NBA

If you're wondering why Kawhi Leonard is trending on Twitter today ... it's because his laugh is freaking some people out.

The NBA star was officially introduced by the Toronto Raptors at media day on Monday -- when the usually serious dude broke out in laughter.

First, people aren't used to seeing Kawhi laugh ... so there's that.

Second, it was a little weird and now people are comparing him to a robot.

Kanye West just added another big name to the list of people willing to help his social initiatives in Chicago ... ex-NBA star Quentin Richardson, who says he totally down to work with Mr. West.

Richardson is a Chi-Town native ... and lost his brother to gun violence there back in 2005. So, when we saw him at LAX we had to ask if he'd be down to work with Kanye to help turn things around.

"Anybody asking me to come back home and help out ... I'm always down."

West is making a new home in Chicago, and working with Windy City giants like Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa and GLC to address inner city issues, and QR says West is doing the right thing.

Paul Pierce says the Celtics-Lakers rivalry is officially back on ... with Kyrie Irving playing the Bird/Pierce role -- and LeBron James playing the Magic/Kobe role!!

We got Paul out at LAX this week and, as one of the key players in the historic NBA clash -- he declared to TMZ Sports the two teams can finally have a real tiff again now that Bron's in L.A.

"It's on. It's on," the Celtics legend tells us. "The rivalry is back. For sure. It's official."

Pierce tells us LeBron and Kyrie will fill the leader-of-the-team roles well ... and he seems stoked to see it this season.

By the way ... if you were wondering if Pierce has any inkling to come back to the NBA and be a part of that rivalry one last time -- he says no chance.

Michael Jordan played a little help defense Friday ... packing boxes full of food for Hurricane Florence victims.

The Hornets owner was front and center on the assembly line -- boxing up cereal and other goods for people affected by the storm that barreled into the East Coast last week.

It's a cause Jordan's clearly been affected by ... 'cause the NBA's best ever also donated $2 MILLION to the relief efforts Tuesday.

BTW ... M.J.'s shirt -- a Hornets logo sandwiched between North and South Carolina -- is for sale, with all the proceeds going to Florence victims as well.

John Salley has a clear side in the Kanye West vs. Nick Cannon feud ... telling TMZ Sports West was 100% within his rights to send shots at Cannon for talking about Kim Kardashian West.

Ye fired off on Nick Thursday ... saying NC has no right mentioning Kim's name in interviews, and talking about her body ... even though Nick and Kim dated back in the day.

Cannon fired back, saying he's NEVER disrespected Kim but has answered questions about her honestly, and will continue to do so.

We got Salley leaving Catch in L.A. and asked him which side of the fence he falls on ... and he said it all goes back to a rule he learned during his NBA playing career.

"Everything was open except wives and fiancees."

Salley goes on to say Kanye is "kinda right" to be pissed at Nick Cannon, and that he thinks West's warning shot is enough that no one will talk about Kim Kardashian in a sexually objectifying way again.

Shirtless J.R. Smith made his return Thursday night ... and we all have Baker Mayfield to thank for it -- 'cause the Cavs star WENT CRAZY after the rookie led the Browns to a win!!!

It all went down at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... where J.R. had luxury box seats to see the Baker-led Browns finally win a game for the first time since 2016.

You'll remember ... the last time J.R. celebrated a massive Cleveland victory -- he went topless in public for hours ... rockin' no shirt for the entire Cavs' championship parade.

Well ... about midway through the second half of the Browns-Jets game -- J.R. promised to make another shirtless appearance if they pulled out the comeback.

And then Baker did it -- AND OFF WENT THE SHIRT!!

"It's over! Let's go! Let's go!" a topless J.R. screamed after the win. "We outchya! No shirt shorty! We out here!"

Wilt Chamberlain's rookie card just sold at auction for more than 600 TIMES what he once scored in a basketball game ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned somebody paid over $60k for it!!

The ultra-rare card was a 1961 Fleer piece -- graded in PSA 9 Mint condition -- featuring the NBA legend in his Philadelphia Warriors jersey.

Unclear who the new lucky owner of the card is ... but PWCC Marketplace tells us 56 total bids were placed before Thursday's winner was crowned.

We're told the same card of Wilt -- who's famous for dropping 100 points in a single NBA game back in 1962 -- previously sold for $45,000 in May 2017.

By the way ... apparently anything Wilt's previously graced is going for big money these days -- remember when his old mansion hit the market for $18.99 MILLION in June?!

The father of NBA star Richard Jefferson was killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton on Wednesday evening ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement tells us ... 65-year-old Richard Jefferson Sr. was in front of a liquor store in a primarily residential area around 6:52 PM when a vehicle rolled up and someone inside opened fire.

Jefferson Sr. was struck multiple times in the torso. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Sources say Jefferson Sr. was with 2 other men at the time of the shooting. It's unclear if Jefferson Sr. was the target.

We're told the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. is investigating.

Jefferson was born in South Central. His mother and father split when he was very young and his mom took him to Phoenix, where she raised him with her new husband.

Richard Jr. went on to have a solid NBA career -- winning an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavs in 2016.

LeBron James is lashing back at Donald Trump -- saying he didn't give a crap when POTUS called him dumb because, "I'm not."

"That's like somebody saying I can't play ball," LeBron told The Hollywood Reporter.

"That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that he has time to even do that. He has the most powerful job in the world. Like, you really got this much time that you can comment on me?"

LeBron is referencing a tweet Trump put out on August 3 in the wake of LJ's interview on CNN, when the NBA superstar said the President is using sports to divide America.

Trump tweeted, "LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. I like Mike!"

The Tune Squad is gonna need a coach ... and who better than LeBron James' coach in real life -- Luke Walton -- to lead the Looney Tunes to victory in the "Space Jam" sequel?!

TMZ Sports asked the Lakers coach if he's down to star alongside LBJ in the highly-anticipated follow-up to the 1996 classic starring Michael Jordan ... and L.W. says he's IN!!!

... as long as LeBron wants him.

It seems like a perfect fit -- after all, the dude had a cameo on "The Young and the Restless" in 2006 ... and Luke's tight with Hollywood big shot Jeffrey Katzenberg (they were leaving Craig's together when we shot Luke last night).

Gilbert Arenas says the restraining order a woman got against him was based off straight-up manufactured bulls**t that cost him a boatload of money ... and he's fighting back in court.

Here's the deal ... a woman named Janelle Reeves -- who claims she dated Arenas -- got a restraining order against the NBA star in June.

Reeves claims Arenas took the breakup hard ... and harassed and tormented her -- and threatened to send explicit videos of her to her son.

The restraining order was eventually dismissed by the judge after Reeves was a no-show for court.

But, Arenas just ain't letting it go ... he's now filed a lawsuit against the woman claiming she fabricated the whole thing.

"Reeves created the false impression of supposedly having received threatening messages by making copies of various texts that she created and sent to herself."

As a result of the false allegations, Arenas says he was humiliated, lost his media gig at Yahoo Sports ... and suffered significant harm to his bottom line.

Caron Butler says LeBron James and Jimmy Butler would be a match made in heaven ... telling TMZ Sports the Lakers should try to make a trade for the All-Star.

FYI -- Jimmy reportedly asked Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau for a trade on Wednesday ... after just one season in Minnesota.

So, we asked Tuff Juice if the Purple & Gold should pick up the phone and call the Wolves ... and he thinks it's a no-brainer, saying Butler would perfectly complement King James.

Here's the catch -- Jimmy reportedly does NOT want to play for the Lake Show ... even though he'd be playing alongside one of the GOATs. His wishlist consists of the Knicks, Nets and Clippers.

Looney Tunes Land will have the power of Wakanda in the newest 'Space Jam' sequel starring LeBron James ... 'cause the director behind "Black Panther" is officially joining the project!!

The follow-up to the 1996 classic -- slated to begin production 2019 -- has added Ryan Coogler to the movie as a producer ... and Terence Nance will be the director.

LeBron's got a lot of irons in the Hollywood fire, but this has been by far the most anticipated project since it was announced in 2016.

If Coogler's name doesn't ring a bell, you've probably seen one of his movies. He's directed other movies like "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station" ... both starring Michael B. Jordan.

Thanos ain't snappin' his fingers at Joakim Noah ... 'cause the NBA star and Josh Brolin bro'd out on the beach ... and lookin' at the pics, you'd think Noah is the one who plays a superhuman!!

The buff dudes teamed up for a Malibu getaway with John McEnroe and surfer Laird Hamilton this week ... drinkin' beers and playing cornhole -- something they've been doing all summer long.

Noah's actually wearing a lot more clothing than the last time we saw him ... considering the dude stripped buck nekkid in front of his expensive Porsche in Santa Monica for a quick change last month.

No clue how this group came to be ... but if they keep taking beach pics together, we're for it.

If you've seen Ex-NBA tough guy Matt Barnes play basketball, chances are you've seen him high as a kite ... because MB says he smoked weed before every game he played ... SINCE HIGH SCHOOL.

Barnes appeared on Van Lathan's 'Red Pill Podcast' and talked openly about the taboo of marijuana usage in pro sports ... and how he hopes to work with the NBA to change policies banning weed.

Matt then went on to explain he's not a poser ... he's an advocate and an avid smoker ... saying he toked up before NBA games.

"We'd have shoot around at 11, I'd be done by 12, back to the house by 12:30. Roll a joint, smoke it. Take a nap, wake up, eat, shower, and go to the game."

BTW -- Matt also told a HILARIOUS STORY about how he learned his limits with weed, and how going a little too hard with it led to some not-so-awesome results on the basketball court.

Hurricane Florence victims are getting a huge assist from Michael Jordan ... 'cause the NBA's best-ever is sending $2 MILLION to help anyone affected by the storm.

Jordan -- who owns the Charlotte Hornets -- says he's giving $1 mil to the American Red Cross and another million to the Foundation For The Carolinas' Hurricane Florence Response fund.

The Hornets are also donating food boxes.

The team says it's also created "Carolina Strong" shirts ... and says 100 percent of the profits will be donated as well.

By the way ... Jordan and the Hornets aren't the only big-league club pitching in on the relief efforts -- the Atlanta Braves handed out free tickets to those forced to flee last week.