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Derek Chauvin -- the former Minneapolis officer who pressed his knee on George Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes during his fatal arrest on May 25, 2020 -- has been found guilty of 2nd-degree murder.

The jury delivered the verdict after more than 10 hours of deliberation. The maximum penalty for 2nd-degree unintentional murder is 40 years in prison. Sentencing will be handed down in 8 weeks. Chauvin's bail was revoked and he was remanded into custody.

The jury also found Chauvin guilty of 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter, but the 2nd degree takes precedence since it was the highest charge.

The Floyd family attorney, Ben Crump, tweeted just minutes after the verdict was read, "GUILTY! Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family. This verdict is a turning point in history and sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!"

Crump continues, "We thank AG Keith Ellison & his team, along with our legal team, for fierce dedication to justice. But it does not end here. We still have work to do! We must pass George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to hold police accountable & prevent unjustified killings of marginalized POC."

The decision came after the jury heard from 38 prosecution witnesses, including the Minneapolis Police Chief and use-of-force experts who criticized Chauvin ... and medical experts who explained Floyd died from more than 9 minutes of pressure from Chauvin's knee.

The defense called 7 witnesses, but Chauvin did not take the stand himself as he invoked his 5th Amendment right.

Chauvin was the first of the officers involved in Floyd's arrest to stand trial for the incident. He was charged with killing Floyd less than a week after video of him pressing his knee into Floyd's neck spread like wildfire online, and sparked nationwide protests and riots.

Chauvin's main defense in the case was that Floyd allegedly died from drugs and a heart condition and not from the ex-cop's actions. Chauvin's lawyers claimed Floyd "put drugs in his mouth" to conceal them when confronted by cops, and the drugs exacerbated his heart condition and caused his death.

But, prosecutors insisted drug use was a bogus defense, and Floyd was killed by Chauvin's unforgiving knee ... which he held to Floyd's neck as he struggled to breathe for more than 9 minutes.

Several witnesses supported the prosecution's theory, including Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who took the stand to testify Chauvin's actions "absolutely" violated police policy.

Chauvin, however, defended his actions at the time by telling a witness he and the other cops had to stay on top of Floyd to control him because he's a "sizable guy" and because he was "probably on something."

During the trial, a couple paramedics testified Floyd's heart had already stopped by the time they arrived on scene. The ER doctor who pronounced Floyd dead at the hospital testified he believed oxygen deficiency was "one of the more likely" causes of his death.

Floyd's family already got a measure of justice when the City of Minneapolis settled a wrongful death lawsuit, agreeing to pay the family $27 million.

Michael Richards allegedly pulled off a caper some people might call Kramer-ish -- cutting down a neighbor's 30-year-old trees ... but they're not laughing, in fact, they're suing the "Seinfeld" star and his wife.

Maxine Adams is suing Michael and his wife, Beth Skipp, claiming they sauntered over to her Pacific Palisades property on April 2 and "maliciously cut mature Brazilian Pepper Trees and underbrush" on her property.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Adams says her property is right next door to the Richards' -- they share a border which is only separated by a narrow public walkway.

Adams says Michael and Beth had no business chopping down her two 18-foot trees just to improve their ocean views. Adams says the trees were 30 years old and providing significant privacy and shade.

Adams claims the couple cut down the trees knowing full well they didn't have Adams's consent in order to "significantly enhance the value of their home as it would increase their view to the Pacific Ocean."

And, get this ... Adams claims she can't crane in new large box trees and instead will have to plant much smaller ones that'll take 20 years to reach the height of her old ones -- and will cost her more than $62k. She's suing for that amount, plus at least another $200k for the loss of aesthetic value to property.

George Floyd's family is feeling joy, relief and gratitude in the wake of Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder, but they also understand the impact of this moment is greater than them ... and say it's a reminder to keep fighting for justice.

George's brother, Philonise Floyd was in the courtroom Tuesday when the ex-cop was found guilty of 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter ... and says he had faith a guilty verdict would come through.

Philonise says he feels relieved today, but reminded everyone this has been a long journey that didn't start with the video of his brother's murder, but way back with the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till.

He adds that this sort of injustice continues with the killing of Daunte Wright as a recent example -- and it's a reminder to keep fighting -- but says at least for today, "We can breathe again."

George's other brothers, Terrence and Rodney, also spoke ... with Terrence calling the verdict a "monumental" moment in history. Terrence and Rodney both called it a victory for humanity and thanked all of the protesters and advocates who fought and marched for justice.

As you know ... George was killed on May 25, 2020, when Minneapolis police officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill -- and Chauvin pressed his knee on George's neck for more than 9 minutes, and George pled for his mother.

Chauvin was arrested and charged with killing George less than a week later ... and the video of the fatal incident sparked nationwide protests and riots.

Chauvin's sentencing will happen in 8 weeks, with the maximum penalty for 2nd-degree unintentional murder being 40 years in prison. Chauvin's bail has already been revoked and he's been remanded into custody.

The teenager whose video was seen 'round the world of George Floyd being murdered by Derek Chauvin has spoken on the guilty verdict that just came down ... and she's elated.

17-year-old Darnella Frazier just reacted to the news Chauvin was found guilty on all 3 counts, and now faces a max sentence of 40 years. She says, "I just cried so hard😩This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!!"

Darnella shared her emotions on Facebook ... the same platform where she first posted the infamous 9 minute-plus video, which was the critical piece of evidence in Chauvin's trial.

She added, "THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU😭🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽George Floyd we did it!!🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️justice has been served✊🏽"

Darnella elaborated even further on IG, saying ... "My heart goes out to George Floyd’s family!❤️🙏🏽Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price. We did it❤️❤️✊🏽#justicewasserved."

It's no exaggeration to say Chauvin's conviction is due in large part to the fact Darnella captured every painful minute his knee was on George Floyd's neck ... nearly 10 minutes.

Her video was played almost daily during Chauvin's trial and, in the end, clearly helped the jury reach its unanimous decision in under 11 hours.

It's been a long road for Darnella -- you might recall, she was going through a hard time in the immediate aftermath of the video going viral -- with some people questioning her motives and even asking why she didn't do more. She and her fam told us she might need therapy.

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."