Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant is setting the record straight on that old footage of his 1-on-1 game with Beyonce's dad ... saying he totally CRUSHED the guy ... and didn't let him score another basket!!

The 20-year-old footage surfaced last week ... showing Kobe and Mathew Knowles playing a quick pickup game on the set of Destiny's Child's "Bug a Boo" video shoot ... with MK scoring an easy layup on the Laker legend.

Mamba is finally addressing the highlight ... making it clear that even though the move was nice, he LET Knowles score ... and then he started playing forreal.

In natural Kobe fashion, Bryant wants people to know he ended up coming out on top ... even if the footage makes it look like he lost to a dude who didn't play a lick in the NBA (although Knowles hooped in college).

Kobe cops to trash-talkin' with Knowles ... and says agreed to hoop with Mathew after he mentioned playing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

We also talked to Knowles about the viral footage ... and he wants another shot at Kobe, saying he'll "kick your ass" again!!

What do ya got going on, KB?? Let's make the rematch happen!!!

**WARNING -- VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

Snoop Dogg is already counting the Clippers out of the playoffs -- saying they SUCK -- and they'll never be as good as the Lakers.

The rap legend went OFF after the Clips got destroyed by the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night -- saying the series is a wrap already ... even though L.A. is only down 2-1.

"So what y'all made the playoffs, n**** , y'all ain't doing nothing," Snoop said ... "Same ol' Clippers."

Snoop is a hardcore Lakers fan -- and even though the Lake Show didn't make the playoffs, he still thinks it's WORSE to be a Clipper.

"Y'all still our little brothers, n****! Clippers gonna always be our little brothers ... No banners. No flags. Nothing!"

On the flip side, the Lakers have 16 championships and 31 conference titles ... plus, they've retired jerseys of some of the greatest players in NBA history -- from Magic to Kobe.

Another huge move for LeBron James ... not the basketball player, the Hollywood mogul.

James -- through his media brand, Uninterrupted -- is launching a new show for DAZN called "40 Days" ... a docuseries which will follow top boxers as they prepare for major prize fights.

In fact, the first episode will follow Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs as they gear up for their May 4 fight in Las Vegas. Part 1 of the series is scheduled to premiere on April 23.

Canelo's participation is really no surprise considering he recently signed a $365 MILLION contract with DAZN.

We're told LeBron and his business partner, Maverick Carter, are executive producing the Canelo episodes -- in association with DAZN and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

"These documentaries will shine a light on the 3-dimensional aspect of who these athletes are outside of the ring and empower them to tell their own stories as they prepare for some of the biggest moments in their boxing careers," Maverick Carter said in a statement.

De La Hoya has also weighed in ... saying, "This is excellent for the sport as it will provide the kind of unique lens that only LeBron James and Maverick Carter can bring. At the same time, there’s no better way for them to start this partnership than by featuring the most important boxing event of the year, so Golden Boy is proud to be a part of it."

Forget The Big Shaqtus ... just call him Shaqiana now -- 'cause Shaquille O'Neal hit the Bust Down dance -- and kinda crushed it!!

Okay, it wasn't all that great ... but dude is 7'1", 324 pounds -- so give it up for him!!!

It appears the impromptu Blueface nod went down just off the set of Shaq's ultra-popular "NBA on TNT" show Monday night ... where O'Neal broke it down for a few people in the office (one of whom had a cell phone, thank god).

There was a dramatic buildup ... some hip thrusting ... and even a little butterfly dance. It was great.

There were some tense moments -- Shaq did try to drop things a little too low and seemed to tweak his groin. But don't worry, he's gonna be okay!!!

It's just the latest awesome feat that O'Neal's provided us on set ... 'memba when the 46-year-old threw down a monster dunk a couple of weeks ago?!?

Seems Lonzo Ball may have had a change of heart about the Big Baller Brand boycott -- because he's rocking his signature ZO2 slides again ... even after covering his BBB tattoo.

The L.A. Lakers star wasn't talking when we spotted him at LAX on Monday -- but he made a pretty big statement with his footwear ... the famous $200 Big Baller Brand slides.

Remember, Lonzo's manager, Darren Moore, called for a boycott of all BBB products -- after learning BBB co-founder Alan Foster allegedly stole $1.5 million from Lonzo.

Moore was upset, he started the hashtag #DumpUrMech -- and filmed himself throwing his ZO2 in the garbage. In the following days, Lonzo covered up the BBB tattoo on his arm.

Lonzo's dad, LaVar Ball, has since stated the brand is not dead -- and claims his family is sticking together through the drama.

As of this post, the BBB website is down -- so, it seems they're no longer selling expensive shoes and slides.

There were rumblings Lonzo is on the hunt for a new shoe endorsement deal -- but now that he's back in BBB's, we're wondering if he's interested in salvaging the family brand.

The Luke Walton era in Los Angeles is over -- he's out as the Lakers head coach ... but both sides are saying it was a "mutual" decision.

So, not fired???

"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

“We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward.”

Walton also issued a statement saying, "I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers."

"This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”

The Lakers were 98-148 under Walton -- who was hired in April 2016. This season, after adding LeBron James, the Lakers finished with an abysmal 37-45 ... 10th place in the Western Conference.

Back in February, we spoke with Luke about the situation with the Lakers and he told us he LOVED being the head coach.

So, who's next for L.A.? There are reports Ty Lue could take over -- reuniting LeBron James with his old coach from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There are also rumblings Luke is the frontrunner to be the next head coach of the Sacramento Kings, which just fired their head coach Thursday.

It's been a wild week for the Lakers -- with Magic Johnson surprisingly stepping down as the President of Basketball Operations on Tuesday ... minutes before the Lakers played their final game of the season.

Magic insisted he just wasn't happy in the role -- and wanted to be free to tweet about NBA topics and players without being fined by the league.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says the team is actively looking for Magic's replacement.

Mathew Knowles says he BALLED UP Kobe Bryant when they faced off in some 1-on-1 twenty years ago ... and he'll gladly kick Kobe's ass again if Mamba wants to run it back!!!

We spoke with Beyonce's dad after he unearthed video from the set of the Destiny's Child "Bug A Boo" video -- where he took on Kobe while wearing dress pants, dress shoes and a Polo shirt.

Mathew actually got a bucket on Kobe -- and Knowles says it was ALL SKILL, BABY!!!

"He was talking a lot of trash," Mathew says ... joking that Kobe was trying to show out to impress all of the beautiful women on the set that day.

But, Knowles says he's a former basketball player himself -- played at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga -- and shocked Kobe with his hoop skills.

The best part ... Mathew says he's still in shape, still got skills and would WRECK Kobe if Mamba wanted a rematch.

"I told you I can play some ball! 20 years later, I could still take Kobe to the hoop!"

"Kobe, I just want to let you know bruh, I think you are one of the greatest -- if not the greatest basketball player ever."

LeBron James says he's INCREDIBLY PROUD of stats showing the students at his "I Promise" school in Akron are making tremendous gains in statewide testing ... just 1 year after it opened.

There are only 240 students in the inaugural 3rd and 4th grade classes at the Akron school -- but numbers obtained by the NY Times show test scores in math and reading were up BIG after the first year.

In reading, the 3rd and 4th graders had initially scored in the lowest percentile -- the 1%.

But, after a year, when the students took the district-wide exams, the 3rd graders JUMPED to the 9th percentile and the 4th graders moved to the 16th!

Take a second and reflect on that -- those are HUGE gains.

And that's not all ... when it came to math, the 3rd graders jumped from the 1% to the 18th percentile -- and 4th graders moved from the 2% to the 30th!!!!

When asked about the incredible improvements, LeBron told the Times, "These kids are doing an unbelievable job, better than we all expected."

He added, "When we first started, people knew I was opening a school for kids. Now people are going to really understand the lack of education they had before they came to our school."

"People are going to finally understand what goes on behind our doors."

So, what does go on behind their doors?

Besides access to teachers and materials, the school also provides clothing and snacks to families that need it ... which is partially funded by LeBron's foundation.

Michael Rapaport has a message for Jeanie Buss -- "Stop running the Lakers like it's a mom and pop donut shop!"

Rap was leaving The Improv in Hollywood on Thursday when he went off about what's WRONG with the Lake Show ... and it's clear, he thinks the problem starts at the top.

"Here's the point about the Lakers," Rapaport said ... "Jeanie Buss, everybody loves you. I love you. I've met you, you've been nothing but nice to me. Stop running the Lakers like it's a mom and pop donut shop."

"It's not a little shoe store down in Downtown in L.A. It's big business. You gotta hire a killer. You gotta hire some kick ass people."

Jeanie took over the Lakers in 2013 after the death of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss -- who originally purchased the team back in 1979.

Since she became President of the team during the 2013-14 season, the Lakers have not posted a winning record.

Rap also says Jeanie also needs to let LeBron run things while he's under contract with the team -- "Let The King run the show. Give him 3 years to do what he wants to do."

"He made Magic Johnson cry!!! Magic Johnson was crying the other day!! We all know who made him cry."

Bottom line ... "Jeanie Buss, it's not a family business. It's a basketball team. Get some killers in there!"

Mr. Wonderful ain't exactly shy when it comes to his opinion ... and the "Shark Tank" star just let Magic Johnson know why the NBA legend done MESSED UP by quitting the Lakers.

Kevin O'Leary wasn't disrespectful -- in fact, he likes Magic a lot -- but he thinks the guy made a huge mistake Tuesday night by suddenly stepping down as Pres. of Basketball Operations.

"He made a decision which I think was the wrong one," Kev told us on his way out of ABC Studios in NYC.

"The Lakers are in chaos. The opportunity is to stay onboard during chaos and fix it ... and I think he should have done that."

O'Leary -- who's also close with Mavs owner Mark Cuban -- believes LeBron James played a role in Magic's decision to leave.

"I'm speculating like everybody else is ... but [Magic] probably had a disagreement between a very influential player and other management."

Ultimately, Kevin thinks the breakup is as nasty as they come -- comparing the split to a marriage falling apart.

Magic Johnson has ZERO regrets after leaving the Lakers -- in fact, he's super happy about his decision ... so says his wife Cookie Johnson.

Just 24 hours after Magic shockingly stepped down as the team's President of Basketball Operations, Cookie and E.J. Johnson hit up Mr. Chow on Wednesday -- where they looked pretty relieved.

"Just know that [Magic Johnson] is happy and we're happy for him," Cookie told us on the way out of the restaurant ... "No regrets."

So, what's Magic gonna do with all of the free time he's gonna have? Put more work in with the Dodgers?

Rick Fox says Magic Johnson's decision to leave the Lakers was a complete shock -- but if the NBA legend was truly unhappy, stepping down was the right move.

"I just feel for Magic," Fox tells TMZ Sports ... "I saw the emotion and I saw the love he has for this organization and the difficulty that decision was for him."

"We all care about him and we all care about the organization."

Fox says Lakers fans should keep their heads up -- saying, "Things always get worse before they get better."

Magic surprised EVERYONE when he announced Tuesday evening he'd be leaving his role as President of Basketball Operations ... but Rick tells us it would have been a "disservice" for Johnson to stay on if he lost his passion for the job.

Forget the terrible season -- or the fact Magic Johnson had just quit -- LeBron James and his Lakers teammates decided to party Tuesday night anyway ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

LeBron -- along with teammates Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee and more -- hit up Tao Restaurant in Los Angeles where Sheck Wes performed after the Lakers game.

Lonzo Ball was also at the event ... which was a launch party for the new "Twenty" app.

Of course, the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the evening -- ending one of the worst seasons in Lakers history. Before the game, Magic Johnson QUIT as Lakers President of Basketball Operations.

During a bizarre impromptu meeting with reporters, Johnson essentially said he wasn't having fun being a team exec -- and wanted to go back to being a "free bird" who can't be "handcuffed."

He also mentioned that he wanted to be able to tweet about NBA players and topics without being fined by the league.

Magic Johnson just dropped a bombshell before the Lakers play their final game of the season ... announcing he's stepping down as the team's president of basketball operations.

Magic held court with reporters before the Lakers took on the Portland Trailblazers, and in a stunning move he revealed he's walking away from the role he held for 2 years.

The decision totally blindsided everyone ... Magic says he hasn't even informed Lakers owner Jeanie Buss that he's stepping away from the team.

As for why he's stepping down from his influential role ... Magic says he wasn't having fun running the Lakers, and he was happier before he took the job.

LeBron James should walk into Magic Johnson's office and FIGHT for Luke Walton to stay as Lakers coach ... so says Damon Stoudamire, who tells TMZ Sports Luke deserves more time in L.A.

"LeBron, go in there and fight for my man," the ex-Trailblazers superstar says ... "He needs more time."

Of course, it's widely believed Walton's days as head man of the Lake Show are numbered ... 'cause nearly every insider believes he's going to get canned after this season.

In fact, there were some in the NBA world who were surprised to see Walton make it this long ... 'cause his Lakers are 10th in the West and have a 37-44 record.

But, Stoudamire -- who's friends with Luke and actually coached with the guy in Memphis -- says Walton just needs a little more time to right the ship.

"I think Luke deserves a couple more years ... Luke knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing."

Giannis Antetokounmpo wants no part of a role in LeBron James' "Space Jam 2" ... saying he'd rather focus on basketball than his movie career.

"I don't like being Hollywood," Antetokounmpo told ESPN ... "I don't like all this extra drama. I am just going to try to be me."

Of course, LBJ is working on a sequel to the ultra-popular Michael Jordan flick ... and getting NBA studs for an on-screen battle with the Monstars is pretty necessary for the new movie.

But, Bron's reportedly having trouble locking up top-tier NBA talent for the roles ... and now, he'll have to move forward without the Greek Freak, one of the best players in the league.

According to ESPN, Giannis says he ain't down to give up 2 weeks of his summer training to join up with LBJ on the silver screen.

Which begs the question ... who will step up for Bron?

We know he's tight with Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul -- but those guys ain't exactly the young superstars taking over the NBA.

Guessing he's got names like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on his wish list.

Jordan had Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing in his version of "Space Jam" ... and if LBJ can't at least somewhat match that cast, ya know the criticism will be flyin'!!!