NBA

Drake debuting a new look -- while kicking it with Kevin Durant -- has the creator of FUBU thinking hard about his brand's place in hip hop history, as more and more young rappers discover it.

He was on the sidelines in L.A. this week to take in NBA open runs, while randomly rocking a shirt with the FUBU logo ... proudly repping one of the most dominant fashion houses ever within the culture.

Founder Daymond John tells TMZ Hip Hop ... seeing Drizzy in the FUBU tee certainly surprised him, but he says it's a testament to the foundation he and his partners carved out nearly 30 years ago.

For the record, the pink barrettes aren't FUBU ... but we guess they work with Drake's 'do, nonetheless.

Daymond also credited Megan Thee Stallion, SZA and Chris Brown for also keeping FUBU's name strong in the streets -- on the 50th anniversary of hip hop, at that!!!

Damian Lillard is set to release his fifth studio album "Don D.O.L.L.A." this week -- a feat he says is only reserved for legit artists and not ones halfway committed!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Dame previewing the album last night at Soho House in West Hollywood ... where he told the crowd he considers himself a seasoned rapper at this point, listening to criticisms to always improve on his craft.

The NBA star says March's season-ending injury gave him time to beef up the album ... which boosts guest appearances from Rick Ross, Mozzy and longtime collaborator, Lil Wayne ... who's appeared on ALL of Dame's albums thus far!!!

Several pro athletes also dabble in making hip-hop music, but Dame says he earned his stripes freestyling for "4-Bar Fridays" on IG before graduating to SoundCloud.

Somebody check on Michael Jordan -- it sounds like his arch nemesis' ex-wife is close to being his daughter-in-law ... 'cause Marcus just revealed a wedding date with Larsa Pippen is "in the works."

The happy couple hit up Jones in West Hollywood for dinner on Wednesday ... and as they were leaving the restaurant, the G.O.A.T.'s son was asked if wedding bells were in his future.

"We're looking for a location," Heir Jordan said with a big smile on his face.

When the cameras followed up about whether they had a date set, Marcus explained the two have kickstarted the planning process.

To spark further speculation, Larsa was spotted wearing a ring on THAT finger ... although it's unclear if it's a legit engagement ring just yet. It's worth noting -- Pippen has worn the ring in a few recent Instagram posts as well.

It may be MJ's worst nightmare -- remember, #23 famously said he did NOT approve of the relationship while leaving a restaurant in Paris last month.

Larsa and Marcus later addressed the clip ... with Scottie's ex claiming MJ's comments left her "embarrassed" and "traumatized," and the latter insisting his pops gave his blessing ... but didn't want to fuel speculation their relationship had anything to do with his infamous feud with Michael's longtime wingman.

Regardless of what the Hall of Famer thinks, Larcus were inseparable at Drizzy's show earlier Wednesday evening ... with Pippen grinding all over Jordan throughout the night.

Fittingly, Marcus' shirt read, "Hug me I'm horny!!"

Former NBA player Enes Kanter says if he threw on a wig, changed his name to "Eneshia" and joined the WNBA ... he'd be the greatest player the org's ever seen -- averaging 60 points and 30 rebounds per game.

The 31-year-old ex-Oklahoma City Thunder star made the claims during an interview with Fox News this week ... while trying to explain why he believes transgender women should be banned from competing against cisgender females.

Kanter said those born as men innately have an unfair advantage over their biological female counterparts due to strength and size discrepancies ... and, to prove his point, he said he'd absolutely dominate the WNBA if it allowed him to play now.

"I'm 7-foot, 270 pounds," he said. "And, if I decided to identify myself as a woman and decided to play in the WNBA ... would that be fair to all the women who have been chasing their dreams since they were a little kid?"

He continued, "If I am allowed in, I will average 60 points and 30 rebounds. I will break records."

Kanter -- who averaged 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his 11-year NBA career -- said he doesn't understand why there's even a debate surrounding the topic ... and he implored both men and women all across the country to join him and speak out.

"Men do not belong in women's spaces," he said. "Restrooms, locker rooms or sports."

"Everybody knows we are bigger, stronger, taller, more muscular," he added. "It's just not fair. It's just not fair, period."

James Harden has spent much of his career with Daryl Morey ... but swears he won't play another minute for the "liar" team president.

The former NBA MVP, who requested a trade out of Philly in June, spoke at an Adidas event in China Monday night ... and addressed the rumors about his relationship with Morey and the Sixers.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of," Harden said in video taken by Shams, days after trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers dissolved.

"Let me say that again. Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

James and Daryl's feud stems from Morey's refusal to offer Harden a long-term max contract extension, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend.

FYI, Harden was traded from the Nets to the Sixers late in the 2021-2022 season, playing 21 games in Philadelphia, where he averaged 21 points a game. Last season he played in 58 games, also averaging 21 for the 44-38 squad which finished 6th in the East.

Once upon a time ... Harden and Morey were partners in crime in Houston, with Harden winning the 2018 MVP award while with the Rockets.

Houston's former GM traded for Harden in 2012 before heading to the City of Brotherly Love to become team president in 2020.

Now, the relationship has clearly eroded, and it seems there's no love lost.

Training camp is approaching, beginning in October. Only time will tell if Harden shows up ... or if he means it when he says he'll never again play for Morey.

Several San Antonio Spurs championship jerseys were allegedly stolen from former NBA player Kevin Willis in a recent storage locker heist ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents, the theft was reported to cops by Willis on Tuesday afternoon ... after the 60-year-old ex-Spurs center noticed 10 title unis belonging to his former San Antonio teammates were missing from his spot at a Roswell, Ga. rental storage facility.

In the docs, cops say Willis told them the pieces were worth approximately $100,000. They also say he told them an additional rack of clothes worth around $9,000 was taken from the unit.

In a 911 call, Willis can be heard telling dispatch the jerseys had been inside of frames inside the locker.

"This stuff came from when I was playing," he said. "These have been around for 20 years and they took all the high-profile personnel that was on there. They took all of those. And they left four of them back or something like that."

Police say when they went on to inspect the locker, they noticed "the locks appeared to have been cut and were on the inside of the storage unit." They added that Willis told them the last time he had seen the unit was in June.

Cops noted in the docs that Willis requested an investigation and wanted to press charges. So far, though, no arrests have been made.

Willis was picked by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 1984 NBA Draft ... just eight picks after the Bulls selected Michael Jordan.

Kobe Bryant's new sneaker, the Protro 8 is dropping in two weeks on what would've been Mamba's 45th birthday ... and now we're getting a look at the new Vanessa Bryant-designed Nike kick.

The footwear and apparel giant unveiled the "Halo" kicks on Thursday, just 24 hours after Vanessa teased fans with a silhouette of the sneakers on social media.

In fact, Vanessa reportedly helped design the sneakers to honor Kobe on his bday ... August 23.

FYI, the kicks are an updated edition of Kobe's eighth signature shoe, which originally dropped in 2012. It marks the second release from Kobe's line (the Kobe 4 Protro "Mamabacitas" were released in May) since the family reconciled their relationship with the Swoosh last year.

Of course, the previous contract between Kobe and Nike expired in April 2021 ... after the sides were unable to reach a new, long-term deal. But, Vanessa and Nike execs ultimately struck a deal, and that's great news for Kobe's millions of fans.

"This will be one of many Kobe 8 'Halo' styles coming soon," Vanessa wrote this week.

If Dwight Howard never plays another minute in the NBA, he won't have to worry about being unemployed (forget the $250 mil he made hooping) ... the NBA star and minister officiated a wedding in Spain last week!

The wedding was for London Wilmot, athlete and celebrity stylist, and fiancé, Pure, a model ... and you can't help but notice the 6'10" center standing at the altar as the officiant.

Howard, who received his ministry credentials last year, shared footage and photos of the lovely ceremony on Instagram ... revealing this isn't the first time he's married a couple.

"Took a trip out to Spain to officiate another wedding," the 37-year-old said on Wednesday.

"Man, it's no feeling better than seeing two people come together and unite in love."

From the look upon Wilmot and Pure's faces, they were thrilled to have the NBA champ as their minister.

The 17-year NBA vet has been keepin' himself busy since his last stint with the Lakers in 2021. He's been with the Taiwanese men's pro basketball league and was named an All-Star, All-Defensive First Team, and was awarded the Most Valuable Import of the T1 League for the 2022-23 season.

He also attended a WWE try-out last year ... channeling Sho'nuff from "The Last Dragon" movie, and did a damn good job.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will be writing a hefty check to the NBA -- the All-Star guard was just hit with a $50,000 fine as a result of his postgame chair-swinging outburst last season.

Remember, Edwards picked up a chair and moved it in frustration as he ran toward the tunnel after the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Wolves from the playoffs back on April 25 ... with two female Ball Arena workers claiming they were hit by the seat, suffering undisclosed injuries.

The 22-year-old hooper was cited for assault the day after the incident ... charges his attorney slammed as "baseless" at the time.

The league announced Wednesday those charges were dismissed last month ... and with the criminal investigation closed, it was now free to hand down punishment on the 2020 first-overall pick.

The fine is pretty significant ... but it's not the first time he's had to cough up some big dough to the Association -- back in 2022, he was fined $40K for making a homophobic comment on social media.

Luckily for Edwards, he's reportedly made around $30.7 million through three seasons in the NBA alone.

LeBron James and his son, Bronny, have jetted off to Minnesota ... in an effort to seek out further treatment for the USC hooper following last month's medical scare.

The two touched down in Rochester at some point over the weekend ... and they've been spotted in and around the Mayo Clinic there since -- seemingly seeking further answers to why the 18-year-old suffered cardiac arrest back on July 24.

Following one of their visits to the medical facility on Monday ... the duo -- plus some friends -- got dinner at Terza Ristorante in downtown, though when they left, they were mobbed by a crush of fans.

In video from the scene, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see Bronny -- wearing a white shirt and black jacket -- exiting the eatery's backdoor first ... with LBJ not far behind.

Once the two get into a waiting SUV -- a group of LeBron supporters pull out their phones and begin screaming for the Lakers superstar, while surrounding the ride.

The guys, though, are able to peel away before the scene gets too chaotic.

As we reported, Bronny needed to be hospitalized for several days following his emergency on SC's campus ... though he was released on July 27 -- and seen just one day later looking fine while out at dinner with his family in Los Angeles.

Stephen Curry turned into an emo boy at the Paramore concert on Monday ... joining the band onstage and belting out "Misery Business" -- and the NBA superstar killed it!!

The four-time champ and his wife, Ayesha -- who just celebrated their 12-year anniversary with a trip to Greece -- made their way to the Chase Center after landing back on U.S. soil ... but Chef Curry was no bystander.

The two-time MVP joined Hayley Williams and the gang in the middle of the concert ... grabbing the mic and showing off his pipes for their most popular song.

Curry got REALLY into the performance ... reciting every word and jumping up and down as the crowd enjoyed every second of it.

As it turns out, Curry is a big fan of the rock band -- back in 2018, they performed at his 30th birthday celebration.

Curry has been all over the music industry this offseason -- the 35-year-old was also spotted at Drake's concert, and more recently, he appeared in Tobe Nwigwe's music video.

Former Lakers point guard Derek Fisher is giving basketball coaching another shot ... but not in the pros or college -- he's going to high school!!

The five-time NBA champion is back to planning Xs and Os after getting hired by Crespi Carmelite High School, a boys prep school in the greater Los Angeles area, officials announced Monday.

The gig marks Fisher's first return to the bench after being fired by the Los Angeles Sparks in June 2022, and his third job overall.

Remember, Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate and buddy started out as the New York Knicks' head coach from 2014 to 2016 ... and was let go after recording a 40-96 record.

Derek took over as the Sparks' head coach role in December 2018, where he would also eventually become general manager.

The 48-year-old Laker is now taking over the Encino-based program, which previously developed NBA talents like guard De'Anthony Melton and forward Brandon Williams.

Fisher's Celts will play in the Mission League ... where they will face off against the likes of Sierra Canyon, where Bronny James, Marvin Bagley III and Brandon Boston Jr. suited up ... and Notre Dame, where LeBron James' second-eldest son, Bryce, is reportedly considering attending next year.

One of the rarest Victor Wembanyama cards ever created was finally pulled this weekend ... and the guys who nabbed it absolutely lost their minds over the find!!!

The hobbyists over at Bleacher Breaks were the ones who scored the Bowman Chrome Superfractor rookie card ... and check out video they posted of the moment they realized what it was -- they went crazy.

Of course, they had good reason to scream their faces off after the piece was revealed ... it's a 1-of-1 -- meaning there's no other Wembanyama card in the world like it.

In fact, it's so unique ... some card experts estimate it could already sell for over $100,000!!!

Might sound unheard of for a guy who has yet to play in one regular season NBA game ... but Wembanaya memorabilia has exploded ever since he was selected No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs earlier this summer -- due to all the hype surrounding the 7-foot-5 Frenchman's game.

His Vegas run-in with Britney Spears certainly didn't hurt his celebrity status either.

Udonis Haslem is going the Tom Brady route in retirement -- the former Miami Heat hooper just became the owner of his own sports team ... the World Jai-Alai League's Rebote Renegades.

The three-time NBA champ -- who officially walked away from his basketball after 20 seasons last month -- announced his investment in the popular sport on Monday ... saying, "New chapter means a new venture as a @jaialaileague team owner 🤝."

Of course, the wall ball sport is seeing a similar rise in popularity as pickleball ... with names like Ray Lewis, UFC star Jorge Masvidal and tennis star Genie Bouchard all investing in the league.

It's an organic move for Haslem, who says he grew up with the sport ... which is huge in Miami.

"Honored to be a part of a sport with deep-rooted history, especially right here in my city and to me personally through memories of my dad," he added.

LeBron James took in a concert Thursday night, but it wasn't the Taylor Swift show in L.A. ... instead King James attended Brent Faiyaz's show in Toronto with good friend Draymond Green -- and the hoopers were clearly having a blast!

And for once, LeBron even knew the words! 😅

Concertgoers spotted the NBA champs and agent Rich Paul in what looks to be a VIP area, rockin' back and forth to Faiyaz's "Dead Man Walking" hit.

You can tell LeBron definitely knew the song ... he was singing word for word.

Of course, the NBA legend has been known to flub a line here and there in the past.

Whether it's a track by Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, or 6lack's "Stay Down" (remember "yabadabadodobo old navy" -- the lyrics are actually "Hoppin' out the car, no photos, baby.")

All kidding aside, it's awesome to see LeBron in good spirits, out and about ... after the terrifying health scare his family endured last week, when his son Bronny was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest.

The City of Angels is officially the City of Swifties -- Taylor Swift has kicked off her 6 sold-out shows in Los Angeles, and fans had a lot to go wild over on night number 1.

Taylor took the stage Thursday night at SoFi Stadium for her "Eras" tour ... rockin' the crowd of over 70,000 after a killer opening act by HAIM. She brought the sister group back out later in the night to perform "No Body, No Crime" together.

TS had a surprise for her L.A. fans ... dusting off "I Can See You" from "Speak Now (Taylor's Version") -- the first time she's ever performed it live. Safe to say, the crowd went ballistic.

Swifties also pointed out a fun fact -- Taylor sang "August" from her "Folklore" album in August for the first time ... pretty neat.

It was a star-studded event at SoFi ... Vanessa Bryant was there with her daughters, Natalia and Bianka. tWitch's wife Allison Holker was in the crowd, as was Ashley Tisdale, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, and "Outer Banks" star Madelyn Cline -- and that was just Thursday.

As we reported, the LAPD is working with Metro to help with the flood of fans heading to and from SoFi while Taylor's in town ... beefing up the amount of officers throughout the big Metro system.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department said it's "providing a similar level of visibility as the 2022 Superbowl" ... in other words, LAPD ain't messing around when it comes to Taylor!!