NBA

Kendall Jenner nearly had a seriously awkward moment when she and A$AP Rocky ended up at the same party as her ex, Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson -- except Jordan had the smoothest reaction.

The trio were all at the Peppermint Club in WeHo Saturday night. Remember, Jordan and Kendall were a thing just last fall ... so you could understand him not being too thrilled to see her with her new guy.

But score one for Jordan ... we got him as his car was pulled around, and asked about bumping into Kendall. His reply was basically, "I'm a playa!" And then he piled into his ride with 3 hot chicks!

Meanwhile ... Kendall and A$AP did the sneak out separately thing trying to avoid cameras. Fail.

"Lakers win! Lakers win!!"

Charles Barkley is taking time to shout-out a woman whose charitable contribution made a great impact on his life ... his high school prom date.

We got Barkley in NYC and asked him who he went to prom with ... and not only did he remember, he reminisced about the woman he says showed "mercy" on a short little nobody named Charles.

The woman's name is Amy Shorter ... and TMZ Sports was actually able to track her down and ask her about the date ... which Barkley says was the only one he had during high school.

"I only have great things to say about Charles, we were just teenagers at the time ... I was just a sweet little sophomore who was thrilled to be asked to the prom by my friend, a big sweet senior."

Seems like there's still a flame there ... we're just sayin'.

Austin Rivers feels VERY strongly that the L.A. Clippers should do everything in their power to keep the core players for another season ... telling TMZ Sports they're just "a piece away" from being champs.

The rumors are swirling that Doc Rivers will break the team up -- possibly trading Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan or Chris Paul -- in the hopes of bringing in a fresh lookin' squad.

But Austin says it would be "idiotic" to break up the band -- "We still feel like we can be an NBA championship team."

James Harden wasn't in the mood to mope after his Rockets got beat up by the Spurs Thursday night -- he partied ALL NIGHT LONG while fans in Houston chanted at him, "MVP!"

TMZ Sports obtained footage of Harden at Set in Houston where he turned up in the VIP section while Travis Scott performed.

Kylie Jenner was in the building along with some Houston Texans players.

Harden and the Rockets had a rough night before the club -- losing to the Spurs in a 114-75 route that eliminated them from the playoffs. Harden only scored 10 points.

Paul Pierce rides with James Harden -- saying the guy is still "one of the greatest" and deserves the NBA MVP ... even after the disappointing way the Rockets ended their season.

The Truth was leaving Tao in L.A. Thursday night when he told us he'll ALWAYS support California-raised players like Harden and Russell Westbrook ... and explained why they should share the league's top individual award.

We also asked who he's rooting for in the Celtics vs. Wizards series since he played for both teams.

If the Clippers wanna win next year, they GOTTA trade Blake Griffin ... so says current NBA player (and former Clippers teammate) Jared Dudley.

Dudley isn't just a sharpshooter for the Phoenix Suns, he's a league expert -- so when we got him leaving Warwick in L.A. we asked what Lob City needs to do to avoid getting punked in the playoffs.

His answer? Trade Blake Griffin ... and Dudley explains why it's the perfect move.

By the way, Dudley played with Griffin in '13-'14 -- meaning he probably won't be invited to the team reunion dinner now ... which would never really happen because they didn't win anything.

It was Way Back Wednesday for Zach Randolph -- who rocked a Portland Trail Blazers hat to the club last night ... despite the fact he's still technically on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Randolph becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season -- and there's a buzz he could head to Miami or Denver ... or maybe even strike a new deal with the Grizzlies.

So, is the Trail Blazers hat he rocked to Warwick in Hollywood on Wednesday a clue ... or a throwback?

Remember, he played with Portland from 2001 to 2007 and became a superstar there while playing with guys like Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and Damon Stoudamire ('memba the Jail Blazers?).

Or maybe he just liked the hat with his outfit.

With the Golden State Warriors still waiting to find out who they'll face in the next round of the playoffs, Matt Barnes jetted to L.A. to blow off some steam with his old Clippers pal, DeAndre Jordan.

The two hit up Warwick in Hollywood with a TON of huge stars including Julio Jones, French Montana, Nicole Scherzinger, Zach Randolph and more.

The Warriors will either play the Rockets or the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals -- depending who wins that series.

So, why not use the downtime to chill with old pals?

Over in Cleveland, the Cavs are in a similar situation -- waiting on the winner of the Wizards and Celtics series. They decided to throw a dance party during workouts yesterday.

The Game says Michael Jordan hasn't done enough for the black community -- so he's going to use his cash to support a DIFFERENT shoe entrepreneur ... Lonzo Ball.

The rapper just spent $2,000 on Ball's new ZO2 shoes -- which run $495 a pair -- and laid out his reasons on Instagram.

"I've spent over a million dollars, sh*t probably more on Nike's, Jordan's & other big name sneaker brands in my lifetime so why not support a family brand & a rising stars shoe."

He continued, "While MJ, as much as I love & support him & his legacy ain't really ever did much for the black community other then tax our mothafuckin' ass for the same shoes over & over as well as charge these kids parents hella money to get in these camps."

"No hate... MJ is MJ but today I chose to support @Zo & his family."

Game also vowed to buy TEN MORE PAIRS of Lonzo's shoes for underprivileged kids.

LaVar Ball is gonna LOVE that.

LeBron James turned all the way up at the Cleveland Cavs practice on Wednesday -- dancing hard in the gym with Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert ... and it's kinda awesome.

While most of the guys were working out in the team practice facility, Bron took a break when Playboi Carti's hit song, "Magnolia" came over the speakers.

The beat took hold. The guys danced it out. Bron's got moves.

Of course, the guys are in great spirits and well rested and ran through the Toronto Raptors in 4 games. Now, it's a waiting game to see who they get in the next round.

Why not turn up?!

LaVar Ball says his Big Baller Brand already has a QUARTER MILLION in sales -- with at least 495 people buying his $495 shoe.

LaVar appeared on FS1's "Undisputed" Monday morning to talk about Lonzo Ball's new ZO2 shoe -- which launched last week.

Ball wouldn't say exactly how many pairs he's sold -- but says the number is greater than 495.

He also says people have bought the special $995 edition of the shoe -- but he hasn't said how many.

Ball also fired back at Shaq who criticized his shoe price last week -- asking O'Neal why his own son doesn't wear the Shaq shoe when he plays.

It's clear LaVar is all in on the brand.

Here's audio of Lonzo Ball trying to make hip-hop the next thing he takes over (sorry, Nike) ... by spittin' some more than decent bars on a brand new rap song.

Lonzo is rapping under the name ZO2 (same name as his sneaker, 'cause branding) -- and shows off his talent during a freestyle over the beat from Drake's "Free Smoke." The song also features DC The Don.

Here's the thing, Lonzo ain't wack ... with our favorite line being, "In a couple months I'll be in a mansion with my car clean and my diamonds dancing."

It's probably accurate, and maybe the greatest line any rapper has ever uttered ... at least that's what LaVar would say.

Kobe Bryant broke the bank for his wife's 35th birthday celebration -- taking the whole family on a baller trip to Mexico ... where Vanessa got to hit the launch button for her very own epic private fireworks show!

Seriously, this is dope as hell.

The Bryants had their own insane private suite at an exclusive resort -- a suite that included its own private pool, beach access ... and a mariachi band!!!

But the best part was when staffers brought Vanessa the controls for the fireworks show on a silver platter ... and had her fire off the explosives!

Happy birthday!

Chef Curry with the pot!!!

Ayesha Curry -- wife of NBA superstar Steph Curry -- is opening her own own BBQ restaurant in San Francisco with the help of one of the most famous chef/restaurateurs in the world!

Make no mistake about it, Ayesha is a legit cook -- and has been featured on the Food Network a bunch of times over the years.

Now, she's making the leap and opening her own place -- with Michael Mina ... who operates TWO Michelin star rated restaurants.

Ayesha says the restaurant will be called International Smoke -- and will open mid 2017.

The menu will feature ribs, BBQ lobster, slow cooked pork, sausage and more!

Chris Bosh and his wife are being sued by the porn magnates who created X-Art (admit it, you know it) ... who claim they rented a sick beach mansion from the NBA star that was literally filled with crap.

The people behind the suit are Colette and Brigham Field -- who created the erotic video website X-Art -- which features people hardcore banging each other in classy settings. It's so popular, they were profiled by GQ.

The Fields say they rented a 10,755 square foot super mansion in the Pacific Palisades owned by the Boshes in Dec. 2016 ... and plunked down $138k to cover the 1st month's rent ($46k) and the security deposit ($92k).

Problem is ... the Fields say shortly after moving in, they noticed crazy toxic mold, leaks, plumbing issues, rat droppings ... and worst of all -- the Internet access was horrible!!

The Fields say it was so bad they "had to seek medical assistance for sickness and rashes that they suffered from the time when the mold could be seen and smelled."

In the lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court and obtained by TMZ Sports, the Fields say they tried to get their security deposit back but the Boshes refused ... and have since let other people stay in the home.

They're demanding the $92k deposit back plus unspecified damages. We reached out to the Boshes for comment, but no word back.

We also contacted X-Art ... but not for anything to do with this story.

If James Harden doesn't win MVP this season, he's most definitely the Most Generous Teammate ... 'cause the Rockets superstar dropped $30k to hook up his teammate with a gold Cuban Link chain!!

TMZ Sports spoke with celeb jeweler Boodaddy Diamonds, who says Montrezl Harrell and Harden were checking out his bling when Harrell instantly fell in love with the chain, but decided not to drop the 30 racks.

Boodaddy says Harden went behind his back and paid the full price for the piece with CASH as a surprise present for Harrell.

But Harden's shopping spree ain't gonna end there ... Boodaddy says if the Beard wins MVP, he's gonna ice him out in honor of the award.