NBA

Investigators in the Blake Griffin pimp slap case have obtained nightclub security footage which shows a confrontation between the NBA star and his accuser ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the footage from Tao nightclub in Vegas shows Blake and his accuser Daniel Schuman in a heated situation -- but we're told the alleged slap was not captured by the security cameras.

We broke the story ... Griffin has been charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly going all Zsa Zsa Gabor on Schuman on October 19th.

In the moments following the incident, Schuman gave a report to Tao security saying Blake got physical with him because he thought Daniel was sneaking a cell phone pic.

Blake's teammate DeAndre Jordan -- who was with Blake and several other Clippers at the club -- told us he NEVER saw Blake strike anyone that night (video below).

As for Blake, he has yet to comment on the situation.

Blake Griffin has been charged with a crime for allegedly slapping the crap out of a man inside a Las Vegas nightclub ...TMZ Sports has learned.

The incident went down last month when Blake was at Tao Nightclub. According to the alleged victim -- Daniel Schuman -- the Clippers superstar was upset by camera flashes in his face ... so he grabbed Daniel's phone and neck. Daniel says Blake squeezed his neck, and demanded he give up his phone.

According to docs -- obtained by TMZ Sports ... the Clark County D.A. has now charged Griffin with one count of misdemeanor battery. He faces 6 months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine -- though a jail sentence is highly unlikely since Blake has no prior convictions for violent crimes.

Blake was with DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul that night. None of the other players were involved in the alleged incident.

They might suck at the moment, but Jack Black refuses to turn his back on the L.A. Lakers.

Black was out in L.A. last night when he was asked if he would ever consider buying a sports team -- or at least part of one ... a la Usher (Cleveland Cavs) or Justin Timberlake (Memphis Grizzlies).

Jack, being the huge Purple and Gold fan that he is, picked the Lakers ... but noted he could "probably get it for a steal right now."

But, as Black points out ... if the Clippers sold for $2 BILLION -- how much would the Lakers sell for if the Buss family was looking to unload????

There are some experts who believe the Lake Show could be worth close to $5 BILLION!!!

**Warning -- this video is going to make you smile**

He was a 1st round pick in the NBA draft last year, but Reggie Bullock isn't too big to PERSONALLY roll out the red carpet for his mom when she comes out to L.A. this week ... and TMZ Sports has the footage to prove it!

Not only did the 23-year-old millionaire go right to the arrivals gate at LAX to greet his mother after her flight in from North Carolina ... but he crammed his entire 6'7" frame into the backseat of the waiting 2-door car to make sure she sat comfortably in the front seat.

After they got home, the L.A. Clippers player posted a pic of the two of them to Instagram with the caption ... "With my #1 #mommasBOY."

If you think being LeBron James' kid is all about living the good life ... you're wrong ... because when it comes to sports, they might have it harder than ANYONE.

It's called "I'm the S**t Syndrome" ... at least according to "Chappelle's Show" star Donnell Rawlings who says 'Bron is super concerned over whether his children will be able to compete on his level in the sports world.

Essentially, Rawlings says LeBron is putting pressure on himself to make sure his kids are just as dominant as he is.

Rawlings says LeBron isn't the first superstar to deal with the issue -- pointing out Michael Jordan and his kids also battled with ITSS.

Case in point ... MJ's Hall of Fame induction speech when he told his children, "You guys have a heavy burden. I wouldn't want to be you guys if I had to."

Hopefully, LeBron handles it better than MJ did ...

The Lakers are rallying around their new teammate Wayne Ellington ... after getting the news that the guard's father was murdered in Philadelphia.

Ellington's father was killed Sunday night. The Lakers say they've given Wayne an indefinite leave of absence while he copes with the tragedy.

Ellington's 57-year-old father was shot while sitting in his car Sunday night. Police say an unknown gunman shot him in the head, and he died later at the hospital. So far they have no leads on a suspect.

The Lakers GOT IT MADE ... so says Snoop Dogg, who had a strong opinion about what Charles Barkley should eat to celebrate the team's 1st win of the season -- ALLIGATOR SOUFFLE!

FYI -- last week, Barkley had said he was going to stop eating until the 0-5 Lakers finally won a game.

Well, the Lakers beat the Hornets on Sunday ... so on his way out of Supperclub in Hollywood, Snoop had a dinner recommendation for Sir Chuck.

So, what the hell is alligator souffle?

According to Urban Dictionary, it's more of a metaphor than a dish ... meaning, "A real pimp way of saying everything is lovely."

The phrase was popularized by rapper Special Ed in the 1989 track, "I Got It Made."

... and now you know.

His NBA career is likely over ... but Lamar Odom is still working out hard -- possibly preparing his body to reenter the dating pool.

With his estranged wife Khloe Kardashian having moved on to French Montana ... Odom has been spotted working out at an L.A. gym and running along the beach in the last few weeks.

As we previously reported, Lamar has been putting off finalizing the divorce ... but maybe the fact he's tuning up his body is a sign that he's finally ready to rebound.

Fun Fact -- today's Lamar's birthday. Happy 35th!

Kevin Durant will be a free agent in 2016 ... and Mark Wahlberg is already lobbying to get him into a Celtics jersey.

We were talkin' to Mark about his custom Celtics basketball court at his new L.A. mansion and asked if any Celtics players had actually played there.

Wahlberg revealed that K.D. shot some hoops on the court recently -- and then made his pitch for the MVP to come to Beantown when his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder is after next season.

It's probably an uphill battle for Celtic Nation ... Durant is reportedly leaning toward re-signing with OKC or heading to Washington D.C. ... where he grew up.

Still, good luck.

He was Frank the Tank ... Ron Burgundy ... and Jackie Moon ... but now Will Ferrell could have his next role lined up -- Kobe Bryant.

The NBA legend hit up the Hublot shop in Beverly Hills Wednesday night to debut the new King Power Los Angeles Lakers watch ... when we asked him if he's ever thought about Hollywood making a movie based on his life.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Kobe suggests the perfect title for his biopic ... then suggests that Will play the lead. He's even got a backup plan in case Will can't do it.

NY Knicks superstar Iman Shumpert is pissed ... claiming he's sick of people taking shots at him just because he's a celebrity -- and now he's dropped a brand new rap aimed squarely at his haters.

TMZ Sports obtained the new track, called "#HowToHate" ... in which the 24-year-old goes into rapid-fire mode and calls out MTV star/radio host Charlamagne Tha God and his co-host DJ Envy.

"I feel that when cameras are rolling Charlemagne and Envy will say anything for ratings and then behind the scenes will try and whisper that it's just a job and they don't mean any harm," Iman says.

"But they stated some things on the radio that I felt were detrimental to my brand so I will defend my brand."

Shumpert adds, "I wrote the song because people think they can take shots at people in the public eye and that the celeb will take the high road. Well this song is letting everyone know that even though I'm a celeb I'm a real person that likes to have a solid understanding of respect in any relationship that I have with another person."

Seems Nick Young and Iggy Azalea are one step closer to the alter ... because they just bought a house together -- and Nick says they've started talking about marriage.

Nick just spilled his guts about his relationship with the rapper to DuJour Magazine ... saying, "Me and Iggy just bought a house. We’ve been getting really close lately. I’ve never been with somebody like this."

The couple has only been dating for about a year ... but when Nick was asked if the two have talked about getting married, he replied, "It’s come up a couple times."

Nick wouldn't say if they have a time-table on tying the knot -- but ya don't just buy a house with someone you don't plan on being with for a while.

Other highlights from the interview:

-- They bicker (like every couple) ... "We fight over the TV remote because she watches TLC and the Weather Channel all night. We argue all the time, but we get it worked out. We understand each other."

-- Iggy wants Nick to dress better ... "I like shopping a lot, but Iggy’s been on my back saying I should get a stylist." He adds, "She picked out my outfit for the ESPY [Awards] and everybody loved it, so now she thinks she’s my stylist."

The new Atlanta Hawks owner could be in a very tough spot ... having to pick one hip hop spokesman for his team out of all the music superstars in A-Town -- and he's not looking forward to settling the matter.

We tried to nail down John Rutherford Seydel II on whether he's going to follow the lead of the Raptors and Wizards -- which recently enlisted Drake and Wale as respective spokesmen for their hometown squads.

Seydel gave T.I. props for performing on the Hawks' opening night, but also mentioned he has ties to Usher. Throw in Jermaine Dupri, Rich Homie Quan, Ying Yang Twins, and Wocka Flocka Flame -- to name just a few -- and Sydel would have an impossible decision.

Dyan Cannon is the ultimate Lakers insider -- she even bakes brownies for the players before every game -- and she's adamant Steve Nash will never wear Purple & Gold again.

The Oscar-nominated actress was leaving Craig's in L.A. this weekend -- when we asked if there was a shot the 40-year-old baller would return to the squad after suffering ANOTHER major injury.

He's single (kinda) ... and now it's clear Matt Barnes is lookin' to mingle -- because the NBA star was chattin' it up with TWO ladies outside Greystone this weekend.

As we previously reported, the L.A. Clippers star recently separated from his wife Gloria Govan -- and though the "Basketball Wives: LA" star claims there's a shot at reconciliation, we're hearing it just ain't so.

Fast forward to Sunday night/Monday morning ... and it's pretty clear Barnes is looking to move on.

Unless Matt was just looking to make some new platonic friends at 3 A.M.

The biggest baller in the stands during NBA games isn't Spike Lee or Jack Nicholson or even Justin Bieber -- it's Jimmy Goldstein ... who spends more money on NBA tickets than anyone else on Earth.

You've seen Goldstein on the court at various NBA games over the years -- and this week he confirmed what ex-NBA Commish David Stern has said ... that he's the NBA's biggest investor when it comes to tickets.

As for how Goldstein made his fortune, that's a bit of a mystery -- but point is, the guy drops BANK when it comes to basketball.