Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James' 22nd year in the NBA needs to be his last -- at least that's what Mark Cuban's saying ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the King is just too damn good!!

We caught up with the Dallas Mavericks minority owner out in NYC this week ... and asked all about the Lakers superstar's future.

Needless to say, Cuban thinks it's time for James to wrap it up.

LeBron James isn't just Bronny's dad and teammate, he also acted as his coach on Thursday ... giving the Lakers rookie some sound advice during their game against the Suns.

The moment happened during the preseason matchup at the Footprint Center in Phoenix ... where Bronny played 17 minutes in the overtime win.

At one point in the contest, LeBron -- who didn't suit up for the tilt -- was talking up the 20-year-old guard near the bench ... and the TV broadcast zoomed in to catch the conversation.

Bronny James is opening up about his near-death experience at USC ... with the 19-year-old Lakers rookie admitting he's still not fully recovered.

"My days aren't normal anymore," James told Men's Health magazine in a brand new cover feature that dropped on Tuesday.

"I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was" ... LeBron's oldest son added.

LeBron James is establishing some boundaries when it comes to Bronny ... making it crystal clear he's not going to speak for his son -- telling reporters if they want to know anything about the Lakers rookie's experience, they can ask him directly.

The four-time NBA champion explained his stance during media availability on Monday ... saying Bronny's fully capable of taking his own questions.

"He's a grown man, ask him how he's handling it," LeBron said of the Bronny-related question.

LeBron and Savannah James shared a touching moment with the woman who sprang into action during Bronny's cardiac arrest incident last year ... thanking the first responder for helping save their son's life.

The Lakers superstar and his wife of 11 years detailed Bronny's medical emergency in the new Netflix docuseries, "Starting 5" ... which premiered Wednesday on Netflix.

In one of the scenes, LBJ visited the USC Trojans' locker room with his mother, Gloria, and hugged a training staff member named Erin -- the woman who performed CPR on Bronny that terrifying day last July.

"Life saver," James said introducing Erin to his mom. "Literally."

LeBron and Bronny James made history Sunday night -- the two officially became the first-ever father and son duo to share an NBA court together ... and afterward, The King called the game "SURREAL!!"

It all went down in Palm Desert, Calif. ... where the Lakers were taking on the Suns in a preseason matchup.

LeBron checked into the game first -- he actually started the tilt for L.A. -- and at the beginning of the second quarter, Bronny joined him on the floor.

Bronny James' NBA gear is rakin' in bank before ever playing a regular season game ... 'cause the young hooper's first Summer League jersey sold for over $38K!!

The purple and gold uniform top from the July 12 tilt between the Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Las Vegas SL was recently sold by Sotheby's (in mid-September) ... and is now part of "Lakers Shrine," one of if not the most impressive private collection of Lakers memorabilia in the world.

Bronny played 27 minutes, scoring 8 points in the contest.

Savannah James is taking the NBA 2K "My Player" concept to a whole new level ... mom picked up the sticks to play as the human she birthed in real life -- her son Bronny James!

LeBron James showed off the funny video on social media ... with Savannah seemingly having a proud mommy moment, putting up shots as her (virtual) son on the hardwood.

"Only way you play the game, huh," James asked. "Only way I can get her to play the game."

Ya don't need Photoshop to see LeBron and Bronny James rocking the Purple and Gold together anymore -- the father/son duo decided to stand side-by-side for some pictures at Lakers media day ... and it was adorable!!!

The two hoopers took advantage of the opportunity for a cool moment before meeting with reporters on Monday ... with Bron rocking his usual No. 23 and Bronny sporting his new 9.

Of course, it's the first time any team has been able to have such a photoshoot ... as the Jameses are the first father and son to be in the league at the same time -- and they're on the same team.

Magic Johnson says Bronny James simply isn't ready for the NBA just yet ... claiming what's truly best for LeBron's son is to spend a season developing his game in the G League before joining the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Hall of Famer shared his take on the father-son duo during his interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Thursday ... and while plenty of folks are interested in watching the James Gang take the court together in 2024-25 -- he thinks the experiment should be put on ice for a year.

"If I'm Bronny, I would tell my dad, 'Just let me play in the G League all season so that I can develop,'" Johnson said. "He needs playing time. He doesn't need to be sitting on the Laker bench and not playing."

If you're a 7-footer looking for a customized home in Southern California that fits all of your vertical needs ... you're in luck -- TMZ Sports has confirmed Kareem Adbul-Jabbar's old place, which was tailormade for his gigantic frame, has just gone up for sale!

The Marina Del Rey pad -- which the 7-foot-2 NBA legend owned from 2011 to 2021 -- was listed this month for $2,995,000 ... and it's got everything a tall homeowner could want and more.

The property is part of a gated community that only has 12 homes ... and it comes with harbor views, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a family room with a fireplace and a side garden patio area.

LeBron James may have played in his last Olympics, but that doesn't mean the Games won't be part of him forever ... the NBA legend got a new tattoo -- the Olympic rings!

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar recently hit up famed artist Ganga Tattoo just months after he led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The five interlaced rings were tatted near his right elbow ... with the logo representing the union of five continents, America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

Christian Koloko -- who had a career-threatening blood clot issue earlier this year -- says he's ready for a fresh start with the Lakers, telling TMZ Sports he's optimistic he can play this season!

We spoke with Koloko at LAX just days after he signed a two-way contract with the Purple & Gold ... a 7-foot-1 center that could provide valuable depth with Anthony Davis prone to injury.

"I feel amazing," the Cameroonian athlete said.

Byron Scott is feeling MUCH better about JJ Redick leading the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports he's more confident in his chances at success after bringing in some experienced coaches to be his assistants.

Scott -- a former Lakers player and coach himself -- spelled it out to us at LAX this week ... admitting he initially felt L.A. made a mistake in handing the reins to a guy with zero experience on the bench.

"I mean I got a lot of respect for him because of what he's been able to do in the league. But when you talk about coaches, everybody talked about they wanted to get an experienced coach," Scott said. "He has no experience."

Rolando Romero seems to be planning on having one of the best performances of his career later Saturday against Manuel Jaimes ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the boxer's copped all kinds of cool custom gear for the battle.

We're told Romero (a.k.a. Rolly) was hooked up with some Bruce Lee and Kobe Bryant swag from his go-to guy Aztek Kustoms ... just ahead of his 10-round tilt with Jaimes (16-1) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Aztek hooked Rolly up with unreleased Nike Machomai 3s boxing shoes ... and made them look just like the Kobe 5 Protro Bruce Lees that Bryant originally released in 2010.

A piece of Kobe Bryant's legacy is no longer on the market ... the warm-up jacket he wore before his last-ever NBA game has just sold at auction -- and it netted the seller a small fortune!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the threads the Black Mamba donned just prior to dropping 60 points on the Utah Jazz back in April 2016 at the Staples Center racked up 35 bids -- and officially sold for $336,000.

The jacket -- which was photo-matched for authenticity -- had been up on the SCP Auctions block since mid-July.