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Kenny Smith admits the NBA went straight for the Clippers' neck, but he doesn't think the punishment was excessive ... when you consider Steve Ballmer's team skirted the rules in a major way!

TMZ Sports spotted the hooper-turned-analyst at LAX on Friday, and asked him whether The Association went too hard.

"You're gonna have to suffer consequences for that kind of behavior," Smith told us.

"You're vehemently cheating. You're not just toeing the line. You're actually cheating and you're cheating at a high level. You're circumventing the salary cap. You're giving yourself an unfair advantage that no one else has, and you have to have severe penalties for that or other people will say, 'Well we can do it.'"

Lindsay Clancy gets a mistrial, and America might be more divided than the jury. Plus, Tiger Woods scores a sweet plea deal, Kanye and Big Sean hug it out, and fake 49er Daejon Love is giving LOLs. So, we gotta ask ...

From "Save the Last Dance" to the "Dancing With The Stars" ballroom, Julia Stiles is back on the dance floor, but before she steps out with Ezra Sosa, see if you can find the sneaky switches and throw 'em in the bag! She sure dressed to impress 😜

Jim Thornton's Facebook account has gone dark hours after he was fired from "Wheel of Fortune" ... and TMZ has learned the former announcer has also been scrubbed from the game show's social media channels.

Thornton's Facebook page was no longer publicly accessible Friday evening. It was active earlier in the day and featured behind-the-scenes photos and videos of Jim on the popular game show set.

The page also included photos of Jim making school appearances, along with more personal shots of his wife and son.

Aaron Rodgers is looking forward to retirement ... and says he hopes to start a family with his wife.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback opened up about his future during an interview with SiriusXM's "Mad Dog Sports Radio," saying he's hoping to be "supporting my pregnant wife" by this time next year.

Rodgers said he and his wife, publicly known as Brittani, plan to start a family after he steps away from football following the 2026 season.

"I'm looking forward to a life of quiet after 22 years in the pros and three in college," he said ... adding he's also focused on healing his body and building a family.

Alan Jackson -- the big-time defense attorney who represented Karen Read in Massachusetts during both her criminal trials -- says he sees similarities between her case and Lindsay Clancy's .... especially in the controversial way both were handed a mistrial.

Jackson joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday shortly after a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice upheld the mistrial ruling ... and he says the justice system in Massachusetts going after Lindsay again and failing to get a conviction would be a serious black eye.

He says he felt it was a "travesty" when Karen's case ended in a mistrial the first time ... adding he didn't understand when the judge didn't poll individual jurors to see if they'd come to some type of verdict.

Phaedra Parks and CT Tamburello have been dating ... and now she's confirming their romance.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star revealed the news during an appearance on Jeff Lewis' radio show Friday ... telling listeners she and "The Challenge" veteran are romantically involved.

Phaedra confirmed she and CT have been out together, but kept quiet about how many dates they've been on or when the relationship began.

Phaedra and CT first bonded while filming Season 2 of "The Traitors" in 2023 ... and fans quickly picked up on their chemistry when the season aired in 2024.

A man is dead after suffering a medical emergency at the Burning Man festival in Nevada.

Organizers say the man, who was in his mid-50s, became sick Thursday at the Black Rock Desert event. He was treated with lifesaving measures before being transported to the festival's emergency care center, where he was pronounced dead.

The death comes as heavy rain forced officials to close the festival's main entrance and exit gate. Organizers urged people planning to attend to delay their travel ... while those already at the event were told to avoid driving.

Aaron Donald feared his ex Jaelynn Blakey’s dog may harm their kids and rushed to court weeks before the NFL season starts, TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Aaron, who shares two minor kids with Jaelynn, requested primary custody until the dog was removed from Jaelynn’s home. The California Post was the first to report the news. 

Aaron said their kids were in immediate danger each time they were at her home and came close to the French bulldog. 

Rachel Tussey's doctor has been countersued by the JourneyLite surgery center, which argues there's no way she overdosed because she didn't respond when Narcan was administered.

JourneyLite filed the counterclaim this week ... claiming it is still investigating the influencer's death -- and therefore has refrained from public comment on the case.

In contrast, JourneyLite says Dr. Shahryar Tork has engaged in "reckless and even intentionally misleading" rhetoric about the case in the months since Rachel passed ... specifically citing an April press conference in which he blasted JourneyLite.

An Illinois mother is accused of murdering her 2-year-old son hours after texting friends about the Lindsay Clancy trial.

38-year-old Corie Walsh was initially hospitalized but then moved to a jail.

Corie was arrested after cops came to her home on Tuesday. Officers arrived to find a 17-year-old neighbor giving the young child CPR. Law enforcement rushed the toddler to the hospital, where officials said he died.

Shia LaBeouf may be able to rest a little easier ... the woman who had a weird confrontation with him in a parking lot just pleaded guilty to stalking and has been ordered not to come near the actor as part of her sentence ... but she did avoid jail ... TMZ has learned.

Court docs, obtained by TMZ, show Alyssa Couture, who was arrested on July 13 in Louisiana after following Shia to a bank parking lot, pleaded guilty to stalking at the recent hearing.

The judge ordered Alyssa to serve one year in jail but suspended the sentence in favor of giving her a year of probation. Alyssa will also have to enroll in and complete a mental health program and stay far away from Shia.

Lauren Boebert's son Tyler Boebert has been sentenced to 20 days in jail with work release after pleading guilty to child abuse and neglect.

The Colorado judge handed down the sentence Friday in connection with an incident last year, when Tyler's young son was reportedly found wandering outside his mom's home.

Lauren addressed the judge on behalf of her son, asking for leniency. "Mercy is not softness," the U.S. Congresswoman said. "Mercy is the difference between correcting a father and orphaning a son during his most important hours."

Jessica Simpson is singing Dolly Parton's praises ... saying the country music legend was truly the queen of all music.

Our cameraman caught up with Jessica at LAX Friday and asked who should take over as the queen of country music following Dolly's death.

Jessica made it clear she doesn’t think anyone can simply step into Dolly’s shoes ... saying Dolly was the queen of all music and calling her crown “impossible Louboutins to fill.”

Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband is speaking out after her case ended in a mistrial ... saying the deaths of their three children are something he'll never recover from.

Patrick Clancy issued a statement through his attorney expressing gratitude to the judge and jurors for their work throughout the trial. "Patrick Clancy is grateful to the Court and to the jurors for their hard work, their commitment, and their perseverance," the attorney said.

He added ... "The loss of Patrick's children is something from which he will never recover and from which there will never be closure."

Kyrsten Sinema will face off with her boyfriend Matthew Ammel’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel, after a judge ruled the lawsuit against the former U.S. Senator will move forward, TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a North Carolina judge denied Kyrsten’s attempt to dismiss the case, accusing her of breaking up Matthew and Heather’s marriage. 

Kyrsten did not deny she hooked up with Matthew, but said nothing happened in North Carolina. She argued the lawsuit should be tossed as a result.