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Magic Johnson believes justice has been served in the Derek Chauvin case -- thanking God after the former police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"Thank God ... guilty! Justice has been served," Johnson tweeted.

Chauvin was found guilty of 2nd-degree unintentional murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter stemming from the May 2020 incident in Minnesota.

Moments after the verdict was read and Chauvin was taken into custody, athletes from all over the world spoke out on social media.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also issued a joint statement with the executive director of the NBPA Michele Roberts.

"George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served."

"But we also recognize that there is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing."

LeBron James had a one-word reaction to the verdict ... tweeting, "ACCOUNTABILITY."

Renee Montgomery -- former WNBA player turned co-owner of the Atlanta Dream said, "Let’s make this the new normal. Accountability is served."

Mike Tyson -- "Guilty. Justice served."

Matt Barnes -- "Condolences to the Floyd Family. This is just the first step of starting to change a broken system."

Reggie Miller -- "Thank you JURY!!! ACCOUNTABILITY"

Matt Forte -- "I don’t celebrate the demise of another persons life no matter what they’ve done but I do celebrate JUSTICE, TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS because for so long that has been void of the criminal justice system in America for black and brown people."

Josh Hart -- "Put his ass under the jail."

Torrey Smith -- "I can’t believe what I just saw. They finally got one case right. GUILTY!!! Prayers up for the Floyd family."

Ex-NBA star Isiah Thomas -- "Crying hard tears right now, maybe things are changing in America?"

Karl-Anthony Towns -- "Justice and Accountability! Things I never thought I would see. There’s much more work to do, but this is an amazing start working toward the reform this country NEEDS!"

The Minnesota Timberwolves also issued a statement saying the team is "hopeful that today's decision will serve as a step forward, but it does not ease the physical and emotional pain that continues in an environment where systemic racism exists."

"To our BIPOC community, the Timberwolves and Lynx remain committed to influencing change, promoting impactful action, and using our platform to help heal and unite in pursuit of liberty and justice FOR ALL."

President Biden saying he's "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in Derek Chauvin's murder trial is a breath of fresh air for Rev. Al Sharpton, who believes the Prez didn't do anything wrong by weighing in ... and showing he's human.

The Rev. joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday shortly before it was announced the Chauvin jury had reached a verdict in his trial for murdering George Floyd. Obviously, collective anxiety is high in the country -- which is why Biden's comments Tuesday morning were surprising to some. But Sharpton notes ... the President has a connection to Floyd's family, which the Rev. says makes his remarks appropriate.

Not only that, but Al says Joe should be allowed as President to show some empathy about a case that has greatly impacted the Black community and the nation as a whole. He says he welcomes empathy over contempt, which he accuses former President Trump of consistently demonstrating.

Sharpton also points out ... Biden waited to comment on the Chauvin trial until the jury was sequestered, so his comments couldn't have an influence on the outcome of the trial.

Finally, he takes issue with Chauvin trial Judge Cahill going off on Rep. Maxine Waters in court Monday. Rev. Al told us he thinks the judge was out of line and totally misconstrued Waters' remarks about protesting if the jury returns a not guilty verdict.

Eric Nelson is defending Derek Chauvin in trial -- but another attorney with the same name as Chauvin's lawyer is getting mistaken for him... and it's causing a whole lot of grief, and potential danger.

Eric C. Nelson -- a Minneapolis-based family law attorney -- tells TMZ ... people think he's the Eric Nelson defending Chauvin against murder charges right now. It's easy to see how this happens -- same names, same profession and practicing in the same area.

Still, Nelson tells us he wants to set the record straight ... because the deluge of hate and harassment he's getting a result of the mistaken identity is becoming overwhelming, both personally and professionally.

We're told Nelson has been getting BLOWN-UP lately -- both online and over the phone. He says about 95% of calls coming in these days are from randos who think he's the other Nelson, and just wanna talk about the case. Nelson says he's also getting nonstop hate mail.

Be it via email or phone, Nelson tells us he's getting a mix of unsolicited advice from would-be experts ... plus, a ton of hateful voicemails too.

Speaking of those ... TMZ has obtained samples of the messages being left on Nelson's phone, and they're ominous to say the least. People have called him a "piece of s***" and levied veiled threats against his practice ... suggesting he's running a crooked business.

Nelson says he reported that latter message to cops, because he found it a bit too dubious and threatening -- but nothing ever came of it. Adding insult to injury -- Nelson tells us his ratings online have taken a gut punch because of the false assumption he's THAT Eric Nelson.

He says his Google stars went from 5 to 1 in a heartbeat -- but, fortunately, Google saw it was a big misunderstanding and fixed the issue themselves.

As for what Nelson's doing to deal ... he's been sending out automated replies to make it clear he's NOT the Eric Nelson everyone's coming for. His website even blares that warning. Oh, and Nelson's also considering tweaking his biz name to feature his middle name, Carlyle.

Kendall Jenner can hopefully breathe a little easier ... 'cause a man she alleged threatened to kill her has just been ordered to stay the hell away for at least 5 years.

The man, Malik Bowker, was ordered by the judge at a Tuesday hearing to stay at least 100 yards away from Kendall. That includes staying away from her, her home, work, vehicle. He's also prohibited from attempting to obtain her address going forward.

Bowker can also have ZERO contact with her physically ... and no electronic contact as well. That means no snail mail, e-mail, text messages, etc. Zilch. The order's in effect for 5 years. Bowker did not appear at the hearing and Kendall appeared via phone, represented by her attorney.

As we first reported ... Kendall beelined it to court after alleging Bowker traveled across the country to gun her down. She had claimed an LAPD detective told her about the alleged plan. What's more ... Kendall claimed cops told her Bowker's plans included buying an illegal firearm to shoot her ... and then himself.

There's a huge crowd of COVID-19 vaccinated New Yorkers lining up for free weed on the unofficial marijuana holiday ... and if this doesn't convince people to get the shot, these stoners don't know what will!!!

We got cannabis rights activist Todd Hinden at the "Joints For Jabs" event Tuesday in NYC's Union Square Park, where they're expecting over 2,000 folks to show up for the free ganja giveaway.

Todd says organizers twisted up about 4,000 joints -- he says he rolled a half pound of grass himself -- and as you can see, the line for free bud is stretching around the block!

It's all legal too, thanks to New York's recent recreational marijuana legislation, but if ya wanna spark it up ... ya gotta show proof of vaccination for the hook-up.

A little over 42 percent of New Yorkers have gotten at least one jab, and Todd tell us why the event might help push the vaccination rate even higher.

Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced huge hits for Meat Loaf, Air Supply, Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Steinman died Monday in Connecticut, according to the state's medical examiner. The cause of death is unclear. We do know it appears it was sudden ... there was a medical emergency call to his home around 3:30 AM Sunday to transport a male patient.

Jim's perhaps best known for his songwriting work on Meat Loaf’s "Bat Out of Hell" -- one of the best selling albums of all time -- and "Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell" ... writing and producing the smash hit, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."

Steinman's got his fingerprints all over Bonnie Tyler's albums, writing and producing her biggest hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Jim also wrote and composed Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and Barry Manilow's "Read 'Em and Weep," which was originally written for Meat Loaf.

He's also the brainchild behind another power ballad, "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," first recorded by Pandora's Box and then made famous with Celine Dion's cover.

Jim also worked with Def Leppard, Barbra Streisand, Billy Squier and The Sisters of Mercy. You wanna talk about accomplishments ... for 3 straight weeks in 1983, Jim was responsible for the #1 and #2 songs on Billboard -- 'Total Eclipse' was in the top spot, and 'Making Love' was second.

Steinman was 73.

A mountain biker nearly became a black bear's lunch in Montana ... with the wild animal ferociously chasing the cyclist down a hill -- and the insane scene was caught on video!!

The tense moments all went down in Whitefish about a year ago (though the video was just released by Montana Knife Company this week) ... when a bike rider got the surprise of a lifetime as he barreled down a steep mountain path.

You can see in the footage ... as the guy pedaled his ride -- the black bear was in hot pursuit, trying to nab the dude on his way down the mountain!!

At some points during the chase ... it got a little too close for comfort, 'cause the black bear tried to cut corners to get to the guy quicker!!

A spokesperson for Montana Knife Company tells us, "This is why even bikers and hikers should be carrying out knives!"

Fortunately, MKC tells us the bike rider was able to out pedal the beast and make it down the hill safely -- "Didn't get the guy!"

Danny Masterson claims Leah Remini's well-known anti-Scientology campaign is a driving force behind the accusations in his rape case, and now he's asking for more time to prepare a defense.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "That '70s Show" star claims Remini -- who famously left the Church of Scientology -- has been influencing the prosecution and LAPD detectives to work against him ever since he called her out for "religious bigotry" in 2016.

Masterson claims Remini began urging 3 women -- all Jane Does -- to make reports to the LAPD accusing him of sexual assault. He says Jane Doe 1 had made baseless allegations against him 12 years prior, but Jane Does 2 and 3 -- women he claims to have been romantically involved with years ago -- didn't come out with their allegations until after his spat with Remini.

According to the docs ... Masterson says Remini guided the Jane Does as they spoke with prosecutors and even engaged in "correcting" their statements by piping in during the interviews.

He also accuses the prosecution of being "starstruck" by Remini due to her high-profile crusade against Scientology and her TV career, and claims she's chummy with LAPD detectives ... even using them as her personal security.

All in all ... Masterson's alleging there is an anti-Scientology bias against him in the investigation, so he's asking the court for more time to combat it, gather more info, and prepare his defense.

Kourtney Kardashian is the queen of risqué this week -- first she was sucking on Travis Barker's thumb for the 'Gram ... now she's openly asking the public about rough sex.

KK posted a very racy pic -- a photo of a stock image that captures the lower half of a woman, unbuttoned and fairly exposed near the groin area. A belly button and white panties are exposed, which have "Oui" embroidered right on the front ... and in red, no less.

On top of that, there was a question she posed to her followers -- "ROUGH SEX: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT?" So yeah, it seems like she's answering her own question a bit here. But also, she's continuing this recent streak of not leaving much to the imagination.

We're not clutching our pearls here -- just noticing a trend carrying over from the weekend. You'll recall, Kourtney's BF, Travis Barker, posted a video of her sucking on his thumb ... which looked like something else at first glance. Either way, it's been PDA times 10 lately.

Speaking of being cuddly in public ... Kourtney and Travis were doing a lot of that as well over the past few days -- this after Kourtney turned 42 and celebrated her birthday. They were spotted out at some beaches in the OC ... and on both occasions, getting cozy.

They weren't shy about it either ... with Travis grabbing himself a handful while laying out on the sand, and later posting a pic with Kourtney laying on top of him -- derrière in full view.

Hardcore "Cobra Kai" fans listen up ... if ya wanna live in Daniel LaRusso's mansion now's the time to act 'cause the crib just hit the market.

First thing's first ... the 6-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom home is NOT in Encino, CA. It's actually in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, GA. That, of course, means tons of sprawling land for the lucky buyer who can plunk down $2.65 million.

The 9,214-square-foot home sits on a 1.1-acre lot. The so-called Villa Flora mansion features a Tuscan design ... inspired by the owners' trip to Italy.

True "Cobra Kai" fans know about the house brawls that were filmed at the crib for the Netflix series ... but for those who want a bit more history check this out -- according to the listing, the house has hosted some distinguished guests ... including 2 former U.S. Presidents and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.

Britney Spears is getting behind the Black Lives Matter movement -- seemingly the first time she's publicly spoken out on the issue, but some social media followers think she's crossed a line.

The singer posted an image Monday of a Black man wearing a mask and holding a sign that reads, "White people have generational wealth. Black people have generational trauma #WeAreNotTheSame! #BLM."

Brit captioned the post too, with ... "Just sayin'," and the #BLM and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags.

Let's face it ... Britney doesn't typically weigh in on anything political, social or controversial ... besides her conservatorship, of course.

She usually keeps her IG posts pretty light ... and while the change had most of her fans applauding her apparent stance -- others ripped her for what they saw as "profiling," and pointed out many white people don't have generational wealth. One Brit follower reportedly begged, "Please don't go down this rabbit hole."

And, as you might expect, some of the "Free Britney" faithful took her BLM post as a sign she and her social media are being controlled.

Of course, Britney's BLM support comes as the Derek Chauvin jury is deliberating to decide if he murdered George Floyd -- the tragedy that fueled BLM marches and protests around the world.

After nearly 2 decades ... Kobe Bryant and Nike are breaking up.

Technically, Kobe's estate -- lead by Vanessa Bryant -- has decided not to renew the previous 5-year "post-retirement endorsement extension" Mamba signed in 2016 ... but in layman's terms, Team Kobe is leaving the Swoosh.

"Kobe's Nike contract expired on 4/13/21," Vanessa told ESPN ... "Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe. It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband's product than any other signature shoe."

Kobe originally signed with Nike back in 2003 -- and later inked his "post-retirement" deal following his final NBA game on April 13, 2016.

So, why would Vanessa pull Kobe from Nike? It boils down to two main reasons, according to ESPN -- 1, long-term money and 2, Vanessa wasn't happy with Kobe shoe availability, particularly when it came to kids.

Regarding the money ... ESPN says Vanessa was unhappy with the financial aspects of the new deal Nike was offering.

She was hoping for a deal that was more akin to the lucrative "lifetime" deals that Michael Jordan and LeBron James have signed with the company.

As for availability ... Vanessa felt the Nike strategy of limiting the number of Kobe shoes to increase demand and collectability was hurting the ability of the common fan to cop a Kobe sneaker.

In other words, she wanted the shoes to be more widely available -- especially when it came to kids' sizes, according to ESPN, and ultimately she and Nike just weren't on the same page about the distribution strategy.

Vanessa told ESPN, "My hope will always be to allow Kobe's fans to get and wear his products ... I will continue to fight for that. Kobe's products sell out in seconds. That says everything."

"I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband's legacy. We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi's legacies. That will never change."

So, what happens now?

Nike will likely stop making Kobe products (unless they come to terms on another deal with the estate) ... and Vanessa will likely look for a new partnership with a different shoe company.

Nike issued a statement on the situation ... saying. "Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike's deep connection to consumers. He pushed us and made everyone around him better."

Matthew McConaughey only has one path to victory over Greg Abbott if he's serious about running for governor of Texas, and that's to hitch his wagon to the Democratic Party right away ... so says the Chair of the Texas Democrats.

Gilberto Hinojosa tells TMZ ... he truly believes the "Dallas Buyers Club" star and Oscar winner can beat Gov. Abbott in the next election, because along with polling well, he says Texans are eager for new leadership.

Hinojosa says Matthew can't go it alone though -- meaning he believes the actor won't win running as an Independent -- and says he's got no shot at winning the 2022 Republican primary because the Texas GOP is run by "right-wing extremists."

Gilberto tells us McConaughey is way too moderate for that crowd, but he could be the perfect fit for the Dems if he joins them soon ... and his political views line up.

For instance, Hinojosa tells us Matthew's stance on gun reform is strong and will help him gain support of Texans who are sickened by ongoing mass shootings ... 2 more of which occurred in the State this past week.

However, where McConaughey stands on fundamental issues for Dems like climate change, healthcare, education and abortion are less clear ... so Hinojosa's encouraging the actor to publicize those views and explain WHY he wants to be governor.

Then, if the Texas Democrats like what they hear, Gilberto says the party would do everything it can for him to make his campaign as simple and successful as possible.

Matthew needs to make up his mind relatively quickly though -- it's a huge state and will take a lot of time and effort to win ... and the deadline to throw his hat in the race for any party is December.

As we've reported ... the popular actor's openly mused about the possibility of running, saying "it would be up to the people." Then, some of those people -- 45 percent of a little more than 1,000 registered Texan voters -- said they'd vote for him if he runs for Gov.

AnnaLynne McCord is not ashamed to admit she struggles with mental health problems -- specifically revealing her diagnosis for dissociative identity disorder.

The former "Nip/Tuck" and "90210" star announced she has what used to be commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder during a sit-down interview with Amen Clinics founder Dr. Daniel Amen.

AnnaLynne says she agreed to have her session recorded in an effort to remove the stigma around mental health problems. She says her doctor once told her the disorder was very serious -- and added, "You'll see me just show up with a black wig and a new personality. I was this tough little baddy, and then I'd be the bohemian flower child."

AnnaLynne also told Dr. Amen it was during her run on "90210" when she realized her acting gigs were compounding the issue. What's more, she said during her 2012 project for the horror film "Excision" things got scary because she said she couldn't get out of character.

She said, "I played a very cerebral, disturbed, strange little girl that was very close to who I feel I am on the inside. It was very exposing, very confronting, probably a bit re-traumatizing without realizing it."

And then there's this ... "The crazy thing about it was that I wrapped that film at 2 AM on a Tuesday and had to be happy, crazy, Beverly Hills blonde bombshell on Wednesday at noon. I couldn't find her, she was not accessible. I was dark, I was very deep into this character Pauline and I couldn't get out."

Elon Musk claims the fatal Tesla crash this weekend in Texas was not the result of Autopilot failure ... but 2 federal agencies are not convinced.

The Tesla founder was responding to a Twitter comment disputing the working theory ... the 2 men who died in the crash were not behind the wheel ... likely because they were using the car's Autopilot feature.

The Twitter user pointed out Autopilot has safety features in place requiring someone to be in the driver's seat, and Musk responded by saying this person's research is better than reporters.

Elon went on to deny Autopilot was involved at all in the wreck, tweeting ... "Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD." FSD stands for Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature.

Musk goes on to say "standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on" and claims the street where the crash occurred in Spring, TX doesn't have them.

As we first told you ... the authorities have issued subpoenas to get data on the crash vehicle, and are working with Tesla experts on the investigation. Along with that, 2 federal agencies -- the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board -- are on the case.

According to authorities ... the 2 men who were killed in the Saturday night accident were talking to their wives about taking the Tesla for a drive and testing the driver-assistance technology just minutes before they took off and crashed.

Based on the initial investigation ... cops say one man was in the passenger seat and one was in the rear seat, but nobody was driving.  If neither was in the driver's seat, how did the car gain speed and crash if Autopilot wasn't engaged? After all, why else would one guy be in the back seat and the other in the passenger seat, other than to drive on Autopilot?

Britney Spears told fans directly that she's fine and more than happy -- but they still don't believe her, suspecting she's being forced to say so.

Fans have been buzzing since Britney's video late last week in which she said herself she IS okay, and she's just taking some time off professionally as she enjoys herself.

You'd think that'd be enough for the #FB crowd -- but as it turns out, it wasn't ... 'cause folks were leaving tons of comments speculating she was reading a script or the video was edited in a way to mask some more insidious stuff happening behind the scenes.

Unfortunately for the conspiracy crowd ... that is NOT the case -- in fact, sources close to Britney say the exact opposite is true. Namely, the way the video is edited is actually all Britney's doing, and she edited the clip herself. There is NO longer version in existence.

And no ... our sources say Britney is not reading from a script. As for why she's "swaying" as many people noted -- we're told she's just shy and a little fidgety. That's it ... nothing else to it.

If you're wondering why Britney chose this time to address the "are you okay?" question -- we're told it's because Britney does, indeed, read comments left on her posts ... and noticed a lot of folks asking. So, she figured she'd assure everyone she's fine ... despite the concern.