NBA

OLD-SCHOOL BASKETBALL BEEF!!

Charles Oakley is firing back at Dennis Rodman for criticizing LeBron James ... and he's hitting The Worm below the skirt.

Rodman made headlines earlier this week for telling CBS Sports that Michael Jordan would NEVER takes games off in the middle of the season ... unlike LeBron.

Dennis insinuated Jordan was tougher than James ... and he cussed a lot to make his point.

The comments didn't sit well with Oakley -- one of MJ's closest friends -- who issued this retort:

"I think LeBron is smart, you don't have to be tough to play basketball Miss wedding dress."

Calling Rodman soft 'cause he wore women's clothing? Wanna rethink that, Oak?

Atlanta Hawks player Thabo Sefolosha has struck a settlement with the 5 NYPD officers involved in his violent 2015 arrest outside of an NYC nightclub ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The terms of the settlement are confidential. A judge has officially dismissed the lawsuit as a result of the settlement.

We spoke with Thabo's attorney Alex Spiro who tells us, "We are glad this matter is resolved."

Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage when he and then-teammate Pero Antic were taken into custody outside 1 OAK on April 8 ... after another NBA player had been stabbed in a separate incident.

Sefolosha was initially charged with obstructing justice, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest -- but he took the case to trial and was eventually exonerated.

In his suit, Sefolosha accused the NYPD officers of false arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.

He also claims the incident was a "racial matter" -- and according to ESPN, he specifically referenced his African descent and the hoodie he was wearing that night.

Shawn Marion has 2 words for the people attacking Lonzo Ball's shooting motion -- "F*ck 'em."

The ex-NBA star can relate to Ball in the sense that people "sarcastically" poked fun at his unorthodox shooting style back when he was playing in the league.

For the record, Marion says there were a bunch of NBA players who took shots at his form -- "but not during the game cause I be busting their ass."

Now, with LeBron James clowning Ball -- Marion says the future NBA star has to follow suit ... keep hitting shots and everyone else will pipe down.

Detroit Pistons star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was surprisingly calm for a guy suspected of DUI ... at least, it seemed that way in the video of his arrest, obtained by TMZ Sports.

Kentavious was arrested in the early hours of March 29 -- after the Pistons had lost to the Miami Heat.

KCP was initially pulled over for speeding -- but during the stop, the officer explains to the NBA star that he smelled booze and his eyes were glossy.

Caldwell-Pope explained that he only had 2 drinks that night -- two glasses of Hennessy -- but says he specifically kept his drinking in check because he knew he had to drive.

At one point, it sounds like Kentavious calls himself a "lightweight."

Nick Young's turning women off that baller life ... just ask his ex-GF.

We got Paloma Ford leaving Nightingale Plaza in L.A. (looking STUNNING, btw) -- and the singer gave some advice for women looking to date a professional athlete -- don't.

FYI, Nick and Paloma started dating back in September -- but the relationship fizzled in January.

Don't worry, things are working out just fine for Ford -- she recently signed with Master P and has some secret projects in the works.

Now that Shaq has a statue in front of STAPLES Center ... it's only a matter of time before Kobe Bryant gets his. But there's one BIG question -- what number will Mamba's statue wear?!

Kobe's old teammate, Derek Fisher, has an easy solution ... DOUBLE 'EM UP! One statue for #8 and another for #24.

By the way, a similar issue has been raised when it comes to which jersey the Lakers will retire. Bryant told ESPN, "[Whichever number they choose] it'll be pretty hard for someone else to wear the other one."

Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was arrested early Wednesday morning for DUI ... hours after the Pistons lost ANOTHER game.

24-year-old Caldwell-Pope was initially pulled over in Auburn Hills, Michigan at 2:50 AM for going 45 in a 25 -- but during the stop, cops say they could smell the alcohol on Kentavious.

According to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports, KCP admitted to having 2 drinks of Hennessey at a bar earlier in the evening.

The officer administered field sobriety tests -- KCP didn't do great -- and he was arrested for DUI. After he was taken to a nearby station, Kentavious took a breathalyzer test -- and blew a .08.

Cops say the NBA player was "very cooperative."

Good news for LeBron James ... Nelly totally gets why NBA teams are resting their marquee players, saying the guys are playing a ton of minutes and need a break sometimes.

Bad news for Lebron James ... Nelly ain't with NBA teams resting their marquee players, saying he'd be super bummed if he took his son to a game, and the big stars were missing.

Nelly said both things when he was out at LAX, and it's clear the competitive athlete in him is having a vicious battle with the loving dad in him.

Swaggy P got the stripper treatment during his rookie hazing back in 2007 ... and Gilbert Arenas just provided the photo proof.

Nick Young was a 1st round pick of the Washington Wizards -- where Arenas was a superstar at the time.

One of the hazing rituals Young had to endure ... he was hog-tied in his hotel room surrounded by cash.

Arenas called it "50 Shades of Nick" and added, "Welcome to stripping game playa."

Magic Johnson has a rule when it comes to dating his daughter ... NO DODGERS ALLOWED!

Of course, Magic is a co-owner of the MLB team -- and his daughter, Elisa, says he's not a fan of her mixing business with pleasure.

In fact, when it comes to dating -- "He's a no-go on the athletes and Dodger players."

First off, major props to Brandon Jennings and John Wall for NOT snapping and fighting a guy who got right in their faces and talked serious trash last night ... in an incident that was all captured on video.

The scene was crazy ... the Washington Wizards stars were outside of 1 Oak late Tuesday night (hours after beating the Lakers) when they were confronted by a man who was seriously pissed off.

The man called Jennings a "mark ass ho" and bragged about being from Compton -- he clearly wanted to fight. The same man confronted John Wall a short time later.

But the NBA stars kept their cool ... and left the scene without incident.

But get this ... the same guy was later seen dapping up a different Wizards player -- Bradley Beal. Unclear if Beal knew about the prior incidents on the street.

Ex-NBA star Steve Francis has struck a deal with prosecutors in his burglary case, and he'll avoid jail if he stays out of trouble ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Francis was hit with a felony burglary charge after allegedly breaking into a stranger's BMW and taking more than $1,700 of stuff in Florida back in June.

A rep for the State Attorney's Office tells us Francis was accepted into a pretrial intervention program on Monday, which means he'll avoid prosecution if he completes certain conditions.

We're told Francis will be under supervision for a year. During that time, he has to undergo drug and alcohol evaluations and complete any recommended treatment.

He also has to do 50 hours of community service, pay a $7,300 fine and apologize to/stay away from the victim.

Another Roy Jones will be dominating professional sports very soon ... except it won't be in boxing, and he won't be Jr., 'cause this RJ will be tearing up the NBA, according to his dad.

His dad is Roy Jones Jr., one of the greatest boxers of all time and he tells TMZ Sports his kid Roy Jones III -- who's killing it in Florida HS hoops -- is destined for NBA greatness.

"I know he has that potential, he's talented enough to make the NBA, yes."

Don't get it twisted, Roy says he's not at all pulling a LaVar Ball -- making outrageous claims about his kids -- but just says he believes in his son, who Roy says is getting recruited by colleges now.

Speaking of LaVar, Jones weighs in on the whole Ball vs LeBron situation, and what he has to say is very, very interesting.

Jeanie Buss' high-powered attorney says her courtroom victory against her brothers was a "good old-fashioned ass whooping" ... and says Jeanie vows to "bring some glory back to Los Angeles."

As we previously reported, Jim and Johnny Buss tried to overthrow Jeanie and gain control of the team -- but Jeanie's legal team, headed by Adam Streisand, shut them down real quick.

What bad blood??

Glen "Big Baby" Davis says he'd love to have Ray Allen on board for the 2008 Boston Celtics reunion ... but understands why some of the other guys think differently.

We spoke with Davis outside Ace of Diamonds in L.A. Monday night about Rajon Rondo's plan to reunite the '08 title team this summer ... minus 1/3 of the famous Big 3.

Sidney Wicks -- a 3x National Champ at UCLA -- says Lonzo Ball's subpar performance against Kentucky should NOT affect his draft status as a lock top 3 pick.

The Bruins legend says Ball's stellar season -- and not his 10-point performance against the Wildcats -- should determine his value to NBA teams.