NBA

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is being called out by one of the Clipper Girls ... who says the dance squad deserves a serious RAISE ... especially since the billionaire can afford it!

Athena Perample -- who also stars on the "L.A. Clippers Dance Squad" reality show -- was leaving Craig's Wednesday night with showman Jeff Beacher when we asked if NBA cheerleaders do better than their NFL counterparts.

That's when Athena took a stand -- saying it's time for ALL professional team dancers and cheerleaders to start getting paid better ... especially with SO much money in pro sports.

Athena wouldn't say how much she's getting paid now -- but says some cold hard cash could help change a major stereotype that's been doggin' dancers for decades.

Forget the NBA, Lakers rookie sensation D'Angelo Russell might not be the best athlete in his OWN RELATIONSHIP ... 'cause his GF is showing the world she has some serious lift.

Russell is dating USC volleyball player Niki Withers who must've wanted to prove to him she knows her way around the basketball court ... 'cause check out this clip of NW grabbing the rim with authority.

It's pretty impressive video -- Withers is 5'10" (and the sister of Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis) and glides up to the cup with ease.

We would say she should try out with the Sparks ... but let's face it ... the Lakers need more help.

"I don't see [Steph Curry] being one of the Top 5 best ever" -- Stephen Jackson.

So, we were talking basketball with the ex-NBA star in L.A. when he dropped some real talk about how Steph and LeBron James will be remembered after their NBA careers are over.

Jackson says he likes Curry a lot ("he's having a helluva season") but he'll never crack the Top 5.

On LeBron, Jackson says ... "He's gonna go down as probably Top 3, Top 4 best ever."

We're guessing Jackson's 1 and 2 are MJ and Kobe in that order.

So, the question ... who would you put in that 3 spot ahead of LeBron?

Former "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven has an answer to the biggest sports question currently dogging his native city of Chicago ...

Is it time to finally give up on former MVP Derrick Rose?

Rose hasn't been the same since he won the award a few years ago ... and after all the injuries, legal issues and subpar play, some are wondering if it's high time to move on.

We got Piven -- a die hard Chicago sports fan -- doing some shopping out in L.A. and laid the question out to him ... his answer is sure to make the entire Rose family breathe a sigh of relief.

Question -- What do pimply-faced geeks who play video games all day have in common with the 6'8" demigods who roam NBA courts on a nightly basis???

Answer -- They're all highly skilled athletes ... that's according to Rick Fox who says the guys on his League of Legends team deserve as much athletic respect as the Kobes and Shaqs of his NBA days.

Fox was out in L.A. when we talked to him about the only thing he seems to want to talk about these days ... Team Echo Fox ... the competitive League of Legends team he owns.

Make sure you watch until the end.

... because an otherwise ordinary video of NY Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis in L.A. was made super freakin' awesome by teammates Sasha Vujacic and Lou Amundson busting out a dope goodbye handshake.

It's one of the better ones we've seen ... mostly because it's the only one we've ever seen that actually involves a sound effect ... A+ creativity.

BTW ... We also asked 3-6 Latvia for his thoughts about Derek Fisher finally speaking up about the whole Matt Barnes thing ... and the big man weighs in.

But still ... the handshake ... pure gold.

"I like having a villain. That's why it's good when LeBron went to Miami ... they were the villains right? Having a villain is good." -- Mark Cuban

With all the talk about how there's no one to hate-watch in the NBA, we had to ask Cuban if he misses the days when there was a team everyone LOVED to root against.

The short answer -- yes.

If Matt Barnes and Derek Fisher decide to settle their beef with one final UFC-style fight -- J.R. Smith wants a ticket ... telling TMZ Sports, "I would love to see that."

Smith even did some fight analysis ... breaking down the strengths of both guys.

"It would be a good one," said Smith ... who actually played for Fisher on the Knicks last season.

Of course, Fisher brought the feud back in the headlines Thursday -- saying he was essentially attacked by Barnes and refused to retaliate. He also said Barnes was NEVER his friend.

Mark Wahlberg has officially signed on to produce a movie about the life of NBA star Caron Butler ... this according to Caron himself.

The movie will be based on Butler's autobiography 'Tuff Juice' -- in which the Sacramento Kings forward details how he overcame a hard life as a drug dealing youth to make it to the NBA.

As we first reported, the two were in talks to turn the story into a movie back in September -- and now, Mark has signed an agreement essentially buying the rights to Caron's story.

"I’m excited to take the next step towards sharing my story with an even larger audience and it’s a blessing to have someone as well-known and respected as Mark Wahlberg by my side," Butler said.

"I wanted to tell my story because I’m living proof that it is possible to overcome adversity and make a better life for yourself and your family. The response from the book was overwhelming and when someone like Mark Wahlberg tells you that your life could be a movie, you listen."

So, who will play Caron?? He previously told us his dream actor is Michael B. Jordan.

Don't know who this kid is ... but ya might wanna keep an eye on him -- 'cause the youngster took Porzingis to the hole TWICE during a 1-on-1 session Wednesday ... and we've got the video!

The whole event was pretty awesome ... the NY Knicks star took the court against a bunch of kids at the Delta "Fly Like a Pro" event at the Chelsea Piers.

Porzingis dominated most of the kids (some kids hit from downtown) ... but this one kid turned some heads by shooting over the 7'3" superstar two different times!

He's been out of the league for 2 years, but don't close the book on Andrew Bynum's career -- because the 28-year-old says an NBA comeback could still be in the cards.

Bynum was leaving lunch at Crustacean in Bev Hills when we started talking about Baron Davis' comeback attempt with the Philadelphia 76ers D-League affiliate.

What's cooler than being an NBA star?

Being an NBA star who looks like a MOVIE STAR ... just ask OKC Thunder star Steven Adams ... who says his resemblance to Jason Momoa paid off HUGE recently.

Adams was out in L.A. when he told us about a recent trip out to Croatia ... where the locals mistook him for the 'Batman v Superman' star ... and it was awesome!

By the way, we also asked Adams if everything was cool with DeMarcus Cousins after a near fistfight on the court Monday night ... check out what he says.

Delonte West was discombobulated on the streets of Houston last month because he was on the wrong medication and left his treatment facility while hallucinating ... but now he's on the road to recovery.

Hotel prince Rick Hilton is going to bat for his family brand -- personally telling Kyrie Irving to COME BACK to Hilton Hotels after his bedbug incident last weekend.

By now you know ... the Cleveland Cavs star claims he was bit up by the creepy crawlies at the Skirvin Hilton in OKC -- and it freaked him out and made him sick.

But Rick -- the grandson of Hilton founder Conrad Hilton -- says the NBA star shouldn't hold a grudge with the hotel chain ... and kindly asks Kyrie to give Hilton another shot.

It's been 10 years since Andrei Kirilenko announced that his wife gave him 1 free sex pass per year to bang a groupie ... so when we saw them at LAX Thursday we had to ask -- is the offer still good???

The 35-year-old -- who retired from the NBA last year -- deferred the answer to his wife Masha ... who essentially told us AK still gets the green light ... but coated it with guilt.

"It's just up to him if he accepts [the sex pass] or not."

But the best part of the video is when we ask Masha if the offer goes both ways -- and wait'll you hear what she says.

It's not just good to be LeBron James -- it's also AWESOME to be his body double -- so says LB's real life stand-in who tells TMZ Sports even LeBron's backup lives a 1st class life!!!

We spoke with Sheldon Bailey -- a 6'6" former college basketball player turned actor -- who's been LeBron's body double in commercials for Kia, Nike, State Farm and more for about 6 years.

You gotta watch the clip ... Bailey gets everything from 1st class travel, to 5 star hotel stays ... and all the awesome high end clothes he could ask for just for being connected to LBJ.