9/2/2010 12:45 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
The Los Angeles Lakers are now part of the fabric of the Mel Gibson/Oksana Grigorieva saga, by delivering a huge solid for Oksana's son.
Several FOOs -- Friends of Oksana -- were bummed after hearing Oksana complain she couldn't afford to buy Alexander a nice gift for his 13th birthday. Oksana has been saying she's deep in debt because of her custody war with Mel.
We're told the FOOs contacted a couple of execs they knew at the Lakers organization and called in a favor ... and the Lakers responded.
Days later an enormous gift basket arrived at Oksana's doorstep -- filled with all sorts of Lakers swag for Alexander, including basketballs, jerseys, t-shirts, towels, a picture of the team, a pennant and lots of other stuff.
We're told Oksana is "grateful." We're guessing the kid is pretty happy, too.
Filed under: Oksana Grigorieva, Mel Gibson, TMZ Sports
9/1/2010 10:50 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
We took your questions on everything today -- including the hostage situation at the Discovery Channel headquarters, Tiger Woods' $54 million mortgage, and Michael Lohan moving to L.A. to be near Lindsay.
Plus: Heidi makes Spencer pull out on sex tape deal.
Filed under: Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Tiger Woods, TMZ Live, TMZ Sports, The Hills, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Lohan, Celebrity Justice, James Jay Lee, Heidi & Spencer
9/1/2010 12:45 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
With the real estate market still in the crapper ... Tiger Woods recently took out a $54.5 million mortgage for the mega-mansion he's building on Florida's exclusive Jupiter Island.
TMZ has obtained legal documents filed in Martin County on August 27 -- four days after Tiger finalized his divorce from Elin Nordegren -- in which he lists himself as a "single man" ... possibly for the first time since his marriage ended.
Tiger also agrees to pay back the gargantuan loan by January 15, 2016. So, it seems there's one group of people counting on Tiger to make a comeback -- his lenders.
According to the docs, Tiger's property spans across three parcels of land ... and as we've previously reported, the estate will include a tennis court, oxygen therapy room, multiple pools and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Filed under: Tiger Woods, Elin Nordegren, Celebrity Justice, TMZ Sports
8/31/2010 1:30 PM PDT by TMZ Staff
Former NFL star Plaxico Burress won't be returning to the football field any time soon -- TMZ has learned the famous wide receiver's latest attempt to participate in a work release program was just shot down by authorities in Albany.
Burress -- who was locked up for illegal gun possession after accidentally shooting himself at a NY nightclub -- had requested a "temporary release" so he could play football again.
But officials denied his request stating, "The serious and negative impact illegal guns have on the community coupled with dangerous nature of the weapon discharging in a public place renders him unsuitable for work release participation."
According to the NY Dept of Correctional Services, the work release program "allows certain inmates to leave a work release correctional facility for a period of several days at a time for community preparation."
Filed under: Plaxico Burress, TMZ Sports, Celebrity Justice
8/31/2010 12:00 PM PDT by TMZ Staff
MMA badass Roger Huerta was in the house for TMZ Live -- and talked to Harvey about beating the crap out of a guy who allegedly hit a woman outside a bar in Austin, Texas.
Plus: An update on Samantha Ronson's dog attack situation.
Filed under: Roger Huerta, Samantha Ronson, TMZ Live, Celebrity Justice, TMZ Sports
8/31/2010 10:36 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
LeBron James wants a court to be as dismissive as he is over a lawsuit filed by a man who claims to be his father.
TMZ broke the story ... Leicester Bryce Stovell filed a $4 million lawsuit against LeBron and Gloria James, the NBA star's mom, claiming fraud and defamation.
Now attorneys for LeBron and Gloria have asked a judge to dismiss the suit, labeling it "rank speculation." According to the new legal docs obtained by TMZ, LeBron's lawyers scoffed at "... a man who claims that as a twenty-nine year old lawyer he got a 15-year old girl pregnant during a one-night stand and who never contributed a penny in child support would earn millions in commercial endorsements by crawling out of the wood-work after the child he never gave a thought to became an NBA star."
The new docs also note the results of a DNA test which show "0% probability of paternity."
Filed under: LeBron James, TMZ Sports, Celebrity Justice
8/31/2010 12:05 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
The Chicago White Sox aren't finished doing business with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- TMZ has learned the MLB squad didn't just want Manny Ramirez ... they also want his wigs!!!
Of course, when Manny first arrived to L.A., the dreadlock "Manny Wigs" sold like crazy -- but now that he's left town, the Dodgers are stuck with the remaining stock ... and the Sox see a golden opportunity.
A rep for the White Sox confirms to TMZ, "Marketing representatives have reached out to the Dodgers to see about also acquiring Manny Ramirez wigs since the Dodgers have the stock and likely won’t have any other need for the items for the rest of this season."
Other things the Dodgers won't need for the rest of the season -- hope.
Filed under: Manny Ramirez, TMZ Sports
8/31/2010 12:02 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned the New Orleans Saints are determined to get Los Angeles Lakers star Derek Fisher into their locker room for opening day ... because they believe Fish holds the key to back-to-back championships.
Sources close to the deal tell TMZ that Derek "has been asked by the Saints to address the team before their home opener in N.O. on September 9."
We're told the team especially wants Derek to talk about what it takes to lock down consecutive championships "as he did with the Lakers."
Fisher personally received calls from coaches and "other team staff" -- and we're told the courting worked ... because Fisher agreed and will be in the Superdome to pump up the reigning Super Bowl champs before they take the field.
Filed under: Derek Fisher, TMZ Sports
8/30/2010 12:00 PM PDT by TMZ Staff
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is outraged that a trading card company has traded on his image after he specifically shut them down ... and now Kareem is gunning for more than a million.
In a lawsuit filed today in L.A. County Superior Court and obtained by TMZ ... Kareem claims The Upper Deck Company plastered 6 Kareem pics from his days as a UCLA Bruin on its "Greats of the Game" series.
Kareem ... who is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points ... claims Upper Deck had the audacity to market the cards after he turned them down flat.
The lawsuit, filed by legal pit bull Marty Singer, notes that when Kareem left the NBA, he blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player awards, played in more All-Star Games and logged more seasons than any other player. Shockingly, Singer makes no mention of Kareem's epic performance in the greatest movie of all time -- "Airplane!"
The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages.
Filed under: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Marty Singer, Celebrity Justice, TMZ Sports
8/30/2010 10:13 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
We took your questions today on everything -- including Paris Hilton facing a felony drug charge, Jesse James and Kat Von D spotted out holding hands, and the pills found at the scene of wrestler Luna's death.
Plus: Guitar god Slash files for divorce from wife Perla ... and it's gonna get ugly!
Filed under: Paris Hilton, Slash, TMZ Live, Celebrity Justice, Luna, Jesse James, Kat Von D, TMZ Sports
