NBA

Kobe Bryant's former teammate, Pau Gasol, just paid perhaps the greatest tribute to him and his late daughter, Gianna Bryant, by bestowing her name onto his own flesh and blood.

The former Laker announced the birth of his and his wife's first child -- a girl that they've named after Gigi. He also made sure to reference what Kobe has become known as in the wake of his death ... an awesome girl dad.

Pau broke the news in both Spanish and English, writing ... "Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol 😍, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!! ❤️👨‍👩‍👧 #girldad."

He also posted a shot of him and Catherine McDonnell holding Elisabet's little hand, with the kid getting a firm grip on her mom's forefinger.

It's a great way to honor Kobe, who was Pau's teammate through some crucial championship runs in the late 2000s. He remained on the Lakers through 2014, so he knew KB and his family well.

Kobe and Gianna died, along with 7 others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas last January -- devastating the NBA community and the world.

The NBA bubble was the scene of a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, as protesters were trying to get the attention of athletes who have led the charge in recent months for social justice.

Protesters gathered around the Walt Disney World campus, close to the public entrance. The demonstrators wanted LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and other NBA stars to see them as they held signs and shouted messages with the help of megaphones.

Many of the protesters focused on the fatal shooting of Salaythis Melvin, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot in the back at a mall in Orange County, Florida ... just 15 miles from the Bubble.

R&B star Kenny Lattimore says his music sales SKYROCKETED thanks to that memorable scene from "The Last Dance" featuring Michael Jordan rocking out to his songs more than 20 years ago!

In other words, THE MJ EFFECT IS REAL, YO!

You remember the scene ... MJ was on the Chicago Bulls team bus, on the way to Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, when someone asked what he was listening to on his headphones.

Jordan bragged he had some unreleased Kenny Lattimore tracks -- and seemed to really dig it.

So, when we saw Lattimore at LAX the other day, we had to ask if the cameo in the docu-series spiked a surge in music sales.

And, man ... THEY DID.

"The Michael Jordan effect is definitely real!!!" Kenny said.

"There's so many people from around the world that started following me, sending me messages [because of 'The Last Dance]."

"People were like, 'This is Jordan's guy' or 'I'm gonna listen to this 'cause this is what Jordan listens to.'"

Lattimore says his music sales went "to another level" thanks to the doc -- noting streams of his songs were up big, too.

If you're not familiar with Lattimore's music ... GET ON YOUTUBE ALREADY AND CHECK IT OUT!

Dude was huge in the '90s and even got a Grammy nod for his smash hit "For You."

Danuel House ... is being sent home.

The Houston Rockets player has officially been kicked out of the NBA bubble environment in Orlando, Florida after league officials say he broke COVID protocol by having an unauthorized guest in his hotel room.

House reportedly invited a female COVID tester to his room on Sept. 8th -- despite the fact she is not allowed to hang with players when she's off the clock.

Players are only allowed to have authorized guests in their hotel room -- people who have been approved by the league.

The NBA investigated the allegations and while they didn't identify the unauthorized guest by name, the league clearly states House broke the rules.

"The NBA has concluded its investigation of a recent violation of campus health and safety protocols."

"The findings are that: Houston Rockets forward Danuel House had a guest in his hotel room over multiple hours on September 8 who was not authorized to be on campus."

The league says there was "no evidence" that other players or staff had contact with the guest or were involved in this incident.

"Mr. House is leaving the NBA campus and will not participate with the Rockets team in additional games this season."

Damian Lillard's full Kobe Bryant tribute track just dropped ... and it's 3 minutes packed with tons of nods to the Mamba -- with Snoop Dogg going off on the beat as well.

The song starts with Derrick Milano's chorus ... and then goes right into Lillard's emotional bars remembering one the NBA's greatest of all-time.

"Rest In Peace to the Mamba and Baby Gigi," Dame rapped.

"Still remember where I was standing after the 3-peat. 'Fro was lined up yelling 'Kobe!' but playing Pee Wee. When you know they shoot the freebie right after they tear achilles. Killer!"

Dame D.O.L.L.A. continued ... "#8 was crazy. But, 24 was scary. Respect his name or else he might show up as Bloody Mary. Won't forget the things he mentioned -- how to get a Larry. Whatever necessary, he tried to help prepare me."

"They tell us never look in the eyes of a killer. I did out of respect for the greatest at Staples Center. The closest thing to M.J. and no I ain't talking Thriller. It ain't an I in team but a me in it. Please remember, Bean."

As we previously reported, the Portland Trailblazers superstar helped create the song for NBA 2K21 -- saying he just had to use his pull as a cover athlete to get the bars on the game's soundtrack.

As for Snoop ... his part of the song is just as fire as Dame's -- but his best nod to Kobe???

It's the nickname born from a strip club chicken wing scandal -- "Lemon Pepper Lou" -- and now Lou Williams says he's trying to lock up the trademark.

The L.A. Clippers star says he's already tasked his lawyer to file for the rights to the nickname ... claiming if anyone should profit from the scandal, it should be him!!!

Remember, Lou was busted at the legendary Magic City strip club in ATL back in July while on an approved leave from the NBA Bubble to attend a memorial service.

He was specifically instructed to stay out of crowded areas due to the COVID pandemic -- but Lou had a hankering for MC's famous lemon pepper wings ... and made a pit stop at the club for some takeout.

Williams tried to keep a low profile, but rapper Jack Harlow accidentally dimed Williams out on IG ... which led to a mandatory 10-day quarantine when Lou finally returned to the bubble.

Social media went crazy over the story -- with everyone referring to Williams as "Lemon Pepper Lou."

But, Williams ain't mad about the jokes -- he's trying to MONETIZE! He immediately called his lawyer and ordered him to try and lock up the trademark for LPL, stat!

The whole trademark process can take a while -- but Lou says it's already begun ... and he's already cracking jokes about it.

"Ya'll make jokes and t shirts but it's gonna cost ya lol," Williams said on IG ... "Yep. First time I've owned a joke lol."

Gotta love the business savvy -- maybe a line of chicken wings next?

Damian Lillard is giving rookie Michael Porter Jr. a quick lesson in what NOT to say to the media ... calling out the Nuggets baller for "selfish" comments he said after Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

MPJ was an open book to reporters after Denver's 96-85 loss to LA ... questioning coach Mike Malone's game plan and suggesting he should get the ball more in order to win.

"I just think to beat that team, we've gotta get more players involved," MPJ said ... essentially saying he wanted the rock in his hands more often.

When asked if it were his place -- as a rookie -- to speak up to the coaching staff, 22-year-old Porter doubled down.

"If Imma be out there on the court playing a lot of minutes, I think I should voice that."

Enter Lillard -- who got wind of MPJ's comments and immediately let his feelings known by tweeting out, "Smdh ..."

Several Twitter users clapped back at Dame, saying Porter's comments weren't wrong, it just wasn't the right time to air out his feelings.

"Yes he is wrong," Lillard responded. "If you know you know and ima leave it at that" ... adding, "clearly y’all mfs think on a selfish level to think this is coo ."

Lillard explains his problem with the comments ... saying, "If I want to win ima have this conversation with my coaches and teammates and express that."

"This is their second time being down 3-1 so if [Nikola Jokic] and [Jamal] Murray didn’t carry them here we wouldn’t be having this convo."

Others cited Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" when defending MPJ's comments ... but Dame says this is NOTHING like that.

"The disrespect smh."

The NBA has launched an investigation into Houston Rockets forward Danuel House -- after he allegedly violated Bubble protocol by allowing a woman into his hotel room.

The twist ... the woman in question is a COVID tester who's cleared to be inside the bubble, but apparently she's not allowed to hang with players in their rooms when she's off the clock.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the league is trying to figure out exactly what happened ... though so far, House has reportedly denied any wrongdoing.

House -- an important role player for H-Town -- missed Game 3 against the Lakers on Tuesday due to "personal reasons."

Now, there's a question if the investigation played a role in his absence.

If House is forced to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine over the incident, he would miss the remainder of the playoff series against the Lakers, which is a big deal.

The Lakers are up 2-1 in the best of 7 series. Game 4 is set for Thursday.

House is averaging 11.4 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game during the playoffs ... he's an important member of the Rockets.

According to Haynes, several other NBA teams are keeping a close on eye on the House investigation to see how it all plays out.

"See you when I get there coach..."

That's Allen Iverson's emotional message to John Thompson ... after the Hall of Famer served as a pallbearer at the funeral for his legendary college coach.

Thompson -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time -- passed away Monday morning at the age of 78.

The list of NBA legends JT coached at Georgetown University is long ... and former players -- including A.I., Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing -- took part in service at St. Augustine Church in D.C. ... carrying Thompson's casket during the touching ceremony.

Iverson and John had a special relationship ... and A.I. even credited JT with "saving his life" after The Answer was accused of injuring people in a bowling alley brawl.

It's not only GU hoopers who have sent love in the wake of Thompson's passing ... the NBA had a moment of silence for Big John before playoff games this week.

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also celebrated Thompson's life on "Inside The NBA."

Steve Nash admits he was able to "skip the line" to land the Brooklyn Nets head coaching gig ... but strongly believes he's the best man for the job.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer made his first appearance as the new Nets head coach on Wednesday ... and was asked about the notion he didn't earn the right to have the job since he has no coaching experience in the NBA.

Of course, some critics like Charles Oakley and Byron Scott have said they're disappointed the job didn't go to a Black candidate with a better resume ... like Mark Jackson.

"Well, I did skip the line, frankly," Nash said. "But at the same time I think leading an NBA team [as a player] for almost 2 decades is pretty unique."

"So, while I haven't necessarily learned some of the skills that I'll definitely seek to understand and learn as far as the technical aspects of coaching, I was never far from that."

Nash says he learned "a tremendous amount" during his playing career -- and although "I haven't grinded it out as an assistant coach like many people's path," he says "there's a precedence for players who have strong careers and are leaders and thinkers to get this opportunity."

The 2-time MVP says he will rely on support staff to fill the gaps where he needs help ... but is gunning to use his experiences as a player to lead the way.

"I did skip the line in many aspects. At the same time, there's some experiences there that other people just aren't going to have because of the type of career [I had] in the league."

Of course, Nash is considered one of the best guards in NBA history with 8 All-Star appearances and 7 total All-NBA selections.

Allen Iverson is still hurting like hell over the death of Kobe Bryant ... he broke down in tears during a recent interview remembering the Mamba, and it's SUPER emotional.

Iverson was talking hoops with The Players' Tribune in a video posted Monday ... when he was asked which NBA players he enjoyed most hanging out with during All-Star weekends.

That's when AI got teary-eyed ... and said his favorite was none other than Kobe.

"It was always a battle between me and him," Iverson said. "And then, having the chance to be on the same team with him, looking back on it, like, that was it. You know what I mean?"

Iverson choked back tears explaining it all ... adding, "That was it. Just having the chance to play with my guy."

Allen has made no attempts to hide how heartbroken he's been since Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash last January.

He's shared multiple social media posts about the former Lakers superstar ... and even wrote a lengthy piece for The Players' Tribune last month, saying Kobe's death "still doesn’t seem real."

"Nobody was tougher than you," Iverson said in the article. "Nobody got more out of me. We’re linked forever in this game -- in this life."

For the second time in 5 years, Teyana Taylor has given birth in her home bathroom -- and once again, everyone is healthy!!!

Taylor's NBA star hubby Iman Shumpert broke the news ... saying baby Rue Rose was born on Sept. 6 at 3:28 AM.

"Now ... when we buy homes, we always find a bathroom with great energy ... but not in a million years would you be able to tell me we’d deliver both of our daughters in a bathroom without the assistance of a hospital!"

Shumpert continued, "Our newest edition entered the world in the water and came out looking around and ready to explore! A healthy child. A little sister. Another daughter."

"Black love wins....again. Welcome babygirl...we love you!"

Remember, Shumpert called 911 back in 2015 when Taylor went into labor in their home ... and ultimately gave birth at their home.

Shumpert personally delivered that child -- Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr. -- and used a pair of headphones to clamp the umbilical cord!

As for the new baby, Rue Rose already has an Instagram page ... with almost 60,000 followers!!

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jacob Evans is honoring the memory of slain LSU basketball player Wayde Sims ... in the form of a custom pendant.

Evans and Sims grew up in Baton Rouge -- and Evans was devastated when he learned Sims was shot and killed at a party near the Southern University campus on Sept. 28.

Officials say Sims was trying to defend a friend in a fistfight when another 20-year-old man pulled out a gun and opened fire on the LSU hoops player.

The alleged shooter is now being prosecuted for 2nd-degree murder.

23-year-old Evans wanted to pay tribute to his friend -- so he hit up Courtney Roy of Clarity Custom Jewelry to order a custom piece featuring Sims and Ja'Cardo Hawkins, another friend who passed away in 2019.

Hawkins was also a college basketball player who was and All-CCAA Honorable Mention in 2018.

It's a beautiful tribute to two young men who died way too young.

Byron Scott thinks top NBA players should take a more active role in advocating for Black coaches ... just like Kobe Bryant did for him back in the day.

59-year-old Scott says he likes and respects Steve Nash -- but couldn't help but feel disappointed when he saw the Brooklyn Nets hired Nash as head coach over other well-qualified Black candidates.

"My first thought was why didn’t Mark Jackson or some other African-American guys who have coached in this league at least get an opportunity to coach with the Brooklyn Nets?"

Fact is, Scott says ... "We don't get jobs that are that set and that good -- where you got 2 stars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant."

Scott believes Black coaches usually get opportunities with teams that are in pretty bad shape ... unlike Nash and the stacked Nets.

Scott says his opinion is based on his OWN experience -- he took over the Hornets when they were only an 18-win team and New Jersey coming off a 20-win season.

"We don’t get those jobs where there is built-in superstardom guys on that roster right away."

"We get the kind of jobs where you have to make something out of nothing and when you don’t or you’re not able to do it, they’ll say, 'Well, we gave him the opportunity.'"

So, what's the solution? Scott says he wants to see more powerful NBA players go to bat for Black candidates.

"Our players don’t do a good enough job for advocating for Black coaches and that's just something that we need to change as well."

Charles Oakley is straight-up confused about why the Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as their new head coach ... when there are so many other qualified coaches with actual coaching experience!

The NY Knicks legend didn't beat around the bush when we asked him about the Nash hiring ... telling us straight up, "We need more Black coaches in the NBA."

Oakleys says like everyone else in the NBA world, he had no idea Nash was even interested in a coaching gig ... "but that's how the world is."

"People hire their friends, people that they believe in. Somebody must believe in Steve Nash, a great player."

But, Oakley says there are plenty of Black coaches -- like Mark Jackson, Pete Myers and Jason Kidd -- who have been waiting for jobs ... and got beat out because "this guy comes out of the blue."

"That goes to show you we're still behind the 8 ball," Oak says ... "That's what we're trying to fight for, equal opportunity."

"Hopefully, We can get more Black coaches in the NBA because it's a Black league. We should have more Black coaches. More Black owners and GMs."

In case you're wondering, in the 2018-19 season, roughly 82% of NBA players were people of color, according to an ESPN report.

Kendall Jenner traveled northeast with boyfriend Devin Booker -- double dating with pals Justin and Hailey Bieber -- during a trek to ID.

Kendall and her Phoenix Suns BF have been making the rounds over the last few months. They've been camping, dining, and just hanging out ... and they've amped it up since the Devin left the NBA bubble.

They also did some ordinary stuff, like taking Devin's dog to the vet.

Justin and Hailey have been making the rounds these days as well. They rented an RV and have been tooling around the country, recently making a stop in Cody, Wyoming to visit Kanye.