RIP

Anthony Davis' tribute tattoo to Kobe Bryant was revealed this week ... and you can see in a new detailed photograph of the artwork, the piece is pretty amazing.

Remember, just days after Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, tragically passed in a helicopter crash ... both AD and LeBron James went under the needle for Kobe-inspired ink.

LeBron revealed his tat before the Lakers' game last Friday ... showing off artwork that featured a black mamba, Kobe's numbers, two roses and a "Mamba 4 Life" inscription.

But Davis hadn't publicly released his art until just this week ... when his tattoo artist showed off the piece on social media.

The ink is beautiful ... featuring a black mamba circled around Bryant's famous brand logo.

"Miss you so much"

That's Vanessa Bryant posting about Kobe Bryant -- remembering him on social media as a "loving husband" and "The Best Daddy."

Vanessa went to Instagram on Wednesday to post about her husband -- referring to Kobe as "my best friend" and saying she misses all of the funny, sweet little things he would do during their marriage.

"Miss you saying, 'Bonjourno principessa/reina'" Vanessa wrote ... referencing Kobe's ability to speak Italian.

"#mybestfriend #theBestdaddy Miss you so much. #handsome #sweet #funny #silly #lovinghusband ❤️Miss you saying, “Bonjourno principessa/reina."

Vanessa also posted a clip from a recent "Extra" interview in which Kobe was asked to name his best friend -- and he responded, "My wife."

Just a few days ago, Vanessa posted a painting of her daughter Gianna Bryant dressed up in Lakers gear -- and wrote, "Seeing my babygirl smile and happy again with a basketball 🏀 under her arm, wrapped in 💜💛love just warmed my heart."

"Thank you for this. @_vivalareina thank you!! My Gigi.❤️ #Mambacita."

Kobe and Gianna passed away January 26. We're told the Bryant family is working on putting together a public memorial for them but nothing is set in stone yet.

Originally Published -- 9:50 AM PT

Kirk Douglas -- renowned actor and father of Michael Douglas, with a decorated career spanning more than 6 decades -- has died.

Kirk passed Wednesday. Kirk's health had been in decline. In 1996 he suffered a stroke but recovered most of his faculties. Last time we saw him enjoying life was in April 2019 when he was "camping" in his grandson's backyard.

Michael told People, "It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard of us all to aspire to."

Michael ended it this way ... "But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."

Kirk's appeared in a few minor Broadway productions in the '40s but then put his career on hold and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1941. After several years of service, Kirk returned to theater, but his best work came on the big screen.

The famed actor and producer earned critical acclaim for his role in the 1960 classic, "Spartacus." In "Spartacus," Kirk gave onscreen credit to blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Kirk's move started the dissolution of the infamous blacklisting policies that had begun nearly a decade prior.

Kirk was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 1949 for his role as boxer Midge Kelly in "Champion." He also earned 2 Oscar nominations as a producer for "The Bad and the Beautiful" in 1953 and "Lust for Life" in 1957.

He acted alongside John Wayne in 3 films -- "In Harm's Way," "Cast a Giant Shadow" and "The War Wagon." He also shared screen time with one Arnold Schwarzenegger ... in the 1979 film "The Villain" and with Farrah Fawcett in the sci-fi flick, "Saturn 3."

Fun fact ... Kirk once earned a $50k paycheck for saying the only English word at the end of a 1980s Japanese TV commercial: Coffee.

Kirk survived a helicopter crash in 1991. Two other passengers were killed and Kirk was left with a terrible back injury. He also did tons of humanitarian work ... serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. State Department.

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 by President Jimmy Carter. France also honored Kirk with the prestigious Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. The Academy Awards also honored him with an honorary Oscar in 1995.

Kirk -- once voted the 36th greatest movie star of all time by Entertainment Weekly -- was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York to Russian parents who came to the states in 1912. Kirk married Diana Dill in 1943 and they had two sons -- Michael and Joel. Kirk and Diana divorced in 1951. He later married Anne Buydens in 1954 after meeting her when she applied for a job as his assistant on the film, "Act of Love." Kirk and Anne had two more sons ... Peter and Eric, who died in 2004.

Kirk's survived by Anne, children Michael, Joel and Peter and seven grandchildren.

He was 103. RIP.

Shareef O'Neal is honoring Gianna and Kobe Bryant by tattooing their jerseys on his body ... and the pictures are amazing.

As we previously reported, Shaq's son became VERY close with the Bryants -- he basically viewed Kobe as an uncle.

Shareef has been deeply affected by their deaths and has been searching for ways to pay tribute to the Bryants. He's been posting a lot on social media. He went to the Bryant tribute at Staples Center. And now, he's inking their numbers on his leg.

Check out the pic ... you can see Gigi's #2 jersey she rocked for her Mamba Academy team. He also added Kobe's #8 and #24, the two numbers he wore with the Lakers.

Of course, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have also inked Kobe tributes on their legs -- both got imagery of a Black Mamba snake with the words, "Mamba 4 Life."

Originally Published -- 6:32 AM PT

We all know the backstory ... Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant clashed during DH's first stint with the Lakers.

But, Howard says he's spent the entire 2019-20 season trying to prove to Mamba that he's a winner ... and he's devastated that KB won't be around to see him achieve his goal.

"There are nights where I just cry myself to sleep just thinking about it," Howard told reporters Tuesday after the Lakers beat the Spurs.

"It was just really hard, 'cause for me, a lot of people thought me and Kobe hated each other and stuff like that and there were times where we just didn't understand each other ... and I didn't get a chance to tell him how appreciative I was for our time together and how thankful I was to be back here in L.A. and stuff like that."

Dwight continued ... "All year long I wanted to show him that I was going to do whatever it takes to help this team win. I've been wearing his shoes since the season started. I wanted him [to help me] in the dunk contest and all these things."

An autographed box score sheet from the night Kobe Bryant scored 81 points has just hit the auction block -- and some of the proceeds will go to the families of the helicopter crash victims.

The rare document was personally signed by Bryant in blue ballpoint pen shortly after he dropped the incredible figure on the Toronto Raptors in that legendary 2006 performance.

You can see in the doc -- which, according to Goldin Auctions, was only given out to media members, players and staffers after the game -- Kobe was a flat-out BEAST during the Jan. 22 matchup.

Bryant took 46 shots and added 20 free throw attempts ... dropping 81 points with just 3 turnovers. What's even more incredible is only 2 other Lakers scored more than 10 points!

Of course, Bryant's squad won the game -- a sellout at Staples Center -- and Kobe said of it all afterward he couldn't have have imagined dropping that much "not even in my dreams."

We're told a portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the MambaOnThree Fund -- a charity set up to help the families of the other passengers that died in the tragic helicopter crash that killed Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, on Jan. 26.

Brian McKnight's touching personal tribute to Kobe Bryant will make its way to the public eventually on a new album -- and just as sad ... it might be his last foray into music.

The R&B singer was on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about writing the new tune, "Can't Say Goodbye" ... which he personally wrote and performed in honor of the late NBA superstar. He says he can't even remember writing it ... the lyrics just poured out of him.

Brian tells us he's never seen a death affect the world the way Kobe's did -- and that's taking MJ and Prince into consideration. To him, it just proves Kobe was THAT beloved.

He also told us, he'd gladly perform "Can't Say Goodbye" at Kobe's memorial service, if asked. We also asked him about releasing the track to the public -- and that's when he dropped a bombshell about his more than 30-year career. Brian says it's about to be a wrap, at least in the studio, after one more album ... which will include the Kobe tribute.

As for how serious he is about retirement -- we pressed Brian, and on a scale of 1 to 10 ... sounds like he's squarely a Cher.

Got the itch for some old school hip-hop vibes? Ya better be rich 'cause that's what it'll take to land this Vibe poster ... signed by The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy on the night Biggie was tragically gunned down.

The folks over at Moments in Time are brokering the sale of this 2-foot by 3-foot poster of the iconic September 1996 Vibe magazine cover ... featuring Biggie and Puffy. It was signed at an industry party hosted by Quincy Jones' Vibe magazine on March 8, 1997, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A.

We're told a record executive brought the poster with him that night and had Biggie and Puffy sign it. But, just hours later -- after the party was shut down at 12:35 AM by fire marshals citing overcrowding -- Biggie was shot 4 times in a drive-by while at a red light on Fairfax and Wilshire Blvds. He was pronounced dead at 1:15 A.M.

Fast-forward to the present ... the son of the record executive is unloading the poster and the asking price is a cool $54k. The memorabilia also includes Biggie's itinerary for his west coast trip as well as the party's invitation.

Brian McKnight is honoring his late friend, Kobe Bryant, with a new song that's guaranteed to get you crying all over again over the passing of a Los Angeles legend. Be warned ...

The R&B crooner wrote a tune specifically dedicated to Kobe -- and by extension, to the basketball star's daughter, Gianna -- called "Can't Say Goodbye." We got a video of Brian playing it on guitar, and it's incredibly touching and sweet. Check it out for yourself ... but again, waterworks.

In the video, Brian says he wrote the song ... but can't really take credit, because it wrote itself. The lyrics touch on saying other versions of "goodbye" without actually uttering the words themselves because it's just too hard and so final. Frankly, it's beautiful.

We're told, Brian put this together in the hopes that it will help people begin to heal from the loss.

Of course, Brian and Kobe had a relationship. The NBA superstar was once featured on one of Brian's songs back in 1997 called "Hold Me." KB had a rap verse on it toward the end.

He's also a huge Lakers fan in general and included a ton of footage of Kobe in a tribute video he put together to honor the City of Angels. That track's called "I Love LA."

With all that said, it's no wonder the death of Kobe has affected Brian the way it clearly has. No word if this song will make its way onto an album of some sort, but we expect it'll reach the masses eventually.

Well, this is a big deal ... Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he's on board with the movement to change the NBA logo to Kobe Bryant -- telling TMZ Sports, "I would support it."

Not only have MILLIONS of people signed a petition to have the league swap out the current logo which features an image of Jerry West, but a bunch of NBA stars have backed it as well ... from Paul Pierce to Jamal Crawford and more.

Outside of basketball, stars like Justin Bieber, Julian Edelman, Snoop, Usher, Meek Mill and more have joined the #ChangeTheLogo movement.

As for Cuban, he's already honored Kobe by retiring the #24 jersey in the Mavs organization (despite Kobe never playing for Dallas) ... and now he's down for an even bigger tribute.

"I just think it's so much more than basketball," Cuban told us ... "He brought so many people together."

Unclear exactly what it would take to get the league to make the move, but having one of the league's most influential owners get behind the push seems pretty significant to us.

Pitbull did not disappoint at Shaq's Fun House in Miami Friday night, getting the crowd fired up and then delivering a rousing tribute to Kobe.

Mr. Worldwide sang "Give Me Everything," and then launched into his commentary, saying Kobe's memory will endure. He then went into a diatribe over the cauldron of hate known as social media.

Diddy followed suit, performing "I'll Be Missing You" as images of Kobe filled the venue. He also performed "Mo Money Mo Problems" with his son, Justin.

Shaq, of course, delivered a moving, personal tribute to Kobe. As the crowd chanted Kobe's name -- led by Shaq -- the video chronicled the incredible partnership between the 2 basketball greats who together were an unbeatable duo. BTW, Shaq also showed off his DJ skills, which are considerable.

DaBaby jumped on stage next to Shaq -- who looks massive by comparison -- and performed "Bop." He was in some hot water last month -- he was arrested and charged with battery for allegedly attacking and robbing a club promoter. That case is pending.

The Los Angeles Lakers honored the late Kobe Bryant with a tribute before the first game following his death ... with emotional performances by Usher and cellist Ben Hong ... and a powerful speech by LeBron James.

The Lakers superstar took center court to address the fans in attendance ... and spoke straight from the heart, calling Kobe his brother and the event a celebration of his career.

"I got something written down, they asked me to kinda stay on course, or whatever the case may be," LeBron said. "But Laker Nation, I would be selling y'all short if I read off this sh*t, so I'ma go straight from the heart."

"I look at this as a celebration tonight. This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken-down body, the getting up, the sitting down, the everything, the countless hours, the determination to be as great as you could be."

"I wanna continue along with my teammates to continue his legacy. Not only for this year, but as long as we can play the game of basketball that we love, because that's what Kobe Bryant would want."

James finished his speech with the message -- "So in the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba Out' ... but in the words of us, 'Not forgotten.' Live on, brother."

Prior to LBJ's words, Usher performed a strong rendition of "Amazing Grace" while the video board showed a montage of the tributes that have popped up throughout the world, and Hong played while Bryant's on-and-off the court accomplishments flashed on the screen for all the fans to enjoy.

The Lakers then posted the names of all 9 people lost in the tragic helicopter accident and honored them with a 24.2 second moment of silence while the board showed the 2 courtside seats draped with Kobe and Gigi's jerseys.

Boyz II Men performed the National Anthem ... with all 3 members wearing the Kobe shirts handed out to every fan in attendance. Several players -- including LeBron -- broke down in tears during the performance.

The Lakers players honored Kobe by wearing Kobe's #8 and #24 jerseys during warmups ... and each player was announced as Kobe Bryant for the starting lineups.

LeBron wore Kobe's signature shoes, which might be the first time he's worn anything other than his own sneakers in an NBA game.

The Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers followed other teams' lead by opening the game with 24-second shot clock and 8-second violations.

Kobe's #8 and #24 were displayed on the court ... as well as a "KB" badge on the players' jerseys.

The fans were shouting Kobe's name outside Staples before entering the arena ... and we have video of the emotional scene.

Carmelo Anthony -- who was very close with Kobe -- did not make the trip because he's still mourning Kobe's death.

James revealed his permanent tribute to Kobe before the game, a tattoo that reads "Mamba 4 Life."

The memorials outside Staples continued to pour through LA Live on Friday ... and TMZ Sports was able to capture some of them.

Justin Bieber is adding to his growing cartoon art collection ... with a tribute to Kobe Bryant ... complete with imagery of the Black Mamba balling out with the Lakers.

Our sources tell us Justin's team reached out to Idiot Box Art owners Emily Bright and Tamara Martin to purchase their newest original piece honoring Kobe ... and the Biebs snagged one for only $1,200.

The cartoon art -- depicting a teddy bear wearing Kobe's #8 Lakers jersey over a Mamba hoodie and some Nikes -- is made of hand-cut wood covered in acrylic paint and finished with a coat of resin. The piece is one of 5 created, and it's 41.5 inches X 24 inches.

We're told the Kobe art sold out in a few hours ... so the artists are making miniature versions for $200 a pop, and they're going on sale February 6 and 7 with 24 percent of profits going to the MambaOnThree Fund.

How cool is this?!?

Sylvester Stallone is SUPER DOWN to share the spotlight in Philadelphia with Kobe Bryant ... telling TMZ Sports the city should build a statue of the NBA legend right next to Rocky!!!

"Absolutely!!!" Sly says.

It'd be an amazing tribute ... while Kobe never played for the Sixers -- he grew up in Philly and starred at local Lower Merion HS as a teenager.

Kobe never shied away from his love for Philly despite playing his entire pro career in L.A. -- even reppin' the Eagles in his final appearance at a Lakers game at Staples before his death on Dec. 29.

We broke the story ... Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were among nine people who tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. on Sunday.

Tributes have come in all shapes and sizes since the 41-year-old's passing ... with NBA teams taking shot clock violations, players writing personal messages on their shoes and Staples Center plaza being packed with mourning fans.

LeBron James has a new piece of body art -- a tribute to Kobe Bryant complete with imagery of a Black Mamba.

Both LeBron and Anthony Davis hit up tattoo artist Vanessa Aurelia on Wednesday looking to pay tribute to Kobe with some fresh ink.

Fast-forward to Thursday morning ... when Bron and the Lakers were working out in front of the Lakers facility in El Segundo and gave the media a sneak peek at his new art.

The tat is still under wraps but it appears he's got a black mamba snake with some words underneath. Some people in the office think it reads, "Kobe 4 Life" but it's really hard to tell.

We're told Bron plans to do a big reveal on his Instagram soon -- most likely before he takes the court on Friday when the Lakers take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.

Originally Published -- 1/30 1:43 PM PT

Everyone who attends the Lakers game Friday night will get a free Kobe Bryant tribute shirt, courtesy of the team ... 20,000 in total.

The hard-working people at Staples Center have draped a Kobe shirt on every single seat -- half of the arena will get Kobe #8 shirts. The other half will get #24 shirts.

It's just one part of the Kobe Bryant tributes at Staples on Friday -- the first game for the Lakers since Kobe passed away on Sunday.

There will be a moment of silence, visual tributes to Kobe around the arena and we're told some players are considering addressing the crowd ... but nothing is set in stone yet.

Tickets for Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers are already rising in value -- with the cheapest tickets just to get in the building hovering around $800 on the secondary ticket market.

We're expecting to see a massive turnout both inside and outside Staples Center -- where Kobe played for nearly all of his 20 years with the Lakers (the Lakers previously played at The Forum).

Tonight will be emotional. In fact, Carmelo Anthony -- who was very close with Kobe -- did not make the trip because he's still mourning Kobe's death.