NBA

Kobe Bryant's game-worn Lakers jersey from his first playoff series -- the only one publicly known/available -- just sold for a riiiiiiidiculous amount of money ... $2,735,546 million, to be exact!

The threads were on the block at SCP Auctions ... and after 26 bids, the purple and gold Lakers home jersey went for 7 figures.

As we previously reported, Bryant wore the jersey on at least five occasions ... including two home games during the 1996-1997 NBA playoff series against Karl Malone, John Stockton, and the Utah Jazz.

The playoff games were played on May 8 and May 10, 1997. On the 8th, the Lakers won 104-84. Bryant dropped 19 points in just over 19 minutes.

During game 4 on May 10, 1997, L.A. -- down two games to one -- was defeated 110-95. Mamba, who came off the bench that series, had a down game, scoring 9 points in 28 minutes.

It was some of the last losing Bryant -- who ultimately won 5 NBA titles -- would experience in the postseason.

SCP also had a rare -- likely one-of-one -- signed 1997 Precious Metal Gems Kobe card on the auction block ... which sold for over $403K!

The identity of the fan who put in the winning bid for the jersey is currently unknown ... but, we can confirm the person's wealthy.

Hall of Fame hooper and amazing TV personality first ... successful NBA head coach next?!?

Shareef O'Neal says it wouldn't shock him if his dad did just that ... telling TMZ Sports that Shaq has the skill set that it takes to one day run a team in the Association.

"I mean, he's coached a few of my teams," Shareef said of his pops. "My last AAU tournament, he coached into a championship."

In fact, Shareef said his dad helped several of his youth teams win multiple titles.

Shareef, though, said he wasn't exactly certain the success there would translate to the NBA -- but he definitely wasn't ruling it out.

The epic French Open match between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev came to an unfortunate halt on Friday ... after the German star was forced to retire due to a gruesome ankle injury.

The semifinal showdown had all the makings of being a classic -- Rafa won the first set in a tiebreaker ... and as Rafa positioned himself to force another tiebreaker, Sascha's ankle rolled and he fell to the clay.

Zverev screamed and writhed in pain ... as Nadal came to his side in support.

As it turns out, NBA star Kevin Love was in the stands at Roland Garros ... documenting the heartbreaking scene on his Instagram.

The 25-year-old was taken off in a wheelchair ... and eventually came back out on the court on crutches to officially retire from the match. The crowd cheered as he waved to the fans.

Nadal praised Zverev in a post-match interview ... and gave the #3-ranked pro a hug.

LeBron James and his family are sharing their condolences after a 17-year-old boy died near the NBA superstar's I Promise School in Akron ... saying, "Our condolences goes out to the family who lost a loved one!!"

A male victim was found beaten and unconscious in the parking lot of the school's outdoor court at 10:45 PM on Thursday ... after authorities say he was assaulted by unknown suspects.

Cops believe the victim was in a fight with three other suspects who were playing basketball at the school's court, according to Fox 8.

The victim's friends reportedly rushed home to call 911, but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene at 11:05 PM.

LeBron's foundation released a statement on the tragic incident ... saying, "Our community is everything to us."

"We were devastated to learn of the overnight incident that saw a life lost near our school," the org. added. "We are grieving with our community over another senseless act of violence. Our campus is safe and secure as we continue to do everything we can to support our students, families, and the entire Akron community."

LeBron also tweeted just minutes ago ... saying, "My (sic) the heavens above watch over you during this tragedy! Pray for our community! 💚👑."

Akron Public schools also addressed the student's passing ... saying he was a student leader at the Firestone Community Learning Center and involved in the design academy.

We've reached out to cops for more information.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love got an eyeful at the Louvre Museum on Friday ... and by an eyeful, we really mean it.

The 2016 champ hit up the world-famous museum in Paris prior to catching Rafael Nadal's semifinal match against Alexander Zverev at the French Open ... and decided to document all the artistic man junk he saw along the way.

Relax ... it's art!!!

K. Love also checked out some non-nude pieces along during the trip ... including the Mona Lisa (which was cleaned up after the cake attack on Sunday), Athena of Velletri and The Wedding at Cana ... as well as Napoleon's apartment.

Jay-Z may be a Brooklyn native, but he was seen showin' love to the Boston Celtics after their wild comeback win over the Warriors -- dapping up Jayson Tatum after the game.

If you missed Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, the Celtics were down 12 points by the end of the 3rd quarter against Golden State ... but Tatum and the C's went off in the 4th and outscored the Warriors 40-16 -- pulling off an upset win, 120-108.

The Celtics did it all right on the Warriors' homecourt -- and hip-hop legend Jay-Z was front and center to watch the epic win at the Chase Center.

HOV had to show the Celts some love for their stunning performance ... and dapped up Tatum -- the Eastern Conference Finals MVP -- right on the court.

The cool part about the exchange? Jay-Z's track "On To The Next One," featuring Swizz Beatz, was playing on the arena's speakers.

Shawn Carter wasn't the only celeb in the crowd who witnessed Celtics' upturn ... San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds was also in attendance, as was legendary director Spike Lee.

Lee -- who's a diehard New York Knicks fan -- was seen on camera before the game giving love to Warriors star Draymond Green and yelling, "Let's go, baby! Let's go!"

FYI, Tatum had 12 points and 13 assists in the game ... but Al Horford was the star of the show, leading the team with 26 points.

A fitness trainer tried to do his best LeBron James impression at the King's "Hustle" movie premiere on Wednesday -- attempting to throw down a sweet dunk -- but he came up just short on the landing, and broke his tooth on the hoop's stanchion!

Quan Bailey was on hand in L.A. for the screening of LBJ's new flick -- which stars Adam Sandler -- and he decided to show off on a makeshift court set up near the Westwood Regency Village Theatre.

Bailey threw down one dunk with ease ... but as he finished another alley-oop one, he misjudged his landing -- and slammed his face on the structure holding up the rim!

Bailey immediately knew something was wrong ... grabbing at his grill, before realizing he had a bloody lip and a broken tooth.

Bailey, though, was a good sport about it all ... and even joked on his social media page afterward, "First man to break a tooth at a Hollywood movie premiere ... That one hurt lol."

Bailey said on Thursday morning his mouth was still in pain, but he managed to get some training in ... and added that he's trying to get to a dentist to fix the tooth later in the afternoon.

LeBron James just became the first active NBA player to have not 1, not 2, not 3, but 9 zeroes in his net worth -- the Lakers superstar is officially a billionaire.

The 37-year-old 4-time champ reached the milestone after making a whopping $121.2 million in 2021, according to Forbes ... joining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only other hoopers to rake in that kinda coin.

Bron has made more than $387 million on the court, but the majority of his money has come from the business side.

As the outlet points out, James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment is worth around $300 million, his stake in Fenway Sports Group is worth $90 million and his 10% share of the Blaze Pizza brand has blown up to a whopping $30 million.

Oh yeah, and the dude has a LIFETIME contract with Nike ... which Mav previously hinted was a billion-dollar deal for decades to come.

That's not even scratching the surface of LeBron's success off the court ... but the accomplishment is truly something -- Jordan reportedly didn't become a billionaire until 2014.

LeBron -- who had a tough childhood with his mother, Gloria, after she gave birth to him at just 16 years old -- previously spoke about his desire to make a billion in his lifetime ... so it's gotta feel good to be the King.

Kobe Bryant received a touching tribute in the newest season of "Stranger Things" ... with one of the show's stars, Caleb McLaughlin, paying homage by wearing the NBA legend's iconic #8 during the show.

Netflix says 20-year-old Caleb -- who is a massive Kobe fan -- came up with the idea for his on-screen character, Lucas Sinclair, to wear the Mamba's digit on his basketball jersey in the huge show.

Despite the number being factually incorrect (H.S. hoopers could only wear numbers that ended in 0-5 in the 1980s), the show's producers loved the plan to honor Mamba and let him don it for filming.

Of course, 'ST's newest installment is Netflix's biggest debut since "Squid Game" took over the world in 2021.

In fact, season 4 has resulted in 286.79 million hours viewed globally ... making it the biggest premiere weekend for an English language TV show on the streaming platform, according to reports.

In addition to the success here, it also reached #1 on the charts in 83 countries.

It's become common to see entertainers or athletes showing love for the life and legacy of Kobe since his tragic death -- The Game got a tattoo of a sideways 8 and KB's signature about his eyebrow.

Lakers superstar Lebron James got a snake tattoo ... with his numbers and the message "Mamba 4 Life" underneath it.

One of Kobe's favorite young players, Jayson Tatum, is always outspoken about what his relationship with Kobe means to him ... even wearing a purple armband with Kobe's #24 on it during a must-win Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday.

JT also revealed that he texted Kobe's number a message right before the game, saying, "I got you today" ... and he delivered on his promise, scoring 26 huge points for the Celtics in a 100-96 win.

The superstars are lining up to work with Kanye West -- TMZ Sports has learned Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is the first pro athlete to ever sign with Donda Sports.

As we previously reported, future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald became one of the first big names to go public with his decision to partner with Ye for off-field ventures ... saying it was a "no-brainer" to join forces.

But as it turns out, Brown was way ahead of AD ... becoming the first athlete to ever sign with Donda, we're told.

Sources tell us Ye and Brown have been tight for a while now, but things were made official after West attended the Warriors vs. Celtics game in March.

The signs were there -- the two posed together postgame ... and in fact, Brown was spotted wearing a Donda Sports hoodie while hanging with A$AP Ferg afterwards.

So, why 25-year-old Brown?? We're told Donda eyed the Eastern Conference champ because of his intelligence, social activism and charitable work ... as well as his success on the court.

On top of that, the deal was especially important to Ye because Jaylen is a God-fearing man ... and his mother emphasized the importance of education at a young age, just like Donda.

We're told Ye thinks Brown is underappreciated ... and wants to bring him to "superhero" status during his career and long after his playing days.

One of the rarest and most coveted Kobe Bryant cards in existence -- the 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #81 -- just hit the auction block ... and could sell for over a million bucks!!

The Bryant card is numbered 60 out of 100 ... making it incredibly rare.

But, what makes this card so special is the fact it's signed by the Black Mamba himself -- likely making it a 1-of-1 -- as no other autographed version has hit the market, as far as we can tell.

Pretty cool to think Kobe held this card and signed it.

The signature was authenticated and graded a Mint 9 by PSA -- one of the premiere graders and authenticators -- before SCP Auctions put it on the block.

The auction believes the card could sell for over $1 million!

It's actually difficult to find PMG cards -- which featured 123 players (all with 100 cards) -- in tip-top shape (let alone ones signed by KB) because of the way they were made. The cards were manufactured using a colored foil that makes them difficult to keep pristine ... as the foil would chip.

The PMGs are incredibly significant among collectors, and look flat-out awesome. And, there are two versions of each card. The first 10 numbered cards are green (Emerald), meanwhile, 11 through 100 are red.

A green Kobe PMG -- not signed -- brought in around $2 million at auction a few months ago, FYI.

The signed card has already been bid on 10 times ... with a high bid of $130K.

A super-rare item from LeBron James' legendary high school career is about to hit auction -- a basketball signed by the King and his teammates from St. Vincent-St. Mary ... and it could come with a big price tag!!

Of course, James was one of the biggest hoops stars as a high schooler ... and his accolades tell it all -- 2-time Mr. Basketball USA, 2-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, 3-time Ohio Mr. Basketball, McDonald's National Player of the Year and a 2003 national title to top it all off.

Before all that, the squad from LBJ's 2000 season all teamed up and scribbled their Hancocks on a ball ... and anyone who followed LBJ since day one will recognize some names.

Besides LBJ's autograph -- which received an 8/10 grade -- you can see his teammates Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton and others inscribed on the ball.

In fact, right next to James' signature is Maverick Carter ... who is currently business partners with the Lakers superstar and one of the founders of LRMR Ventures.

The ball -- that hits Heritage Auctions on June 4 -- has 11 overall signatures and is expected to sell for over $5k!!

Former Gonzaga basketball superstar Chet Holmgren clearly ain't stressin' about next month's NBA draft ... telling TMZ Sports his goal is to find the best "fit" for him, not necessarily to be the top pick.

We got the 7-footer out shopping in L.A. this week ... and asked if he was hoping to be taken by the Orlando Magic at No. 1 overall on June 23.

While it's obvious the guy wouldn't mind it (who would?!?) -- he stressed to us being in the best spot for his growth as a hooper is what's most important to him ... not what slot he'll be picked in.

"Man," the 19-year-old said. "I want to land in the best fit for my career, and the best possible situation."

Of course, many experts believe that very well could be in Orlando -- with most mock drafts having him slated to be taken by the Magic just minutes after Adam Silver kicks off the event.

Kyrie Irving has been ripped to shreds over his COVID-19 vaccine stance, but John Salley is coming to his defense ... telling TMZ Sports he tips his hat to the Nets star for standing up for what he believes in.

We spoke with Salley -- who won 4 NBA titles -- out in NYC this week ... and the former Detroit Piston spoke glowingly about Irving, who faced immense backlash this year for refusing to get the jab.

"I think Kyrie Irving is the premier athlete -- professional," Salley said. "I think he's conscious. I think he thinks it through. I think it's very important that people pay attention too, he's not into the lies, the glitz. He's into taking care of his body."

Salley said he knows Irving is into science and does his own research, but because his stance differs from the views of mainstream society ... people hate Kyrie because of it.

"I'm the biggest Kyrie fan," Salley added. "Everything he does, I take my hat off to him."

Of course, Kyrie received a lot of heat for his personal decision to remain unvaccinated despite being forced to miss games ... drawing criticism from the likes of Howard Stern and Chris Rock.

But, Salley isn't in the same camp -- he says the Nets did the right thing by standing by Kyrie amid the vaccine drama this season.

"You have a guy who didn't get the virus, and everybody who talked about smack about him got it really bad," Salley said. "He had a very strong immune system."

It's unclear if the Nets -- or Nike -- will commit to a long-term relationship with Irving in the future ... but either way, Salley thinks the 30-year-old is an exceptional talent.

An autographed Luka Dončić rookie card with an actual patch from a game-worn jersey is about to hit the auction block, and TMZ Sports has learned it could sell for 7 figures!!

The super-rare card -- soon headed to the PWCC Premier Auction -- is 1 of just 5 copies in existence. The last time a similar card sold, it went for a million bucks.

Officials at PWCC tell us this isn't just any ordinary NBA rookie card ... in fact, reps say the keepsake is one-of-a-kind due to the Emerald color scheme it boasts.

The front of the card features 23-year-old Luka shooting a jump shot ... along with the patch from his Mavs jersey.

Luka, the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has become one of the most effective offensive players in the world ... he's virtually unstoppable.

Dončić, a native of Slovenia, has drawn parallels to NBA legend Larry Bird for his ability to score, rebound, and facilitate at an elite level -- in addition to the leadership skills he displays.

Despite only playing 4 full seasons, Luka is already 10th on the NBA's all-time triple-double list -- with 46 -- behind Bird, who's ahead of him at 9th on the list.

And, PWCC exec Jesse Craig says the card could actually end up being a bargain.

"The question now is if he can win a ring. If he leads Dallas to a championship – or to multiple championships – the demand for his assets is likely to keep going up. To find this card, in this low of quantity, right now is an incredible opportunity.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made more than $146 MILLION in his career, but even he has to let out a "sheeeesh" when it comes to expensive dining in L.A. ... saying, "this city is not for me."

The Milwaukee Bucks champ and his family hit up Catch in West Hollywood on Wednesday ... and while he says the food was "incredible," he admits the tasty meal put a dent in his wallet.

"Expensive, expensive," the Greek Freak said. "This city is not for me."

Now, Giannis has never been one to flaunt his wealth -- he even seems a bit shy when the camera guy brings up how insanely rich he is -- but he admits ya can't put a price tag on having an unforgettable time with the fam.

Giannis and the Bucks recently got booted from the playoffs ... and while the Celtics and Heat duke it out in the Eastern Conference Finals, he was chowing down on some of the best food in L.A.

Who's the real winner??

Well, let's be honest -- Giannis would much rather be playing still ... but this alternative ain't too shabby.