NBA

Dikembe Mutombo says the 8-year-old boy he flew in from Africa is set to undergo surgery "very soon" to remove the tumor on his face ... and is calling for prayers.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the NBA legend made it his mission to help the boy, Matadi, after he learned Matadi was being shunned by society back in the Congo.

Mutombo greeted Matadi at LAX earlier this week and connected him with a Beverly Hills doctor who will perform the operation to remove the tumor.

Dikembe says the operation "is coming up very soon, any day" -- and Matadi will likely stay in the U.S. for 3 to 6 months while he recovers.

"Now, we have to pray everything goes well," Mutombo says.

Dikembe has helped hundreds of thousands of people through the hospitals he's built in Africa -- but says Matadi is a special situation and has really touched his heart.

In fact, Mutombo says ever since we published the story he's had people calling him from all over the world to commend him on doing such a wonderful thing for that little boy and his family.

Shareef O'Neal is out of heart surgery -- and he's already thinking about his return to the basketball court!

The UCLA basketball star went under the knife early Thursday morning to correct an irregularity that team doctors had spotted during a routine check-up earlier this year.

The good news ... Shaquille O'Neal's 18-year-old was in great spirits when he got out of surgery Thursday evening -- and posted a message to his fans (that he dictated to his younger sister).

"I made it, Thank you for all the love and support! I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, that's what helped me through this surgery."

He added, "I'm on the road to recovery, and I'll be back soon ... better than ever."

Shareef is already getting support from his famous friends including Dwyane Wade who wrote -- "Love you lil bro. You will come back stronger."

Austin Rivers added, "Stay up bro! Coming back stronger than ever."

Shareef O'Neal is currently undergoing heart surgery to correct an irregularity that forced the UCLA basketball star to miss the 2018 season ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Shaq's 18-year-old son -- one of the top college freshmen in the country -- learned about his medical condition during a routine checkup with team doctors earlier this year.

At the time, Reef told us, "Thank God the UCLA medical staff caught it early."

On Thursday morning, Shareef went under the knife -- and his mother, Shaunie, was there to see him off.

"This morning was by far my toughest moment being a Mom," she said in a statement.

"If only I could take his place today. Could I at least go with him in that operating room and hold his hand. Separating from him as he was wheeled off to surgery was heartbreaking. THATS MY BABY!"

"I don’t care how old, how big, how grown my kids get I still want to protect them. I had no control over any of this. But there is a God, I trust and believe He is in there with my baby right now and has complete control."

Shaunie is asking for prayers for Shareef.

9:39 AM PT -- Michael Jordan now says the slap was not malicious -- but rather, a "tap of endearment."

"It was like a big brother and little brother tap," Jordan told the Associated Press ... "No negative intent. Only love!"

Michael Jordan SLAPPED Malik Monk on Wednesday night!!!!

Here's the deal ... MJ is the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets and Monk got a really stupid technical foul that coulda cost the team the game.

So, MJ reached back like a dad upset with his kid and whacked the 20-year-old in the back of the head ... in front of everyone!!!!

Backstory ... the Hornets were tied with the Pistons in the final seconds of Wednesday night's contest ... when Charlotte's Jeremy Lamb knocked down a deep 2-pointer to go up 108-106. The Hornets bench went wild ... and Monk ran on the court to celebrate.

Only one issue -- THE GAME WASN'T OVER YET.

Refs checked out the replay, and the Pistons were awarded a 1-shot technical.

Jordan got SO pissed at Monk that he let his left hand fly. Had to be embarrassing for the kid.

The Hornets ended up holding on for the win ... so MJ was able to laugh it off.

But, imagine if the Hornets lost ... dude woulda been on the next flight outta Charlotte.

THIS IS AMAZING.

Dikembe Mutombo flew an 8-year-old boy from Africa with a large tumor on his face -- who's been shunned by society -- to Los Angeles ... so he could be operated on by a team of American doctors.

TMZ Sports saw Mutombo at LAX ... when he told us the heartwarming story.

The NBA Hall of Famer says he met the young boy back in September at the hospital he built in Congo ... and immediately knew he wanted to help.

"I was touched by what he's going through as a young boy who's 8 years old. Not going to school. The way he's been pushed away by the society," Mutombo told us ... "His mom has to keep him in the bedroom every day because people are talking bad about him."

Dikembe -- who flew into L.A. earlier today -- was waiting at the airport for the boy's flight to get in from Africa ... and he invited our cameraman to watch the reunion.

Now, Mutombo set up the young boy to be operated on by Dr. Osborne in Beverly Hills for free ... before he returns to Congo where, the hope is, he'll be able to return to school and live a normal, happy life.

December Fools??

Steph Curry says he got you all GOOD ... 'cause the Warriors superstar says he never actually thought the United States didn't land on the moon -- tellin' ESPN he was just kiddin' around!!!

"Obviously I was joking when I was talking on the podcast," Curry says.

Steph sent science and space geeks into another orbit this week when he claimed on The Ringer's "Winging It" podcast that astronauts never landed on the moon in 1969.

The claim went viral ... with everyone from athletes to even NASA's head, Jim Bridenstine, shading the NBA stud for the outrageous claim.

But, Steph says it was all one big joke -- and he waited until Wednesday to finally reveal that 'cause, "I was silently protesting how stupid it was that people actually took that quote and made it law."

Curry says, either way, he's definitely going to take NASA up on their offer to show him their moon rocks ... and says kids can learn a lesson from this whole drama.

"For kids out there that hang on every word that we say, which is important, understand that you should not believe something just because somebody says it."

"You should do your homework and understand what you actually believe. But I'm going to go to NASA and I'm going to enjoy the experience whole-heartedly."

Remember when TMZ Sports spotted Jimmy Butler drivin' around Beverly Hills in a freakin' minivan??

The Philadelphia Sixers superstar is finally dishing out the deets on why he prefers mom mobiles over luxury whips ... saying it's all a big scheme to throw people off.

And, that it does.

Not only does Jimmy Buckets rock vans -- he was in a Toyota Sienna when we shot him back in September -- he also has a "baby on board" sign in the back to top it all off.

"I'm telling you, you would never know it's me swanging that bad baby," Butler says.

"I stay real nonchalant with everything."

Hey, like we said ... the Sienna ain't a bad car at all -- 0 to 60 in 7 seconds with "spacious, high-quality interior," according to U.S. News and World Report ... and those 14 cup holders!!

It's all part of Butler's new YouTube channel, which documents his life on and off the court.

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 ...