NBA

If game really does recognize game ... bet the house on LiAngelo Ball getting drafted later this month ... 'cause a top NBA draft prospect says Lonzo's bro is "for sure" getting picked.

Collin Sexton -- the stud point guard from Alabama -- is widely viewed as one of the 10-or-so best players available in the NBA draft pool ... and when we caught up with him in West Hollywood, he says there isn't a doubt in his mind 'Gelo will be picked right along with him on June 21.

"He's a good player," Sexton told us. "He can shoot it. He can shoot it real good. He'll wind up at a team for sure."

FYI ... Collin isn't just bein' nice for the camera. He played against 'Gelo last year during the Ballislife All-American Game -- alongside future pros Trae Young and Mo Bamba -- and Ball went for a cool 13 points and three boards on his team.

Derek Fisher is going to bat for his former player J.R. Smith -- telling TMZ Sports the Cavs should NOT quit on the shooting guard after his brain fart during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

There's been a call from fans and NBA experts to bench Smith -- most famously from Stephen A. Smith -- who says J.R. just ain't playing good enough and needs to be benched for the rest of the series.

But Fisher ain't buyin' it ... explaining, "We're really only talking about one play."

D-Fish -- who coached Smith on the Knicks a few years back -- says J.R. played his ass off all year long and has earned his starting spot. Fish says you need to rely on the guys who got you there.

So, what about Smith's unimpressive stat line after Game 2 (5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists in 31 minutes)??

Fisher says don't be fooled by the numbers, there are other ways for a player to have an impact.

If James Harden was bummed about not being in the NBA Finals ... he ain't showin' it -- 'cause he was TURNING UP with shirtless Travis Scott onstage Saturday night!!

Just five days after being bounced from the playoffs ... the Rockets PG turned to his ex-GF's sister's BF to get away from it all ... and he got away from it.

The Beard joined Kylie Jenner's baby daddy during the last few minutes of his Governors Ball set, rockin' out to "Beibs in the Trap" ... and the crowd loved it -- giving a "F*CK THE WARRIORS" chant afterward.

Remember, Scott's a huge Houston fan ... and was spotted at Harden's games against the Dubs late last month.

Forget the Warriors vs. Cavs debate (sure looks like the Dubs ended that on Sunday night, anyway) -- it's time for the real question ... the LeBron 15s or the Curry 5s?!

The two NBA Finals superstars rocked their signature shoes in Game 2 ... and while Steph Curry got the win in his -- does he beat the King in shoe game as well??

New photos show Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown suffered bruising and cuts to his face when he was unnecessarily tased and roughed up during a January police altercation.

You've already seen the video of Brown being violently accosted and tased by a team of Milwaukee PD officers during a January 26 parking dispute outside of a Walgreens around 2 AM.

Now, the newly released pics -- taken right after the incident -- show the damage inflicted on Brown's face. You can also see what appears to be puncture wounds on his body from the taser. The pics were first obtained by WISN 12.

There's more ... new police video shows cops were immediately concerned about looking "racist" ... saying on camera, "Because he plays for the Bucks, and if he makes a complaint, it's going to be a f*cking media firestorm."

"And then any little f*cking thing that goes wrong [with the investigation into the arrest] is going to be, 'Ooooooh, the Milwaukee Police Department is all racist. Blah, blah, blah.'"

"And then we end up in civil court. And then the DA asks, was all that necessary?"

In fact, the possible backlash ended up being exactly what happened ... with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the Bucks organization themselves blasting the cops' actions.

Remember V. Stiviano?

She's the one who recorded Donald Sterling's racist rant about Magic Johnson -- which led to the NBA forcing him to sell the Clippers.

Well ... she's BACK -- and this time, we're talking about Roseanne!

"Everyone's making such a big deal over every small little thing," V. told us outside of Craig's.

"No one has freedom of speech anymore! No one can say what they feel because if they do, they're gonna lose their job."

Stiviano explained why EVERYONE'S at least a little bit racist -- and she wants to live in a world where everyone expresses their bigotry, so we can all know who we're dealing with upfront.

Just one question ... what happened to the legendary face shield?

It's been about six months since Kendall Jenner was linked to a rumored NBA BF, but as her biking date with Ben Simmons shows ... you never forget how to date one of 'em.

Kendall was seen getting her ride on this weekend with the 76ers star point guard -- on a bicycle, folks ... relax. Eyewitnesses tell us they were cruising near The Grove in West Hollywood Sunday -- and we gotta say ... Kendall looks like the pro out of the two.

She's got solid form, AND she's got a purse on her, too, which looks perfectly in sync with her body. Much improved from 2016, when she ate s*** riding down a dirt road.

Ben, meanwhile, looks a little too big for his own bike here ... perhaps struggling to peddle, even. The dude is like 6'10", though ... maybe raise the seat next time, yeah?

Either way, it's nice to see Kendall switch up the activity for her 3rd NBA pal. Can't say we ever saw her hit the outdoors like this with Blake Griffin, or Jordan Clarkson either.

Adam Rippon just signed off on LeBron James' interesting pre-Game 1 attire, saying suit shorts are totally acceptable ... all because the King set the trend.

We got the Olympic figure skater Saturday at LAX and asked what he made of Bron's lack of pants heading into Oracle Arena Thursday ahead of his first game against the Warriors. Faux pas, or fashion genius? Adam seems to think LeBron falls into the latter category.

The Olympian has a perfectly reasonable explanation for why shorts on a suit are a-OK -- especially as we start heading into the summer months here. If anything, LeBron's ahead of the curve ... and or maybe just doing what feels good, we guess? Hard to say.

Either way, Adam's definitely the guy to weigh on such matters ... you might recall his Moschino harness suit to the Oscars this year ... which got a lot of people doing double takes.

So ... yeah, LeBron's in good company. At least Adam's got his back on the Urkel-inspired outfit. BTW ... LeBron is rockin' the suit shorts AGAIN for Game 2. Yep, it a thing now.

Rick Fox says he's got the $100 MILLION Fortnite prize money in his sites -- and he's got his people scouting the world looking to put together the best squad he can find.

Fox is one of the big dogs in eSports -- his team, "Echo Fox," is a perennial contender in games like "League of Legends" and 'CS:GO.'

So, with Fortnite taking over the world and announcing a $100 MILLION prize pool next season -- we had to ask if he was making a run at that money.

"Our ears have been to the ground there, and our front office has been completely on top of finding the talent that would represent Echo Fox in a Fortnite setting."

Shouldn't be hard for Fox to put together a killer group -- his "Echo Fox" team dominated the H1Z1 competitions and won a ton of money there.

LeBron James is the king on the court ... but does he wear the crown off of it??

You be the judge in this look at the best WAGS of the NBA Finals!!

Savannah James always kills it ... but Steph Curry's longtime wifey, Ayesha, and Tristan Thompson's baby mama, Khloe Kardashian, make it interesting.

Don't sleep on Jeff Green's boo, Stephanie, or Shaun Livingston's girl, Joey -- who might not be as famous, but still rocks it in a bikini!!

Kenyon Martin says "there's no such thing as simple flirting" anymore ... and it's all because men have crossed the line too many times when it comes to picking up women.

The ex-NBA star says he's well aware of the problems many women face in the workplace and other areas in their lives when men come on way too strong ... and it's not right.

"Over the years, men have abused their power," Martin tells TMZ Sports.

So, what happens now? Martin has advice for young men, including NBA players -- "Be smart. Notice the signs."

"No means no! Some resistance? Gotta turn away."

Jordan Clarkson's a Cleveland guy now ... but the dude just can't shake his old stompin' grounds, 'cause the ex-Laker just dropped $3.2 MILLION on a brand new L.A. home!!

The Cavs baller is currently in the NBA Finals ... but once the offseason hits, he'll be able to enjoy his 5 bedroom, 8 bathroom pad in Woodland Hills listed by Gabriel Ostrow.

Clarkson will have plenty to do ... his home's complete with a chef's kitchen, wine closet, dope home theater, saltwater pool and spa and a BBQ center.

All eyez are on Matt Barnes' right hand ... 'cause the ex-NBA baller just got the most insane Tupac tattoo!!

The artwork is crazy real ... and the story of how Barnes got it is even more wild.

The former Laker -- who's tatted all over -- was lookin' for a 'Pac piece ... and after seeing a Kobe Bryant tattoo that artist Steve Butcher did ... he hit him up on social media and locked down an appointment.

The dopest realistic tattoo artist we've ever seen flew all the way to L.A. (he's from New Zealand) to ink Matt's hand ... and he says the ex-hooper couldn't have been cooler!

The tat took about five hours to complete -- and we're saying, job well done.

BTW ... Butcher says Matt was the first NBA player he's tatted ... but he probably won't be the last. DeAndre Jordan's already told him he's interested in getting a piece done as well!!

John Salley says the mother of the NBA G League player who died after collapsing on the court is "100% right" in her lawsuit against the league ... saying, "I think she has a case."

TMZ Sports broke story ... Zeke Upshaw's mother claims the team doctor didn't respond to her son for 4 MINUTES after he collapsed from a cardiac incident during a game back in March.

Upshaw's mother claims Zeke did not receive proper medical treatment that could have saved his life, and she's holding the Detroit Pistons and the NBA responsible.

Salley -- a 4-time NBA champ -- told us he stands with Zeke's mother, and says the league needs to do better moving forward.

"I think she has a case ... The fact that there was no professional EMS around would definitely have to fall on the squad."

In fact, Salley says he hopes the lawsuit will force the league to improve league standards when it comes to medical emergencies.

Brian McKnight is reminding the world that J.R. Smith isn't traveling alone on the screw-up train ... telling TMZ Sports George Hill deserves just as much blame for the Cavs' loss.

You already know the play by now ... but McKnight says Hill's missed free throw that led up to J.R.'s brain fart is just as bad ... and says the people are giving him the pass J.R. should've given LeBron.

Earnest Byner knows what it's like to make a major mistake with the game on the line (remember the '87 AFC Championship?) ... so, he's got some advice for J.R. Smith.

Byner is a legend in his own right -- he's a 2-time Pro Bowler and won Super Bowls as a player and a coach.

But back in 1988, he fumbled on the 2-yard line with time winding down costing the Cleveland Browns a shot at the Super Bowl. It's been ranked as one of the biggest in-game mistakes in NFL history.

The good news ... Byner didn't let the play define him and went on to have a great career.