NBA

Move over LeBron ... you ain't the only James wanted in Hollywood -- 'cause 'Basketball Wives' star Jackie Christie is BEGGING Savannah to join the show.

"Come on Savannah," Doug Christie's wife tells TMZ Sports. "We need you!"

Jackie's been a staple on VH1's hit ... and when we got her out at LAX with her NBA hubby -- she was all for sharing the show's limelight with LBJ's boo.

"Savannah, come be on 'Basketball Wives,' we think you're adorable!"

Of course ... Jackie IS one of the few 'Wives' stars still with her NBA connect -- so there might be some angling for a new storyline here.

LeBron James is being offered some hip-hop help from one of the biggest new rappers in the game ... Trippie Redd, who's telling TMZ Sports exactly how he'd use LeBron musically.

We got Trippie in Beverly Hills and wanted his opinion of LeBron's rapping, so we let him hear James' freestyle from a couple years ago.

Trippie took it in ... but didn't just give us a review, he gave us a plan -- a plan on how to make LeBron a viable musician ... and it sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

Redd also told us he's 100% sure Kobe is coming out of retirement to play with LeBron next year, pleading his case to our camera guy.

LeBron James has officially put Kid Ink's Clippers fandom on life support ... 'cause the L.A. rapper tells TMZ Sports he'd root for King James' Lakers in a playoff series with the Clippers!!

The 32-year-old has been all-in with the Clips since he was little ... telling us, "I ride for the underdog."

But, with LBJ in L.A. now ... Kid Ink's doing the unthinkable -- DUMPING HIS OLD TEAM!!

"I've always been riding for LeBron James since high school," he says.

Now ... Kid Ink's not fully ready to commit the L.A. treason ... telling us he atleast won't rock Lakers gear when he cheers on LeBron at Staples Center.

But, you gotta hear the dagger he inserts into Clip City's heart when we ask who he'd root for in a scenario where LeBron has the ball in closing time against the Clippers.

Comedy star Donnell Rawlings is 100% behind Blake Griffin in his upcoming roast battle with Jeff Ross ... saying he believes Griffin will win, then roasting the hell out of Jeff Ross on the spot.

Ross and Griffin are gonna duke it out with the insults pretty soon ... and, when we got Rawlings at LAX on Thursday, we wanted to know who he thought would come outta the roast victorious.

Normally this is where we we'd put a quote in the story, but after saying Blake would win the battle, Rawlings proceeds to eviscerate Ross with every four letter word and insult we can think of.

It was enough to make us blush ... and we're TMZ Sports ... think about that.

Ever wondered what Russell Westbrook's upper thighs look like??

Good ... 'cause the Thunder superstar gave all his Team USA teammates -- and the rest of us, courtesy of Bryan Salmond and Sharp and Shapiro from "The Vegas Take" radio show -- an eyeful of them on Thursday.

Russ had his Nike shorts rolled ALL THE WAY UP on the first day of Team USA camp out in Vegas ... showin' off the kind of skin we haven't seen since John Stockton.

Of course ... this ain't the first time Russ has made a fashion statement -- Gucci diaper bags, full-faced Jordan hoodies and whatever this was have been a staple of his closet.

So, keep doing you, Russ ... and thanks for the reminder to never skip leg day.

The restraining order against Gilbert Arenas -- issued after his ex-GF accused Gil of threatening to send explicit videos to her son -- has been thrown out 'cause Gil and the woman missed court today.

Here's the deal ... the woman claimed she dated Gil on and off since 2016 -- and said he took their breakup hard.

The accusations were nasty ... with the woman claiming Arenas was "waiting to get my son's cell phone number from his son so that he could send my child naked photos of me and video of Gilbert and I having sex and video of me naked."

Last month, a judge granted a temporary restraining order to the woman ... which ordered Gil to "not communicate in person, by telephone, or text with [victim's] son. He shall not send [her son] photographs or videos."

He was also ordered to stay 100 yards away from his ex and her son.

Arenas and the woman were due back in court this morning in L.A. ... where the judge was gonna decide whether to issue a permanent order against G.A.

The "Crying Jordan" meme will never die ... at least it won't for this dedicated Michael Jordan fan, who got an insanely realistic thigh tattoo of the viral pic!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the artist behind the work, Steve Butcher -- who's known for his unreal sports-themed tattoos --- who says the whole thing took about 10 hours to complete.

Butcher says the person is a MASSIVE Chicago Bulls fan ... and the dude is planning on getting the whole leg inked with Bulls tats.

You've probably seen Butcher's work before ... he worked on a dope Tupac piece for Matt Barnes back in June.

We're told the fan was totally thrilled with the finished product ... and we're assuming it had him crying tears of joy.

Shareef O'Neal knows it's hard following in his NBA superstar dad's footsteps ... but says Bronny James is thriving under that same spotlight ... sharing a touching message to LeBron's oldest son.

ICYMI -- LBJ recently revealed he regrets naming Bronny after himself because of all the pressure that comes with it ... admitting it was an overreaction to not having his own father growing up.

Shaq's son reflected on Bronny's journey so far on Thursday ... praising Bronny for dealing with the heat like a pro at just 13 years old.

"Bronny ... One kid I can relate to a lot ... we both kind of have it the same way , being the son of an NBA legend isn’t easy and to get all of this at a young age is a real challenge to adjust to."

"Bronny has it a little bit worse than I do, but the difference between him and I, he can back his up at such a young age."

Shareef says he struggled with the hate when he was Bronny's age ... admitting he'd sometimes choke when getting heckled. But, he makes it clear the Lakers superstar's son seems poised enough to tune out the negativity.

One of the NBA's greatest playboys has weighed in ... and sorry, Jimmy Garoppolo -- Chandler Parsons says dating a porn star is a line he wouldn't cross.

"You know what, I respect their hustle," Chandler tells TMZ Sports ... "But, I don't know if I could ever be in a relationship with one."

Chandler's shacked up with celebs (Bella Thorne), models (Toni Garrn) and even hot chicks that have been in Playboy (Arianny Celeste) ... but, he tells us public restaurant dates with porn stars are just something he can't do.

Not that it matters now -- Parsons says his run as the Association's top stud is over ... 'cause he's happy with his smokin' hot model GF, Cassie Amato.

Are wedding bells in their future?? Parsons wouldn't say yes ... but he didn't exactly give a hard no either!

LeBron James says he regrets naming his 14-year-old son LeBron James Jr. -- because he's concerned about all of the pressure that comes with it.

The NBA superstar was opening up about his family to Jon Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Odell Beckham Jr. and Maverick Carter in his new HBO series, 'The Shop.'

While James was talking about how much fun he's having watching his kids play youth basketball -- Stewart asked, "How do you give them a piece of mind that they don't have to be you?"

That's when James explained his regret when it comes to naming his kid -- but said it was an overreaction from not having a father while he was growing up.

James said he always swore that he would be the dad he didn't have -- and naming his kid "Jr." -- was the first step.

No, this is not a picture from last season ...

LeBron James and Kevin Love were in the gym together Thursday morning -- smiling like two guys who don't hate each other's guts.

Of course, Bron just ditched Kev and the Cavs for L.A. -- and according to multiple reports, he didn't even text Love before going public with his decision.

And, don't forget ... LBJ and Love's 4 years in Cleveland together weren't exactly drama free -- remember Bron admitted he called out Kevin on Twitter a few years ago?

But, that's all water under the bridge ... because Kevin posted this reunion pic in a Vegas gym ... and captioned it, "Thursday morning work."

Chandler Parsons says there's no doubt in his mind Dwight Howard's a Hall of Famer -- telling TMZ Sports, "He was the best center in the NBA for like 10 years!"

It's been a huge debate in the NBA community ... and fuel was added to the fire when D12 told us earlier this week his HOF resume "speaks for itself."

Chandler couldn't agree more with Dwight when we got him leaving Craig's -- telling us Howard "100 percent" belongs in the Hall.

Isaiah Thomas tells TMZ Sports ... he's fired up to show the NBA he's healed up and back to the superstar he was -- and wants to prove in 2018 that he's worthy of a max contract.

Remember, the 2-time All-Star just signed a veteran's minimum, 1-year, $2 million contract with the Denver Nuggets ... and when we saw him at LAX, he explained why he took the deal.

"The goal is just to show that I'm healthy and I'm the same player I was before," Thomas said ... "I just need one year."

The 29-year-old has been battling hip problems since the 2017 playoffs -- but underwent surgery back in March and recently said he's feeling better than ever.

But, this 2018-19 season isn't all about him ... IT says he's ready to take his squad to new heights.

"We'll make the playoffs ... and then we'll go from there."

Thomas also had some comments about his old team, the Boston Celtics -- which traded him after a remarkable playoff run in 2017.

Sorry, Iman, Bron and Lonzo ... Damian Lillard says he's better than ALL OF YOU when it comes to best ballin' rappers in the NBA!!

The Blazers superstar -- aka Dame D.O.L.L.A. behind the mic -- didn't mince words when we asked him at LAX ... telling TMZ Sports there's nobody with better bars in the Association.

But, does this mean he would stiff Andre Drummond on the epic NBA collab the Detroit Piston wants to do??

Lillard didn't throw shade at the other spitters, telling us, "I don't [rap] to compete with other basketball players. It's just like an artist. I'm an artist."

Either way, don't worry too much, Portland ... even if Dame D.O.L.L.A.'s rap career blows up -- he tells us hoops will always be his priority.

Is Dwight Howard a Hall of Famer?

It's the question experts and fans have been asking for years -- so, we took it to the man himself.

Look, Dwight's numbers over the course of his 14-year career are pretty insane ...

8-time NBA All-Star, 5-time NBA 1st Team, 3-time Defensive Player of the Year and he's averaged a double-double (17 pts, 13 rebounds) over the course of his career.

But, the knock on Dwight is that he's become a journeyman who's jumped to 6 different teams -- and has a reputation for not exactly being the most beloved guy in the league.

One guy who DOES love Dwight is Lou Williams -- who invited D12 to his basketball camp in Atlanta this week and Howard accepted. He spent a bunch of time playing with the kids.

So, we asked Dwight for his take -- and he didn't mince words ... "I think my resume speaks for itself."

DeMar DeRozan took Drake's "In My Feelings" challenge to a whole 'nother level last week ... going to the song's creator himself to figure out his feelings after the Raptors stunningly traded him.

The ex-Toronto superstar revealed one of the first people he confided in after the Raptors sent him packing to San Antonio was none other than the 6 God.

"The day it came out, I went to Drake's house," DeRozan told ESPN.

"Sat and talked for a couple hours, man. Not even on the hoops stuff, just my partner. Just to hear the words that come from him being the person that he is in this world, especially in Toronto. What I meant to the city -- it was what I needed."

Drake's one of the Raptors' biggest fans ... and he took the DeRozan news tough too -- writing on Instagram, "Thank you for being an incredible captain and an even better friend."

Of course ... Toronto did get Kawhi Leonard in the deal -- and he IS one of the best players in the NBA.

Sooo ... feelings might be down now, but something tells us Drake will come out of it fine.