NBA

Larry King says the whole "cotton-picking" controversy surrounding an OKC Thunder announcer is being overblown -- in fact, Larry says he'd take the expression as a compliment.

"That statement's been around forever," King told us on his way out of Craig's in West Hollywood ... "'Cotton-picking mind' was probably an adjective."

King -- a huge sports fan -- then showered praise on Russell Westbrook (who was at the center of the controversy) for being a beast on the court and said, "I would take it as a compliment."

"That's like saying 'You're crazy,'" ... "What about people with mental health problems?"

"So, if you say to someone 'You're crazy,' you're offending every mental health patient in America."

Larry does say there is one popular term that IS offensive that he would like to see be changed ASAP.

According to YG ... frozen yogurt, fresh-fallen snow, a baby's butt, and 1,000-count Egyptian cotton sheets are all harder than the NBA -- 'cause the rap superstar tells TMZ Sports the league is completely soft.

So soft, he thinks he could play.

We got YG out at the South Beverly Grill ... and after we asked him for his MVP of the soft-ass league, he told our guy the Association is NOTHING like it used to be back in the '90s.

In fact, YG ripped all the guys who were complaining about Russell Westbrook padding his stats by allegedly stealing rebounds ... saying Russell just has more heart.

"They play softer than a mother f**ker," YG said ... "I feel like I could play in the NBA with all these soft ass n****s."

Please, somebody give YG a 10-day.

Markelle Fultz's whip game is SERIOUSLY trailing his on-court abilities ... as the 76ers rookie found out on his way outta the arena Wednesday night.

You might've heard -- the #1 pick just dropped his 1st NBA triple-double, cappin' off his awesome late-season return for Philly.

But Markelle couldn't really bask in the moment after the game ... not after his Honda Accord got flexed on by Ben Simmons' $280k Ferrari!!

"I gotta step my game up, fellas. I got a triple-double ... it's terrible," Fultz said.

Also pictured was a near-$500k Lambo and $300k-plus Rolls-Royce. Guessing they don't all belong to Ben ... but ya never know.

The Accord, meanwhile, starts at $24k.

French Montana has three choices on how to react to news his ex-girlfriend, Khloe Kardashian, just found out her baby daddy Tristan Thompson is a cheat:

1) He could spike the football and do the whole "I wouldn't have done that to you" thing.

2) He could trash Tristan and leave room for him to replant his flag.

Or 3) He could take the high road and wish peace, love and happiness for everyone involved.

Wanna guess which option French went with?

Yeah, numero tres for the win!

"Lemme tell you something man, I just want everyone to be happy," French told us, on the way out of Poppy nightclub in Los Angeles.

"When there's negativity, I duck and move Papi."

French and Khloe dated back in 2014 -- and people REALLY liked them together.

Just sayin' ...

8:28 AM PT -- The OKC Thunder has issued a statement condemning the comments ...

"We find the term used by Brian Davis on our broadcast last night to be highly inappropriate and offensive."

"We’ve discussed it with the announcer and let him know that. He assures us it was not meant in any sort of offensive or derogatory manner and he apologizes."

"Nonetheless, he’s been told the use of that term in any manner is unacceptable."

An NBA game announcer is in hot water after saying Russell Westbrook was playing so well Wednesday night ... he was "out of his cotton-picking mind."

Dude. Bad.

We get it ... FOX Sports Oklahoma play-by-play guy Brian Davis (white dude) was trying to say Westbrook was playing on another level (he became the first player in NBA history to average a triple double 2 years in a row).

But, when you make a cotton reference about a black guy ...it's not usually well received.

That's exactly what happened Wednesday night -- people are losing their minds about the comment. Some people are even suggesting Davis should be fired.

There's been a long debate about the origin of the expression -- some people say it was used as a slur plantation owners used toward slaves.

Tristan Thompson avoided major backlash from fans for cheating on Khloe Kardashian by checking into tonight's Cavs game under the radar ... but he got a fair share of boos later.

The power forward checked in off the bench near the end of the 1st quarter during a timeout ... so he was able to take the court without the PA announcer saying his name. Good start for Tristan.

However, our sources at the game say boos rained down later when he was shown on screen, and more came when he got called for a couple personal fouls.

And, as if Tristan's first game in wake of his cheating scandal isn't awkward enough ... the Cavs also reportedly gave away a basketball signed by Thompson for fan appreciation night.

We broke the story ... Tristan was caught on surveillance video cheating on Khloe with 2 chicks at a hookah lounge near D.C. back in October -- making out, motorboating, and getting his junk grabbed.

Khloe was 3 months pregnant at the time, and we had just broken news of her being pregnant with Tristan's baby about a week before.

Floyd Mayweather is ready to go out in public again ... sitting courtside at the Miami Heat game on Wednesday -- the first time we've seen him since the shooting in Atlanta.

As we previously reported, Mayweather's longtime bodyguard, Greg La Rosa, was shot during an ambush on Floyd's 3-vehicle entourage early Monday morning. Cops believe the entourage was specifically targeted.

Cops are still trying to figure out why someone would want to kill Floyd or someone on his team -- but in the meantime, Mayweather picked up and went to Miami.

The 32-year-old Lakers rookie who just had one of the craziest debuts in NBA history is just getting started -- so says Kenny Smith.

We got The Jet the day after he watched Andre Ingram drop 19 points on the 1st-place Houston Rockets ... after 10 YEARS waiting for a G-League call-up.

Kenny told us not to sleep on the veteran rook -- 'cause 1-hit wonders don't got stroke like Andre!

"He’s gonna get an opportunity -- if not with the Lakers then somebody else. At least to be part of their training camp," The Jet told TMZ Sports.

Kenny says he was blown away with Ingram's story just like the rest of us ... and we got a feeling it's only a matter of time before someone goes Hollywood with it.

Ex-NBA star Glen "Big Baby" Davis has been named a person of interest in a parking lot beatdown that left one man hospitalized ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... witnesses have told investigators Davis was driving erratically in a parking lot Sunday evening near Factory nightclub in West Hollywood.

After nearly striking a man with his vehicle, witnesses say the victim tried to confront Davis ... but Davis got out of his car and things turned physical.

We're told witnesses say Davis threw the man to the ground -- and eventually left the scene.

Emergency responders were called to the scene. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for fractures in his face and ribs as well as a broken tooth.

Davis has not been formally charged with a crime and has not been arrested.

Nicki Minaj thought she was gonna sit courtside at a regular old Lakers game Tuesday night -- turns out, she had front row seats to one of the best rookie debuts EVER!

Despite celebs like Richard Sherman and Will Ferrell in the house, the REAL star at Staples Center was Andre Ingram ... the 32-year-old rookie who dropped 19 on the first place Houston Rockets!

Ingram's story is pretty awesome ... he's been grinding it out in the G-league for the past decade hoping to get a shot in the NBA ... and Tuesday night, he made the most of his big chance.

In fact, toward the end of the game, the crowd began chanting "MVP" at Ingram -- who later called the whole thing a "once in a lifetime" experience.

8:40 AM PT -- Multiple reports say the woman in NYC with Tristan is an IG model named Lani Blair. As for Ms. Stephaniee ... it appears she might have no involvement, and was merely trolling Tristan and Khloe.

A woman claiming she spent the night with Tristan Thompson in NYC this weekend posted and quickly deleted a sex tape and a number of raunchy text messages allegedly with the NBA All-Star.

The woman -- who goes by @ms.stephaniee_ on Instagram -- claims she's the one who was seen in a video Saturday night walking into the Manhattan Four Seasons with Tristan. Tuesday night she filled her IG story alleged texts from Tristan and a video of a couple having sex ... which she claims is her and Tristan. Neither of their faces is visible in the short clip.

One of the alleged texts from Tristan read, "If I was there I would grab u while u try to walk away from me than I would pull ya hair and kiss you than rip ya clothes off and lay u down while I suck ya p**** and say sorry."

TMZ broke the story ... Thompson was seen making out, touching and motorboating two women back in October at a hookah lounge in the Washington D.C. area.

Pauly D is calling for MERCY for Tristan Thompson ... saying Khloe Kardashian should give the dude a second chance after getting caught cheating on her during her pregnancy.

"OHHHHH," Pauly told us while outside 1 OAK in Hollywood ... "He got caught up there!"

He certainly did ... footage of Tristan motorboating, kissing and messin' around with other women (not named Khloe) surfaced this week as Khloe is getting ready to give birth to their kid.

Still, Pauly says he hopes Tristan gets another shot to be the faithful baby daddy Khloe wants.

The Kardashians are more rest stop than destination ... so says Tony Rock who says NO ONE should be surprised Tristan Thompson cheated on Khloe.

"Everybody cheats on the Kardashians," Tony told us outside the Laugh Factory ... "You just smash a couple times and you get out!"

Guessing Tony's referring to past K-squad dudes like Lamar Odom and Scott Disick. Kim Kardashian famously told Jennifer Lawrence she was cheated on, too, but didn't call out the cheater by name.

"Who's been loyal to a Kardashain?" Rock added ... "Like for real?"

Tristan Thompson had a female companion with him when he went back to an NYC hotel Sunday morning ... while Khloe Kardashian was home in Cleveland very close to giving birth to their first child together.

TMZ obtained this video of the Cavaliers star, rocking a white hoodie, with the woman strolling behind him into the Four Seasons early Sunday, around 5 AM. The unidentified woman was also seen hanging all over Tristan at an NYC nightclub earlier in the evening.

Tristan was staying at the hotel with the rest of his team while they were in town for a game.

Huge day for Meek Mill ... the rapper got a special visit from TWO insanely rich and powerful guys -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft and 76ers owner Michael Rubin.

The two titans arrived together at Chester State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania to spend some time with Meek who's serving 2 to 4 years for a probation violation.

Meek had been on probation stemming from a 2008 drug and weapons case -- but a Pennsylvania judge ruled his two arrests (an airport fight and a reckless driving incident) constituted a violation.

We know Rubin is a huge supporter of Meek -- he's visited several times before. He's also close with Robert Kraft, so we're guessing he was the driving force in getting Kraft to visit Meek on Tuesday.

Sources tell us Kraft has also met Meek through business dealings in the past.

Master P says he and Kobe Bryant nearly came to blows in the Lakers facility years ago -- and it would've DEFINITELY gone down if Lamar Odom hadn't played peacemaker.

P was on "The Red Pill With Van Lathan" podcast talking about his business ventures, hip-hop legacy and basketball career ... when he broke down how things got heated with Black Mamba.

"We had a couple words," P says ... noting that he's more about action than talkin'.

Here's the thing -- P wouldn't say what specifically led to him and Kobe's face off, but you can tell it got very real for a second, and that Odom intervening might've cost us all a much better story.

We have to ask the question -- you knew we were gonna do it -- if it had gone down, who ya got?

Answer: Chris Childs.