Los Angeles Lakers

Denver fans let LeBron James and the Lakers know who runs the NBA ... and they rubbed it in, chanting "Who's your daddy?!" while their Nuggets squad handed the Lake Show an L in the first game of the season!

The defending champs came out hot against the Lakers at Ball Arena on Tuesday and led as much as 18 points during the 119-107 win.

It was also the night the Nuggets team received their championship rings.

So, you can understand why the crowd of 19,842 was extra lit ... and late in the fourth quarter, they decided to take a shot at the Lakers.

"Who's your daddy?! Who's your daddy?!" the Nuggets fans yelled.

Jamal Murray heard the chants ... and the point guard's reaction was priceless.

In fact, the former first-round pick blamed his coach Michael Malone.

"This is you! This is your fault!" Murray said. "This is what you started!"

It was a good night for the 1-0 Nuggets ... Nikola Jokic, no surprise, had a terrific game, notching a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.

LeBron James pulled out all the stops for his first fashion statement of the 2023-24 season ... rocking over $28,000 worth of Louis Vuitton for opening night!!

King James -- who is entering his 21st season -- clearly wanted to come up with a special look for the Los Angeles Lakers opening game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena ... and he certainly didn't disappoint.

The 19-time All-Star forward is covered in Louis V ... from the $5k damoflage tweed chic collarless jacket and $1,250 pants to the $1,220 LV checker derby kicks.

He didn't stop there -- the Speedy Bandouliere 40 he's holding comes with an $11k price tag, and the briefcase will set the Average Joe back another $9,500.

So yeah, Bron's whole look is fit for a king.

BTW, some of those pieces LBJ is wearing are from Pharrell's men's Spring-Summer 2024 collection. The famous producer/rapper became the high-end brand's new men's creative director in February ... and debuted his items in Paris this summer.

James wasn't the only player showing up in style on Tuesday -- Michael Porter Jr. wore a signed Peyton Manning Broncos jersey ... and Peyton Watson was reppin' Deion Sanders with his own autographed "Coach Prime" gear.

High flyer Aaron Gordon also put his interesting taste on display ... going with a sleeveless burgundy blazer and shorts.

As for James' look ... anyone who wants to get their hands on the same items will have to wait just a bit -- pre-order sales start the first week of December.

LeBron James no escatimó esfuerzos para hacer su primera declaración de moda de la temporada 2023-24, luciendo más de $ 28.000 de Louis Vuitton para la noche de apertura.

King James, que está jugando su 21ª temporada, claramente quería llegar con un look especial para el partido inaugural de Los Angeles Lakers contra los Denver Nuggets en el Ball Arena, y ciertamente no decepcionó.

El delantero y 19 veces All-Star llegó cubierto de Louis V, desde la elegante chaqueta tweed de $5k sin cuello hasta los pantalaones de $1.250 pantalones y los zapatos de $1.220.

Y eso no fue todo, el Speedy Bandouliere 40 que está sosteniendo viene con una etiqueta de $11k y el maletín de otros $9.500.

Así que sí, el look de Bron es digno de un rey.

Por cierto, algunas de las piezas que lleva LeBron James corresponden a la colección masculina primavera-verano 2024 de Pharrell. El famoso productor y rapero se convirtió en el nuevo director creativo masculino de la marca de alta gama en febrero, y debutó con sus artículos en París este verano.

James no fue el único jugador que apareció con estilo este martes, Michael Porter Jr. llevaba una camiseta firmada Peyton Manning de los Broncos y Peyton Watson anduvo de representante de Deion Sanders con su propio atuendo autografiado de "Coach Prime".

Aaron Gordon también puso su interesante gusto en escena. El jugador usó un blazer sin mangas de color burdeos y pantalones cortos.

En cuanto al outfit de James, cualquiera quisiera tener esos mismos artículos en sus manos, pero tendremos que esperar un poco porque la pre-orden de venta comienza la primera semana de diciembre.

LeBron James certainly doesn't have writer's block -- the Los Angeles Lakers superstar just announced he's got another children's book on the way ... titled "I Am More Than."

The 4-time NBA champ teamed up with HarperCollins Publishers on the project ... to inspire young readers to understand they are more than just "one label, trait, or interest."

"'I Am More Than' is about believing in yourself and all the amazing things you're capable of, which no one else can define you," James said in a statement.

"I hope everyone that reads it feels inspired to be 'more than' in everything they do."

James is no stranger to the literature game -- his first kids book, "I Promise," became a New York Times best seller.

"It's been incredible to see students, teachers, and families respond to I Promise and its message of encouragement," the 38-year-old said.

"With the next book, we want to continue inspiring kids everywhere to keep dreaming big and not let anything hold them back."

The book -- slated to hit shelves on April 2 -- will feature illustrations from Nina Mata.

The future Hall of Famer also made a middle-grade level book called "We Are Family" this year with journalist and writer Andrea Williams.

LeBron James está expresando su apoyo a Israel mientras la guerra hace estragos en la región. El jugador dijo que está desconsolado por lo que está sucediendo y denunció los ataques de Hamás como "terrorismo".

La superestrella de la NBA publicó una declaración conjunta sobre el tema en su página de X, con su socio desde hace mucho tiempo, Maverick Carter, el miércoles por la noche, en la que dice: "La devastación en Israel es trágica e inaceptable".

"El asesinato y la violencia contra personas inocentes por parte de Hamás es terrorismo", dijo. "La familia SpringHill Company envía sus más profundas condolencias a Israel y la comunidad judía".

James añadió en su comunicado que ahora reza por la paz.

"Todos debemos trabajar para asegurarnos de que esta tragedia no propague aún más el odio, el racismo y el antisemitismo", dijo.

LeBron no es la primera celebridad que se refiere públicamente al conflicto. Kim Kardashian también lanzó una declaración el miércoles, en la que escribe: "¿Cómo puede alguien no estar devastado por estas imágenes horribles que nunca seremos capaces de no ver?"

LeBron James is throwing his support behind Israel as war rages on in the region ... saying he's heartbroken over what's happening -- while denouncing Hamas attacks as "terrorism."

The NBA superstar released a joint statement with his longtime business partner, Maverick Carter, on the matter on his X page on Wednesday night ... saying, "The devastation in Israel is tragic and unacceptable."

"The murder and violence against innocent people by Hamas is terrorism," he said. "The SpringHill Company family sends our deepest condolences to Israel and the Jewish community."

James added in his statement that he's now praying for peace.

"We all must work to ensure this tragedy does not spread even more hate, racism, and antisemitism," he said.

LeBron is hardly the first celebrity to speak publicly on the conflict -- Kim Kardashian released a statement of her own on Wednesday as well ... writing, "How can anyone not be devastated by these horrific images that we will never be able to unsee?"

Matt Barnes feels Damian Lillard getting traded to the Bucks -- instead of his preferred destination of the Heat -- is a blessing in disguise ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the All-Star guard has a better chance at winning an NBA title in Milwaukee than he would in Miami.

The "All The Smoke" podcast host and ex-NBA star gave us his take at the 5th Annual KiKi Shepard Celebrity Golf Classic last week ... and he says even though Lillard didn't end up in South Beach like he reportedly requested, he should be more than thrilled with the outcome.

"I'm excited for Dame," Barnes said. "Obviously he wanted to go to Miami. That didn't happen, but for him to have the opportunity to win, I think is the key and the goal and him teaming up with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is definitely gonna give him a great opportunity to win a championship."

"I think probably even a better opportunity than he would had in Miami."

Of course, some fans might not agree -- the Heat have been to the NBA Finals twice since the 2020 season ... and Jimmy Butler is one of the best playoff players in the league.

However, Butler, coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat came up short both times ... where the Bucks made the Finals and won in 2021 -- their first appearance in over four decades.

"Bucks are high," Barnes said. "It's gonna be a fun season."

Magic Johnson's newest purchase is leaving him quite unhappy -- at least, that was the case on Thursday night -- 'cause after the Commanders got dusted by the Bears, he laid into them on his X page.

The Lakers legend -- who helped Josh Harris purchase the Washington Football Team for $6 billion earlier this summer -- sounded off just minutes after his new squad lost 40-20 ... making it clear he's looking for more from his guys going forward.

"Tonight the Commanders played with no intensity or fire," he said bluntly.

The Commanders did look lifeless during the game's first 30 minutes ... allowing Chicago stars Justin Fields and D.J. Moore to run wild all over them in the first half.

And, while they did fight back a bit to make things somewhat interesting in the second half, they still lost by 20 -- something Magic's obviously fuming over.

"We didn't compete in the first half and got down 27-3 heading into halftime," said Magic, who watched the game from a FedExField luxury box Thursday night. "It was too big of a hole to climb out of and that is why we ended up losing 40-20."

The night at least wasn't all sadness for Magic ... he got to enjoy some pregame giggles with Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" crew, signing a bunch of gear for superfan Ryan Fitzpatrick on the pregame show.

LeBron James says Bronny is recovering so well from recent heart surgery that he's now hoping to suit up for USC this season.

The Lakers superstar revealed the plans for his 18-year-old son while meeting with reporters at L.A.'s Media Day on Monday.

Bron said his boy is "doing extremely well," and has already begun rehabbing to "get back on the floor this season with his teammates at USC."

"He's on the up-and-up," LeBron added.

As we previously reported, Bronny suffered cardiac arrest back on July 24 ... and was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that required a procedure to fix.

While docs believed the issue wouldn't derail his basketball career -- a timetable for a return to the Trojans' floor was not known. Clearly, however, LeBron thinks his son can get back within a matter of a couple months.

LeBron also called the summer "a whirlwind" that featured "a lot of emotions for our family" -- but he said the James Gang all leaned on each other to get through it.

Yeah, Damian Lillard and Antonio Brown might have some dope music, but Shaq tells TMZ Sports he's the G.O.A.T when it comes to athletes who rap ... and he's been that guy since the 1990s!

For those who don't remember, Shaq made four rap albums during his Hall of Fame NBA career, with the first one, "Shaq Diesel," coming out in 1993.

He hasn't stopped making music in retirement either ... the 51-year-old actually just jumped on a track with L.A.-based group Coyote -- and he tells us he's got much more on the way too.

"I got a couple of freestyles," O'Neal said. "It's all competition for me, so when I hear other people that say, 'I'm a better athlete-rapper than Shaq,' I gotta step up."

"Nothing personal. I just have to let these people know who paved the way."

Some of the athletes makin' waves in the rap game include Lillard, who's been considered by fans to be one of the best, lyrically, in any sport.

There's also Brown, who's made catchy tracks like "Put That Sh** On" ... as well as former NBA star Iman Shumpert.

But, while O'Neal (who we recently talked to about his huge upcoming charity event) was very complimentary of the guys' talents on the mic, he says he's still the greatest of all time.

"I put stuff out, they put stuff out and we let the people decide who the number one is," O'Neal said.

"I know who the number one is. I'ma always say myself is number one, but they got a lot of the guys out there that are coming."

Si, Damian Lillard y Antonio Brown pueden tener algo de buena música, pero                                  Shaq le dijo a TMZ Sports que él es el mejor cuando se trata de atletas que rapean ¡y lo ha sido desde los 90s!

Para aquellos que no lo recuerdan, Shaq hizo cuatro álbumes de rap durante su carrera en el Salón de la Fama de la NBA. El primero, "Shaq Diesel", salió en 1993.

A sus 51 años acaba de grabar un tema con el grupo Coyote, de Los Ángeles, y nos cuenta que tiene mucho más en camino.

"Tengo un par de freestyles", dijo O'Neal. "Todo es competición para mí, así que cuando oigo a otra gente que dice: 'Soy mejor atleta/rapper que Shaq', tengo que dar un paso adelante".

"No es nada personal. Solo tengo que hacerle saber a la gente quién abrió el camino".

Algunos de los atletas que triunfan en el rap incluyen a Lillard, que ha sido considerado por los fans como uno de los mejores (líricamente), en cualquier deporte.

También está Brown, que ha hecho temas pegadizos como "Put That Sh** On", así como la ex estrella de la NBA Iman Shumpert.

O'Neal (con quien hablamos recientemente sobre su próximo gran evento de caridad) fue muy elogioso de los talentos de los chicos en el micrófono, pero dice que él sigue siendo el mejor de todos los tiempos.

"Yo saco cosas, ellos sacan cosas y dejamos que la gente decida quién es el número uno", dijo O'Neal.

"Yo sé quién es el número uno. Yo siempre digo que yo soy el número uno, pero hay un montón de chicos nuevos haciendo cosas por ahí".

"If LeBron wanted to fight with me, it wouldn't be close!"

That's UFC fighter Bobby Green aka "King" saying he'd wash Bron in a purely hypothetical fight for the royal nickname.

See, TMZ Sports was talking to the 37-year-old lightweight before his Fight Night main event scrap against 29-year-old Grant Dawson, the 10th ranked 155 pounder.

Dawson's nickname is "KGD" ... said to stand for "King Grant Dawson"

When we asked Green if he had a message for Grant, he told us ... "There can only be one King. I just found out that Grant Dawson's fight name is KGD. There can only be one king. Let's go find out. The other one's gonna get his head cut off!"

Okay, okay. Obviously, the most famous "King" going right now this side of Charles is LeBron ... and given the age-old debate about skill vs. size, we asked BG if he could beat the 6'8" hoops legend.

"It wouldn't be close!" Bobby said.

We mentioned the size discrepancy ... Bobby's 5'10" and fights at 155 lbs. (we'll assume he walks around in the neighborhood of 185). James is 10 inches taller, and weighs 250 lbs., according to the Lakers website.

Irrelevant, according to Bobby.

"He's a big dude but he doesn't have the skills I'm sorry. Skills pay the bills, sir."

But, would Green actually fight King James?

"In a drop of a dime. In a heartbeat, without even thinking about it. Hell yeah. I'll wax his ass!"

Rick Ross and Meek Mill are solidifying their union as a dynamic duo with a joint album that'll be here right around the time you're handing out candy to costumed kids.

The Maybach Music rappers dropped their new track "Shaq & Kobe" on Friday, the first sounds from their upcoming project entitled, "Too Good to Be True. " A source close to the album's production tells TMZ Hip Hop it'll drop at the end of October.

On the lead track, Meek sets up the alley-oop to Rozay as they flex jewelry and cars inside an airplane hangar near the Boss' private jet -- the references to winning big like the Lakers legends make perfect sense here.

The album will drop on the MMG imprint and the duo's chemistry in the clip surprised many fans who thought they were beefing after Rozay was absent from Meek's last album.

Our source tells us contrary to public opinion, Rozay and Meek have always remained cool ... Meek's rants in the past year were directed at outside parties as the two never had a dispute over money.

They'll have the opportunity to make even more when the project drops.

Byron Scott won't be shedding any tears over "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" getting shelved anytime soon ... 'cause the Lakers champ tells TMZ Sports he wasn't tuning into the series anyway.

We caught up with Byron just days after HBO announced the fate of the show based on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers after just two seasons ... and asked him if he was bummed the storyline never got the chance to shine a light on his tenure with the purple and gold.

Safe to say he's not losing any sleep over it ... 'cause Scott told us straight up, "Nah, I'm good."

"I wasn't a big fan of the show because I know a lot of it was fabricated in certain ways just to make it more interesting for the fans which is cool, that's TV. That's Hollywood. That's what they do."

Scott -- who won 3 NBA championships with the Lakers -- said he, Magic Johnson and his former teammates don't even discuss the show ... and if it's ever brought up, it's their wives doing the talking.

Of course, it's no surprise the real Showtime Lakers are saying "good riddance" to the series -- Magic, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have all spoken out against it.

Byron -- who entered the picture (for real) in 1983 -- said he didn't feel as strongly about it as his teammates ... admitting he didn't care all that much.

Byron Scott no va a derramar ninguna lágrima por "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty", serie de televisión que fue archivada en el corto plazo. Esto, porque el campeón de los Lakers le dice a TMZ Sports que no estaba sintonizando con ella, de todos modos.

Nos pusimos al día con Byron días después de que HBO anunciara el destino de la serie basada en Los Angeles Lakers en los años 1980, después de dos temporadas. Le preguntamos si estaba deprimido de que la historia no hubiera tenido oportunidad de brillar.

Podemos decir con seguridad que no es algo que le quite el sueño, porque solo nos dijo directamente: "Nah, estoy bien".

"Yo no era un gran fan de la serie porque sé que gran parte de ella fue hecha de cierta forma solo para hacerla más interesante para los fans, lo cual está bien, así es la televisión. Así es Hollywood. Eso es lo que hacen".

Scott, que ganó tres campeonatos de la NBA con los Lakers, dijo que él, Magic Johnson y sus ex compañeros de equipo ni siquiera hablaban de la serie y si alguna vez salió a colación fue porque sus esposas estaban hablando de ella.

Por supuesto, no es de extrañar que los verdaderos Lakers de Showtime digan "adiós" a la serie: Magic, James Worthy y Kareem Abdul-Jabbar se han manifestado en contra.

Byron Scott, que entró en escena (de verdad) en 1983 dijo que no se sentía tan mal al respecto como sus compañeros de equipo, y admitió que no le importaba mucho.

Pippen and Jordan are teaming up to win it all again ... but it ain't MJ and Scottie -- it's Larsa and Marcus on a reality TV show.

Larsa Pippen and her boyfriend, Marcus Jordan, have signed on for season 2 of the Peacock series, "The Traitors" ... a competition where 20 contestants try to smoke out the backstabbers of the group in hopes of securing a $250,000 prize.

The couple is already on location in Scotland for filming ... and they're basically treating the business trip like a vacation as well, posting several selfies together on social media during their downtime.

The addition of Larcus to the competition will be interesting -- they're the first public couple to be on the show together, which could cause some problems with fellow contestants who may not like their established alliance.

The entire cast has not been announced yet, but it will consist of other famous faces in reality TV and other industries, according to People, who first broke the news.

"Survivor" star Cirie Fields won it all the first time around ... securing the quarter milli after outlasting names like Brandi Glanville, Rachel Reilly and Cody Calafiore.

Larsa and Marcus -- who started dating last year -- are used to having cameras in their faces ... as they've documented parts of their relationship for "Real Housewives of Miami."