Sacramento Kings

Ty Lawson has some serious explaining to do ... because officials in Denver believe the Sacramento Kings star violated his probation and are gunning for a warrant, TMZ Sports has learned.

Lawson is currently on probation stemming from his 2015 drunk driving case in Denver -- but the Denver Probation Dept. has filed a complaint seeking to revoke his probation citing a potential violation.

Officials would not say what the alleged violation is ... but confirmed to TMZ Sports that a bench warrant has been requested so they can bring Lawson to court for a hearing on the matter.

We're told a judge has not signed off on the warrant at this point.

Some of the requirements of Lawson's probation -- which was scheduled to end on March 22 -- included monitored sobriety, 48 hours of community service, 52 hours of therapy and no marijuana use.

DeMarcus Cousins fought back tears as he delivered an emotional goodbye message to Sacramento last night ... just 1 day after he was traded to New Orleans.

"My love for this city will never change," Cousins said at a going-away dinner in Sacramento on Monday.

"Even though I’m gone it’ll still be the same. I’m still looking out for these kids. Every family in this city matters to me."

"Every soul in this city matters to me. Everything’s the same. I’m just not in a Kings uniform anymore, which is OK because the love is still here."

Cousins played for the Sacramento Kings for 7 seasons before being traded to the Pelicans on Sunday.

Matt Barnes turned himself in to police Wednesday to face an assault charge stemming from a NYC nightclub brawl back in December ... law enforcement confirms.

Barnes was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly getting violent with a woman at Avenue nightclub in the early hours of Dec. 5th. The NY Post first reported Barnes' surrender.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Barnes claimed he was merely defending himself when all hell broke loose inside. The alleged victim claims Barnes choked her.

Barnes was at the club with his Sacramento Kings teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, that night. He was not charged with a crime.

TMZ Sports has obtained photos of the injuries Matt Barnes claims he sustained in the NYC nightclub brawl early Monday morning ... injuries he claims prove he was NOT the aggressor.

The photos were literally taken minutes after Barnes left Avenue Nightclub around 3:30 AM -- and show scratches and minor cuts to the front and back of his neck.

Barnes also took pics of his fists -- which don't appear to show any injuries. The idea is that if Barnes was swinging and connecting, he'd have swelling or bruising around his knuckles. He does not.

Barnes and his Sacramento Kings teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, are being sued by the other two people involved in the fight -- a man and a woman who claim the NBA stars went off in an unprovoked violent rage.

Barnes and Cousins claim the allegations are BS -- insisting they were attacked first and did what they had to do to protect themselves.

Sacramento Kings star Matt Barnes is wanted by NYPD for questioning after he allegedly choked a woman inside a nightclub early Monday morning -- and TMZ Sports got video of him right after the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops got a 911 call to Avenue Nightclub after midnight, reporting a man assaulting 2 women and another man. We're told things got physical when Barnes allegedly choked one woman during an argument -- and when 2 other people tried to intervene ... he punched both of them.

In the video, Matt and his teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, are talking about the fight. Cousins is clearly heard saying, "I hit hit the s*** out this ni***!"

Barnes fled the scene before cops showed up. The Kings were in town to play the Knicks on Sunday. They lost.

1:02 PM PT -- Ty's agent, Happy Walters, tells us Ty asked for and received permission from the team to miss the flight.

Sacramento Kings star Ty Lawson was partying his face off with teammates at a Vegas club Thursday night before missing a team flight on Friday morning ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lawson hit up Drai's nightclub along with Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein and boxer Adrien Broner ... and you can see in the video, they seemed to be having a great time.

Problem is ... Lawson missed the team flight to Kentucky for an exhibition game the next day and Kings' honchos are reportedly demanding an explanation.

For the record, Ben and Willie made the trip and had decent games.

The Kings had said Lawson missed the game due to "personal reasons" -- unclear if the clubbing counts.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Lawson also missed a team shootaround in Vegas earlier in the week.

Sacramento Kings star Ty Lawson says he's got something in common with Colin Powell and the DNC -- HE'S BEEN HACKED ... and Lawson claims the cyber thieves are now trying to extort him.

Sacramento Kings player Darren Collison just pled GUILTY in his domestic violence case -- but won't spend a minute behind bars ... if he plays his cards right.

As we previously reported, the 29-year-old point guard was arrested on May 30th after his wife said she had been assaulted at their home in Placer County. When cops arrived, they saw visible injuries on her.

Now, the 29-year-old point guard has pled guilty to 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence, according to CSN Bay Area.

As part of the plea deal, Collison was sentenced to 20 days in jail -- but will most likely NOT actually spend time behind bars.

Instead, he will be in an "alternative sentencing program" -- which requires him to complete a certain amount of community service (pending approval from the probation dept.). If he does NOT complete the required amount, the judge could order him to serve out the 20 days in jail.

Sacramento Kings point guard Darren Collison was arrested for domestic violence over the weekend in an incident involving his wife ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office says a woman called cops at 2 AM on May 30th to report that she was being assaulted inside the home.

When cops arrived, "deputies found that the woman had visible injuries and they arrested Darren Collison, 29, on a charge of domestic violence."

During the arrest, cops noticed Collison had 2 misdemeanor warrants stemming from an unrelated driving on a suspended license case. He was released from jail at 9 AM Monday.

The Kings have issued a statement saying they're aware of the situation -- and added, "The Sacramento Kings condemn violence of any kind. We are gathering additional information and once all facts are known we will take appropriate steps."

Sacramento Kings star Rajon Rondo swears he's no homophobe -- despite the fact he hurled gay slurs at a gay NBA ref -- saying the whole thing was out of frustration... not out of gay hatred.

Rondo was suspended earlier this week after he cussed out NBA referee Bill Kennedy on Dec. 3rd -- calling him a "motherf**king f**got" while storming off the court.

Kennedy has since come out as a gay man -- leading to a closer inspection into Rondo's verbal attack.

But Rondo insists he's not anti-gay -- saying, "My actions during the game were out of frustration and emotion, period!"

"They absolutely do not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. I did not mean to offend or disrespect anyone."

Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé has also weighed in -- saying, "Rajon's comment is not reflective of the culture of the Sacramento Kings organization or the world we want to live in."

Everyone wants to be LeBron James -- including Kings owner Vivek Ranadive -- so, he got Jamie Foxx to teach him how ... and the video is HILARIOUS!!

The two hooked up during the Clippers vs. Kings game earlier this week ... when Foxx busted out a PERFECT IMPRESSION ... complete with the King James facial expressions.

He even nailed the look LeBron gives when he backpedals after a bad play.

Mark Wahlberg might be adding another athlete to his entourage ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned that the A-lister is in talks with NBA star Caron Butler about bringing his life story to the big screen.

Butler has a brand new book out called "Tuff Juice" -- in which the Sacramento Kings forward details how he overcame a hard life as a drug dealing youth to make it to the NBA.

Wahlberg has been all over "Tuff Juice" ... writing testimonials and tweeting his support for the book since its release. Caron tells us it hasn't stopped there ... and that the two men have talked about a feature film adaptation.

"It's a possibility ... I've spent some time with Mark Wahlberg. He loved my story."

Mark would be the guy ... with sports themed projects like "The Fighter" and his HBO show "Ballers" already proving to be huge hits.

Caron says while he's not getting too ahead of himself about the possibility of a big screen makeover ... he does know which A-lister he'd like to play him.

"Michael B. Jordan. I loved what he did in "Fruitvale Station." I think he would do a great job at sharing my story."

It doesn't matter that Ben McLemore was the 7th overall pick in the NBA draft ... or the fact he's considered a legit future star ... he's still a rookie -- which means, he's gotta carry a "Hello Kitty" backpack around NYC.

We spotted the Sacramento Kings shooting guard on his way to the team bus -- but it wasn't the fact that he's 6'5" that drew our attention ... it was the bright pink bag on his shoulder.

The 21-year-old admitted, "It's a rookie thing right here" ... yeah, no kidding.

Could be worse -- at least he didn't have to shave his head like Friar Tuck, right Tim Tebow?