NBA

Chris Pratt is throwing off signs his relationship with Katherine Schwarzenegger is super serious ... so serious, he's already broing down with her brother.

Chris and Patrick Schwarzenegger hit up the Raptors-Clippers game (the Clips got clobbered) Tuesday night at Staples Center. Katherine was nowhere in sight, which makes the outing even more interesting.

It's not the first sign Chris and Katherine are showing they're in it for the long haul. He and Katherine hang out all the time with his son, Jack. And, Chris has already met papa Schwarzenegger.

Another good sign for Chris and Katherine -- when "Aint' No Mountain High Enough" came on during karaoke time on the jumbotron ... both Chris and Patrick joined in on the fun.

Jim Bridenstine -- the head of NASA -- says Steph Curry just HAS to be joking about his moon landing theory ... telling TMZ Sports, "I can't imagine he really believes that!!"

The Warriors superstar sent space nerds into a frenzy Monday when he declared on The Ringer's "Winging It" podcast that the moon landing in 1969 never happened.

Enter Bridenstine ... who says Curry's claim is so outrageous -- the point guard just cannot be serious.

"I think it's funny," Jim tells us ... "I can't imagine he really believes that. It's outside the realm of what's possible."

In fact ... Jim REALLY set Steph straight, saying, "Here's the thing, we didn't just go to the moon once, we went to the moon six times! And, we did it from 1969 to 1972!!!"

Bridenstine also doubled down on NASA's invitation to have Curry come check out all their evidence -- saying he'd LOVE to prove Steph wrong and get him involved in the space program afterward!

"My son is a HUGE fan of Steph Curry. So, if we can get him involved in space, I'm for it!"

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade faced off on the court for the last time on Monday night ... and the biggest names in Hollywood had front row seats for the epic showdown.

It was a bittersweet moment for NBA fans ... LBJ and Wade have had some insane matchups over the past 16 years, so there was no way the biggest Laker fans would miss this one.

Wade's wifey, Gabrielle Union, had a courtside seat with her "L.A.'s Finest" costar Jessica Alba ... and Rams studs Brandin Cooks and Jared Goff also grabbed floor seats for the big game.

Other stars include Future, Kevin Costner, Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington and Will Ferrell.

They picked a great game to go to ... with LeBron guarding Wade on a potential game-tying 3 in the final seconds of the game ... which he missed.

Doesn't matter if a heckler hurled the n-word, pro athletes like Leonard Fournette need to WALK AWAY from trash talkers ... 'cause if they actually fight, a pro could literally KILL a loudmouthed normie.

That's the advice coming from Charles Barkley -- who's dealt with plenty of hecklers during and after his NBA career.

Chuck knows trash talk is all fun and games until things turn physical -- and that's when things can get way too real.

"If you hit a fan and hurt them, you might KILL them," Barkley explained ... "But the main thing, you just gotta walk away or they're just gonna sue ya."

"Listen, they would never say that to you and fight you in the streets, but if you hit them you're gonna lose a lot of money," Barkley added on his way out of Matsuhisa in L.A.

It's not just Fournette who's been heckled lately, huge NBA stars have been targeted too -- including Kevin Durant, Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell.

Steph Curry thinks the moon landing was a big hoax ... and now NASA wants to turn the NBA superstar into a believer ... giving him a personal invite to tour all the evidence that proves it all happened.

The Warriors All-Star and his teammates revealed their skepticism on the Ringer's "Winging It" podcast with Vince Carter and Kent Bazemore ... admitting they truly believe the moon landing in 1969 never happened.

A rep for NASA tells TMZ Sports they wanna put an end to all that talk ASAP ... inviting Curry to check out their lunar labs and all the evidence that proves it all really went down.

"There’s lots of evidence NASA landed 12 American astronauts on the Moon from 1969 – 1972," spokesperson Allard Beutel says.

"We’d love for Mr. Curry to tour the lunar lab at our Johnson Space Center in Houston, perhaps the next time the Warriors are in town to play the Rockets."

"We have hundreds of pounds of Moon rocks stored there and the Apollo mission control. During his visit, he can see first-hand what we did 50 years ago, as well as what we’re doing now to go back to the Moon in the coming years, but this time to stay."

Is Ben Simmons secretly the sweetest, sappiest boyfriend ever???

Maybe ... 'cause Kendall Jenner posted a SUPER romantic, handwritten love letter on social media Monday (but blacked out the name of the sender) ... and signs point to the 76ers point guard.

The letter begins, "Dear Kendall, We may be miles apart but my love for you grows stronger by the minute. My innermost feeling is of pure love for you."

"I will love you until death separates us. Right now this separation is killing me, but in my heart I know that nothing would come close to separating us."

It continues, "We are united into one forever, body and soul and I want you to know that I love you from the deepest part of my heart."

It's signed with, "Love," but Kendall blocked out the author ... which begs the question -- IS IT REALLY FROM BEN?!?!

Seems it could be ... the two have gotten super serious the last few weeks, ice skating, grabbing bites to eat and hanging out after Sixers games.

Plus ... Philly WAS just on a road trip in Toronto and then Detroit ...

So, is Simmons the author?? Here's a look at his handwriting -- you be the judge.

It ain't some extra ketchup, a lawn mower or even peace and quiet ... no, the thing Lakers co-owner Jesse Buss wants most from new neighbor LeBron James??

"I'm sure his shoe collection is insane!"

Jesse just bought a $10 million mansion right up the street from Bron's palace ... so when we got the Lakers co-owner out at LAX -- we had to ask, what do you want most from your new neighbor??

Buss says nothin' but the kicks, tellin' TMZ Sports, "That would be nice to look at."

The one hang-up? Jesse says LeBron's foot is a helluva lot bigger than his -- so fashion advice might be the only thing he'd be able to take from The King's closet.

As for their pads in Brentwood ... Buss tells us the two are outta town so much -- he ain't expecting any block parties soon.

Kristaps Porzingis is 7'3".

Pro boxing superstar Vasyl Lomachenko is 5'7".

And, when they get together, they look like cover of the "Twins" VHS box.

Lomachenko is gearing up to fight Jose Pedraza on Saturday night in New York -- and ran into the Knicks star.

The picture is just fun to look at, but it begs the question ... be honest -- who wins in a street fight?

Obviously, Porzingis has the size and strength -- but Lomachenko is a beast ... the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and a legit boxing savant.

If the two squared off in an alley ... KP would have to try to smother Loma -- and the challenge for the boxer would be trying to hit Porzingis in a spot that would actually cause damage.

We've seen Porzingis show off his fighting skills before -- getting into it with Marquese Chriss during an NBA game back in 2016. He's definitely got some fight in him ...

Lomachenko is 11-1 as a pro -- and Joe Rogan once said, "He might be the best boxer who's ever lived."

He's a 2-time Olympic gold medalist and a champion in 3 different weight classes.

Dude's a monster.

Duke's only played 9 games this season ... but Roy Hibbert's already seen enough -- 'cause the ex-NBA star tells TMZ Sports he's ALL IN on Zion Williamson!!!

"He's an absolute beast of a talent!"

Hibbert tells us he doesn't think Williamson can ever be checked ... and when it comes to Z's NBA future -- Roy says there's no doubt in his mind he'll be a superstar.

Of course ... a ton of people agree -- both Carlos Boozer and Dahntay Jones told us BEFORE the hype train got rollin' that this would happen.

But, Hibbert's got no bias here -- dude went to Georgetown and has zero ties to the Dukies -- which means one thing ...

You can clearly tell just how much George H.W. Bush was liked and respected simply by the incredible number of celebs who turned out for the late President's funeral in the Lone Star State.

Reba McEntire sang "The Lord's Prayer" and The Oak Ridge Boys gave a powerful rendition of "Amazing Grace" during the funeral services Thursday at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston.

Everything's bigger in Texas, including Houston sports stars -- past and present -- who turned out to say goodbye to 41 ... former Rockets centers Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo towered over the crowd, while Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt brought the muscle with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Naturally, Chuck Norris was there, and legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda made the trek from Los Angeles.

Tristan Thompson's one-finger salute just cost him a chunk of change ... 'cause the Cavs star's been slapped with a $15k fine for flipping off hecklers at the Nets game on Monday.

TMZ Sports posted the video ... T.T. snapped at the end of the Cavs-Nets game at Barclays Center ... flipping off some courtside fans after Cleveland sealed the W.

The league announced Thompson's punishment on Thursday ... and it's a bargain compared to the $25k fines handed to Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley for their recent fan incidents.

It's the only recent blemish in Thompson's hot streak ... as the dude is averaging a double-double so far this season and has been helping the Cavs keep from being a complete embarrassment.

Well, that didn't take long ... LeBron James has already turned the Lakers into the biggest spectacle in Hollywood -- 'cause all the stars were out to watch him Wednesday!!

Of course, the regulars like Floyd Mayweather and Denzel Washington were in their usual seats ... but Adam Sandler, Benicio Del Toro, Andy Garcia and a whole lot more had to get a glimpse last night.

The King didn't disappoint ... dude dropped 42 points in front of the A-list crowd -- and the Lake Show rolled to a 121-113 win over the Spurs.

The bad news for Bron?? The crowd might've cost him a future teammate -- 'cause before the game, Kevin Durant said the environment LBJ brings to teams can be too "toxic."

Does having John David Washington, Flea, Ray J and even Alex Bregman sitting feet from the bench qualify?? Maybe.

Ice Cube is jacked up for Lamar Odom's dreams of a pro basketball comeback ... but he says there is a catch if the ex-Laker wants to make it in the BIG3 ...

"He's still gotta try out like everybody else."

Yup ... Ice Cube ain't doing the 2-time NBA champ any favors -- telling TMZ Sports, L.O.'s gotta work out just like the rest of the ballers who want in on his 3-on-3 league.

But ... Cube tells us video he saw recently of Odom on the court and in the gym was promising -- and he's hopeful Lamar can make a squad.

That said, Cube notes that Odom was training in a gym without elite players trying to shut him down -- and the game is A LOT different when there's a defense on the court.

Cube's advice on the next steps Odom needs to take to make it? "Get healthy, get in shape and get to the combine!"

Seems Lamar's already on it ...

So, Kyrie Irving was doing a nice thing ... visiting kids at a local children's hospital when one of the kids hilariously LIT HIM UP -- and it was all 'cause of Duke!!

Uncle Drew and his Celtics teammates threw on some goofy Christmas hats and hit up Boston Children's Hospital on Tuesday ... singing carols and handing out special shoes to the tough kids getting treatment.

The kind gesture didn't keep K.I. from hilariously getting into it with one of the kids ... who gladly pointed out Irving's Blue Devils lost to Gonzaga earlier this season.

"Who won the Duke vs. Gonzaga game?!" the boy asks.

"You didn't have to bring Duke into it. Duke is fine, we were good! We're good!!" Irving clapped back ... "That's why you so mad, 'cause we're Duke!!"

The whole exchange is obviously in good fun -- and ya gotta give it up for the kid who never backed down from the NBA superstar!

Props to everyone involved.

12/4 10:40 AM PT -- The move cost Beverley a nice chunk of change ... 'cause he just got slapped with a $25,000 fine for "throwing the game ball at a spectator," the NBA announced Tuesday.

L.A. Clippers player Patrick Beverley fired a basketball at a courtside heckler Sunday night after the fan allegedly said, "F*ck your mother" ... the 2nd major incident between a player and a Mavs fan in 2 weeks.

The 30-year-old guard had reportedly been trading verbal jabs with Don Knobler -- a local celeb in Dallas -- throughout the Clippers' game on Sunday ... when things reached a boiling point in the 4th quarter.

So, what set Beverley off? Don't talk about his mother.

Beverley grabbed the ball and threw it at Knobler -- who calmly collected it after it struck him in the leg. Beverley was ejected.

After the game, Beverley told reporters Knobler said, "F*ck your mother" twice.

Knobler later admitted to talking about Patrick's mom but denies using the f-bomb in his trash talk.

Seems Mavs fans have really been getting to opponents lately -- it was just Nov. 17 when Kevin Durant cussed out a different courtside fan who had been running his mouth.

Durant was fined $25,000 for the incident. He later bashed the heckler as "corny and weak."

In both instances, Durant and Beverley alerted refs and security about the heckling fans ... but ultimately took matters into their own hands.

Tristan Thompson has something in common with Kevin Durant -- he's finally lost it with hecklers.

T.T. snapped at the end of the Cavs-Nets game Monday night ... flipping off some courtside fans after Cleveland sealed the W.

The dudes on the receiving end were pretty shocked ... you can hear them yelling, "Get out of here, you bum" and "someone's gotta get that on video!"

Of course ... it wasn't as bad as K.D. telling a courtside fan to "watch the f**king game and shut the f**k up" -- but Tristan's DEFINITELY still about to get fined for the incident.

Doesn't seem T.T. cares all that much ... guy's on a hell of a double-double run -- and Cleveland finally snapped its losing streak, which had Tristan feeling himself after the game.

"They better put some respect on my name," he said.

FYI ... Durant was popped $25k for yelling at his heckler earlier this season -- and Patrick Beverley is expected to get more than that for throwing a ball at a fan during a game over the weekend.

Seems these guys really do need to take some advice from Michael Richards ...