NBA

Toronto Raptors fans got straight-up PERSONAL when taunting Tristan Thompson during Tuesday night's playoff game ... with hundreds of people in the arena shouting, "KHLOE!!!"

Tristan and the Cavs were at Air Canada Centre for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- when Tristan stepped to the free throw line in a VERY close game.

The fans tried to do their part in messing with Tristan's head ... and began chanting the name of his baby mama whom he famously cheated on with multiple women.

But somehow, Tristan was able to tune out the haters ... and hit ALL FOUR of his shots from the line. The Cavs ended up winning the game in overtime.

Kanye West shouldn't just laugh off gang threats in L.A. ... so says Matt Barnes who says the real gangsters in Los Angeles don't mess around.

The ex-NBA star was leaving Catch when we talked about Kanye's appearance on "TMZ Live" -- including Yeezy's reaction to Daz Dillinger's recent call for the Crips to "f*** up Kanye."

"You gotta be careful," Barnes said ... "They don't play out here with gangs so you're treading on thin ice."

Barnes also reacted to Kanye's confession about getting liposuction -- and says it shows Kanye is "not in a comfortable, secure place as a man."

Barnes says a lot of what Kanye is talking about these days -- from Trump to his views on slavery -- are "bullsh*t" -- but he believes the old Kanye can still be saved.

Jimmy Butler can SAAAAANG!

Now that his Minnesota Timberwolves have gon' fishin' ... the NBA superstar took his talents back to Chicago where he decided to put his singing skills on display at PRYSM Nightclub.

The song? "Let Me Love You" by Mario ... and Butler didn't sound too bad!

In fact, the crowd loved it -- especially one female fan who got onstage and started dancing it out with the 28-year-old.

For the record, the headline performer that night was T-Pain ... but Jimmy Buckets stole the show!

We're told Jimmy's performance was totally random and unplanned -- and went down around 2:30 AM.

Of course, Jimmy's a fan favorite in Chicago after killing it with the Bulls for a few seasons.

Nice to see he's still getting love.

Here's a couple of VERY rich guys hanging out -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft taking in the Boston Celtics game Monday night with team owner Wyc Grousbeck.

Kraft and Grousbeck have been hanging out a lot lately -- they were also together at the Celtics game Saturday night with another member of the Boston Billionaire's Club ... Red Sox owner John Henry.

The Celtics beat the 76ers on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- Kraft and Grousbeck were high-fiving on the court during the end of the game.

So, who's got the biggest bank between the three? According to Forbes, Kraft's worth $6.2 billion and John Henry's valued at $2.5 billion ... but Grousbeck's net worth isn't listed.

With the Celtics valued at more than $2 billion, he ain't poor either.

Dennis Rodman damn near packed President Trump's complete bibliography when he went to North Korea last year ... and then gifted the set to Kim Jong-un.

We got a shot of the 8 books, all translated, the NBA Hall of Famer handed over in June 2017 to North Korea's sports minister, Kim Il Guk. The set includes "The Art of the Deal" and "Time to Get Tough." We're told the sports minister handed them over to Jong-un.

TMZ broke the story ... Rodman's ecstatic his friends, Kim Jong-un and Trump, are getting along. He thinks the books might have greased the wheels for Jong-un to have a change of heart about his dealings with the Prez and America, in general.

Meek Mill is now free to start doing shows outside of Philadelphia ... thanks to his archnemesis, Judge Genece Brinkley.

Judge Brinkley amended the order regarding his bail conditions, and he now has approval to travel outside of Pennsylvania's Montgomery County for scheduled business activities. He just has to submit his travel plans to the probation dept. 72 hours in advance.

The amended order also gives Meek approval to live in Montgomery Co. The original bail conditions required him to live in neighboring Philadelphia County. Meek still has to submit to at least one urine test per month.

The judge signed the new order on Friday, and Meek took advantage almost immediately. We got him out in NYC that night with 76ers owner Michael Rubin ... after they had a biz dinner with Meek's Roc Nation management team.

Stop riding Kanye West for supporting Donald Trump ... that's the message NBA star Iman Shumpert has for all the haters coming after the rapper this week.

FYI, Shumpert has a Kanye connection -- his wife, Teyana Taylor, is signed to West's G.O.O.D. Music record label and has an album coming out this summer.

So, with the backlash against West in full swing ... we wanted to know where Shumpert stood.

"I'm a Kanye fan," Shumpert said.

"Long before meeting my wife and knowing the relationship to Ye that she has as far as being signed, I have always walked with him throughout the commotion that he makes."

Shumpert says he's cool with Kanye wearing the MAGA hat -- and says it doesn't mean Kanye agrees with EVERYTHING Trump has to say.

He also really liked Kanye's freestyle with Harvey Levin.

There's more ... Shumpert also talked to us about his reality show "Teyana and Iman" (airs Monday night on VH1) and told us why his family has an edge on the Kardashians!

Dennis Rodman is ecstatic his friends, Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, are getting along ... especially because he believes he played a big part in bringing the peace.

We spoke with the basketball Hall of Famer about North Korea's newfound friendliness with the U.S. and its historic summit with South Korea ... he tells us it's simply been the result of open communication and good old-fashioned diplomacy.

Rodman also points to his June 2017 visit to N. Korea -- in which he supplied Jong-un with some of Trump's books -- as a catalyst for the dictator's change of heart about the Prez and the American people.

Dennis is clear he doesn't want to take the credit for the good vibes happening right now ... but he can't hide his joy in the role he played.

LeBron James has two very big wins coming in the near future ... 'cause according to Chris "Kid" Reid, LBJ is going to kill it doing the new 'House Party' movie ... and raise the trophy as an NBA champ.

We got Kid leaving Craig's in L.A. and of course wanted to know what his take on LeBron's production company rebooting Kid 'N Play's classic teen comedy for a brand new audience.

"LeBron and his people are in control, so I trust them."

That's not the only thing Kid trusts LeBron with, because when we asked Chris if he thought Meek Mill's good mojo would lead the 76ers to an NBA title, he said nah 'cause LeBron's got that, too.

"LeBron all day. LeBron knows how to do the Kid 'N Play, so I'm always gonna roll with LeBron."

Kid ain't lying -- LeBron did the dance in a State Farm spot and nailed it.

As for his NBA prediction? Not so sure about that one ...

Derek Fisher's making sure Gloria Govan always looks like a million bucks even in sweatpants because that's about how much her knuckle-sized engagement ring's worth ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the ex-NBA star designed the 7.5 carat diamond ring, which he scooped up from L.A.-based jeweler Bony Levy. A rock that size normally goes for just north of $1 mil ... according to our fancy jewelry sources.

We don't know exactly how much D-Fish dropped, 'cause y'know celebs usually get a deal.

The engagement had been a long time coming. The couple had been dating since 2015 until Derek finally popped the question earlier this month at their L.A.-area home.

Kenny Smith says he's in the "courting stages" for the NY Knicks head coaching job -- and says he believes he's battling 7 other candidates.

Smith met with the Knicks last week and tells TMZ Sports it "went well" -- but he knows he's not the only fish in the sea.

"We're in the courting stages. I know they're courting other people as well."

Smith's competition is reportedly steep -- big names like Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, David Fizdale and ex-NYK coach Mike Woodson.

Smith makes his case to TMZ Sports ... saying he's got the experience and winning record the Knicks desperately need.

Dwyane Wade is about to do something your dad can't do -- and his son is about to do something you probably can't ... and even worse, they're doing it TOGETHER.

Enjoy this father/son dunk session.

It starts with Wade, who lobs the ball off the backboard to his 16-year-old (and budding hoops star) Zaire, who throws it down 2-handed off the glass.

The family sharing didn't stop there, because then Zaire threw one jelly-style off the glass to the 36-year-old Wade, who rocked it EASILY, proving daddy's still got some bounce.

Blake Griffin is adamant he does not owe his baby mama any money ... after she accused him of abandoning her and their kids for Kendall Jenner ... in courts docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... Brynn Cameron -- Blake's former fiancee and the mother of his 2 kids -- filed a lawsuit in February claiming the Pistons superstar left her only a week before their wedding.

Brynn claims that she and Blake had an agreement ... where she would take care of the kids so he could concentrate on basketball. She says Blake promised to take care of her financially.

But Cameron says Griffin bolted ... and didn't live up to his end of the bargain.

Meek Mill enjoyed his first post-prison meal after the Philadelphia 76ers' big Game 5 win over the Miami Heat this week -- and it was a full VIP experience.

Sources tell TMZ that Meek celebrated with a group of 76ers -- including co-owner Michael Rubin and star player Joel Embiid -- and chowed down at Philly's high-end restaurant, Buddakan, where we're told Meek ordered the fish.

Interesting choice ... especially since sources present tell us there were lots of options -- from aged beef to peking duck and, of course, lo mein. Sounds like Meek just wanted some tuna, cod or bass ... we're not sure which dish he got ... but the fishy entrees all run from $29 to $37.

As we've reported ... Meek probably hasn't eaten this well since at least November, when his institution served him and the other inmates a proper Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, mashed potatoes and the like.

The great Lithuania experiment is over ... because LaVar Ball is pulling his 2 sons off BC Vytautas after just 3 months.

LaVar told Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas he's bringing both LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball back to Los Angeles.

The move comes after Vyautas announced the Ball bros would not be playing in Wednesday's game.

LiAngelo is currently nursing an ankle injury. LaMelo has been dealing with a back issue.

According to Urbonas, LaVar said his beef is with the coach ... and not Lithuania, the Lithuanian people, or the organization.

"We're not going to waste our time no more," Ball reportedly said ... "Coach ruined everything and he’ll have to pay the price that Melo is not coming back.”

LiAngelo has already declared for the NBA Draft -- but what happens if he doesn't get selected? He could always join LaVar's new semi-pro league.

And what about LaMelo? He could join, too.

Did you know ... the Villanova basketball team was SUPPOSED to ring the bell at the 76ers game Tuesday night until they got bumped for Meek Mill?

It's true ... but they seemed VERY cool with the change of plans and kicked it with the freed rapper in the moments before tip off.

The Nova players -- who won the NCAA National Championship this year -- were stoked to see Meek ... and huddled together for a photo right before Meek went out and rang the bell.