Los Angeles Lakers

Don't let the success of the Clippers fool you ... Andrew Bynum knows Los Angeles is still a Lakers town ... that's why he wants to play for them next season.

Bynum -- who is currently a free agent after a disastrous season in Cleveland and Indiana -- was at LAX on Tuesday when our photog broached the idea of returning to Los Angeles.

You might think Bynum would want to take what's left of his talents to Lob City ... but he says he'd prefer to wear purple and gold.

Bynum's best seasons were in Los Angeles ... in fact, he's barely played in the two seasons since he was traded for Dwight Howard.

Magic Johnson would NEVER, EVER steal the Clippers ... hell no ... because if he WAS gonna steal a franchise, Magic tells us he'd go after the Lakers instead!!!

Magic just called into "TMZ Live" -- and shot down Donald Sterling's allegations that Magic concocted a diabolical scheme to take over the L.A. Clippers after the racist audio surfaced.

"If I'm gonna set somebody up," Magic said ... "It won't be to buy the Clippers, that's for sure. It'll be to buy the Lakers!"

Of course, Magic says he's not a crook or a thief and would NEVER do anything underhanded like steal a team ... but IF he did, he'd aim WAY higher than the Red and Blue.

So much for V. Stiviano's claims she was NEVER Donald Sterling's girlfriend ... her own court documents say she was a prop to show off the Clippers owner's "sexual prowess."

TMZ broke the story, Stiviano has been denying she was ever Sterling's girlfriend -- telling people she was simply his "archivist" for years and things never progressed beyond work-related interactions.

But Stiviano says the opposite in new court docs -- claiming she's been Sterling's sexy sidepiece for 4 years, much to the mortification of Sterling's wife Shelly.

The documents -- filed this month in connection with Shelly's lawsuit against V. claiming she duped Donald into showering her with more than $2 mil in gifts -- say the relationship between V. and Donald was "neither [a] hidden, closeted, nor a clandestine 'affair' at any time," adding it was "open notorious, obvious and long standing."

The woman scolded by Donald Sterling for publicly associating with African Americans was arrested for DUI ... with a black celeb in the passenger seat ... TMZ Sports has learned.

V. Stiviano was arrested in 2012 for drunk driving in Los Angeles. Her passenger was Brandon Mychal Smith ... who starred in Disney's "Sonny with a Chance."

Stiviano was driving the red Ferrari that Sterling gave her and which is now the subject of a lawsuit where Shelly Sterling claims V. deceived the old man into giving her more than $2 mil in gifts.

Coincidentally ... today is the day she has to prove to a court she did her community service.

Stiviano pled no contest to reckless driving and was put on 3 years probation ... which means she's still on the hook.

1:56 PM PT -- Nick says the crooks took roughly $100k worth of stuff from the home ... and at Lakers practice today he told the media, "They got me, man. They stoles my Yeezys, too."

Burglars struck the L.A. home of Lakers star Nick Young last night ... WHILE THE LAKERS WERE PLAYING ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement confirms ... cops are investigating at the home Nick is renting in L.A.

Sources tell us ... Nick came home after defeating the Orlando Magic at Staples Center around 11pm and noticed an upstairs window was broken.

We're told the scumbag (or scumbags) ransacked the master bedroom -- taking several expensive items ... including Louboutin shoes, jewelry, clothes, Louis Vuitton luggage and more.

Our sources say they believe the crooks were so bold, they walked right out the front door ... which was unlocked when Nick got to his home.

Forget Shady Pines, when Steve Nash retires ... he'll be in the lap of luxury -- 'cause the L.A. Lakers star just dropped $4.8 million on a Manhattan Beach pad ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Our real estate sources tell us ... Nash had been on the hunt for a permanent home on the West Coast -- somewhere he could settle down after his NBA career. Then he found a 4,175 square foot gem just 2 blocks from the sand.

Problem is ... it's super ugly and outdated.

Solution is ... we're told Nash is gonna knock the whole thing down and build his dream house.

We're told the place was originally listed for $5 million ... but Nash was able to get the price down to $4.8 mil with an all-cash offer. Strong.

Sources tell us Nash already has a builder in mind and wants to get to work ASAP.

Samuel L. Jackson isn't the kind of guy who beats around the bush -- so when we asked if he thinks Kobe Bryant will ever win another NBA title, the guy was as brutally honest as it gets.

But don't crawl into a ball just yet Laker fans, there is a silver lining ... according to Sam, there's still a way for the Mamba to fetch another ring ... but it won't be due to his performance ON the court.

B-Real is no Aaron Paul -- telling TMZ Sports he REFUSES to give up on his Lakers ... even though they were the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

The Cypress Hill rapper is a huge fan of the purp and gold ... and says a true fan should stick with their team through the good times and the bad (right now, it's really bad) ... unlike Paul who gave up on the Broncos the day after the Super Bowl.

He also tells us why he thinks it's GOOD that Kobe's hangin' em up for the rest of the season.

The $4 MILLION apology ring Kobe Bryant gave to Vanessa screwed things up for cheaters everywhere ... so says Marlon Wayans who says Kobe set the price of forgiveness way too damn high.

Marlon dished out the knowledge after we asked if Robin Thicke's apparent flower offensive would help the singer win back his wife after she broke things off.

"Robin's trying to bring it back to simplicity," Marlon said ... "Kobe changed the game."

"How is any man that f**ks up ... and we all f**k up ... how am I gonna compete with that?!"

For the record, Kobe didn't just splurge on a ring ... he also gave Vanessa 3 MANSIONS!

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is adjusting pretty well to life in L.A. ... crushing it on the court -- and also at the nightclubs ... and TMZ Sports has the video proof.

We spotted Davis leaving DBA nightclub last night ... with (at least) THREE hot chicks in tow.

After they got in his waiting SUV, a bunch of other chicks flocked to Glen's ride ... like skeezer moths to a rich and famous flame.

Aside from chick wranglin', Davis also talked basketball -- telling us his L.A. Clipppers are gonna win the NBA championship.

Dear Ty Lawson,

We get it. The Lakers are terrible. First, they lost to the Clippers on Thursday by a whopping 48. Then last night in Denver, you made Lakers guard Jodie Meeks FALL DOWN ON HIS ASS with an ill crossover dribble.

The video above (which was posted by the NBA's official account) shows the move from every angle imaginable.

This isn't the first time you clowned the boys in purple in gold. Last year you

to our cameras after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles.

For Sale: Vlade Divac's beach house in L.A's Pacific Palisades. The retired NBA star is asking $3.25 million for the home.

Here are some of the highlights.

-- 5 bedrooms ... to flop in.
-- a wine cellar ... to flop in.
-- yoga room ... to flop in.
-- walk-in closets ... to flop in.
-- outdoor dining area with ocean view ... to flop on.
-- 4.5 bathrooms ... to poop in.

Divac -- who reportedly made more than $93 million during his career -- bought the place back in 2003, but according to Realtor.com, he had offered it as a rental for $13k-per-month.

The home is expected to draw as many offers as Vlade did fouls. #flopjokes.

THIS. IS. FUNNY!!!!

'Memba when Nets player Andray Blatche was shuttin' down that big-assed woman in Bev Hills last week?? Well, Lakers star Nick Young sure does ... and last night, he REENACTED the whole scene.

Young was out in front of the Roosevelt Hotel when he brought up the TMZ Sports video featuring a drunken Blatche trying to duck a thirsty jock-chaser like his life depended on it.

So, in an obvious tribute to his former Washington Wizards teammate ... Young and a friend acted out the moment right in the street -- it's pretty damn hilarious.

Ya gotta watch the clip.

There's a major sports star who's trying to get the rights to call himself the "Black Mamba" -- only it's not Kobe Bryant, it's Floyd Mayweather's uncle ... who's been using the nickname for decades.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Roger Mayweather -- a former boxing champ turned trainer -- filed a trademark application with the U.S.P.T.O. hoping to win the rights to the mark, "Roger 'Black Mamba' Mayweather."

FYI -- Roger says he gave himself the nickname years ago after watching a nature show about reptiles.

According to official documents, Roger is in the final stages of locking down the trademark ... which he intends to use to brand his boxing empire (personal training, coaching, etc).

But get this ... when researching the trademark claims on "Black Mamba," we couldn't find any evidence showing Kobe has ever tried to trademark the name for himself.

We did find applications for condom brands, carbonated drinks, male enhancement products, spinal implants, cigars and more ... but nothing from Bryant.

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!!!

It was full KOBE-MANIA at an L.A. mall yesterday ... when the Black Mamba arrived to promote his new Nike Kobe 9 Elite shoe and the entire shopping center ERUPTED!!!!!!

Thousands of people packed the joint at the Westfield Culver City mall on Saturday to get a glimpse of Kobe ... and after giving him one hell of a welcoming cheer, they showered the guy in a thunderous "MVP" chant.

Even Kobe was impressed ... at one point saying, "This is a lot of love."

You've heard the stories about Kobe Bryant and his legendary chopper ... but former Lakers player Devin Ebanks tells TMZ Sports he NEVER saw the Mamba helicopter to practice once!!!!

Ebanks -- who spent 3 seasons with the Lake Show -- was at LAX this weekend when he dropped the bombshell ... telling us the helicopter stories are more urban legend than fact.

Guess this means Kobe was must have had to slum it to practice in one of his pedestrian cars ... like his Ferrari, Bentley or Lamborghini.

#RichPeopleProblems