NBA

TMZ Sports has obtained PROOF that Zion Williamson is, in fact, a human being ... stinkin' it up at the driving range to show he's not incredible at literally everything.

The ex-Duke superstar is obviously a one-of-a-kind freak athlete on the hardwood and he's shown he can throw a football into outer space ... but Z-Dub hit an L.A. golf course on Tuesday and shanked up a storm.

Look, he's definitely no John Daly ... but we gotta note that we have no idea how much he was trying or if he even cared to give it a good attempt.

So, next time you get down on yourself 'cause you can't dunk like Zion, just remember you're probably a better golfer than him.

As we previously reported, Williamson has been training in L.A. -- while wearing Nikes -- leading up to this month's draft ... enjoying his time on the west coast before he inevitably ends up in New Orleans.

The Golden State Warriors are taking their beef with Drake to new levels, and hitting back where it hurts ... Pusha T.

With Steph Curry warming up on the court at Oracle Arena before Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors ... the pregame playlist featured Pusha T's diss track, "The Story of Adidon."

As you know ... Drake had MASSIVE BEEF last year with Pusha T, with both rappers going back and forth at each other with diss tracks. Saying things got heated is an understatement.

So, why are the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors taking shots at Drake???

Drake's a HUGE Raptors fan ... and he's been thrusting himself into these Finals with his courtside antics during Games 1 and 2 in Toronto. Dude even got into it with Warriors stud Draymond Green after the Raps took Game 1.

The Warriors are obviously fed up with Drake ... because after they won Game 2 to even the series, stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson heckled him outside their locker room, calling Drake a "bum ass."

No, this is not a shot from "Dirty Dancing" ... it's NBA star D'Angelo Russell lifting his new soccer friend, Riqui Puig, up for his first slam dunk ever!!!

DLo -- a huge FC Barcelona fan -- visited the team facility in Spain for a VIP tour ... and got to hang out with the 5'7" midfielder to shoot and kick some balls around.

Puig shows off his J, but admits he's too vertically challenged to ever graze the rim on his own ... so the 6'5" hooper gave him a hand for his first-ever dunk!!

DLo gets major props for his footwork during some keep-ups ... and even lands a goal in the back of the net when they tested his skills on the pitch.

1:46 PM PT -- Young Thug has broken his silence about a video that shows his young daughter behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, and he seems to be putting the blame squarely on the adult his kid was with in the clip.

YT writes, "Never would I put my child's life in danger nor anyone else's life,i am out of town that video is clearly in Atlanta." He goes on to say, "I am a very safe man, especially when it come down to my kids. I am very smart, last thing I'm looking for is clout/fame I have both."

He finishes by adding, "Plus she (his daughter, we assume) wouldn't dare even ask me could she drive a car... But it'll be handled 'expeditiously.'"

It's unclear who his child was with during the joy ride, as Young Thug doesn't mention anyone specifically. Presumably, though, the kid was with her mom ... and it sounds like papa's gonna have a convo with someone about pulling stunts like this in the future.

8:50 AM PT -- A source close to Young Thug says his daughter was with her mother and driving just outside her home in Georgia. We're told no one else was in the area and she only drove for a short time ... less than 30 seconds. Young Thug was not aware of the situation.

One of Young Thug's young daughters -- who seems to be under 10 -- drove a car on a public road while an adult sat right next to her, recording the dangerous incident.

The video surfaced on social media, reportedly showing one of YT's children -- this one a little girl -- behind the wheel of the car, and slowly driving down a residential road. The child is IN the driver seat, NOT on someone's lap ... and is struggling to see above the steering wheel.

At one point, an adult hand reaches in to assist with steering, and that person is recording the video. There's no audio.

It's unclear who the adult is, but it appears to be a woman's hand and not Young Thug's.

Several celebs commented on the video after it was posted on The Shade Room. Tyrese said, "I'm almost sure DFCS is gonna see this." Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes chimed in, "Stupid" -- and 'Love & Hip Hop' star Milan Christopher simply said, "Oh he going to jail."

We've reached out to Young Thug's camp for comment on the disturbing video ... but no word back yet.

So, Shaquille O'Neal was on his way to the gym in L.A. ... when all of a sudden he got caught up IN JONAS BROTHERS MADNESS!!!!

It's hilarious ... Shaq starts off asking our guys why hundreds of people are screaming and going crazy across the street -- and when he finds out it's all because of a Jonas Bros. event, he LOVES IT!!

But, we also talked hoops with Shaq ... specifically about Drake, who's been heavily criticized for taunting Golden State Warriors players and going crazy on the sidelines during the NBA Finals.

"Drake is a smart guy," Shaq says ... "He knows what he's doing. It's called marketing, people!!"

Shaq also tells us he thinks the criticism of Drake is a load of crap -- and compares Drake to Clippers' chairman Steve Ballmer, who's famously animated at Clippers games.

"[Drake] is just having fun, having a good time ... as a guy sitting there watching on TV, it's very entertaining."

Shaq also weighs in on the NBA Finals drama between the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors -- and explains why this series is GREAT!!

But again, the best part of the clip is Shaq's unbridled passion for Nick, Joe and Kevin -- even though he only knows one of their names!!!

The NFL needs to take a page out of NBA's book when dealing with social issues ... so says "Power" actor Omari Hardwick, who tells TMZ Sports the Association's "leaps and bounds" above other leagues.

As we previously reported ... multiple teams have moved away from using the "owner" title over the past year ... given that the term can feel racially insensitive in a league of mostly black players.

We asked Ghost -- who played college football at Georgia before switching to acting -- what he thought of the idea ... and while he says it's a great move, he's not surprised one bit that NBA teams are taking action ... essentially saying being woke is the NBA's style.

"It's smart ... it only adds to the brand of the NBA," Hardwick says. "The NBA has curated for a while now -- with David Stern and Adam Silver -- a different style of environment."

Kawhi Leonard is suing Nike over his "Klaw" logo ... claiming he drew the symbol himself -- and saying the footwear giant has NO right to copyright it.

It's all in a new lawsuit filed by the Toronto Raptors superstar ... in which he says the famous logo of a "K," an "L" and his jersey number actually came from his own hand, pen and paper back in 2011.

"Leonard traced his notably large hand, and, inside the hand, drew stylized versions of his initials, "KL," and the number that he had worn for much of his career, "2," the lawsuit states.

The problem for Kawhi? He says he permitted Nike to use the logo after he signed a contract with the shoe giant in 2011 ... but they filed for a copyright of the logo "without Leonard's knowledge or consent."

Now, Leonard is suing ... saying they had no right to do that -- adding that when he initially gave permission to use the symbol, it was to "mutually benefit" both parties.

In his lawsuit, Leonard wants control of his logo back ... and is also claiming Nike "committed fraud on the Copyright Office" by registering his logo.

Don't worry, Lakers fans -- things may be a dumpster fire right now, but you still have Kobe Bryant ... 'cause Lance Stephenson tells TMZ Sports the Black Mamba is mentoring the team!!

There's been a lot of drama around the Lake Show lately ... from failed coaching searches, Magic Johnson quitting and bombshell reports of dysfunction in the front office.

Despite all the noise, Stephenson says he's confident the Lakers are legit contenders next season ... and it might have to do with the 5-time champ hangin' around.

We asked if Bryant has taken on a mentoring role with the team during retirement ... and Stephenson said "definitely, he always comes to practice."

There have been reports that Kobe is also trying to lure Kyrie Irving to sign with the Purple & Gold this offseason ... so even in retirement, the dude's putting in work.

Rest assured, Laker Nation ... you're still in good hands.

The Game is a huge NBA fan -- but he had to watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals from a bar in Los Angeles because he tells TMZ Sports he's still banned from entering Canada!!!

The rapper was breaking down the Warriors win over the Raptors -- which took place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto -- when he told us about his issue.

"I can't even get into Canada," The Game said ... "I can't even go to the game!"

When asked why," Game smiled and said, "Because I'm a gangster."

He is sorta ... back in 2011, The Game was detained at the Canadian border and ultimately deported because of his affiliation with the Bloods.

According to Game, that ban still stands -- which sucks for the rapper who says he LOVES our neighbors to the north and would have loved to have been in the arena with the likes of two of his favorite people ... Drake and Barack Obama.

Don't feel too bad for Game, he's still living like a BOSS in L.A. -- where he got the VIP treatment at the Peppermint Club to watch the game.

"See you in the Bay, Aubrey ... You weren't talkin' tonight, were ya!?"

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson gave Drake an earful after the Warriors tied up the series in the NBA Finals on Sunday ... returning the epic trash talk the rap superstar delivered after Game 1.

The exchange was captured right as the Dubs were heading into the locker room after the game ... when someone called for them to come back because Drizzy was about to walk by.

That's when KD and Klay went IN on the 6 God ... calling him a "bum ass" and saying the win over the Raptors was "light work."

"It's alright, it's okay, we still got more games to play," KD added.

Drake -- who got all up in Draymond Green's face after the Raps took Game 1 -- surprisingly handled the trash talk really well, hitting them back with "You squeezed that [win], by the way."

Game 3 is on Wednesday ... so Drake's got a few days to come up with a better comeback.

Multiple NBA teams have had high-level conversations about doing away with the term "owner" over the past year -- and at least two teams have already made the switch, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the conversations essentially center around the idea that the term, owner -- in a league where the majority of the players are black -- feels racially insensitive.

Several high-ranking sources from multiple teams tell us people have been talking about the issue for a while but it gained steam in late 2018 when Draymond Green appeared on LeBron James' show, "The Shop," and argued against teams using the term.

"You shouldn't say owner," Green said ... noting the title should be changed to either CEO, Chairman or something like Majority Shareholder.

During the show, Jon Stewart agreed and explained, "When your product is purely the labor of people then owner sounds like something that is of a feudal nature."

Around the time that episode aired, the Philadelphia 76ers made the decision to change their titles from Owners to Managing Partners and 76ers Co-owners are now called Limited Partners.

In Los Angeles, Steve Ballmer -- who was billed as Owner for the first couple of years after he took over the Clippers -- is now listed as Chairman on the team's website. It appears that change occurred in early 2018.

Several teams are still using the term owner -- and we're told there's no real pressure coming from the NBA to change their titles.

What's interesting ... Draymond's team -- the Golden State Warriors -- still lists Joe Lacob as the owner of that team.

We reached out to the NBA ... and a spokesperson for the league provided us the following statement.

Dwyane Wade surprised the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by showing up to their graduation ceremony and telling them how to prepare for the next chapter.

The former Miami Heat star made an appearance Sunday at MSD's commencement, where he delivered a heartfelt speech about the impact the school shooting left on him and how he grappled with relating to students soon after the 2018 massacre.

D-Wade described the silence on campus about a month afterward, when he was invited as a guest to meet and talk with the grieving student body. To his surprise, he said that even his mere presence was able to lift spirits ... despite not being able to fully comprehend what they'd been through. The point ... a small act of kindness went a long way.

He went on to relate even further to the 2019 graduating class, telling them he too recently closed a big chapter in his own life -- Dwyane retired from the NBA this year -- but that he was still excited about the next steps, as they oughta be as well. He also imparted a team mantra he made up with his 2013 team.

Dwyane had the audience recite the mantra, which ended with a rousing "We fight!" call-back. He left the stage to huge applause ... clearly, he knocked it out of the park.

What do Chip and Joanna Gaines have in common with Ciara and Kevin Love? Other than the fact that they're megastars ... they all also have a Harvard class under their belts.

The A-listers were among the most recognizable faces this past week at the 4-day Harvard business course known as BEMS -- where top-level talent from all walks of life, including Hollywood stars, come out and share their experiences with each other ... brainstorming paths to success.

Some of the other celebs to join the group -- NBA stars Julius Randle and Luc Mbah a Moute, German soccer star Oliver Kahn, NCIS actor Eric Olsen and more.

By the end of it ... it looks like "Fixer Upper" couple and the rest of the gang walked away with certificates to show they'd completed the course -- which has hosted the likes of Chris Bosh, Michael Strahan and a myriad of CEOS and execs from different companies in the past.

Vince Carter's good looks are a total sweep!

Here is a 22-year-old version of the longtime American professional basketball player during a game in Houston, Texas against the Rockets, back when he was still playing for the Toronto Raptors in 1999 (left).

And, 20 years later ... the now 42-year-old shooting guard and small forward currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks was photographed earlier this year in the ATL showing off his baller looks during the Atlanta Hawks game against the San Antonio Spurs (right).

Whether the Warriors or Raptors take the W in the NBA Finals ... he has already won with these features!

The question is ...

Ron Garretson was a bloody mess after crashing his car and slightly before he got arrested for DUI -- but that doesn't mean he forgot his manners with cops.

The veteran NBA referee had blood all over his hands Wednesday as a Lake Havasu City police officer responded to the scene of the car wreck. In body cam footage, you can see Garretson was on his own two feet after hitting a tree ... but he seemed far from okay.

As the officer tries asking him questions to figure out what had happened, Garretson extends his hand for a shake -- but gets turned down ... twice. Bloody hands? No thanks, dude.

Garretson tries explaining what happened, but at times comes off as somewhat scatterbrained in piecing his story together. He says "a chick" hit him as he was circling around a road divider. Check out the windshield too -- it's completely cracked ... Garretson appears to have smashed his head against the glass.

As the 911 caller noted to dispatch, Garretson came off as fairly coherent right after the accident. But, as cops investigated further and had him perform field sobriety tests ... they suspected he'd been drinking and driving. LHCPD says he admitted to having a shot and a beer beforehand.

Drake really oughta zip his lid and take a seat when he's hangin' courtside for the NBA Finals, 'cause his attempts to troll opposing teams aren't even top-notch ... so says Godfrey.

The comedian laid into Champagne Papi Friday outside the Gotham Comedy Club in NYC, where he told us point blank ... Drake needs to sit down and relax when he's rooting for the Raptors. His rationale -- he thinks Drizzy's trying too hard to be cool and seen.

ICYMI ... Drake and Warriors forward, Draymond Green, had what appeared to be a heated exchange at the end of game 1 Thursday as the Dubs made their way back to the locker room upon losing. It's unclear exactly what was said, but Drake seemed to call Dray "trash."

As far as Godfrey's concerned, Drake should take some cues from another hip-hop heavyweight who tends to behave himself when he goes to the big games. Any guesses???