Los Angeles Lakers

Dwight Howard is breaking his silence on Shaq's most recent barbs ... firing back at the big man's criticism by saying, "It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do."

The Big Diesel has taken a couple shots at the newest Lakers center the past few days ... he shaded Howard to TMZ Sports on Monday and purposely misspelled his name in a tweet Wednesday. It's a beef that's more than 10 years old.

Howard finally responded in an Instagram Live post late Wednesday ... saying, "It's okay, I'm not here to talk about Shaq. What he said, what he did. It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do."

"So, don't talk to me about what anybody else said about me. My focus is on one thing."

The two NBA superstars have had a history of going at each other's necks ... it all seemed to start in 2007 in an All-Star Game dance battle -- and continued with a feud over the "Superman" nickname.

Seems Shaq's all kinds of down for keeping the beef alive. As for Dwight, pretty clear the dude just wants to move on and focus on basketball.

It's like it's 2008 all over again ... 'cause Shaq and Kobe are going at each other's necks ... with O'Neal firing back at Bryant's "lazy ass" comments, saying if Mamba wasn't a ball hog, he'd have more titles!!

"U woulda had twelve [rings] if u passed the ball more especially in the finals against the pistons #facts," Shaq says.

He added, "You don't get statues by not working hard."

Of course, Kobe went in on The Big Aristotle's effort in an interview earlier this month with Patrick Bet-David at the 10th Annual PHP Agency Convention in Las Vegas, saying if Shaq had Bryant's work ethic, "I woulda had f*cking 12 rings!"

"He'd be the greatest of all time," Bryant said ... "He'd be the first to tell you that!"

During the interview, Kobe doubled and tripled down on his comments -- insisting he wasn't saying anything publicly that he hasn't already said to Shaq privately.

But, the Black Mamba kinda backtracked on his words on Wednesday ... saying, "Don’t get it confused. He was still the #MDE" (AKA Most Dominant Ever).

So, water under the bridge ... or are we getting another Shaq vs. Kobe diss track!?

The legend of Bronny James continues to grow ... this time in China, with LeBron's kid hitting a wild circus shot against some international competition, and driving a packed gym wild.

Bronny is in China with Zaire Wade and the rest of his Sierra Canyon High School hoops teammates (yes, a high school basketball team is touring China, things have changed) and they're being treated like STARS!

He seems to be earning the treatment ... because LeBron Sr. just posted video of the his kid going hard to the rim and taking the contact, finishing with a Jordan-esque reverse finish.

Bronny has been tearing up the grassroots basketball circuit all-year long, but this is our first look at him as a high school athlete, and the early returns are pretty strong.

Lance Stephenson says he knows firsthand how hard DeMarcus Cousins was working prior to his devastating ACL injury ... telling TMZ Sports he feels bad for Boogie, but knows he'll be back!!

Cousins injured his knee while playing in Vegas earlier this week after attempting a routine layup. He's expected to miss the entire season.

Lance -- who says he had been working out with DeMarcus this offseason -- says Cousins was in great shape and ready to make a huge impact in his first year with the Lakers.

"I know it's tough on him, that's my brother," Lance says. "I know he worked so hard this summer, I was working out with him in Las Vegas. I know he was very prepared for this season. It's just sad that he got hurt again."

Despite Cousins' 3rd leg injury in 3 years, Lance says he knows Boogie will eventually get back to 100% and do his thing on the court again.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of DeMarcus Cousins' devastating ACL injury ... showing the NBA superstar screaming and falling to the court after attempting a routine layup.

The 29-year-old L.A. Lakers All-Star was practicing in Las Vegas on Monday ... when his knee gave out while driving to the basket.

Cousins could immediately tell something was wrong ... letting out a scream as he stumbled to the hardwood. The 6'11" center pointed at his right knee as help rushed over.

The other players are visibly upset as well.

It's gotta be frustrating for Cousins ... who tore his Achilles as a New Orleans Pelican in 2018, and tore his quad in the playoffs with the Golden State Warriors this past season.

Shams Charania reports Cousins underwent more testing on Thursday ... and it was confirmed he tore his ACL, which will likely sideline him for the entire season.

We're told Cousins had been balling a lot recently at the IMPACT Basketball training center -- where tons of pros like to go during the offseason.

The NBA community flooded social media with support for Cousins ... with players from Karl-Anthony Towns to Isaiah Thomas sending well wishes.

Good news for Anthony Davis ... Devean George says you have his FULL PERMISSION to shine in his old #3 Lakers jersey!

"I am not half the player AD is! He can take my number! He can have #3. He can have whatever number he wants," George told TMZ Sports.

Obviously, George is MORE THAN OKAY with the move -- and seems happy the Lakers' newest superstar will be rockin' his old number when he takes the floor with LeBron James this season.

Of course, George had a pretty solid career with the Lakers back in the day -- winning 3 NBA championships during his 7-season run in L.A. from 1999 to 2006.

George couldn't be more humble about the situation -- saying he was a scrappy role player back in the day ... and Davis is obviously a superstar.

DG is clearly still a Lakers fan -- and told us why he thinks AD and LeBron could be the most dangerous duo in the NBA.

LeBron James is taking shots at the NCAA's new agent certification criteria ... claiming the organization is directly attacking his partner, Rich Paul, but "nothing will stop this movement."

The NCAA sent out a memo to NBPA certified agents on Monday ... saying any players looking to test the NBA Draft waters must be repped by an NCAA approved agent -- if they want to keep the door open to return to college.

The criteria to become an approved agent ... a bachelor's degree, certification from the players' association for at least 3 years, and pass an in-person exam at NCAA headquarters.

These guidelines will preclude Paul -- who reps Bron, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and other huge names -- from repping this group of college players ... 'cause he doesn't have a bachelors degree.

In a memo sent by the NCAA to agents, obtained by the Athletic, the NCAA's reasoning behind the rules is to "protect collegiate eligibility of their athlete clients."

LeBron -- who dubbed the new criteria the "Rich Paul Rule" -- doesn't see it that way ... tweeting "Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD and Scared. Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry.."

As for Paul's roster of superstar clients ... the new rule will have no effect on their representation.

Anthony Davis says Nike told him to kick rocks when it came to getting the #23 jersey from LeBron James ... saying the footwear giant said, "We don't care who you guys are, it's too much money!"

Davis says in a dinner date only a few days after he was traded from the Pelicans to the Lakers ... LeBron offered him his famous #23 jersey as a "Welcome to L.A." gift.

The problem? AD said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this week, Nike told him it would cost the company WAY TOO MUCH CASH ... and said the jersey swap ain't happening.

Davis was clearly bothered by the whole ordeal, saying, "I was a little hurt."

But, AD says his solution to the problem was simple ... fire up NBA 2K and try on other jersey numbers!!

Davis says he eventually landed on #3 because it looked nice ... and it was also the digit he rocked when he first started hoopin' in elementary school.

This clip has it all ...

-- A fired up Lil Pump clappin' back at LeBron James haters.

-- Lil Pump showing off his brand new, expensive Louis Vuitton purse

-- Lil Pump giving away $100 bills to strangers in Beverly Hills because he feels like it!

ESSKEEEETIT!!!!!

The rapper was leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills Monday night when we asked the massive NBA fan how he felt about people giving LeBron a hard time for celebrating on the court at his son's youth hoops game over the weekend.

"LEBRON CAN DO WHATEVER THE F*CK HE WANTS BECAUSE HE IS LEBRON JAMES, B*TCH!"

Pump also went to bat for Carmelo Anthony -- saying the guy deserves a spot on Team USA.

But, the best part of the video is when Pump flaunts his goodies from his Rodeo Drive shopping spree ... a super expensive designer hand bag that he drops on the floor because Pump DON'T CARE!!

And, the curbside free cash giveaway is fun too.

New team, new pad -- L.A.'s newest superstar Anthony Davis has found a temporary home in his new territory ... renting an INSANE $14.1 million mansion in Bel-Air!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... The Brow is resting his feet in a super private gated community in L.A. ... and the 12,000-square-foot house is a perfect for a big-time baller.

The 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom pad comes with a decked out gourmet kitchen, bar, personal gym, master bedroom with marble fireplace and walk-in closet, pool ... and of course, a basketball court!!!

We're told AD is renting the place for around $50k a month ... but the guy's in the middle of a 5-year, $127 million contract ... so it's a drop in the bucket for the All-Star.

FYI -- if Davis decides to crash at this spot during the season, it's only about a 35-minute drive to Staples Center!!! (But, you never know with L.A. traffic.)

AD's not gonna be far from his bestie, LeBron James, either ... he'll be about 15 min from his Brentwood neighborhood.

Here's a preview of what the NBA All-Star game's gonna look like in a few years ... Bronny James throwing some ferocious dunks while messing around with Shareef O'Neal!

The whole thing went down at LeBron James' Brentwood mansion -- where Shaq's sons, Shareef and Shaqir, rolled over for a shootaround with Bronny and some other friends, including Syracuse recruit Dior Johnson (one of the best high school players in the country).

LeBron was so impressed he whipped out his phone and started shooting video ... and it's pretty great.

Shareef seems to be doing REALLY well after heart surgery earlier this year. He's expected to get back on the court for UCLA next season.

Of course, Bronny just transferred to Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles -- one of the top hoops programs in the nation -- where he'll be playing with Dwyane Wade's kids.

Here it is!!! The first look at Anthony Davis head-to-toe in his new threads ... and it's probably bringing a tear to LeBron James' eye.

The NBA superstar threw on his #3 Lakers jersey and shorts for the first time on Wednesday for some promo for NBA 2K20 (he's the cover athlete) ... and he's sporting a HUGE grin on his face.

Of course, AD *was* gonna wear #23 after the King gifted his digits to his new teammate ... but the Brow will be stuck with tres for the upcoming season due to manufacturing issues with Nike.

According to an ESPN report ... the Swoosh woulda lost "well into the tens of millions of dollars" if LBJ switched to #6 like initially planned ... thanks to a bunch of James jerseys that were already made.

LeBron James brought a pretty special guest to his weekly "Taco Tuesday" dinners ... Anthony Davis!!! 

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar usually has family dinner on Tuesdays with his wife, Savannah, and kids -- but this time, he made some room for his new 6'10" superstar teammate. 

And, if you think AD got out of screaming out "Taco Tuuuesday" like the rest of the fam ... you're wrong!"

In fact, Bron is such a Taco Tuesday superfan, he wore a brand new "Taco Tuesday" t-shirt to dinner ... which is like wearing a shirt of your favorite band to your favorite band's concert.

Weird, never saw Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram or Josh Hart at Taco Tuesday ... and now it seems like we never will!

Bron and Davis have been growing close ever since he signed with the Lakers -- we even spotted the two shooting around on the set of "Space Jam 2" earlier this summer. 

It's been 2 years since Sasha Vujacic has suited up for an NBA team ... but the Lakers champ says he's looking to change that next season, telling TMZ Sports he's gunning to make a comeback!!

The Slovenian guard -- who is currently on the Scaligera Basket Verona Italian ball club -- has been playing overseas since he left the Knicks in 2017 ... but he says he wants to make another run at the Larry O'Brien trophy.

"We'll see, you never know. I'd love to be home," Vujacic says. "I just want to win another championship ... so if it's with the Lakers, God bless. If that's with the Clippers, we'll see."

Of course, Vujacic won 2 titles with the Lakers and spent one season with the Clippers ... so he's looking to suit up for one of his old teams, but wouldn't say which L.A. team is most title-ready.

Kendall Jenner and Lakers star Kyle Kuzma might like yacht rock, but the yacht they were on together was NOT rocking -- not from them hooking up, anyway.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... those 4th of July pics of Kendall and Kyle yachting off the coast of Malibu last week were kinda deceiving. The closeup shots certainly made it seem like Kendall and Kyle were having a romantic day at sea -- but the wider shots revealed more. As you can see there were others on board. 

We're told this was a friendly outing for about 20 people, and that's it -- Kendall has not hooked into a new NBA BF on the heels of her split from Ben Simmons. The other guests were mostly Kendall's GFs, plus a few guys.

As we told you, once they got back to shore, Kuzma was spotted at a house party with Kendall. Again ... with more friends. A few days later, she was back in the ocean -- but all the way over in Greece and sans Kuzma.

Kyle Kuzma had one helluva 4th of July -- chillin' on a yacht with Kendall Jenner!

The two were spotted on a pretty awesome boat off the coast of Malibu on Thursday along with some friends. At one point, they decided to take some goofy pics together. Good times!

When they got back to shore, Kuzma was spotted at a house party with Kendall. 

The whole thing begs the question ... are they dating? 

Back in February, 23-year-old Kuzma was linked to Katya Elise Henry ... a model with nearly 6 million followers on IG. Funny enough, the two were also hanging on a boat together earlier this year!

Kendall has since left the country -- she's currently hanging out in thong bikinis with her model friends in Greece. Again, good times!

Kuzma has had a crazy off-season -- he was essentially the only one of the young Lakers players who wasn't traded away in the Anthony Davis deal.