NBA

Don't stick a fork in La La and Carmelo Anthony just yet ... 'cause the actress says the couple is trying to figure things out after separating in 2017.

We broke the story ... La La and the NBA superstar started living separately after going through a rough patch last year -- but neither side ever filed divorce papers.

When asked about their status on Saturday, La La revealed it's not totally over for the couple of 15 years ... and their focus is on their 11-year-old son.

“We’re good. I mean ... we’ve been together for a really long time, so we’re figuring out how to make it work for what is best for Kiyan and what is best for us," she told People.

The two have hung out in public several times over the past year -- most recently teaming up to support the family of a 15-year-old boy who was murdered in New York.

Adam Silver says he's "counting his lucky stars" that he's not in Dana White's shoes ... but tells TMZ Sports the UFC honcho HAS to punish Khabib for the brawl he ignited at UFC 229.

We got the NBA commish leaving Michael's in NYC ... and he told us there's just gotta be repercussions for what Nurmagomedov did after whoopin' Conor McGregor last weekend.

"That's a pretty serious issue there," Silver says ... "They gotta deal with it. There's no place for that in sports."

Adam tells us he's actually spoken with people who were near the melee at T-Mobile Arena ... and Silver says, the feeling they had after the fight just CAN'T happen.

So, what would Silver's advice be to Dana when it comes to handling the situation??

"You've gotta look at the long-term health of your league," Silver says.

Metta World Peace & Ben Wallace agree that Khabib & Conor's post-UFC 229 brawl was intense ... but neither man seems to think it was as bad as their infamous 2004 "Malice In The Palace" fight.

BTW -- both these guys absolutely LOVE talking about the "Malice at the Palace."

Actually, we were joking ... they really wish it would never be brought up again, but they still both ultra cool to our camera guy, so it is what it is.

We got Ben at LAX (a minor miracle) and Metta out on the streets of L.A. and asked them what they thought about the whole dustup, being that they're experienced.

Remember -- Ben and Metta weren't just involved in the Pacers vs. Pistons mega-fight, THEY GOT IT JUMPED OFF -- as the first two guys to go.

Ben was first ... saying he's not sure 229 was worse ... but that he's rooting for it.

"I hope something surpasses it, so we can stop talking about it."

We got Metta next, asked him his thoughts.

"It was a pretty epic fight, but there's always fights all the time."

One thing that's pretty clear ... neither guy thinks there should be too stiff a penalty for the dustup, with Metta saying there should be no action by the UFC at all ... as long Khabib plays nice.

"I would say, 'don't do it again,' and he won't do it again."

If only David Stern would've been so cool in '04.

Justin Bieber is getting a feel for his new surroundings, tearing up the streets of his new neighborhood on his skateboard.

The Biebs busted out his deck for a Friday afternoon skate sesh and kickflipped his way through Toluca Lake ... making sure all his neighbors know there's a new kid on the block.

Check out the threads ... looks like Justin's a big fan of Utah Jazz star Donovan "Spida" Mitchell. The Jazz open their season Wednesday, and we're guessing Justin can't wait to see what Donovan has in store for an encore.

We broke the story ... Justin and new wife Hailey Baldwin are renting a lavish pad in the San Fernando Valley for nearly $100k per month.

Who is this 6th grader and what has he done with Kevin Love?!

That clean-shaven dude you're lookin' at is actually the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar (seriously, we promise it's him) ... and he showed off a VERY youthful look on Friday.

Before you freak, it's only temporary -- Love says he was shooting a commercial with teammate Channing Frye and he had to lose his signature facial hair for the role.

Love has rocked some sort of facial hair throughout his NBA career ... and says it's been about 6 or 7 years since he's taken a razor to his face.

Naturally, the All-Star was a bit rusty -- he says he nicked his face TWICE shedding the scruff.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Charles Barkley admitting he hasn't worn a pair of undies since 2008 ... AND NOT REGRETTING IT AT ALL!!!

"I've been 10 years without underwear," Chuck shamelessly said to Jimmy Fallon on Thursday's episode of the 'Tonight Show.'

"And, I feel good about it, Jimmy," he exclaimed!

The question was raised by Barkley's pal and "Inside the NBA" cohost Shaquille O'Neal -- who wanted to confirm a rumor he heard about Chuck's fashion choices below the waist.

The Round Mound of Rebound wasn't shy -- and explained:

"I thought they were unnecessary for space in the house. So, I gathered all my drawers together and had a big ole bonfire."

FYI ... Chuck's packin' a 6-foot-6, 252-pound (ish) frame into those underwear-less pants ... AND the dude lives in freakin' ARIZONA!!!!

They might be on different teams -- 2,300 miles away -- but J.R. Smith and LeBron James are still giving each other crap ... and it's pretty funny.

Smith was walking around East Lansing, Michigan (the Cavs play the Pistons on Friday) when he started joking about how LeBron is following him everywhere.

"I can't go nowhere and get away from this motherf**ker," Smith said while pointing the camera at a Blaze Pizza sign.

FYI, James is an investor, franchisee and paid endorser of the pizza company.

Smith continued to joke ... "Look at this sh*t. Look at this n****. He everywhere. He just keep following me!"

Of course, Smith and James had the awkward moments when J.R. brain farted, and screwed the Cavs at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals last year ... but it's clear the two are still friends.

One more thing ... J.R. was spotted by some fans with cell phones and he DIDN'T steal them and throw them into a construction site!

NBA Commish Adam Silver has obviously been following the drama between Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves ... and tells TMZ Sports, "They gotta work it out."

Butler requested a trade during the off-season -- and hasn't gotten it -- and went wild at practice this week in an apparent statement to the coaches, players, GM and owner.

In fact, Butler reportedly talked trash to the GM -- saying, "You f**king need me."

So, when we saw Silver leaving Michael's in NYC on Thursday -- we had to get his thoughts.

"I think that Jimmy is obviously a fantastic player. Timberwolves had a great season last year," Silver said.

"He's got 1 year left on his contract and I know Jimmy, that if they don't end up doing the right deal for him [to trade him away], he's gonna play hard and he's gonna stay this year."

Silver was adamant he won't have to step in and get involved at this point -- because it's a matter between the player and the team ... they can work it out themselves.

We also talked about LeBron James -- who Silver praises as the "hardest working player in the league" -- and we asked if he thinks LBJ going West to the Lakers is good for the league.

LeBron James is straight-up PISSED that one of his NBA rivals lost a great player ... dropping an f-bomb when he learned Spurs baller Dejounte Murray was done for the season.

Murray's right knee buckled as he went up for a layup against the Rockets in San Antonio's preseason game Sunday ... and the team announced Monday he suffered a torn ACL.

Bron wasn't the least bit pleased to know one of his Western Conference rivals took that big of a blow, saying, "Man I feared that would be the case when I saw the play! F*#% man!"

In fact, the Lakers superstar made sure the 22-year-old knew he can lean on him if he needs him through the recovery process.

"You know how to reach me and where to find me if needed. Love lil bro!!"

As for Murray ... he was keeping his head up, writing on social media, "I Will Attack This Process Every Single Day And Use This Time To Become Even Sharper In All Aspects."

BTW ... Murray's still dating Jilly Anais ... which has gotta soften the blow at least A LITTLE bit, right??

LeBron James clearly wants Colin Kaepernick to know he's got his back ...

Check out the shirt Bron wore to the Lakers preseason game at Staples Center on Thursday -- featuring the name "Kaepernick" on the upper back -- a pretty huge statement from the most famous athlete on the planet.

The shirt is made by Nike -- the company that just featured Colin as the face of its "Just Do It" campaign.

LeBron also has a deal with Nike and praised the company for having the balls to do business with Kap despite some pretty powerful critics ... including the President of the United States.

"I wore a Kaepernick shirt tonight, one, because it's Nike and I'm a Nike guy. And then, two, I support Kap. I've always supported Kap and what he stands for and what he believes in."

It's not the first time LBJ's publicly stepped forward to join Kap's fight ... after Colin received massive blowback for his new Nike deal last month -- Bron stepped up to say he stands "for anybody that believes in a positive attitude and a positive matter."

LeBron also posted pics of the shirt with the caption, "KAEP Drip #MoreThanAnAthlete," on social media late Thursday night.

LeBron James has beefed up security at his L.A. home in a major way -- bringing a team of armed guards to patrol his house after learning he was targeted by a team of burglars.

As we previously reported ... the LAPD arrested 4 people who had hit more than 24 homes of the rich and famous, including Yasiel Puig, Rihanna, Christina Milian and others.

Cops say the bad guys had a list of 12 more celebrity targets -- including LeBron, Matt Damon and Viola Davis.

We're told LeBron is taking the situation very seriously -- he's got a wife and 3 kids at home -- and is taking every possible measure to protect his family.

Sources tell us ... Bron has at least 10 armed security personnel at the home -- including off-duty police officers. We're told the NBA's security team is also involved in the security plans.

L.A. Rams star Robert Woods -- whose home was burglarized -- is also working with the NFL security team to ensure his safety as well.

Cops say they believe there are more people involved in the burglary crews -- and they're asking the public for leads to track down the additional suspects.

All the Internet detectives can put their magnifying glasses down ... Matt Barnes is ending the debate, telling TMZ Sports he DEFINITELY faked the ball RIGHT AT Kobe Bryant.

And, of course ... Kobe didn't flinch.

The debate over this 8-year-old NBA occurrence started when a Twitter user floated the theory that Kobe's all-time tough guy move wasn't that ... because Matt didn't put the ball directly in his face.

BTW -- If you don't remember the incident we're talking about ... you need NBA league pass ... BADLY.

We talked to Matt -- who was just thrilled to discuss it AGAIN -- and Barnes says he definitely faked the ball at Kobe's face and Mamba kept his cool.

"As far as I know that sh*t went in his face and he didn't flinch. I thought that was a dead story."

See ...

Magic Johnson will be honored in Las Vegas next week, but it wouldn't be like him to not give something back ... so he's putting on a concert.

The Lakers legend is set to receive a key to the city from Mayor Carolyn Goodman at a ceremony on October 9, but he's turning it into a 2-day event for the community.

We're told the "Magic Johnson Showtime Pop-Up Concert" at Mandalay Bay Beach will kick things off Tuesday, with performances by several big acts ... including Snoop Dogg. Our sources say Will Smith also recorded a congrats video that will air during the show.

MGM Properties is giving away 4,000 tickets for the event over the next few days to any sports or music fans interested in attending, and some of the recipients will be survivors of last year's mass shooting. But, that's not all -- we're told he has a special surprise for these guests.

To top it all off -- the Lakers take on the Warriors at nearby T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 10 for some NBA preseason action.

The LAPD says the suspects who have been raiding the homes of celebrities in L.A. had a list of a dozen more stars they were targeting including LeBron James, Viola Davis and Matt Damon.

... and cops say the suspects had already obtained the addresses of their famous targets.

As we previously reported, cops had arrested one of the suspects who had allegedly hit the homes of Yasiel Puig, Rihanna, Christina Milian and L.A. Rams star Robert Woods ... but now, officials say they've arrested 3 more people.

Of the 4 people in custody ... 2 of them are 19-year-old men, one is an 18-year-old man and the other is a 34-year-old woman.

The female suspect is the MOTHER of one of the teenage men, according to LAPD Capt. Lillian Carranza.

And, that's not all ... cops believe there are more people involved in the burglaries and investigators are currently on the hunt to catch them too.

In total, cops say the burglary crew has already hit more than 24 homes -- with at least 12 more rich and famous targets in their sights.

The key to solving the case ... cops say Robert Woods' neighbor made the initial call to report the robbery at his house and when they found the first suspect, the found items connected to the other high profile cases.

In total, cops say the group stole more than $1 MILLION in property -- including $50,000 cash, watches, purses and a vehicle. Cops say one of the suspects also had a firearm.

Cops are asking the public to help strengthen their case against the suspects by identifying the stolen objects and giving information about the suspects and other possible crimes.

Kanye West thinks LeBron James made a mistake leaving Cleveland for Los Angeles -- claiming the people of Northeast Ohio need him there.

It's not a diss -- in fact, it's the opposite.

Kanye believes LeBron is so powerful and influential, he could have continued to make a major impact in his hometown off the court ... and he was sad to see King James leave.

"I'mma just, it's not my place ... but just to make it Ye -- I feel like LeBron really needs to be in Cleveland," Kanye told Harvey Levin on "TMZ Live."

"And that ain't my place, and I'm sorry, [Maverick Carter] and LeBron for saying, I know I'm speaking out of place. But, I feel like LeBron needs to be in Cleveland. Ye needs to be in Chicago. Big U needs to be in Crenshaw."

Of course, Kanye is referring to the fact he just moved his own family from L.A. to Chicago -- where he's from -- because he feels the community needs his help.

Kanye believes he shares a special bond with the city because he's from there.

LeBron recently said his move to L.A. was a basketball decision -- others have speculated it was about furthering his movie career.

LeBron James did his best Kobe impression Sunday ... in the air ... 'cause dude took a private helicopter home from San Diego after his first-ever Laker game!!

Bron got his first minutes with the LakeShow down in San Diego for L.A.'s preseason opener ... and afterward -- to the chopper he went.

"Felt good back on court tonight," he said as he boarded.

Bron only played 15 minutes but had some good numbers -- 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Most importantly, he looked like he was really meshin' with his teammates (if only for 15 minutes).

Remember ... Mamba was famous for using his Kobe-copter to get from his home in Orange County to Los Angeles (and back) without having to battle that ridiculous L.A. traffic.