NBA

LeBron James just smashed all rumors about the Cavs not liking Khloe Kardashian -- because he gave her a big ol' bear hug after a night out with her in L.A. and TMZ Sports has the video.

LeBron hit up Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios on Friday with teammate Tristan Thompson and his girlfriend, Khloe K.

Witnesses at the park say Kourtney Kardashian and Russell Westbrook were also there -- but you don't see them in the video.

After the big night out, the group said their goodbyes at the valet stand -- with LeBron and Tristan sharing one of their famous dancing handshakes before going their separate ways.

Lonzo Ball is gonna give it all to you in this video ... get ready.

You know dude's got hops ... so maybe the INSANE dunk is ho-hum everyday action for you (crazy). But check out the dance he busts after freakin' the dunk at the Lakers practice facility and ask yourself ...

Should Odell Beckham Jr. be looking over his shoulder? Is there a new king of the dance ready to take over professional sports and captivate us with his pre-game and in-game gyrations?

Draymond Green's reaction when asked about Kevin Durant's alleged secret Twitter account might be the funniest thing you watch all day.

The Golden State Warriors star was leaving Catch in West Hollywood with DeAndre Jordan when we asked about one of the biggest stories in the NBA ... KD allegedly setting up an anonymous 2nd Twitter account to deal with trolls.

Earlier this week, KD seemingly exposed himself when trashing the OKC Thunder in a tweet that appeared to be meant for posting on his 2nd account. Instead he posted it using his official account. Oops.

So, we had to ask the guys about it ... and the reaction is priceless.

Add another intriguing name to the list of potential additions for BIG3 Season 2 ... cause former NBA star T.J. Ford says he's healthy and ready to ball out in Ice Cube's league.

We got T.J. leaving L.A. after catching Saturday's USC-Texas thriller -- which he told us was epic, BTW -- and the Longhorns legend holla'd at Cube for a roster spot next year.

The only problem ... Ford retired from the NBA before he turned 30 -- after serious neck injuries left him temporarily paralyzed.

FYI, Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury and Gilbert Arenas have all been tied to the BIG3 ... so T.J. ain't the only risky proposal on Cube's plate.

Is Dwyane Wade goin' home to Miami?

With all the whispers of him being bought out by the Chicago Bulls ... we had to ask when we got D-Wade and Gabrielle Union leaving Catch in L.A.

Wade played it super coy -- just like when we asked about a potential LeBron reunion -- but he also couldn't stop cheesin' ... which kinda makes us think he's heard from ex-Heat bro, Udonis Haslem.

Hard to say which way he's leanin' ... but the NBA superstar does still call South Beach home, FYI.

Hey WNBA (hell, maybe NBA), Kobe Bryant's daughter is coming to dominate you all ... here's video of the making of a new Mamba -- and it seems like the snake doesn't slither far from the father.

Kobe posted video of his 11-year-old daughter, Gianna, getting some work in ... and that work was learning some signature Bryant moves -- the same moves that dominated the NBA for 20 years.

Bryant explained the workout in one of his captions, saying they were both inspired to get up and sweat by the upcoming WNBA Finals rematch ... and debuted a new nickname for her -- "Mambacita."

Magic Johnson is all about the Balls ... so much that he says he's willing to shell out nearly $1,000 for both Lonzo AND LaMelo's signature sneakers!!

The Lakers Prez was leaving Craig's in WeHo when we asked him if he was gonna cop his prized rookie's $495 ZO2s ... or his H.S. phenom baby bro's $395 Melo Ball 1s.

Kevin Durant says he's 100% behind Jemele Hill "standing up for what she believes in" ... telling TMZ Sports he totally supports the embattled ESPN star.

"I'm behind Jemele -- I support her," Durant told us outside Poppy in L.A.

Donald Trump came at ESPN on Friday for Hill's "white supremacist" tweet -- demanding the network "apologize for untruth" ... this after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Hill's comment a "fireable offense."

Of course, KD has his own issues with POTUS -- remember when he told us he "don't f**k with" the Donald? Yeah, not a fan ... but still, having an MVP publicly support Hill is a HUGE deal.

Ric Flair has a new tag team partner as he pushes through physical therapy -- Charles Barkley!

The pair snapped a pic at a rehab center in Georgia on Thursday -- with The Nature Boy bragging, "Look who popped in today! Sir Charles."

Of course, Ric's on the road to recovery after undergoing emergency surgery to address organ problems ... and is looking great considering he was in critical condition last month.

Unclear if Chuck just happened to be in the same facility -- he had hip replacement surgery last year -- or was there specifically to visit Naitch ... but the NBA legend looks like he's ready to drop sweat.

FYI, Barkley and Flair have known each other for decades ... cutting a promo for WCW together back in the day.

WOOOOO!!

Sacramento Kings star Zach Randolph just struck a pretty sweet deal in his marijuana case ... and all he has to do is a TON of community service.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Z-Bo was arrested for felony weed possession with intent to sell back in August when cops say they busted him with more than 2 pounds of pot in Nickerson Gardens.

The charges were later reduced to misdemeanor possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana and resisting arrest ... and Randolph was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted on both accounts.

But now, we've learned Randolph struck a deal with prosecutors to plead no contest to misdemeanor resisting arrest ... and in exchange, the pot charge was tossed completely.

Randolph was sentenced to 150 hours of community service as part of a diversion program, which means if he completes the hours and keeps his nose clean for 12 months, the resisting arrest conviction will be wiped from his record.

One more thing ... Randolph was specifically told he may not associate himself with or be around drug dealers as part of the terms of the deal.

The case is due back in court for a progress report in December. Good luck!

L.A. Lakers rising star Larry Nance Jr. is officially off the market ... 'cause the NBA baller just proposed to his college sweetheart with a MASSIVE diamond ring!!

The 24-year-old and his longtime girlfriend, Hailey Pince -- a fellow U. of Wyoming alum -- announced the big news on social media Tuesday by showing off the huge rock.

LNJ and the aspiring model have been dating for over 3 years ... and he explained his decision to pop the question by channeling his inner Beyonce, saying "I liked it, so I put a ring on it."

Nance can reportedly make up to $7 million over the next 3 years ... so yeah, dude can afford to splurge on his girl.

LeBron James surprised the basketball team at Notre Dame High School in L.A. on Tuesday -- hitting the gym for a training session while his wife checked out the campus ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Bron and Savannah James rolled up to the school in a chauffeured car around 6 PM and walked around campus before a workout on the court.

LeBron owns a home in Brentwood and there's talk he could be checking out various private schools to send his kids -- including 12-year-old Bronny, one of the best hoop prospects in the country.

Notre Dame is one of the top private schools in the area -- with an alumni list that includes Giancarlo Stanton, Rachel Bilson, Dave Navarro, Katharine McPhee and Jerry Mathers.

Any school would kill for Bron's kids -- but it's unclear if ND is seriously in the running.

It's a Catholic school ... so ... pray?

10:55 PM PT -- LeBron has posted a video thanking the school for opening the gym so he could work out after a long day of shooting commercials.

LeBron insists the kids had no idea he was coming and emphasizes that he was there to get his own workout in.

LBJ makes no mention of the school being a candidate for his own kids. Sorry, Knights.

When it comes to retiring jerseys, the Lakers are taking two steps forward with Kobe Bryant -- and two steps WAY BACK with Paula Abdul!!

Here's the deal ... did you know the Lakers retired Paula's legendary Laker Girl uniform back in the day?

Of course you don't because for some reason, it's not hanging in the rafters at Staples Center next to the other greats like Magic, Shaq, Kareem and Jerry West.

When we saw Paula at LAX on Tuesday, she told us the Lakers had initially hung it up next to Kareem back when the team played at The Forum ... but when they moved, Paula's old outfit was relocated to a wall somewhere in the arena instead of up with the rest of the legends.

C'MON LAKERS!!!! PUT PAULA BACK IN THE RAFTERS!!!!

Paula became the HEAD of the Laker Girls when she was only 19 years old and led them to become the greatest cheerleading squad in pro sports during an epic 6-year run!

Plus, if Taylor Swift has a banner up at Staples Center, Paula should too.

Stephon Marbury's better off in the BIG3 ... but is in such crazy-good shape, he could hoop in the NBA too -- so says Al Harrington, one of Starbury's BFFs.

Al knows what he's talking about ... dude's a 16-year NBA vet and reigning BIG3 champ -- and, most importantly, chats with Marbury all the time.

Harrington was literally seconds away from hitting up Stephon when TMZ Sports found him in L.A. -- and asked if he seriously thought the 40-year-old could still ball with the best.

"Vince Carter doin’ it, so why not?" BUT ... "I think he’d be better served in the BIG3."

Al told us he's actually been recruiting Starbury for Ice Cube's league ... but it's up to his boy to choose -- or just DO BOTH!

If not ... there's always China.

Kobe Bryant will be the first Laker in team history to have TWO jersey numbers retired ... when they put #8 and #24 in the Staples Center rafters in December.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Lake Show will have a ceremony to retire Kobe's jersey on Dec. 18 before the Lakers play the Golden State Warriors.

The big question was which # would get the VIP treatment.

The answer? Both ... according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Of course, Bryant dominated in both numbers ... winning 3 NBA championships in #8 (2000, 2001, 2002) and 2 in #24 (2009, 2010).

BTW, Rick Fox kinda called this ... predicting a double number retirement way back in 2015.

Don't call it a comeback -- cause it's a looongshot -- but Stephon Marbury says he's gunnin' for an NBA return!

The 40-year-old announced the news on social media, adding that -- "I still have a lot of go in me as a player and at 40 being able to play at a high level is a gift."

Remember ... Starbury left the league 8 YEARS ago after a string of sketchy off-court incidents -- highlighted by him eating Vaseline straight out of a jar.

He famously packed his bags for China ... and became the most legendary player in Chinese Basketball Association history (for real, dude's already got his own statue).

Now, Marbury says he's ready to "turn towards the last page of my basketball diary that I've been writing since 95 when I left Lincoln High."

Will a team take a chance on him? We'll see ...