Los Angeles Lakers

Shaq didn't need to throw on a cape to become a hero and comfort a family that had just been involved in a scary car crash, because he had a different superhero outfit -- Broward County Sheriff's issue.

The NBA legend was on his way to give away turkeys in Florida on Thanksgiving when he and members of the Broward County Sheriff's Office witnessed a head-on collision. Shaq and the deputies rushed to their aid ... you can see him comforting the kids.

After cops handled the situation, they all continued on with their plan to hand out turkeys. BTW ... Shaq was on holiday duty. He recently became an "auxiliary deputy" for the Broward Sheriff's Office. See, even NBA Hall of Famers get stuck working the holidays when you're a newbie.

LeBron James is making his much-anticipated return to Cleveland on Wednesday ... and Lakers super fan Nipsey Hussle has a very important warning for Cavs fans:

DON'T YOU DARE BOO THE KING!!!

The atmosphere in Quicken Loans Arena was insane the first time LBJ returned to the Land in a Heat uniform back in 2010 ... with fans incessantly screaming ... and some even reportedly throwing batteries at the superstar.

Things should be completely different this time around ... considering the dude got the Cavs a ring and ended the painful 52-year championship drought.

The rap star says the King deserves to get treated like royalty ... but if some fans end up sending out the boo birds?? He says it won't faze LBJ.

"It's donuts to a fat b*tch ... Bron ain't trippin' on that s**t."

The Lakers are 9-7 and finally starting to gel. The Cavs are a dumpster fire (only 2 wins) and J.R. Smith just accused the team of tanking this week.

Shareef O'Neal might not be on the court at UCLA this year but he's still finding a way to give the rest of the PAC-12 fits ... 'cause he's getting in early on a BLUE-CHIP L.A recruit ... LeBron James Jr.

14-year-old Bronny hit the UCLA game Monday with his brother, Bryce, and the rest of the O'Neal kids -- including his current Crossroads schoolmate, Shaqir O'Neal.

The whole crew was there to support Shareef -- a member of the UCLA team who's sidelined this season due to a heart condition. As we previously reported, he'll be undergoing surgery next month.

The O'Neals and the James families are REALLY close ... so all of this could just be a fun night out, but you have to wonder if hanging around Westwood is gonna give the Bruins an inside track on Bronny for 2023.

We can't be sure about that, it's too early to tell ... but we are 100% sure about one thing.

These kids are growing like beanstalks, seriously. We have to know what Shaq, Shaunie, LeBron, and Savannah are feeding these children.

LeBron James couldn't help but think about his own boys after Trayvon Martin's death ... saying he realized that could've been one of his kids who was killed.

TMZ Sports has a first look of the final episode (airs Saturday at 9 PM) of his 3-part docu-series, "Shut Up and Dribble" ... which focuses on the impact NBA players have when it comes to social activism.

"I'm sitting there and I'm reading all these different articles," James says, "I'm seeing all these different play-by-play. I'm seeing all these different stuff of what happened, what didn't happen, what could have happened to prevent this ... and I just started to think about my boys, my sons."

LBJ has two sons -- Bronny (14) and Bryce (11) -- and one daughter, Zhuri (4) -- and has talked about the impact Martin's death has had on raising his kids.

Carmelo Anthony ain't gonna have an easy time finding a new squad after the Rockets boot him to the curb ... so says Byron Scott.

Don't get the ex-NBA coach wrong ... he likes Melo and thinks he can still shoot it -- but, he tells TMZ Sports, the market for the 10-time All-Star after he moves on from Houston will be wafer-thin.

"It's gonna be hard, man," Scott says.

Byron's biggest issues with Melo? He says the dude can't fit in with teams looking to rebuild with younger players -- and he can't fit in with squads that get up and down the floor.

So, Scott says the only possible landing spots for the future Hall of Famer are with veteran, half-court teams ... or nowhere else.

BTW ... we also asked Scott about the Lakers and the job Luke Walton is doin' -- and he says everyone just needs to be patient when it comes to LeBron's first year in Hollywood.

But ... we had to ask -- would he consider linking up with his ex-Lakers teammate, Magic Johnson, and coaching L.A. if Walton falters??

Kevin Durant's mom tells TMZ Sports she loves LeBron James and Magic Johnson, which can only mean one thing ...

Wanda Durant loves LeBron and Magic. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Of course, Lakers fans are gonna love this clip ... K.D. is a free agent this summer and some are hoping he'll end up with the King in L.A.

We asked Wanda if she thought the 2 superstars will link up and wreck the West together ... and SHE DOES NOT SAY NO.

"My son has been in the NBA now for 11 years, so he's wise enough to make the decision that's best for him. I trust that."

There's more Laker love in the clip too ... Wanda gushes about Magic and his wife, Cookie -- which could be a whole lotta nothin' ... but, could also be a whole lotta somethin'.

There you have it. K.D.'s free agency mystery solved. You're welcome.

Don't start the championship parade planning in L.A. yet ... Magic Johnson tells TMZ Sports SLOW YOUR ROLL on crowning the Lakers!!!

"It's still early," the LakeShow honcho says.

Of course ... Magic is one of very few people feelin' that way in L.A. -- 'cause the Lakers have won 5 of their last 6 and 3 in a row ... including a Sunday night thriller over the Hawks.

But, MJ -- just a couple days after not exactly giving Luke Walton the strongest vote of confidence -- clearly needs to see more before he gets all fired up.

BTW ... how did Magic leave Staples Center after the game Sunday?

Hours after bailing on his New Year's Eve fight in Japan, Floyd Mayweather didn't go into hiding ... he went to the Lakers game!

Earlier in the day, Mayweather put out a bizarre statement saying he was duped into participating in a press conference for RIZIN 14 where he was billed as the main event in a fight against kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.

Floyd was clowned by stars like 50 Cent and others who were baffled by Mayweather's claim that he didn't agree to participate in the fight he was promoting.

But, was he embarrassed? Apparently not, because there he was in the front row at Staples Center on Wednesday night ... along with a ton of HUGE stars like Miles Teller, Denzel Washington, Larsa Pippen, Todd Gurley, LaVar Ball and his high school basketball-playing son, LaMelo.

But, one fan deserves her own paragraph ... and that's Emily Ratajkowski, who proudly cheered on her "boo" LeBron James while looking absolutely incredible in the process.

Obviously, LBJ loves his wife ... but having a cheerleader like EmRata proves it's great to be the king.

Luke Walton is in no danger of losing his Lakers job and there shouldn't even be a conversation about it either ... so says Metta World Peace.

The ex-NBA superstar went to bat for the L.A. coach outside of Catch -- telling TMZ Sports Lakers Nation just needs to be patient.

"I think they're fine. I think it's just basketball. Yeah, it's basketball."

Translation ... it's 10 games into the season, give the man some time!!!

As for LeBron James' lukewarm start in Hollywood ... Metta says The King will be a MUCH better player in just a few weeks -- so chill out with all that talk too!

"You got a preseason form, a midseason form, then you have playoff form. And, he's in beginning-of-the-season form. He's about to be in midseason form soon."

Dennis Rodman's going to bat for Luke Walton -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Lakers coach is doing a "very, very good job" ... but he's being treated unfairly by the organization.

"I mean, it's a sad situation," Rodman said ... "I think Luke Walton's been doing a very, very good job with the team."

The Lakers are 4-6 and Magic Johnson essentially said Luke's job is safe (for now). So, what's so unfair about the situation? Here's what he said. See if you speak Rodman ...

"I think now, all of a sudden, with a 'higher power' coming to the Lakers, called LeBron, all of a sudden now things are changing. And, his hands are tied right now."

We think Dennis means Luke isn't really free to call the shots as long as LeBron is on the team. He's basically gotta do whatever Bron wants.

There's more ... Rodman also says Luke's gotta deal with some of the young guys on the team who thought they were gonna be stars in Los Angeles until LeBron came along.

"He's taking all that limelight away from these young kids now ... It's like, the kids gotta f**king grow up."

Dennis isn't just trying to dish out advice to the Lakers -- he strongly believes people battling addiction issues can learn a lot from his agent Darren Prince, whose new book details his own struggle.

The Lakers got smoked by the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night -- and LeBron James didn't exactly play great -- but he was still in the mood to party afterward.

TMZ Sports spotted James on the way into Diddy's 49th birthday party at Ysabel in West Hollywood ... where he celebrated with the likes of LLCOOLJ, Kourtney Kardashian, Usher, Mary J Blige and Kid Capri.

James pulled up with his wife, Savannah, in his $340k Rolls Royce but made it clear he didn't wanna talk basketball.

Here's why ... Bron and the Lakers lost to the Raptors 121 to 107 ... and LeBron only put up 18 points (he didn't even play the 4th quarter).

In the locker room, Bron told reporters it felt like the team got "hit in the mouth" and they didn't have a response.

Too bad, because there were a TON of big stars who came out to see the Lakers at Staples Center including Denzel Washington, Odell Beckham, Brian Ortega, Canelo Alvarez, Chris Bosh and more.

Lakers don't play again until Wednesday ... so, why not go out and party?

They're rivals on the court now ... but LeBron James HAD to take a second to congratulate Derrick Rose on his huge game Wednesday, saying, "So extremely HAPPY AND PROUD of you bro!!!"

D. Rose turned back the clock on Halloween ... droppin' a career-high 50 points in Minnesota's win over the Jazz -- and LBJ couldn't have been happier when he saw the news after his Lakers game.

"I seen it first hand how much you worked and dedicated on your body, craft, mind, etc etc just to play 1 game at a time!" LBJ wrote.

"Perseverance is a mutha and this is the ABSOLUTE perfect definition of it!! Salute Bro! #DRoseforPresident"

Of course ... Rose -- who was a role player on LeBron's Cavs squad last season -- was the league's MVP back in 2011, but injuries and inconsistent play led many to call his career dead years ago.

That's why NBA stars ... from Dwyane Wade to Stephen Curry to Vince Carter ... all took to social media to congratulate D. Rose on the epic night.

Even Baron Davis glowed about the 30-year-old when we got him out in L.A., saying, "He's been humbly doing it for a while so it's good to see him have that game that put him back in everybody's conversation."

Josh Hart has ZERO CHILL ... 'cause when the Lakers stud found Moritz Wagner's 2018 Michigan runner-up ring -- HE CLOWNED THE HELL OUTTA HIS L.A. TEAMMATE!!

It's actually pretty hilarious ... the ring does look like something outta a gumball machine rather than a celebration of nearly winning the NCAA Tournament -- and Hart couldn't believe it.

"This weak-ass ring!" he yelled at Mo ... "Thing weak as hell!!"

Hart continued ... noting the lack of shine in the diamonds, saying, "They fake as hell! This is what happens when you a runner-up. This what you get!"

To his credit ... Wagner took it pretty well -- though he did beg pretty hard for Hart to stop the initial clown down from happening.

The Lakers are about to hit the reset button and blow up the entire roster -- and it'll be LeBron James who decides which players get to stay in L.A. ... so says Jalen Rose.

Sure, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka technically make the roster moves, but it's obvious keeping James happy is the #1 priority ... and probably the road to a winning team.

Rose says the guys on the current roster are basically auditioning to stay in Purple & Gold -- and right now it looks like Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are the only ones who appear safe.

So, where does that leave Lonzo Ball?

"I love Lonzo. He got game. But, they're taking the ball out of his hands," Rose explained ... "I'm rooting for him."

Translation -- Lonzo needs to get used to playing a style of basketball that he's never played before ... one where he doesn't have the basketball.

For the rest of the roster, Rose gives this advice:

Kobe Bryant's just been made an ambassador for the new 2019 hoops World Cup ... and he's got a message for his home country heading into the big tourney.

"DON'T F*** THIS UP!"

No pressure ...

The FIBA World Cup is a brand new, 32-team tournament set to go down next August and September in China ... and Kobe's new role is to help promote the event globally.

Bryant kicked that off with a video Tuesday ... callin' out Brazil, Spain, Australia, France and China to show him what they got.

But, the Lakers legend made sure to let the Stars and Stripes know they better win the damn thing (Team USA's roster has yet to be picked ... but they've been warned.)

FYI ... Yao Ming was the first ambassador for the event -- and he'll help with the draw for the tournament on March 16 in Shenzhen.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are bad without LeBron James -- like, 0-wins bad -- but that's not such a terrible thing if you're a fan looking to score a REALLY cheap ticket last minute.

The Cavs squared off with the Brooklyn Nets in Cleveland Wednesday. Neither franchise has high hopes for the season, but it's still early, and the contest was only Cleveland's second at home.

However, in looking at Flash Seats -- the ticket sale and resale service launched by Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert -- you'd think the team was 0-60.

Nosebleed seats were reselling for as little as $2 an hour and a half before tip-off.

Granted, the seats suck ... but when a ticket goes for less than a bottle of water in your arena, there are some major issues.