NBA

An animated film festival in L.A. just kicked Kobe Bryant off the festival jury over backlash stemming from his 2003 rape case.

The Lakers legend was set to be part of the jury at the Animation is Film Festival this weekend at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood ... but event organizers announced Wednesday that ain't happening.

“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury” ... event honcho Eric Beckman says.

Kobe, of course, won an Academy Award for his "Dear Basketball" short ... and seemed to be completely embraced by Hollywood. Kobe says he's even dished out movie-makin' advice to Barack Obama.

But last week, a petition popped up on Change.org demanding Bryant be dropped from the event -- and apparently, that was the thing that pushed festival officials to remove Kobe.

"This is an urgent time to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women,” the petition reads ... "Keeping Kobe Bryant on the jury sets a precedent of lenience for sexual criminals and further undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve.”

The petition only got 159 signatures -- but clearly, it was enough to make an impact.

Won't be hard for the Warriors to remember trouncing LeBron James the last two years ... 'cause they just got diamond, gold and sapphire bling to make sure they NEVER forget it!!!

Golden State unveiled its 2018 NBA Championship Rings on opening night Tuesday -- and the ice is FULL of reminders of how they overthrew the King ... two years in a row.

"Bristle texture" signifying the 4-0 sweep in the 2018 Finals? Check.

Two gold-and-diamond Larry O'Brien trophies for the back-to-back wins over the Cavs? They're there.

A "Back 2 Back" slogan engraved in the gold? Yup.

OH ... and the freakin' top IS REVERSIBLE -- because, ya know, back-to-back over Cleveland and all that.

As for the practicality of that whole unscrewing top thing ... not everyone was a fan -- Shaq said on air, "Why would you want your ring to open up???"

UCLA hoops star Shareef O'Neal says, despite being sidelined this season with a heart issue, he's still 100% committed to his dream of going to the NBA ... but admits he also has FASHION on the brain.

We broke the story ... Shaq and Shaunie's son was diagnosed with an issue that will require open heart surgery putting a halt to his hoops career, but according to O'Neal, not a stop at all.

"Basketball is still my main focus," O'Neal said when we got him out in L.A.

But, it's far from his ONLY focus ... because the 6'10" highlight machine says he's gonna use his time away from the court to build his skills in another area he loves.

"The NBA is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but this is the opportunity to try to find other things if so. I mean, I've been doing a lot of stuff with fashion lately."

Shareef says he gets a lot of inspiration from his big brother Myles, who's making his name as a big-time model. As far as his dad's foray into the clothing world, not as much.

"I'm looking more for a higher-end fashion, I know how his mindset works."

Meek Mill can't lose these days ... first he gets his freedom back, then he squashes beef with Drake, and now he's winning a cool $50k by making a crazy over-the-shoulder, half-court hoops trick shot.

Meek was hanging out with his pal, Michael Rubin -- owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and one of MM's strongest allies when he was inside -- when the two men decided to have a little friendly wager.

Friendly, meaning $50k ... according to Meek.

Meek had 25 tries to make an over-the-shoulder, half-court heave ... and with about 9 tries left, he nailed it.

Listen, the NBA season kicks off Tuesday night and, while we think it's dope someone other than those guys are getting paid for basketball, this whole thing reminds of one very sobering fact.

NBA superstar Pau Gasol pulled from half court and proposed to his longtime girlfriend ... and she said YES!!!

The San Antonio Spurs forward announced the engagement to Cat McDonnell on Tuesday, saying "Words cannot express how happy and excited we are!"

"She said YES!! I’m so lucky to be engaged to such a wonderful woman and look forward to a lifetime together! "

The 38-year-old Pau and the former USC cheerleader have been IG official dating back to 2016 ... and have been inseparable ever since -- taking hot vacations together and other mushy coupley stuff.

The pair took a trip to Pau's home turf in Spain back in August ... and Cat's been working on her Spanish. So, seems like she may have had a clue this was coming.

¡Felicidades!

President Barack Obama is turning to one of the greats to help him launch his Hollywood career -- KOBE BRYANT!!!

The Lakers legend was out in D.C. when we asked if he'd been helping his friend, Barry, launch his new Netflix projects and Mamba replied like De Niro in "Goodfellas" ... "Little bit."

Remember, Barack and Michelle recently signed a deal with Netflix to produce scripted and unscripted content along with documentaries and features through their company, Higher Ground Productions.

So, who do you turn to for advice on how make an immediate splash in Hollywood? An Oscar winner.

And, since Kobe's got the hardware thanks to his short film, "Dear Basketball" -- the Obamas clearly feel confident enough to hit up Mamba for some coaching.

Paul Allen, the billionaire who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975 is dead.

Allen succumbed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He died Monday afternoon in his hometown of Seattle.

Allen, whose wealth was estimated north of $20 billion, announced 2 weeks ago his cancer had returned after 9 years in remission.

Allen and Gates, both college dropouts, hatched the idea for Microsoft in Albuquerque. They designed software for the yet-to-explode personal computer revolution.

The 2 men met when they were teenage students at Lakeside School outside Seattle. They became fast friends and bonded over their love of computers. The two would go "dumpster diving" for computer program code. Allen, who dropped out of Washington State, convinced Gates to bail from Harvard.

Allen is the one who came up with the name -- Micro-Soft.

The company moved to Bellevue, Washington in 1979. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1983 and resigned shortly thereafter, but still was an active member of the board until 2000.

Allen bought the Seattle Seahawks back in 1996, 8 years after buying the Portland Trail Blazers. He also bought the Seattle Sounders, part of Major League Soccer, with business partners including Drew Carey.

Allen was a huge music fan, especially of Jimi Hendrix, and founded The Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle.

Paul donated more than $2 billion to various charities.

Allen was never married and had no children.

Paul's family says, "For all the demands on his schedule, there was always time for family and friends. At this time of loss and grief for us -- and so many others -- we are profoundly grateful for the care and concern he demonstrated everyday."

Paul was 65. RIP.

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??