NBA

Ex-NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife -- a singer who appeared on "American Idol" -- were both killed in a single car crash in Studio City, CA early Wednesday morning, TMZ Sports has learned.

38-year-old Butler -- who was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2002 -- lost control of his Range Rover around 2 AM, struck a parking meter and slammed into a wall. The car flipped.

Officers believe the car was speeding before it lost control.

Butler had a long NBA career after an impressive run at La Salle -- where he was a 2-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 Player. He's a member of the La Salle Hall of Athletics.

He went on to play in the NBA until 2016 -- with stints on the Hornets, Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Wizards and Spurs.

Rasual most recently played in Ice Cube's BIG3 league.

Butler's wife Leah LaBelle, 31, was an R&B singer who was signed to Epic Records. She placed 12th on the 3rd Season of "American Idol" back in 2004.

Rasual is survived by a daughter from a previous relationship, Raven Butler.

R.I.P.

Rasual Butler's death is hitting the NBA hard -- with his friends and former teammates sending their condolences to Butler's family.

John Wall -- "I will always remember the time we shared together as teammates, you were the big brother. I appreciate the advice you shared, not just about basketball but life. Sending my deepest condolences to the families of Rasual and Leah. May you both rest in peace."

Blake Griffin -- "You were a great teammate and an even better person. Rest in peace my friend."

LaMarcus Aldridge -- "Devastated to hear the news about the passing of my former teammate, Rasual, & his wife. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families during this difficult time. Rasual was an amazing teammate and an even better person. He will truly be missed!"

Kyle Lowry -- "I remember I called you when you got drafted on draft night and I was at a camp and I wanted to show off because I knew you and you answered the phone for a 16 year old who was one of your biggest fans.. this is truly a sad day for me !! RIP Sual bop my oldhead!!"

Austin Rivers -- "It was a pleasure meeting you man. Getting to work with you last year was amazing. For you were not only a knowledgeable player....but more so a great man! Smh Crazy this just happened. May you and your wife RIP in heaven."

Kevin Love -- "Incredibly sad news to hear about Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. Prayers to both of their families through this tough time."

Ray Allen -- "I cannot believe this!!!!!!!!!My heart is heavy!!! We lost a good one today! RIP Rasual you were such a great talent on the court but an even better man off it! My thoughts are with the entire Butler family as they mourn the tragic loss of their son/brother and his beautiful wife, Leah. Gone too soon. Rest in power."

Reggie Miller -- "Saddened by the news and the loss of Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. Talk about a great dude and family man. I know he had many stops during his 13 year NBA journey, but he was beloved becasue of his work ethic in Indiana. New guardian Angels."

Paul Pierce -- "So sad this morning to here about my friend and teammate 😢 RIP Rasual Butler appreciate the people around u because u never know."

Chauncey Billups -- "I’m shocked, saddened and in disbelief about the news on my friend Rasual Butler and his wife Leah. May God be with their families. We will miss you 'Sul.'"

Allen Iverson -- "Rest easy my brother. See you when I get there!!!"

Shaq -- "Still can’t believe the news about my main man SOOL BOP. #riprasualbutler🏀#THELILHOMIEFROMPHILLY."

Kobe Bryant -- "Rest In Peace my brother #RasualButler."

Miami Heat -- "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle. Our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and many friends of Rasual and Leah. They will be missed."

L.A. Clippers -- "The L.A. Clippers are deeply saddened by the loss of Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle. Rasual will long be remembered not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for his vibrant personality, positive outlook and the compassion he had for everyone around him."

Looks like the players who got traded for Blake Griffin ain't too broke up about leaving the Motor City ... 'cause they're already exploring the L.A. hot spots the day after the deal!

L.A., meet Boban Marjanovic, Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris -- the 3 ex-Pistons who will attempt to pick up the pieces left by Lob City.

TMZ Sports spotted the trio out at Toca Madera in Beverly Grove Tuesday night ... and though they weren't too talkative, it's clear they're already enjoying that West Coast livin'.

Hopefully they can cheer up DeAndre Jordan ...

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon has officially been hit with multiple criminal charges stemming from his robbery arrest in L.A. back in November, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the former Chicago Bulls star was arrested at a downtown L.A. apartment building after allegedly pulling a knife on the building manager, punching him in the face and demanding his security deposit back. He allegedly made off with a couple thousand dollars.

The case was kicked over to the L.A. City Attorney's Office which decided to move forward with 4 misdemeanor charges against Gordon -- battery, brandishing a weapon, criminal threats and carrying a knife in plain view.

We're told if he's convicted on all counts, he faces up to 3 years behind bars.

Blake Griffin shouldn't be mad at Lolo Jones for outing him as a bad kisser -- he should use it as a teachable moment and IMPROVE his lip game ... so says Marlon Wayans.

First off, Marlon was SHOCKED Lolo would do Blake dirty in public when we told him what Lolo said about BG on social media. But after he processed the news, Marlon gives a pretty hilarious message to the ex-Clipper star.

"Blake, brah ... gotta get your kiss game on!"

In other words, "She woulda traded you to Detroit, basically."

As if Blake Griffin's week couldn't get any worse, U.S. Olympic star Lolo Jones just went all the way IN on the hooper ... calling him the "worst date ever" and a "terrible kisser."

Griffin was part of a blockbuster trade from the Clippers to the Pistons on Monday ... which Lolo apparently thought was the perfect time to reveal her bad experience with B.G.

Sources tell us the two went on a date "years ago" -- and Lolo's post was a "half joke."

Wonder if Blake's half-laughing?

DeAndre Jordan didn't just sit at home and sulk after his Clippers teammate (and good friend), Blake Griffin, was traded to Detroit ... he hit the town -- but wasn't his usual happy self.

DJ rolled into Nice Guy in West Hollywood -- one of the hottest nightspots in town -- but didn't want to talk about the blockbuster deal that went down just hours before.

He was equally quiet on the way out ... as he got in to a waiting, decked-out sprinter van and drove off into the night. Though he did stop to dap up some waiting fans.

Lonzo Ball's international rap career just got the seal of approval from a pretty big rap star ... 'cause Tyga says he 100% supports Zo's upcoming Lithuania show.

Remember -- Lonzo video'd in during Lithuania's equivalent of the Grammys last week, and revealed he's planning a summer concert in the tiny country where his bros are ballin' out.

Seemed like a weird spot to hold his first live set ... but Tyga doesn't think so.

Zion Williamson is gonna be great at Duke ... but we gotta pump the breaks on hailing him as the next LeBron -- so says Grant Hill.

We got the Duke legend at LAX a couple days after Zion committed to the Blue Devils ... and Grant was pumped on Coach K locking down yet another elite prospect.

"I hope the rims are ready in Cameron," Hill told TMZ Sports.

But Grant says that even though Zion's got the tools to be a king -- athleticism, size, explosiveness -- expecting him to become THE King is too much, especially this early (remember O.J. Mayo??).

Fair enough, but the kid definitely passes the eye test ...

Bucks rookie Sterling Brown was tasered by cops in a Walgreens parking lot early Friday morning in Milwaukee ... and arrested on a misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.

Brown, 22, was double-parked in two handicap spaces around 2 AM ... and reportedly became combative with police when he saw them writing a ticket, according to News/Talk 1130 in Wisconsin.

In a statement, Milwaukee Police Sgt. Timothy Gauerke confirmed the use of a taser -- "During the incident an electronic control device was deployed and the man was arrested."

Gauerke added -- "The circumstances of the incident and the use of force are currently being reviewed by the Department."

Lonzo Ball wants to put the "lit" in Lithuania ... announcing he's coming to the Eastern European country to perform his very first rap concert!

Lonzo's dad, LaVar Ball, was reportedly presenting the Hip-Hop Act of the Year trophy at the M.A.M.A. Awards (like the Lithuanian Grammys) ... when he introduced Lonzo via a prerecorded video.

Lonzo says the plan is to fly in over the summer and perform a show for the locals -- obviously capitalizing on the publicity splash his brothers are making as pro baller on Vytautus.

Lonzo raps under the name Zo -- and has already dropped a couple of singles, including "BBB" and "Super Saiyan."

Most rappers don't go to Europe to catapult their careers ... but Lonzo ain't most rappers.

76er and Lakers fans REJOICE ... the broke ass jump shots of Markelle Fultz & Lonzo Ball can be fixed ... according to a pro shooting coach who says he knows the antidote to their bricks.

Fultz is befuddling the basketball world with his sudden inability to find the hoop, with videos of 76ers practice showing the #1 pick can't even draw iron anymore.

We spoke to Chris "Lethal Shooter" Matthews, an ex-pro hooper, who's worked with huge NBA stars on their form, and drawn millions of views on social media for his shooting exhibitions.

He says he can help Fultz, and Lonzo, another young player who can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn.

"I really truly believe I can help take those guys to the next level when it comes to the art of shooting."

Matthews goes on to tell us -- with all due respect -- exactly what he thinks the 76ers are doing wrong with Fultz ... and how he'd change things up.

Watch Chris in action below, the teams might wanna take the help.

If any NBA team's looking for a point guard, Brandon Jennings says SIGN ME UP -- 'cause dude's back from China and ready to ball out!

We got Brandon out at South Beverly Grill ... and he told us he's ready for another shot with the big boys after taking his talents to the CBA.

FYI, Jennings has bounced around the last few seasons with the Wizards, Knicks and Magic ... but he's still just 28 and says he's still got A LOT of years left in him.

Byron Scott is ecstatic his old teammate Kobe Bryant was nominated for an Oscar -- and tells TMZ Sports he hopes people celebrate Mamba because people deserve 2nd chances in life.

Questions have been raised about how Kobe will be received at the Academy Awards on March 4 by a Hollywood crowd that's been cracking down on stars accused of sexual misconduct.

Obviously, Kobe has sexual misconduct allegations of his own in his past -- but Scott says he hopes people are able to forgive Kobe and let him move forward with his life.

Charles Barkley says it's impossible to pick between Michael Jordan and Tom Brady when it comes to the Greatest Of All Time ... but says there's a THIRD name that belongs in the conversation.

Sir Chuck was at LAX ... where he also heaped some praise on LeBron James for hitting 30k career points and Kobe Bryant for getting an Oscar nod.

By the way, neither of those guys are the 3rd G.O.A.T. Barkley referenced earlier.

Big Ballers come in all shapes and sizes ... so IG superstar The Fat Jew says LaVar Ball should hire him to be an official brand ambassador for BBB!!

"If they want like a heavyset guy with, like, a Shrek kinda body ... I would be down to rep for BBB," Fat Jew told TMZ Sports. "Yo, LaVar, let me know!"

Sounds like a joke, but we're pretty sure he's 100% serious. Fat Jew says he bought a pair of ZO2 slides in spite of their ridiculous price tag ... and ain't even mad they took almost a month to arrive.