NBA

LeBron James is taking advantage of the NBA's relaxed dress code while in the Orlando bubble ... rockin' an open shirt and showing some serious skin before the Laker game on Monday!!

Of course, the league decided to take it easy on its fashion requirements during the NBA's restart ... allowing players to ditch their sport coats and suits for a more casual look.

LBJ is taking things to a whole 'nother level before tipping off against the Denver Nuggets ... wearing an unbuttoned short sleeve shirt and some shorts.

If you didn't know about the context, you'd assume the King was about to hit the beach!!

"Miami Drip in Orlando," L.A.'s Twitter account captured the pic of James heading to the team bus.

To top off the whole look, LBJ is sporting the Klutch Sports agency with a custom mask ... which has to make his buddy Rich Paul happy about the free advertising.

Shredded?? Check. Hot?? Yup. Vacation in paradise?? Better believe it!!

Star couple Caroline Wozniacki and David Lee have taken their summer getaway around the globe to Italy ... soaking up the sun at a pool in Portofino.

Of course, the former tennis superstar and ex-NBA hooper have been doing a bit of sight-seeing after Woz announced her retirement in January ... recently hitting up Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in France.

And, just like in France, the couple ditched their clothes for their swimsuits ... proving there's no such thing as a retirement bod for either of them.

Woz decided to go with a one-piece patterned suit this time around ... although we know she's a big fan of bikinis -- even rocking one for a hike last week.

But, CW ain't the only one who can show off -- gotta give Lee his credit as well!!

We'll be sure to keep you posted on their next stop on the Hot Couple World Tour.

Now entering the game for the (insert NBA team name here) ... J. Cole?!?

NBA player Larry Sanders says HELL YEAH ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the rapper has a real chance at making his pro ball dreams come true.

Of course, the idea took off when 35-year-old Cole -- who grew up loving and playing basketball -- starred in a Puma commercial hinting at trying to get a shot at the Association.

Master P told us Cole is dead serious about making it happen ... and even the Detroit Pistons told the "Lion King On Ice" MC to hit 'em up for a tryout.

We spoke with Sanders -- who's played in 6 NBA seasons -- and asked if Cole's got a realistic chance ... and his answer may surprise you.

"I do, for real. I've seen him hoop before in some games and I knew he took the game seriously when he was younger."

"He always raps about it, so that's dope. I'm excited to see that."

Sanders knows exactly what the process will be like, but in reverse -- the 31-year-old has made waves in the music industry off the court ... and even produced a song for PARTYNEXTDOOR.

"It's gonna be just like the music game. Me doing music, everybody laughed at me, everybody went at my head and challenged me ... and I had to go prove myself."

Sanders -- who recently told us he's working on making it back to the league as well -- says he loves the idea of joining forces with Cole on a team next year ... which could end up in some music collabs!!

Bad news for Jake Paul ... one of the best young boxers in the game is giving his biggest secrets to NBA star Nate Robinson -- undefeated two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez!!

Of course, Robinson is prepping to take on the YouTube superstar-turned-fighter in an undercard match for the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, Jr. fight on September 12.

Some experts believe Paul may come away with the easy dub because he's 2-0 and has more experience ... but Benavidez makes it clear Robinson has been putting in that work.

"I was in there giving him some pointers," the 23-year-old tells us. "I was trying to teach him a little bit about the boxing game. So, I definitely gave him a few gems, so I feel like he's gonna be more than ready for his upcoming fight."

FYI -- Jake and Nate have been going AT IT ever since the fight was announced ... and recently got into a heated trash-talkin' sesh in an interview with TMZ Sports.

Benavidez -- who has a big fight against Alexis Angulo August 15 on Showtime -- says he knows Robinson picked up the sport a few years ago, so any talk of him being too fresh to boxing is simply not true.

LeBron James says the NBA won't miss Donald Trump as a viewer -- essentially telling POTUS not to let the door hit him on the way out!

"I really don't think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership," James said after the Lakers lost to the OKC Thunder on Wednesday ... "And, that's all I got to say."

SPOILER: That wasn't all he had to say.

Of course, Bron as reacting to comments Trump made earlier that day -- when he blasted the NBA kneeling protests as "disgraceful" during an interview with "FOX & Friends."

LeBron and the overwhelming majority of people inside the bubble have been kneeling during the national anthem before games while wearing Black Lives Matter shirts.

Trump no likey.

"When I see people kneeling during the playing and disrespecting our flag and national anthem, what I do personally is turn off the game," Trump added.

When asked about the comments, LeBron said he didn't want to get into another public social media spat with POTUS ... but followed up by essentially calling for people to vote Trump out of office in November.

"I think our game is in a beautiful position and we have fans all over the world and our fans not only love the way we play the game, we try to give it back to them with our commitment to the game."

"But also respect what else we try to bring to the game and acknowledge it -- what's right and what's wrong," James said.

"And I hope everyone, no matter the race, no matter the color, no matter the size, will see what leadership that we have at the top in our country and understand that November is right around the corner and it's a big moment for us as Americans."

"If we continue to talk about, 'We want better, we want change, we have an opportunity to do that."

"But the game will go on without his eyes on it. I can sit here and speak for all of us that love the game of basketball: We could [not] care less."

"You're talking about grown men, 85% of them single and you have them locked up at Disney World?!"

That's ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas raising some issues going on inside the NBA bubble ... insinuating players are reaching their breaking point after going weeks without sex.

Look, it's a fair point -- the players entered the bubble at the beginning of July ... and so far, officials have restricted families and girlfriends from joining them.

When we saw Arenas out in Calabasas on Wednesday, he told us he's been speaking with some of the guys on the inside -- and gave us the update on how they're holding up.

"[They're] primadonnas right now," Arenas says ... explaining they're used to living a fun, party lifestyle -- but that all changed when they stepped in the bubble.

Now, they're restricted to their confined space at Disney World -- and it's starting to take a toll.

Arenas is also calling out Lou Williams -- and saying his excuse about hitting up the famous Magic City strip club for chicken wings during his time out of the bubble is complete BS.

"I would never eat at a strip club. I don't go to the strip club to eat wings," Gilbert says.

"I can go to Wing Stop for some wings. I go to the strip club to see strippers."

Saw this coming from a mile away ... but here's President Donald Trump going scorched earth on the NBA kneelers -- calling the demonstration "disgraceful."

"When I see people kneeling during the playing and disrespecting our flag and national anthem, what I do personally is turn off the game," Trump said Wednesday morning in a phone interview with "FOX & Friends."

"I think it's disgraceful. We work with [the NBA], we worked with them very hard trying to get open. I was pushing for them to get open. Then I see everybody kneeling during the anthem. That's not acceptable to me."

"When I see them kneeling during the game, I just turn off the game. I have no interest in the game. Let me tell you this, plenty of other people out there, too."

During the call, Trump also claimed NBA ratings are way down -- when according to TV sports media outlets, the rating are up 14% from the average before the season was suspended.

Trump added, "We have to stand up for our flag, stand up for our country. A lot of people agree with me. If I'm wrong, I'm going to lose an election. That's okay with me. I will always stand for our flag."

Trump has always hated kneeling -- and publicly blasted Colin Kaepernick and other NFL stars for taking a knee back in 2017 ... calling for the NFL fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the Star-Spangled Banner.

Ever since the NBA rebooted last week, just about every player, coach, ref and staff member inside the Bubble have taken a knee during the anthem before games.

Only 4 people -- 2 players, 2 coaches -- have stood for the anthem.

LeBron James, who took a knee, said he hopes the demonstration makes Colin Kaepernick proud and helps to shine a spotlight on police brutality and social injustice affecting the Black community and others.

During the call, Trump also claimed he's done more for the Black community than any other president -- with the "possible exception of Abraham Lincoln."

"There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates."

That's Vanessa Bryant's key argument as to why the court should REJECT a requested venue change in her wrongful death lawsuit -- claiming Kobe's legacy expands way beyond L.A.

As we previously reported, Island Express Helicopters and the estate for pilot Ara Zobayan had asked the court to move the case from L.A. to Orange County, arguing they couldn't get a fair trial in the city where the Lakers star played NBA ball for 20 years.

Now, Vanessa is firing back ... saying she lawfully selected L.A. as her venue because that's where the January 26th helicopter crash occurred -- and she's digging in her heels to keep it there.

Not only does Vanessa point out the Bryants have lived in Orange County for nearly 20 years and Kobe's "popularity there is just as strong as anywhere else" -- but she also claims it really doesn't matter where you go, Kobe is beloved all over the U.S.

"Defendant fails to acknowledge the extent to which Kobe Bryant’s legacy penetrates American culture," Vanessa's attorney states in new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

"There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates. Public esteem for Kobe Bryant is a fact of American life."

Vanessa is right about Kobe's popularity -- when he passed away back in January, tributes poured in from all over the world ... including Italy and Japan.

A massive Kobe mural even went up in Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina!

As for the venue change, that's now up to a judge to decide.

"As much as I love Michael Jordan, like, dawg, man, LeBron James is the one, dawg. He the one, man."

Did Allen Iverson just pick LeBron James over Michael Jordan in the great G.O.A.T. debate? Sure seems that way.

But, it's not exactly crystal clear -- we'll explain.

A.I. was on Fat Joe's podcast this week ... when Joe asked Iverson about what music got him hyped before games -- and that's when the former Sixers superstar went on a tangent.

Allen talked about all his favorite musicians ... before eventually saying, "I love what's the best, man. You dig what I'm saying? ... I'm not going to fight what's the best. I'm not going to fight."

"As much as I love Michael Jordan, like, dawg, man, LeBron James is the one, dawg. He the one, man."

"That mother f***er is the one, man," A.I. said of Bron.

So, he's picking Bron over MJ, right?! Maybe ... but maybe not.

But, he then also showed some serious love to Kevin Durant, calling the Brooklyn Nets superstar "the one" as well.

Unclear if that meant A.I. was also putting Durant ahead of Jordan in the great NBA debate ... but Allen did say, "Kevin Durant is the one, man, The one."

Damian Lillard says he wasn't surprised ONE BIT when Carmelo Anthony hit a clutch dagger to seal Portland's win over Houston on Tuesday ... because the dude is a Hall of Famer!

36-year-old Melo came up HUGE for the Trail Blazers in the final 3 minutes of the game -- blocking P.J. Tucker's 3-point shot ... and then nailing a THREE of his own with less than a minute left in the game. Melo's shot put Portland up by 5 and sealed the victory. The Blazers won 110 to 102.

After the victory, Lillard praised the hell out of Melo -- and said he's sick of the disrespect surrounding the future HOF'er.

“He’s a Hall of Famer," Lillard said ... "It’s more disappointing that people are surprised by it."

"We expect him to make those shots … no surprises here."

Lillard continued to the media after the game ...

"When we got him, everybody had something to say about him: what he's going to do defensively, he's getting older, he's done, where's he going to fit in."

"I find it real funny and disrespectful how people speak on him. He's a Hall of Famer."

FYI, Melo finished the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals in 36 minutes.

Michael Jordan's Air Jordan 1's gave birth to sneaker culture in 1985 ... and now 1 of the first pairs MJ rocked during his rookie year with the Bulls are for sale!!

... And, if ya got around 600 grand, they could be yours.

The game-worn, autographed pair of red, white and black AJ 1's -- donned by Michael during the '84-'85 NBA season -- already has a $122k bid on Goldin Auctions website ... with over 18 days left in the auction.

The already incredibly high value of Jordan memorabilia has skyrocketed since ESPN's "The Last Dance" docuseries aired. In fact, a similar pair of AJ1's recently sold for $560k.

But, there's something special about GA's pair ... 'cause Jordan actually signed the sneakers on-camera during a television interview with a local L.A. sports reporter 7 years after he donned them in an NBA game.

The reporter -- Rick Lozano -- was previously gifted the Jordan's (left shoe size 13.5, right 13) by Michael's former teammate, Bulls player Gene Banks.

36 years ago, Jordan had a spectacular rookie year -- averaging 28 ppg, 6.5 rebounds, 6 assists while easily winning Rookie of the Year -- and now you can own the kicks that started a sneaker revolution.

The auction runs through August 22 ... and we're told the final number could be over $600k!!

Is this really happening?!?

J. Cole is getting his first shot at making his NBA dream come true ... with the Detroit Pistons offering the rapper a tryout!!!

As we previously reported, rap legend Master P says the 35-year-old North Carolina native is training like crazy to get a shot at the league ... and even asked P for advice on how to turn from MC to baller while working on a Puma commercial together.

Considering P landed 2 NBA contracts in the '90s with the Raptors and Hornets, it wouldn't be the first time a rapper has hit the hardwood as a pro ... and Cole is known for being a legit threat with his game.

The Pistons got wind of our interview with P ... and used their official Twitter account to let Jermaine know they'd love to be the team to give him a legit shot at making it to the NBA -- and even used his own lyrics in the offer.

"We see you out here. You said they only got 12 slots on the Pistons," the team said, referencing his song, "FRIENDS."

"Hit us up for that tryout. This is for all the dreamers."

Look ... this could very well all be for publicity. But, then again, stranger things have happened.

After all, the Pistons went 20-46 last season ... so they can use all the help they can get.

You know what to do now, J. -- pick up the phone!!!

OKC Thunder guard Dennis Schroder -- a frontrunner for the 6th Man of the Year Award -- has left the NBA's bubble in Orlando to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

Schroder has been playing a huge role off the bench for OKC this season ... averaging nearly 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

But, Thunder coach Billy Donovan confirmed DS left the team early Monday morning to be with his family ... as his wife, Ellen, prepares for the new arrival.

Of course, players are able to leave the bubble for family emergencies and other significant reasons ... and will be required to quarantine once they return to the Disney World campus.

OKC is currently in 6th in the Western Conference as the playoffs near ... but Schroder made it crystal clear he was not about to miss out on the moment.

"I love my teammates, I love basketball, but family comes first all the time," he said last month.

Jonathan Isaac -- the Magic player who stood for the national anthem and did not wear a BLM shirt before Orlando's game last Friday -- has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Sunday.

Isaac gained national attention just 3 days ago ... when he became the league's first player in the NBA bubble restart to stand for the anthem.

Wearing his Magic jersey and warmup sweats ... Isaac stood with his hands behind his back and bowed his head during the song -- and after the game, he explained he didn't participate in the demonstration with his teammates for religious reasons.

But, Isaac, playing in just his second game since the Friday gesture ... drove the lane against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and blew out his knee.

The video is tough to watch ... Isaac's leg buckled -- and afterward, the Magic said the 22-year-old is now "out indefinitely and his return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation."

Isaac had started 32 games for Orlando this season ... and averaged 11.9 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Only one other player, meanwhile, followed in Isaac's anthem-standing footsteps in the NBA's restart this past weekend ... Miami Heat's Meyers Leonard also stood for the song before his game Saturday.

After the move, Leonard -- who said he supports the BLM movement -- told ESPN, "Our world right now is black and white. There is a line in the sand, and it says if I don't kneel, then I'm not with Black Lives Matter. That is not true."

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich also chose to stand for the anthem before San Antonio's game Friday night as well.

Metta World Peace doesn't knock Jonathan Isaac for not kneeling for Black Lives Matter -- in fact, he says he'd probably do the same thing if he was still in the league.

MWP was at LAX Friday night when he dished his thoughts on the controversy -- namely, that the Orlando Magic player was the only one so far to not kneel during the National Anthem. According to Metta, the dude's entitled to his opinion.

He takes it even further though, telling our photog he probably wouldn't get on bended knee either if he was still playing. Metta tries explaining his rationale, saying he doesn't want to kneel for his enemy. Hard to say what he means, but we'll let him explain.

It sounds like he does support BLM -- shoot, we've seen the guy at protests early and often -- but it could be that he just doesn't believe in kneeling for anyone or any cause, period. Jonathan said he wouldn't kneel because it went against his Christian beliefs.

Metta's view seems to echo what Charles Barkley said earlier this week -- guys not kneeling doesn't necessarily make them bad people.