NBA

The 26th annual ESPYs brought the feels early with an intense recap of the year's most exciting and touching sports moments ... then Danica Patrick lightened the mood.

Danica -- the show's first ever female host -- came out hard with jokes ... about Cleveland sports, J.R. Smith's Finals blunder, LeBron's hair, Ben Simmons joining the Kardashians -- and even the National Anthem controversy.

As you can see, some went over better than others.

Then it was on to the awards, with Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell kicking things off with an ESPY win for Best Breakthrough Athlete. Other winners included the U.S. Women's Hockey Team for Best Game, Baker Mayfield for Best College Athlete, and Nick Foles for Best Championship Performance.

Chloe Kim took home the ESPY for Best Female Athlete, Alex Ovechkin nabbed Best Male ... and the Houston Astros won Best Team.

The evening also included powerful tributes to Bills QB legend Jim Kelly, who received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, Best Coach going to the 3 coaches killed in the Parkland shooting ... and the sister survivors of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar being honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

What rivalry?

LeBron James and Kevin Durant left a Hollywood bar together on Wednesday night with Draymond Green ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The NBA superstars -- along with a ton of other athletes -- were leaving The Highlight Room rooftop lounge ... and when LeBron got to the street, a ton of fans were there to greet him.

Check out the top of the video -- the guy in the white hoodie who's talking with Bron looks a lot like Draymond.

The Lakers star thanked some of the people who welcomed him to L.A. -- and then walked to his waiting car ... followed by Kevin Durant.

We tried to talk with KD -- and a guy asked for the Golden State Warrior star's autograph -- but Durant made it clear he wasn't in the mood to talk with normies.

Turns out, the guys were all hanging out at a post-ESPY's party thrown by LeBron's Uninterrupted media platform -- with huge stars like Floyd Mayweather, Jamie Foxx, Drake, Future and Kevin Hart in attendance.

DeMar DeRozan is getting a touching goodbye message from his good friend, Drake ... with the Toronto Raptors ambassador pouring his heart out for the freshly traded NBA star.

The 6 God weighed in on the face of the franchise getting shipped to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard on Thursday ... saying, "To my brother @demar_derozan I want to say 10 million thank you’s on behalf of YOUR city. You are a fixture in Toronto forever and you gave everything you had."

"Through your leadership we had the most exciting years in franchise history. I am grateful to have witnessed your combination of skill, persistence, and loyalty from the same seats every night. Thank you for being an incredible captain and an even better friend."

It's a nice gesture from Drake ... but, DeRozan is reportedly super pissed about the deal ... and feels the team lied to him about their plans for the future.

Kenny Smith is siding with DeMar DeRozan -- telling TMZ Sports the Toronto Raptors screwed over their star player by not telling him he was going to be traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

Little backstory ... DeRozan sounded off on Instagram hours before the trade was announced -- saying, "Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can't trust em. Ain't no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing..."

Smith says if that's really the way it went down -- that's bad business on the part of the Raptors ... especially since DeRozan is "the reason people even watch Toronto basketball."

"No one watched Toronto basketball," he added ... "Between him and Vince Carter, they put Toronto on the map."

Blake Griffin was living the life in Miami over the weekend ... where his smokeshow girlfriend, Francesca Aiello, turned every single head on the beach ... for obvious reasons.

Blake and Francesca -- who owns Frankies Bikinis -- have been super tight over the last few months ... ever since the NBA star broke things off with Kendall Jenner.

The two took things to a private cabana in Miami Beach on Sunday with a group of friends -- where they packed on the PDA ... including a few moments where she laid right on top of him.

Good times.

Movie stars ain't the only ones fallin' all over themselves to work with LeBron now that he's in Hollywood ...

YG tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely open to a music collab with LBJ if the King wants to do one.

"I f*ck with LeBron," YG says. "Hell yeah, that n**** can get a YG feature!"

One problem ... YG says it probably ain't gonna happen -- 'cause Bron's too old for rap dreams.

What YG may be forgetting is that LeBron has dabbled in rap before -- in fact, TMZ Sports has Bron's tracks from a 2014 session with his pal, Sian Cotton ... when the two hit a recording studio in Ohio.

In the song, titled "Kingdom" -- Bron raps about docking his yacht off the coast of France, having dope cars and TWO RINGS!!

Amber Rose and her new boyfriend, Monte Morris, are serious ... so serious they've decided they're gonna be in an exclusive, committed relationship.

Sources close to the couple tell us they recently started telling friends they're no longer dating other people. The first pics of them together in public surfaced this week.

We're told they met through mutual friends over a year ago, but only started hooking up last month ... long after she and 21 Savage broke up. Monte only told Amber how he felt AFTER he found out she was single.

Matt Barnes says things are finally so good between him and Derek Fisher, he invited his ex-wife's fiance to his charity event in L.A. -- but, there was just one problem, Fisher didn't show up.

Barnes was holding an Athletes vs. Cancer fundraiser -- hoping to raise cash to provide college scholarships for kids who beat cancer ... very cool.

Fisher was on the guest list, so we asked Barnes about their relationship ... and he couldn't have been more positive.

"Yeah, we're good ... we're fine," Barnes said.

"The most important thing is to make my kids happy and we're both working hard at that."

The invite comes off the heels of Derek Fisher and Gloria Govan saying Barnes would not get an invite to their upcoming wedding. Seems Barnes is trying to make the relationship work.

Amar'e Stoudemire says when the NBA season kicks off in the fall ... he WILL be on an NBA roster -- telling TMZ Sports he's already been in contact with "a few teams."

We broke the story ... the 35-year-old Stoudemire is gunnin' for an NBA comeback -- and he's using Ice Cube's new hoops league, the BIG3, to catch general managers' attention.

"I think now being back with the BIG3, they can see I still got it," Stoudemire says.

There's more ... Amar'e tells us he ain't the only one on his team who's making a serious run toward an NBA roster in 2018!!

Roy Hibbert tells TMZ Sports ... he's done with professional basketball -- explaining, "It's just time to move on."

The 31-year-old -- a 2-time NBA All Star -- was at LAX and we were talking about everything from LeBron James to Carmelo Anthony ... even Isaiah Thomas.

But, when we asked Hibbert if he had any desire to come back to the Lakers and play with LeBron, he told us, "I'm good on it right now" ... and explained that he's moving on from the NBA.

Hibbert last played in the league back in 2017 -- a stint with the Denver Nuggets. Before that, Hibbert was a stud with the Indiana Pacers.

As for what he'll do next? He's got options ... considering he reportedly made more than $70 mil in the NBA.

Tyson Chandler ain't mad at his teammate, Devin Booker, for that elevator fight -- in fact, TC says the whole thing is funny!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Booker rushed to the aid of his then-Phoenix Suns teammate, Tyler Ulis, after Tyler got attacked in an apartment elevator back in 2017.

Since Chandler was on the Suns (and still is) at the time of the incident, we asked what he thought about the fight.

"Honestly," Chandler told us ... "The video is just funny!"

Tyson says the major point is that no one got hurt -- and no harm, no foul!

In fact, Tyson said had he known Ulis was in trouble that night, "I might've been there with 'em."

Shaquille O'Neal got an ENTIRE nightclub to chant "Barkley Sucks" during a DJ gig in D.C. -- and the trolling didn't stop there!

Shaq was performing at Echostage as DJ Diesel -- when he decided to clown his "Inside the NBA" co-host with a giant projection on the back wall that read, "Barkley Has NO Ring!"

Shaq clapped along gleefully as the place went crazy!

Of course, Shaq and Chuck are really tight in real life -- so, it's all in good fun.

Now, it's on Barkley to get even ...

Of course, it's not the first time Shaq went off on an NBA star in a nightclub -- back in the day, he freestyled the infamous "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes" verse during his rift with his Lakers teammate.

Both Shaq and Kobe have said they've made up and they're on good terms now.

NBA star John Wall is one of the most incredible, talented athletes on planet Earth -- but, when it comes to baseball, he stinks.

Remember ... the Washington Wizards star threw arguably the worst first pitch in MLB history about seven years ago ... and, unfortunately, he's not much better with a bat in his hands.

Wall was at Nationals Park warming up for the MLB celebrity softball game Sunday night ... when he took some BP.

If you're counting at home ... that was three fouls, a complete whiff, and maybe a base hit -- all from a dude throwing lobs from about eight feet away!!

Wall's confidence wasn't shaken ... he was somehow able to hit a single and score a run when the bright lights actually came on -- but, still.

Nick Young thinks Patrick Beverley must've been on the sauce when he declared the Clippers to be the best team in the NBA ... asking TMZ Sports, "He was drunk that night or something?"

Remember, earlier this month, Beverley proudly told us he REALLY believes his new Clip squad is better than the Lakers and the Warriors ... and are real contenders to win the NBA title.

So, when we saw Swaggy -- who plays for the Warriors -- leaving Craig's in West Hollywood Sunday night ... we had to ask for his thoughts. His reaction says it all.

Nice moment between LeBron and his former Cleveland Cavs coach, Tyronn Lue, at the NBA Summer League in Vegas ... where the two embraced and bro'd out.

It appears to be the first time they've seen each other since LeBron bolted The Land and signed a new $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Our friends Bryan Salmond and Sharp and Shapiro from "The Vegas Take" radio show were next to the two at the Thomas & Mack Center as the Cavs took on the Raptors ... and watched Bron and Ty chat it up.

LeBron -- wearing his L.A. Lakers shorts -- got a standing ovation from the crowd.

LaVar Ball says the pathway for LiAngelo Ball to get to the Lakers is a clear one ... and it runs through the new hoops league he created -- THE JBA!!

L.A. -- along with the other 29 teams in the NBA -- passed on Gelo in the draft last month ... so now the most famous Ball has a new plan to fix that -- put him in a JBA jersey with LaMelo.

"It's not even a yellow brick road," LaVar tells TMZ Sports. "It's a road that he has to take. It's nothing wrong with this."

So far ... so good for Gelo -- who dropped 53 points, 10 boards and 10 assists in his debut Thursday night ... playing in front of Lakers stars Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

LaVar seems to concede it's probably not the most ideal route for Gelo to end up in the association ... but he says it's better than "running hills and just shooting on the machine by yourself."