Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James did his best Kobe impression Sunday ... in the air ... 'cause dude took a private helicopter home from San Diego after his first-ever Laker game!!

Bron got his first minutes with the LakeShow down in San Diego for L.A.'s preseason opener ... and afterward -- to the chopper he went.

"Felt good back on court tonight," he said as he boarded.

Bron only played 15 minutes but had some good numbers -- 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Most importantly, he looked like he was really meshin' with his teammates (if only for 15 minutes).

Remember ... Mamba was famous for using his Kobe-copter to get from his home in Orange County to Los Angeles (and back) without having to battle that ridiculous L.A. traffic.

Good news, Lakers fans ... by Neil deGrasse Tyson's very scientific calculations and estimations -- LeBron James has five more years left in the NBA!!

America's favorite astrophysicist was out at LAX -- and with the Association's season tippin' off in just a few weeks -- we had to ask ... how many more games does LBJ have in his 33-year-old body?

That's when Neil broke out his big brain and informed us -- it'll be five more years.

So, what exactly is the science that led him to that number??

There's at least one marriage in Hollywood that's gonna go smoothly ... LeBron James & Luke Walton -- so says ex-NBA coach Mark Jackson who thinks Walton is an "outstanding coach" who will mesh with James.

Some Lakers fans are concerned that LeBron -- the league's biggest star -- would be too much for the relatively young Walton, leading to tumult in the locker room.

Not Jackson ... the former NBA head coach and current analyst had all the confidence in the world in Walton when we got him in L.A. -- reassuring our guy Luke has it under wraps.

"Great guy and outstanding coach, he'll be fine."

Kobe Bryant sprang into action Thursday after witnessing a car crash in Newport Beach -- helping out one of the drivers after a Tesla got hit outside his local Starbucks.

The retired NBA superstar was driving through the area in his blacked-out Range Rover when he saw a car run a red light and slam into the Tesla. Kobe stopped to make sure the driver was okay.

A rep for Bryant tells us ... the Tesla driver told Kobe his phone was damaged in the wreck, so the Lakers legend offered to take pics on his cell instead.

You can see Kobe snapping away in pics obtained by TMZ Sports.

The good news ... we're told no one suffered any serious injuries in the crash. Cops responded to check in on the situation but no arrests were made.

Remember, Kobe's buddy Shaquille O'Neal did a similar thing back in April -- hopping out of his ride to tend to a crash he witnessed in L.A.

See, these guys have more in common than ya thought ...

LeBron James says his move to join the Lakers was strictly a basketball decision -- and had NOTHING to do with his budding Hollywood career.

... so, you believe him?

King James just spoke with reporters at Lakers Media Day where he was decked out in his full #23 Purple and Gold uniform.

During the Q&A session with reporters, he was asked if he ultimately picked the Lakers over other (better) teams so he could be closer to Warner Bros Studio ... where he has a major development deal.

Remember, LeBron has movies coming out -- "Space Jam 2" and a new "House Party" flick -- and is working on other TV shows and a "Shut Up and Dribble" documentary narrated by Jemele Hill.

But, Bron says he's a ballplayer first -- and joined the Lakers because he felt it was the right fit for him on the court ... even though they sucked last season.

Paul Pierce says the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is officially back on ... with Kyrie Irving playing the Bird/Pierce role -- and LeBron James playing the Magic/Kobe role!!

We got Paul out at LAX this week and, as one of the key players in the historic NBA clash -- he declared to TMZ Sports the two teams can finally have a real tiff again now that Bron's in L.A.

"It's on. It's on," the Celtics legend tells us. "The rivalry is back. For sure. It's official."

Pierce tells us LeBron and Kyrie will fill the leader-of-the-team roles well ... and he seems stoked to see it this season.

By the way ... if you were wondering if Pierce has any inkling to come back to the NBA and be a part of that rivalry one last time -- he says no chance.

LeBron James is lashing back at Donald Trump -- saying he didn't give a crap when POTUS called him dumb because, "I'm not."

"That's like somebody saying I can't play ball," LeBron told The Hollywood Reporter.

"That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that he has time to even do that. He has the most powerful job in the world. Like, you really got this much time that you can comment on me?"

LeBron is referencing a tweet Trump put out on August 3 in the wake of LJ's interview on CNN, when the NBA superstar said the President is using sports to divide America.

Trump tweeted, "LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. I like Mike!"

The Tune Squad is gonna need a coach ... and who better than LeBron James' coach in real life -- Luke Walton -- to lead the Looney Tunes to victory in the "Space Jam" sequel?!

TMZ Sports asked the Lakers coach if he's down to star alongside LBJ in the highly-anticipated follow-up to the 1996 classic starring Michael Jordan ... and L.W. says he's IN!!!

... as long as LeBron wants him.

It seems like a perfect fit -- after all, the dude had a cameo on "The Young and the Restless" in 2006 ... and Luke's tight with Hollywood big shot Jeffrey Katzenberg (they were leaving Craig's together when we shot Luke last night).

Caron Butler says LeBron James and Jimmy Butler would be a match made in heaven ... telling TMZ Sports the Lakers should try to make a trade for the All-Star.

FYI -- Jimmy reportedly asked Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau for a trade on Wednesday ... after just one season in Minnesota.

So, we asked Tuff Juice if the Purple & Gold should pick up the phone and call the Wolves ... and he thinks it's a no-brainer, saying Butler would perfectly complement King James.

Here's the catch -- Jimmy reportedly does NOT want to play for the Lake Show ... even though he'd be playing alongside one of the GOATs. His wishlist consists of the Knicks, Nets and Clippers.

Looney Tunes Land will have the power of Wakanda in the newest 'Space Jam' sequel starring LeBron James ... 'cause the director behind "Black Panther" is officially joining the project!!

The follow-up to the 1996 classic -- slated to begin production 2019 -- has added Ryan Coogler to the movie as a producer ... and Terence Nance will be the director.

LeBron's got a lot of irons in the Hollywood fire, but this has been by far the most anticipated project since it was announced in 2016.

If Coogler's name doesn't ring a bell, you've probably seen one of his movies. He's directed other movies like "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station" ... both starring Michael B. Jordan.

LeBron James finally unblocked his new Lakers teammate, JaVale McGee, on Instagram this week ... so, when we saw JM at LAX, we had to ask ... WHY!?

Turns out, the whole thing dates back 5 years ... but JaVale tells TMZ Sports he's not sure if there's a specific incident that caused Bron to cut off access.

So, where was JaVale in 2013? He was playing for the Nuggets, and we can't seem to find any reports of an incident between the 2 guys.

The good news ... the unblocking seems to be an olive branch and JaVale says he and LeBron are getting along great now.

In fact, JaVale says he's confident the team has a real shot at an NBA title -- but notes, "Not gonna be easy of course. Hard work."

There's more ... we also asked about Shaq -- who's been pretty critical of JaVale in the past.

Now that JM's a Laker, will things finally be cool between the guys?

When you're LeBron James, simply playing some romantic music for your wedding anniversary ain't gonna cut it -- you gotta get the real thing to perform in YOUR HOUSE!!

LBJ and Savannah celebrated their 5th anniversary on Thursday night ... with the Lakers superstar recruiting singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar to serenade her with a private performance of his hit song, "Best Part," right in the comfort of their living room.

FYI -- King James and Savannah have been together waaaayyyy longer than 5 years ... they were high school sweethearts and have been inseparable ever since.

As for Caesar -- if you haven't heard of him before, you probably will soon. The 23-year-old Canadian musician is a rising star in the industry. But, you know how the James' are -- always ahead of the trends.

Kobe Bryant's basketball training campaign continues ... this time, Black Mamba is sharing his secrets with WNBA superstar Candace Parker!!

The retired NBA legend has been spreading his knowledge to hoopers like Jayson Tatum this offseason ... and has offered his services to Shaq's sons as well.

But Monday, he was focused squarely on the women's league -- hitting the gym with the L.A. Sparks superstar and fellow WNBAers Karlie Samuelson, Monique Billings and Gabby Williams.

Seems the training sesh was focused on improving footwork.

"[Kobe], I learned so much and was in awe to see the footwork in person," Candace posted ... "Here to prove older dogs can learn new tricks! #2019"

Kobe's sworn up and down he's done with pro basketball -- whether it's NBA or Ice Cube's BIG3 -- but he obviously still has an itch for the game.

Jay Williams says he's seen Andrew Bynum's recent workout video -- and he's impressed -- but tells TMZ Sports it might be too little, too late for the big man's NBA comeback dreams.

FYI -- Bynum's been training like crazy in hopes of getting a tryout with a team in need of a 7-footer ... even though it's been 4 years since he last suited up for a pro team.

Williams -- who went to the same New Jersey H.S. as Bynum -- says the ex-Laker looks in amazing shape ... but questions whether he'll be able to adjust to today's game with big men like Anthony Davis and Boogie Cousins pulling up from three.

But, Williams doesn't close the door on Bynum's goals, he actually thinks he CAN pull off the comeback ... but he's keeping it real for the 30-year-old.

File this under:

WHY HASN'T IT HAPPENED?!!

Here's Shaunie O'Neal -- Shaq's ex-wife -- telling the world that Kobe freakin' Bryant has PERSONALLY offered to train her kids in basketball ... but for some reason it hasn't happened yet.

What?

We got Shaunie at LAX, and asked her about her son, Shaqir, being teamed up on the court with LeBron James Jr. at Crossroads school in Santa Monica.

We wanted to know if LeBron would be personally training the two boys, and while Shaunie couldn't answer that, she did tell us about another Laker great who's offered.

"Kobe always offers ... we're just so far from each other, but he always offers."

33,643 career points (3rd of all time), 2 NBA Finals MVPs, 5 championships. That's what Shaunie won't travel down the 5 freeway to have her kid get trained up by.

We at TMZ Sports demand somebody fix this.

Zip, zero, zilch, bupkis ... according to Bill Simmons, that's how many championships the great LeBron James will win as a Laker ... and Bill ain't playing around.

We got Simmons -- an NBA expert -- at LAX, and asked him a couple questions in his wheelhouse about the Association, including when he thought the Lake Show would be back in the finals.

Good news for L.A. fans, he said two years, and he said they'd get there with some combination of Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard on the team.

The bad news came when we asked how many rings LeBron James would win in a Laker uniform, and Bill said not one, not two, not three, but NOT ANY ... holding up a zero to our camera.

Do the math. That means Bill thinks a team with LeBron, Damian, AND Jimmy Butler can't win a championship?