NBA

POP QUIZ -- how many Chick-fil-A sandwiches does it take to fill up 7'5" NBA star Tacko Fall?!?

WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT BECAUSE WE SHOT TACKO FALL AT CHICK-FIL-A!

Fresh off an 18-point, 20-rebound game for the Maine Red Claws (the Boston Celtics' G-League team) ... TMZ Sports spotted the most likable guy in pro sports getting some grub at the airport in D.C.

And, since we're fascinated with all things Tacko, we had to ask the 24-year-old what the standard Chick-fil-A order is for someone of his stature.

So, make your guesses now ... 5 sandos? 8? 27? Dude's not only huge but he burns a ton of calories moving up and down the court.

Shout-out to Fall who couldn't have been nicer to our photog, and took a bunch of pics for the Chick-fil-A staffers who recognized him at the restaurant!

BONUS -- we also spoke with Tacko about being so well-received by fans in the Association ... and you'll love his reaction.

Dwyane Wade followed up his jersey retirement ceremony with a late night full of booze, tunes and sweaty nightclub goers -- the only way to go out in Miami.

D-Wade hit up the city's hottest spot for raging after the Miami Heat put the man's No. 3 jersey up in the rafters of AmericanAirlines Arena forever ... honoring their hometown hero and making it so no other player can ever rock it again. It's official ... he's a pantheon great.

Fast-forward a few hours ... and D found himself at E11EVEN, where we're told he showed up with about 30 people around 1:30 AM with enough energy to party his face off -- ordering rounds of Armand de Brignac,  Don Julio 1942 and E11EVEN Vodka. The guy even got on the mic at one point and performed a bit for the packed house of fans and loved ones.

No, he wasn't putting up shots for everyone like he has in the past -- dude actually rapped a verse. ICYMI, Dwyane is featured on Rick Ross' new song, "Season Ticket Holders," and kinda drops some heat in the process. As soon as the DJ put it on, DW didn't hesitate.

Unclear if Gabby was with him here at the club, but we know she was definitely at the game earlier. It's possible she let her hubby have a boys night out ... 'cause this is Dwyane cuttin' loose like we don't normally see.

The Western Conference needs to enjoy Golden State's off-year while it can ... 'cause Tim Hardaway tells TMZ Sports the Warriors will be right back in the Finals -- with help from their "perfect piece!!"

It's been a rough patch, to say the least, for the Dubs, who have been without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for most of the season.

But there's a new guy in town after shipping D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins ... and the ex-Warrior says it was a great move for when the 2 stars get back on the court!!

"I think it was," Hardaway says. "Andrew Wiggins is gonna be real nice with them. Yes, he is."

"Perfect piece, no question!"

But is Wiggins enough to get Golden State back in the Finals?? Hardaway thinks so!!

Bad news for Charles Oakley -- the ex-NBA star just lost his perfect excuse for skipping the lousy Knicks games ... 'cause Oak's getting welcomed back to Madison Square Garden!!

As we previously reported, the Knicks legend's lawsuit against his old team and James Dolan was dismissed earlier this week ... which initially stemmed from his public ejection from a game in 2017.

Of course, Oak was literally dragged out of the arena by several guards ... and hasn't stepped foot in MSG since.

After the legal victory, it seemed like Dolan was ready to put all the drama in the past ... saying, "Maybe now there can be peace between us."

First step in mending the relationship?? Getting Oakley back at Knicks games ... which became more of a possibility now that their legal battle is a thing of the past.

Forget laying low on vacation ... Kawhi Leonard strolled around Cabo IN HIS OWN JERSEY during the NBA All-Star break -- and TMZ Sports has the pics!!

The L.A. Clippers superstar was down in Mexico this week hitting the town with his GF, Kishele Shipley ... and locals tell us the Finals MVP was cool as hell.

But, most importantly, they noticed his dope tank ... which featured one of his famous slogans, "Don't be mad" -- as well as his own jersey number AND name!

Yeah, pretty baller move.

We're told Kawhi was enjoying the Mexico sun ... and he even appeared to get in a little boating while in town!!

Of course ... Kawhi is no stranger to a good time on off weeks -- remember, the NBA star hit a floaty boat on the open seas near Barbados back in June after his Raptors championship.

But, it's back to reality this weekend for the 28-year-old ... the Clips play the Kings on Saturday afternoon at Staples.

JaVale McGee's music career has reached Justin Bieber status ... 'cause the L.A. Lakers star helped write and produce a song on the Biebs' new album!!

Yes, you read that correctly -- the 7-foot tall NBA center is a big-time music producer in his free time ... and officially got credit for his role in making Bieber's song, "Available," on his new project, "Changes."

Of course, McGee has dabbled in music for years ... and has worked with old Lakers teammates like Lonzo Ball in the studio in the past.

But, this is the first time McGee -- going by the pseudonym, "Pierre" -- has worked with someone on JB's level.

McGee has said in the past he's using his platform as an NBA player to push his music career ... and it's clearly working. It's Justin freakin' Bieber we're talking about here.

Pierre spoke about the opportunity, saying "I was blessed to write and produce on the song 'Available'! 2020 is about elevation and growth and following your dreams and this has always been one of mine to be a producer!"

As for the album ... it's well on its way top of the R&B charts after dropping on Valentine's Day.

McGee already has 2 NBA titles -- is a Grammy next?!?

A youth org. claims LeBron James straight-up jacked their "More Than An Athlete" slogan for his Uninterrupted brand ... and now they want more than $33 MIL to make things right!

Game Plan -- a Maryland based nonprofit, which guides young athletes to achieve professional success in an out of sports -- claims they've been using the slogan "I Am More Than an Athlete" since 2016 and they obtained the trademark in 2018.

The problem ... Game Plan is convinced LeBron James saw Game Plan staffers wearing "More Than An Athlete" shirts at a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards game in 2017 and stole it for his Uninterrupted brand. In fact, the staffers even posed for a pic that day with Wizards star John Wall.

Game Plan says in their lawsuit ... "The attendance at the game gave Game Plan tremendous exposure, as it was able to gain attention from John Wall in front of his peers including the (arguably) most famous athlete in the world, as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, at the time, LeBron James."

In court docs filed by Game Plan, they claim Bron loved the phrase so much, he began using it in 2018 as a response to the infamous Laura Ingraham "Shut Up and Dribble" incident.

After the Fox News host made the comment on air, James went to social media and posted a picture of a neon light sign that read, "I Am More Than an Athlete."

Since then, Game Plan says LeBron and Uninterrupted have monetized the hell out of the slogan -- striking deals to use "I Am More Than An Athlete" with Nike, ESPN and the NBA2K video game.

Game Plan says they own the rightful trademark and are entitled to all profits that have been made from it -- seeking no less than $33 MILLION.

They're suing Uninterrupted, Nike, Disney and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

So far, no comment from LeBron's camp.

It's been nearly 14 months since John Wall has stepped foot on an NBA court ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's learned a VERY valuable lesson during his time away from the game.

The Washington Wizards superstar ruptured his Achilles back at the beginning of 2019 after falling in his D.C. home ... and has been working like crazy to get back to 100%.

We spoke with Wall about his time away from the game ... and he's got some solid advice for players in similar situations.

"I learned what not to do is not to rush back and just take my time," Wall says.

Of course, Wall has been going viral for being able to dunk in pregame warm-ups recently ... which appears to be a good sign for recovery ... but the 29-year-old makes it clear he ain't coming back 'til he's fully ready to ball.

Ninja -- the most famous pro gamer in the world -- is sick and tired of people treating his sport like it's a joke ... and he's invoking the names of LeBron and Tom Brady to make his point.

The 28-year-old Fortnite legend went on a passionate rant while streaming on Wednesday -- saying he's fed up with people telling him to tone down his competitiveness with comments like, "It's just a video game."

Ninja HATES that phrase -- explaining how EVERY top competitor in any field should HATE to lose no matter what sport they're in.

In his words ... "If anyone ever uses the excuse 'It's just a game' I'm gonna lose my mind."

"Imagine telling LeBron James, Tom Brady that when they're pissed off after losing a game that it's just a game. Like I'm gonna lose it. Are you kidding me?! You're so stupid!!!"

"It’s the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect, bro. It’s about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f**king video game. Anybody that ever uses the excuse 'It’s just a game' is a horrible human being and is lazy. You’re a lazy human being."

Earlier in the week, Ninja had tweeted about his mindset -- saying, "The phrase 'it’s just a game' is such a weak mindset. You are ok with what happened, losing, imperfection of a craft. When you stop getting angry after losing, you’ve lost twice."

"There’s always something to learn, and always room for improvement, never settle."

People went after him HARD on social media -- but Ninja ain't backing down ... which is why he went on the rant during his stream on Wednesday.

Also, with Fortnite Season 2 about to drop this week, he's clearly getting his mind right to destroy everyone.

Is the war between Charles Oakley and James Dolan finally over??

The Knicks owner sure hopes so ... 'cause Dolan is calling for peace after Oak's lawsuit against him was dismissed on Wednesday.

Of course, Oakley sued Dolan and Madison Square Garden back in 2017 after Dolan sent security to physically remove the Knicks legend from the arena. He was dragged out and arrested in a wild scene captured on video.

Oakley sued for defamation, assault and false imprisonment claiming he was unfairly targeted by Dolan over unflattering public comments he made about the state of the Knicks.

At the time, MSG staffers claimed Oak was drunk during the incident -- which Oakley vehemently denied.

But, Dolan claimed victory on Wednesday when the federal judge ruled Oakley's case was weak and ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.

The judge explained his decision, saying, "From its inception, this case has had the feel of a public relations campaign, with the parties seemingly more interested in the court of public opinion than the merits of their legal arguments."

"That is perhaps understandable, given the personal and public nature of the dispute."

"But while basketball fans in general, and Knicks fans in particular, are free to form their own opinions about who was in the right and whether Oakley’s ejection was motivated by something more than the whims of the teams owner, the fact remains that Oakley has failed to allege a plausible legal claim that can meet federal pleading standards."

The Knicks released a statement on the dismissal ... saying, "We thank the court for its ruling. This was an incident that no one was happy about. Maybe now there can be peace between us."

So, will Oak and Dolan REALLY bury the hatchet???

John Beilein's brief stint as Cleveland Cavs head coach was nothing short of a dumpster fire ... and it got so bad, the players trolled the dude by referencing his infamous "thugs" comment with the locker-room music.

The 67-year-old's NBA career came to a screeching halt after just 54 games on Tuesday ... with Beilein leaving about $12 million in contract money on the table just to end his misery.

Now, details on his failure of a tenure with the Cavs are coming to the surface ... and it's uglier than imagined. Like, we knew it was bad. But, THIS BAD!?!?!

Remember, back in January ... Beilein called his players a "bunch of thugs" in a film session and later insisted he meant to say "slugs" instead. He claimed it was an innocent slip.

Beilein apologized but it seems the players didn't accept it -- with The Athletic reporting guys in charge of the team's locker-room music would play songs with the word "thug" in the lyrics whenever the coach was around.

According to the report, the "thug" playlist included tracks like "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, "Thugz Mansion" by Tupac and Trick Daddy's "I'm a Thug."

Among other issues reported -- the players thought Beilein acted like a dictator, over-worked newcomers during Summer League and never really grasped the concept of what an NBA coach was expected to do.

FYI, Beilein was the head coach at the University of Michigan for years before jumping to the NBA. Unclear if he will go back to coaching at the college level again.

Dwyane Wade admits the decision to go public with his 12-year-old child's gender identity story wasn't easy -- the family "struggled" -- but they ultimately decided it was the right thing to do.

The NBA star appeared on 'GMA' and opened up about how Zaya -- who was born as a boy named Zion -- came to him and Gabrielle Union to talk about wanting to "live my truth."

"I think going forward I am ready to live my truth," Zaya told the Wades ... adding, "I want to be referenced as 'she' and 'her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya."

Wade says the family spent a bunch of time researching and talking to people to try to understand what Zaya was going through -- and it made the family stronger in the long run.

And, with Dwyane working with ESPN on a documentary about his own life, Wade knew he would have to decide whether to include Zaya's gender identity story in the flick ... and it wasn't an easy decision!

"I struggled on how much I wanted to talk about in the doc," Dwyane said ... "I actually didn't talk about it a lot. But, I knew if I put it in the doc at all, it would be a big conversation. "

"Yes, we understand that our daughter's 12 years old. We struggled with what people would say about a 12-year-old making a decision about her life, but we also know our child."

Shaquille O'Neal ain't going to like this ...

Ex-NBA stud Antonio Davis says Shaq and Kobe have NOTHING on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen when it comes to the best duo in league history ... telling TMZ Sports it's all 'cause of Shaq's defense!

"Shaq can't come out and guard nobody!" Davis says.

The debate's been raging on for YEARS ... and when we got AD out at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago on Saturday -- he told us there's no need for an argument anymore.

"I don't care what nobody says," Davis tells us. "Hands down. I don't care."

Of course, there's a lot of people in the hoops world that would disagree with Davis ... Shaq and Kobe won 3 titles together and both dudes have legit claims to be considered top 10 players ever.

Then again, Jordan and Scottie won 6 championships together ... and MJ is considered the game's best-ever -- so maybe Antonio's got a point?

The Kobe Bryant tributes were AMAZING at the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night ... and some of the biggest stars in the world were front and center for all of the emotional moments.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West sat courtside at the United Center in Chicago -- surrounded by stars like Cardi B, Chris Tucker, Ludacris, Offset, Chance The Rapper, Chadwick Boseman and more!

There's more ... a LOT more -- Fat Joe, Bad Bunny, Ninja, Spike Lee, Jeff Ross, Common, Tiffany Haddish and Jon Stewart were all on hand to watch Team LeBron take on Team Giannis.

But, the show started BEFORE tip-off when Chicago-native Jennifer Hudson performed an incredible tribute to Kobe ... with a beautiful video montage in the background.

One of the cooler tributes at the game was a Kobe tribute video with music by Dr. Dre. The video was created by 23-year-old director Gibson Hazard and Jackson Bannon ... and honestly, it's pretty amazing stuff.

As we previously reported, the NBA renamed the All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe ... and Kawhi Leonard became the first person to take home the Mamba-inspired honor.

After the game, Leonard told the crowd, "This one's for him."

Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Jan. 26 -- along with 7 other people.

Van Jones says Dwyane Wade is setting a good example for other parents when it comes to his kid, Zaya ...  and he's sure more and more families will follow suit.

We got the CNN host out in Chicago this weekend and asked him to weigh-in on Dwyane revealing this child wanted to identify as a female, and change her name from Zion to Zaya. Check it out ... Van says it was a brave thing to do, and it'll have a ripple effect.

He basically explains that someone of D-Wade's stature coming out in support gives other parents a permission structure to do the same with their own kids who might be in a similar situation. So, in other words, Van thinks Dwyane's actions will carry over beyond right now.

And by that, he means less suicides, less self-hatred ... and a lot more love and acceptance.

The strip club cavalry has arrived in Chicago with THOUSANDS of dancers, literally, making sure NBA superstars and fans are well entertained during All-Star Weekend!!!

The good folks at Ocean Gentleman's Club, Factory and Club O tell TMZ Sports ... they've hired Last Coast Entertainment to promote events at all the clubs this weekend. We're told that means 3,000 strippers will be swarming around poles all over Chi-town.

The forecast calls for some serious rain, because we're told each club will have $450,000 in single dollar bills on deck each day for customers -- NBA and otherwise -- to spend on the dancers. The clubs are ready to bring in the Brinks trucks too, if they need even more Washingtons.

As for who's leading all this fun ... Offset will be front and center hosting an epic after-party Sunday at Ocean Gentleman's Club, following the All-Star Game. Also, Kid Capri's hosed that club's Saturday night bash.

The clubs also tell us they already have 10 tables reserved each night, exclusively for NBA ballers -- and their kitchens will be working OT to serve up lamb chops, burgers, wings and shrimp. BIG dudes have BIG appetites!

BTW, NBA All-Star Weekend is like an annual Super Bowl for the strippers ... so there's high-demand to get work in the host cities each year. We're told the dancers have to fork over $300 to $350 per night to a club just to get their high heels in the door.

Other gentlemen's clubs around Chicago -- like Scores and Rick's Cabaret -- are adopting NBA themes. Dancers will wear basketball uniforms, to start anyway, and of course, there will be VIP sections just for NBA studs.