NBA

It's 2019 and a grown ass man was arrested Saturday night for weed.

That man is ex-NBA player Kwame Brown ... who was busted in Georgia with a bunch of marijuana ... including pot-infused cookies, tea and mints.

The 2001 first overall pick was a passenger in his Mercedes-Benz van when it was pulled over by Brunswick PD late Saturday night ... when cops say his car REEKED of weed.

Kwame copped to having weed in the car ... and told law enforcement he had some in the trunk of the van. Sure enough, cops found a backpack with all the weed treats.

The 37-year-old was arrested and charged with felony possession of edible marijuana products and misdemeanor possession of less than one ounce of weed.

Worth noting -- Brown is MASSIVE. Like, 7-ft tall big ... and couldn't fit in a regular cop car, so the cops had to wait for a bigger vehicle to transport him for booking.

Brown was released shortly after posting bond later Saturday.

Brown played for 7 different teams during his career ... most notably the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers ... after jumping straight from high school to the Association.

Not even Zion Williamson can single-handedly help lift LeBron's Lakers to championship level ... so says Paul Pierce, who tells TMZ Sports, "Y'all need more than that!"

"Zion is not the savior, but he's very good -- but y'all need more than that!"

Of course, Zion could be in L.A.'s plans this offseason ... they're terrible and now have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick.

But, Pierce says if the Lakers somehow win the lottery and DO draft Zion, he tells us that won't be enough to get LBJ back to the finals.

"Y'all need a lot," Paul says ... "A lot. A lot."

The problem?? The big-name NBA free agents -- Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving -- don't seem to have much desire to play with LeBron in his old age.

But, there's good news for the King -- according to Pierce.

"LeBron is doing very well out here -- with his production company."

SHAAAAAAAAAAAAADDEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

What does LeBron James wear on his feet for a romantic dinner date at the hottest sushi spot in L.A.?? Nothin' fancy ... just a totally super rare set of kicks you'll never find in stores!!

The King and his beautiful wife, Savannah, met up with some friends at Nobu in Malibu while the Lakers played in Utah on Wednesday (LeBron stayed home in L.A.) ... and we were drawn to Bron's all white sneaks.

Turns out, LBJ was wearing a rare pair that us average Joes will never get our hands on -- the John Elliott x Nike LeBron Icon Whites ... which were only handed out to the closest of James' friends.

For reference, the grey versions of the same shoes (also only given to friends and family) are currently rocking price tags at some resale stores for more than $2,000.

Of course, LeBron's got a lifetime deal with the Swoosh ... so don't expect to see him reppin' anything else.

BTW -- the Lakers lost to the Jazz, 115-100 ... but who really cares at this point.

But man, what a flex just for dinner.

There's another element at play here ... LeBron's teammate, Lonzo Ball, is currently at a shoe crossroads after covering up his Big Baller Brand tattoo.

Seems Lonzo is severing ties with BBB in the wake of an alleged financial scandal with the co-founder of the Big Baller Brand ... and the former #2 overall draft pick could be on the hunt for another major sports apparel brand to endorse.

So, while he's in shoe limbo, Ball rocked a pair of $1,000 Dior sneakers earlier this week ... but c'mon, how much better would he look in a pair of Brons?

Stan Van Gundy knows exactly who the Lakers should make their head coach next season .... and they won't have to look hard to find him, considering he's already the head coach of the Lakers.

TMZ Sports spoke with the longtime head coach about rumors the Lake Show could ditch Luke Walton for Jason Kidd ... and while SVG loves the Hall of Famer's coaching skills, he says L.A. got it right the first time.

"Luke's done a great job and should remain their coach," SVG tells us.

Van Gundy says he's not so sure about whether J-Kidd crossed any lines going on TV to discuss his interest in the gig while it's clearly still Luke's team ... but his leadership is NOT something to question.

"I've coached against Jason for a few years ... he is a good coach."

Charles Barkley says there are no winners in the Jussie Smollett saga -- only losers -- and he feels TURRIBLE for the "real" victims of hate crimes whose stories will now be called into question.

"It's a really bad situation for everybody involved," Barkley told us in NYC ... "There's no winners. We're all losers."

Barkley has been ripping Smollett's tale about being attacked by homophobic racists for weeks -- even clowning the "Empire" actor as a liar on "Inside the NBA."

So, now that the 16 felony charges Smollett was facing for allegedly lying to police have been dropped -- we wondered if Barkley would back off Jussie.

Spoiler Alert: NO.

We asked Chuck if he thinks Jussie skated -- he replied, "That's an understatement."

Should Jussie have gone to jail?

"I don't think he shoulda went to jail, but it's unfortunate."

And, that's when Barkley told us about the "real victims" in the Smollett saga.

"Anybody who's gay who gets beat up, they're the real losers ... or black [people] who get beat up, they're the real losers."

As for Jussie, he maintains his innocence.

Lonzo Ball is an even BIGGER baller after bailing on the Big Baller Brand ... ditching his $500 shoes for a MORE EXPENSIVE pair for the Laker game Tuesday night.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the injured Zo elected to rock a pair of white Dior "B24" kicks while cheering on his teammates from the bench during the game against the Wizards ... which come with a hefty $960 price tag.

Of course ... all eyes have been on Lonzo's feet as he figures out his shoe future following the fallout with BBB. He's even dropped hints on social media about signing with Nike.

But, there were no Swooshes on his feet Tuesday ... just Diors. Really, really, really expensive Diors.

It's the latest shot at the BBB brand ... Lonzo's already covered up his Big Baller tattoo after his manager called for a BBB boycott while throwing a pair of ZO2s in the dumpster.

In other words, the Ball family business looks about as dead as LiAngelo's college hoops career.

Still, one major mystery remains ... WHEN ARE WE GOING TO HEAR FROM LAVAR?

The biggest of the Ballers has been eerily silent since the BBB fallout went public.

There are reports Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo are not speaking with their dad -- but no one has publicly commented about the state of the family.

Monica's officially calling it quits with her ex-NBA baller husband, Shannon Brown ... she's filed for divorce.

The singer filed the paperwork earlier this month in Atlanta. Monica and Shannon have a 5-year-old daughter named Laiyah together, and she has 2 sons from a previous relationship with rapper Rocko.

So far there are no details on whether she's seeking child or spousal support ... but we've learned Monica was unsuccessful in sealing the divorce docs.

The couple wed in 2010, but there was speculation they were separated in October 2018 ... until she shared a loving photo of the 2 together on Instagram. She hasn't been wearing her ring in Instagram photos for a few weeks though.

Monica famously claimed that Shannon -- best known for his time with the Lakers -- performed better on the court after he had sex with her ... especially when he played for the Phoenix Suns.

The BBB is DOA.

Lonzo Ball sent a painful message to his father -- covering up his famous Big Baller Brand tattoo in what seems to be the final nail in the BBB coffin.

The Los Angeles Lakers star hit up tattoo artist Herchell L Carrasco -- aka the RocknRoll Gangster -- who inked out the BBB art ... covering it up with a pair of red dice.

The move comes after allegations BBB co-founder Alan Foster stole more than $1.5 million of Lonzo's money.

Earlier this week, Lonzo's manager/close friend Darren Moore threw his BBB shoes in the garbage and called for a boycott of all BBB merchandise.

There are rumblings that Lonzo and his brothers are now estranged from their father, LaVar Ball, and that the company could fold within days.

Now, with Lonzo sending a message through his tattoos ... seems where there's smoke, there's fire.

Michael Avenatti is not lying low following his release from custody for allegedly extorting Nike -- instead, he's doubling down ... and throwing two huge basketball stars under the bus.

The lawyer just went on a Twitter attack against Nike, claiming the company has not been cooperating with a federal investigation into its Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) for over a year.

Avenatti adds ... "Unless you count lying in response to subpoenas and withholding documents as 'cooperating.' They are trying to divert attention from their own crimes."

The "divert attention" part is interesting -- Avenatti is implying his arrest Monday for allegedly trying to extort $20 million out of Nike in exchange for not announcing harmful allegations against the company is a distraction for its own crimes.

But then -- speaking of diverting attention -- Avenatti dropped a bombshell tweet accusing Nike of paying off 20-year-old PHX Suns star Deandre Ayton and his mom before he made it to the NBA. Ayton played college ball at the University of Arizona and was a highly recruited high school star before that.

Avenatti wrote ... "Ask DeAndre Ayton and Nike about the cash payments to his mother and others. Nike’s attempt at diversion and cover-up will fail miserably once prosecutors realize they have been played by Nike and their lawyers at Boies. This reaches the highest levels of Nike."

And there's more ... he's also calling out star Univ. of Oregon center Bol Bol, saying he and his handlers received large sums of cash from the shoe co.

As we reported ... Avenatti was arrested Monday for an alleged extortion scheme prosecutors in NY say played out over the course of a few days last week. They claim Avenatti demanded payment from Nike to keep him quiet about allegedly paying families of some high school basketball players.

Avenatti is also facing more federal charges for bank and wire fraud in an unrelated case to the Nike one. The U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California claims Avenatti embezzled client money to cover expenses for his coffee corporation.

Kris Humphries is opening up about the most famous 72-day marriage of all time -- saying his relationship with Kim Kardashian was 100% real ... and he was genuinely "embarrassed" when they broke up.

The ex-NBA player spilled his guts about his coupling with Kim K in The Players' Tribune ... saying, "Look, I should have known what I was getting into."

Kris and Kim began dating in 2010 and got engaged in May 2011. They tied the knot August 20, 2011 ... and Kim filed for divorce on Oct. 31.

"I was definitely naive about how much my life was going to change," Kris says ... "But the one thing that really bothers me is whenever people say that my marriage was fake."

"There’s definitely a lot about that world that is not entirely real. But our actual relationship was 100% real."

Kris says "it sucked" when he realized the marriage wasn't working -- "It’s never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family."

"But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it’s a whole other level. It was brutal."

Humphries -- now 34 years old and out of the NBA -- says he didn't know how to handle the negative attention stemming from his breakup ... admitting, "There was about a year where I was in a dark place."

Kris says he didn't want to leave his house and didn't even want to be known as Kris Humphries. Instead, Kris says he pretended to be Blake Griffin when he was out in public.

He also reflects about how much it sucked to be booed and taunted in the wake of the split -- wondering if fans were after him because they thought he was a wannabe reality star ... or because they thought he disrespected the game of basketball.

Humphries says he's not asking for pity -- and never really wanted to be famous -- claiming he's now trying to stay "under the radar" as he works on the next phase of his life.

So, what is Kris planning to do next? He's already opened up several restaurants -- 10 Five Guys burger joints and with plans to open 7 CRISP & GREEN eateries.

Gigantic college basketball star Tacko Fall just got a huge mentor (literally) ... because ex-NBA great Shawn Bradley says he wants to talk to the 7'6" youngster to help him get ready for the league.

Bradley knows what it's like to be the big man on campus ... he's 7'6" himself and was a superstar in college at BYU before going on to have a 12-year NBA career.

Fall's UCF squad ALMOST beat Duke in the tourney this past weekend, and in doing so the enormous senior made a lot of people believe he has a real shot at being a 1st-round draft pick.

We got Bradley out at LAX and he told our guy that while he hasn't been able to see too much of Fall's game, he'd love to help him fill in any gaps.

"Tell him to call me if you see him. I'll give him some advice."

Might wanna call him, Tacko ... Bradley made close to $50 million during his NBA career, and that was 20 years ago, before the contracts got as stupid silly as they are now.

Shawn did share with us one piece of advice he'd share with Fall.

"Don't try to become something that they're trying to make you."

Papa John's is hoping Shaquille O'Neal can do the same thing he did for the Lakers ... return them to prominence ... by adding the Big Man on as a member of their Board Of Directors.

Shaq announced the move moments ago on his Instagram with a statement talking about his future with the company, and his enthusiasm for their pies.

"I am so excited to be joining the Papa John’s family as a member of the Board of Directors, a soon-to-be investor in nine Papa John’s franchises in Atlanta and an ambassador for the brand."

This is HUGE news for Papa John's ... the company has been embroiled in controversy ever since founder John Schnatter stepped down after he admitted to using the n-word during a conference call with executives last May.

Since then, the company has been hit with boycotts by some members of the Black community, leading to declining sales 5 quarters in a row according to CNN business.

Shaq is a beloved figure in the community, and you have to believe PJ's is hoping adding him will get them back on the good side of those who think the company is racist.

"I know that behind every large company, there are thousands of people that put their heart and soul into the business. Papa John’s is no different, and it struck a chord with me that the company is putting in the work to do better within its walls and in the communities it serves across the country."

BTW -- this deal also comes with 9 franchises for Shaq in the Atlanta area ... and that means free pizza ... pace yourself, big guy.

While the Knicks are busy booting fans from MSG ... the Nets are on the brink of making the playoffs ... and DeMarre Carroll says the city's totally buzzin' for them!!!

Of course ... New York's always been Knicks' territory. Even when the Nets came over to Brooklyn in 2012, the vast majority of folks held on to their beloved Knickerbockers and didn't care too much for the team from Jersey.

But, as it turns out ... the Nets are currently 7th in the East thanks to breakout seasons from players like D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Earlier this week, BK had an insane 25-point, 4th-quarter comeback against the Kings ... behind Russell's 44 points.

And, the Knicks ... well, their 14-58 record is the worst in the NBA.

So, when we saw the NBAer out in Santa Monica on Thursday ... he said there's a lot of support for the squad as they head into the postseason.

"I think everybody's excited about what's going on, so it's a big time for the city," Carroll says.

Kwame Brown is callin' BS on the NBA's one-and-done rule ... telling TMZ Sports, "To tell a young man he can go shoot a gun but he can't go earn a living, that, to me, doesn't make any sense."

Of course, the infamous NBA rule is back making headlines this year after Zion Williamson made it emphatically clear in just a few weeks at Duke he was ready for the pros.

But, the league still has its draft rule in place -- saying players need to spend a year in college before they can play for one of its 30 teams -- and thus, Zion remains a Blue Devil.

Enter 37-year-old Brown -- who went straight from high school to being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft when he was selected by the Washington Wizards.

Brown thinks the 1-and-done rule is just ridiculous -- telling us there's simply no place for it in today's society.

"Free enterprise," Kwame says ... "Go and get that money."

As for Brown ... we had to ask if he regrets not going to college straight outta high school given his NBA career didn't flourish the way he expected it to -- and his answer was a big, fat HELL NO!!!

"Factor out the numbers, I know economics," Kwame tells us ... "I own four companies!"

Kobe Bryant is keeping it real when it comes to the Lakers -- telling TMZ Sports when it comes to the playoffs ... "maybe next year."

At least, that's what it appears he said when we shouted a question at him from across the street.

JOURNALISM!

The NBA legend was out in NYC when our photog spotted him and asked about the state of Lakers Nation.

Kobe gave us the ol' thumbs up -- but when we pressed about LeBron taking the team to the playoffs, he shrugged and appeared to say, "Well, maybe next year."

Hey, it's probably true ... right?

The Lakers are in 11th place in the Western Conference and thiiiis close to being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Plus, LeBron's injured and there's talk the team will shut him down in the hopes of a better run next season.

So, is this the most shocking clip we've ever posted? No.

You come at the king, you best not miss ... and Ice Cube thinks Walt Frazier missed HARD when saying LeBron James doesn't care about the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports, "that's bullsh*t."

Frazier went OFF on LBJ during Sunday's game between the Knickerbockers and L.A. ... saying, "when you’re the face of the NBA, you should be more a part of your team."

"No matter what is going on. In the public, you gotta be a part of the team. Maybe in the locker room you’re not, but you have to exude that type of togetherness in public, folks," Frazier added.

"And right now, we see he doesn’t really care."

Cube says the Hall of Famer is WRONG -- "LeBron cares, that's bullsh*t."

The rap legend doesn't deny there might be some issues in the locker room ... he actually thinks everyone is trade bait at this point.