NBA

Can Bone Collector really ball at the NBA level at 37 years old? He thinks he can ... and tells TMZ Sports he's seriously making a push to get a shot with a pro team.

Bone Collector -- real name Larry Williams -- famously killed EVERYONE on the AND1 mixtapes back in the day -- but says he still balls out all the time with a stable of NBA stars, including Steph Curry.

"I think I'll be a good 6th-man addition to a team," B.C. says ... noting that he looks up to guys like 41-year-old Vince Carter for inspiration.

Watch the video ... dude's still as confident as ever -- telling TMZ Sports he's still breaking ankles in the gym and bragging, "Nobody can guard me."

11:00 AM PT -- A rep for Russell tells TMZ ... he was hospitalized for dehydration. He was kept overnight for observation, but they expect him to check out today.

11:15 AM PT -- Russell just responded himself, saying he was taken to the hospital last night for dehydration and joked his wife likes to remind him that he doesn't drink enough. He says he's on his way home.

Bill also playfully denied having any heart issues, saying ... "my friends know I don't have a heart to give me trouble."

NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell is in the hospital in Washington state dealing with some apparent heart issues ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... an ambulance was called to Russell's home in the Seattle area Friday night, and the 84-year-old Celtics legend was rushed to a nearby hospital.

We're told Bill was having heart trouble and shortness of breath ... and is still hospitalized. We've reached out to get an update on his condition.

The 11-time NBA champion center was also hospitalized in 2014 after collapsing at a speaking gig in Lake Tahoe, but recovered quickly.

Bill's considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and recently attended Game 1 of the Celtics playoff round vs. the 76ers. Obviously, the crowd went wild.

Lamar Odom looks like he had himself a good time at the club ... tearing it up right by the stage for all to see.

The former NBA star hit up Drai's nightclub at The Cromwell in Vegas Friday night, and fully indulged in the party scene -- bottle and vape pen in hand, dancing with a hot chick ... and more dancing by himself.

Last couple times we've seen Lamar he's told us he's working on 2 different things ... making a basketball comeback, and helping people with ailments get better through his cannabis company.

Chris Paul is speaking out about the Texas school shooting that happened roughly 35 miles from Houston on Friday ... and he's calling for change to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

“First and foremost, aside from the playoffs going on, which is minor compared to what is taking place down in Santa Fe," Paul said Friday morning at Rockets practice.

"Our prayers going out to the victims and the families having to deal with that situation."

FYI, 10 people were killed and several more injured at Santa Fe HS when a shooter opened fire inside the building.

"We have a lot of fan support there. Those people come out and support us night in, night out. So, this is very minor compared to what those people are dealing with.”

WHY!?!?!?!?!

Phoenix Suns guard Elfrid Payton looks like a completely different person now ... 'cause the dude just chopped off his signature hairdo ... and we really don't know what to do anymore.

The NBA baller might be most known for his Weeknd-esque hairstyle ... but that didn't stop him for following in the R&B singer's footsteps and parting ways with the beloved locks.

FYI -- the 24-year-old's barber teased last month that he might've done the deed ... and now we have confirmation that it wasn't a late April Fool's joke.

While we're mourning the loss of the locks ... Suns fans are probably rejoicing ... 'cause there have been several instances where his 'do got in the way of his game ... and many people have wanted him to get a new look for years.

Now we wait to see if it makes a real difference on the court ... or if it was all for naught.

But seriously ... pour one out for Elfrid's hair.

Dwyane Wade's trying to get that Hollywood money ... telling TMZ Sports he's trying to do a movie with his wife, Gabrielle Union!!

The Miami Heat star and Gabby hit up Craig's in West Hollywood on Thursday night -- and you gotta check out the paparazzi crush that waited out front for 'em ... it was almost like a Hollywood red carpet.

So, naturally we asked Wade if he's got any interest in following his wife into the movie business.

"I'm trying to get [a movie]," Wade said ... "but she won't put me on!"

He continued, "I'm trying to do a love movie. Like something romantic."

We did some digging ... Wade's got SOME acting experience -- remember that cameo on Disney Channel's "Austin & Ally" ... we do!

Brad Stevens might be the best young coach in the NBA ... but is he on the level of Bill Belichick?

He's certainly on the way ... according to Celtics and Patriots superfan Mark Wahlberg ... who told us "that's a very, very good comparison."

TMZ Sports saw Wahlberg in L.A. ... and asked if the Celts head coach was "the new Belichick of Boston."

(Yeah, we know Boston is a part of New England -- but you get the point.)

It's high praise for a guy who's only been on the job for a few years ... considering B.B. has 5 'chips and is believed by some to be the best damn football coach ever.

But, Mark says there is still 1 thing Stevens has left to do.

CAN YOU DIG IT?!?!?!

Shaquille O'Neal is ready to move out of his incredible 3-acre Orlando mega-mansion ... and it could all be yours if you've got $28 MILLION floating around.

Shaq's pad is famous and awesome ... 31,000 square feet with 12 bedrooms and a buttload of bathrooms.

Not to mention ... a legendary "Shaq Center" athletic facility that is made up of a custom 6,000 square foot basketball court (with bleachers) ... where the NBA star once put Harvey Levin on his ass!!

The estate also boasts the "Shaq-apulco" outdoor area ... complete with a 95-foot long swimming pool and a rock waterfall, according to The Wall Street Journal. Obviously, he's got a hot tub, swim-up bar, walk-in humidor and wine cellar too.

Our sources say these days Shaq's spending most of his time in Atlanta and L.A. -- where he also has Shaq-sized mansions -- so it just didn't make sense to keep the massive Orlando mansion. We're told he plans to buy a smaller place in Tampa, where his mom lives, because that's become home base for the family.

The Orlando crib famously appeared on an episode of "Tanked" -- where Shaq got a custom Shaq Diesel fish tank installed in the home. No word if that stays with buyer or not.

Shaq bought the property in 1993 for $3.95 mil -- but he's done millions of dollars in custom upgrades and expansion.

Draymond Green is a SMART businessman ... because records show he's moved to lock up the rights to "Hampton 5" -- the nickname for the Golden State Warriors starting lineup.

The Dubs got the nickname last year when Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson flew out to the Hamptons to recruit Kevin Durant to the squad.

Since he joined, the "Hampton 5" has been murdering everyone ... winning the championship last season and making a run in the playoffs right now.

We noticed someone had filed for the "Hampton 5" trademark in 2017 and a deeper dive revealed the man behind the application is Money 23 Green Enterprises ... aka Draymond.

The application was to use the trademark for everything from sports drinks to gym bags, cell phone cases, headphones, comic books, athletic wear and educational tools.

Get this ... he even wanted the rights to use the trademark for a celebrity gossip website, just in case he feels like going all Harvey Levin.

Here's a lesson in fandom straight from two of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world ... Lil Wayne & Travis Scott.

Both men attended the Warriors vs. Rockets game in Houston Wednesday night ... a game in which the Rockets completely dominated the Warriors, blowing KD and Steph out by over 20 points.

Travis Scott is from Houston, and you can tell because, even in a game where the Rockets never really had a chance of losing ... the dude is fanning it up, looking nervous the entire time.

Lil Wayne, on the other hand, is from New Orleans ... making him a proud Lakers fan (we don't know why) so his mug during the game is all smiles, no worries.

Chill out, Travis ... you guys won. Now you just gotta go get 1 at Oracle.

Shaq and Charles Barkley's love/hate relationship is actually in it's second generation ... that's according to The Diesel, who says their mamas were friends and used to fight the exact same way.

Chuck and Shaq get into HEATED arguments on "Inside The NBA" -- like, really bad ones -- leading some people to speculate whether the guys really like each other when the cameras are off.

Adam Glyn got Shaq out in NYC and asked if there was actual bad blood between the two men, and not only did O'Neal say it was all love, he said the way they treat each other was learned.

"His mom and my mom were best friends, and they used to have the same type of relationship. Funniest thing ever."

Barkley's mom, Charcey, sadly passed away back in 2015, but we're guessing all her arguments with O'Neal's mom never got as bad as it did for the guys back in the day.

But we can't be sure.

Steve Nash knows ... legalized sports betting won't go off without a hitch -- noting that in the past, "sh*t's happened."

There are concerns that the new Supreme Court ruling legalizing sports betting across the U.S. could lead to point shaving scandals ... like we've seen in the past at Arizona State and Boston College.

The suggestion is ... with sports betting being a hundred billion dollar industry and growing, there will be more incentive to pay off players to shave points or throw games.

But Nash doesn't seem too worried ... telling TMZ Sports, "I wouldn't [be concerned]. They're responsible young gentlemen of society."

He acknowledges some players will screw up -- but they're probably in the minority.

"Sh*t's happened over time. I'm sure something will happen. But people are responsible for themselves."

LeBron James had a rough night ... but his wife was LIVING IT UP in Australia!!

Savannah James was spotted at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday ... rockin' some pretty cool lookin' sweatpants.

Of course, Sydney is 14 hours ahead of Boston -- where the Celtics beat the Cavs to go up 2-0 on Tuesday.

LeBron was laser-focused on Game 2 -- and showed up to the TD Garden hours before the game to shoot and prepare. Ultimately, it didn't help ... Cavs lost 107 to 94.

Meantime, there were a bunch of huge stars at MBFW ... including Shaun White, Joe Jonas and Elsa Pataky.

He didn't exactly poo-poo the idea ...

Kobe Bryant is keeping an open mind when it comes to the Lakers' draft plans ... saying he'd be cool with the team taking another Ball brother ... "if it'll help win."

Kobe was leaving ABC Studios in New York City when we straight-up asked, "With the [NBA Draft coming up], what do you want the Lakers to do?"

Kobe's response ... "Win."

That's when we asked about LaVar Ball's plan to get LiAngelo Ball to the Lake Show ... joining his brother, Lonzo.

Kobe shrugged at the idea and said, "If it'll help win."

San Antonio Spurs player Dejounte Murray got stopped at the door at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills this weekend ... because his girlfriend's racy outfit violated the restaurant's dress code.

For real.

Mastro's is one of the hottest restaurants in town ... and they're pretty serious about rejecting guests that don't respect the "classy" rules when it comes to attire.

Remember, they turned away Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster because he was wearing sweatpants.

This time, we're told the door staff felt Jilly Anais' super-tight, super-short skirt was a little too revealing ... and our cameras were rolling as they refused to let her inside.

Don't worry ... this story has a happy ending.

21-year-old Murray -- a former 1st round NBA draft pick -- spoke with a manager who ultimately made an exception and let Jilly inside.

Seems there were no hard feelings ... the couple was in a good mood after dinner and raved about the restaurant on the way out.

Master P says he's the perfect man to take the reins up in the north, now that Dwane Casey's been fired ... and he's stating his case to TMZ Sports.

Before you even start wondering ... P's serious ... he's been angling for an NBA coaching job for some time now, citing his on-court experience and knack for developing players.

The Raptors punted Casey last week, and when we got P in L.A. ... he broke down what Casey did wrong in the playoffs, and how he would've handled things differently if he was running things up there.

BTW ... Toronto is one of the teams P played with during his attempt at an NBA career, so it's not like he doesn't know the lay of the land up there.

SUPER BTW ... remember, P goes WAY back with Raptors star DeMar DeRozan, having coached him during his high school years in Los Angeles.