NBA

It's the kind of "Storage Wars" story that would make Dave Hester proud -- some guy in Maryland bought a unit for $300 at a storage auction recently only to find more Dikembe Mutombo memorabilia than you can shake a giant finger at.

The winning bidder is Adrian Petrus ... who competed for the contents of a forceclosed unit -- and just like on "Storage Wars," Adrian had no idea what was inside.

So you can imagine how pumped he was when he opened the locker and realized the whole thing was packed full of Mutombo items -- signed basketballs, shoes, jerseys, trading cards and photos of Dikembe with celebs like Michael Jackson and Nelson Mandela.

The locker also contained works of art painted and signed by Mutombo's brother.

So who would abandon such an incredible cache of Dikembe stuff?

Turns out, the unit belonged to one of Dikembe's brothers ... who lost the locker recently after missing several rental payments.

We're told the brother had gone back to the Congo to deal with family issues in the wake of his father's death -- and simply forgot to make his locker payments. Sucks.

Petrus tells us .. once he realized what he had, he reached out to Dikembe to try and make a deal to return the items ... but never heard back. So, naturally, the next step ... is eBay.

Lamar Odom has just been sued by the photog whose equipment the NBA star trashed on the street back in July ... and the pap is partly blaming Kanye West for Lamar's outburst, TMZ has learned.

Stefan Saad filed the lawsuit, claiming the NBA star assaulted him and destroyed more than $15,000 worth of camera equipment during the attack in the middle of a Hollywood street ...all in an effort to avoid negative press.

The lawsuit trashes the Kardashians and Lamar with gems like this -- "The Kardashian clan has apparently come to believe that it is above the law, and has some exceptional privilege to disregard the rights of others."

The lawsuit goes on "The Kardashian clan are not only wealthy and attractive -- but also deeply flawed."

As we reported, Lamar blew a gasket after the pap peppered him with questions about cheating on Khloe, opening Saad's car and tossing all his gear onto the pavement, including expensive camera equipment.

Lamar then took a bundle of the photog's crap, placing it in his own car. The entire incident was caught on tape.

According to Stefan's lawsuit, Lamar feels like he's "above the law" because he's married to a Kardashian sister. Stefan even believes Kanye West had a hand in all this, claiming the rapper (who's dating Kim) advised him on how to deal with paparazzi in a Kanye fashion.

Lamar Odom says he's absolutely NOT a drug addict ... doesn't need professional help ... and is confident he'll play in the NBA next season.

He's wrong on all 3 counts.

33-year-old Odom went to Teru Sushi in Studio City last night ... and after taking some photos with fans, he finally addressed the media about drug issues in his life ... claiming everything is hunky-dory.

Problem is ... Odom is clearly in denial. As we've previously reported, just about everyone in his life -- personally and professionally -- knows about his battle with substance abuse, including his wife Khloe Kardashian.

In the last year alone, Lamar's been thrown out of hotels ... busted for DUI ... spent time in rehab ... and dropped from multiple NBA teams.

Still, Lamar insists ... "Life is good."

Lamar Odom is getting a ton of support from fans in downtown L.A. ... where he kept up his strange nocturnal movements Monday night.

We spotted Lamar in his black track suit just after 10 PM in the the lobby of the apartment building where he's now living -- and he was posing for photos with several fans.

Lamar posed for photos with at least 3 fans -- including a middle-aged woman and her family -- before making an exit through the building's parking garage.

Lamar's been seen multiple times in the last few days wandering near the building late at night -- and sure isn't, outwardly anyway, acting like a guy in the grips of a serious crack addiction.

Not to mention being right on the verge of destroying his NBA career, and his marriage to Khloe Kardashian.

Smile and the whole world smiles with you?

How much does it cost to sit courtside at Game 7 of the NBA finals? According to a new lawsuit ... $25,000 PER SEAT ... and Floyd Mayweather Jr. still hasn't paid his enormous bill (allegedly).

Mayweather was just sued by a company called White Glove International, which says Mayweather hired it on June 20th to purchase 3 courtside seats to Game 7 in Miami between the Heat and the Spurs.

FYI, Game 7 was on June 20th ... which means Mayweather purchased the tickets the day of the game. Pretty ballsy.

According to the lawsuit, each ticket cost $25,000. White Glove says Mayweather also purchased an additional ticket in the first row for $5,000. Four tickets total.

All told, the bill came to $80,000 ... and White Glove says Mayweather still hasn't covered the tab.

It's suing for the entire sum plus interest. Calls to Mayweather's camp weren't returned.

Here's a photo of Clipper's center DeAndre Jordan outside of Beacher's Madhouse Theatre in Hollywood last weekend having a short chat with one of his fans.

DeAndre is 6'11 -- the other is ... not close.

Discuss.

Ex-Golden State Warriors Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond took it to the hole yesterday in L.A. -- the holes on their faces ... and we got video of their frozen yogurt get-together.

The two basketball stars were hanging outside of Menchies Frozen Yogurt in Calabasas and told us they're "friends for life" who kick it all the time.

Check out the video to hear their thoughts on modern day basketball and the perks of retirement.

Lamar Odom's crack cocaine addiction had reached such dangerous levels ... even his dealer thought the NBA star had gone over the edge, and cut off his supply last week, TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the dealer tell us, the crack slinger had delivered the drug to Lamar all summer, but last week, Lamar was insatiable ... calling incessantly and demanding more and more crack. His go-to dealer apparently got scared enough to cut Lamar off.

No surprise ... the dealer wasn't really concerned about Lamar's welfare. He was worried about his own ass -- scared Lamar could die and authorities would come down on him.

Lamar Odom just left an L.A. sushi restaurant with a friend ... where he ordered no sushi.

Lamar was there for lunch ... a very light lunch, consisting of a bowl of miso soup and 2 green teas.

Lamar barely touched the soup, and spent most of the time ignoring his friend while he chatted on his phone.

The staff tells TMZ ... Lamar was nice enough. The bill came to a whopping $7. Lamar plunked down a 20 and went on his not-so-merry way.

There are reports Lamar is getting outpatient treatment for his crack problem.

Lamar Odom fell deep into the world of hardcore drugs during a wild summer in Hollywood ... where he spent as much as $1,000 in a single day to fuel his growing addiction to crack -- according to sources familiar with the situation.

TMZ broke the story Lamar was hooked on crack -- but now we've learned just how bad it got in the last few months.

We're told Lamar's habit picked up speed when he moved out of his home with Khloe Kardashian, and into Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel with a friend in late May ... after the NBA season ended.

We're told the hotel room was used like a flop house ... where Lamar was surrounded by his pal and 7 or 8 other drug abusers -- strangers -- who came in and out of the room throughout the day and night ... for several months straight.

According to sources, Odom was dropping -- on average -- $800 per day, but sometimes more, for multiple drugs, including crack.

By the way, if $800 worth of crack sounds like a huge amount of drugs for one person ... it is. But we're told Lamar sometimes shared his huge score. Plus, drug dealers often charge rich customers premium prices.

As we first told you, Khloe kept Lamar's drug addiction secret for at least 2 years -- but after this summer she decided enough was enough ... telling him if he didn't get treatment, she would pull the plug on their marriage.

Lamar Odom has NOT checked himself in to rehab ... sources connected to the NBAer tell TMZ.

There are reports out that Lamar checked himself in ... we've been making calls for the last day and just got what we're told is the definitive word ... he's not there.

Lamar has gone off the radar with the Kardashian family for the last few days. Khloe -- who has made it clear she will end the marriage if he doesn't get help -- has heard nothing from him.

Khloe Kardashian is totally unaware her estranged husband Lamar Odom entered a rehab facility -- despite the fact she lead the charge for him to get help in the first place ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us Khloe never got so much as a heads-up about Lamar's plans, and was completely blindsided by the report he's checked in for treatment.

We're told one big reason for that is Khloe and Lamar have not been talking at all since she issued an ultimatum last weekend -- get help or our marriage is over -- intending to force his hand on the issue of rehab.

As we previously reported ... Lamar started a treatment program last summer in San Diego, but bailed after only 3 weeks.

One source says although Khloe's been kept outside the loop this time -- she does hope wherever Lamar is ... he's actually getting professional help.

No men? No problem ... at least for Vanessa Bryant and La La Anthony ... who took some time away from their famous husbands last night for a basketball wives dinner date in L.A. ... and TMZ has the footage.

The two hit up Madeo in West Hollywood -- without Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony -- and after the meal, they posed up for photogs who snapped away like crazy.

So, are there actual NBA implications from the dinner date? Well, Carmelo becomes a free agent after this upcoming season ... and the Bryants could be trying to woo Carmelo away from NY and sign on with the Lakers.

Lamar Odom has finally checked in to rehab to deal with his raging drug addiction ... this according to a new report.

People.com says Lamar has checked into a rehab facility ... but does not specify when or where he started treatment.

Lamar was seen out in public over the weekend ... so the move to rehab had to be very recent.

As TMZ first reported ... the 32-year-old NBA star has been struggling with drug addiction for years, and most recently he's gotten hooked on crack. Lamar was arrested for DUI last Friday.

Kobe Bryant's famous customized '63 Chevy lowrider -- tricked out by the guys from "Pimp My Ride" -- is back on the auction block ... and it could be yours if you've got an extra $100k laying around.

The car was a gift to Kobe from his wife Vanessa back in 2006 ... but he got rid of it earlier this year ... and the new owner has decided to put it up on eBay with a 6-figure price tag.

It's a pretty sick whip -- we're talkin' 327 V8 engine ... 13-inch wheels ... white leather seats ... pimped out stereo system ... and some serious hydraulics.

The car also comes with Vanessa's old registration card AND Kobe's State Farm insurance card (Like a good neighbor ...).

The celebrity relationship born on Twitter is still going strong for "iCarly" star Jennette McCurdy and Detroit Pistons star Andre Drummond ... 'cause last night the two went out for a romantic dinner in L.A. and TMZ has the footage.

In case you're unaware, 20-year-old Drummond revealed his longtime crush on 21-year-old McCurdy over the past couple of months during "Woman Crush Wednesdays" on Twitter ... posting several pics of the Nickelodeon star.

Once she got word of his interest, she reached out ... and the two hooked up in real life late last week.

Tuesday night ... it appeared their relationship was still going strong -- the two were spotted holding hands on their way out of Madeo in West Hollywood.

FYI -- Drummond ran the whole date in style ... using a driver to chauffeur the couple to and from the restaurant.

#realpimp.