NBA

LeBron James hopes his invite for Kevin Love's wedding still stands -- 'cause he said after he dunked all over his former teammate on Monday night, he's worried it might get canceled.

If you missed it, the Lakers superstar put Love on a poster with an insane dunk during the first half of the Lakers-Cavs game in Cleveland.

The throwdown was sick -- James jumped over Kevin and slammed it so violently, his good buddy actually went crashing to the floor.

The play was great for the Laker, who ended up using the momentum from the basket to win the game -- but afterward, James said he felt a ton of remorse for doing that to his BFF.

"To be completely honest," James said, "I hate it had to be him. He's my guy, that's my brother."

"I hope I'm still invited to the wedding," he joked.

Love -- who got engaged to Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Kate Bock last January -- was able to get a little payback after the dunk, putting James in a playful headlock.

LeBron told reporters it wasn't even his best dunk at the end of the day -- and he promised to keep it out of his highlight reel.

"I wish I could take those 2 points back and we'd still win the game by 9," James said. "K Love, I love you. I take it back."

Love clearly still needs some time to recover ... he said on Twitter after the game, "I’m not f*cking with my guy @KingJames for at least the next 48hrs!!!!"

Kevin Porter Jr. was way too hyped over Christian Wood's performance in the Rockets' wild win on Monday ... 'cause he got so excited, he completely ate it on the locker room floor!!

The game was nuts -- Houston came back from 23 points down on the Washington Wizards to win by 18 ... with Wood earning a career-high 39 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and going 8-9 from 3-point range in the process.

The Rockets' players showed love for the 26-year-old hooper after the 115-97 win ... by completely drenching him with water and cheering for their guy.

But, KPJ might've been just a tad too turnt -- stumbling to the carpet as the team went wild after the game.

Don't worry -- Porter was able to hop back up and rejoin the squad as they headed to the locker rooms ... but you can hear some guys busted out laughing in reaction to the fall.

The scene looked like an upset win during March Madness ... and it basically was -- the Rockets are now 18-54 with the dub, while the Wizards fall to 30-41.

Lorenzen Wright's family finally got some justice on Monday ... 51-year-old Billy Ray Turner was convicted of murdering the former NBA player, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Wright, the 7th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, was killed in July 2010 in his hometown of Memphis. Lorenzen had gone missing days earlier ... before his decomposing body was discovered in a marshy field.

Prosecutors alleged Wright's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, hired two other people, including Turner, to commit the murder by luring Wright to the field under the guise they were there to meet someone who owed his ex money.

Turner, who pled not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy, was found guilty by a jury after only 2 hours of deliberation.

The judge sentenced BRT to life in prison for the murder charge. He will again go before a judge sometime in the future where he'll be sentenced for the other two charges.

As for Sherra, she previously plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in July 2019. She will be eligible for parole after only 9 years.

Delonte West -- who publicly battled mental health, addiction and legal issues -- is opening up about his basketball comeback for the first time ... with the NBA hooper saying he feels he has more bounce than ever in new workout footage we obtained.

We broke the news in February ... the 38-year-old, former 8-year NBA vet was training with the goal of making the BIG 3, participating in a try-out in Washington D.C. earlier this month (DW was invited to an upcoming workout).

Now, West is speaking out ... saying he's hyped to return to the court.

"It's important really to be honest about how you feel physically and what you're capable to do," West said in the new video.

"I lost some weight so I actually feel a little more athletic. I can jump a little higher now."

And, you can see in the footage ... 6'3" West goes up for a reverse dunk at an outdoor court in Maryland, throwing it down like it was nothing.

His jumper and handles look pretty good, too. West's manager, Donovan Fordham, tells us the former 24th overall pick (2004 NBA Draft) has been working nonstop, on and off the court.

"He's constantly working on mental health," Fordham tells us on Monday, "he's really fighting."

There's more. We're also told West and Fordham are working with 214 Films to create a documentary about Delonte's life.

The hooper has been through a lot ... and wants to shine a spotlight on the importance of mental health.

"It will be about him dealing with mental illness, addiction plus his personal life story," Fordham says, "He wants to highlight mental illness and help others with the same issues."

"He wants to be a voice for not just athletes but everyone who struggles with mental health."

Fordham says West is trying to change for his family ... with his 2 kids and mom being his motivation.

How'd Devin Booker celebrate beating the Kings in overtime on Sunday?? He jetted down to L.A. for a date night with his smokin' hot GF, Kendall Jenner.

The two were spotted at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica hours after Booker dropped 31 points in a 127-124 win in Sacramento.

The couple -- who's been dating since around July 2020 -- held hands on their way out of the restaurant ... with Booker looking pleased with the way his evening shaped up.

It should be noted Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber, were also at the restaurant -- and while it's unclear if the two couples dined together ... Hailey and Kendall are BFFs, so it seems likely.

The Suns don't play again until Wednesday when they square off with the Timberwolves in Minnesota -- and it's clear with the short time off, Booker's soaking up as much QT with Kendall as he possibly can.

Jusuf Nurkić didn't play a single minute Sunday night, but the Blazers big man got some action after the game ... walking over to a heckling Pacers fan and tossing his phone.

The incident went down following the Blazers' 129-98 blowout loss to Indiana ... when Nurkić apparently heard a fan say something he didn't like, confronted him with an intimidating stare-down, and chucked his cell.

The fan was completely shocked ... saying, "Why'd you throw my phone?"

Security staff intervened by stepping in between Jusuf and the fan ... and the Portland center ended up walking away before things escalated further.

It's unclear what exactly was said that led up to the altercation ... but it's clear whatever words were exchanged didn't sit well with the Bosnian hooper.

Nurkić -- who's sidelined at the moment due to plantar fasciitis -- wasn't required to talk to the media after the game ... so details surrounding what happened are minimal.

Nurkic's showdown with the fan is an ongoing theme this season -- NBA players have been clearly fed up with the hecklers "taking it too far" ... prompting the ballers to take matters into their own hands.

Guys like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have had fans tossed from the arena ... and most recently, their teammate Russell Westbrook confronted a fan before a game for calling him "Westbrick."

Drake had some divided loyalties Friday night ... he's a die-hard Raptors fan but he's also buds with one LeBron James.

Drake was front and center in Toronto ... cheering on his home team with a trusty bottle of Lobos 1707 Extra Añejo by his side -- FYI ... it's LeBron's tequila company. So, in a way, he supported both his team and his pal.

Hope the booze was good, because his support for the Raptors fell on deaf ears ... they lost to the Lakers 128-123.

Drake was stunned when Russell Westbrook -- who's gotten more than his share of hate lately -- delivered big time ... with only 10 seconds left in regulation and the Lakers down by 3, Westbrook raced down the floor and scored a 3 pointer, forcing the game into OT.

Kevin Durant's potty mouth just cost him $25,000 -- the NBA just fined the Brooklyn Nets superstar for telling a fan sitting courtside to "shut the f*** up."

The league announced the punishment on Friday afternoon ... saying in a statement they issued the fine against KD "for directing obscene language toward a fan."

The incident happened during Brooklyn's game against the Dallas Mavs on Wednesday ... when a fan said, "KD you gotta take this game over."

KD responded, "You gotta shut the f*** up and sit down."

Kevin wasn't disciplined for his clapback in-game ... although, you can see a referee was nearby to witness and hear the entire exchange.

But, Durant already knew what his fate with the league office would be ... preemptively tweeting out a symbolic meme of a girl forking over cash.

"Damn, smh" Kevin wrote on Twitter.

Russell Westbrook had yet another altercation with a heckler this week ... this time, the Lakers star got into it in the street with a guy who simply wants him to play to his full potential.

The video made rounds on social media Friday ... showing a man approach Russell and express his frustrations with #0's slump.

The fan is heard saying things like, "I f*** with you, I just want you to play better" ... and "I bet on you every night."

Westbrook is clearly annoyed with the man's advice ... telling the guy he's "not a little kid."

Of course, this has consistently happened all season -- and it got so bad, Westbrook had to plead with fans to stop calling him "Westbrick," as he finds it disrespectful to his family.

Just this week, Russell confronted a heckler for calling him the infamous nickname ... and that interaction was caught on video as well.

The Lakers have been clapping back at trolls in the stands all season -- even having fans ejected for jawing at them during games -- as they continue to fall to the bottom of the Western Conference.

Mark Cuban is adamant that a Mavericks exec did not sexually assault Donnie Nelson's nephew ... saying in a statement that the former Dallas GM's claims are a lie.

Cuban issued the strongly-worded response after 59-year-old Nelson made the allegations in a lawsuit filed in Dallas County.

In the suit, Nelson said his nephew was interested in getting a job in sports and entertainment -- and went to interview with Jason Lutin, Cuban's chief of staff with the Mavericks, about openings in the NBA team's org in 2020.

Nelson claims the two talked while out at lunch during a work trip in Chicago -- when Nelson says Lutin asked Nelson's nephew to go back to his hotel room to talk further.

In the docs, Nelson claims that's where Lutin sexually harassed and sexually assaulted his nephew.

Nelson says his nephew notified the Mavs of the incident ... but claims Cuban swept it all under the rug, insisting Cuban bought "his way out of the problem."

Nelson added that when he learned of the alleged incident months later and brought it up to Cuban and others in the org., Cuban and the Mavericks asked him to sign a confidentiality agreement and remain quiet about it all.

Nelson claimed Cuban wanted to silence him "so the Mavericks could hide from the public and the Mavericks' employees that the Mavericks were allowing a sexual predator to continue working for the Mavericks." He added that he believes he was eventually wrongly fired over it all.

In a statement to ESPN on Thursday, Cuban insisted none of Nelson's claims were true, saying, "Everything in that filing is a lie."

"We did multiple complete investigations and the only person that did not live up to the standards of the Dallas Mavericks was Mr. Nelson," Cuban said. "He was fired as a result. He was well aware of the investigation. He refused to fully participate. I will say it again, everything he said is a lie."

Lutin also denied the claims in a statement.

Cool moment between a Hall of Famer and a future one at the Milwaukee Bucks game Wednesday -- Brett Favre got to meet Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then The Greek Freak gave his jersey to the ex-QB's grandson!!

Favre was taking in his first-ever, in-person NBA action at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento -- when after the game ended, he headed to the locker room to thank the Bucks for the experience.

"First time I ever saw a pro game in person, believe it or not," Favre told the Milwaukee players, adding, "I enjoyed it."

The night, though, became even more special for Favre ... after his grandson went around and shook hands with some of the players.

At one point, the young Favre stopped at Antetokounmpo, who offered him his game-worn gear.

"Want this jersey?" Antetokounmpo said while taking the #34 off. "It's kinda sweaty. It's yours!"

Giannis also signed it ... and you can see the kid was all smiles -- and in total shock.

"I'm gonna hang this on the wall!" Favre's grandson said to Antetokounmpo.

BTW, the Bucks ended up beating the Kings, 135-126 -- with Giannis leading the team with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Kanye West isn't letting his Instagram ban keep him down -- he appeared to be happy as ever at the Golden State Warriors game on Wednesday ... bringing his son, Saint, along for the fun.

Ye was all smiles courtside at the Chase Center as the Warriors took on the Boston Celtics ... posting up right next to Dubs co-owners Joseph Lacob and Peter Guber.

The "Eazy" artist was spotted chatting with Lacob throughout the game -- perhaps picking the guy's brain as he's openly talked about wanting to buy the Denver Broncos.

What's interesting -- Ye got in some serious quality time with 6-year-old Saint ... just days after he accused Kim of keeping him away from their kids. That's clearly not the case here ... as the dad-son duo wore matching all-black outfits at the event.

As we previously reported, Ye pissed off IG after his social attacks on Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian, and Trevor Noah (to name a few) ... forcing the social media app to ban his account for 24 hours after violating hate speech, harassment and bullying policies.

It appears -- at least for a 48-minute NBA game -- Ye was able to hit the pause button on all the drama.

Karl-Anthony Towns wanted all the smoke Wednesday night ... savagely trolling Lakers guard Russell Westbrook over a horrible air ball he shot during the Lakers vs. Timberwolves game.

The funny exchange happened late in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's win over L.A. ... when Russ thought he lined up a corner three, but instead, came up with nothing but air.

Broadcast cameras caught Towns -- who was in perfect position to grab the "rebound" -- immediately making fun of the dude over the shot, looking to the sky as if to see what caused Russ to miss everything.

The Timberwolves broadcasters got a kick out of Karl's reaction ... with one saying, "KAT is looking where the wind is," before asking, "Did somebody open up a door?"

Wolves star Patrick Beverly then got in on the ribbing ... clowning the Lakers during Minnesota's blowout win.

Pat Bev appeared to mouth "trash" -- while making a gesture with his nose as if something stunk -- after intercepting a pass from Westbrook and starting a T-Wolves fast break.

A short time later, Pat was seen staring down LeBron James and flexing in his direction ... before going over to give the King a pat on the backside.

The Minnesota fans in the arena ate it up ... and Pat played to the crowd -- but Russ appeared to be furious over it all afterward.

When being interviewed by reporters after the loss, Russ said he won't pay any attention to Minnesota's trash talk because "Nobody over there's done anything in the league."

Beverly eventually responded on Twitter, saying, "Playoffs every year. 2 western conference finals with 2 different Teams individual stats or team stats? I thought it was a team sport??"

Kevin Durant wanted no part of exchanging playful banter with a courtside fan on Wednesday -- telling a man bluntly, "Shut the f*** up and sit down."

The interaction happened at some point during the Nets' game against the Mavericks at Barclays Center in Brooklyn ... when a fan urged Durant to score more points during a small break in play.

"Kevin!" the fan shouted while the NBA superstar was hunched over just feet away. "You've got to take this game over!"

Durant took about a millisecond to digest the comment -- before he unleashed a savage response.

"You've got to shut the f*** up and sit down," he said, not even taking his hands off his knees to deliver the chirp. "Sit your ass down."

Durant did ultimately try his best to take over -- scoring 23 points and logging 6 rebounds and 10 assists -- but the Nets ultimately fell to Dallas, 113-111.

After the game, a man shared video of the incident with KD on Twitter -- and Durant actually ended up responding to it -- poking fun at the fact that a fine from the NBA was no doubt heading his way.

Michael Jordan and Tony Romo bro'd down on Wednesday -- getting in a round of golf together at a swanky course in Mexico.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the NBA's GOAT and the former Dallas Cowboys superstar hit up El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course in Playa del Carmen -- and looked quite chummy while hitting it around.

In video of one of the holes they played, you can see the guys were chattin' on the green while their partners tried to sink putts.

Jordan smoked a cigar, while Romo had a big smile on his face.

We're told Tony ended up making his 20-footer right after the video ended -- and several fans that had gathered to watch cheered with joy. Jordan, meanwhile, missed his putt on the hole, we're told.

We also got footage of Romo's drive on the ensuing hole -- and it's clear, the dude still has a really pretty golf swing.

No word yet on who got the better of whom out on the course -- we're told the two were actually still getting holes in as of late Wednesday afternoon.

If you were wondering, they both have incredibly impressive golf handicaps -- so it's unclear who's the favorite.

Karl-Anthony Towns reached new heights during Monday's 60-point performance ... and the NBA star dedicated the special moment to his late mother.

The Timberwolves center went off against the San Antonio Spurs ... dropping 32 points in just in the 3rd quarter alone, while adding 17 rebounds in the 149-139 victory.

It was an emotional moment for KAT ... not just because of the accomplishment, but Monday also marked the 2-year anniversary of when his parents ended up in the hospital with COVID-19.

His mother, Jacqueline, died a month later (April 13, 2020) due to complications from the virus.

KAT reflected on the moment on Twitter ... saying, "Two years later, I walked into AT&T Center with the greatest guardian angel that I could ever ask for and dropped 60 against the winningest coach of all time."

FYI, Towns' 60 points is the most scored by a player in a single game this season ... and it's an all-time high for the Timberwolves franchise.

KAT continued ... "I say this to say, no matter what life throws at you, you can come out of it stronger. Tough times don't last, tough people do."

"Miss you Momma. This game ... my life ... is for you ♥🕊"

Towns' mom has been honored in many ways -- KAT has Jacqueline's name engraved in the headrests of his Maybach and commissioned special jewelry pieces ... and Kean University's basketball court is named after her.