TMZ.com Home

Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Julius "Dr. J" Erving are 3 of the greatest hoopers ever ... and now a super-rare basketball card produced 40 years ago is on the auction block ... and could rake in over $500k!!

The 1980-1981 Topps Scoring Leader card features the Celtics, 76ers, and Lakers stars in-game action ... and is currently on the block at SCP Auctions.

The card itself is incredibly valuable ... but it's the pristine condition that makes this particular version worth the price of a nice house.

The card graders at PSA scored the cardboard a perfect 10 -- mint condition -- making it 1 of only 24 copies known to exist, according to SCP.

The auction kicked off a few weeks ago ... with a starting bid price of $150,000. There have already been 7 bids placed ... with the high bid coming in at $354k!!

The auction doesn't end until Friday ... and you can bet the price will jump significantly before the clock runs out.

Too rich for your blood?? SCP also has a Michael Jordan game-worn Chicago Bulls jersey from his rookie season in 1984.

That's expected to sell for $150k ... which feels like a bargain.

Before this handsome little man in glasses was making audiences laugh with his crazy pranks and antics, he was just another cute kid posing for his school pictures in Boca Raton, Florida.

This smiling sweetheart has paved his way into film and television by being the creator, writer and star of his own content. He has recently taken his talents to the big screen, voicing a cackling character for the live-action 'Lion King' movie.

If you're feeling overheated this summer season, take a dip with this comedian's hilarious talk show on Adult Swim. It won't be a bad trip!

A POTUS, a Biebs and a Kardashian walk into a fight -- that's what's going down at UFC 264 in Vegas this weekend ... with a massive list of celebs set to watch Conor McGregor face-off against Dustin Poirier!!!

Our UFC sources confirm ... former President Donald Trump is among huge names slated to hit up T-Mobile Arena on Saturday for the fight ... including Justin Bieber, Megan Fox, and Machine Gun Kelly.

Impressive, right?!? There's more -- Travis Barker, Kourtney Kardashian, Odell Beckham, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Durant and others will tune in for Conor's first fight in Vegas since January 2020, as first reported by TSN.

Of course, Dana and Trump go way back -- in UFC's early days, Trump offered White his casinos to host fights ... and the UFC honcho went on to throw his support behind #45 during his 2016 presidential campaign.

On top of that, Trump and Conor have had nothing but positive words for each other in the past ... with McGregor calling him a "phenomenal president."

The celebs in attendance are in for a highly anticipated treat -- remember, Conor handled Dustin back in 2014 ... but Poirier got his revenge earlier this year.

Ringo Starr is celebrating 81 trips around the sun, and since we caught the legend on his born day ... we couldn't pass up the chance to find out which version of his legendary band he loves the most.

The iconic Beatles drummer was passing through Beverly Hills Park Wednesday, where he was getting all kinds of shout-outs and selfie requests to help ring(o) in his 81st birthday. Like the knighted gent he is ... Sir Ringo obliged each and every one along his path.

Anyway, check out the clip ... we were curious what era of The Beatles is best in his eyes and ears. We were within shouting distance of him, and figured why don't we just do it -- the run-in, that is -- in the road??? Alright, it was a sidewalk, but close enough.

Turns out, Mr. Starr is a fan of the days when they'd wrapped 'Sgt. Pepper's' ... but slightly before "Abbey Road," and all the rest that followed.

Take a wild guess -- there's really only one right answer here.

As for why he chose that particular era -- it has to do with chemistry and togetherness.

Apparently, that's around the time Ringo felt the 4 were at their most fab ... truly playing together as a band again. Great insight into Beatles history.

Oh, and we didn't forget to singo Ringo "Happy Birthday" -- and neither did the rest of the fans who were around.

U.S. track star Sha'Carri Richardson is breaking her silence on being left off the Olympic team ... saying she's come to terms with the decision and is looking to move past the situation.

The 21-year-old -- who was a gold medal favorite to win the 100m race at the Tokyo Games before testing positive for marijuana -- had her Olympic dreams officially squashed Tuesday when U.S. Track and Field organizers elected to keep her off the 4x100 relay team ... despite her 30-day suspension set to end prior to the event.

TMZ Sports spoke with Richardson on Wednesday about getting snubbed ... and she explained she's not upset or pissed about how things transpired.

"Honestly, that news didn’t bother me because me and my team were realistic, so we kind of figured that they would say that in the first place," Richardson told us at LAX.

Richardson garnered support from celebs from Gabrielle Union, Patrick Mahomes and Cardi B over the past few days ... with others demanding an exception to be made to allow her to compete.

All things considered, Sha'Carri tells us she's doing "fine" and maintaining a positive outlook on the ordeal.

"I understand the situation that’s going on. So, I’m accepting of it, and I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career."

Richardson -- the fastest woman in America -- previously said she smoked weed to cope with the loss of her biological mother, which caused incredible amounts of stress as she prepared for the U.S. trials last month.

The USATF released a statement applauding Richardson's accountability ... but said it would be "detrimental to the integrity" of the team if the organization included her on the relay.

Angelina Jolie is running to court so she can shed one of the last remnants of her marriage to Brad Pitt -- including the wine business they owned together, which she wants out of ASAP.

The actress just filed docs asking a judge to lift a restraining order on the transfer of their assets, which was put in place automatically when their divorce paperwork got underway. The asset she's particularly interested in unloading is Nouvel, LLC, their French winery company.

It's a standard thing courts do in cases like these, but now Angie's saying she needs the freeze removed immediately so she can sell her portion of the biz to a third party ... a deal that's apparently on the table, but needs the barrier removed to go through.

Her attorneys note they contacted Brad's legal team over this as well in hopes of resolving things without needing a formal hearing, but she says Brad's lawyer said he'd get back to her on it. Angelina says she was worried about losing the deal in the meantime so she went ahead and asked the judge to intervene.

Nouvel appears to be the LLC started to operate the chateau/vineyard in Provence that the former couple snapped up in 2011 ... for a reported $60 mil or so. Unclear how much the company is worth now ... but the booze biz has been booming.

Lynne Spears is wasting no time ... just a day after Britney's court-appointed lawyer resigned, she's asking the judge to allow her daughter to hire her own private lawyer to get the ball rolling in ending her conservatorship.

Lynne filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she says what may have been the case 13 years ago when the conservatorship was established is no longer the case. Lynne's lawyer says Britney is now able to care for herself and further notes she "had to perform in front of millions of people, has had to manage hundreds of performances, has had to use her artistic and creative talents to prepare for shows by choreographing each and every move for and interacting with many co-performers, and has had to rehearse and perform for many thousands of hours over the years."

Lynne's lawyer lists 10 demands Britney made during her June 23 hearing, but says first among them must be the appointment of counsel of her choosing because that impacts each and every one of her demands.

Lynne notes Britney said she was unaware she could even end the conservatorship ... something we're told is strongly disputed by others involved in it.

Lynne is asking either for the court's permission for Britney to choose her own lawyer, or for the court to appoint a lawyer acceptable to Britney.

It's interesting ... Britney went after Lynne when she testified last month.  Furthermore, this will be an uphill climb for Lynne, because the judge could easily say she doesn't have legal standing to file such documents.

Britney Spears has been pushing Jodi Montgomery, the conservator of her person, to help her hire a private lawyer to fight the conservatorship, but Montgomery says she's not equipped to handle this but has an idea on how it can be accomplished.

Montgomery's lawyer, Lauriann Wright, filed legal docs obtained by TMZ ... in which she says Britney has made it clear in private conversations with Montgomery ... she wants her own lawyer -- one that she chooses and not one who is court-appointed.

Jodi says 13 years ago, when the conservatorship was created, the court determined after a medical evaluation Britney was not mentally able to retain her own lawyer, which is why the court appointed Sam Ingham, who resigned Tuesday.

Montgomery says Britney wants to choose Ingham's replacement herself, without first getting a medical evaluation that she's competent to do it.

Jodi says she has an idea ... the court should appoint a guardian ad litem -- someone who squarely represents the interests of a person whose mental capacity is questioned -- to help find a replacement lawyer. The idea -- since the guardian would be there to represent Britney, there would be no need for a medical evaluation.

Lil Nas X triggered a wave of online criticism for kissing a male dancer during the BET Awards, but over at the FCC ... it was basically crickets. Sooo, sign of progress?

TMZ's obtained the complaints filed to the Federal Communications Commission and there were merely 3 of them made in after Lil Nas' much-talked about performance of "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" ... which he buttoned with the kiss.

One viewer from the Bronx wrote to the FCC around 1 AM ... "I was very disturbed to see 2 men practically having sexual in the stage when the awards show is supposed to be a family show. It’s ridiculous and children and adults are being forced to endure this. Unacceptable and I will be unsubscribing from BET network. DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING!!!!!!!!"

Another pissed off viewer wrote, "During a performance 2 gay men kissed. Why are you showing this on tv. It is disgusting and wrong for kids to see because it’s unnatural." #Ugh.

The third gripe cam from a guy in Philly, but it was mostly about satanism than the kiss.

That's it. Just the 3. For comparison, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's Grammy performance of "WAP," and J Lo and Shakira's Super Bowl Halftime show each inspired more than 1,000 FCC complaints.

As we reported ... Lil Nas delivered a stunning performance at the BET Awards ... not only with his hit track but also with a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time."

Of course, the rapper saw way more than 3 people sounding off on social media -- so many, in fact, that Lil Nas clapped back at the haters ... particularly one who called him out for using "AFRICAN CULTURE FOR S***S LIKE THIS!!!!!!!"

The incredibly low number of FCC complaints might have more to do with a lower number of viewers -- at least compared to the Grammys or a Super Bowl -- but one can hope part of it is also about tolerance.

Diplo's being sued by a woman who claims he coerced her into performing oral sex, and recorded it -- but the DJ's attorney tells us the whole thing is BS, and the woman's accusations are almost identical to those made by her alleged friend.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the alleged victim claims she was invited back to Diplo's after-party following one of his Vegas concerts at the Wynn in 2019 ... which she says she attended with friends, already intoxicated from drinking at the show.

Once there, she says Diplo gave her and everyone else more weed and alcohol ... which they accepted. She claims Diplo eventually invited her to his personal room, and his security team started kicking out everyone else ... including a male friend, the bodyguards allegedly punched in the face when he refused to leave without her.

The woman alleges Diplo told her she couldn't leave until she performed sex acts on him -- and after realizing there was no way out, she says she acquiesced and performed oral sex on him. The woman believes Diplo filmed the encounter without her consent. In fact, she says she wasn't fit to consent to any of it.

She goes on to claim she was in fear for her safety throughout the alleged ordeal, and she's suing Diplo for damages.

However, Diplo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, claims there's a connection between this woman and Shelly Auguste ... who sued the DJ in June for sexual battery and made claims he filmed the encounter against her will.

Freedman says, "This complaint is completely outrageous, wildly untrue and yet also entirely predictable, given that it simply repeats the exact same claim already made by the plaintiff’s friend Shelly Auguste, an individual who has been harassing Mr. Pentz and his family for more than a year and already has repeatedly violated the restraining order issued against her."

Britney Spears' personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, wants increased security measures for herself in the wake of Britney's testimony, because she says she's dealing with threats on her life.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jodi claims she's getting flooded with death threats over social media, text message, email and phone and she wants security guards to start protecting her around the clock.

In the docs, Jodi says the threats of violence picked up after Britney testified in court about the conservatorship ... and she wants Britney's estate to pick up the tab for a 24/7 security detail. That cost would have to be approved by the conservator of Britney's estate ... Brit's father, Jamie Spears, and the judge.

As you know, Britney says the conservatorship has all but ruined her life and her fans are making a renewed push to #FreeBritney ... and now Jodi claims some of those folks are coming after her.

In the docs, Jodi also claims Britney asked her stay on as the co-conservator of her person ... and to help the singer find a new attorney.

Donald Trump has filed class-action lawsuits against the 3 social media giants -- Facebook, Twitter and YouTube -- claiming the tech companies are censoring him and conservatives.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Trump claims the Silicon Valley companies "engaged in impermissible censorship." He accuses them of hiding behind Section 230 ... the internet law that protects tech companies from lawsuits over content moderation decisions.

The lawsuit claims Facebook, Twitter and YouTube rise are not just typical private companies but more akin to a state actor. As such, Trump claims they have to abide by the First Amendment right to free speech.

Trump claims they "indefinitely banned the sitting President of the United States for exercising his constitutional right of free speech."

At a news conference from his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, Trump said, "We are going to hold big tech very accountable."

As you know ... Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, who is a named defendant, banned Trump from the platform in the wake of the Capitol riot ... saying it was too great a risk to America for Trump to remain on the platform. The ban's been extended until early 2023.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey followed suit and banned Trump permanently. Google chief Sundar Pichai also deactivated Trump from YouTube, which is owned by Google.

Trump also claims the companies have mounted "an aggressive campaign of censorship against a multitude of [conservatives] through censorship (flagging, shadow banning, etc.) resulting from legislative coercion."

Then there's this ... Trump claims the social media ban came "at the behest of, with cooperation from, and the approval of, Democrat lawmakers."

Robert Downey Sr. -- whose credits included filmmaking, directing, writing, acting and fathering Robert Downey Jr. -- has died at the age of 85.

Sr. died in his sleep at home in NYC Wednesday after a battle with Parkinson's Disease, according to his wife, who spoke to the NY Daily News.

Downey Sr.'s career started back in the '60s with directing and writing smaller projects before moving on to big-budget films in the '70s with "Greaser's Palace." He also appeared in "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," and other films.

Sr. fathered two children with actress Elsie Ann Ford -- Allyson and Downey Jr. -- but the couple divorced in 1975. He went on to marry two more times ... Laura Ernst, who died in 1994, and 4 years later he married Rosemary Rogers, whom he remained with until his death.

Sr.'s most recent film, "Rittenhouse Square," wrapped in 2005 about the everyday happenings in a park in Philadelphia.

Robert Downey Jr. has not yet commented publicly on his dad's passing.

Robert Downey Sr. was 85.

RIP

The police officer who allegedly deleted a witness video -- while his body cam was rolling, no less -- is now facing a lawsuit over the incident.

The Philly cop -- ID'd in the suit as Officer Burnett -- just got slapped with a lawsuit by Jacob Giddings ... the guy who claims his footage was scrubbed back in March while Burnett was trying to take him into custody on an arrest warrant.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Giddings says he was pumping gas when Burnett ran his tags, identifying Giddings as someone who had a warrant out for his arrest. While Giddings was in his vehicle, he says Burnett approached him from outside ... asking him to step out of the vehicle without an explanation.

Things allegedly escalated from there. Giddings claims Burnett began trying to forcibly remove him from the car. BTW, Giddings says he had begun recording with his phone at this point ... feeling uneasy about the whole thing.

After a lot of tussling -- and the arrival of a 2nd officer -- Giddings says he surrendered, and was cuffed and put into the back of a squad car.

Giddings says Burnett then proceeded to search his car and found the phone that had been recording. Giddings makes a bombshell claim -- he says Burnett ran over his phone, with Giddings' own vehicle, in an attempt to destroy the evidence!

Giddings claims that after realizing the phone was STILL recording and not destroyed at all, Burnett then took it upon himself to delete the video -- only to play dumb when asked by Giddings if it was still on there. He's suing for assault, battery, excessive force and illegal search and seizure.

Of course, Giddings says Burnett's own body-cam was rolling during what Giddings says was the moment he tried getting rid of evidence ... and Giddings insists it's the smoking gun that proves his case.

A Nashville man is lucky to be alive after a firework was thrown inside his convertible, and then blew up in his face ... quite literally.

20-year-old Colin Kirby was heading home Sunday night in downtown Nashville ride with the top down on his BMW, when suddenly an Infiniti pulled up next to him at a stop light. Someone inside rolled down a window and chucked a lit explosive into the car.

It was all recorded too, BTW ... Kirby's buddy was tailing him from behind, and his dashcam captured the insane, and explosive, encounter.

The firework went off right near Kirby's head -- causing minor burns and a temporary loss of hearing, but nothing more serious beyond that. It also torched the inside of Kirby's whip ... and the aftermath photos look pretty bad.

"Girl you look good once you vax that thang up, you handsome young brother once you vax that thang up" ... yes that's Juvenile remixing his famous song for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The New Orleans rapper just dropped a vaccine remix to his 1999 classic, "Back That Thang Up" ... teaming up with Mannie Fresh and Mia X to give folks yet another reason to get their shots.

Juvenile's even got a music video for "Vax That Thang Up" as part of a collab with the dating app BLK, pushing vaccines as the safest way to have sex in the pandemic.

"Dating in real life, you need to vax that thang up, feeling freaky all night you need to vax that thang up" ... well said, Juvenile.

The music vid's fun, the message is great and the remix flows perfectly ... so bravo to all involved.

For his part, Juvenile says he wanted to do something positive for his community and to show how much he cares about protecting not only himself but also his family.