NBA

Shawn Marion says high school phenom R.J. Hampton will get all the NBA prep he needs next year in Australia ... because that league is almost as tough as the NBA!!!

Hampton, who's an ultra-explosive combo guard that could've gone to any college he wanted, chose to play in Australia's NBL, before entering the NBA draft in 2020.

Marion is a part owner of the New Zealand Breakers, the team Hampton will be playing for Down Under, and he tells us the league will be no walk in the park for the young hooper.

"There is no other league more talented than the NBL right now. Them guards up there are really tough, and he can definitely get the experience he needs to get to the next level."

Shawn ain't lying, guys like Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut, and Stephen Jackson all got their start in the NBL, as well as current players like Patty Mills and Terrance Ferguson.

"A lot of those guys out there should be in the NBA, I'm not saying it because I'm a part of it, I'm saying it because I've witnessed it with my eyes. It ain't a cakewalk."

Draymond Green says there was NO "scuffle" with Drake after the Warriors lost to the Raptors on Thursday ... blasting a reporter for even asking about the altercation in the post-game presser.

"You got a question about basketball?" Green said.

Of course, it certainly looked like a scuffle to most of the world ... Green was nose-to-nose with the "God's Plan" rapper -- and Drake clearly used the word "trash" when jawing at the Warriors star.

But, Draymond is playing the whole thing down, saying, "I didn't hit him and he didn't hit me or I didn't push him or he didn't push me."

Green added, "We talked. We barked a little bit. But I wouldn't necessarily consider that a scuffle. Not really what I, personally, would consider a scuffle."

Drake's played a key role in Toronto's playoff run this season ... he pissed off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the entire Milwaukee Bucks roster last week -- and now he is clearly already under Golden State's skin.

Game 2 tips off Sunday night in Toronto ... and Drake's expected to have courtside seats once again.

CAN'T WAIT!!!

Ron Garretson -- a longtime NBA referee -- was arrested for DUI in Arizona on Wednesday after officials say he crashed into a tree near the Lake Havasu City Police Dept. Station.

Cops responded to calls about a man who slammed an orange Jeep Wrangler into a tree around 6:30 PM -- and when officers arrived at the scene, 60-year-old Garretson was covered in blood.

According to the police report, Garretson initially claimed someone had hit his car -- but cops say the story didn't make sense. Cops also say he reeked of booze and Garretson admitted to having a beer and a shot at a nearby cigar bar before getting behind the wheel.

Cops also say Garretson made it a point to say he's an NBA ref -- and insisted he's in great shape.

Despite that, Garretson bombed field sobriety tests -- and blew a .19 on the breathalyzer, more than TWICE the legal limit. He was arrested at the scene and hauled to a nearby station where he was booked for extreme DUI.

Garretson has been working in the NBA for 32 seasons -- working more than 1,900 regular season games.

Did Nike just win the Zion Williamson shoe wars!?? Judging by this video we just got of the projected #1 overall pick ... it seems they Just Did It.

Check out this footage of Zion working out at a Los Angeles gym on Thursday. Pay attention to his feet.

ZW's wearing the Nike Kyrie 4s. VERY interesting ... considering EVERY major shoe company is looking to sign the ex-Duke superstar to the biggest rookie shoe endorsement deal since LeBron James.

In fact, ex-NBA star Jay Williams and shoe legend Sonny Vaccaro told us they wouldn't be surprised if a company shelled out $100 MILLION for Zion!

Now, Zion rocked Nikes in college -- but only because Duke had an endorsement deal with the Swoosh.

But, there was speculation he could switch to another company after his NCAA career was jeopardized because of that February incident when his Nike PG 2.5s busted open during the first minute of the UNC game.

Zion suffered a right knee strain during the shoe explosion ... and many wondered if he would bail for Adidas, Puma or even New Balance (hey, Kawhi Leonard did it).

However, Nike clearly has the advantage since Zion wore the Kyrie 4s multiple times in college ... and obviously likes them enough to wear them when he doesn't have to.

Don't plan the parades at Sierra Canyon High just yet ... 'cause the next generation of the James/Wade duo teaming up does NOT mean it'll have the same results as their dads -- so says Kenny Smith.

The basketball world pretty much lost their minds when the news broke that freshman Bronny James and senior Zaire Wade will be teammates next season -- bringing back memories of the Peanut Butter and Jelly combo, LeBron and D-Wade, had in Miami.

The Jet -- who has an AAU team and knows his stuff about youth hoops -- says Bronny and Zaire will be able to contend off the rip ... but California basketball is filled with massive, skilled kids ... so it'll be tough.

"There's multiple things that you need," Kenny says ... "Especially Bronny being so young, only being a freshman. The age difference is tough."

Of course, their daddies won 2 titles with the Heat ... and created tons of highlights together. Smith sees that in their future as well.

Scottie Pippen tells TMZ Sports he likes Doc Rivers' comparison between Kawhi Leonard and Michael Jordan ... but says there's another name that should be in the mix -- Kobe Bryant.

Earlier this week, Doc raved about the Toronto Raptors superstar while appearing on ESPN, saying Kawhi is "the most like Jordan that we've seen."

"There's a lot of great players," River said ... "LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him."

"Big hands, post-game, can finish. Great leaper, great defender, in-between game. If you beat him to the spot he bumps you off, and then you add his three-point shooting."

So, who better to weigh in than MJ's Chicago running mate? Who BTW, was leaving Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills in his sick Ferrari.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... at first, Scottie agrees with Doc's assessment but then brings up Kobe -- and ultimately can't make a decision about which one is closer to #23.

And, with the Golden State Warriors now entering their 5th straight NBA Finals -- with a possible 3-peat in the works -- we asked Scottie if he still thinks his '95-96 Bulls squad is still the best team ever.

Every time Drake opens his mouth during the NBA Finals, he's contributing to Too Short's new rap song ... so says Short Dog himself.

See, Too Short is a hardcore Golden State Warriors fan (Oakland!!), so when we saw him at Bootsy Bellows in L.A. (hanging with Jimmy O. Yang!) we asked how he plans to deal with Drake, whose Raptors fandom has been driving people crazy.

"We've had a meeting about this," Short tells TMZ Sports.

"What we're gonna do is, we're gonna watch Drake. We're gonna record every little bit of tape of Drake [during the NBA Finals]. Every word he says, we're gonna make a song with those words."

It's not a bad idea ... considering everything Drake touches turns platinum nowadays. As for the title for the project??

"It's gonna be called 'Drake Losing to the Warriors.'"

Yeah, the title could probably use some work -- but the idea is pretty solid!

By the way, Too Short and Drake are good friends -- in fact, Drake even paid homage to Short in the DJ Khaled track "For Free."

Good news, bad news for Drake -- Good news?? Klay Thompson likes your music. Bad news?? Klay Thompson HATES YOUR GUTS!!!

... as a Raptors fan.

The Warriors superstar was asked whether he's gonna get in the zone for the NBA Finals by vibin' out to some Drizzy, or skip his jams considering he's with the enemy Toronto Raptors ... and Klay had one helluva soundbite.

"If it's one of his soft, R&B songs, I'mma skip it 'cause I'm in 'kill mode' right now trying to get these 4 games," Klay says ... "So, I'll skip 'Hotline Bling' and anything along that line."

Side note -- Klay, don't do "Hotline Bling" like that. RESPECT "HOTLINE BLING"!!!!!! It's a classic.

Thompson -- who says he's been a Drake fan since high school -- added, "He's a great artist. Do I like him as a Raptors fan? No. But, I like him as a musician. He's extremely talented, but I will definitely skip the song if I don't like it."

Dennis Hof was a lover, not a murderer and he did NOT try to kill Lamar Odom ... so says Hof's best friend, porn star Ron Jeremy.

Just hours after Odom went on "The View" and claimed the late Love Ranch brothel owner poisoned him on the day he overdosed back in 2015 ... we spotted Ron outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill in L.A. and asked him if there was any truth to LO's allegation.

"Read my lips," Ron told us ... "NOOOOO!!!"

Of course, Hof passed away in October 2018 ... so he can't exactly defend himself -- but Hof always described Jeremy as his best friend, so he might be the next best person to ask.

"Why would Dennis do this? What could he possibly gain?" Jeremy said.

Jeremy essentially told us he NEVER heard Hof discuss such plans to kill Odom and says he wants to see all of Odom's alleged evidence.

On the flip side, Jeremy says Hof had a ton of celebrity friends and was always thinking of ways to grow his business ... and murdering Odom wouldn't have been in his best interest.

Magic Johnson is strongly refuting an ESPN report that he bullied Lakers staffers during his time as an exec with the organization -- saying, "it never happened."

Just hours after ESPN published the bombshell report, Magic appeared on SportsCenter to address it, explaining that if the allegations were true, he would've been called into Jeanie Buss' office to deal with the incidents.

"Do you think Jeanie Buss would allow me to abuse the employees?" Magic said. "If that was the case, she would've called me in."

Instead, Johnson says he was never informed about such issues and believes the allegations in the report are not based in reality.

"I'm a person who brings everybody together, uplifting employees. I never abused an employee and I never will. That's not what I'm about."

As we previously reported, the ESPN article cites multiple unnamed Lakers staffers who claim Magic would berate employees and essentially created a hostile work environment

So, a bunch of LAPD officers were conducting roll call in Sherman Oaks, California on Tuesday -- when all of a sudden Magic Johnson walks out of a supermarket and starts high-fiving the cops!

It all went down in front of a Gelson's -- where cops from the Van Nuys station met up for their morning briefing before hitting the streets.

Magic had been inside the store doing some shopping and had no idea the cops would be gathering that morning ... but we're told once he saw the officers he dropped everything to go hang out.

One source tells us he chatted up everyone, thanked them for their service and posed for a bunch of pics.

As one officer put it, "It made our day!"

And get this, despite an ESPN report that came out Tuesday morning which painted Magic as a "bully" during his time as an exec with the Lakers, he didn't seem fazed ... we're told he was in a great mood and couldn't have been nicer.

Well, THAT didn't take long!!

Less than 24 hours after LeBron James lifted his social media ban on his oldest son ... Bronny James has 1 MILLION followers on Instagram.

The 14-year-old heir to the throne was welcomed to IG with a big shout-out from his daddy Monday afternoon ... as well as a warning shot to all trolls:

"Told him 3 years ago the summer of 2019 I’d let you him get one," Bron said. "Damn time flies! Hahaha! Anyways let’s get Bronny! P.S. Keep y’all hating asses off his comments or we pulling up‼️‼️"

Naturally, Draymond Green was one of the first "hating asses" to hit Bronny's comment section, playfully going after the teen hooper with a "Im at your f**king neck this summer G!!! All gas"

Other notable followers include Mike Trout, Odell Beckham, LaMelo Ball, RJ Barrett, Trae Young and Maverick Carter.

Greg Oden is officially a college graduate -- and just like the rest of the Class of 2019, he's on the hunt for a job ... telling TMZ Sports he'll do whatever it takes to get hired as a coach!!

The #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft just copped a sports industry degree from Ohio State earlier this month ... and now he's looking to use his education to help land a coaching gig.

31-year-old Oden -- who led the Bucks to the National Title game in his one year at OSU -- was a student assistant coach while working towards his degree, but says he'll have to look elsewhere to get full-time work ... and he's not gonna be picky.

"My mind's open. I feel like I got a story that can help a lot of these kids and I know a little bit about playing basketball," Oden says. "Hopefully somebody gives me an opportunity, but i'm working on that now."

"I wanna get my foot in the door and i just wanna work my way up. I'm willing to learn and adapt, I just need a chance."

Oden is currently getting ready for the upcoming BIG3 season -- where he'll be competing as a player -- but clearly, he's (wisely) planning for the next phase of his career in case a jump back to the NBA isn't in the cards.

9:32 AM PT -- We spoke with Odom on the way out of "The View" and asked him why he thinks Hof tried to kill him. Odom says he's still trying to find the answers.

9:03 AM PT -- Lamar Odom claims the late owner of the Nevada brothel where he OD'd in 2015 tried to kill him ... and Odom says his legal team already has proof to back up his claim.

Odom just appeared on "The View" where he said Dennis Hof -- who owned the Love Ranch -- "tried to kill me."

Long story short ... Odom is adamant he did not intentionally consume any drugs -- including cocaine -- on the day of his overdose and he believes Hof (or someone working for Hof) poisoned him.

"Dennis Hof, I don't know what he had against me but I didn't do drugs that night," Odom said.

"I don't know what he had against me ... he tried to kill me."

Odom says his attorney has already investigated the allegation and found workers at the brothel who back up his claim.

Hof died in October 2018 -- but in 2016, he told TMZ Sports he was a fan of Odom and invited him back to the Love Ranch for the VIP treatment.

We've reached out to Hof's reps regarding Odom's attempted murder claim -- but so far, no comment.

As we previously reported, police who investigated the 2015 overdose say prostitutes at the Love Ranch told them they had heard Odom snorting substances before the OD and had a "vague knowledge of him using illegal narcotics."

Investigators later confirmed the presence of cocaine in Odom's system -- but clearly, Odom says he did NOT knowingly take drugs that night.

Lamar Odom says he believes his wild life story is fit for the big screen -- and he's already had talks about turning his new autobiography into a movie.

Odom was arriving to "The View" in New York on Tuesday to promote his new book, "Darkness to Light" -- in which he talks about everything from drug addiction to sex addiction to his failed marriage with Khloe Kardashian.

Odom says he's already spoken with people about turning his story into a movie but didn't say who those talks were with.

He's not wrong ... Odom went from being an NBA superstar to a reality star before hitting rock bottom ... when he overdosed at a Nevada brothel in 2015.

Odom suffered several strokes and heart attacks and doctors didn't think he'd fully recover.

But, Odom beat the odds and now he's getting ready to play professional basketball again with the BIG3 league.

It's an amazing story ... and it seems like it's only a matter of time before it gets the full-length feature film treatment.

We all know Drake can draw a crowd anywhere he goes -- but who would've guessed he gets the construction site treatment in the Bahamas???

TMZ broke the story ... Drake and co. touched down in the Caribbean Monday with his massive new custom OVO jet, which made other nearby airliners look puny.

His plane is a 767-300F Boeing model, which can retail anywhere from $185 mil to $220 mil brand new.

As if his standout sky ride wasn't a dead giveaway that Champagne Papi was in town, his mere presence at a resort on the island nation wasn't necessarily kept incognito either.

Multiple witnesses saw Drake making his way through The Cove Luxury Resort, where folks couldn't help but hoot, holler, sing and whistle at Drizzy as he passed through with his entourage. Hey, we get it ... he's one handsome feller. Catcall when you get the chance.

Drake was later seen inside the Atlantis Casino playing the tables with none other than ... Philadelphia 76ers team investor Michael Rubin?! Yep, it'd seem Drake's NBA allegiance sees no jersey when he's not on the court cheering his home team, the Toronto Raptors ... who bounced Rubin's guys earlier in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

BTW ... we're told they were posted up at $500 minimum blackjack tables. High-rollers, obviously.

Reason #2361230 why it's great to be LeBron James?? Flexin' on your superstar friends with the hottest shoes on the market ... before they even hit the market.

Nike's billion-dollar man hosted some of his closest NBA-star friends, like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Tristan Thompson at his L.A. home for a Memorial Day Weekend bash ... and naturally, had to show off one time.

The bright green shoes on his feet in the pic above are the Nike Fear of God 1's in the Frosted Spruce colorway ... and they don't come out 'til this weekend -- but somehow, Bron got the hookup.

When they're available to the non-superstar public, they'll retail at $350, but good luck trying to get them for that price. They're expected to go for AT LEAST $1,000 on the secondary market.

FYI -- the original Nike FOG 1 colorway sold out within seconds when they went on sale late last year ... and these are expected to go just as fast.

As for the bro sesh ... it had everything you could ask for -- vibing to Nipsey Hussle, drinking adult beverages, smokin' cigars and watching "The Godfather" on repeat.