NBA

Lil Wayne can't lose when he's got LeBron James on his team -- even when he's squaring off with Birdman.

Wayne got a bunch of Cash Money artists --technically Birdman's artists -- to flock to his NBA All-Star weekend shindig Saturday in New Orleans to celebrate Cash Money Records' 20th anniversary ... leaving Birdman's party relatively empty.

Weezy even reunited with Juvenille, and Turk for a Hot Boys performance ... intro'd by LeBron.

Other celeb guests included DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, 21 Savage and (almost) Future -- who got bounced for bringing more than 30 people to the joint when it was already at full capacity.

As we reported ... Wayne and Birdman had planned separate parties in NOLA this weekend, with no plans to cross paths.

Looks like Wayne walked away with a W here. The war continues ...

NBA All-Star John Wall says NBA players -- especially Steph Curry -- will punish UCLA star Lonzo Ball for his father's smack talk, saying all the hype has definitely put a target on the kid's back.

We talked to Wall as he was in New Orleans getting ready for the All-Star game Sunday ... and asked about Lonzo's dad, LaVar, telling TMZ Sports his son was gonna be BETTER than Steph Curry.

The comments caught fire ... with a lot of people wondering if LaVar's fatherly pride was biting off more than his son's game can chew.

Wall told us he DEFINITELY thinks Lonzo is a legit baller ... but said there's no doubt about the fact that the entire league ... especially Steph ... will be lining up to take a chunk outta his ass next year.

"He's putting a lot of pressure on his kid ... he's adding fuel to the fire for when he plays Steph Curry, or any other point guards after he gets drafted."

We guarantee you this ... LaVar and his crew ain't scared at all.

Could an NBA team made up of the best former Kentucky players be able to beat the defending world champion Cleveland Cavaliers to win a ring?

"F*****' RIGHT!"

DeMarcus Cousins CLEARLY agrees with John Calipari ... who said this week that a team of Boogie, Karl-Anthony Towns, John Wall, Devin Booker and Anthony Davis would be able to win an NBA title.

Good news for Kobe ... he'll NEVER be shunned from Staples Center like Charles Oakley was from Madison Square Garden ... that's according to Ice Cube who says a Mamba ban is simply not possible.

2 Chainz and Allen Iverson have lavish taste buds ... ESPECIALLY when it comes to their booze.

We got a hold of the rapper and the NBA legend's rider for the bash they're hosting at Republic in New Orleans for NBA All-Star weekend, and the duo is damn clear about 1 thing -- ballers only chug, mix and spray the best liquor.

2 Chainz demands 4 bottles of Ace of Spades, 3 bottles of Dom Perignon and 3 bottles of Ciroc, different flavors. BTW, his Dom MUST have the glow-in-the-dark label. Big boy toys.

AI is less picky -- he wants 3 bottles of vodka, and only says nothing cheap ... "has to be top-shelf." He does, however, specify 6 bottles of Moet Rosé champagne, 3 bottles of Hennessy and Patron, 12 Coronas and a 12-pack of Fiji water. Oh yeah, 10 hand towels too.

Scratch that ... Allen's pretty damn picky.

Tickets for the event by Headliner Market Group will run you anywhere from $40 to $2,200 ... if you really wanna show out.

Russell Westbrook is a real crowd-pleaser ... 'cause the NBA star crashed a high school basketball tourney in New Orleans and had fans LOSING THEIR MINDS!!

Russ -- a Jordan Brand athlete -- popped up at the Jordan Invitational at St. Augustine H.S. in NOLA to check out 4 of the best H.S. hoops teams in the country face off ... but the Thunder hooper clearly stole the show.

Westbrook is in town for All-Star Weekend ... and fellow All-Star Kemba Walker and his teammate, Frank Kaminsky, also made appearances.

What do NBA players do instead of join in the All-Star Weekend festivities? TURN UP IN CABO!!

Here's Atlanta Hawks rookie Malcolm Delaney breaking down his sunny getaway during the NBA's short break ... and he's got 1 rule -- NO BASKETBALL.

Delaney's not the only baller heading to Mexico ... Grizzlies star Chandler Parsons is chillin' in Cancun.

Looks like Kevin Love is off to a great post-surgery recovery on his left knee ... because the Cleveland Cavs star was already walking around the streets of NYC last night and TMZ Sports has the video.

Love underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday in NYC where a doctor removed loose bodies from the knee. He's expected to be out around 6 weeks.

But Wednesday night, he was already moving pretty well on his way out of a Ralph Lauren fashion show with his girlfriend, Kate Bock.

It's great news for Cavs fans and Polo fans ... 'cause the collection looked dope!

Charles Oakley says he will NOT definitively label James Dolan as a racist because he's never personally seen him do racist things ... but says he's heard rumblings "over and over."

Oakley says he's "heard stuff" about Dolan over the years -- but when TMZ Sports asked him bluntly if he thinks Dolan is a racist Oakley said, "I don't know because I don't know him. I never met him like that."

"You hear all that stuff but I don't know. I can't say yet ... If it is, it'll come out. But right now, we're still waiting to see."

Oakley also says he's NOT accepting Dolan's proposed truce saying he's still injured -- physically and emotionally -- after the big incident at Madison Square Garden.

Charles Oakley just compared Knicks owner James Dolan to disgraced ex-Clippers owner Donald Sterling -- but stopped short of calling him a full-blown racist.

Oakley was asked about Draymond Green's claim that Dolan has a "slave master mentality" -- and while Charles wouldn't definitely agree with the term ... he didn't say Green was wrong either.

Oakley sounded off on "SI Now" and said he predicts the Knicks "will end up the same way as the Clippers" -- clearly insinuating that Dolan will be run out of town a la Sterling.

When pressed if he thought Dolan was a racist, Oakley said, "He's on the level."

Of course, TMZ Sports broke the infamous audio of Sterling telling V. Stiviano not to bring black people to Clippers games ... even Magic Johnson.

He was subsequently banned from the NBA for life.

Comparing Steph Curry to UCLA star Lonzo Ball is insulting ... to Lonzo anyway ... that's according to Ball's dad, LaVar, who says his son is going to be BETTER THAN CURRY ... the 2 time NBA MVP.

A lot of NBA analysts say Lonzo's ability to shoot from deep, pass and finish make him a 6'6" version of Curry, but when TMZ Sports talked to the eldest Ball he shot the comparisons down.

"You can't compare my boy to anyone," ... adding, "He's gonna be better than Steph Curry in the NBA!"

Just as a reminder ... Curry has won the last two NBA MVP's and is currently averaging nearly 25 points and 6 assists in the toughest basketball league on the face of the planet.

Listen, we'd doubt Mr. Ball, but he's got one son who's scored 72 points in a high school game, another who's scored 92, and one who just might be the best player in college basketball.

So, it's obvious he knows something we don't.

Stop giving the credit to Michael Jordan -- the real hero in the Charles Oakley, Knicks truce is NBA Commish Adam Silver ... so says Kenny Smith.

In fact, Smith says Silver was nothing short of spectacular in his handling of NBA messes since the first day he took the job ... just look at Donald Sterling.

Jason Collins says it's "great" that the NBA moved the 2017 All-Star game from North Carolina to New Orleans over a controversial transgender bathroom law ... and states Adam Silver did the right thing.

The NBA had previously said the state's HB2 law -- which requires transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to the sex they were born as -- created a climate that didn't fit with league values.

The league moved the game to New Orleans with the hope of moving it back to North Carolina in 2019 "provided there is an appropriate resolution to this matter."

Still, Collins -- the NBA's first openly gay player -- says he's proud of the league for taking a stand.

THE BAN IS OVER!!

Charles Oakley is NO LONGER persona non grata at Madison Square Garden following a peace summit with Knicks owner, James Dolan, on Monday.

Oakley was blacklisted from the arena after he was arrested last Wednesday for getting physical with security.

A PR war ensued and things seemed to be spiraling out of control until Oakley agreed to meet with Dolan in a session moderated by Michael Jordan.

Charles Oakley's beef with the Knicks looks like it might be squashed ... thanks to Michael Jordan ... who was part of a meeting between Oak, James Dolan and the NBA commish.

Oakley, J.D. and the NBA honcho met face-to-face today in NYC ... while Jordan called into the sit-down.

Adam Silver addressed the high-level meeting in a statement ... saying, "In an effort to find a path forward, New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan, Charles Oakley, and I met today at the league office, along with Michael Jordan, who participated by phone."

“Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA. Mr. Dolan expressed his hope that Mr. Oakley would return to MSG as his guest in the near future."

Last week, Dolan announced Oakley was banned from MSG ... though it looks like the ban might already be lifted.

Magic Johnson is putting his money where his mouth is ... telling TMZ Sports he will NO LONGER stay at Trump Hotels.

The NBA legend has been a regular at Trump Hotels for years -- especially in New York. But, when we saw him out earlier Monday, he was at ANOTHER high-end NYC spot.

When we asked if he was done with Trump Hotels -- he confirmed he's making the switch.

Johnson not only voted for Hillary Clinton but has come out STRONG against Trump ever since he was elected. Just last month, he said Trump needs to stop "acting like a dictator."

Oh, and good news for Charles Oakley -- Magic says he's definitely welcome at the Lakers games, despite the fact he's been banned from MSG.