NBA

LeBron James just wasn't in the mood on Tuesday ... shutting down a heckler with 7 simple words -- "Your lady embarrassed to be with you!"

Bron and the Lakers were in Chicago playing the Bulls at the United Center when someone in the stands began running their mouth about LeBron and Anthony Davis.

At first, LeBron tried to ignore the guy ... but then, Bron just shot back at the dude, grabbed his towel and moved on. Pretty hilarious!!!

But, the hecklers, as a group, weren't fazed -- one guy continued to scream at Anthony Davis ... and it got so annoying, security had to step in to try and shut the guy up.

Ultimately, the Lakers let their play do the talking ... L.A. beat Chicago 118 to 112, with LeBron dropping 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

His lady is surely not embarrassed to be with him.

NBA rising star John Collins has been suspended without pay for 25 games after the Hawks power forward tested positive for an illegal growth hormone ... the league announced Tuesday.

The 22-year-old stud violated the league's anti-drug policy after getting flagged for growth hormone-releasing peptide 2 ...  which increases food intake and appetite, according to studies.

Collins is the 3rd player this season to get popped for violating the league's anti-drug policy ... joining Brooklyn's Wilson Chandler and Phoenix Suns star DeAndre Ayton.

Collins addressed the test results in a statement to ESPN saying he plans to appeal the punishment.

"First I want to apologize to my teammates, the Hawks organization, our fans, partners and community as a whole for this situation."

"I understand the impact this matter has on what we are trying to achieve together this season, and I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself for putting all us in this position."

"I have always been incredibly careful about what I put in my body, but I took a supplement, which unbeknownst to me, had been contaminated with an illegal component."

Collins -- the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Wake Forest -- has been averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds for ATL this season.

ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE LEBRON A HEART ATTACK?!?

Anthony Davis just dropped a hint his stint in L.A. could come to an end after just one season ... saying "it's a possibility" he leaves the Lakers for his hometown Chicago Bulls next year.

The Lakers are in town to play the Bulls this week .. so the Brow made a stop at LuLu's Hot Dogs on Monday to speak with folks from his alma mater, Perspectives Charter School.

During a Q&A at the event, AD was asked if he'd ever want to play for his hometown team ... and the dude didn't shut it down at all, even saying it could happen as early as 2020.

"I mean, obviously, it's nothing like playing at home," Davis said. "I don't know. I am a free agent next year ... but I mean ... we'll see, we'll see. It's a possibility."

Of course, AD is a Chicago legend ... he averaged 32 points and 18 rebounds in his senior season at Perspectives, which landed him as the top prospect in the country.

Does this mean Davis is leaving? Absolutely not. Should Laker nation be worried? Who knows.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis says Zion Williamson needs to lose weight ASAP ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports being the same size as the Pelicans star cost him his NBA career!

"That’s one of the reasons why I stopped playing was because of my weight," Glen says.

Davis says he was just too damn heavy during his playing days at around 289 pounds ... and blames the weight for 2015 ankle and foot issues that ultimately ended his NBA career.

Now, he's sending a warning to Zion -- who's listed height and weight (6'7", 285) is nearly identical to Davis' when he was playing -- saying Williamson's gotta drop some pounds.

"He has to get his weight under control," Glen says.

Zion is apparently already feeling the effects of being too big ... he's missing the first few weeks of New Orleans' season with a knee injury that some are sayin' happened because of his size.

The good news for Williamson? Davis says Zion is going to be just fine as soon as he gets down to a weight his body can truly support consistently.

"He might have to lose some muscle mass, but other that, he should be OK."

By the way, we also showed Davis the rumored new Celtics' alternate uniforms ... and ya gotta hear him hilariously crap all over the threads!!!

"How can you call something a fight if there were no punches thrown?!"

That's Charles Barkley expressing his utter DISGUST for that 76ers vs. Timberwolves incident earlier this week ... saying a rear-naked choke doesn't necessarily make a "fight."

Instead, Barkley describes the whole thing as a "snuggle party" -- "there were two guys holding each other!"

The hilarious breakdown went down on "Inside the NBA" where Barkley argued with Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith about the situation.

Both Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns have been suspended 2 games each for the incident while Ben Simmons, who applied the choke, didn't get suspended at all.

He did, however, get an offer to work on his MMA skills from former UFC and Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez! In fact, Eddie tells TMZ Sports he's already been in contact with Simmons and expects to start training him in the next few days!

As for Charles, dude knows a little something about NBA scraps ... back in his playing days, Chuck went head-to-head with giants like Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Laimbeer.

A New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach was brutally socked in the face by a fan after a game last weekend ... and the violent blow was all caught on video.

After the Pelicans lost to the Houston Rockets in Texas on Saturday ... a fan near the court reared back and punched N.O. assistant coach Joe Boylan in the face -- hitting him HARD.

You can see in the video ... Boylan -- who didn't appear to do anything to provoke the man -- flew back and nearly crumpled to the ground.

Immediately, Boylan and other people near the scene directed cops toward the fan as the guy tried to make a break for it.

Cops eventually caught the man -- identifying him as 38-year-old Manuel Garcia -- and arrested him for misdemeanor assault.

Cops also arrested the man's girlfriend, 33-year-old Brittney Aplin ... saying she tried to interfere with officers while they were pursuing Garcia.

Prosecutors say they have no idea yet why Garcia decided to punch Boylan ... but the guy is facing up to a YEAR behind bars for the crime if he's convicted.

As for Aplin, she's facing up to six months in jail for her role in the incident ... and both are due in court to face the charges later this week.

The Pelicans -- who played a game two days after the altercation -- issued a statement earlier this week, saying, "We are aware of this incident but will have no further comment."

Here's ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez breaking down Wednesday's big 76ers vs. Timberwolves NBA brawl ... and it's pretty great.

Alvarez -- who was the lightweight champ in UFC and Bellator -- LOVED the way Ben Simmons applied a perfect rear-naked choke on Karl-Anthony Towns ... but thinks there's room for improvement.

So, the Philly native tells TMZ Sports he reached out to Simmons and the two will connect in the next few days for some real MMA training so the team can step up their fight game.

Eddie also has some advice for Karl-Anthony, too -- pointing out the MAJOR mistake Towns made during the brawl that left him fully exposed.

Bottom line, Eddie says he was super IMPRESSED with Ben's fight skills -- same with Joel Embiid -- and he cant wait to hit the mats with the guys.

An NBA game turned into an MMA match Wednesday ... 'cause during a bench-clearing brawl, Ben Simmons put Karl-Anthony Towns in a chokehold -- AND KAT TAPPED!!!

The insane scene all went down in the third quarter of the Sixers-Timberwolves game ... when Anthony Towns got pissed over Joel Embiid's aggressive defense.

The two big men pushed and shoved ... and ultimately, EVERYBODY jumped into the fracas!!

At one point -- after Embiid and KAT were separated -- Simmons ended up on the ground on top of Anthony Towns ... and 76ers star began choking KAT out!!!

Karl quickly tapped ... and Simmons let go -- and the whole altercation was crazy/hilarious.

Maybe the best part of the entire skirmish? After Embiid was ejected ... he played it up to the crowd -- AND ANTHONY TOWNS' MOM BEGAN FLIPPING HIM OFF!!!

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed on the court -- the Sixers ended up winning, 117-95 -- but the battle continued to rage on on social media afterward.

"Great team win!!!" Embiid said. "I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight lmao @jimmybutler I missed being part of the 3rd stringers... I got his mom giving middle fingers. That’s some SERIOUS REAL ESTATE #FightNight #IAintNoBitch"

Didn't take long for KAT to fire back ... "I aIN’t nO BiTcH RaiSeD ARoUnD LiOnS #BitchTalk." He also tagged the location as, "All Bark & No Bite"

Amazing.

The only thing keeping LaMelo Ball from basketball greatness is LaVar Ball ... so says Stephen Jackson, who wants everyone to team up and protect the hooper from his dad.

The 18-year-old has been skyrocketing up the NBA prospect rankings as of late ... and while the dude's clearly got skills, Stack and Matt Barnes think Papa Ball's antics could mess it all up.

"I think we need to come together and hire a security team to keep LaVar away from the younger son, 'cause the younger son is the one," Stack said on Showtime's "ALL THE SMOKE" podcast.

"He's got game, he's got everything. All the talent, he out there overseas working, doing his thing. We CANNOT let LaVar mess up this kid's career."

Barnes added the issues were clear when LaVar started overshadowing Lonzo in Los Angeles ... and the best thing for him was to get the hell away.

"From the outside looking in, it really looks like there's a conflict of Zo wanting to be his own man and LaVar trying to hold on like, you're gonna do this 'family brand' thing," Barnes said.

Stack added, "Your dad cannot be speaking against your organization in the media, bruh."

"You went from the father everybody loves to the father everybody hates."

Some good news, bad news for LeBron James ...

The good news ... the NBA superstar doesn't seem concerned about the fires near his home anymore. He partied at the Dream Hotel on Tuesday night wearing a Halloween mask.

The bad news ... WEAK COSTUME, BRO!!!

Don't get it wrong, we love Mario Bros. -- Luigi is the beloved neglected younger brother -- but a dinky little mask?! You're better than that Bron!!!

Fact is, the Lakers star has had a rough week -- he was evacuated from his Brentwood home early Monday morning due to the raging Getty Fire and moved into a nearby hotel.

Unclear if Bron is back in his home yet (the fire is still a threat according to officials), but James sent a taco truck to the first responders on Tuesday to show his appreciation.

Great work, now upgrade that mask!!!

LeBron James' Taco Tuesday tradition is making a big impact this week ... the Lakers superstar sent food trucks to the firefighters and first responders working to put an end to the California wildfires.

LBJ -- who was forced to evacuate his Brentwood mansion when fires got dangerously close to his home -- sent his thanks to the people battling the blazes with delicious tacos.

L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti thanked Bron for the gesture ... saying "Thank you, @KingJames, for generously sending a taco truck to support our @LAFD firefighters, first responders, and partner agencies working to fight the #GettyFire."

The King ain't the only celeb chipping in to help ... John Cena has also pledged $500k of his own money towards fighting the California fires.

Of course, Bron is known for being crazy excited to celebrate his weekly ritual ... but this one has to be extra special.

LeBron also spoke about it at Lakers practice, saying "My appreciation and loyalty to the first responders. Those men and women are unbelievable, with what they're doing and their bravery throughout this time."

Drake didn't just cop insane NBA championship swag for himself ... the 6 God also hooked the players up BIG TIME ... buying the Toronto Raptors custom Finals jackets!!

Of course, Drizzy copped a $150k custom championship ring to commemorate the Dinos' first-ever title ... and now he's decided to gift the dope jackets to all the guys who teamed up to beat the Warriors last season.

NBA Finals hero Fred VanVleet showed off the new merch on Tuesday ... and they come with the whole roster listed on one side, the iconic OVO owl on the other.

On the back, there's a raptor clinging on to the Larry O'Brien trophy ... and the phrase "The Best in the World" on top.

If the jacket looks familiar ... it's the same one the Raptors ambassador wore at the championship parade back in June.

If Zion Williamson wants to cut out injuries and cut weight ... he NEEDS to cut meat out of his diet ASAP, so says John Salley who says VEGANISM can save Zion's career.

Look, a lot of people think 284 pound Zion is just too heavy to have a long NBA career. He's already missing the first 6 to 8 weeks of the NBA season after undergoing knee surgery.

Enter Salley ... who says Zion can turn the ship around if he turns his diet around.

"My message to Zion? Go vegan, bro. Drink a bunch of water and find out the best way to heal your body, meaning ... not just ultrasounds, not just a hot tub, don't take pills."

The 4-time NBA champ says Zion was destined to become teammates with Jahlil Okafor, who recently made the switch to "mostly" veganism and lost 20 pounds ... and Salley wants Williamson to listen to the vet.

Golden State has sucked so far this season ... but Baron Davis tells TMZ Sports it's way too early to put a dagger in the Warriors just yet.

Steph Curry and co. have clearly felt the absence of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson through 2 games ... losing to the Clippers and Thunder by a combines 47 points.

In fact, Draymond Green summed up his evaluation of the team after Sunday night's loss, saying "we f**king suck right now."

But, Davis -- who played for the Dubs from 2004-2008 -- says all talk of a dethroning is premature.

"I wouldn't count them out ... it's too early," Davis told us at Petite Taqueria in West Hollywood.

"Always judge a team after the first 20 games. After 20 games, you'll know where everybody stand and where they going."

FYI -- the team's biggest free agency acquisition, D'Angelo Russell, had just 6 points in the Warriors' loss to Oklahoma City after getting ejected in the 3rd quarter.

Head coach Steve Kerr has also said there's a chance Klay doesn't come back from his ACL injury this season ... so things aren't looking great at the moment.

Scary morning for LeBron James ... the NBA superstar was forced to evacuate Monday after wildfires raged just blocks away from his Brentwood, Calif. mansion.

"Man these LA [fires] aren’t no joke," LeBron wrote. "Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms."

The King later tweeted he was able to find a safe place to stay for his family ... but it's unclear if he'll have a home to return to when the fires settle down.

Video of the blaze is intense ... homes just miles away from LeBron's house on Tigertail Road have caught fire -- and the L.A. Fire Department is sending alerts to locals to get out as soon as possible.

"I [pray] for all the families in the area that could be affected by these [fires] now!" LBJ wrote. "Pretty please get to safety ASAP"

Bron added, "My best wishes as well to the first responders right now doing what they do best!"

LeBron and the Lakers played a game just hours before his evacuation ... beating the Charlotte Hornets, 120-101, at Staples Center.

They're slated to play in L.A. again on Tuesday night ... but it's unclear if the wildfires could affect that matchup.

Best birthday EVER?!?!

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is fresh off a brand new, $115 MILLION deal ... and if that's not sweet enough, the baller got a sick, $20k chain from his good buddy, A$AP Ferg!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the "Floor Seats" rapper wanted to do something extra special for his friend's birthday, so he hit up Big Will at WS Jewelry and the guys collabed to make him a one-of-a-kind piece.

We're told the piece comes with 15 carats of natural green and white diamonds shaped in Ferg's signature logo ... and it's worth around $20k.

The back of the pendant also features Jaylen's jersey number, 7, and his name.

The video is awesome ... Ferg and Big Will were there to celebrate with Brown ... and the dude had a BIG smile on his face when they presented him with the present.

Happy birthday!!