NBA

Lonzo Ball is admitting he KNEW his $500-per-pair Big Baller Brand ZO2 Prime sneakers were faulty -- and would explode on him during games -- but he continued to hawk 'em anyway.

"Those ZO2s I was playing in, they was not ready," Ball admitted on Josh Hart's 'LightHarted' Podcast.

Ball -- who was playing for the Lakers during the BBB shoe era -- says he would bring 4 pairs of the shoes to games because he knew they would break and he had to switch them out every quarter.

"If you literally had my shoes from those games, they just exploded, bro."

If you recall, BBB initially offered the ZO2 Prime shoes to the public for $500 a pair in 2017 -- but later announced they were scrapping the original design in favor of the ZO2 Prime Remix shoe, a completely different sneaker.

It seems obvious now why BBB made the change. Unclear if any of the faulty shoes were actually sent to customers.

When asked why he wore them -- even after he knew they were defective -- Ball explained, "Because they were my shoes, I had to debut 'em."

Ball says he actually HATED wearing the shoes and implied that his game suffered as a result.

"And, it's crazy," Ball says ... "Right when I switched my shoes, magically, I got good again."

Ball says he kept the secret about his crappy shoes to himself to protect the brand.

Things eventually went south with the Big Baller Brand -- with Lonzo's manager later telling customers to throw their shoes in the trash ... and Lonzo himself eventually covered up the BBB tattoo he had on his arm.

Still, LaVar Ball claims the brand is still alive and he's looking to relaunch at some point in the future.

Ever seen a black mamba go backwards????

Now ya have ... 'cause Kobe Bryant just backpedaled completely on his stance that he would've won a ton of rings if Shaq wasn't so damn lazy, saying, "I kinda said that tongue-in-cheek!"

Of course, Kobe poked fun at Shaq in an interview with Patrick Bet-David last month, saying he would've had 12 championships if the big man had worked harder ... and doubled down by claiming he tells that to Shaq all the time!

Shaq quickly fired back on social media, saying Kobe would've had those rings if he had just passed more!!!

The two squashed the beef publicly minutes later ... and when Kobe went on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' this week, he explained it's because he was actually PRAISING Shaq with the comments!

"Here's the thing, it was really a compliment," Kobe said. "People missed the whole first half of that in which I said he was the most dominant player I've ever seen and I felt like he could've been the greatest of all time."

"So, people kind of missed that part of it -- they caught onto the lazy part. But, that was like, I kinda said that tongue-in-cheek! We weren't going to win 12 rings!"

Kobe said he actually had to text the Big Diesel after the comments went viral, saying, "No hard feelings, I still got love for you!"

Bryant says he even followed that text up by buttering up to Shaq -- saying he can't wait to watch Shareef O'Neal ball at UCLA this year.

LeBron James should pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and get his best friend, Carmelo Anthony, on the Lakers ... so says Rip Hamilton, who tells TMZ Sports Melo would be a "good piece" for L.A.

Y'all know the situation by now ... Anthony has been trying to get back in the NBA since he was released in November. It's been one of the hottest topics of the off-season.

There have been a lot of people -- most notably Royce White -- furious over the fact King James hasn't made some calls to get Melo in Purple & Gold ... and Rip says it's time LBJ pick up the phone.

"I think he should be in the league right now," Rip told us outside Nightingale in L.A. on Sunday ... saying Bron should "absolutely, 1000%" hit up Melo.

"I think it's still a possibility it could happen. They were talking about it for a long time. And, when you think about what the Lakers have right now, and then Melo's a guy that can really be helpful playing with LeBron and knowing [Anthony Davis'] game and stuff like that."

"And, he's a vet, and he's a guy that can close the game, so it would be a good piece for the Lakers."

Things have been picking up steam for Anthony lately, though .. with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pushing to get him to the Brooklyn Nets ... and Melo told us he'd love to join them in BK.

The L.A. home of Lakers center JaVale McGee was burglarized over the weekend -- with scumbags stealing everything from cash to an NBA Championship ring, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... McGee only discovered the burglary Tuesday, but surveillance footage shows the incident took place on Saturday.

We're told the thieves stole TWO safes from the home which contained at least $200k in cash and jewelry -- including one of the two rings McGee won during his stint with the Golden State Warriors. Unclear which ring was taken.

McGee is also missing the celebratory goggles he used in the locker room for the champagne celebration after winning one of those titles.

McGee won a 'chip with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 -- before signing with the Lakers in July 2018.

We're told cops have been reviewing the surveillance video -- but so far, no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified. They're working on it though.

As you probably know, McGee has a pretty solid surveillance system in his home -- it recently captured the NBA star fighting with a giant bug in his driveway.

Unfortunately, celebrities (and athletes in particular) have become targets for burglars in the L.A. area -- with stars like Yasiel Puig and L.A. Rams WR Robert Woods having been victimized.

Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre is vouching for Dwight Howard -- telling TMZ Sports the guy was a good teammate during their time in Washington ... despite being a "little distant."

23-year-old Oubre kept it 100 when we spoke with him at LAX -- describing Howard as a "psychological dude" who was "very down to earth" ... and NEVER a distraction.

As for being "distant," Oubre notes Howard was dealing with an injury -- so he understood why Dwight wasn't 100% engaged with the team.

There have been reports over the years that Dwight rubbed previous teammates the wrong way -- and people are concerned about how he'll do with the Lakers, but Kelly doesn't seem worried at all.

We also spoke with Kelly about the bigger issue in his life -- are thing getting serious with insanely hot supermodel Jasmine Sanders, one of the top bikini models on the planet?!

Remember, the two were spotted holding hands on their way out of an L.A. nightclub back in August -- and it APPEARED like a brand new supercouple was on the scene!

But, Oubre tells us they're NOT exclusive ... explaining they're good friends and she's a great person, but he's just not ready to settle down with ANYONE yet!

"Man, I'm 23 ... ya feel me?! I got a long life to live!"

You do you, bro ... but good lord. Jasmine Sanders is RIDICULOUS HOT!!!!

Carmelo Anthony is all in on joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn ... telling TMZ Sports he considers the 2 NBA superstars "family" ... and teaming up would be "bigger than basketball."

The 10-time All-Star has been jobless since November ... but has publicly made it clear he's NOT ready to ride off into the sunset just yet.

KD and Uncle Drew don't want that to happen either, with the new Nets ballers reportedly "pushing" for the team to sign the 35-year-old free agent.

We spoke with Melo out in NYC on Saturday night about being recruited by the pair of NBA champs ... and he seems more than ready to team up.

"That's family," Melo said. "So, that's bigger than basketball. If something happens, something's gonna happen."

Anthony also has a message for everybody campaigning to get him back in the league ... and says he's ready to get to work.

Charles Oakley says he's still persona non grata at Madison Square Garden ... telling TMZ Sports he feels "blackballed" by James Dolan ... and he wants the commissioner to get involved.

The Knicks legend was infamously dragged out of MSG and arrested for getting physical with security after an altercation with Dolan at a game in Feb. 2017.

Oak still has hard feelings about how it all went down ... and tells us he wishes the league would've had his back in his fight against Dolan.

"It's been 2 years plus. The league hasn't done nothing to him about it," Oakley says. "Take a stand. They take a stand for everything else. [Colin] Kaepernick took a stand in the NFL. I'll probably take a stand in the NBA."

Even after all this time, Oak says he can't figure out exactly WHY Dolan doesn't like him ... "They just don't like me. For what reason, I don't know."

Oakley says he wants Adam Silver to get involved and make things right ... because "the problem hasn't been solved yet."

L.A. is Dwight Howard's final shot at returning to NBA dominance and he knows it ... so says Matt Barnes, who tells TMZ Sports it's "time to put the bullsh*t to the side" and get back to business.

Of course, it's been over 6 years since Howard's disastrous first stint with the Lakers ... and the guy's career has never been the same.

So, when we spoke with Barnes -- who played with Howard on the Magic in 2009 and 2010 -- about the reunion in L.A. ... he says it could be a new spark in Dwight's career.

"I think he realizes it's his last chance and really need to put all the bullsh*t to the side and just go out there and play basketball," Barnes says.

For his part, Howard says that's exactly what he's trying to do -- even attempting to shut down a beef with Shaquille O'Neal because he wants to focus on basketball.

Of course, Dwight has been considered a disruption in the locker room for most of his career. We asked Barnes if that was a fair rap.

DeMarcus Cousins is facing a major obstacle in his domestic violence case -- he just underwent knee surgery and is unable to fly to Alabama to turn himself into police, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Mobile Police Dept. confirmed a warrant was issued for the NBA star's arrest stemming from a threatening phone call Cousins allegedly made to the mother of his child.

We're told Cousins wants to cooperate with law enforcement but the issue is that he just underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee on Wednesday and he's not cleared to fly yet.

It's unclear where the procedure took place, but we're told it was definitely NOT in Alabama. Most doctors recommend not flying for days (and sometimes weeks) after an ACL surgery because of the risks of clotting.

Cousins is facing a 3rd-degree misdemeanor for harassing communications which carries a sentence of up to 1 year behind bars.

We're told Cousins plans on reaching out to law enforcement to come up with a reasonable solution so he doesn't get in trouble.

Cousins tore his ACL during a workout in Las Vegas just weeks after he signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

We broke the story ... Boogie's baby mama Christy West claims Cousins threatened to "put a bullet in your f**king head" when she declined his request to let their 7-year-old child attend his wedding in Atlanta.

Charles Oakley says Carmelo Anthony's gotta be bummed to see Dwight Howard join his best friend LeBron James on the Lakers ... telling TMZ Sports "it's embarrassing for Carmelo" to remain unsigned.

Melo's status in the league has been one of the biggest topics this off-season ... and the superstar has been very public about wanting to play.

Even ex-NBAer Royce White called out LeBron for not helping out his guy ... especially after the Lakers brought Howard back after a less than stellar first stint a few years back.

We spoke with the Knicks legend about teams passing on the 10-time All-Star ... and Oak says Anthony's problem is that he left New York to begin with.

"Carmelo should've never left New York," Oak tells us ... "I think if he'd have stayed in New York, he probably would've gotten a new contract and maybe the Knicks would've made the playoffs the last couple years."

Lonzo Ball just shaded the hell outta his old NBA team for trading him this off-season ... and also went after his ex-business partner, Alan Foster, in the process.

It's clear, Zo is motivated by the blockbuster trade that sent him packing for NOLA in exchange for superstar Anthony Davis -- spittin', "You know I'm all about business ... L.A. is gonna regret their decision" in the hook of his song, "Last Days."

But, the Lakers aren't the only target in his song ... he also mentions his old family friend, Foster, who he's currently suing for allegedly stealing MILLIONS from the family's Big Baller Brand.

"Put my trust in the wrong person, lost out on some Ms ... put that on a side bet the next day at the MGM."

It's a huge mess with the Ball family right now -- Zo's manager, Darren "DMo" Moore, even encouraged people to throw their BBB shoes in the trash in wake of the drama.

On top of that, Lonzo covered up his BBB logo tattoo recently as well. Like we said, HUGE mess ... so it was only a matter of time before the Pelicans star addressed it in a song.

Of course, the oldest Ball bro spends a lot of time in the booth when he's not on the hardwood. He's even dropped a song about his younger bro, LaMelo.

Here's a bit of advice for people looking to cross Lonzo Ball -- don't ... unless you wanna start a rap beef too.

An arrest warrant has been issued in Alabama for DeMarcus Cousins stemming from a threatening phone call he allegedly made to the mother of his child, cops say.

"An arrest warrant has been issued," a spokesperson for the Mobile Police Dept. told USA Today.

According to the MPD's website, Cousins is facing a domestic violence charge -- 3rd-degree harassing communications, a misdemeanor.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 1 year behind bars.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the NBA star's ex-girlfriend, Cristy West, told police she recorded a phone call with Cousins in which he threatened to "put a bullet in your f*cking head" if she wouldn't let their 7-year-old child attend his wedding.

West lives in Alabama and the wedding took place in Atlanta.

During the call, West told Cousins she would NOT allow the child to attend -- though she did not explain why.

In court docs filed by West, she claims Cousins had choked her during a previous incident -- but she did not elaborate.

As for Cousins, the Los Angeles Lakers star -- who suffered an ACL tear earlier this month -- has not commented on the allegations.

The NBA says it's looking into the allegations.

Calls to Cousins' reps have not been returned.

Think Kevin Durant is gonna let a little thing like a devastating Achilles injury keep him from a Summer yacht trip to the Amalfi Coast with smoking hot bikini babes?!

Yeah, neither did we ...

The NBA superstar is floating around off the coast of Italy on a sick boat with some friends and a bevy of attractive ladies.

Don't worry Nets fans, KD was getting treatment for his injury on the yacht in his down time ... and from the pics, it seems he's keeping that leg elevated as much as possible!

Still, guy's gotta relax right!

The ladies seem to be keeping themselves busy too -- with some amazing yoga poses on the deck of the yacht.

It's good to be rich and famous ... ain't it?!

Huge moment at the U.S. Open in New York ... where Colin Kaepernick and Kobe Bryant were spotted together in the stands to watch Naomi Osaka do her thing!

Kobe spotted Colin in the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium and went over to say hi ... and when CK realized what was happening, he sprung up from his seat with a huge smile on his face!!

The guys did the ol' bro hug and talked for a bit before going back to watching the match.

And, get this ... Naomi's rap star boyfriend, YBN Cordae, was sitting right by the guys when the whole thing went down.

We also noticed Kap and Kobe were surrounded by security -- for obvious reasons.

Dwight Howard is breaking his silence on Shaq's most recent barbs ... firing back at the big man's criticism by saying, "It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do."

The Big Diesel has taken a couple shots at the newest Lakers center the past few days ... he shaded Howard to TMZ Sports on Monday and purposely misspelled his name in a tweet Wednesday. It's a beef that's more than 10 years old.

Howard finally responded in an Instagram Live post late Wednesday ... saying, "It's okay, I'm not here to talk about Shaq. What he said, what he did. It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do."

"So, don't talk to me about what anybody else said about me. My focus is on one thing."

The two NBA superstars have had a history of going at each other's necks ... it all seemed to start in 2007 in an All-Star Game dance battle -- and continued with a feud over the "Superman" nickname.

Seems Shaq's all kinds of down for keeping the beef alive. As for Dwight, pretty clear the dude just wants to move on and focus on basketball.

He's 7'1" ... but somehow Shaquille O'Neal managed to squeeze himself behind the wheel of an insanely tiny Smart car in NYC ... and it looks like a scene straight outta "The Simpsons."

The NBA legend was leaving a Steady App event in Manhattan on Tuesday and appeared to be in a rush to get to his whip.

The camera guy was clearly on the lookout for the usual massive SUV or some other giant car that could comfortably fit the Big Man.

Instead, Shaq opened up the door to what appears to be a Smart EQ Fortwo Prime Coup -- stuffed his body into driver's seat ... and somehow managed to get both of his massive feet in driving position.

It's not the first time Shaq has crammed himself into a micro-car ... he was spotted in an itty-bitty mobile back in 2008 ... but he was a lot thinner back then and the car had no top!!!

No word on where Shaq was headed ... but we hope he got there fast!!!

NBA players have had similar problems in the past ... like when 7'6" Yao Ming struggled to fit in the front seat of an SUV back in 2014. Hey, it's hard being tall!!!