NBA

Mathew Knowles says he BALLED UP Kobe Bryant when they faced off in some 1-on-1 twenty years ago ... and he'll gladly kick Kobe's ass again if Mamba wants to run it back!!!

We spoke with Beyonce's dad after he unearthed video from the set of the Destiny's Child "Bug A Boo" video -- where he took on Kobe while wearing dress pants, dress shoes and a Polo shirt.

Mathew actually got a bucket on Kobe -- and Knowles says it was ALL SKILL, BABY!!!

"He was talking a lot of trash," Mathew says ... joking that Kobe was trying to show out to impress all of the beautiful women on the set that day.

But, Knowles says he's a former basketball player himself -- played at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga -- and shocked Kobe with his hoop skills.

The best part ... Mathew says he's still in shape, still got skills and would WRECK Kobe if Mamba wanted a rematch.

"I told you I can play some ball! 20 years later, I could still take Kobe to the hoop!"

"Kobe, I just want to let you know bruh, I think you are one of the greatest -- if not the greatest basketball player ever."

LeBron James says he's INCREDIBLY PROUD of stats showing the students at his "I Promise" school in Akron are making tremendous gains in statewide testing ... just 1 year after it opened.

There are only 240 students in the inaugural 3rd and 4th grade classes at the Akron school -- but numbers obtained by the NY Times show test scores in math and reading were up BIG after the first year.

In reading, the 3rd and 4th graders had initially scored in the lowest percentile -- the 1%.

But, after a year, when the students took the district-wide exams, the 3rd graders JUMPED to the 9th percentile and the 4th graders moved to the 16th!

Take a second and reflect on that -- those are HUGE gains.

And that's not all ... when it came to math, the 3rd graders jumped from the 1% to the 18th percentile -- and 4th graders moved from the 2% to the 30th!!!!

When asked about the incredible improvements, LeBron told the Times, "These kids are doing an unbelievable job, better than we all expected."

He added, "When we first started, people knew I was opening a school for kids. Now people are going to really understand the lack of education they had before they came to our school."

"People are going to finally understand what goes on behind our doors."

So, what does go on behind their doors?

Besides access to teachers and materials, the school also provides clothing and snacks to families that need it ... which is partially funded by LeBron's foundation.

Michael Rapaport has a message for Jeanie Buss -- "Stop running the Lakers like it's a mom and pop donut shop!"

Rap was leaving The Improv in Hollywood on Thursday when he went off about what's WRONG with the Lake Show ... and it's clear, he thinks the problem starts at the top.

"Here's the point about the Lakers," Rapaport said ... "Jeanie Buss, everybody loves you. I love you. I've met you, you've been nothing but nice to me. Stop running the Lakers like it's a mom and pop donut shop."

"It's not a little shoe store down in Downtown in L.A. It's big business. You gotta hire a killer. You gotta hire some kick ass people."

Jeanie took over the Lakers in 2013 after the death of her father, Dr. Jerry Buss -- who originally purchased the team back in 1979.

Since she became President of the team during the 2013-14 season, the Lakers have not posted a winning record.

Rap also says Jeanie also needs to let LeBron run things while he's under contract with the team -- "Let The King run the show. Give him 3 years to do what he wants to do."

"He made Magic Johnson cry!!! Magic Johnson was crying the other day!! We all know who made him cry."

Bottom line ... "Jeanie Buss, it's not a family business. It's a basketball team. Get some killers in there!"

Montrezl Harrell will be reppin' the late Nipsey Hussle when the L.A. Clippers take the court in the NBA playoffs ... honoring the L.A. artist with a pair of one-of-a-kind kicks!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Trezz wanted to pay homage to Hussle in the Clips' first playoff game this weekend ... so he hit up Marcus Rivero AKA Soles By Sir to whip up the special Js.

Rivero tells us the shoes are extra special ... and feature the names of people close to Nipsey -- his longtime GF Lauren London, his children ... as well as lyrics from some of Hussle's songs.

Trezz has been honoring Hussle since his tragic death late last month ... and even wore a custom Clippers jersey with Nipsey's name on the back.

Of course, other NBA stars like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook -- who dedicated his 20-20-20 game -- have honored Hussle.

We're told Trezz will wear them when L.A. takes on the Warriors.

#RIP

Mr. Wonderful ain't exactly shy when it comes to his opinion ... and the "Shark Tank" star just let Magic Johnson know why the NBA legend done MESSED UP by quitting the Lakers.

Kevin O'Leary wasn't disrespectful -- in fact, he likes Magic a lot -- but he thinks the guy made a huge mistake Tuesday night by suddenly stepping down as Pres. of Basketball Operations.

"He made a decision which I think was the wrong one," Kev told us on his way out of ABC Studios in NYC.

"The Lakers are in chaos. The opportunity is to stay onboard during chaos and fix it ... and I think he should have done that."

O'Leary -- who's also close with Mavs owner Mark Cuban -- believes LeBron James played a role in Magic's decision to leave.

"I'm speculating like everybody else is ... but [Magic] probably had a disagreement between a very influential player and other management."

Ultimately, Kevin thinks the breakup is as nasty as they come -- comparing the split to a marriage falling apart.

Dwyane Wade's NYC retirement party turned into a good Bye-Bye-Bye Bash Wednesday night ... when Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel stopped by to celebrate D-Wade's career!

The party was crazy -- a '70s-themed rager at Catch NYC with costumes and great music and basketball stars ... including Wade's good friend, Carmelo Anthony!

TMZ Sports obtained video from inside the party where you can see D-Wade, Gabby and Justin all gettin' down on the dance floor!!

Earlier in the evening, Wade posted a triple-double as the Miami Heat lost to the Brooklyn Nets 113-94.

A ton of Wade's friends were in the Brooklyn crowd -- including LeBron James, Carmelo and Chris Paul ... the entire Banana Boat crew.

Wade also gave his jersey to Carmelo after the game.

So, this is it ... Wade has finally closed the book on his 16-year NBA career that features 3 NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP, 13 All-Star appearances, he won an Olympic gold medal for Team USA and he was also the NBA scoring champ in 2009.

He was also named to 8 All-NBA teams during his run.

So, what's next for Dwyane? Dude's got options in everything from fashion to TV announcing to acting ... and also helping his superstar sons as they get ready to play at the college level.

Magic Johnson has ZERO regrets after leaving the Lakers -- in fact, he's super happy about his decision ... so says his wife Cookie Johnson.

Just 24 hours after Magic shockingly stepped down as the team's President of Basketball Operations, Cookie and E.J. Johnson hit up Mr. Chow on Wednesday -- where they looked pretty relieved.

"Just know that [Magic Johnson] is happy and we're happy for him," Cookie told us on the way out of the restaurant ... "No regrets."

So, what's Magic gonna do with all of the free time he's gonna have? Put more work in with the Dodgers?

Rick Fox says Magic Johnson's decision to leave the Lakers was a complete shock -- but if the NBA legend was truly unhappy, stepping down was the right move.

"I just feel for Magic," Fox tells TMZ Sports ... "I saw the emotion and I saw the love he has for this organization and the difficulty that decision was for him."

"We all care about him and we all care about the organization."

Fox says Lakers fans should keep their heads up -- saying, "Things always get worse before they get better."

Magic surprised EVERYONE when he announced Tuesday evening he'd be leaving his role as President of Basketball Operations ... but Rick tells us it would have been a "disservice" for Johnson to stay on if he lost his passion for the job.

Anthony Davis is insisting he didn't use his wardrobe to send parting shots at the Pelicans ... saying his "That's All, Folks" shirt was a coincidence, because he doesn't even dress himself!!!

AD -- who publicly requested a trade earlier this season -- caught some heat for the Looney Tunes shirt ... with some people saying it was a thinly-veiled way of saying "goodbye" as he walked into the last game of the season.

But, the NBA superstar is adamant his shirt was NOT a diss -- insisting he's just a big Bugs Bunny fan.

"I'm a big cartoon guy, Loony Tunes is actually my favorite," Davis told reporters on Wednesday.

"I actually didn't choose it, it was hanging for me already when I went to put my clothes on."

So ... if dude is telling the truth, does this mean Anthony Davis is REALLY dropping a major hint that he's gonna be in "Space Jam 2?"

Forget the terrible season -- or the fact Magic Johnson had just quit -- LeBron James and his Lakers teammates decided to party Tuesday night anyway ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

LeBron -- along with teammates Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee and more -- hit up Tao Restaurant in Los Angeles where Sheck Wes performed after the Lakers game.

Lonzo Ball was also at the event ... which was a launch party for the new "Twenty" app.

Of course, the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier in the evening -- ending one of the worst seasons in Lakers history. Before the game, Magic Johnson QUIT as Lakers President of Basketball Operations.

During a bizarre impromptu meeting with reporters, Johnson essentially said he wasn't having fun being a team exec -- and wanted to go back to being a "free bird" who can't be "handcuffed."

He also mentioned that he wanted to be able to tweet about NBA players and topics without being fined by the league.

The Milwaukee Bucks' owner's daughter is on board with Giannis turning down a role in LeBron's "Space Jam 2" ... 'cause Mallory Edens tells TMZ Sports she thinks it's a GOOD thing!!!

"If you think about it right now, LeBron is Giannis' peer," Mallory says ... "I don't think he should idolize him in a way like a normal basketball fan [would]."

Of course, Giannis just told ESPN he's all OUT in the sequel to Michael Jordan's mega-hit ... saying he doesn't want to take time away from summer training to film a movie with the King.

Mallory -- who's also a model -- says she's just fine with that ... explaining to us she LOVES the idea that Giannis ain't trying to be super friends with LBJ.

"That's his competitor. That's his peer. It's somebody he wants to beat. I don't think he needs to be, like, buddy-buddy with him and run around and shoot a movie with him."

In fact, Mallory says she loves the original "Space Jam" so much -- and despises sequels that much more -- she thinks it's going to be tough for Bron to find ANY NBA superstars to join him on set.

Magic Johnson just dropped a bombshell before the Lakers play their final game of the season ... announcing he's stepping down as the team's president of basketball operations.

Magic held court with reporters before the Lakers took on the Portland Trailblazers, and in a stunning move he revealed he's walking away from the role he held for 2 years.

The decision totally blindsided everyone ... Magic says he hasn't even informed Lakers owner Jeanie Buss that he's stepping away from the team.

As for why he's stepping down from his influential role ... Magic says he wasn't having fun running the Lakers, and he was happier before he took the job.

Carson Kressley thinks it's a BEAUTIFUL thing that Dwyane Wade's family took his 11-year-old son to the Miami gay pride parade this weekend ... because families should support each other.

As we previously reported, Gabrielle Union took 11-year-old Zion Wade to the massive festival on Sunday where they danced and celebrated at one of the largest LGBTQ events in the country.

Dwyane was on the road with the Miami Heat but posted messages of support and said, "We support each other with pride."

There has been some blowback from haters who think Wade's kid is too young to attend a pride parade -- but Kressley immediately shot that down and said those people don't understand what Pride is really about.

"I would say [to those people] come to a gay pride [event] and you'll see how beautiful and embracing and how diverse and how wonderful it is ... and kids should be there to see it!"

He added, "It's a beautiful thing. It's great when parents bring their kids."

LeBron James should walk into Magic Johnson's office and FIGHT for Luke Walton to stay as Lakers coach ... so says Damon Stoudamire, who tells TMZ Sports Luke deserves more time in L.A.

"LeBron, go in there and fight for my man," the ex-Trailblazers superstar says ... "He needs more time."

Of course, it's widely believed Walton's days as head man of the Lake Show are numbered ... 'cause nearly every insider believes he's going to get canned after this season.

In fact, there were some in the NBA world who were surprised to see Walton make it this long ... 'cause his Lakers are 10th in the West and have a 37-44 record.

But, Stoudamire -- who's friends with Luke and actually coached with the guy in Memphis -- says Walton just needs a little more time to right the ship.

"I think Luke deserves a couple more years ... Luke knows what he's doing. He knows what he's doing."

Giannis Antetokounmpo wants no part of a role in LeBron James' "Space Jam 2" ... saying he'd rather focus on basketball than his movie career.

"I don't like being Hollywood," Antetokounmpo told ESPN ... "I don't like all this extra drama. I am just going to try to be me."

Of course, LBJ is working on a sequel to the ultra-popular Michael Jordan flick ... and getting NBA studs for an on-screen battle with the Monstars is pretty necessary for the new movie.

But, Bron's reportedly having trouble locking up top-tier NBA talent for the roles ... and now, he'll have to move forward without the Greek Freak, one of the best players in the league.

According to ESPN, Giannis says he ain't down to give up 2 weeks of his summer training to join up with LBJ on the silver screen.

Which begs the question ... who will step up for Bron?

We know he's tight with Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul -- but those guys ain't exactly the young superstars taking over the NBA.

Guessing he's got names like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis on his wish list.

Jordan had Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing in his version of "Space Jam" ... and if LBJ can't at least somewhat match that cast, ya know the criticism will be flyin'!!!

He's only got ONE more NBA game left in Miami -- so some of Dwyane Wade's most famous friends threw him a huge bash to celebrate the end of his amazing 16-year NBA career ... and the pics are GREAT!!

Huge rap stars like Rick Ross and Meek Mill partied with NBA stars like Jimmy Butler and Chris Bosh Monday night at the official "One Last Dance" bash at the Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami Beach.

D-Wade's mom and dad showed up to the party too -- along with Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Fat Joe and more!!! Of course, Dwyane's wife, Gabrielle Union, was front and center.

The guys had champagne, personalized bottles of whiskey ... and D-Wade even got a massive bottle of wine during the Miami bash!!!

Ya gotta see the crane machine game that was stocked with Dwyane's designer socks from his sock line.

Of course, Wade announced this season will be his last ... and his final game in Miami is Tuesday night against the 76ers. His last-ever game is Wednesday in Brooklyn against the Nets.

It's been a hell of a career for the future Hall of Famer ... dude was a 3-time NBA champ, 13-time NBA All-Star, 2006 NBA Finals MVP AND the 2008-09 NBA scoring champion.

In fact, the career was so legendary ... ya gotta check out the FIRE fishnet shirt Jimmy Butler broke out for the party!!!