NBA

LeBron James may not be the richest guy floating off the Amalfi Coast right now ... because Jimmy Iovine just showed up!

The music mogul was spotted on a yacht with LeBron on the 4th of July -- as the NBA star continues to celebrate his new $154 million Lakers contract.

Unclear if LeBron is on Jimmy's yacht ... or if Jimmy is on LeBron's yacht -- but one thing is for sure ... they can both afford some sick boats!

By the way, they have a Beats By Dre connection -- Jimmy (who co-founded the company with Dr. Dre) made a fortune when Apple purchased it for $3.2 billion.

Did you also know ... LeBron ALSO made a ton of cash from the sale? He reportedly got a small stake in the company in exchange for promoting the brand back in 2008 and, when it sold to Apple, he made a cool $30 mil!

Here's proof Orlando Magic rookie Mo Bamba has been assaulting rims his entire life ... throwing down a massive, one-handed alley-oop as an 8TH GRADER ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The 6th overall pick in the NBA Draft was playing for Cardigan Mountain School back in 2013 ... when he asked his teammate to throw him a lob on an inbound play, and what follows is nothing short of amazing.

Not only does the then-14-year-old control the pass and throw it down, he's only a few inches from being eye-to-eye with the rim ... again, as an 8TH GRADER.

LaVar Ball is already clearing off space on Lonzo's trophy case -- telling TMZ Sports he expects FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS now that LeBron James is on the Lakers!

"I called LeBron to L.A.," LaVar told us at a BBB pop-up shop at Sole Play in Atlanta ... "I knew he was coming to L.A., man! Everything lined up for me!"

But, what about the Golden State Warriors signing DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins -- is LaVar concerned about the reigning NBA champs??

Hell no.

"The Warriors can sign Boogie, Prince, Michael Jordan ... anybody they want! They still ain't gonna win with this team right here -- the Lakers with LeBron!"

"You don't give my son the best player in the game and don't think he gonna win no championships!"

LaVar -- who's getting ready for his JBA basketball games Tuesday night -- says he's still confident the Lakers will eventually sign his other 2 sons to the team and guarantees championships when they get there!

Doc Rivers tells TMZ Sports ... trading his son, Austin Rivers, from the Clippers to the Washington Wizards was "the right thing for all of us."

Austin played for his dad on the Clippers from 2014 to 2018. But, last week, the Clippers shipped the 25-year-old to the Wizards in exchange for Marcin Gortat.

"He'll be well," Doc says of his son ... "He'll be good there."

As for Austin, he says the move will be a "great opportunity."

It's over ... again.

The famous LeBron James banner in downtown Cleveland is officially coming down -- after the NBA superstar decided to leave the city and sign with the Lakers.

The banner -- a 10-story-tall billboard -- has become an icon in Cleveland, showing James doing his famous chalk throw before a game.

The removal ain't gonna be easy -- a Nike spokesperson said it could take a couple of days.

So, what's gonna happen to the banner? Sherwin-Williams -- which owns the building -- says it's evaluating the situation.

As we previously reported, the Cleveland Cavs official online team shop has already scrubbed LeBron from the front page -- and they're slashing prices on all #23 jerseys.

Mallory Edens -- the daughter of Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens -- is PISSED that DeMarcus Cousins just signed with the Golden State Warriors ... saying, "It's not cool to try to win a chip on your own anymore huh."

Boogie -- a four-time NBA all-star and two-time All-NBA selection -- signed an extremely team-friendly deal with the Dubs that gives the reigning world champs maybe the best starting five in league history.

This, of course, ticked off Mallory ... who wondered if the whole deal was someone playin' a trick on her.

"R u joking this is just nuts at this point," Edens posted on social media.

Plan the parade ... with LeBron James in L.A., the Lakers are takin' down the Warriors and winning a ring ... so says 4x NBA champ John Salley.

Salley knows how to win -- he won 4 'ships with 3 different organizations -- and says LBJ's Lakers have the fire power to take down Steph Curry and Kevin Durant's Warriors ... and whoever the hell comes outta the East.

"It's destined to happen. It's gonna happen. Period."

How 'bout tix for the soon-to-be champs? J.S. says LBJ makes the Lakers the hottest ticket the town has ever seen ... hotter than when Kobe and Shaq did their thing ... hotter than Magic's Showtime Lakers.

LeBron James just touched down in Italy after sealing the deal on his new $154 MILLION contract ... and even his workout equipment is Laker colors.

Bron and his family were spotted Monday morning boarding a yacht in Positano -- a super fancy city on the Amalfi Coast where Magic Johnson usually spends part of his expensive summer family vacation.

In fact, Magic's wife, Cookie Johnson, just told us the family plans to rent out the same $700,000 per week yacht they vacationed on last summer with Sam Jackson ... and will sail to the same spots.

So ... does this mean Magic and LeBron will vacation together??? We'll see ...

LeBron's been doing a lot of traveling lately -- he was in Anguilla last week with the family (remember, he jumped off that cliff?) ... and then jetted back to Los Angeles to get the deal done with the Lakers.

And now that his contract is squared away ... it's back to vacation mode.

John Witherspoon doesn't care one bit that LeBron James is heading to the Lakers ... 'cause the actor thinks LBJ "holds the ball too long" -- and the Lakers will still be garbage with him!!

We got the "Friday" star out at LAX ... and when we asked about the King's new kingdom -- John went off.

"He ain't going to help them Lakers. He's going to help them do what? Lose the title?! ... Man, he holds the ball too long!"

John's most savage burn of the new Lake Show? That was reserved for Bron's new coach, Luke Walton.

"He wasn't nothing when he was playing! How's he going to tell them how to play when he wasn't nothing when he was playing??"

While celebs like Randy Jackson fight to get tickets to see LBJ at Staples ... we're pretty sure John's out when it comes to that bidding war.

Simply committing to the Lakers as one of the greatest basketball players of all time does NOT mean LeBron James is already an L.A. legend -- so says NBA star Clint Capela.

We got the Houston Rockets center leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills on Sunday and just had to ask ... should LBJ already be mentioned with Kobe, Magic and Shaq in Lakers' lore now?!

"A legend in L.A.? I mean, he's going to have to prove a little bit. At least a little something."

Interesting comments from Clint ... considering he's a restricted free agent who reportedly met with the Lakers about possibly signing an offer sheet just hours before the King's commitment.

Maybe not the best way to get Bron to make the Lakers shell out more cash for him ... but could there be some reverse psychology going on here from Clint?!

Well, that was quick.

LeBron James is no longer on the front page of the Cleveland Cavaliers online team shop -- and they're already slashing prices on his jerseys.

Don't worry, the new star getting the front-page treatment is Cavs rookie Collin Sexton -- you can buy his jersey for $110 (Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are also still on the front page).

But, now that LeBron's heading West ... the NBA's #2 selling jersey (behind Steph Curry) has been discounted from $110 to $66!

Gotta think people in Cleveland are still gonna buy LeBron jerseys though, right? Especially since the Cavs will 100% retire #23 at some point down the line.

Meanwhile, on the Lakers team store -- they're selling LeBron front and center!

Interested in some Bron purple and gold swag? An authentic #23 Lakers jersey will cost you $220!

If that's too rich for your blood, you can still find old-school Cedric Ceballos jerseys (#23) for WAYYYY cheaper!

Good luck!

Los Angeles Lakers star Kyle Kuzma can throw -- in fact, he was launching TD passes at a huge flag football game with NFL stars over the weekend ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The 6'9" power forward went under center at the Team Ross vs. Team Snoop charity game in Long Beach and did pretty well -- throwing strikes to NFL stars like Joe Mixon and John Ross.

Ultimately, Kyle's team lost after a crazy 4th quarter comeback by Team Snoop -- but it was fun as hell to watch and it all benefited the John Ross III Foundation, which helps provide educational opportunities to underprivileged kids.

Plus, the touchdown celebrations were pretty dope too -- with dancing and backflips ... and even some friendly trash talk.

LeBron James just boosted the price of L.A. Lakers tickets in a HUGE way -- with rich stars like Randy Jackson admitting they would pay a bloody fortune to see Bron play at Staples Center.

"[I would pay] anything to see LeBron, dude ... one of the greatest players ever," the former "American Idol" judge just told us outside of Craig's in L.A. ... "I love him. I can't wait to see him."

By the way, season ticket prices on sites like StubHub have reportedly doubled since the announcement about LeBron ... with one buyer paying close to $200,000 for the upcoming season.

Also, Jackson said he'd love to work with LeBron if The King wants to get into music while he's in L.A. -- so, dude's got options.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is fired up about LeBron James -- and even made the The King a video to welcome LBJ to Los Angeles.

"This is so exciting that you're coming to the city of stars," Arnold said.

"And you'll be, without any doubt, the biggest star of all. On the court and off the court! I love it!"

He's not the only huge star excited about James becoming the newest Los Angeles Laker -- Snoop Dogg also posted on IG welcoming Bron to town.

And, of course, Bron's newest teammate Lonzo Ball had a few words as well -- saying, "Y’all really thought he was gonna pass up the greatest city in the world... #TheKingIsHere."

Kobe Bryant also weighed in, saying ... "Welcome to the family @KingJames #lakers4life #striveforgreatness @JeanieBuss @MagicJohnson."

Call him BallStradamus ... because LaVar Ball told TMZ Sports the LeBron James to the Lakers thing was a done deal way back in February.

Of course, back then there were rumblings about LeBron coming out west, but it was far from official.

Still, when we saw LaVar at a Big Baller Brand pop-up shop, he made it clear that he had no doubts about LeBron's future.

"Who said it was a rumor? Didn't I tell you he was coming here," Ball said in February.

"Lonzo's gonna make him a better player."

LaVar even had a nickname for the new LeBron, Lonzo Ball duo -- and it's more about his son than James.

Anthony Davis plays in NOLA, but he'll always have homecourt advantage in Cali ... thanks to his new California mansion, complete with an INDOOR BASKETBALL COURT ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Pelicans superstar just bought the Westlake Village home for $7.5 MILLION earlier this month ... and there's a bunch packed into the estate -- a home theater, gym, infinity pool with water slides, outdoor kitchen and, oh yeah ... the hoops court!!

And if that's not enough ... the 5-time All Star's new crib comes with a guest house (with its own bar) for the homies.

BTW -- we know what you're wonderin', Laker Nation ... it's an hour and a half drive to Staples Center.

Keep dreaming.

And if you're wondering how Davis can afford such a massive place -- dude's in the middle of a 5-year, $145 MILLION contract with the Pelicans.