LaMelo Ball & Manager Plan To Buy His AUS Hoops Team ... Team Says Not Done Deal

UPDATE

4:32 PM PT -- HOLD UP, EVERYONE.

UPDATE

The Australian NBL just released a statement saying the deal is NOT official ... yet.

UPDATE

According to ESPN, the NBL confirmed there have been talks of Ball and Jackson buying the team, but the league says the team is still exploring all its options before giving the green light on the transaction.

UPDATE

So ... hang tight.

This might be the biggest baller move yet ... LaMelo Ball and his manager, ex-NBA player Jermaine Jackson, just teamed up to buy the Australian pro basketball team Ball suited up for this past season.

BIG BALLER!!!!

18-year-old Ball was a beast in 12 games for the Illawarra Hawks last year ... averaging 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7 assists a game before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Jackson -- who played 5 seasons in the NBA -- explained the move to ESPN, saying Ball loved his time in the Australian NBL so much that he decided to take charge.

The Hawks were reportedly facing financial issues while Ball was on the team ... and now the top NBA prospect is hoping to keep the shop open for his teammates and future players.

"Melo loves the Illawarra fans," Jackson said. "He loves that community. They opened their arms to him. They made us feel like we are at home. When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, 'Let's own the team.'"

Jackson insists the move won't affect Ball's bright NBA future ... saying the plan is to hire the right people to keep the team running.

"He wants to create the best basketball program possible for that community there."

No word on how much it cost to buy the team ... but it can't be cheap.

Originally published -- 10:25 AM PT

Tom Brady Moving Into Derek Jeter's Tampa Mansion

If it's good enough for Derek Jeter, it's good enough for Tom Brady!!

The newest Tampa Bay Bucs QB has picked his Tampa Bay-area home, according to the Tampa Bay Times -- and it's the 32,000-square-foot mansion Jeter built!!

TB12 has already begun to move into the sprawling waterfront estate in the exclusive and super private Davis Islands neighborhood.

The home is siiiiick -- 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, an entertainment room -- and a billiards room that wraps around a pool! There are also two boat lifts which allow access to Tampa Bay.

Jeter reportedly built the home in 2011 -- and it's the biggest mansion in a celeb-packed area. We're told Brady will have a bunch of famous and rich neighbors including a bunch of players from the Tampa Bay Lightening hockey team.

Also, there are reports Brady and Jeter had dinner on the Sunday before TB signed with the Bucs ... maybe that's where they made the deal for Tom to live in the home!!

'Tiger King' Star Doc Antle Joe Exotic Got Taken for a Ride ... Others Should Pay Too!!!

CAT FIGHT
TMZ.com

The 'Tiger King' leading man, Joe Exotic, was done dirty by vultures and snakes in his inner circle, and shouldn't be the only one suffering ... so says his role model, Doc Antle.

We talked to the owner and founder of Myrtle Beach Safari -- heavily featured in the documentary -- and he gave us his hot take on how everything played out for Joe ... his one-time friend and comrade in cats.

Doc tells us Joe was taken advantaged of and set up by Jeff Lowe and his cronies, who came into the picture once Joe was desperate amid ongoing lawsuits between himself and his nemesis, Carole Baskin. He says that was a bad idea, 'cause it ended up with the 'King' himself paying the price, while everyone else walked away clean.

Doc says, yes, Joe ultimately achieved what he wanted -- fame and glory -- but he can't even enjoy it while behind bars. He also says others were just as bad, or worse, than Joe and shouldn't be let off the hook just because they ratted out their buddy.

ONLY GOT EYES FOR ONE
TMZ.com

On a lighter note, we also asked about his, um, lifestyle ... ya know, the multiple wives thing and the commune, of sorts, he's set up for himself. Doc says he's been getting BLOWN UP by people wanting to join, men and women alike.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Unfortunately for them -- and all three of his wives, apparently -- Doc says his heart belongs to one woman and one woman only ... and she ain't even human. Sorry, folks ... the harem is closed.

Old news is old news!
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