NBA

The refs screwed up the Cavs-Warriors game so bad last night, the league should allow the teams to replay the final 60 seconds of the game ... seriously -- according to former NBA ref Tim Donaghy.

Here's the deal ... Donaghy was an NBA official for 13 years before he was sent to prison for gambling on games -- but knows the rulebook inside and out.

In fact, he even cites a REAL situation when the NBA acknowledged it screwed up a ruling -- and had the teams reunite to replay the end of a game nearly 4 months later (Hawks vs. Heat 2007).

In this case, Donaghy is honing in on that late 4th quarter foul involving Kevin Durant and LeBron James -- when two refs disagreed on who was at fault ... was it a charge or a block.

Donaghy says instead of going to the replay monitor and changing the call to favor the Warriors, it should have been ruled a jump ball.

"J.R. Smith ran away from that basket the way Pusha T claims Drake ran away from his responsibilities as a father."

That's why Charlamagne tha God awarded Smith his "Donkey of the Day" title on "The Breakfast Club" Friday morning ... blasting the Cavs player blunder that cost LeBron Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

"I don't know if J.R. Smith uses drugs," Char said ... "but if he does, I think it's his duty as an American citizen to tell us what the hell he's on or has been on so we don't make the same mistakes."

Charlamagne also blasted Smith for his explanation of the blunder ... saying Smith clearly did NOT know the game was tied.

Good signs from Jesse Jackson ... he's not letting his Parkinson's diagnosis stop him from attending massive public events like the NBA Finals!

The Reverend was front and center for Game 1 of the Cavs vs. Warriors series in the Bay Area on Thursday flashing a big old smile.

76-year-old Jackson was diagnosed back in 2017 and said, "recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful."

He also noted that he "must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease's progression."

But, the NBA Finals are clearly the exception!

Charles Oakley says it wasn't just the last play of regulation that J.R. Smith screwed up Thursday night -- he also made a crucial mistake in the 1st half that cost his team 3 points ... and maybe the game.

Oak was pretty upset with Smith's decision to go for a steal instead of playing shutdown defense on Steph Curry in the final seconds of the 1st half.

Smith missed the interception and Steph bombed a 3 ... Oakley says that was a major momentum change.

"Why are you going for a steal on the best shooter in the game?!"

Oakley says he hopes the Cavs can recover and bounce back strong in Game 2.

NFL star Jalen Ramsey basically spoke for everyone Thursday night when J.R. Smith brain-farted at the end of the NBA Finals ... questioning how the hell Smith screwed up so badly!

With the game tied, Smith got a crucial rebound with just seconds left in the game -- and instead of taking a shot or passing it to LeBron -- he tried to run out the clock, forcing the game into OT.

And you know the rest of the story goes ...

Jalen Ramsey was so baffled by J.R.'s move, he went to Instagram and fired off a 50 Cent-style rant.

Ex-NBA player Rasual Butler had multiple substances in his system at the time of his fatal crash back in January ... including alcohol, marijuana and painkillers ... according to the autopsy obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, Butler was behind the wheel of a Range Rover -- with a female passenger, Leah LaBelle -- when he lost control around 2:30 AM and crashed into parking meters and a concrete wall. Both died immediately from injuries suffered in the crash.

Toxicology results show Butler's blood alcohol level was tested from blood collected from his heart and leg. The heart sample showed a BAC of .118, above the legal limit.

The leg sample showed a .062, which is under the legal limit. One law enforcement source told us the results are consistent with a person who was legally drunk.

Tests also show Butler tested positive for cannabinoids (marijuana), methamphetamine and oxycodone.

The report shows an empty box of Don Julio tequila was recovered at the crash scene.

As for Butler's passenger, Leah LaBelle -- a former "American Idol" contestant, who Butler referred to as his wife -- she had a .144 blood alcohol level.

The information could be relevant to Leah's family if they decided to go after Butler's estate for wrongful death.

Kevin Durant will never have to fly coach again ... 'cause the NBA superstar's riding on the OUTSIDE of this plane from now on!!

The Golden State Warriors baller got a massive 560 square foot decal on the side of a plane as part of his partnership with Alaska Airlines aircraft ... complete with an insane 50-foot wingspan!!

A rep for the airline says the Durant decal is made of 34 pieces and took more than 144 hours to install on the 737-900ER aircraft.

Durant's been partnering with Alaska Airlines since September 2017 ... and serves as the "Advisor to the CEO" ... which apparently means the dude gets to put his face on a plane.

Kendall Jenner's date night with Ben Simmons seemed to go well ... because it ended at a fancy Beverly Hills hotel -- together!

After a dinner date at The Nice Guy, the two rolled over to Hyde Nightclub where they partied together until around 2:10 AM ... and then ultimately ended up at the Waldorf Astoria.

Ben helped Kendall bring in her bag from the car -- and you can probably guess how the rest of the night went from there.

Doesn't seem to be a one-night stand sorta thing ... the two have reportedly been dating for weeks -- and we know they already had a dinner date on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Ben's ex-GF, Tinashe, is also moving on ... she hit a nearby club where NBA star Donovan Mitchell happened to be partying too.

Jalen Rose was talking out his ass when he claimed the Brooklyn Nets aren't text buddies in the offseason ... at least, that's the takeaway after hearing from Allen Crabbe and Jeremy Lin.

Rose made the comments on 'Get Up' -- saying teams that aren't winning don't REALLY have fun with each other. He pointed to the Nets and said:

"I promise you, the Nets. OK. They play right here in Brooklyn. Those players are not exchanging texts with each other this offseason."

So, when we saw Crabbe in Bev Hills hours after the show ... we asked if Rose's theory was true.

"I don't know where he got that from," Crabbe tells TMZ Sports ... "I feel like our team's pretty cool. We all hang out together."

Crabbe ain't the only Net who says Rose is wrong ...

Jeremy Lin weighed in saying ... "Hmm Jalen much respect to you but no idea where this came from lol. I just had the whole team over for a fat bbq last week."

From one NBA rookie superstar ... to another?

We spotted Tinashe -- looking insanely hot, BTW -- leaving Chateau Marmont Wednesday night and making her way to Warwick ... the same Hollywood club where Ben Simmons' rookie rival, Donovan Mitchell, was partying.

Our photog insists he saw Tinashe talking with Mitchell at Warwick ... but when we talked to the singer on the way out, she laughed at the insinuation she was shooting her shot.

In fact, Mitchell left the club a short time later -- with so many hot young ladies in his car he couldn't even fit 'em all in -- and made two chicks hit the pavement!

Meanwhile, Ben Simmons has apparently moved on to Kendall Jenner -- they went on a double date down the street with Devin Booker.

Well, it's official ... Ben Simmons is 100% hanging with Kendall Jenner -- because they hit up Nice Guy in West Hollywood together on Wednesday night -- on a double date with another NBA star.

It's funny because Ben and Kendall hit up one of the most paparazzi-packed places in town -- but arrived separately so the photogs couldn't get a shot of them together.

FYI, Kendall left the restaurant around 10:45 PM to make it look like she was leaving ... but snuck back inside to hang with Ben. They both REALLY left together around 1 AM.

Still, everyone knew the jig ... especially when they left and both got into the same SUV -- along with Kylie's BFF, Jordyn Woods, who was hanging with 21-year-old rising star Devin Booker.

Of course, everybody stayed mum when we asked about relationship status -- and Ben's situation with ex-GF Tinashe ... but it's obvious the dating rumors are true.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has condemned Roseanne ... while praising her sitcom as a "very good" liberal show -- and is now questioning if canceling the program was really the right move.

Kareem says his immediate reaction to Roseanne's tweets was to "punish her" by taking away her show -- and notes Disney and ABC "cut off the rotting appendage before it infected the rest of the body."

But, when thinking it through, Kareem says it's important to consider the other options ...

"'Roseanne' is a very good show," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the Hollywood Reporter ... "Ironically, it's one of the most liberal shows on TV, with a clear agenda of tolerance and compassion."

"To punish Roseanne, we’ve removed the louder, smarter, more influential voice of the show itself."

"Roseanne’s tweets may give solace to other racists, but they have no real impact in changing minds. The show, which reaches millions, can affect people by showing tolerance and compassion on a weekly basis."

Kareem also questions if ABC should have fired Roseanne and kept the show running without her. He points to other shows that continued to air without the main star ... like "Two and a Half Men" and "Valerie" which continued after Valerie Harper left.

If LiAngelo Ball can help the Lakers win, Josh Hart tells TMZ Sports he'd love to have Lonzo's little bro as a teammate!

We got the Lakers rookie leaving Craig's just hours after Lonzo's bro wrapped up his workout at the Lakers practice facility on Tuesday and had to ask ... would he be open to a second Ball in the purple and gold??

"Hey man, if he's going to make us win, it don't matter," Hart told us. "I want him."

If it does go down ... we'll have to check back with Hart's feelings on the matter ... 'cause he and 'Gelo play the same position -- and you just know LaVar Ball will have something to say about that.

Meanwhile, enjoy LiAngelo's dunk session ... it's impressive.

NBA star Ben Simmons had a fancy dinner date in Bev Hills on Monday night ... and the woman in his car sure looks a lot like Kendall Jenner.

It makes sense ... considering new reports the Philadelphia 76ers star has broken up with Tinashe and moved on to Kendall. The romance has been going on for a few weeks, according to Page Six.

Our video was shot outside the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills -- where our sources say Simmons and the mystery woman had a bite to eat together. We're told the woman tried like hell to stay low key -- using her hoodie to cover her face.

Kendall's been connected to basketball players before -- most recently, she was with Blake Griffin and before that she was reportedly dating Jordan Clarkson.

If that really is Kendall (and it really seems like it is) ... welcome to the Kardashians, Mr. Simmons!

FYI, we last saw Simmons with Tinashe in Philly earlier this month -- riding in a Ferrari together.

The mother of basketball player Zeke Upshaw is suing the Detroit Pistons and the NBA -- claiming the league and the team could have saved her son's life after he collapsed on the court earlier this year.

Upshaw was playing for the Pistons' G-League team -- the Grand Rapids Drive -- when he collapsed on the court during the final minutes of a March 24, 2018 game.

The 26-year-old guard -- a former star at Hofstra -- never regained consciousness and died 2 days later from sudden cardiac death.

But Zeke's mom says he could have been saved if medical staff had rushed in and treated him immediately.

Instead, Jewel Upshaw says ... it took 4 crucial minutes before a doctor tended to Zeke -- no CPR, no chest compressions, no life-saving measures of any kind.

In fact, she claims the team doctor had "stepped out before the end of the basketball game and was not present nor available when Zeke collapsed."

Jewel claims when doctors finally tended to Zeke, the treatment was so poor -- she later learned Zeke's body "went without oxygen for another forty minutes ... leaving his brain completely oxygen deprived."

"At this point, there was no healthy brain left to save."

Jewel claims the NBA has had so much experience with players suffering sudden cardiac death over the years -- from Reggie Lewis to Conrad McRae -- there should be a proper protocol to handle these types of situations.

In her suit, Jewel says "there is simply no good reason for the defendants to have been unprepared for sudden cardiac death events such as Zeke's, and for their failure to react quickly to save a life."

"Had properly trained medical professionals administered expeditious and proper treatment, Zeke would still be alive."

The Philadelphia 76ers have announced they've launched an investigation into team honcho Bryan Colangelo ... to find out if he was REALLY leaking confidential team info through burner Twitter accounts.

Colangelo was allegedly using 5 secret accounts to trash various 76ers players -- including Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and former players Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, according to The Ringer.

In the case of Okafor, Colangelo allegedly leaked private medical information that only a few people in the organization would know.

The team has now issued this statement ...

"An online media outlet filed a story linking multiple social media accounts to 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo."

"The allegations are serious and we have commenced an independent investigation into the matter."

"We will report the results of that investigation as soon as it is concluded."

Colangelo has denied trashing players on Twitter -- but 'fessed up to owning one of the Twitter accounts in question.