NBA

Chris Paul is going to bat for his teammate -- saying James Harden deserved to win MVP over LeBron James ... but now, he needs to add an NBA title to his resume.

"He's gonna get that too," CP3 told TMZ Sports on the way out of Catch ... "but he deserved the MVP."

There's an argument James got screwed at the NBA Award ceremony Monday night -- since he played in more games than Harden, scored more points than Harden, got more rebounds, more assists and took his team further with less talent around him.

But, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni is also siding with Paul -- saying Harden was "without a doubt" the best player in the league and "has been ready to get [MVP] for the last 3 years."

James Harden celebrated like a boss after winning league MVP at the NBA awards in L.A. on Monday -- hanging out with Meek Mill ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

The Houston Rockets star hit up Avenue nightclub where everyone wanted to rub elbows with HIM -- including Meek.

Of course, the catch is that Meek is still on probation stemming from his old drugs and guns case (pending a decision about getting a new trial) and can't travel outside of Pennsylvania without alerting his probation officer.

Under the terms of his probation, Meek IS allowed to leave the state for work purposes -- and, since he performed at the BET Awards in L.A. on Sunday night, we're guessing it was easy approval process.

Devin Booker let his car do the talking Sunday night ... and we were listening -- 'cause his murdered-out Ferrari was singing!!

We got the quiet Phoenix Suns superstar -- and what looks like a Ferrari 488 -- outside of Craig's with a lady friend when we couldn't help but linger on the $250,000-plus machine.

The whip was dope ... with a sleek matte black finish that made it look straight outta Bruce Wayne's garage.

T.I. is the King of Atlanta ... Trae Young is ATL's brand new basketball star ... so it's only right that the King bestow some words onto the kid, and he's using TMZ Sports as his royal messenger.

We got T.I. at LAX and asked him if he had any advice for the former Oklahoma star ... who's headed to hoop for ATL as a rookie for the Hawks.

Tip obliges us ... and tells our guy the one place Trae should steer clear of is Magic City ... one of the greatest shake joints of all time ... because the kid needs to concentrate on basketball.

Here's the thing ... we love T.I., but we're not sure he's right here. Not going as a matter of fact, it's kinda pointless to live in ATL and not visit this place and the places like it.

Carmelo and La La Anthony spent part of La La's birthday Monday visiting the home of a slain 15-year-old boy to provide condolences and gifts to the murdered child's family.

Lesandro Guzman-Feliz was brutally stabbed to death after being dragged out of a corner store last week.

When La La was contacted by the boy's sister and informed he was a huge Melo fan ... she brought the NBA superstar right to his fam's doorstep.

"This is what I wanted to do for my birthday today," La La said of the trip.

"Thank you to the gram for connecting me to this family. I wanted to offer our love and support to Lesandro 'Junior’s' family. His sister reached out and told me he loved Melo."

"So I asked Mel to go with me. I can’t imagine this type of pain and sadness. His family is strong and may God bless them forever."

In addition to signed jerseys and sneakers ... La La says she and Carmelo did far more than that for the family -- and urged others to donate.

Ex-NBA star Al Harrington wants everyone to know he's NOT a Donald Trump fan -- so, he wore a shirt spelling it out for everyone in Hollywood.

Taking a page from Melania Trump's playbook, Harrington used his back as a billboard -- his message read, "Anti Trump Social Club."

And if you're not into politics, Harrington also backs Master P -- who recently told us LiAngelo Ball should go back to college and get a degree.

At least one NBA star is convinced LeBron James has already made up his mind ... with Willie Cauley-Stein telling TMZ Sports the King is coming to L.A.

"He's coming HERE," the Sacramento Kings star told us outside Nightingale Plaza nightclub in L.A.

He also noted that there's no loyalty in the NBA, so anything is on the table when it comes to players and teams making moves.

By the way, Willie is DRIPPIN' in this clip -- with a Gucci bandana around his head, all sorts of diamonds around his neck and a Louis Vuitton x Supreme side bag around his chest.

Move over Marilyn Monroe -- okay, not really -- but you gotta hand it to Dennis Rodman for breaking out in song as a fun surprise for a guy on his 60th bday.

The man's name is Bobby, and his family tells TMZ ... they were celebrating at Casa Machado Restaurant in San Diego Saturday afternoon when they noticed the NBA legend was there, too.

We're told they asked Rodman if he'd take a pic with Bobby, but he told them he could do better than that ... and so he did.

Before Kim Jong-un met Dennis Rodman in North Korea -- he reached out to Michael Jordan, but got shot down by His Airness ... this according to Rodman himself.

The Worm appeared on "TMZ Live" and said the first time he met Kim Jong-un was in 2013 on a basketball trip with the Harlem Globetrotters.

During the trip, Rodman says Kim Jong-un's people invited him to meet with the North Korean leader and they hit it off ... and became friends.

But Rodman says he wasn't Kim's first choice -- revealing, "Basically, he asked Michael Jordan first and Michael Jordan said, 'No.' So then he asked about me and I said, 'Yes.' That's how it all started."

Turns out, Kim Jong-un is a huge fan of the legendary Chicago Bulls teams of the '90s!

So, why did Rodman -- who's now working as a consultant for AnyTickets.com -- accept the invite? His explanation is actually pretty interesting.

LaVar Ball doesn't know it all, and the proof is that LiAngelo didn't get drafted ... so says Master P, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks Gelo should go back to school.

LiAngelo didn't hear his name called draft night ... leaving some to wonder what's next for the kid, who LaVar promised would one day join Lonzo on the Lakers.

We got P out in L.A. and he made it clear he thinks it was a mistake for Gelo to leave UCLA in the first place, and told our guy he thinks the 19-year-old should hightail it back to Westwood.

"I mean if he can, I would go back."

P wasn't finished ... saying he thinks the fact that he's currently without a basketball team should be a wake-up call to LiAngelo ... about his father.

"It just show you that Lavar don't have that magic ball like he thought he had."

Clyde Drexler says the BIG3 league is packed with at least 12 dudes who have a real shot at NBA glory in 2018 ... telling TMZ Sports he expects his league to launch those guys back to The Association.

Drexler just took over as the commish of Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league and says he's been blown away by guys like Amare Stoudemire, DeShawn Stevenson and Andre Owens.

Ice Cube has previously said he hopes the BIG3 will be a pipeline for players to get back in the NBA -- and so far, the plan has worked ... with Xavier Silas signing a contract with the Boston Celtics after an impressive stint in the BIG3.

Pistons power forward Eric Moreland doesn't see a problem with LiAngelo Ball not getting picked in Thursday's NBA Draft ... telling TMZ Sports, if Gelo works hard enough -- it won't even matter!!

See, Moreland went undrafted himself back in 2014 ... and he turned out alright -- latching on with the Sacramento Kings for a couple seasons before playing 67 games in Detroit last year.

So, for Eric ... he could care less what happened to the middle Ball bro this week.

"It's OK, he'll come back," Moreland told us.

"I didn't get drafted, you know? He'll be there. He'll be fine."

Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate is going to bat for the future NBA Hall of Famer ... with Matt Barnes telling TMZ Sports Kobe will end up in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences someway, somehow.

Remember, Bryant was just denied entry into the exclusive club, despite winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball."

Barnes was at an Athletes vs. Cancer event at Skybar on Thursday where he told us Kobe's bounced back from far worse Ls in his career ... and he expects to see the same thing with the Academy membership.

"They're gonna make it tough on him, but I know he's a hard worker," Barnes told us ... "One way or another, he'll end up in there."

Ben Simmons is pulling a Khloe Kardashian -- getting back together with his significant other after she sucked face with another person!

Just weeks after Kendall Jenner was spotted making out with Anwar Hadid, she seems to be fully back with the 6'10" Simmons ... because the 2 partied in Hollywood on Thursday until 2 in the morning!!

Check out this video of the couple (?) leaving Hyde nightclub on the Sunset Strip right around closing time and driving off in the same SUV.

One thing we also noticed ... 21-year-old Ben gave a stiff-arm to the rose lady who was hoping the NBA star would reach into his pockets to impress Kendall after the club.

How much dough would you cough up to own a piece of the biggest boneheaded play of 2018??

For one fan, the magic number is a whoppin' $23,548!! ... 'cause that's what J.R. Smith's NBA Finals Game 1 jersey sold for Thursday night ... TMZ Sports has learned.

ICYMI -- the bidding started at $620 ... but things started heating up on the final day of bidding, with the number reaching around $11k ... then DOUBLING before the auction closed.

To put things in perspective, LeBron James' Game 1 threads -- which he wore during his historic 51-point performance -- fetched $100,322 ... but that was probably bought for different reasons.

LaVar Ball has heard the trade rumors involving Lonzo Ball going to the Spurs ... and has a message for the Lakers:

"If they wanna trade him, trade him. It'll be the worst move they ever made."

LaVar went off at his JBA season opener on Thursday afternoon -- when we asked about the rumblings that Magic Johnson could ship Lonzo to San Antonio to get Kawhi Leonard.

"If they wanna trade him, trade him. If they don't wanna trade him, keep him. He's gonna do his thing. I'm not worried about no trades.

LaVar says he's still 100% confident all 3 of his boys will eventually play on the same NBA team, despite the fact LiAngelo wasn't drafted on Thursday.

"He'll come in the back door as a free agent," LaVar explained.