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Pet owners showed some serious love to Kobe Bryant in 2020 -- with Mamba-inspired pet names up BIG over the past year, new data shows.

The famous dog-walking site Rover.com has crunched the numbers for its annual list of the most popular pet names ... which shows fans are honoring the NBA legend by passing on his name (and nickname) to their beloved furry family members.

The name "Mamba" is up 111% from 2019 -- the biggest spike.

"Black Mamba" is up 58% and "Kobe" is up 16%.

The site says the name "Gianna" is also up 20% from 2019, which Rover suspects is also connected to fans paying tribute to Bryant's daughter, Gigi.

Other notable increases ... Rover says the name LeBron is up among dog owners. Michael Jordan is up big with cats.

Neymar is one of the top trending athlete-inspired dog names of 2020 -- with a 58% increase.

They also note Tom Brady is seeing a surge in pet name popularity ... probably from people in Tampa?!

Obviously, the rise in Kobe-inspired names comes from people looking to honor Bryant following his death back in January.

As we previously reported, BabyCenter is also seeing a surge in people naming their human children after Kobe and Gianna as well.

The name Kobe vaulted from #595 on the list in 2019 to #216 in 2020 -- "far and away the biggest riser on the list for boys in 2020."

As for Gianna, her name among newborns rose from #76 to #24 (seriously, #24).

Before this brown-eyed girl was a well-known actress and activist, she was just another cute kid posing with a mullet in Houston, Texas.

This toothy tot grew up overnight when she became the leading actress in a romantic comedy -- starring alongside her on-screen love interest, Mark Ruffalo. Throughout her long career, she has not only acted in comedies but critically acclaimed films as well ... such as the Oscar-nominated movie "Dallas Buyers Club."

Now a mother of 3 kids, she shares her parenting duties with a famous actor, director and superhero.

Lil Yase -- an up-and-coming Bay Area rapper -- was shot and killed this weekend in what amounts to a mysterious murder with no explanation thus far ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Yase tell us ... he was, indeed, shot early Saturday morning -- and his body was discovered somewhere in the southern section of the East Bay ... which is miles away from where he was last seen.

Our sources tell us Yase was hanging out with his crew late Friday night at a recording studio in Marin County -- slightly north of San Francisco -- and left on his own at one point around 11:30 or midnight, telling his buddies he'd be right back.

We're told no more than an hour and a half later, word came in that Yase had been shot dead somewhere in the East Bay -- which is damn near an hour away by freeway, depending on what part of town you head to down there.

We're told folks in Yase's inner circle are dumbfounded -- as he had no known enemies and had done nothing they can see leading to something like this. Our sources say Yase might've played tough in his music, but in reality ... all he was really about was rapping, promoting his label (Highway 420 Productions) and labelmates, and gaming. That's it ... he had no beef with anyone anywhere, we're told.

He had just posted a photo of himself on Friday, showing his Thanksgiving festivities ... with a caption that read, "If my n**** trippin den I’m trippin it’s up wit UNK😤😈 #HappyThanksGivin🦃" It's his last post on IG -- and has since gotten tons of tributes from fellow artists in the Bay Area and beyond in the comments.

Yase started releasing music as young as 18 years old, but truly burst onto the scene with his single "Get It In" in 2015 -- which he went on to create a remix of that garnered even more national attention the following year.

He released a string of hits that racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube over the years -- including songs like "No Diss," "Demon," "What You Mean," "Yeah Yeah," "Furl," "Bum B****," "Mad," "Workin" and many others.

Yase collaborated with artists such as Yalla, A.B. Milli, Cash Kidd, G-Val, That Boy Tyson, Stunna June, IamSu!, Shoreline Mafia and several other musicians, both local and otherwise.

We've reached out to Alameda County to confirm Yase's body is in their possession, and if any suspects have been apprehended -- so far ... no word back.

Lil Yase -- a Sunnydale native -- was only 26 years old. RIP

President-elect Joe Biden might be limping his way into the White House -- the guy twisted his ankle this weekend playing with his dog ... and is getting checked out just in case.

Biden was injured Saturday while playing with his German Shepherd, Major. He slipped and twisted his ankle in the process. Out of an abundance of caution, his team says he'll be examined by an orthopedist Sunday afternoon.

Reporters weren't allowed to view Biden going in or out of the doctor's office, per his team's request.

First of all, ouch. Second ... the news is both awesome and somewhat scary. It's great that Biden is active and able-bodied enough to play with his dog, and apparently feisty to the point that he could actually hurt himself ... even slightly.

It'll be cool having a Prez that gets out and there and ruffs it every now and then -- unlike Trump, whose only physical activity is golf ... which is pretty static.

On the other hand, Biden is an older guy ... he's 78. A sprained ankle isn't gonna make or break anything (we hope), but maybe take it easy out there, JB. We're gonna need ya intact for at least 4 years ... so tell Major (and Champ) to cool it.

Get well soon.

The summer day camp that Jennifer Lawrence's family runs on a farm in Kentucky was struck by a massive fire -- and her brother is asking for help to recoup what they lost ... which was quite a bit.

Camp Hi-Ho in Simpsonville was engulfed in flames late Friday night -- with their main barn on the property being reduced to rubble and ashes. The barn served as a sanctuary for a number of activities and attractions the Lawrences put on for kids each summer ... not to mention living and workspaces they themselves used.

TMZ has obtained an email that J. Law's brother -- owner and director of Camp Hi-Ho, Blaine Lawrence -- sent to parents of campers past ... and it details exactly what was destroyed in the fire, which was a lot more than just a mere barn.

He writes that the barn housed an office space he used, plus a separate apartment the Lawrences often utilized personally. Not only that, but it encompassed the stalls for their horses, the indoor riding area for kids, an indoor rock wall they had, a native wildlife display center, an arts and crafts pavilion, a garage loaded with farm equipment a new nurse station ... and more. All of that is gone.

Thankfully, Blaine says there's still a lot that wasn't taken in the fire -- including their outdoor sports court, their tree fort space, their pet barn, the lake area, the archery range, the animal pastures and outdoor horse-riding trails, a hen house and other campsites.

While Blaine is thankful to still have those parts of the camp intact -- on top of not losing a single animal or human life -- he notes that he and the family are still devastated. On that note, he vows to rebuild and open again for summer 2021.

Blaine also asks for community donations via a fundraiser or a 501(c)(3), and for families to sign up and come back to camp, noting he'll do whatever is in his power to make the place like new. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

George Clooney's been on the DIY-haircut hype long before the pandemic hit -- but he's resorted to what many consider a gimmick product to do it ... and he's been doing it for decades!!!

The actor made the revelation on CBS Sunday Morning -- he told Tracy Smith he's been using Flowbee for quite a while now. So all those dreamy Clooney 'dos you've seen of late ... all Flowbee.

If you're unfamiliar with what the hell that is ... it's a hair cutting device that's been getting hawked on infomercials since the late '80s. Flowbee is part hair clippers and part vacuum -- all you do is run it along your head, and presto!

It might look pretty damn goofy, but hey ... it works, according to George, anyway. And, the best part -- it's only 4 easy payments of $9.99 (prices subject to inflation).

In all seriousness, folks are shocked that George's great looks -- much of which can be attributed to his haircuts -- are the result of a device like Flowbee. You'd think the guy would be spending $200 to $300 per cut at some exclusive stylist in Italy, but no ... he does it himself and gets the job done in 2 minutes.

Funny enough, the Twitter account for George's new movie -- "The Midnight Sky" -- got in on the joke and dropped some Flowbee insight of their own ... writing they could neither confirm nor deny the use of Flowbee on the set.

Chadwick Boseman would have turned 44 this weekend, and to honor the late actor ... Disney worked a tribute into the opening of his landmark film with them.

Starting Sunday morning, "Black Panther" on Disney+ featured a new opening credits sequence which shows off the Marvel logo ... something done in all Marvel movies. Only now, when you watch 'BP,' you'll see Chadwick's face all over it.

Marvel posted the new opening credits for "Black Panther," and captioned it ... "Long live the King. #WakandaForever." There's photos and footage of Chadwick also embedded into the Marvel logo artwork, both from the film and in real life.

Disney honcho Bob Iger teased the new change in a tweet Saturday, saying that if you watched "Black Panther" late that night on their streaming service ... you'd see a surprise in honor of Chadwick's 44th birthday, whom they loved.

As we reported ... Chadwick died earlier this year from colon cancer -- an ailment he was battling privately and which really didn't come to light until he had passed.

The tributes have poured in from all over since then -- taking the form of creative art pieces, murals, tattoos, re-worked comic books, proposed statues ... and even action figure wakes that kids themselves put on to pay their respects.

Safe to say ... the remembrances will continue, as they should.

This is INSANE ... a YouTuber decided it was a good idea to scale a bridge and then jump from the very top ... and it did NOT go well.

Saa Fomba told his fans his goal was to chase his dreams and "leave a mark." Well, leave a mark is what he did, as he hit the water with thunderous force.

He climbed the Pennybacker Bridge ... high above the Colorado River. You see him, on the top of the bridge, throwing his fists up in the air as he waited for a boat with rescuers to show. Once it did, he made the leap and got fully submerged. A few seconds later, he reappears.

Apparently, the rescuers realized Fomba was hurt and called EMT's. Fomba says he suffered a fractured skull and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fomba's video caption reads, "You might see it as jumping for views, but I see more. I wasn't built for just normal, I’m a dream chaser, I don’t settle for less, I will leave my mark on this planet we call earth our home. chase yours and leave your mark."

The death of soccer legend Diego Maradona has now triggered a criminal investigation, and his personal doctor appears to be in the crosshairs of the probe.

Police searched the office and home of Dr. Leopoldo Luque ... Diego's doctor. The raid followed several witnesses reportedly telling authorities they had seen Diego and the doctor fighting and shoving.

As we reported, Diego suffered a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires. His death has been ruled a "culpable homicide." The raid involves allegations of negligence.

Police in Argentina have searched the house and private clinic of Luque, just 4 days after Maradona's death.

Diego had a blood clot on his brain earlier this month and underwent surgery. He was also being treated for alcohol abuse.

As for why cops are interested in the doctor ... he reportedly allowed Diego to leave the hospital 8 days after surgery -- it's unclear if that's the foundation of the negligence claim.

Maradona had successful surgery on a brain blood clot on November 11 and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. Dr. Luque wasn't at Diego's home when he died, but he called emergency services to get EMT's out to the house.  It's unclear when and where the shoving match between the doctor and Diego occurred.

Diego's family feels strongly this was a homicide and demanded the investigation.

Now, his family and lawyers are demanding a probe into his death.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi honored Diego Sunday ... after scoring a goal, he ripped his shirt off, exposing Diego's legendary jersey.

It's a mystery shrouded in a mystery ... the monolith has disappeared.

The shiny metal, which was adorned a remote area of Utah, is there no more ... according to Utah officials.

All they would say is that it was removed Friday evening, but they don't know who did it.

The monolith was planted on land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Here's what the officials said ... "We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the “monolith” has been removed from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands by an unknown party. The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property. We do not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff’s office. The structure has received international and national attention and we received reports that a person or group removed it on the evening of Nov. 27.”

It seems someone used a concrete-cutting tool to remove the monolith. Removing it must have been a bitch, because it was buried deep in the ground.

The Bureau of Land Management said it would NOT be investigating the circumstances surrounding its removal -- it's leaving it up to the local sheriff.

RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT.

54-year-old Mike Tyson and 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. just fought to a DRAW -- in one of the most impressive performances by two fighters in their 50s EVER.

The showcase of skill, power, athleticism and boxing smarts was just amazing. No knockdowns. No violent knockout. But, what an incredible performance from two legends.

The fight was technically an "exhibition" -- which means it wasn't sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission and won't count on their professional records ... but it was scored for fun by three judges from the WBC (World Boxing Council), who ultimately saw it as an even fight.

"I'm good with a draw, the crowd was happy with it," Mike said after the fight.

Roy noted Tyson still hits like a truck -- but added, "We gotta do this again!"

The takeaway is this -- both guys look like 50-year-old versions of themselves ... but we mean that in the best possible way.

Roy fought smart -- working distances, angles, setting traps ... no-look jabs!

And, Mike Tyson looks like a 54-year-old version of an athlete not from this Earth ... the speed, the body movement, the power -- he's like a hurricane in short black shorts.

No knockouts in this fight ... but man, was this an impressive performance from two legends.

And, to think Tyson hasn't fought in 15 years -- combined with all of the issues he's had since the last time he stepped in the ring -- it's just mind-blowing.

"Man, I'm proud of both of these brothers tonight," Snoop Dogg said during the 7th round.

By the way, Snoop was AWESOME as a fight announcer -- adding humor and excitement to the whole event.

After the fight, Mike and Roy showed nothing but love and respect to each other.

F1 driver Romain Grosjean is lucky to be alive -- SUPER LUCKY -- because his car exploded in flames and was literally ripped apart during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The race barely got started ... during the first lap of the race, his car made contact with another car and it sent him careening into the barrier. It looked like dynamite ... a massive explosion tore the car apart.

The 34-year-old driver was hurt, but miraculously not badly. He suffered minor burns and was taken to a local hospital, but he'll be ok.

The race stopped down for 45 minutes so the staff could clear the track of debris.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won 7 world championships, went on Instagram almost instantly and said in amazement, "I'm so grateful Romain is safe, wow."

Lewis then went on to remind folks of the danger ... "The risk we take is no joke for those of you out there that forget we put our life on the line for this sport and love what we do. This is a reminder to us all. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we've taken for roman to walk away from that safely."

Happy Romain's okay.

Check out the people who went from jerks to criminals Saturday night after being booted from a Miami restaurant for not wearing a mask.

The party of jerks tried to dine at Ms. Cheezious, a popular restaurant in the MiMo District.  They refused to wear a mask per the owner's instructions, so they were told to leave. The owner, Brian Mullins, says they were visibly upset as they left.

The group stood outside the restaurant ... with a dude lifting a woman with whom he did a 360 for some unknown reason.

The surveillance video shows the 2 men slinking off-camera, and messing with something.  All of a sudden you see water gushing in the air as the group flees.

The 2 men cut the waterline ... it forced the restaurant to close until the line was repaired.

So many things. First, what kind of jerks are these people? Second, it's tough enough for restaurants to survive these days, so to do something like this -- OVER MASK-WEARING -- is heinous.

Sean Connery died in his sleep from pneumonia, heart failure and old age ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ obtained Connery's death cert and it shows he died from respiratory failure as a result of pneumonia, old age and atrial fibrillation ... an irregular heart rate that can increase the risk of strokes, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

The doc shows he died on October 31 at 1:30 AM at his home in the Bahamas. His occupation is listed as a retired actor. As we reported ... Sean's wife, Micheline Roquebrune, said Sean died peacefully in his sleep. He was 90.

Sean, of course, became a huge star in 1962 after "Dr. No" was released. He went on to star in 7 Bond films between 1962 and 1983 -- "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again."

He also starred in "The Hunt for Red October," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "The Rock."

Jake Paul just DESTROYED Nate Robinson -- knocking the ex-NBA star out cold with a devastating right cross that sent Nate crashing to the mat.

Wow.

23-year-old Jake was in control the entire fight Saturday night -- knocking Nate down once in the 1st round -- and twice in the 2nd.

But, there was no getting up from knockdown #3 -- Paul hit him with a nuclear bomb right on the button.

36-year-old Nate eventually got up -- but the former NBA star needed some help off the canvas.

Paul only landed 8 punches in the fight ... but he made 'em all count.

Snoop Dogg was announcing the fight and cautioned other athletes looking to get in the boxing game -- "You don't play boxing."

After the fight, Paul praised Nate during a post-fight interview with Jim Gray ... "He was better than I expected ... I wanted to say thank you to Nate."

"It takes a lot of balls to step in the ring and I don't want to take anything away from that."

After the fight, Nate called out Conor McGregor -- telling Jim Gray he wants to stay in boxing for a long, long time.

Charizard was always the most coveted holographic Pokemon card -- so it's not hard to believe someone might drop half a mil for one of the rarest ones out there.

Goldin Auctions is hawking a 1999 1st edition Charizard card that's got all the nerdy fixings that trading card aficionados geek out on. Namely, this one's got a grade of Gold Label Pristine 10 by SGC, and it's Black Diamond Certified ... meaning it's in near-mint condition. So yeah, it's beyond valuable, people!!!

The opening bid for this thing started at $50k, and the current bid stands at $150k ... and there's still two weeks left for people to jump in.

As for why GA honchos think their Charizard card could go for at least $500k -- we're told they're basing it on a few factors. For one, another Charizard card with a 10 rating recently got bought and sold in a private transaction for a whopping $250k.

Not only that, but Charizard is getting a second lease on life as far as interest in the younger generation -- one Logan Paul recently bought a Charizard card that was also graded 10 for a cool $150k. Bottom line ... we're told the Goldin Auctions folks believe the demand is there, and they're banking on people dropping a pretty penny for theirs.

There's only 10 people with bids on this card for now -- but by the closing bell, Goldin is expecting way more ... and for the price to fall at a record number. If it hits $500,000, like they're hoping, it would be the first time someone's shelled out that much for a Charizard.