Los Angeles Lakers

Steve Nash's latest injury setback might be the death knell of his NBA career, so says former roundball stud Sidney Wicks, who tells TMZ Sports it's OVER for the Lakers point guard.

Wicks was at LAX when our camera guy asked him what every purple and gold fanatic wants to know ... will the 40-year-old Nash ever lace 'em again after suffering yet another injury to his ailing back?

This vid might be tough to watch if you love you some Nasty Nash -- Sidney who played with the Blazers, Celtics, and Clippers thinks Nash's next team might be the one Sidney is currently on, the old guys squad.

ESPN done messed up by dissing Kobe Bryant ... and they're gonna regret it ... so says Pat Riley.

TMZ Sports spoke with the NBA legend out in Malibu this week -- and Riley made it clear, the Mamba will have his revenge on the network for ranking him #40 on the list of the best players in the league.

Of course, Kobe took issue with the ranking himself -- calling ESPN a "bunch of idiots."

BONUS -- We also asked Riley about the key to maintaining his legendary hair ... and dude dished out some tips.

L.A. Lakers star Nick Young is finally stepping in to the war between his GF Iggy Azalea and Snoop -- calling the rapper a loser who's going through a "midlife crisis."

Snoop has been tormenting Iggy for days -- first making fun of the way she looks without makeup .... then comparing her to Marlon Wayans in "White Chicks."

Iggy fired back -- tweeting at Snoop that she didn't understand why he was being so mean to her. She also posted a pic comparing him to a "drugged out" old woman."

Snoop responded to that ... with a video in which he called Iggy a b*tch and a *c**t" -- and warned her "n**ger" to keep her in check.

Finally, Young decided enough was enough -- and joined the fight on Twitter ... writing, "Ain't nobody worried about no SnoopLion .. This dude Just goin thru a midlife Crisis."

He added, "You Go get convertible yet . OG's out here losin."

Young also posted another tweet seemingly directed at Snoop -- saying, " These old heads turnin into sucka's."

Iggy Azalea was standing by her man Monday ... even when he couldn't ... escorting Lakers star Nick Young out of a medical building following surgery on his thumb.

Besides his GF, Nick's parents were also there as he was wheeled into a waiting ride in L.A. -- after undergoing surgery to repair the torn radial collateral ligament in his right thumb.

Despite the fact he'll be out for 8 weeks, we're told Young was still smiling on his way out of the surgical center ... possibly because he'll still be raking in paychecks from his new 4-year $21 million contract.

That'll make ya feel better.

The ex-girlfriend of L.A. Lakers player Jordan Hill has dropped her lawsuit against the 27-year-old -- after claiming he beat the crap out of her back in 2012 -- and all signs point to a settlement ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Hill was charged with felony assault -- and ultimately pled no contest -- after his ex Darlene Luna claimed he punched and choked her during an argument in their Houston apartment back in Feb. '12.

Hill got a one-year deferred sentence and a $500 fine in exchange for his 'no contest' plea -- but Luna lawyered up with Gloria Allred and sought big money in a civil suit.

Now, we've learned Luna has officially DROPPED her lawsuit -- with prejudice -- which means she can never refile against Hill for the incident ever again ... usually a telltale sign of a settlement.

We reached out to Allred and asked about a possible settlement -- to which she replied, "The matter has been amicably resolved."

Los Angeles Lakers star Nick Young is a huge friend of his GF's ass ... and so is Jennifer Lopez ... 'cause J.Lo and Iggy Azalea are twerking ALL OVER EACH OTHER in a new video that just hit the 'net.

Lopez just released her new video for "Booty ft. Iggy Azalea" ... and really it's just an excuse for the two badonkalicious women to show off their backsides.

There's booty shakin ... booty slappin' ... booty twerkin ... booty on booty action.

It's insane.

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!