NBA

Record scratch moment for DJ Shaquille O'Neal last night -- when the Big Fella spun a track laden with the N-bomb ... and it AIRED during the live broadcast of "Inside the NBA."

Ernie Johnson and the gang were signing off when they threw to Shaq to play them out with a music track. FYI -- Shaq was performing in front of a HUGE live audience from a DJ booth and was away from the broadcast table.

But as the crowd went wild, Shaq decided to play a version of Jay Z's "Tom Ford" ... complete with several unbleeped n-bombs ... apparently unaware that he was live on the air.

It appears the broadcast dipped to black early once producers realized what was happening.

Dwyane Wade could be trading basketballs for Ben Wa balls -- the NBA star tells TMZ Sports he's taking Gabrielle Union to see "Fifty Shades" this weekend because "I wanna learn something!!"

This clip is awesome ... Wade (who's out in NYC for NBA All-Star Weekend) told us he's not gonna let his new wife drag him to see the movie -- instead, he proclaimed, "I'm taking HER!"

"I wanna learn something," Wade said ... "I'm married! You gotta keep it up!"

#LearnTheSafeWord

Bill Bradley clearly agrees with Aaliyah about that whole "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" thing ... 'cause at 71 he tells TMZ Sports he's willing to suit up for the struggling Knicks RIGHT NOW.

The former Knick -- and U.S. Senator -- was out in D.C when we asked him what exactly the Knicks need to get them out of the kingdom of suckdom that they have resided in all year.

"I'll go back for the average salary as a designated free throw shooter," Bradley said.

He was obviously joking around ... but he definitely turns serious when asked how many years he thinks it'll take his friend Phil Jackson to turn the team around.

Here's something you don't see every day ... a multi-billionaire hailing a cab.

Donald Sterling -- who recently sold the L.A. Clippers for $2 BILLION -- was out in Bev Hills Wednesday when he decided to catch a cab to go home.

Interesting, considering most billionaires in this city either drive themselves ... or use a private chauffeur ... or at least use Uber LUX if they're gonna hit the town.

But not Sterling ... who quietly got in the back seat and was quickly whisked away.

NBA Legend Nate "Tiny" Archibald tells TMZ Sports ... the practice of spanking your kids is going the way of the Betamax, Laser Discs and the Dodo Bird -- it's on the brink of extinction.

The Hall of Famer -- and certified teacher -- was out in NYC when we asked him if putting a shoe on a bad ass kid is still kosher in this post-Adrian Peterson debacle world.

Peep the vid -- Tiny says he's like the Chris Webber of child-rearing in that he's really fond of time-outs (you thought we forgot, didn't you Chris?).

Tatyana Ali says she was "touched" to see the famous "Daddy" episode of "Fresh Prince" struck such a chord with LeBron James ... and says she knew it was a special moment when they were filming the show.

Ali -- aka Ashley Banks -- was on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" on Reelz and said she was always proud of the show for dealing with tough social issues ... including absentee fathers.

Earlier in the day, LeBron had posted about the show ... saying he stumbled upon the episode on TV and it still makes him cry because it hits home.

FYI -- LeBron was raised by a single mom and never really knew his dad.

One of the most famous strip clubs in NYC is trying to rub NBA players the right way ... offering FREE LAP DANCES to every single player in the league during All-Star Weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The people over at Scores tell us the offer is pretty simple -- if you're on a NBA roster, hot naked women will grind your junk. And it's all for the low low price of ... on the house.

Think of it as the stripper's way of giving back ...

As for coaches, owners and GM's they're out of luck ... we're told this deal is only valid for the dudes ballin' on the court.

No, this post has nothing to do with Donald Sterling ... the Whiteside we're talkin' about is a 25-year-old monster who could be the next big superstar in the NBA ... so says Rick Ross.

Ross -- who has a Miami Heat logo tatted on his FACE -- tells TMZ Sports he's FIRED UP about Hassan Whiteside ... who essentially came out of nowhere to dominate for the Heat this season.

FYI -- Whiteside recently put up 24 points and 20 rebounds in a game ... the first Heat player to pull that off since Shaq did it in 2004.

But according to Ross, he's no Jeremy Lin ... Tha Boss is adamant Whiteside is the "real deal."

Metta World Peace had a rough start to his pro basketball career in China -- telling TMZ Sports he got pretty sick right when he got to town ... and spent 3 days in a Chinese hospital.

Metta -- who inked a deal with the Sichuan Blue Whales back in August -- said he fell ill on day 1 of his international career ... and doctors hooked him up with IVs to help him recover.

Peace says the experience was A LOT different from the American hospitals he was used to -- but says the fans were very supportive.

Snoop Dogg and Diddy aren't just co-hosting a mega-party during NBA All-Star Weekend ... they're gunning to UNITE THE COASTS once and for all ... Snoop tells TMZ Sports.

The rap moguls have teamed up to co-headline "The Tip Off" mega-concert on February 12th at Madison Square Garden ... and they both want to use the event to help squash any East vs. West beef that may be lingering in the hip-hop world.

"It's been a long waited opportunity for two rap history giants to rep the East and rep the West with love," Snoop says.

"The fans wanted this one! Bringing the coasts together during NBA All-Star Weekend."

And check this out ... Snoop and Diddy could have even more in common this week -- Snoop's football star son is set to announce his college tomorrow ... and UCLA is reportedly in the mix.

Interesting, since Diddy's kid is already a member of the Bruins football team.

Iman Shumpert's idea of the perfect date ... fermented grapes and nail polish ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Cavs star took his GF -- rapper Teyana Taylor -- for pedicures and red wine!

The couple hit up Anthony Vince Salon Thursday night -- a high-end shop in a Cleveland suburb -- and they went all out ... sipping vino while getting pampered.

Our sources tell us Iman and Teyana got the "Spa Pedicure" ... complete with trimming, shaping, buffing, grooming, massaging ... with a hot towel wrap and choice of polish ... all for $32.

Sources inside say Iman was in such a good mood, he was singing out loud with the music on the speakers ... and at one point he was rocking out to JLo's "I'm Real."

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is ... pro athletes are now spending THOUSANDS of dollars to pimp out their mouthpieces with diamonds and gold ... TMZ Sports has learned.

In fact, NBA star Nate Robinson is part of the "pimp your mouthpiece" movement -- and recently picked up a $5,300 customized mouthguard that's chock-full of real gold foil.

The man behind the piece is Dr. Michael Wright of "The WrightGuard" ... who tells us high-end custom protection is becoming a major trend with athletes in a variety of sports ... from hoops to football and boxing.

In fact, Wright says he was recently approached by a NFL star who's playing in the Super Bowl (Wright says he can't reveal the player's ID) ... who requested a mouthpiece with some massive diamonds flanking the front.

"The Super Bowl athlete brought his own diamonds," Wright says ... "I don't know how many carats, but they were huge."

Wright says his mouthpieces are just as functional as they are flossy -- and says he has a special 3-layer process to make sure the gold, silver and/or diamonds are sealed in a way that it won't harm the user.

Wright says he's gotten some crazy requests from some of his athletes -- some people want team logos others want their Twitter handles -- and says team reps sometimes oversee the process to make sure the mouthpiece complies with uniform standards.

With so much customization at the pro level (mouthguards, cleats, etc) ... keep an eye out for the platinum diamond-encrusted jockstrap in the future.

Finally, a highlight at the Lakers game.

For some reason, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden decided to hit up Staples Center in L.A. Tuesday night to watch the Kobe-less Lakers go down in flames to the Washington Wizards.

But during a break in the action, the newlyweds (married just 3 weeks ago) were put on the "Kiss Cam" ... and they came through strong with some PDA as several fans clapped and cheered.

Shaquille O'Neal ain't gonna be the next Seinfeld ... and LeBron James is no Alex Trebek ... so says ESPN's Bill Simmons who thinks both NBA stars are likely to crash and burn with their new TV projects.

As we previously reported, Shaq's got a sitcom in the works based on his real-life business empire ... and LeBron's production company is partnering with NBC to create a new primetime game show.

But Simmons tells TMZ Sports ... neither venture looks promising -- "I wouldn't invest in either of those."

Simmons on Shaq -- "I don't have a lot of high hopes for that sitcom. I don't see the sitcom thing happening."

Simmons on LeBron -- "I think game shows usually don't work. I probably have more high hopes for the Shaq show."

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are both at the Miami Heat game RIGHT NOW -- sitting across the court from each other.

Sooooo ... STOP THE BASKETBALL GAME ... FIND SOME GLOVES AND LET'S DO THIS RIGHT NOW!!!

#WishfulThinking

What do a 7'0" center for the Denver Nuggets and a 5'10" safety for the Houston Texans have in common?

A love of dat ass ...

Cause JaVale McGee (the center) and D.J. Swearinger (the safety) were both at a L.A. strip club this past Monday CRUSHING it ... showing more than $16K on some of the hard working ladies.

The two stars hit up Ace Of Diamonds in L.A. -- the hottest new shake spot in the city -- and from what we're told the two went BANANAS inside the joint, spending some serious green on the ta-ta talent.

For those keeping count, our booty club sources say JaVale -- who makes about $12 mil-a-year -- dropped around $10K while D.J. -- who "only" banks about $800K a year -- precipitated an impressive $6K.