NBA

5/28 -- Stephen Jackson is now calling for prosecutors to go for the death penalty for the main police officer involved in the death of George Floyd.

"I know we not gon' get the death penalty but I'm goin for it," Jackson said Thursday morning on The Breakfast Club.

"Because the only way that they can stop kiling us is if they see one of their own sitting at the chair and fry for something they did and knowing that could be them."

"We had to see it, the world had to see it, my brother die then the world has to see one of them die. That's the only way we gon' get justice."

Jackson also said he spoke with the mother of Floyd's 6-year-old daughter ... who says she's still so shaken up, she hasn't broken the news to their child.

Jackson is NOT happy with Denver Nuggets player Michael Porter Jr.'s comments on George Floyd's death ... telling the young star to "go sit yo young Privileged ass down."

MPJ faced backlash when addressing the Floyd incident on Wednesday when he tweeted, "As much as you pray for George family, gotta also pray for the police officer(s) who were involved in this evil."

He continued ... "As hard as it is, pray for them instead of hate them...Pray that God changes their hearts."

Jackson got wind of MPJ's words and spoke his mind shortly after, saying "Either u with us or against us. @MPJr not now bruh f*k dat."

"Rest Easy Twin I don’t have a prob with u Youngin ain’t no time for that. Easy to say that nobody dying close to u. Pick a side."

"My boy was doing what he was supposed to be doing and ya'll go and kill my brother, man."

Stephen Jackson spent Tuesday emotionally reflecting on his time with George Floyd -- a man the former NBA star says he called "twin" -- and he's now demanding justice for the 46-year-old after officers appeared to have killed him Monday.

Jackson says he spent his childhood in the same Houston, Texas circles as Floyd ... and claims the two were so close, he had just sent the guy clothes days before his death this week.

"Floyd was my brother," Jackson said. "We called each other twins, bruh. Everybody knows me and Floyd called each other twins. My brother was only out there in Minnesota, he was trying to change his life."

42-year-old Jackson says he's now on his way to Minnesota ... and he's promising to help find justice for George after a cop pinned him down with a knee to the neck and wouldn't let go.

"I can't let this ride, dawg," Jackson said. "Ya'll not going to be mad until it hits ya'll front door. Bullsh*t."

As we previously reported, Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minn. after officers responded to a call about a forgery in progress on Monday.

During the stop, officers held down George for several minutes ... despite the man telling cops he could not breathe.

The FBI is now investigating the incident ... while all four officers involved have been fired.

Move over KSI and Dillon Danis, there's a new boxing opponent for Jake Paul -- ex-NBAer Nate Robinson ... who tells TMZ Sports he's DEAD SERIOUS about wanting to fight the internet superstar.

It sounds random as hell, but let us explain how we got here.

Nate tells us he's been following Jake's recent antics VERY closely lately ... and he's sick of hearing Paul calling out weak opponents like a "bully."

So, Nate -- who's been training like crazy in the ring -- has the perfect solution ... by offering to showcase his skills in a match against the 2-0 fighter!!

"I want all the smoke," Nate tells us. "I'm a top tier athlete!"

"I'm putting my everything on the line for (Jake). Let's get it done. It's that simple."

Nate says it would be the greatest accomplishment of Paul's career if the YouTuber came out with the W ... but explains he's eyeing some all-time greats to help keep that from happening.

"If I get trained with somebody like a (Mike) Tyson, (Floyd) Mayweather, (Terence) Crawford, (Vasyl) Lomachenko, if I fight and I train with some of the best of the best in the world, like please, I don't think he stands a chance."

Of course, Jake already has 2 wins under his belt ... with wins over Deji and AnEsonGib ... but Robinson's confident he'll hand him his first L.

Nate even has a message for Paul ... saying he's ready to stop talking and start fighting.

"Listen, I'm not gonna be talking and yapping, bro. Jake, just sign the papers and let's get it poppin'! I'mma let you do all the talking and I'll do all the training and then I'mma let my hands do the talking."

Damian Lillard is threatening to sit out games if the NBA won't guarantee his Trailblazers a "true opportunity" for the playoffs in a return to play ... saying, "I'm not going to be participating."

"I'm telling you that right now," the superstar guard told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview Tuesday. "And you can put that [expletive] in there."

The NBA has been kicking around the idea of a shortened regular season for its comeback ... reportedly eyeing a possible plan of a few regular-season games followed by the playoffs.

But, Lillard says that just ain't going to fly with him ... because he says if Portland -- which is currently 3.5 games out of 8th place (and the final playoff spot) in the West -- doesn't get a fair shake to make the postseason, he's out.

"If we come back and they're just like, 'We're adding a few games to finish the regular season,'" Lillard says, "and they're throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don't have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I'm going to be with my team because I'm a part of the team. But I'm not going to be participating."

Of course, the NBA has also reportedly thrown around the idea of beginning its playoffs immediately ... and telling all the non-playoff teams to stay home.

Lillard says he'd rather see some sort of play-in-style tournament for squads on the bubble ... saying that would get him back on the court in 2020 no problem.

"If they come back and say it's something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we're playing for playoff spots, then I think that's perfect," Lillard says.

Michael Jordan memorabilia is ON FIRE -- a game-worn uniform from his legendary '96-'97 championship season just sold for $288,000 ... shattering the old record!

This particular uniform -- a jersey and shorts combo -- was rocked by MJ on April 14, 1997 ... when Detroit dominated the Bulls in a 108 to 91 smackdown.

Michael had an off-night -- only dropping 18 points (he averaged almost 30 PPG that season) ... but after the hype from "The Last Dance," collectors are paying TOP DOLLAR for all things Jordan.

The uniform hit the block at Goldin Auctions starting at $75,000 -- and when the final gavel banged, the price was at a cool $288,000!

We spoke with Ken Goldin who tells us the previous record for the most expensive MJ game-used threads was $173k for Michael's 1984 Team USA jersey.

The uniform is pretty sick ... a size 46 jersey made by Champion, with a black base and red pinstripes. It's pretty sweet.

And, get this ... Goldin Auctions also tells TMZ Sports a game-used Lebron James jersey also sold recently ... for $371,200!!!

How did that jersey fetch more than Jordan?

Goldin says Bron rocked that Cleveland Cavs jersey in 2003 (his rookie year) during his 5th and 8th games in the NBA.

In fact, LeBron wore this uniform during his first clash with his BFF, Dwyane Wade!

Michael Jordan is contradicting Michael Jordan ... and it's all on tape.

Remember when MJ said on "The Last Dance" that he didn't have any specific involvement in blocking Isiah Thomas from being on the legendary dream team?

Yeah, well ... now audio has surfaced from an old interview in which MJ says straight-up he told 1992 Olympics selection committee member Rod Thorn he's OUT if Thomas makes the team.

It's all on Jack McCallum's 'The Dream Team Tapes' iHeartRadio podcast -- here's the transcription.

"Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.' He assured me. He said, 'You know what? Chuck [Chuck Daly] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'"

So, which Michael Jordan do you believe?!

Of course, there was SERIOUS bad blood between MJ and Thomas after the Pistons walked off the floor without shaking hands with the Chicago Bulls in the '91 NBA Playoffs.

For his part, Thomas admits he's still "personally hurt" he was not asked to be a part of that legendary '92 dream team -- and back in April, he said it's all because he didn't shake Michael Jordan's hand.

Cliff Alexander was such a star H.S. basketball recruit ... one cop remembered him during the former NBA player's gun arrest this month -- and the interaction was all caught on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Alexander was pulled over at around 9:30 PM CT on May 6 in Chicago, Ill. after cops say he blew through a stop sign ... and shortly after, one officer realized who exactly he had detained.

"Oh, you're that hooper!" the cop said, before asking him about his high school recruiting ranking.

FYI -- Alexander was largely considered the top prospect in the country back in the 2014 recruiting class ... right alongside future Duke Blue Devil Jahlil Okafor.

In the video, you can hear the officer actually asks Alexander about the battle for the No. 1 spot with Okafor ... and the interaction is kind of funny.

"I remember that sh*t!" the cop said. "That's crazy! ... You went to Kansas, right!?"

Of course, the stop didn't go so well for Alexander outside of that convo ... cops say the 24-year-old illegally had a loaded firearm under his seat, which one officer said appeared to be a "Glock 21."

Alexander also admitted to cops during the stop he had "like 6 grams" of weed on him ... and you can see in video, he explained to an officer he stuffed it in his pants because "I'm paranoid."

Eventually, Alexander was arrested and booked on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also hit with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign -- but he was NOT booked on drug charges.

NBA Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Sloan -- who was a member of the Utah Jazz organization for more than 30 years -- has died.

Sloan died early Friday due to complications from Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. The Jazz released a statement, saying, "Jerry Sloan will always be synonymous with the Utah Jazz. He will forever be a part of the Utah Jazz organization and we join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss. We are so thankful for what he accomplished here in Utah and the decades of dedication, loyalty and tenacity he brought to our franchise."

Sloan was the head coach of the Jazz for 23 years with 1,223 wins, 20 trips to the playoffs and two NBA Finals appearances ... in which Sloan's teams lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Sloan's post-game presser after Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" was recently featured on ESPN's "The Last Dance" ... the coach claimed he didn't even know MJ was sick.

The team statement continues, "Like Stockton and Malone as players, Jerry Sloan epitomized the organization. He will be greatly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Tammy, the entire Sloan family and all who knew and loved him.”

Sloan worked for the Jazz organization for 34 years as either head coach, assistant, scout or senior basketball adviser.

Sloan was 78.

Paul Pierce says there's NO WAY LeBron James deserves to be considered one of the 5 best players in NBA history ... and he's got a pretty ironic reason for the snub.

The Boston Celtics legend dropped the scorching hot take on ESPN Monday, saying the King never established a winning culture on his own ... and therefore, shouldn't be mentioned among the best in the game.

"I go back and I ask myself, 'What has LeBron did to build up any organization from the ground-up?'"

"Look at the names I said -- Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), Magic (Johnson), (Michael) Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kobe (Bryant), (Larry) Bird ... these guys are all top 10 players who either helped build up their organizations or continued the tradition."

Pierce explained his case against LBJ ... saying, "He went and put together a team in Miami. He came back to Cleveland to put that team together. Then he went to the Lakers, where a tradition has already been made and that's still to be continued ... so, that's my argument."

Jay Williams tried to talk some sense into Pierce ... saying, "You don't need to make an organization great in order to be one of the greatest of all time."

But, The Truth wasn't hearing any of it ... saying his Top 5 is MJ, Kareem, Russell, Magic and Kobe.

Of course, Pierce's take is a bit hypocritical ... considering his only championship came when he teamed up with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form the first "super team" in 2007 -- but then again, no one's putting Pierce in their top lists.

On top of the take, Pierce has thrown some major shade at Bron's Lakers back in 2019 ... telling TMZ Sports "LeBron is doing very well out here -- with his production company."

So ... is Pierce just bitter ... or is he really speaking his Truth??

Hello, kids. This is what it's like to get DUNKED ON HARD by an actual NBA player!

Here's Spurs star Dejounte Murray just dishing out some punishment to some of his young neighbors in San Antonio ... and the video is awesome!!

Of course, this was all in good fun -- and the kids LOVED IT!

But man, the dunk show was FEROCIOUS!!

Off the wall dunks?? Yep. Reverse dunks? Mmmhmmm. In your face banger dunks? ABSOLUTELY!

Murray says he knows the local kids had been wanting to play for months ... and they finally built up the courage to ask, so he delivered.

"I Guess For The Past 2 Months These Kids Been Scared To Come To My Door To Ask Me To Play With Them And Today They Finally Wasn’t Scared To Ask And We Got To Play And Become Friends," Murray said.

"I Swear This What Makes My JOB The Best Because I Get To Connect With People All Around The World!!"

Murray even posed for pics with the kids and their families afterward.

23-year-old Murray -- who signed a 4-year, $64 million extension -- missed the entire 2018-19 season after tearing his ACL ... but he's got insane potential.

We all thought it ... but now some confirmation -- Dennis Rodman intentionally went after Karl Malone during the 1998 NBA Playoffs to help push a pro wrestling storyline involving both NBA stars.

... this according to former WCW president Eric Bischoff.

Remember, Rodman famously slapped Malone on the ass during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Bulls vs. Jazz.

Of course, both NBA stars would clash at the WCW pay-per-view event, "Bash at the Beach," just a short time later ... begging the question, was the in-game altercation scripted beforehand?

The answer ... sort of.

Bischoff admits he encouraged Rodman to mix it up with Malone -- but not in any way that would affect the outcome of the game.

"Now, what I said to Dennis, not to Karl was, 'Hey Dennis, if anything were to happen off court while there's a timeout, while there's no gameplay ... so that the feud between Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman is real, on a kind of a 360-degree basis, not just what happens on our TV show,' that wouldn't piss me off at all."

In other words, Bischoff says he didn't give a direct order -- but didn't talk Dennis out of it either.

Bischoff also tells TMZ Sports he made sure both his boss at Turner Sports and the NBA knew that the Rodman vs. Malone story "didn't interrupt the gameplay."

Bischoff says he LOVED how it all played out during the game -- "I chuckled like a little kid because it accomplished so much."

"As a wrestling producer, to be able to create a moment ... that played out on a platform so huge as the NBA playoffs was really satisfying."

So, how did the wrestling match turn out?

Rodman and Hollywood Hulk Hogan went on to defeat Malone and Diamond Dallas Page in a tag-team match.

The situation was featured on the ESPN docuseries, "Last Dance" -- which also touched on the time Rodman skipped out in a Bulls practice between Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals to appear live on WCW Nitro.

"I certainly didn't expect Dennis to skip practice and participate in Nitro," Bischoff says ... "That decision was all Dennis."

Horace Grant is going scorched-earth on Michael Jordan -- claiming 'Last Dance' was filled with "lies" to make MJ look good ... when in reality, Jordan is nothing but a "snitch."

Yeah, man, Horace is PISSED!!

Of course, Horace participated in the ESPN docuseries -- most memorably to deny he leaked sensitive information about MJ to Bulls reporter Sam Smith back in the day.

Bottom line -- it became abundantly clear the two men don't like each other ... and haven't gotten along in years despite winning 3 NBA championships together.

Fast-forward to Tuesday when Grant appeared on the "Kap and Co" radio show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago and was asked straight-up if he was the Sam Smith leak.

"It is a downright, outright, completely lie," Grant said ... "Lie, lie, lie."

"If MJ had a grudge with me, let's settle this like men ... Let's talk about it. Or we can settle it another way. But yet and still, he goes out and puts this lie out that I was the source behind [the Sam Smith book Jordan Rules]."

Grant strongly believes MJ still holds a grudge against him -- "And, I think he proved that during this so-called documentary."

"When if you say something about [Jordan], he's going to cut you off, he's going to try to destroy your character."

That's when Grant brought up Charles Barkley -- and how MJ cut off their decades-long friendship after Sir Chuck criticized his management of the Charlotte Bobcats on TV.

"Charles Barkley, they've been friends for over 20, 30 years ... and he said something about Michael's management with the Charlotte Bobcats or the Charlotte Hornets, and then they haven't spoken since then."

"And, my point is, he said that I was the snitch, but yet and still after 35 years he brings up his rookie year going into one of his teammates' rooms and seeing coke, and weed and women. My point is: Why the hell did he want to bring that up? What's that got to do with anything? I mean, if you want to call somebody a snitch, that's a damn snitch right there."

Grant then criticized the docuseries as a whole -- acknowledging it was entertaining but says 90% of it was "B.S."

"It wasn't real -- because a lot of things [Jordan] said to some of his teammates, that his teammates went back at him. But, all of that was kind of edited out of the documentary, if you want to call it a documentary."