NBA

Video just surfaced of NBA star Anthony Davis being held down butt naked and spanked on his ass -- an apparent victim of hazing while at the University of Kentucky.

Davis only attended the University of Kentucky for one season (2011-12) -- making him a freshman in the video ... where someone, most likely a teammate is smacking his ass in the locker room.

It's interesting video with hazing and locker room bullying becoming such a hot button issue after the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin scandal with the Miami Dolphins.

Davis is clearly not fighting back in the video -- which comes off as more playful than violent -- in fact, he's laughing and mugging for the camera.

We reached out to Univ. of Kentucky for comment ... so far, no word back.

Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky the Mountain Lion's motionless body was lowered from the Pepsi Center ceiling last night before their home opener ... but the big mystery is why.

The plan called for Rocky to be lowered from the rafters with a spotlight on him ... but when his descent to the floor began -- Rocky didn't move a muscle ... and instantly collapsed when he touched the ground.

According to reports ... the guy in the suit was checked out right after and walked off the court on his own, but so far ... the team has been hush-hush on what happened.

Good news -- the team should have Rocky back for their next game.

Lamar Odom was drunk -- very drunk -- at Beacher's Madhouse in Hollywood Wednesday night ... eyewitnesses tell TMZ -- and it's a dramatic, depressing turn in his life.

People who were present tell us ... Lamar showed up with several guys. In short order Lamar was hanging at the bar doing shots of Patron. For the next 3 hours, Lamar could not be seen without a glass of champagne.

Our sources say he was "hammered." One witness -- who knows the difference -- says Lamar didn't seem like he was on drugs. It appeared to be alcohol-fueled.

Lamar stayed until closing at 2 AM. By 2:30 AM he was in the valet area talking about where to go for the "after party."

Shaquille O'Neal's still calling the shots -- but now in the political arena -- telling TMZ it was HIS brilliant idea to endorse Republican NJ Gov. Chris Christie.

Shaq -- who's a native of Newark -- was in neighboring NYC last night when we asked about the Governor's newest strategy ... a 30-second campaign commercial featuring the big man (O'Neal not Christie).

Clearly, Shaq's a big fan ... telling us Christie's "a good man" who's done a lot for the Garden State. ... that's why he came up with what could be a game winning play for the Governor.

John Stockton is finally settling one of the great mysteries surrounding the NBA -- can he dunk a basketball????

The Hall-of-Famer was out in NYC yesterday promoting his new book," Assisted" when we asked if he ever got above the rim.

John's answer -- "Not anymore ... I could at one time."

For the record, trying to find a video clip of John dunking a basketball is like trying to find the Loch Ness monster ... it's virtually impossible.

So, here's the next best thing ...

Lamar Odom may have ruined his chances of EVER returning to his beloved Los Angeles Lakers ... so says his ex coach and NBA legend Phil Jackson.

Jackson didn't mince words to TMZ when we asked if he thought Lamar would ever return to the purple and gold. He said, "I think that bridge might have been burned."

In case you didn't know, Phil is pretty tight with Lakers execs -- he lives with team Prez Jeanie Buss.

And this is interesting. Phil tells us ... he's not blaming the Kardashian family for Lamar's woes, despite a recent interview in which he hinted that Lamar would have been better off without the K-fam.

He says although the reality show was "a distraction" for Lamar, there's a benefit that outweighed the negative -- "Lamar got a family and a caring unit."

He also said he worries that Bruce Jenner is out of the picture ... because Lamar related to him as an athlete.

As for what caused Lamar to unravel, Jackson said he's been dealing with "too many personal things," although he was not specific.

LeBron James missed a huge opportunity -- when he mistakenly promoted his new line of shoes by covering a Lamborghini in the same design as his kicks.

Why? Because he should have made a SHOE car ... according to some crazy people.

Kobe Bryant has apparently forgiven Phil Jackson for calling him an insecure, sensitive sub-Jordanesque player in his book ... 'cause the two got together for breakfast this week, TMZ has learned.

We've learned ... Kobe and his former Lakers coach shared a booth at Wendy's Place in El Segundo Thursday morning ... chowing down on eggs and other breakfast-y items.

Kobe and Phil have had a complicated relationship over the years ... which Phil touched upon in his book, "Eleven Rings," which he released back in May.

In the book, Phil wrote that Michael was a better shooter, defender and overall leader than Kobe ... which some people interpreted as a slight against the Mamba.

But at breakfast yesterday, the two seemed as chummy as ever ... talking about basketball while scarfing down their meal.

So, who paid when the bill came??? The guy with the most jewelry.

The fate of the Los Angeles Lakers rests in the hands of Kobe Bryant ... which is why it might be concerning that his hands are near the mouth of A LIVE MAN-EATING LION!!!

Kobe faced down the king of the jungle at an L.A. studio today ... during a commercial shoot for Turkish Airlines. Kobe's a celebrity spokesman for the airline.

Check out the pics above ... that's Kobe sticking his right hand (his shooting hand, mind you) directly up to the lion's mouth.

Fortunately, Kobe emerged without a scratch ... and he's lucky ... 'cause as everyone knows, big cats can be dangerous to humans. Just ask Adam Sandler ...

Lamar Odom tells TMZ he hasn't been blackballed from the Kardashian family -- and WAS invited to Kanye's big proposal to Kim -- but he CHOSE not to go because he had better things to do that night.

It was just one of the topics Lamar addressed on his way out of the Spitting Chicken Cantina in Sherman Oaks, CA last night ... telling us about his friendship with Kobe, his relationship with his dad and his battle to get back into the NBA.

In fact, L.O. says he believes he's back in playing shape -- telling us, "I can play a basketball game and probably play really well."

He wanted to prove it by showing off his physique -- jokingly asking, "Do you wanna see me with my shirt off or my pants down?"

Don't worry, he didn't follow through on his offer.

Lamar Odom aggressively wanted to talk to a photog yesterday, about life, health, basketball and marriage.

Lamar has NEVER been chatty, so this lunchtime video is pretty shocking. The photog tries to end the interview several times and Lamar actually calls him back. Among the subjects:

You gotta see it. It's as revealing as anything we've seen in a long time.

Gabrielle Union is refusing to confirm if the beef between her BF Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant is real ... but she ain't exactly saying it's BS either.

Things have been heating up between Wade and Durant recently -- after Durant called Wade an overrated player who should no longer be on the NBA's top 10 list. He later said Wade needs to "pass the torch."

Wade responded with an Instagram post saying, "Note to self ... make [Durant] respect your place in history ... again."

Union was at LAX this weekend -- and while she tried to play down the feud as a one-time thing, it seems as if there's more to the story.

Lamar Odom's got recovery on his mind -- chowing down on a healthy breakfast in L.A. this morning.

Sources at Crave restaurant in Sherman Oaks tell TMZ, Odom only stopped by for about 20 minutes with another person, but ordered a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, and coffee.

We're told he ate pretty much everything, which is a good sign ... because if his appetite is returning, it could mean he's finally weaning himself off crack.

As we reported, Lamar's been looking thinner and thinner recently, so a good meal could really benefit him. Especially if he's considering a return to the NBA.

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury has officially gotten his bitter ex-mistress off his back -- and all it cost him was nearly a million dollars in hush money payments ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Marbury and Thurayyah Mitchell -- the personal chef he banged in 2006 while he was married -- had a legal agreement she would keep quiet about the affair, if he coughed up $900,000.

Problem is ... Marbury stopped paying around the $600,000 mark. So Mitchell dragged him to court earlier this year, and a judge ordered him to pay off his tab, or face losing his assets.

According to new court docs, Marbury has now paid the full outstanding debt of $341,153 and all's square once and for all.

The 11-time NBA champ was breezing through security at Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle Wednesday ... when a screener noticed something funny in his carry-on. Turns out ... Bill was packin' a fully loaded, .38 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun.

He could be fined up to $7,500.

Russell -- who became the first Black coach in the NBA -- got the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, courtesy of Barack Obama.

Stay in school, kids ... because if you do well, Carmelo Anthony will give you free Knicks tickets!!! At least that's what he did in Baltimore this week.

Melo and teammate Iman Shumpert dropped by the Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center in MD to spend some time with the kids in the program, and Melo rewarded the 15 Students of the Month with free Knicks tickets to Thursday's game in Baltimore (against the Wizards).

Anthony gave each student 2 tickets ... handing out 30 total ... but he didn't forget about the non-Students of the Month. We're told he handed out t-shirts to everyone. And they all had a blast.

Talk about a real winner -- and not just because the Knicks trounced the Wizards 98-89.