Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Breathe that in. Digest it. Because that's the world we live in right now ... according to the Mayor of Los Angeles.

We spoke with Eric Garcetti -- who's a DIE-HARD Lakers fan -- but even EG knows things ain't going so well in Lakerville right now.

It's downright bad ... the Lakers have no coach. The team sucked this past season. Magic Johnson quit. They haven't made the playoffs in 6 years.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are doing GREAT -- they shocked the world by getting into the playoffs this year and they're set up to be able to sign two MAX-CONTRACT free agents to the squad next season.

There's talk they could even land Kawhi Leonard -- which would be a game changer in Clipperland.

So, in 2019 ... with LeBron James wearing Purple and Gold -- the Mayor of Los Angeles says we're living in a Clippers town.

Lamar Odom is still a Laker at heart -- telling TMZ Sports he REALLY wants to see his old team return to greatness ... and feels Kyrie Irving could be the guy to make it happen.

Odom clearly feels Irving is still a force in the NBA -- despite a poor showing with the Celtics in the playoffs.

On the way out of the Fashion Nova event in Hollywood, LO told us a reunion with LeBron James could be the spark that gets Kyrie going again.

Odom also thinks the Lakers should make a run at Anthony Davis -- but that seems unlikely based on the attempted trade drama that went down during the regular season.

As for Kyrie, the guy is immensely talented -- but seemed off during the Celtics playoff series vs. the Milwaukee Bucks ... he just didn't look like himself.

So, could Odom be right? It's a long offseason and Kyrie is clearly unhappy in Boston.

Remember, Kyrie and LeBron weren't always like peas and carrots either -- they won a title together in Cleveland before Irving made it clear he wanted out.

Irving and LeBron later squashed the beef and seem to be cool now.

LaVar Ball is NOT folding the Big Baller Brand -- in fact, it's the opposite -- he's expanding BBB with plans to make it bigger than ever, TMZ Sports has learned.

LaVar has had some big problems with BBB recently -- claiming cofounder Alan Foster stole a FORTUNE from the company and his son, Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo was so pissed he sued Foster for more than $2 mil and later covered up the BBB tattoo on his arm ... which many people considered a death blow to the brand. In the wake of the chaos, the BBB website was also taken down.

But now, we've learned LaVar is in the process of building a new BBB team with plans to get back into the sportswear game and expand into other markets as well. He's already made some key hires.

Our sources tell us LaVar and his team are currently working on a battle plan and hope to get everything up and running again very soon.

LaVar launched Big Baller Brand back in 2017 -- selling ZO2 sneakers for a whopping $495 per pair. A bunch of influential celebs snatched up the shoes including Jay-Z who bought 3 pair.

The deal isn't officially done ... but seems Ty Lue ain't worried about jinxing his shot at the Lakers head coaching job -- at least judging by his Lakers-themed birthday cake.

Lue -- the reported frontrunner to replace Luke Walton -- celebrated his 42nd birthday at a fancy Las Vegas restaurant over the weekend.

We're told Lue rented out the entire restaurant and celebrated with his closest friends and family -- less than 10 people at the party.

But, the biggest moment of the night was the cake -- which sported a giant Lakers logo and a basketball hoop ... along with the message, "Happy Birthday Coach."

Ty laughed when the cake was brought out -- but we're told he never really said anything to dispute the insinuation he's gonna be the next coach of the Lakers.

So, either his pals were just trying to get a laugh ... or they all know something that hasn't "officially" been reported yet.

We'd ask what he wished for when he blew out the candles ... but it seems his wish may have already come true.

Lue last coached for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- but he was fired back in Oct. 2018 after an 0-6 start.

But, the buzz is that LeBron James is pushing the Lakers to hire Lue -- because they get along really well.

Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss, listen up ... Lamar Odom says you've already interviewed the PERFECT candidate to replace Luke Walton -- JUWAN HOWARD!!!

Of course, Pelinka and Buss have been searching for a replacement for Walton since they canned him at the end of the season ... and they've already interviewed a few people for the gig.

Guys like Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd are reportedly the favorites ... but L.O. thinks the Lakers should scrap 'em both in favor of Howard, and he told us why.

"Somebody that has some presence. Somebody that can handle having LeBron on your team."

Howard's name has definitely been floated around as a name for the Lakers top job ... he was a teammate of LeBron and coached him while he was with the Miami Heat.

So, let's be real for a second, the Lakers are almost certainly gonna hire Ty Lue ... BUT don't discount what Odom is saying, there might be an 11th-hour surprise.

If the whole "basketball God" thing never happened for LeBron James, he could've earned his way as a real-deal professional boxer ... and if you don't believe it, just ask Canelo Alvarez!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the boxing superstar about partnering with King James for a docuseries leading up to his big fight with Daniel Jacobs ... and he says it's an incredible honor to work together.

So, how would Bron have fared if he took his talents to the ring instead of the court?

"He has the height, the body, the physique. But, an athlete of this level -- like ourselves -- I think we can do other sports fairly well."

Just for fun, here's the tale of the tape pitting LeBron James against heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder ...

We also had to flip the question on Canelo to ask what sport he'd like to dominate if he didn't become a boxer ... and you'll want to hear what he says!!!

As for the fight with Jacobs on DAZN this weekend, Canelo says he's feeling good leading up to the huge event on Saturday.

More proof LeBron James is a lifetime member of the #GetBetterGang (shout-out Stephen Jackson) 'cause here's video of the King getting a little shooting practice in at his son's hoops game.

Bronny had a run this weekend at the Elite Youth Basketball League in Atlanta, and during a little down time in the action, his pops took the opportunity to get some shots up.

The L.A. Lakers star drained two shots (not exactly NBA range), all while the players were off the court. BTW, we also got video of LeBron rebounding while the kids shot around ... dude's a team player.

As for Bronny, a hoops superstar himself ... he had a very special guest in attendance to watch him hoop ... Duke's Mike Krzyzewski was in the building.

The Sacramento Kings have teamed up with NBA officials to launch a joint investigation into the Luke Walton sexual assault allegations.

Both the Kings and the NBA have hired their own teams of investigators -- which are already working together to look into the accusations made by sports reporter Kelli Tennant.

Tennant claims Walton -- now the head coach of the Kings -- sexually assaulted her in a hotel room back in 2014, when Walton was an asst. coach with the Golden State Warriors.

The two women leading the Kings investigation are Sue Ann Van Dermyden and Jennifer Doughty -- who both have extensive experience conducting investigations.

As for the NBA side, they've tapped NBA Senior VP Elizabeth Maringer -- who previously served 12 years as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The Kings and the NBA issued a statement saying they "take these allegations very seriously and will collaborate to conduct a complete and thorough investigation."

As we previously reported ... Walton adamantly DENIES assaulting Tennant and claims she's an "opportunist" looking for a quick buck.

Tennant held a press conference earlier this week emotionally recounting her version of the incident -- saying she thought Walton was going to rape her that day.

Bill Laimbeer wants to hand Michael Jordan one more "L" ... 'cause the NBA legend says LeBron James is the greatest of all time "every day of the week!!!"

Bill knows what it's like to beat MJ -- the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons defeated the Chicago Bulls on their way to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990 ... and he had his fair share of tense moments with Jordan.

But, Laimbeer ain't saying this because he's still got a grudge against MJ ... telling Fox Sports Radio's "The Odd Couple" his reasoning behind his choice.

"[LeBron] came into the league involving his teammates from the start, at 18 years old," Laimbeer says.

"He understood how to play team basketball, both offensively and defensively, from day one. Jordan had to learn that."

"No one has single-handedly done what LeBron's done," he added ... noting LBJ has taken some awful teams to the NBA Finals (we're looking at you, 2007 Cavs).

As for how LBJ would fare in Laimbeer's era ... the dude is not backing down, saying straight-up, "If he was in our generation, he would've been by far the greatest that you've saw in your entire, whole world."

LeBron James is firing back at a report he's beefing with the L.A. Lakers -- saying it's "NOT TRUE" -- and he can prove it.

Bron was working out Wednesday morning when he saw an ESPN report by Dave McMenamin about how Lakers have a lot of work to do to "repair the relationship" with James.

Of course, there's been a lot of drama in Lakerville ... the season was a disaster, Magic stepped down, Luke Walton's gone and nobody knows who's gonna fill the head coach position.

But, is the relationship between LeBron and the Lakers really fractured?

"THAT. IS. NOT. TRUE," LeBron said on Instagram ... "It's not true at all!"

He added, "It's just not!"

LeBron also pointed out that while he saw the report, he was working out at the Lakers facility -- "I'm actually at the Lakers facility right now ... HAHAHAHA!"

There you have it. LeBron James loves the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luke Walton's attorney was clearly watching Kelli Tennant spell out her case against the NBA coach on Tuesday -- and his takeaway is simple ... YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE!

"Yesterday's press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement," attorney Mark Baute tells TMZ Sports.

"These claims are false and Luke’s innocence will be proven in court."

"[Tennant's] lawyers want to create a public circus to distract from their complete lack of evidence to support their outrageous claims. We will not try this case in the media or pay them a dime."

Tennant and her attorneys held a press conference on Tuesday -- where she fought back tears as she walked reporters through her sexual assault claim against Walton.

Tennant claims Walton pinned her down and forcibly kissed her in his hotel room during a 2014 encounter. She claims she repeatedly told Walton to stop and fought to escape.

During the press conference, TMZ Sports asked Tennant and her attorneys if they had any hard evidence -- injury photos, video, etc. -- and they essentially said no.

Clearly, Walton's team picked up on that -- and feel Tennant's case has no legs.

Walton has previously denied the allegations and said the accuser is nothing more than an "opportunist."

When Tennant and her lawyers were asked why she never went to police, she claimed she was too scared to come forward.

They also said their goal is not to put Walton behind bars -- but rather win a civil lawsuit against the NBA star. However, they did not mention a specific financial sum they're looking for.

4:57 PM PT -- We asked if there was any video or photo evidence to help prove Tennant's case, and her attorney essentially told us no.

4:53 PM PT -- When asked what they want to get out of the case, Tennant's attorney says they have no particular sum in mind.

4:49 PM PT -- Tennant says she did not go to law enforcement because she feared it would jeopardize her career.

Tennant's attorney says they do not intend to file a police report because they do not want to put Walton in jail.

4:43 PM PT -- Tennant says she didn't come forward at first because, "I was scared."

"I was scared for my job, my safety and what my job would be like."

She claims she's spent years trying to move past the incident and "bury it" -- but she couldn't. She says she finally mustered up the courage to tell her story.

4:40 PM PT -- Kelli Tennant got emotional while telling her story ... recounting how she felt Walton was "going to rape her" during the hotel encounter.

Tennant says she begged Walton like crazy to let her go but he ignored her pleas ... until finally giving up and letting her out of the hotel room.

"This type of behavior cannot be condoned," Tennant said.

4:33 PM PT -- Kelli says the alleged sexual assault took place in 2014, when she was 25-years-old.

Her attorney says she was uncomfortable coming forward back then but she's comfortable now.

Kelli says she met Luke Walton about 10 years ago through the volleyball community.

The woman accusing Luke Walton of sexual assault will speak with the media at 4:30 PM PT ... and TMZ Sports will be live streaming the whole thing.

Kelli Tennant and her attorney, Garo Mardirossian, will hold a press conference at his office in Los Angeles, they announced. They are both planning to speak.

Mardirossian has just issued a pre-press conference statement saying, "By way of this lawsuit, Ms. Tennant is speaking out and saying #timesup to the culture of abusing women in the NBA."

We broke the story ... Tennant -- a longtime sports reporter -- claims Walton sexually assaulted her in a Santa Monica hotel room while he was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Walton has lawyered up and adamantly denied the allegations -- with his attorney attacking the accuser as an "opportunist."

There are TONS of unanswered questions ... what was the date of the attack? Is there any photo of video evidence? Witnesses? Etc.

7:15 PM PT -- The Sacramento Kings tell TMZ Sports, "We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time."

Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton is being sued for sexually assaulting a female sports reporter who claims he forced himself on her in his hotel room ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kelli Tennant claims while Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, he asked her to come and meet him at the Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica to drop off a book she had published.

FYI, Walton worked for the Warriors until April 2016, when he left to become the head coach of the Lakers.

In her suit, Tennant -- who worked as a reporter for Spectrum SportsNet and SportsNet LA -- says the 2 had a business relationship that went back several years and that's why she had asked him to write the foreword in her book.

Tennant claims when she arrived at Walton's hotel, he convinced her to come up to his room so they could "catch up." But when they got to his room, Walton suddenly pinned her to the bed, placing his hips and legs over her body.

In the docs, Tennant claims Walton began forcing kisses on her neck, face and chest. She claims she screamed for him to stop and tried to free herself, but he held her down, groped her breasts and groin, and rubbed his erection on her leg.

Tennant claims she was "in shock and fear. She was afraid she was about to be raped," the suit states.

Tennant claims Walton eventually relented and let her get up from the bed, but as she was walking toward the door to leave, he grabbed her from behind and again forced his body up against hers.

Tennant claims when Walton finally stopped and released her -- he walked her out of the room as if nothing had happened.

"He smiled, laughed again and made the disturbing statement, 'Good to see you,'" Tennant claims in her suit.

Tennant claims she did not initially report Walton's conduct but was forced to continually interact with him because of her job. She says each time she saw him, Walton would make implied threats of additional physical threats through his conduct -- imposing himself on her with big hugs or a kiss, even though she thought she made it clear his advances were unwanted.

In the suit, Tennant claims in May 2017 -- while Walton was the head coach of the Lakers -- there was an incident when Walton greeted her by uttering "vulgar, guttural sounds at her" and said, "mmmm ... you're killing me in that dress."

She says Walton also forced an aggressive hug on her and rubbed his body against hers.

It's unclear, based on the docs, what finally prompted Tennant to come forward with her allegations.

Luke recently left his position as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and is now coaching the Sacramento Kings.

Our camera guys spotted Luke and his wife Bre leaving dinner at Avra in Beverly Hills over the weekend, but they weren't in the mood to talk. Unclear if he knew Tennant was planning to file her lawsuit at the time.

We reached out to Walton's reps for comment ... so far, no word back.

*WARNING -- GAME OF THRONES SPOILER AHEAD!*

Arya Stark finally got her freak on in "Game of Thrones" Sunday night ... and while a lot of people were shocked to watch the scene unfold, Josh Hart says she deserves her PROPS!!

"Get it how you live, shorty!!"

Remember, the whole point of the scene is Arya thinks she could die in the Battle of Winterfell and she doesn't want to go out as a virgin.

So, she tracks down Gendry (hot guy) and bangs it out. Good times!

The scene was super controversial since nobody knows Arya's age (are there consent laws in Westeros?) ... and people flooded to Wikipedia to make sure the actress, Maisie Williams, is over 18.

Don't worry, she is.

Hart is a hardcore 'Thrones' fan -- so, we asked for his take ... and he seemed PROUD of the youngest Stark girl, supporting her decision to go out and get what she wants.

Magic Johnson has no regrets over how he resigned from the Los Angeles Lakers because he says he's still doing what he's always done ... trying to help them win.

The Lakers icon and former team president was out in Beverly Hills Saturday afternoon when we asked if he would have done anything differently now that he's had time to mull it over ... he says no way.

As you'll recall ... Magic took some heat for blindsiding everyone with his announcement -- including owner Jeanie Buss -- citing the fact he wasn't having fun running the team as his reason.

Seems like he's in good spirits now, and he tells TMZ Sports it's because he's still heavily involved with the Lakers ... basically like he's still got the job. He even says he still talks to Buss daily about team business.

Magic also says his Lakers love is unquestioned and will never waiver ... and the same goes for LeBron James. Check it out -- Magic still has a master plan for getting L.A. back to championship form with James, too.

It's been 5 years since the NBA forced Donald Sterling to sell the L.A. Clippers -- but the billionaire tells TMZ Sports he's STILL a fan of his former team and rooting for them in the playoffs.

Remember, Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life on April 29, 2014 over racist comments recorded by V. Stiviano and published on TMZ.

The league forced Sterling to sell the team -- which he did a few months later for the whopping price of $2 BILLION.

Sterling has since moved on with his life -- but when we spotted him in Beverly Hills, we had to know if he's still following the Clippers, and rooting for them in the playoffs.

"Of course," the 84-year-old billionaire told us on his way out of Nate'n Al ... "And, I wish them the best!"

We also asked Sterling how he felt about Magic Johnson stepping down as the President of the Lakers -- and that's when Sterling looked up and gave a devious smirk.

It's Sterling's previous comments about Magic that led to his own demise -- when he told V. Stiviano he didn't want her bringing black people to Clippers games, including Magic Johnson.

Weeks after we published the recordings, Sterling went on CNN to attack Magic again -- calling him an unfit role model for children because "he's got AIDS."

Johnson fired back at the time -- saying Sterling was an ignorant old man who's still living in the stone ages.