NBA

Forget The Big Shaqtus ... just call him Shaqiana now -- 'cause Shaquille O'Neal hit the Bust Down dance -- and kinda crushed it!!

Okay, it wasn't all that great ... but dude is 7'1", 324 pounds -- so give it up for him!!!

It appears the impromptu Blueface nod went down just off the set of Shaq's ultra-popular "NBA on TNT" show Monday night ... where O'Neal broke it down for a few people in the office (one of whom had a cell phone, thank god).

There was a dramatic buildup ... some hip thrusting ... and even a little butterfly dance. It was great.

There were some tense moments -- Shaq did try to drop things a little too low and seemed to tweak his groin. But don't worry, he's gonna be okay!!!

It's just the latest awesome feat that O'Neal's provided us on set ... 'memba when the 46-year-old threw down a monster dunk a couple of weeks ago?!?

Seems Lonzo Ball may have had a change of heart about the Big Baller Brand boycott -- because he's rocking his signature ZO2 slides again ... even after covering his BBB tattoo.

The L.A. Lakers star wasn't talking when we spotted him at LAX on Monday -- but he made a pretty big statement with his footwear ... the famous $200 Big Baller Brand slides.

Remember, Lonzo's manager, Darren Moore, called for a boycott of all BBB products -- after learning BBB co-founder Alan Foster allegedly stole $1.5 million from Lonzo.

Moore was upset, he started the hashtag #DumpUrMech -- and filmed himself throwing his ZO2 in the garbage. In the following days, Lonzo covered up the BBB tattoo on his arm.

Lonzo's dad, LaVar Ball, has since stated the brand is not dead -- and claims his family is sticking together through the drama.

As of this post, the BBB website is down -- so, it seems they're no longer selling expensive shoes and slides.

There were rumblings Lonzo is on the hunt for a new shoe endorsement deal -- but now that he's back in BBB's, we're wondering if he's interested in salvaging the family brand.

File Under, "The Most Obvious News Ever" ... Zion Williamson is leaving Duke and declaring for the NBA Draft.

Yeah, no kidding.

Williamson was a monster in high school and became a global sensation during his 1 year at Duke -- where he was widely regarded as the #1 player in the country.

Now, he's projected to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, according to anyone who's ever watched basketball.

The 18-year-old made his announcement in a video -- in which he thanked everyone at Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski for "the best year of my life."

Zion says he learned more about basketball in his 1 year at Duke than he ever thought possible -- but ultimately decided to leave to pursue his dream of becoming an NBA player.

"I don't think I can put it into words how special this year was," Zion said ... shouting out his teammates for the "brotherhood" he experienced.

As for Zion's bank account ... last year's #1 pick DeAndre Ayton signed a 4-year, $40 million contract -- so expect Zion's to be a little bigger than that.

Zion will also sign a MASSIVE shoe deal now that he's going pro -- with Nike brand legend Sonny Vaccaro telling TMZ Sports he wouldn't be shocked if Zion got a $100 MILLION deal.

This is pretty cool ... Chris Paul was so proud of his pal, Tiger Woods, for winning the Masters on Sunday, he honored his friend with a pair of custom Tiger-themed kicks!!

Chris and the Houston Rockets took on the Utah Jazz after Tiger's comeback -- so, Paul decided to make a few alterations to his red CP3.12s to pay homage to the golfer.

BTW, Chris and Tiger have been friends for years -- with Chris previously crediting Woods with getting him into golf in the first place.

They've been spotted on various courses together several times in the past.

As for Paul, he won too -- the Rockets smashed the Jazz 122 to 90.

Unclear who actually crafted the custom Tiger shoes. We're looking into it.

While his court battle rages on, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't exactly laying low -- hanging courtside at the Celtics game in Boston last night where he was still treated like a rock star.

The 77-year-old was in a GREAT mood as the Celtics took on the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their playoff series ... you can see Kraft sitting with Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck (the guy on the left).

By the way, the Celtics WON the game 84-74.

Of course, Kraft has A LOT going on in the other court in his life ... the one in Florida where he's fighting like hell to block the media from getting surveillance footage from inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

As we've previously reported, Kraft believes the footage was obtained illegally -- and also, if released, would destroy all chances of getting a fair trial in his prostitution case.

Monica is clamming up when it comes to questions about her divorce with ex-NBA baller Shannon Brown ... and it's pissing off producers on T.I.'s reality show.

Sources close to production on "T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle" tell TMZ ... Monica is refusing to talk about calling it quits on her marriage, and she won't even mention her ex-husband's name.

We're told Monica's decision to stay mum is frustrating the people tasked with crafting an interesting storyline for the singer ... and she's just not cooperating with producers begging for her to open up about her relationship with Shannon.

The trailer for the reality show's upcoming season makes it seem like Monica's an open book when it comes to her divorce ... but we're told that couldn't be further from the truth. In the trailer, she says she never imagined being a single mother in her 30s -- but that's all you're gonna get outta her.

We broke the story ... Monica filed for divorce from the former pro athlete back in March, after 8 years of marriage.

Two professional athletes from the NBA and NFL, respectively, were busted by cops this weekend after allegedly getting into a brawl on the street.

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills and Washington Wizards forward Devin Robinson were both arrested early Saturday morning outside of the Opera Ultra Lounge in D.C. and cited for disorderly affray, which is cop talk to fighting in public.

It's unclear if either of the men were sent to jail, but Devin was reportedly taken to a hospital afterward.

According to a police report, obtained by the AP, Jalen and Devin were involved in a verbal altercation which escalated into a physical altercation on the sidewalk adjacent to Opera. No official word on what exactly led up to the alleged fight, but reports have come out suggesting Devin was pissed Jalen was in town ... but didn't play for a D.C. team.

Both players will probably feel the fallout of their alleged actions -- especially Devin, who's already out of a job next season.

The Wizards released a statement saying they wouldn't be extending Devin a contract for the 2019-20 season. He played seven games for the Wizards this year but mostly spent time playing in the G League.

If you're somewhere in a barber shop comparing the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, you're getting on Shawn Marion's last damn nerve ... and he wants you to stop.

Both Wade and Dirk called it quits this year, so of course, the NBA community had to start talking about which guy is higher on the all-time pecking order.

It's a pretty close race any way you slice it, with Dirk having more stats, and Wade having more rings (he also played defense) so people are pretty split.

Marion played with both men, on the Mavs with Dirk and the Heat with Wade ... and he has an opinion ... he thinks everyone should shut the hell up.

"Everybody gotta compare somebody to somebody. Stop that sh*t."

Marion's aggravated point is that the 7'0" Dirk and the 6'4" Wade had two TOTALLY different games and comparing them is pointless and almost insulting to their legacies.

"Respect what they done. They both were true professionals, and they left a legacy to live and continue to live out now that they're done."

The Luke Walton era in Los Angeles is over -- he's out as the Lakers head coach ... but both sides are saying it was a "mutual" decision.

So, not fired???

"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

“We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward.”

Walton also issued a statement saying, "I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers."

"This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”

The Lakers were 98-148 under Walton -- who was hired in April 2016. This season, after adding LeBron James, the Lakers finished with an abysmal 37-45 ... 10th place in the Western Conference.

Back in February, we spoke with Luke about the situation with the Lakers and he told us he LOVED being the head coach.

So, who's next for L.A.? There are reports Ty Lue could take over -- reuniting LeBron James with his old coach from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There are also rumblings Luke is the frontrunner to be the next head coach of the Sacramento Kings, which just fired their head coach Thursday.

It's been a wild week for the Lakers -- with Magic Johnson surprisingly stepping down as the President of Basketball Operations on Tuesday ... minutes before the Lakers played their final game of the season.

Magic insisted he just wasn't happy in the role -- and wanted to be free to tweet about NBA topics and players without being fined by the league.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says the team is actively looking for Magic's replacement.

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?