Guess Who This Tee-Ball Tot Turned Into!

Before this tiny tot was known for being a professional basketball player, he was just another cute kid up next at bat on his little league team.

This famous sporty stayed focused on his basketball career and went from a college athlete to an NBA player in 2009, when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers. He was named rookie of the year following his start in the NBA.

Even though the name of this tiny tot's tee-ball team is a mystery ... we do know that he's been on some big-named NBA teams including the Detroit Pistons and also the Brooklyn Nets!

Can you guess who he is?

Mike Tyson Impressed With Logan Paul ... Fight Badou Jack Next!!!

TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE

Mike Tyson says he was shockingly impressed with Logan Paul's performance against Floyd Mayweather on Sunday ... and thinks he's actually ready to take on a pro fighter in a sanctioned bout!!

In fact, Mike has a fighter in mind -- 37-year-old Swedish pro boxer Badou Jack, a former 2 division champ with victories over guys like Marcus Browne, Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal, and most recently, Dervin Colina.

Jack is a legit contender who is still pursuing titles ... and Mike thinks he'd be a good test for LP ... if he's serious about continuing his boxing career.

"I'm trying to get Logan Paul to fight Badou Jack," the champ said on IG Live with former boxer Zab Judah on Monday.

"I wanna see what he says about that."

Jack "The Ripper" is a beast -- he's 6'2" with a 30-3-3 record (14 wins by knockout) ... and previously held the WBC super-middleweight title.

So he's WAY more experienced than the YouTuber-turned-fighter ... but Tyson says that's the type of fighter Paul needs to be into ... and Judah agrees.

"Yeah, that's a real fight now. He fights Badou Jack, Logan Paul is gonna be in a big fight," Judah says.

"That's a whole different fight. You fight that guy, Badou is gonna give you a fight. Badou coming to fight! That's all Badou do is fight!"

So ... is Logan gonna listen to Iron Mike and take the challenge?? Fingers crossed!!

Ellie Kemper Denounces White Supremacy ... In Wake of Involvement in Controversial Pageant

Ellie Kemper's finally addressing photos of her in a debutante pageant run by an organization rooted in racism ... saying she should've done more homework on the group.

The actress -- known for "The Office," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Bridesmaids" -- is apologizing one week after the pics resurfaced showing her being crowned in 1999 as the new Queen of Love and Beauty at the Veiled Prophet Ball in St. Louis.

At the time, Ellie was a 19-year-old freshman at Princeton, and said, "The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist, and elitist past. I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved."

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When the pics of Kemper resurfaced, activists pointed out the pageant had been organized by heads of major banks and corporations who refused to hire Black men.

Ellie added, "I unequivocally deplore, denounce, and reject white supremacy. At the same time, I acknowledge that because of my race and my privilege, I am the beneficiary of a system that has dispensed unequal justice and unequal rewards."

The pageant was established in the late 1800s by a former Confederate officer in St. Louis, which is Ellie's hometown.

Part of the tradition includes the winner being crowned by a so-called "Veiled Prophet" in an outfit that largely resembles the KKK's white robes ... though that connection has since been refuted after historians reportedly noted the pageant's outfit goes back to the 1870s while KKK members didn't start wearing white robes and hoods until the early 1900s.

For what it's worth, the org behind the pageant finally started accepting Black members in 1979.

Kid Rock Hurls Homophobic Slur Onstage

6/5/21
CAMERA SHY
TMZ.com

Kid Rock dropped a homophobic slur like it was nothing while rocking the mic at a bar in Tennessee, and ranting about people recording him with their phones.

Seems the singer wasn't feeling the fact audience members had whipped out their iPhone cameras Saturday night when he took the stage at FishLipz Bar & Grill in Smithville, TN. He looked directly into one phone and barked, "F**k your iPhone, yeah!"

Kid then hurled the slur as he screamed, "You f**king f*****s with your iPhones out!!!" He also mocked fans recording him by pointing directly at his crotch, and telling them to post his junk.

We're told security at the joint was going around telling people to put down their phones ... but Kid Rock decided to take matters into his own hands.

Apparently, he hasn't been paying attention to concert crowds for the last 10 years or so -- 'cause it ain't like smartphones just came out. Of course, Kid's got a habit of blurting out whatever he's feeling while onstage.

NOVEMBER 2019
ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN'
TMZ.com

You'll recall he torched Oprah, Joy Behar and others during a 2019 booze-fueled rant at one of his shows. This latest verbal attack didn't seem nearly as drunken, but it's every bit as foul.

Nelk Boys Donate $100K for Reward in Road Rage Killing ... Police Arrest 2 Suspects

UPDATE

3:54 PM PT -- We've obtained the mug shots for Eriz and Lee ... cops say they followed the two out of a restaurant before making the arrest.

UPDATE

YouTube stars Kyle Forgeard and Steve Deleonardis added 6 figures to the reward in a fatal freeway shooting case in California ... and soon after, cops arrested 2 suspects.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the Nelk Boys recently donated over $100,000 to boost the reward for info on what police are calling a road rage killing -- one that left a young boy dead.

6-year-old Aiden Leos was shot and killed May 21 on the 55 Freeway in Orange, CA while on his way to kindergarten with his mother ... and we're told the Nelk Boys felt heartbroken for the single mom and wanted to help find her son's killer.

Our sources say the Nelk Boys, who live in Orange County, hit up the District Attorney expressing a desire to raise the reward for information on the case ... donating $100,000 along with their partner John Shahidi on May 30 as the reward swelled last week to at least $500k.

By Sunday, the California Highway Patrol said they had arrested 2 suspects, 24-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz and 23-year-old Wynne Lee, near where the shooting happened. The CHP says the pair are expected to be charged with murder.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the reward is for the arrest and conviction of the young boy's killer, so it will be a while before any reward or part of the reward is paid out.

We're told law enforcement is still investigating.

Originally Published -- 12:18 PM PT

Safaree to Erica Mena Keep the House, But ... Don't Take the Kids Away From Me!!!

Safaree's down to let Erica Mena have exclusive use of the home they share but he does NOT want her to have primary custody of their children.

The "Love & Hip Hop" star just threw down the gauntlet in his response to Erica's custody request in their divorce. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Safaree says he wants joint legal custody, meaning he wants a say in parenting decisions for their infant daughter, Safire, and their second baby due next month.

What's more ... Safaree says he wants consistent and uninterrupted parenting and visitation with his kids. He says this is in the best interest of the kids.

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As far as Erica's request to have exclusive use to the home they currently share ... Safaree seems open to it if he can be removed from any liability involving the property through a refinancing of the mortgage ... and assuming he gets his cut of any equity in the property.

Safaree also wants to maintain exclusive possession of their individual vehicles, and be allowed to maintain all personal property acquired during the marriage individually. As far as alimony goes ... he wants the court to deny her any, and he wants the court to determine any child support obligations for them.

As we reported ... Erica filed for divorce in May, just a few months shy of their 2-year anniversary. She wanted primary custody of the kids, but Safaree's not giving that up without a fight.

Trevor Noah Back together with minka kelly ... That Didn't Last Long!!!

Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly are back on, it seems ... and they're not trying to hide it either after what appears to be a very short break-up.

The 'Daily Show' host was out and about with his on-again, off-again actress girlfriend all over NYC this past weekend ... taking public strolls, grabbing grub and even going out for a spin on their bikes.

On that middle activity ... we got this evidence -- a pic of them on a double date at Tribeca sushi joint Sushi Azabu. Hard to make out it's Minka, but eyewitnesses at the restaurant said it was her. Plus, we know they were out for a very public walk together in NYC the day before.

Like we mentioned ... Trevor and Minka's reported split was quite brief. Word was that they'd broken things off just a few short weeks ago ... and that each party was going their separate ways, this after less than a year of dating in the middle of the pandemic.

Seems they've got some unfinished business. As for whether this is just them keeping things friendly, or a full reuniting -- their reps aren't saying.

However, spending back-to-back days together sure feels more like rekindling than a copacetic hang. Just sayin' ...

Robert Kraft Drop-Top Bentley for 80th Bday ... From Jay-Z, Meek & Rubin

KRAFTY GIFT

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft just turned 80, but now he can cruise around in a drop-top like he's a billionaire half his age.

Meek Mill shared a video Monday of Bob's birthday surprise, in which Sixers partner Michael Rubin walked Kraft out of his house -- decked out in Pats gear -- to present him with his brand new blue Bentley ... something he apparently really desired.

Kraft seemed elated and mystified, asking, "How the fudge did you get it?" ... to which Rubin replied, "We have resources."

Rubin let Kraft know a handful of other rich dudes went in on his new whip -- including Meek and Jay-Z -- and it rode on a flatbed from Florida to arrive in pristine shape.

As you may know ... Robert, Meek, Jay and Michael are tight, having founded REFORM Alliance -- a criminal justice reform org -- together back in early 2019 along with a handful of other activists.

Donald Trump I Don't Like Bitcoin, Think It's a 'Scam' ... Let The Dollar Be King!!!

Donald Trump thinks Bitcoin is modern-day fool's gold -- calling it bad for the dollar, which is seriously making him sound like a boomer stuck in the 20th century.

The ex-Prez went on "FOX Business" early Monday morning to talk stocks, the market, the economy ... and for relevance sake, crypto too -- which always comes back to Bitcoin, the proverbial king of them all.

It's not regal to Trump, though ... just a royal pain in the ass.

DONALD DISSES CRYPTO
Fox Business

He told host Stuart Varney he considers Bitcoin a good old-fashioned scam ... noting that when he was eyeballing it himself, it was as low as $6,000 a pop. It's a helluva lot higher than that now, sitting around $36k for one Bitcoin -- and recently got as high as $61k.

Don's not the only one doubting Bitcoin -- and, more importantly, its reliability -- but his rationale is quite strange. Watch ... he chalks his hesitancy up to America First, or the dollar first, rather.

DT says Bitcoin is just another currency competing against the dollar, and that he wants traditional greenbacks to be king in the world of commerce. So, in other words, he's looking at Bitcoin like a foreign enemy -- quite on brand.

The rich thing here is that Bitcoin's charge against the dollar is classic capitalism ... something Trump himself advocates for, not just as a businessman, but as a Republican.

As for whether Trump's words had any bearing on Bitcoin's price -- it's hard to tell. The value did drop drastically Monday morning (right around when Trump said this) but it's been slumping lately, so it's difficult to measure if it was bounced by the Trump effect.

Jeff Bezos I'm Going to Space!!! ... Bringing My Bro

Ground control to Major Jeff ... you sure you really want to do this, sir???

Jeff Bezos says he's heading to space as part of the first crewed flight on a rocket ship made by his aerospace company, Blue Origin. The Amazon CEO will be joined on the crew by his younger brother, Mark, who he calls his best friend.

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Bezos says he's dreamed of traveling to space ever since he was 5 years old, and he's going to turn that dream into reality on July 20 in a rocket ship called New Shepard.

The plan is for Jeff and Mark to join the auction winner for a seat on the 6-seat capsule and go on an 11-minute journey in the 59-foot rocket that will reach more than 60 miles above Earth.

As of now, the highest bid for a spot on New Shepard is approaching $3 million.

Bezos -- the world's richest person with a net worth of $187 billion -- will be the first among the billionaires with a space company to actually take a ride aboard the technology he's spent a fortune developing.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is doing some incredible things, but so far he's not announced any plans to travel to space himself. Richard Branson has said he will board Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered plane ... but that's not scheduled until later this year.

So, Jeff's going first, and it must be said -- this is an incredibly dangerous adventure and for someone with so much to lose, it'll be interesting to see how he prepares for it ... physically, mentally and, of course, financial planning.

The date of his flight, July 20, is significant ... that will be the 52nd anniversary of the first lunar landing. Yes, this is a big giant leap for Bezos.

Floyd Mayweather Dominates Logan Paul But No Knockout ... 'I Had Fun'

Logan Paul came out swingin' ... but in the end, Floyd Mayweather is just too good.

There was no "official" winner in Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather -- but we didn't need judges to see the domination after it went the distance, a full 8 rounds.

26-year-old Logan came out strong Sunday night -- and even landed a handful of serious power shots.

But, 44-year-old Floyd ate everything Logan had -- and began to really open up in round 3 in front of a fired-up crowd at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

From then on ... it was pure Mayweather domination.

Logan looked like he started to gas in round 3 ... Mayweather looked fast, strong and confident all the way to the end.

Hell, Mayweather probably could've fought another 10 rounds if he wanted to.

The fight was an exhibition -- so there is no "official" winner ... but everyone knows Floyd gets the "W."

Floyd praised Logan after the fight -- "He was better than I thought he was."

Mayweather says Paul would have his work cut out for him against real heavyweights -- but called Logan a "good guy" and admitted, "I had fun."

Logan was equally respectful -- saying, "Floyd Mayweather, it was an honor ... this is one of the greatest moments of my life."

"This is the coolest thing ever, I'm happy I made it out ... he's tough to hit.

He then teased a rematch -- "Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul 2?"

Props to Logan though ... he did pretty well for a guy with an 0-1 pro boxing record.

Mayweather's ring entrance included TWO rap performances. First up, Migos ... followed by Moneybagg Yo.

His ring entrance outfit looked like it was made of GATOR SKIN.

Logan walked out with a super-rare (and expensive) Pokemon card hanging around his neck.

The crowd was packed with stars -- from Fat Joe to Paul Pierce, Ryan Garcia, Antonio Brown, Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Evander Holyfield, Matt Barnes and more.

Before the fight, Floyd told TMZ Sports he expected to make between $50 and $100 MILLION for the fight ... and had already spent some of the money on brand new cars for his close friends and family members.

So, what's next for Floyd? He told us he'll "probably" fight Jake Paul next.

Liam Payne, Maya Henry End 10-Month Engagement ... He Blames Himself

Liam Payne is back on the market after calling off his engagement, and he's got no one to blame but himself ... in his own words.

The former One Direction singer made the revelation on Steven Bartlett's "The Diary of a CEO" podcast ... saying he's ended his 10-month engagement to model, Maya Henry.

Liam dropped the ol' "it's me, not you" in explaining what went wrong. He says he's just not that good at relationships and added ... "I feel like more than anything at this point, I'm more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people."

The singer also revealed he's 1-month sober from booze and said he's going to work on himself before putting himself on to somebody else. BTW, we haven't heard Maya's side of the breakup yet ... she hasn't publicly addressed it.

Liam and the 21-year-old Texas beauty announced their engagement back in August 2020 after 2 years of dating, and he popped the question with a ring reportedly worth more than $4 million.

Prior to Maya, Liam had broken up with Cheryl Cole, with whom he has a 4-year-old son, Bear.

Scott Disick Posts Thong Pic of GF Amelia Hamlin ... 'Little Higher, Almost There'

Scott Disick is digging the angles he's got on his girlfriend, Amelia Hamlin, and apparently wanted to share his view with the rest of the world.

The reality star shared an up close and personal photo of his boo from behind ... showing her in skimpy lingerie, which included a pink bra and thong. She's reaching up onto a shelf -- and Scott is playing cameraman from the back, where he snapped a shot of her ass.

He captioned his pic, "A little higher, almost there."

Don't worry ... she knew what was going on here. It's not like Scott did this sneakily and posted without filling her in -- and the reason we know that is because Amelia threw up similar photos of herself in the same two-piece set ... only this time, from the front.

Looks like it might've been an ad of some sort she was doing for a lingerie retailer ... ya know, seeing how she tagged them and everything.

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The couple's been dating for a little less than a year now. Scott -- who's 38, nearly 20 years older than 19-year-old Amelia -- hasn't shied away from showing off his new squeeze ... be it at home or in public, now.

DaBaby Entourage Shooting Alleged Victim's Bloody Aftermath ... Bullet Lodged In Leg!!!

The Miami shooting allegedly involving DaBaby's entourage left a grisly scene ... and one of the victims says he still has a bullet lodged in his leg.

Check out these photos of the injuries Emerson Delgado says he suffered when shots rang out late Monday night in Miami Beach.

As you can see, Delgado's right leg is a bloody mess, and the guy's missing a huge chunk of flesh now. He's been treated and released from a hospital, but he says he'll be wearing a walking boot-styled cast for some time.

According to the police report, cops say Delgado was shot once in his right calf ... but his lawyer, Josiah Graham, tells us there was a second bullet that grazed Delgado’s right hamstring.

Graham, who's with Kelley Uustal law firm, claims the melee began when a member of DaBaby's entourage punched Delgado, knocking him to the ground. He says Delgado started to run away, when someone behind him opened fire and struck him in the leg.

As we reported ... a rapper named Wisdom, who police say is a part of DaBaby's entourage, was arrested for attempted murder and aggravated assault with a firearm. Cops say Wisdom fired at least one shot that hit someone in the leg.

Graham says doctors decided to leave the bullet inside Delgado's leg to avoid any potential future damage. While he's out of the hospital, he remains on bed rest. It's easy to see why.

T.I. Drops $3.27 Mil on ATL Mansion

T.I. and Tiny are expanding their real estate portfolio by snapping up a massive home in the ATL -- a move they actually made before they faced multiple sexual assault accusations.

According to our sources ... T.I. purchased the 7-bed, 10-bath, 14,000-square-foot Atlanta home at the end of 2020, and it's an absolute palace.

The mansion, which sits on a private gated estate on the Chattahoochee River, features a massive pool, a spa and an outdoor fireplace ... so, it's built for entertaining.

The expansive interior is built for luxury too, with a massage room, sauna, gym and home theater -- plus there's a wine cellar (nothing but vintage, baby) and a guest house.

According to property records ... the home was sold for $3,265,000. The listing was held by Bonneau Ansley III, agent and owner of Ansley Real Estate.

As you know ... not long after T.I. and Tiny's home purchase, they came under scrutiny as several women across the country accused the couple of sexual abuse.

Since then, one criminal probe has been dropped -- in Las Vegas -- but they remain under investigation by the LAPD for an alleged sexual assault. The rapper is adamant the claims are untrue.

Roy Jones Jr. Jake Paul Can Definitely Beat Tyron Woodley

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
TMZSports.com

Roy Jones Jr. -- one of the greatest fighters ever -- says he believes Jake Paul has a REAL shot to beat Tyron Woodley.

... but only if he fights like Mike Tyson.

Here's the deal ... Jake famously KO'd Nate Robinson on the undercard of Roy's big comeback fight with "Iron" Mike back in 2020 -- so, he knows the kid has real power.

But, Roy's also very familiar with Tyron's accomplished MMA career -- and knows Woodley has legit striking ability.

So, who's gonna win? That all depends ... here's Roy's breakdown.

"Early, Jake is gonna be the issue because Jake can probably punch. I know he can punch -- and he's probably gonna be a little bit bigger [than Tyron]."

"But as the fight goes on, if Woodley gets comfortable, he's probably gonna take [Jake] out."

"Woodley definitely has the ring experience ... he'll definitely take him out if it goes long."

For his part, Jake has predicted a 2nd round KO over Woodley.

Tyron responded to Jake this way ... "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA."

IN YOUR DREAMS, JAKE
TMZSports.com

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