NBA

L.A. Lakers star Steve Nash thinks he has a good reason NOT to pay child support -- if he does, he thinks his ex-wife will spoil the kids with limos and other luxuries.

Nash is locked in a legal war with Alejandra Nash over their 3 kids. She currently lives in Arizona, where a judge handled their divorce and ruled she was not entitled to child support. She's appealing the ruling and we now know what they're arguing over.

Steve convinced the divorce judge -- Alejandra doesn't need child support because he made her a millionaire 5 times over in the divorce settlement. On top of that, she pulls in more than $30k a month.

For her part, Alejandra says Steve makes a million bucks more than her every month, and it's unfair he's not forced to use some of it for the benefit of their kids.

Steve is saying he's paying plenty -- 90% of medical, school and extracurricular activities, and 82% of the nanny's $2k a month salary. He says he's worried if he pays more, she's an excessive spender who will spoil and damage the kids with crazy luxuries.

But there's more going on here. As we previously reported ... Alejandra wants to move to L.A. but Steve is objecting. It's really weird, because the b-baller has said he chose to go to the Lakers rather than the Knicks so he could be closer to his kids.

Kris Humphries might have walked away from his divorce from Kim Kardashian with squat ... but he still had enough green to go grocery shopping near his apartment in NYC this morning.

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson made it clear to a judge in Georgia -- postpone his baby mama trial until AFTER the NBA playoffs ... or risk angering the entire team's passionate fan base.

As TMZ first reported, Joe filed a suit against baby mama Shannon Beckton to be legally recognized as the father of their kid and share custody. The case was set to be heard between April 15 and May 5.

Like teammate Kris Humphries, that trial window was a BIG problem for Joe ... since the Nets made the playoffs and it could easily conflict with court times. To get the date moved, Joe explained to the judge he's a key member of the Nets and "a vital part of that team's success."

Joe also argued that his absence violate his contract (worth $126 million) and could seriously "harm" the Nets' championship dreams -- which would mean less cash for him and less cash for his kid.

The judge agreed and postponed the trial.

With Blake Griffin and the L.A. Clippers heading into the NBA Playoffs, one question MUST be answered! Or so our camera guy thought, "Hey, ask a stupid question ..."

Kris Humphries -- who was once obsessed with proving to the world that Kim Kardashian was a love fraud -- now says he gave up his battle because of his love of BBall.

A rep for Kris tells TMZ, "Kris and his family are excited to move forward and are grateful for all the support they have received in this process."

The rep then sets the priorities straight: "His commitment to the Brooklyn Nets and the team's incredible fans is his number one priority and he is excited to head into the playoffs tomorrow with this situation behind him."

Kim Kardashian is officially a single woman ... because the judge dissolved her marriage to Kris Humphries in today's court hearing ... and we've learned Kris walked away with NOTHING.

Here's what sources connected with the case tell TMZ:

-- Kris gets NO money from Kim. As we've reported ... he had previously demanded $7 mil.

-- Kris dropped his demand for an annulment based on fraud.

-- Each party will pay their own attorney's fees.

This is not just a settlement. It's a WIN for Kim and her lawyer, disso-queen Laura Wasser.

The judge sent 2 different messages -- on the one hand saying the status of the marriage was dissolved, but then said it's over when they sign the official papers. But it seems like she's officially divorced, especially since the judge said to Kim, "Congratulations on your dissolution."

One final thing. The judge was about to slap Kris with a financial penalty for being a no-show at last week's hearing, but Kim asked the court to drop it, and Kris skated.

9:00 AM PT -- The judge just announced in court what we told you earlier today. The divorce case is settled. The terms have not been disclosed, but the big news for Humphries ... he won't have to pay any penalties for blowing off last week's settlement conference.

TMZ has learned Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian have settled their year-and-a-half long divorce battle, and it looks like it will be announced in court today ... this according to sources directly connected with Kris.

TMZ broke the story Thursday ... Kris had softened his position about demanding an annulment because his case had gone South -- in other words, there was no proof Kim committed fraud when she married him.

Our sources say Kris will not show up in court today. Sources connected with the bballer tell us ... he's with his team today, gearing up for the NBA playoffs. This is significant, because Kris was ordered to court -- a judge wants him there when he gets hit with fines for not showing up last week.

We're told Kim will show up.

As for the settlement, it's confidential so far, but you can bet this was a divorce and NOT an annulment.

To put this in perspective, the divorce battle raged on for 536 days. They were married for 72 days.

Kris Humphries has made Kim Kardashian's life miserable for the last year-and-a-half -- but Kim is actually excited to see him in court today ... and even says she still loves him.

Kim and Kris will face off in court for the first time since their split on Halloween weekend, 2011. They're in court for a settlement conference ... and as we reported it's possible they could strike an agreement before leaving the building.

Sources very close to Kim tell TMZ ... Kim is actually looking forward to seeing him. She's saying she does indeed still love him as a person, acknowledging, "We just didn't work as a couple."

We're told Kim has actually reached out to Kris numerous times, but he never responded.

Kim is saying they have "unfinished business" and need to talk things out so they can truly move on.

Who knows if it's possible? What we do know is that Kris has softened his position on demanding an annulment ... largely because he sees the handwriting on the wall -- that he's going to lose at trial. If he does, he'll almost certainly get socked with Kim's attorney's fees. The bill on both sides will approach $1 mil if they can't settle.

We'll be in court, so stay tuned.

4/19/2013 9:16 AM PT -- And now it's official ... Kim and Kris are officially divorced.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries could settle their never-ending divorce case as early as tomorrow ... TMZ has learned.

The fleeting lovebirds are both ordered to appear in court tomorrow for a settlement conference. The big hang-up is that Kris has been fighting for an annulment based on alleged fraud, and Kim has steadfastly refused to go down that road. She wants a clean, simple divorce.

Sources close to Kris say there are various factors that are softening his position, including:

-- There's an ironclad prenup, if the case goes to trial Kris will get NO money from Kim (although as we previously reported Kris has demanded $7 mil from her -- good luck with that).

-- After all the depositions and legal docs flying back and forth, no evidence has surfaced showing Kim defrauded Kris -- and that goes to the heart of his claim.

-- Kris is about to get nailed with monetary sanctions for being a no-show at the last hearing and, in the process, he's pissed off the judge who would be presiding over the divorce trial.

-- If the case goes to trial and Kris loses, he could be in the hole for as much as a million bucks in attorney's fees. Sources tell us each side has already racked up $300k in lawyer's fees, and they'll spend another $200k if the case goes to trial. We broke the story, if the case goes to trial and Kim wins, she'll ask the judge to make Kris pay HER lawyer's fees.

Our sources say it's by no means a done deal that the case is going to settle tomorrow, but as one source put it, "Kris is opening his eyes a little bit, and what he sees doesn't look good."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's kids charity is a sham ... a front to swindle cash ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Julien's Auctions claims it struck a deal to sell Abdul-Jabbar's marquis memorabilia -- championship rings, jerseys, the works.

Deborah Morales, Kareem's manager and longtime personal friend, negotiated with Julien's and -- as part of the deal -- she allegedly got them to donate $300K to the famed bballer's Skyhook Foundation charity.

Julien's says after it forked over the cash, it discovered Skyhook was not in the charity business at all. It was a front to pad the pockets of Skyhook's mucky mucks ... according to the lawsuit.

Julien's wants Morales to return its $300k and punitive damages to boot.

BTW ... Kareem is NOT named as a defendant.

We've reached out to reps for Kareem, Skyhook, and Morales -- but haven't yet heard back.

The L.A. Lakers and Kobe Bryant go together like peanut butter and bananas ... and the Lakers wouldn't dream of dumping him to save a few million bucks -- so says Lakers guard Steve Nash.

There's a lot of talk going 'round that the Lakers might cut Kobe after he tore his Achilles last week ... because it would save them a fortune in luxury taxes on his salary -- roughly $80 million to be exact.

But Nash doesn't believe a word of it ... telling TMZ, "Kobe is synonymous with the Lakers ... He's a strong person. He'll come back stronger than ever."

Kim Kardashian has undeniably had problems with males, but not mails ... because she just blocked Kris Humphries from getting his hands on her personal writings.

Kim's lawyer, disso-queen Laura Wasser, was in court this AM ... objecting to Kris' demand to see various emails Kim sent on some closed accounts. The hearing was supposed to go down May 2, but Kris' lawyer asked the judge today to hear it today ... the judge said no.

Here's Kris' problem ... The trial is supposed to start on May 6. Even if the judge orders her to turn over the emails when Kris' motion is heard on May 2 ... she'd have 10 days to deliver the goods. By then the divorce case will be over. Translation -- even if Kris wins, he loses.

And that's all she wrote.

Kobe Bryant found an upside to season -- and possibly career-ending surgery ... HAPPY PILLS!!!

Mamba tore his Achilles tendon during last night's game against the Golden State Warriors ... an injury that requires surgery and a lengthy rehab. The Lakers say Kobe's timetable to return is about 6-9 months.

He posted a pic as he was about to go into surgery today, captioning it by saying, "Surgery prep time. Lookin like Mrs Doubtfire with a jerri curl cap lol Anesthesia next #highasakite #mambaout."

Earlier, his wife Vanessa posted a pic while Kobe was still on crutches, writing, "Waiting for MRI results with Dr Patrick Soon Shiong and Rob Pelinka. I want to thank my family for your love and support. Kobe is in great spirits."

Every Lakers fan on Earth, however, is not.

Kobe Bryant is terrified his playing career is over -- after tearing his Achilles -- and he's so PISSED about it ... he couldn't stop himself from venting in an emotional, rambling Facebook post.

The Lakers superstar was up at 3:30AM nursing the injury he suffered in last night's game ... when he started railing, "This is such BS! All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I've done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage."

Kobe was so upset he even hinted at retirement, saying ... "Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me..."

But in the middle of the post ... the Black Mamba recaptures his competitive edge and says he's looking for the "silver lining" and wants to get back to work with the "same drive and same conviction."

Best of all ... Kobe quotes the Jay-Z lyric -- "If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey [sic] for the bear". Ive always loved that quote. Thats 'mamba mentality' we don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. We endure and conquer."

There's a lot more in the post, including how much pain he's in ... and prepping for surgery.

Kobe Bryant's possible career-ending injury will not thwart the L.A. Lakers chances for playoff glory ... so says comrade-in-arms Jordan Hill.

Jordan has something in common with Kobe -- they're both injured Lakers and out for the season.

So the question -- with only 2 games left, and the Lakers holding on to their playoff hopes by a thin string -- how can the team possibly prevail when their mega-star sits on the bench with a busted Achilles?

If Kris Humphries were listening closely from New York, he could have heard a California judge screaming at his lawyer in court -- because Kris blew off a mandatory court appearance -- and it's worse than we first thought.

As we reported ... the settlement conference was scheduled for 8:30 AM today, but sources connected with Kris told TMZ ... he was stuck in New York. We're told in court today ... Judge Goldberg went nuclear, saying Kris could have caught a flight and that he mocked and disrespected the court.

Judge Goldberg was so pissed ... he set a sanction hearing -- meaning Kris may be hit with fines for being a no-show.

There was obviously no settlement reached today ... We're told both Kim and Kris must appear on the 19th for a pre-trial readiness/settlement conference. Kris better show.

Kim, on the other hand, was in court ... she answered all the judge's questions. Score one for Kardashian.

And if that wasn't enough ... she looked like a (pregnant) rock star when she left the building.