NBA

It's all about the Benjamins when Lil Kim's on stage ...  which is why the rap legend made it rain with suitcases full of cash during her amazing performance Monday night at the Brooklyn Nets game!

The Nets booked Lil Kim to perform as part of the team's annual Women’s Empowerment Game -- which celebrated the "achievements, contributions, and overall impact women have had on our society."

Well, Kim has contributed to the world of hip-hop and fashion in a big way -- and when she hit the stage, she rocked Barclay's Center with some of her biggest hits.

The Queen B came through heavy in shiny Nets gear -- she had a role in the costume design -- and performed classics like "Ladies Night" and "Lighters Up" while the Brooklynettes danced beside her.

But, when "All About the Benjamins" came on, ya know Lil Kim had to make it rain with some dolla bills -- so the dance team busted out suitcases full of green!

Afterward, the team presented Kim with a special custom Nets jersey ... and her reaction was PRICELESS!

"Oh my God, I'm about to cry!" she screamed holding up the jersey ... "I always wanted my own jersey!".

FYI, Lil Kim was put on to the rap game back in the early '90s by late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

She's sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, won over 41 awards .. and is considered one of the best female rappers of all time.

"It's crazy seeing my dad. I'm like, 'Where's my mom? She's gonna come. And, obviously, she's not gonna show up. That affected me, but I go out there and play the best I can for this team."

Karl-Anthony Towns admits it was extremely emotional to have his father back in the stands at his NBA game on Monday -- the first time he's attended a game in person since the death of Karl's mom.

As we previously reported, Jackie Cruz-Towns passed from COVID-19 complications on April 13, 2020.

Jackie and her husband, Karl Towns Sr., were staples at their son's basketball games from the youth level all the way to the pros ... but Karl Sr. hadn't been to a game in person since her death.

That changed on Monday when Karl Sr. strutted into the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn to watch his son's Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Nets.

"Gonna do it for his mom tonight," Karl Sr. said on his way to his seat ... "Wolves, let's go!"

Unfortunately, Minnesota couldn't overcome that insane Nets offense and lost 112 to 107 -- but Karl Jr. played REALLY WELL, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.

After the game, KAT opened up about what it meant to have his father back in the building.

"It was really the first time having family watch me playing in person,"  Towns said.

"He understood how upset I was after the loss ... But he came to me, and he told me something I don't know if he should've told me. It got me a little emotional. He told me my mom would've been proud with how I played tonight."

KAT said he also shared an emotional moment with his dad BEFORE tip-off.

"Me and my dad got emotional before the game. Because he made his presence known. It affected me because my mom always did that.”

“My mom would be the one to go to the stanchion or be there and wave at me until I said hi to her or came and hugged her.”

Vanessa Bryant has asked a judge to give her mom the boot in her lawsuit to win lifetime support.

Vanessa's mom, Sofia Laine, has filed a lawsuit against Kobe's estate, claiming Kobe promised to take care of her financially for the rest of her life.

In new docs, Vanessa points to a legal fight Sofia was having against her ex-husband in 2004 and 2008 over spousal support. Sofia's ex-husband claimed he should not have to pay her because she was being supported by Kobe and Vanessa. Sofia fired back that her daughter and son-in-law had no obligation to support her, and whatever they gave her was simply out of the goodness of their hearts.

Sofia's ex also pointed to tabloid stories which claimed Vanessa bought a $1 million home for her so she wasn't in need of support. Sofia shot back ... the stories were "absolutely false" and "I would never permit Vanessa to do such a thing. I have not and do not (nor should I be required to) rely on Vanessa for my support."

And, Vanessa has other reasons why she wants the lawsuit dismissed. Among them ... Sofia argues Kobe made an oral promise to "take care of her financially." Vanessa's legal team says even if Kobe said that, it's too vague to be enforced.

And, there's this ... Sofia also says Vanessa and Kobe violated California labor laws by not giving her meal breaks, rest periods and giving her minimum wage for babysitting services. Vanessa fired back in legal docs, "[Sofia] was never an 'employee' ... [she] is a grandmother who, at times, helped her daughter and son-in-law by spending time with her grandchildren."

And, Vanessa's legal team argues, in order for Sofia to go after Kobe's estate, she had to file a creditor's claim within a year of his death, and she did not do that.

Hercy Miller -- rap legend Master P's H.S. hoop-star son -- is one of the best players in the country ... but despite being recruited by basketball powerhouses, he's taking his talents to an HBCU!!

TMZ Sports talked to P and Hercy -- an 18-year-old, 6'3" senior point guard at Minnehaha Academy in MN -- moments after the younger Miller announced he was choosing Tennessee State over the likes of USC, UCLA, Missouri, LSU and other Power 5 conference programs.

We asked Miller why he passed on schools that produced NBA stars like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Ben Simmons, and DeMar DeRozan ... and his answer was powerful.

"I want to go a place with a good school, and I feel like if I go to a HBCU, I can put a spotlight on for all the HBCU’s around."

Hercy continued ... "I want to make a change. I want to make a difference. I’m the type of person, I want to be a leader, I want to lead my people. So I feel like going to Tennessee St. University is where I can be a part of the community and be a player at the same time."

Hercy -- whose brother Romeo played 2 seasons at USC -- says he has plans to play in the NBA ... something Master P says will NOT be an issue coming from an HBCU.

"If you look at the conference, Ja Morant played in the same conference. This is not just a regular school. This is a big conference that put a lot of pros into the league."

Of course, Morant went to Murray St. and was the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft ... right after Zion Williamson.

Robert Covington -- Portland Trailblazers small forward -- attended Tennessee St. ... and has had a very solid NBA career.

As for P -- a legendary musician who played in the NBA, made movies and earned millions in the business world -- where does watching his young son commit to play college ball rank on his list of accomplishments?

"This is at the top of the totem pole for me."

NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has sold the AMAZING Las Vegas estate where he's lived since 2017 ... and made a 7-figure profit to boot.

The pad is unreal -- complete with a home theater, basketball court and a massive outdoor pool with waterfalls and a slide!!

Cousins listed the property back in September 2020 for $8 million ... and got pretty close to his asking price ... closing the sale at $7.5 mil.

And, since he bought the place for $6.5 million, it turned out to be a pretty solid investment.

No word on who purchased the estate -- but the new owner will have 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a sports media room ... and there's an elevator inside the home!!

There's also a state-of-the-art gym -- perfect for the COVID-conscious 2021 world we're all still living in.

Find someone who's loyal to you like Jamal Crawford's loyal to his Blackberry.

Yep, in the age of iPhone and Android .. the 41-year-old NBA star still rocks a Blackberry device -- AND HE'S DAMN PROUD OF IT!!

The 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year was outed as a Berry-user during a Thursday interview with Candace Parker on "NBA on TNT" ... and once J.C. copped to the using the relic, Shaq and the rest of the crew came with the jokes!

"They still got BlackBerry?" one voice said while Shaq and Candace piled on.

So, why is Crawford so adamant about living in the past when it comes to his phone?!?!

"It’s the keyboard," Jamal said proudly ... "You know, I don’t gotta spend time erasing stuff. It’s the keyboard. It shows my loyalty. Once I switched over to Blackberry I never left."

Crawford’s loyalty came with a price … explaining his NBA teammates had to send him separate messages since he couldn’t join the group chats.

"With my teammates, I couldn't be on the group texts. They had to send me stuff on the side since I didn’t have [a smart phone] ... it was coming up green."

For the record, it looks like Crawford's rockin' a Blackberry Key2 -- which came out in 2018 and features a full QWERTY keyboard.

The Rajon Rondo trade to L.A. is a dream come true for Clippers player Terance Mann ... who IDOLIZES Rondo so much, he's been carrying the guy's rookie card in his wallet for years!!!

AND HE PROVED IT ON CAMERA!!

Check out Mann whipping out his 2006 Topps #251 Rondo rookie card during Thursday's news conference with the media ... right after the Clippers announced Rajon was coming to town!

24-year-old Mann -- a 2019 draft pick -- explained he's been carrying the card in his wallet since 7th grade because he thinks it's good luck!

Mann explained ... "Somebody gave it to me, then I made the A-team for my travel team. I was like, 'Man, it’s gotta be this card!'"

Mann continued, "So I kept the card, and I kept getting better and better at basketball."

Hey, if it works ... why break tradition?!

Now, with the collectibles market blowing up at record levels -- Mann needs to get Rondo to SIGN the card (and get it authenticated) and it could be worth a fortune!!

Big night for Dwight Howard in his return to Staples Center on Thursday -- first he got his 2020 NBA Championship ring ... and then he got EJECTED!

Remember, Howard was part of the Lakers team that won it all in Orlando during the bizarre bubble season of 2020.

After the season, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers ... right around the time Danny Green was traded from L.A. to Philly.

Both returned to Staples for the first time this season on Thursday where the Lakers honored the two with a ring ceremony before tipoff.

Big smiles. Big diamonds. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood.

But, everything changed when the game began -- Howard got into it with Lakers tough guy Montrezl Harrell in a chippy 1st quarter.

Things culminated with Howard intentionally bumping Harrell as time expired in the 1st quarter -- Harrell shoved him back.

Howard got the technical and was ejected from the game.

At least he had a sparkly parting gift ...

Ultimately, the 76ers got the win -- even without Dwight -- taking down the champs in a 109 to 101 victory.

We interrupt this standard NBA post-game press conference ... WITH A SPECIAL VIDEO MESSAGE FROM DRAKE?!

Yep, the rap superstar FaceTime'd his pal Kyle Lowry while the Toronto Raptors star was facing the media following Wednesday night's game against the Denver Nuggets.

There are rumblings that Toronto will trade Lowry to another team before the NBA trade deadline (Thursday at 12 PM PT) -- which means Wednesday could have been the last time Lowry rocked the Raptors uniform.

During the presser, Lowry admitted it was "kind of weird tonight not knowing what the next step would be" ... but when Drake's name popped up on his cell phone, his mood changed.

"Guys, we have a special guest here," Lowry told reporters during the video news conference.

That's when Lowry held up his phone and showed everyone Drake was on FaceTime!

"If you guys have any questions, I’m here to translate," Drake said ... "I’m his translator!"

Lowry laughed a quipped back, "No you’re not. No!! I’ll hit you when I’m done, bro."

Really funny moment between Lowry and Drake -- who's not just a Raptors superfan, he's also the team's official "global ambassador."

LaMelo Ball is officially on the mend after undergoing surgery to fix his fractured right wrist on Tuesday ... with the Charlotte Hornets rookie stepping out in NYC with his arm in a sling hours after going under the knife.

The youngest Ball brother flew to the Big Apple to have the procedure performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery ... which will keep him sidelined for at least the next month.

19-year-old Ball was spotted leaving his hotel in NYC Tuesday afternoon in his Puma shirt and shoes ... as well as a pair of $1,100 Chrome Hearts sweatpants.

Of course, Melo went down with the injury on Saturday against the L.A. Clippers ... and the team initially feared he would miss the remainder of the season.

But, there's now hope the Rookie of the Year frontrunner could still return in 2021 ... depending on how quickly he heals up ... and if the Hornets can reach the playoffs (they're currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference).

Ball tweeted shortly after the surgery saying, "extremely blessed" ... which is great news all around.

NBA legend Elgin Baylor -- one of the greatest basketball players of all time -- has passed away of natural causes, the Los Angeles Lakers announced Monday. He was 86.

Baylor was selected with the first overall pick to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958 ... and spent his entire 14-year career with the franchise.

The 6'5" forward won Rookie of the Year in 1959 ... and was named All-Star Game MVP that same year.

Baylor was an 11-time All Star and 10-time First Team All-NBA selection for the Lakers. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1977 ... and his #22 jersey was retired in 1983.

Baylor was also honored with a statue outside Staples Center in 2018.

Baylor ranks as one of the greatest to ever don the Purple & Gold -- he's ranked 4th in points scored, 1st in total rebounds and 6th in assists.

Baylor went on to coach the New Orleans Jazz from 1974-1979 after his playing days ... and later spent 22 years as GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, earning Executive of the Year honors in 2006.

Elgin's wife, Elaine, released a statement on his passing ... saying, "Elgin was the love of my life and my best friend."

"And like everyone else, I was in awe of his immense courage, dignity and the time he gave to all fans."

Lakers governor Jeanie Buss added ... "Elgin was THE superstar of his era - his many accolades speak to that."

"He was one of the few Lakers players whose career spanned from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. But more importantly he was a man of great integrity, even serving his country as a U.S. Army reservist, often playing for the Lakers only during his weekend pass."

"He will always be part of the Lakers legacy. On behalf of the entire Lakers family, I’d like to send my thoughts, prayers and condolences to Elaine and the Baylor family."

Baylor is survived by his wife, children and sister.

Losing frickin' sucks ... and if you need any proof, just check out Rockets head coach Stephen Silas ... who had an equally sad and hilarious reaction to Houston's 20th-straight loss on Sunday.

The Rockets have become one of the worst teams in the league over the past 2 months ... and haven't won a game since before Valentine's Day(!!!)

After losing a close 114-112 contest to the OKC Thunder on Sunday, Silas was asked if he thought the weight of the losing streak was building and affecting how the Rockets play.

Visibly frustrated, Silas rubs his forehead and goes completely silent for an awkward 10 seconds to gather his thoughts ... before muttering one subdued, "Yeah."

You have to feel for the guy -- Silas is in his first season as an NBA head coach, and he was placed in an extremely tough situation to succeed.

If you don’t remember, James Harden forced his way out of Houston in January to go play in Brooklyn ... and Russell Westbrook was traded before the season even started.

On top of that, emerging star Christian Wood -- who was dominating so far this season -- missed a month due to an ankle injury.

Ever since Wood went down, the Rockets have been awful ... posting an 11-30 record so far this season.

It's good to be Michael B. Jordan!

Not only did the "Black Panther" star sit courtside when the Washington Wizards took on the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday ... but Russell Westbrook also gave him the jersey off his back!!

... and turns out, Russ has an 8-pack!

Brody's Wizards didn't get the win -- but they played well ... cutting a 14-point Nets lead down to 1 with just 3 minutes to go in the game.

Ultimately, the Nets emerged victorious in a 113 to 106 win -- thanks to 28 points from Kyrie Irving and 26 from James Harden.

Westbrook racked up 29 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists -- and after the final buzzer ... he walked over to a masked-up Michael B. Jordan, dapped him up and gave him his jersey.

Russ also signed a personal message for the actor -- pretty cool moment.

Of course, Michael B. Jordan is also in pretty insane shape -- famously transforming his body for his roles in "Creed" and "Black Panther."

Terrible news for LaMelo Ball ... the 19-year-old broke his wrist over the weekend which will most likely end his 2020-21 NBA season.

The Charlotte Hornets star rookie -- the #3 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft -- suffered the injury Saturday night while trying to make a spectacular shot against the L.A. Clippers at Staples Center.

Ball landed on his right wrist -- and appeared to be in pain immediately.

Ball clutched his wrist before getting it checked out by a team doc -- and now, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says the injury will almost certainly end Melo's sensational rookie campaign.

The Hornets announced an MRI confirmed Melo has a fracture in his right wrist. No official word on how long he'll be out.

But, Woj -- citing sources -- says it's just a matter of time before he's formally shelved for the season.

Woj notes the injury specifically affects "the area of the thumb on his shooting hand" ... and Ball will be following up with Dr. Michelle G. Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY to confirm he needs to undergo a procedure.

Melo has been killing it this season -- averaging 15.9 points per game -- along with 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds.

He was the frontrunner to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award ... we'll see if the voters feel he's done enough in his shortened season to give it to him despite the injury. Seems like a lock at this point.

Eric LeGrand is ready to be an inspiration for Shawn Bradley ... the former Rutgers football player tells TMZ Sports he'd love to talk with the NBA legend and let him know life is NOT over despite his new condition.

LeGrand -- who overcame a tragic football injury in 2010 to become one of the most inspiring men on the planet -- says he wants to make it clear to Bradley that the guy can still make a difference even after he was paralyzed in a January bicycle accident.

"People think when spinal cord injuries happen, that life is just over," LeGrand says.

"And, in the beginning, when you go through an adjustment period, you're going to have those moments and it's understandable."

But, Eric says he's willing to help the 48-year-old get through that time ... and learn he can still be as successful at life as he was before the injury.

"As time starts to go on, you start to realize, 'OK, this is my new life,'" LeGrand says, "'this is my adjustments to it, I can still make a difference.' And, that's why I want to offer whatever I can offer."

During this initial period of shock over the injury, though, LeGrand says he has all the empathy in the world for the former Dallas Mavericks superstar.

"My thoughts and prayers definitely go to him and his family and I truly do mean that," LeGrand says. "Because when you suffer something like this, it's life-altering and it flips and turns your life upside down."

Erik Spoelstra -- the only Asian-American head coach in the NBA -- ain't buying the notion that the massacre in ATL wasn't racially motivated ... and he's really pissed off about it.

The Miami Heat head coach -- who's of Filipino descent -- sounded off during a media session Friday ... saying the shooting incident which claimed 8 lives is nothing short of "sickening."

"Look, I’m Asian-American, I’m proud to be Asian-American, and seeing what’s happening with another outright form of racism and hatred really is sickening," Spoelstra said ... "It breaks my heart.”

There is some controversy over the suspected motive -- officials say 21-year-old Robert Long has admitted to opening fire at 3 Asian-run spas in the Atlanta area, killing 8 people ... but he told authorities the incident was more about his "sex addiction" than racism.

6 of the 8 victims are Asian -- and leaders in the Asian community are saying the attack was CLEARLY racially motivated.

Add Spoelstra to the list of people not buying what Long is selling.

"You have to see that this is wrong. It’s heartbreaking and this shows you where we are," Spoelstra continued.

"There is hatred abundantly still out there and people feel empowered to attack the Asian community ... and I just pray in my heart that this can stop."

As we previously reported, the L.A. Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks honored the victims with a moment of silence before Thursday night's games.

LeBron James has also spoken out against the shooter -- calling him a "coward ass young man."