win a championship."

It's the stuff that caused a war between Kobe Bryant and his parents -- a collection of the NBA star's tacky jewelry, shoes and jerseys -- and now it's officially up for auction.

A diamond-encrusted NBA Championship ring complete with the words "Bling Bling" engraved on the side ... prototypes of Kobe's shoes ... Bryant's high school jersey -- it's all up for sale.

As we previously reported, Kobe sued his mom to prevent her from selling the memorabilia ... claiming she had no ownership rights to the merchandise.

But Pamela Bryant -- along with her husband Jellybean -- fought back ... claiming Kobe had gifted the stuff to them over the years and they had every right to sell it.

Last week, the two sides hammered out a settlement agreement ... in which Kobe allowed his folks to sell off 10% of what they had originally tried to auction ... and the items are pretty interesting.

Los Angeles Lakers executive Johnny Buss -- oldest son of deceased Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- has filed for divorce from his wife, who happens to be an ex-Clippers dancer, TMZ has learned.

Johnny -- who's currently the V.P. of Strategic Development for the Lake Show -- filed divorce docs in L.A. County Superior Court ... seeking to end his marriage to Christy Curtis Buss ... a marriage that began in 1991.

Here's the weird part ... in the court docs, obtained by TMZ, Buss states that he and Christy separated back in 2000 ... which means they've been split up for 13 YEARS!

Apparently, Johnny finally felt like cutting the cord ... because he filed the docs himself on June 11, 2013. It's unclear why he waited so long. They have no minor children.

In the docs, Buss blames the split on irreconcilable differences ... but checked the box that acknowledges he'll have to pony up spousal support.

Kobe Bryant has ended his legal war with his mother ... settling the lawsuit over his basketball memorabilia.

As TMZ reported ... Kobe went after his mother for trying to auction off jerseys, rings, trophies and scores of other items. Pamela Bryant claimed her son gave her the stuff, but Kobe claimed she was full of it and she was just pissed because he wouldn't buy her an expensive house in Vegas.

Now Pamela and Kobe's dad agreed to issue a letter of apology to the Lakers' star, according to ESPN. In return Kobe agreed to let Pamela sell off just under 10% of the items.

So the legal issue is now resolved. As for family relations, we're guessing that's a whole other Oprah.

Bryant's parents released a statement that reads, "We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia. We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in this matter and thank them for their assistance."

L.A. Lakers star Steve Nash just won a victory in his custody war with his ex, but it's small potatoes compared to what's ultimately at stake.

A judge in the case just ruled ... Steve's live-in girlfriend, Brittany Richardson, is allowed to accompany the 3 kids without Steve from L.A. to Arizona and back. Steve's ex, Alejandra Nash, had objected to Brittany taking charge of the kids on grounds she wasn't a family member.

The judge ruled ... Brittany was as much a family member as the nanny, who is allowed to care for the children.

There's a bigger issue on the line. Both Steve and Alejandra are waiting for the judge to rule on whether she can move from Phoenix to L.A. Steve has objected ... he says because L.A. is a lousy place to raise kids. Alejandra scoffs at Steve's objection, saying it's a smoke screen and the real reason he doesn't want her to move is because a California judge would nail him with child support.

The judge is expected to rule any day.

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 ...