NBA

The Atlanta Hawks’ controversial “Magic City Monday” is getting support from a man who knows the club -- and the wings -- better than most: former NBA star Lou Williams.

The former Hawks guard famously got busted visiting the legendary strip club during the NBA’s COVID bubble in 2020 … and now the three-time Sixth Man of the Year is weighing in on the team’s controversial plan to celebrate the iconic ATL spot at an upcoming game.

Not everyone is thrilled about the NBA franchise linking up with the famed gentlemen’s club -- but Lou tells TMZ Sports disagreements are part of the deal.

Luke Kornet might wanna peep this -- the folks at Magic City are addressing the backlash surrounding their tribute at an upcoming Atlanta Hawks game ... saying the establishment has so much more to offer than just strippers.

Charles chopped it up with manager JuJu Barney and dancer Yaya on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... where they laid it out as clear as day about what fans can expect on March 16.

"There will be no nudity whatsoever, at all," Barney said. "There will be no signs of nudity, there will be no nudity at all. It's strictly just wings and music and people having a good time."

Some good news ... Victor Wembanyama's missing friend, 23-year-old Elijah Hoard, was found safe in Chicago, and the Spurs superstar says he's "very relieved" the ordeal had a happy ending!

Chicago police issued a bulletin after 7 PM local time, announcing Hoard had been found, but provided little detail about when and where he was discovered.

Wemby met with the media postgame and shared the news, saying he was "so happy."

Luke Kornet's passionate plea to the Atlanta Hawks isn't stopping them from hosting Magic City Night -- the team tells TMZ Sports its tribute to the local staple isn't going anywhere.

But don't worry, Luke -- not a single stripper will be working this party.

The San Antonio Spurs center spoke out on Monday ... calling on the Hawks to scrap its plan to honor the iconic strip club when they host the Orlando Magic on March 16 with wings, food, merch and a music performance from T.I. -- claiming it sends a bad message to women.

Victor Wembanyama is asking for help in locating his friend, 23-year-old Elijah Hoard ... who was reported missing Sunday in Chicago after his family said he did not board his flight home to France.

Police in the Windy City put out a missing person bulletin Sunday afternoon ... stating Hoard was last seen Friday at O'Hare Airport wearing "a brown hooded sweatshirt, black sweat pants and cream-colored shoes."

They also noted that Hoard "may be in need of medical attention."

The Atlanta Hawks' "Magic City Night" announcement had the whole NBA talking ... but not everyone's on board with honoring a strip club during a game -- with Spurs big man Luke Kornet bashing the move as disrespectful to women.

The 30-year-old center wrote a letter to the organization on Medium ... where he stated he would "like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City."

"The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world," Kornet said. "We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love."

Philadelphia 76ers hooper V.J. Edgecombe put it all on the line Sunday night ... 'cause at one point in the game, he dove head-first into the stands to keep a ball in play ... but he accidentally kicked a woman right in the kisser in the process.

It all went down as the 76ers were taking on the Boston Celtics in Beantown. As Edgecombe attempted to save the rock from going out of bounds, he launched into the fans sitting courtside, with his left foot catching a poor woman as he flew over her.

The 20-year-old was quick to check in on the lady, with cameras catching the two embracing before he made his way back to the floor. While the woman seemed to be taking it in stride, she did have a mark left on the right side from the shoe.

The Atlanta Hawks are bringing the iconic Magic City strip club vibes to State Farm Arena -- stay with us, we're not kidding -- the team just announced it is honoring the local "cultural institution" at a game next month!!

The NBA franchise revealed the one-night collab on Thursday ... saying the party will go down on March 16 when the Hawks face the Orlando Magic -- and T.I. is slated to make an appearance.

"As part of this celebration, the Hawks have worked with Magic City to bring the ‘best of’ the phenomena for fans in attendance at the award-winning State Farm Arena," the team said.

To start the party, the Hawks will have DJ Esco blasting music at the game and a halftime performance from ATL's own Tip Harris, who is hyped to do this for Magic City.

Lamar Odom has checked out of rehab after completing a 30-day program at iRely Recovery in Los Angeles.

The 46-year-old former NBA star entered the program after getting arrested for DUI. At the time his arrest news broke, Odom stated neither alcohol nor narcotics played a role in the arrest ... but police said Odom's car reeked of weed when he was pulled over and said Odom admitted to smoking earlier in the day.

Lamar's manager, Gina Rodriguez, told us he wanted to shake his marijuana use -- out of concern it could lead to doing hard drugs again.

Rajon Rondo's wife knows how to throw her man a birthday party ... luxury venue, gourmet dining, and A-list entertainers -- including STRIPPERS!

Rondo's wife, Latoia, who is currently pregnant, hosted the retired NBA star's 40th birthday bash over the weekend and shared clips from the lavish party on her Instagram.

One video showed a bunch of strippers dancing in a club-like setting, including one woman twerking on a guest ... in a room raining dollar bills, which covered the entire floor.

The exotic dancers even lined up on the balcony, giving all the party guests a full view of their assets.

LeBron James just reminded everyone he keeps receipts ... especially when it comes to family.

After the Los Angeles Lakers got thumped on Sunday by the Boston Celtics, James was asked about his relationship with fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown -- and the King didn't sugarcoat anything.

LBJ said things between them have been “respectful” … except for “the s*** he said about Bronny at Summer League.”

Kenny “The Jet” Smith is giving Chris Paul his flowers -- and already mapping out his next move!

TMZ Sports caught up with the "Inside The NBA" cohost over All-Star Weekend … and Smith didn’t hesitate when talking about CP3’s recent retirement from the NBA -- saying he has a résumé that speaks for itself.

“Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards to ever play,” Smith tells us. “He deserves his retirement, he deserves his flowers. I've known him since high school, I’ve known him since Wake Forest. I'm excited for his next chapter in his career -- he's going to make a great NBA coach.”

Russell Westbrook's wife, Nina, received a shocking email from an irate "fan" furious over her husband's performance on the court, calling her a "dumb b*tch" and writing that they wish they "both die in a car crash."

Nina -- who married Westbrook in 2015 -- shared the disturbing message on her Instagram story on Thursday night. The note appears to have been sent following Russ' 5-point outing in the Kings-Magic game.

The email titled "F*** You" reads: "Your piece of f***in sh*t husband sucks to f***n bad can't even get 1o points is pathetic."

Beverly Hills issued a public apology to Jaylen Brown after shutting down his All-Star event last week over "inaccurate information," ... but the Celtics star isn't accepting it, and is considering legal action.

The city released a statement addressing the incident on Thursday, days after not allowing Brown's All-Star event at an 18,000-square-foot estate on Trousale Place, where he was hosting a guest panel on the future of the culture.

Police initially cited missing permits as the reason for shutting down the event, but an internal review determined the City's "prior public communication contained inaccurate information."

LaMelo Ball addressed the media for the first time since his Wednesday accident in Uptown Charlotte -- which left his Hummer missing a wheel and a person with minor injuries -- though the hooper wasn't in the mood to open up about the ordeal.

The 24-year-old sat down in front of microphones following the Hornets' 105-101 loss to the Houston Rockets Thursday night, and it was clear he was trying to keep things all about basketball.

When asked about the crash, Ball said it was "unfortunate, [but] everybody cool."

"So just blessings. God is great."

LaMelo Ball's custom Hummer is already undergoing repairs after Wednesday's collision in downtown Charlotte -- with the owner of the motorsports company telling TMZ Sports the truck is fixable, but it will take some time!

We spoke to Adam Wolfe of Dreamworks Motorsports, the company behind the custom work on Melo's 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, who says they've already started getting it back to tip-top shape.

The Hummer suffered significant front-end damage in the crash, including the loss of one of its 24x12 DW Forged one-off designed wheels.

Wolfe said he spoke with Ball after the crash and was relieved to hear he was okay ... and the damaged truck was sent back to the company's Roxboro, NC location on Thursday -- about three hours from Charlotte.