NBA

Former NBA star Gary Payton was in a pay-it-forward mood this weekend -- he brought a bunch of good food to the hardworking first responders in his own hometown.

The ex-SuperSonics PG strolled into Alta Bates Summit Medical Campus Saturday, which is in Oakland -- his stomping ground. We're told he came bearing gifts of the edible kind ... a crap ton of barbecue sandwiches and sides from local restaurant Kinder's Meats & Deli.

And, don't worry, Gary had more than enough to feed everyone ... and we mean just about every person on the hospital's payroll, including the often-forgotten security guards who are stationed at hospitals. All in all, we're told GP had enough grub to feed about 200 workers.

He set up shop and doled out the good eats as different wings and departments in the building caught wind of Gary's good deed, and made their way down to the floor he was on. A batch of 30 sandos even made their way to the ICU, where the most vulnerable are being treated.

An eyewitness tells us they overheard Gary tell someone that he actually has a friend who's currently staying at the hospital -- so it appears the spirit of generosity came over him to feed everyone working day and night to keep the people of Oakland healthy.

All you basketball know-it-alls got it wrong ... Michael Jordan is NOT the G.O.A.T of college hoops -- so says Bill Walton, who tells TMZ Sports that honor belongs to Kareem!

We got the basketball legend just days after MJ was crowned king of ESPN's "College Basketball's Greatest of All Time Bracket" ... and he says the voters got it flat-out wrong.

Don't get it twisted -- Bill LOVES Jordan, saying he's "one of the greatest players, phenomenal" ... but he tells us he believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was just better.

"He has the records," Walton says of the former UCLA center. "He has the three championships."

Kareem -- a 1-seed to begin the event -- was shockingly upset in the bracket early on by nine-seeded Shaquille O'Neal.

MJ, meanwhile, ran the table as a 2-seed ... eventually beating Larry Bird in the bracket's championship.

As for how Kareem's college career at UCLA stacks up with Jordan's at UNC ... it seems Walton's got a point when you pull up those numbers.

Kareem -- who went by Lew Alcindor back then -- won three titles and averaged 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game in his three-year career.

Jordan, meanwhile, won one championship while averaging 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his three-year career.

Walton tells us he ain't too worried about the results, though ... and rightfully so, 'cause the guy's got an awesome virtual charity bike ride coming up this month -- where all the money raised is going toward COVID-19 relief efforts!!

Vanessa Bryant is managing her family's first Easter without Kobe and Gigi like a champ -- in fact, she and her kids are already getting a head start ... with cuteness to spare.

VB posted a super-sweet video Saturday showing her help 3-year-old daughter Bianka and her little sister, 9-month-old Capri, open a giant Easter egg with goodies inside -- sent to them by the florist to the stars, Jeff Leatham. It's adorable ... you see Bianka closing her eyes as she tries to crack it open with a mini hammer, but that shell's thick as hell.

Mom had to step in eventually and help her break a big enough hole to see what was inside. After LOTS of confetti-pulling, the mother-daughter duo found the treat ... chocolate!

BTW, Capri was definitely feeling the festivities ... she was giggling through the whole thing. What she mighta been thinking ... "When's my turn, MOM?!?" Good stuff.

No sign of Natalia here, but ya gotta figure she's around for the holiday too. The Bryants are devout Catholics and Easter's the holiest day of the year for the faithful.

As for the egg-cracking, it's usually a little kid thing to do anyway.

This marks the first Easter the Bryants have celebrated since Kobe and Gianna passed, and it's great to see Vanessa staying true to the fam's tradition. Last year, she was helping Bianka with another egg-tivity as well. Good on her for keeping their spirits up.

Riff Raff says his cousin, star Georgetown Univ. hooper Mac McClung is a future NBA All-Star who reminds him of Dwyane Wade ... and he should be a lottery pick in the 2020 draft.

McClung -- a 20-year-old sophomore who averaged 16 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists on Patrick Ewing's GU squad this season -- recently declared for the NBA Draft.

Mac still has the option to return to school, but that's something his hip-hop star cuz tells TMZ Sports should NOT happen ... if NBA teams have a brain.

We asked the Neon Icon how good McClung could be. His answer?

"All-Star level. All-star, ya know? All-Star. Starting point guard, easily."

Riff says he sees similarities between MM and future 1st-ballot Hall of Famer, D. Wade.

"[Wade] was a pretty good college basketball player at Marquette. Went to the NBA, immediately started," Riff Raff says.

"[Dwyane's] about 6'2", 6'3". Mac is 6'2", 6'3". He's not small. He's not a small player, has long arms. People compare him to Jason Williams. Jason Williams is about 6'2", 6'3"."

Obviously, Wade had a great college career (he was an All-American in 2003), was the 5th pick in the draft, and ended up winning 3 NBA titles and making 13 All-Star teams.

So, yeah ... Wade was a legendary player, and "White Chocolate" wasn't too shabby either.

But, when we asked Riff Raff if he truly saw similarities between the ballers, he did NOT hesitate.

"Yes and yes."

One of LeBron James' very first game-worn NBA jerseys is hitting the auction block ... and the piece of history could fetch more than $630k!!!

Goldin Auctions tells TMZ Sports ... the jersey was worn during King James' 5th and 8th games of his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers ... including his first-ever matchup against his best friend, Dwyane Wade, and Miami Heat on November 12, 2003.

The other game was against the Indiana Pacers, when 18-year-old Bron scored 23 points on November 7.

The jersey -- which was certified legit by Resolution Photomatching -- is the earliest jersey of James' NBA career to hit the market ... and could possibly end up being the most expensive jersey in modern history.

“LeBron James memorabilia is some of the most sought-after memorabilia currently,” Ken Goldin tells us.

"After setting the record earlier this year for the sale of a LeBron James card for $900,000.00, we are hoping this jersey will set the record for the highest price paid for a basketball jersey which is $630,300.00."

Remember, the King also holds that record ... when his 2020 All-Star Game jersey went up for auction earlier this year.

Michael Jordan is the one player EVERY hooper in NBA history wished they had the chance to team with during their careers ... right??

Nope!!! So says Jerry Stackhouse ... who reveals being Jordan's teammate actually SUCKED in 2002 ... and he wished it never happened.

"Honestly, I wish I never played in Washington and for a number of reasons," Stackhouse said on "The Woj Pod."

"It was really challenging to be able to be in a situation with an idol who at this particular point, I felt like I was a better player," Stack said.

It may sound crazy for JS to say he was ever better than the G.O.A.T. ... but let's remember, MJ was NOT the real MJ we all know and love during his Wizards days.

Jerry points out the season was off to a better start because the offense was running through him ... and then MJ had to take over.

"He wanted to get a little more isolations on the post, of course, so we had more isolations for him on the post."

To add insult to injury ... Stackhouse's old team, the Detroit Pistons, ended up winning the title 2 years after he was traded to D.C. ... and the Wizards never sniffed the playoffs.

Stackhouse says he never really had much fun that season ... and ended up losing respect for Jordan.

Awesome gesture by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... the NBA legend is donating 1,800 safety goggles to Southern California hospitals to help medical personnel during the coronavirus pandemic.

The former LA Lakers superstar says he was so moved by the bravery of doctors, nurses and medical professionals during the tough times ... he wanted to give back to them.

So, Kareem says he told his team to source high-quality medical products -- including goggles -- and donated them to UCLA Health, Scripps and other hospitals this week.

Of course, Kareem was famous for wearing rec specs during his Hall of Fame career ... and said before he gave away the medical supplies, "You guys can look as good as I did when I played!"

The 72-year-old added, "I want to thank all the doctors, nurses and medical professionals at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. You guys are awesome because you're risking everything to help the public the way you are."

Scripps said in response to the generous donation, "Thank you so much @kaj33, you truly are an MVP!"

Kevin Garnett is absolutely eviscerating Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor ... essentially saying he can take any olive branch and shove it -- and calling him a "snake motherf***er."

So ... what's the beef??

When Garnett made his return to the Wolves back in 2015, he mentioned to coach Flip Saunders he wanted to eventually take on a front office or ownership role with Minnesota one day.

After Saunders passed away later that year, Taylor brought Tom Thibodeau on board to lead the team ... a move KG thought was not honoring his plans with Saunders.

"Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip," KG told Shams Charania. "For that, I won’t forgive Glen."

"I thought he was a straight-up person, straight up businessman, and when Flip died, everything went with him."

KG says he LOVED his 14 seasons in Minnesota and his teammates, fans and the rest of the organization ... but there's no way in hell he's gonna reunite with Taylor.

"I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart."

"But, I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake motherf***ers. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like."

Of course, Taylor congratulated KG on making the Hall of Fame recently ... and when Garnett was asked if he'd be down for a jersey retirement ceremony in Minnesota -- the answer is a big, fat NO.

"Glen knows where I’m at, I’m not entertaining it."

If Detroit drafted Carmelo Anthony in 2003, the Pistons would've won not 1, not 2, not 3 ... but ZERO rings!!! -- so says Ben Wallace, who truly believes drafting Melo would've hurt the team.

Remember, the hypothetical argument came up when Anthony and Dwyane Wade talked about their epic draft class on IG Live ... speculating what Melo's career would've been like if Motor City picked him instead of all-time bust Darko Milicic.

"I know I would have maybe 2 or 3 rings," Melo said.

Enter Big Ben ... who says it's actually a GOOD thing the Pistons messed up with the #2 overall pick ... because Melo would've thrown everyone off.

"If we would've drafted Carmelo, I honestly don't think we would have ever won a championship," Wallace said on the 120 Watts Podcast.

"Melo would have wanted to play right away. It would have had the potential to disrupt the team chemistry."

Of course, the Pistons went on to win a 'ship over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2004 without Darko's help ... and Melo is still ringless.

Not everybody on that team feels the same way, though ... Chauncey Billups thinks the Pistons woulda won 3 titles if they drafted Melo.

Vanessa Bryant just told the world how proud she is of Kobe, who has been honored as the next Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Vanessa sat with daughter Natalia as she fought back tears, saying how proud she was of Kobe's posthumous accomplishment.

Kobe will be inducted as part of the class of 2020, and Vanessa says it's the pinnacle of her late husband's storied NBA career, that spanned 20 years with the Lakers.

Vanessa says, "It's an incredible accomplishment and honor, and we're extremely proud of him. Obviously, we wish he was here with us to celebrate, but it's definitely the peak of his NBA career and every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a stepping stone to be here."

Kobe Bryant will be inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020 -- alongside Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Players become eligible 4 seasons after their last game -- and with Kobe retiring in 2016, this was his first opportunity to get in.

The ceremony (which will be formally announced on Saturday) will take place at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA in August, according to Shams Charania.

It's a no-brainer -- Kobe is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time ... during his 20-year run with the Lakers, Kobe won 5 NBA titles and made the All-Star team 18 times!

Need more stats? He was also a 2-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, 2-time NBA scoring champ, 9-time NBA All-Defensive Team and he won the Dunk Contest in '97!

Of course, Kobe passed away on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. He was only 41.

Many of Kobe's friends and family members have talked about how important it was for Kobe to get in the HOF. Shaquille O'Neal even spoke about it on "Inside the NBA" in the days after Kobe's death.

"The fact that we're not gonna be able to joke at his Hall of Fame ceremony, we're not gonna be able to say, 'Haha, I got 5 (championships), you got 4,' the fact that we're not gonna be able to say, 'If we would've stayed together, we could've got 10' ... those were the things you can't get back."

This might be the biggest baller move yet ... LaMelo Ball and his manager, ex-NBA player Jermaine Jackson, just teamed up to buy the Australian pro basketball team Ball suited up for this past season.

BIG BALLER!!!!

18-year-old Ball was a beast in 12 games for the Illawarra Hawks last year ... averaging 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7 assists a game before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Jackson -- who played 5 seasons in the NBA -- explained the move to ESPN, saying Ball loved his time in the Australian NBL so much that he decided to take charge.

The Hawks were reportedly facing financial issues while Ball was on the team ... and now the top NBA prospect is hoping to keep the shop open for his teammates and future players.

"Melo loves the Illawarra fans," Jackson said. "He loves that community. They opened their arms to him. They made us feel like we are at home. When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, 'Let's own the team.'"

Jackson insists the move won't affect Ball's bright NBA future ... saying the plan is to hire the right people to keep the team running.

"He wants to create the best basketball program possible for that community there."

No word on how much it cost to buy the team ... but it can't be cheap.