NBA

Jeremy Lin says he's hit rock bottom in NBA free agency -- and also feels like the league has given up on him.

The veteran point guard made an appearance at a Taiwan event over the weekend, where he opened up and spoke candidly about his off-season woes. Lin was onstage coming to tears as he explained that free agency was getting harder and harder for him.

He also said his personal bottom in professional basketball keeps getting lower and lower.

Through a translator, Lin said that each year he gives more of himself to God -- but despite that each year gets harder. He also makes reference to an American saying -- when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up -- but sadly said that wasn't the case for him.

He admits that this latest round of free agency has been tough on him, and in some ways ... he feels like the NBA has abandoned him. It's an incredibly vulnerable moment.

Ya hate to hear about Lin's struggles, 'cause he's a good dude, and he started out promisingly with the Knicks way back in 2012 ... when "Linsanity" was a thing for a sec. Since then, he's been relegated to a role player, and has become a journeyman in the league.

He's also been plagued by injuries, possibly career changing ones at that.

This past year, he was coming off the bench with the Toronto Raptors, but hardly saw any playing time in the playoffs, let alone the Finals. Still, the dude's got a ring ... even though he's openly questioned whether he deserves it or not. Hey, a ring's a ring.

Anyway, Lin remains a free agent on the market for now, but it doesn't sound like anyone's giving him a call. Time will tell if a team shows interest as camps start to get going later this summer, but as of now ... he's drifitng. There are rumors teams in Europe want him there, and he's even entertained the idea of playing in Asia, alongside his brother.

Wherever he goes ... hopefully he finds success. Best of luck, man.

LeBron James is living vicariously though his son's AAU team -- dancing up a storm when they score a bucket ... and low-key willing them to victory from the bench.

The King was in Vegas Saturday for a basketball tournament that Bronny Jr. and his Blue Chips teammates are competing in right now -- and killing in, BTW -- where he was wearing his dad hat and coach hat at the same time, dishing out pep talks from the sideline.

In this video -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see Bron Bron high fiving the coaching staff and fellow players as they played against the New York New Heights Youth team, which was coming in hot at 5-0 ahead of Saturday's game. The Blue Chips were coming in undefeated as well (reportedly 4-0), although it's unclear if this was a final or not.

Either way, LeBron was definitely treating it like an important match, coaching up his boy before tipoff, and giving suggestions to players on the court as they D'd up against NHY.

At one point ... Bron even did a high-knee celebration dance after we're told his team made a huge dunk on the other end of the court.

Looks like the cheerleading paid off ... we're told the Blue Chips beat the New Heights 60 to 47 Saturday, with Bronny Jr.'s stat line at 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

New York Knicks owner James Dolan is getting a lot of hate from fans ... but it's ALL LOVE when it comes to his players -- just ask Allonzo Trier!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the 23-year-old hooper about the state of the Knicks -- from their playoff chances (they won just 17 games last year) to RJ Barrett to their rivalry with the crosstown Nets ... but the most interesting answer came when we asked about the team's controversial owner.

"I like James Dolan," Trier says.

It's interesting to hear what the players think -- considering we know what most fans and some former players (see Charles Oakley) think of the guy ... and we DEFINITELY know what he thinks of hecklers.

But, it all seems to be okay with the dudes in the locker room ... at least, according to Trier -- who, BTW, has a sick Bentley.

NBA star Andre Drummond is having a better summer than you ... and if you don't believe us just check out a clip from his new rap video, which features the life you want to live, complete with the beach and a ton of babes.

If you didn't know, the Detroit Pistons center is also a rapper ... and dropped a track called "Listen" earlier this year that made news because well ... it wasn't wack.

Now, Drummond has taken to IG and released a clip from the upcoming video for the song, and we gotta say ... IT'S LIT.

There's twerking, champagne showers, bikinis and millionaires ... all the things that make an NBA player's summer great.

Jordyn Woods and James Harden aren't anything more than 2 people with mutual friends who happened to run into each other at a bar ... at least that's what we're told.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... the 2 didn't make plans to party together in Houston Wednesday night -- it just happened to work out that way. We're told despite video showing her dancing right in front of him ... there's nothing brewing.

Our Jordyn sources say she'd been working on a project in New Orleans and made a quick trip to Texas to go out with some friends. She ended up in a VIP booth at Belle Station, coincidentally next to the NBA star and his crew ... who we're told are friends with some of her gal pals.

Jordyn didn't arrive or leave with Harden, and hardly spent any time with him, according to our sources ... and all the hookah smoking and dancing was just her having a good time.

Other sources, however, have told us Woods has been hanging out with Harden for months ... even before she kissed Tristan Thompson, ruining her friendship with Kylie Jenner. We're told Jordyn told friends Khloe was totally cool with her hanging with Harden, but Khloe had no idea.

Of course, the sight of Woods hanging with another one of Khloe Kardashian's ex-boyfriends following the Tristan Thompson cheating scandal raised eyebrows.

Jordyn Woods likes what Khloe Kardashian likes ... stars on the hardwood, because she's hangin' with another of Khloe's exes.

Kylie Jenner's former bestie danced and smoked hookah alongside NBA star James Harden in Houston Wednesday night, and, if you're not keeping track ... Harden's another ex-boyfriend of Khloe's.

We're told Jordyn and James were partying together at Belle Station, and were cozying up in the same booth. At one point, Jordyn stood up and danced in front of him while taking a hookah hit.

We're told the 2 have hung out in the past -- pre-Khloe's split with Tristan -- and Jordyn allegedly told friends Khloe was cool with it ... our sources say Khloe never even knew about it. What's unclear is if Jordyn and James have taken it a step further.

Jordyn took Chernobyl-type heat for contributing to the breakup of Khloe's family after allegedly cheating with her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson, at a house party.

Woods claimed it was just innocent fun, though, and said he only kissed her once. Khloe first blamed Jordyn for destroying her fam, then took it back.

Things got so bad between Jordyn and Kylie ... Kylie kicked Jordyn out of her guest house.

Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife has pled GUILTY to facilitating the murder of the former NBA player -- and she'll be locked away for at least 9 years.

Wright -- the 7th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was shot to death in 2010. His body was discovered in a swampy field 10 days after he went missing.

Officials say his body was riddled with bullet wounds.

Investigators eventually pointed the finger at Lorenzen's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, and a male friend, Billy Turner. The two attended the same church.

But, officials say Sherra called the shots in a diabolical murder plot. Sherra initially planned to kill Lorenzen at his Atlanta home but when that plan failed, she conspired with Turner to murder him in Tennessee instead, prosecutors say.

Both Wright and Turner were charged with 1st-degree murder among other charges and she was facing up to 100 years behind bars.

But, Sherra cut a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit attempted 1st-degree murder.

In exchange for her plea, Sherra got 30 years in prison ... but will be eligible for parole after 9.

Outside court Thursday, Sherra's attorney told reporters she had planned to argue that Lorenzen was a violent man who beat her for years and she was pushed to the edge.

However, Lorenzen's family members have accused Sherra of offing the basketball player in hopes of collecting a $1 million life insurance policy.

Wright played in the NBA from 1996 to 2009 ... most famously playing for the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Hours after Steve Ballmer LOST HIS MIND about the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday, we spotted Knicks CEO James Dolan in Bev Hills ... and the difference in energy was HUUUUUGE.

Check out the video -- while Ballmer was ranting and raving and screaming about his excitement for the Clippers, Dolan ... well, let's just say he wasn't as outwardly enthusiastic about his team.

Of course, Ballmer has a LOT MORE to be excited about ... he landed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and resigned Patrick Beverley. The Clips are gonna be gooooood.

The Knicks whiffed on some huge free agents including Kevin Durant ... and people are way less stoked about NY's chances to to make a playoff run.

... which might explain why Dolan was more interested in zooming off in his Porsche on Wednesday, than talking about his team.

It's  been a tough year for the relationship between Dolan and Knicks fans ... remember, back in March, he banned a fan from Madison Square Garden for life after the fan told James to sell the team.

He's also clashed with Charles Oakley in the past.

Steve Ballmer is a MANIAC ... and we love it!!!

The L.A. Clippers chairman -- who's worth $52 BILLION -- just went absolutely BERSERK while introducing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the newest members of his team.

He screamed, his voice cracked ... he got the whole media group to stand up and cheer for the Clip Squad -- it was hype!!!

Ballmer says Kawhi and Paul are the two missing pieces the Clippers need to get the Larry O'Brien Trophy ... which he now calls the "Larry O.B.!"

Steve said it's championship or bust ... and gave an old Bronx Cheer when discussing the possibility of a 2nd place finish during the 2019-20 season.

HE EVEN GOT KAWHI TO SMILE!!!!!!

As for Kawhi and Paul, they couldn't have been more respectful to their previous teams and thanked their old cities and teammates ... before talking about how excited they are to play in L.A.

BUT BALLMER STOLE THE SHOW!!!

By the way, Ballmer has been going H.A.M. at public events for decades ... don't forget all the craziness from his Microsoft days. Classic!

Work hard, yacht harder!!!

After wrapping up a few DJ performances in Europe, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal decided to relax a bit on a big, ass yacht off the coast of Formentera, Spain.

The pics are great ... look at Shaq DWARF the regular-sized people on the ship!

Also, weird that he's diving into the water with his shoes on, right!?!

Of course, 47-year-old Shaq recently took his DJ skills to the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium where he was spotted raging with the crowd after his set. He then jetted over to Croatia to perform at the POW WOW Festival at the Noa Beach Club on Monday.

Clippers executive Jerry West tells TMZ Sports he's getting wayyyyy too much credit for bringing Kawhi Leonard to L.A. ... saying straight up, "I didn't close this deal, okay?!"

People have pointed to the 81-year-old Hall of Famer as the secret weapon who ultimately convinced the NBA Finals MVP to leave Toronto for Los Angeles.

But, outside of E Baldi in Beverly Hills, West explained why he's not comfortable being hailed as the hero.

"This was hard work by our front office," West said ... "Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger. All the people associated with it."

West says he's very excited for the 2019-20 season and says with the Lakers signing Anthony Davis to play with LeBron, basketball "should really be fun for fans" in L.A.

And, even though the Clippers have a sick roster -- with Kawhi, Paul George, Patrick Beverly and more ... West says he's not thinking about a championship yet.

"I don't think we're worried about championships yet ... worried about getting through the season and seeing how we play."

James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris and a bunch of other NBA stars have all bailed on playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup ... and Donovan Mitchell says that's no problem!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Utah Jazz star about some of the biggest names in the game dropping out of the big tourney this summer ... and while some folks are getting concerned about America's chances at completing a 3-peat, Spida ain't.

"All I'm worried about right now is just making the team and doing the best we can," Mitchell says.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who we have, we're going to compete for our country and I'm excited to play."

Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.

39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.

One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.

"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.

As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.

"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."

"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."

Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.

Odom also tells us why he feels surviving that infamous 2015 overdose in Nevada was God's plan ... and how he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.

Zion Williamson has finally decided on which shoe he'll be wearing when he suits up in his first NBA game ... and he's going with Jordan!!

The #1 overall 2019 NBA Draft pick has been weighing his options since his decision to go pro ... getting MASSIVE attention from Nike, Adidas and Puma.

In fact, we know Puma had been making a very serious run at Zion -- and our sources tell us  Nike considered Puma their #1 competition in landing the New Orleans Pelicans star.

Zion even tested out some Puma kicks during the NBA Summer League earlier this month.

But, Tuesday morning, the 19-year-old rookie made it official ... announcing he's a member of Jordan Brand, which is part of the Nike family.

He even released his first Jordan Brand promo video to celebrate the announcement.

Zion will join other Jordan Brand stars like Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and more.

He WON'T be joining Kawhi Leonard who left Jordan Brand in late 2018 to sign a deal with New Balance. Not a bad replacement if you're Nike.

No word on how much Zion will be paid in his new deal with Jordan Brand -- but legendary ex-Nike exec, Sonny Vaccaro, previously told us he wouldn't be surprised if the contract hits the 9-figure mark.

In other words, ZION'S GETTIN' PAID!!!

Michael Jordan released a statement on the signing ... saying “Zion’s incredible determination, character and play are inspiring."

"He’s an essential part of the new talent that will help lead the brand into the future. He told us he would ‘shock the world,’ and asked us to believe him. We do."

Kawhi Leonard DOES have a wild side -- just check out the shoes!

The Los Angeles Clippers superstar was spotted out in Irvine, California on Saturday with an attention-grabbing pair of shoes on his size 14 feet.

We did some digging ... here's what we know -- the shoes are the unreleased New Balance 997 "Animal Print" with the Kawhi Leonard logo right on the tongue.

Of course, Kawhi signed on with New Balance in late 2018 after leaving Nike. As we previously reported, Kawhi is suing the Swoosh claiming they jacked his famous KL logo without permission.

Nike fired back in a countersuit of their own denying the allegations ... though they acknowledged the final logo was inspired by a sketch Kawhi created himself back when he was in college.

By the way, after this photo was taken ... Kawhi surfaced in Las Vegas where he got the VIP treatment at the Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman fight.

We're guessing Kawhi -- who just signed a 3-year, $103 million contract with the Clippers -- hopped on a private jet to get to Sin City.

Klay Thompson is heating back up with ex-girlfriend Laura Harrier -- as in, the two roasted in the sun at Dodgers Stadium together on Sunday ... months after reportedly breaking up.

The NBA superstar was spotted with the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress at the Dodgers game over the weekend ... where they baked in the sun and drank beer while watching L.A. crush the Miami Marlins.

Klay and Laura had reportedly broken up back in April -- and the Golden State Warriors star was spotted out with 'Godzilla' actress Eiza Gonzalez.

But, whatever was going on with Eiza appears to be over ... because Klay and Laura looked pretty happy together during a very public outing in front of roughly 47,000 people!

Klay is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the NBA Finals -- but it hasn't stopped him from living it up this offseason. He's been on the "Space Jam 2" set multiple times.