Ron Artest Live on Stage

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Ron Artest is used to performing in front of a crowd -- but last night in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers star was rapping instead of playing basketball.

Along with T-Pain, Ron Ron performed his new song "Champion." It was almost as good as the version Ron did on

. Almost ...

TMZ Live: Artest, Lohan, and Jesse James

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We took your questions on everything -- including Ron Artest's post-game partying, Lindsay Lohan's SCRAM bracelet results, and the latest with Jesse James and his ex Janine.

Plus: Tiger Woods' wife Elin is headed back to school.

Dwyane Wade: 'Foreplay' Lawsuit Is Total BS

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Dwyane Wade claims he's "saddened" and "shocked" by a new lawsuit filed by his estranged wife -- in which she claims the NBA star is damaging their children by engaging in "sexual foreplay" with his new girlfriend in public.

The woman behind the lawsuit is Siohvaughn Wade -- the mother of Dwyane's two sons. Siohvaughn just filed a new lawsuit, on behalf of the two minor children (an 8-year-old and a 2-year-old) -- claiming Wade has engaged in "extreme and outrageous conduct" with his new GF Gabrielle Union in front of Wade's two children.

But Wade tells TMZ, "I am shocked that Siohvaughn Wade has brought this baseless and meritless lawsuit in the name of our children against Gabrielle Union."

Wade adds, "I am deeply saddened and disappointed that Siohvaughn has used our sons once again as pawns and is now lashing out at Gabrielle, who is an innocent party. It is clear that this is a desperate attempt to retaliate against me for seeking sole custody of our children and requesting that the court have her undergo a psychiatric examination."

Wade concludes, "My primary concern is my children and actions such as this only inflame the situation and are harmful to their well being.”

UPDATE: TMZ just spoke with a rep for Gabrielle Union who also rejects Siohvaughn's claims -- and apologizes to the court system for having to deal "with erroneous claims when there are real victims who should be receiving the legal attention they need."

NBA Star Loves His Beer Pong

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Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love isn't just a ferocious competitor on the basketball court
-- dude takes his beer pong pretty seriously too.

The Timberwolves big man -- who's of legal drinking age by the way -- hit up his uncle Mike's crib (yes, Mike Love....lead singer of the Beach Boys)... and whipped out the booze, solo cups and ping pong balls recently.

Here's the rub -- while Love is usually a pretty good shot on the court, we're told his team lost on the table ... 'cause Love couldn't nail down the range.

Still, our source says Love was a good sport -- and even cracked another beer with his opponents after the game.

Will The Real Tim Duncan Please Tweet?

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Tim Duncan claims he was booted from his Twitter account ... because he's not the 6'11" NBA star by the same name.

The white Tim tells us he got

Tuesday informing him they were shutting down his account because they believed he was trying to "impersonate" the Black, much taller Tim Duncan.

For some reason Twitter had a change of heart yesterday and his account was re-activated.

We reached out to Twitter and we're still waiting for an explanation ... in 140 characters or less, of course.

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Kenyon Martin's Locker Room Tirade -- On Tape

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TMZ has obtained the expletive-filled audio recording of NBA star Kenyon Martin going insanely ballistic on his Denver Nuggets teammates when an April Fools' prankster filled his Range Rover with buttered popcorn.

After seeing how the popcorn affected his white interior, Martin -- who's making roughly $16 million this year -- went back into the locker room and told his teammates, "I swear to God, boy ... when I find out who did it ... I'm gonna put my mother f*ckin' hands on one of y'all."

Martin continued, "I'm gonna put my hands on whoever did it ... you best believe dat ... it's f*ckin personal ... you best believe it."

After Martin calmed down, Kenyon learned the perp was the driver of teammate J.R. Smith. The driver later apologized for the prank ... but Martin reportedly won't accept the mea culpa.

To listen to the uncensored version,

click here

.

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Kenyon Martin's Locker Room Tirade -- On Tape

Published | Updated

TMZ has obtained the expletive-filled audio recording of NBA star Kenyon Martin going insanely ballistic on his Denver Nuggets teammates -- when an April Fools prankster filled his Range Rover with buttered popcorn.

Kenyon Martin's Locker Room Tirade -- On Tape :: 0407_kenyon_martin_ex_audio

After seeing how the popcorn affected his white interior, Martin -- who's making roughly $16 million this year -- went back into the locker room and told his teammates, "I swear to god boy ... when I find out who did it .. I'm gonna put my mother f*ckin' hands on one of yall."

Martin continued, "I'm gonna put my hands on whoever did it ... you best believe dat ... it's f*ckin personal ... you best believe it."

After Martin calmed down, Kenyon learned the perp was the driver of teammate J.R. Smith. The driver later apologized for the prank ... but Martin reportedly won't accept the mea culpa.

Dwyane Wade Divorce Deposition: STD Lies

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That shocking STD accusation in NBA star Dwyane Wade's divorce is a big nasty lie, according to sworn testimony in legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Siohvaughn Wade has claimed in legal docs the Miami Heat guard gave her chlamydia. But during a deposition, Andrea Williams ... a close friend of the Wades -- claimed Siohvaughn told her she contracted the disease from another man.

Williams testified in her depo, Siohvaughn was seeing another man during her marriage -- and claims she was present in 2007 when Mrs. Wade accused the boyfriend of giving her the STD.

But enough about chlamydia. Williams also claims in her depo that Siohvaughn bought a T-Mobile cell phone for her BF. Dwyane is a T-Mobile spokesperson. Guess who's not making his fave five?

More NBA Baby Mama Drama

Miami Heat Star Claims Wife Sabotaged Big Game

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Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade claims his estranged wife intentionally blocked their oldest son from sharing in one of the most precious moments a child can have -- out of spite.

In legal docs filed in Wade's uber-nasty custody fight, Wade's lawyer claims he wanted to take his 8-year-old son to All-Star weekend in Dallas. But Dwyane's lawyer claims Siohvaughn jock-blocked him by throwing a birthday party for the boy in Wisconsin -- 10 days after the boy's real birthday.

According to Wade's lawyer, James Pritikin, Dwyane actually filed an emergency motion before the game, asking the judge to order his wife to let the boy go to Dallas. But the judge felt the All-Star game was not an emergency.

Sad part of the story -- Dwyane scored 28 points, got the MVP award and led his team to victory. And the boy got a sucky cake in Wisconsin.

More NBA Baby Mama Drama

Jayson Williams -- The Happiest Inmate on Earth

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Former NBA star Jayson Williams may have nearly five years left on his prison sentence ... but that doesn't mean he isn't free to smile.

Jayson was just transferred to his permanent home at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Wrightstown, New Jersey where he flashed his pearly whites for his new intake photo.

We're told Jayson -- who's serving time for the 2002 shooting death of his limo driver -- will be placed in the general population. But there's good news. The prison takes part in the Jersey Fresh program, so he'll get locally grown fruits and veggies all the time.

Smile if you're heart smart!!

More Jayson Williams

NBA Owner Sued by Former Nanny

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The dude who owns the Indiana Pacers basketball team is being sued by his former nanny after she allegedly got the chop ... when she was ready to pop.

In a lawsuit filed yesterday in L.A. County Superior Court, Herb Simon and his Thai supermodel wife, Bui, are accused of firing Claudia Leite after she told her bosses she became pregnant last month.

In the suit, Leite claims the family "feared" that she would want to take a "brief or limited medical leave of absence" around the time the baby was due -- and according to Leite, that wasn't gonna cut it.

But the nanny isn't going after the Simons alone. The family's former driver is also suing the couple, claiming they kicked him to the curb when the guy became "disabled with severe infections."

Both the nanny and the driver claim the Simons also cheated them out of several paychecks -- they're both asking for an unspecified amount of cash.

We called, but we were unable to reach Simon's rep for comment.

More Sports Lawsuits

LeBron James Bigger Than Jay-Z?

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LeBron James was mobbed on his way out of the Jay-Z concert at Madison Square Garden last night -- with people begging and pleading for King James to leave Cleveland for the New York Knicks.

James was just one of a ton of stars who rolled through Jay's sold-out concert -- but people treated 'Bron like he was the biggest star on the planet ... even bigger than the guy he came to see.

So we gotta ask ...

NBA Star Al Jefferson Busted for DWI

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Al Jefferson of the Minnesota Timberwolves was arrested this morning on a charge of fourth degree driving while impaired.

Jefferson was arrested at 1:08 AM by the State Patrol and booked into Hennepin County Jail shorty around an hour later. He was released at 3:19 AM, according to jail records.

Jefferson was initially pulled over for speeding, cops tell TMZ, and field sobriety and blood tests were taken.

He is due back in court on April 23.

Jayson Williams Can Score in Prison

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Former NBA star Jayson Williams was taken to the clink this week after being sentenced to 5 years behind bars -- but there's an upside: The place has a b-ball hoop he can use to get in with the cool kids.

Jayson was shipped off to Hunterdon County Correctional Facility in New Jersey on Monday -- but we're told it's only a temporary home for Williams until he's transferred to more permanent quarters.

Williams has to serve at least 18 months behind bars before he's eligible for parole -- so hopefully the next place has a hoops court too.

More Jayson Williams

Jayson Williams Sentenced - 5 Years Behind Bars

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Former NBA star Jayson Williams was just sentenced to five years in prison for the 2002 shooting death of his limo driver, Costas Christofi, and will be available for parole after 18 months.

During the hearing, Christofi's sister held up a photo of him, while a rep for the family stood up and said Jayson had never apologized to the family for killing Christofi. The rep begged the judge to make Jayson serve all five years in prison without probation.

Jayson eventually stood up, teary-eyed, and apologized to them ... along with his own family, church and the NBA.

Jayson was eventually handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom. We're told he'll be taken to the Hunterdon County Correctional Facility ... where he could remain for weeks until he's moved to his permanent lodging.

We were live inside Somerset County Courthouse in New Jersey during Jayson's sentencing this morning, below are the highlights from the hearing ... video to follow.

UPDATE 9:35 AM ET: It has begun. The prosecutor just asked the judge to sentence Jayson to 5 years behind bars with a minimum of 18 months with parole. The prosecutor told the judge Jayson has a "dark side."

Wizards GM: Arenas Not Finished in Washington

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Locker room pistolero Gilbert Arenas may have another shot with the Washington Wizards after all -- the team's general manager "thinks" he'll be back with the squad next year.

The NBA team's GM Ernie Grunfeld just finished up a news conference on the state of his team -- and according to Washington Post reporter Michael Lee, the squad isn't ready to empty the clip on their highest paid player saying, "We think he's going to be back with us. He's part of the organization. If he's going to play, he's going to play here."

Arenas is currently serving a season-long suspension for bringing guns into the Wizards locker room back in December -- over an incident involving his teammate Javaris Crittenton.

As we previously reported, the Wizards were so helpful with police, insiders say they were looking for an excuse to 86 him from the team.

Before leaving today's conference, Grunfeld noted that his relationship with Arenas is, "fine."