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The child Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face has sadly died after he suffered a "rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia" during surgery ... TMZ has learned.

8-year-old Matadi Sela Petit from the Democratic Republic of Congo died Friday night after complications from his delicate surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... according to The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

The foundation says ... "We are devastated by the loss of Matadi and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends."

We broke the story ... Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was transferred to the ICU, but we didn't know why his operation wasn't completed. Now we know it was due to his bad reaction to the anesthesia, but despite the best efforts of his medical staff ... he was never able to recover.

Matadi's operation was led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Osborne volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo. The family had been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles last week.

As we showed you ... the former NBA star flew Matadi to the U.S. a week ago for free surgery in hopes of removing the life-threatening, massive tumor on his face. We captured their meeting at LAX.

Mutombo told us the boy had been shunned in society -- pulled out of school and secluded to his home -- because of his condition, so he wanted to help him out.

His foundation says Matadi was "was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

He was 8 years old.

Someone was really feeling a little too much holiday spirit -- Friday night a man climbed the National Christmas Tree near the White House.

After a stalemate with U.S. Park Police, the man finally came down and was taken to a hospital for mental evaluation. No injuries were reported, and Park Police described the climber as being in "emotional distress."

The wild scene started unfolding around 5:45 PM Friday night at the Ellipse, which is across the street from the White House.

After the man climbed about 15 to 20 feet up, the 74,000 LED lights covering the giant spruce were turned off, creating an eerie scene. By the time the climber started heading down, the lights were turned back on and police officers rushed inside to track him down.

Yankees star CC Sabathia underwent heart surgery earlier this month ... but New York GM Brian Cashman says, thankfully, the pitcher is expected to be okay.

"We are thankful that CC was smart enough to convey his symptoms to our medical staff ... We are also encouraged that the procedure CC underwent was performed as planned."

Sabathia reportedly needed an angioplasty -- a procedure where docs unblocked an artery in the former ace's heart -- after experiencing acid reflux, heartburn and other symptoms.

It's good news for the pitcher that he caught the signs early ... 'cause The Athletic reports Sabathia could have been in danger of suffering a heart attack if his blockage had gone undiscovered.

Cashman says the team expects Sabathia to make a full recovery and report in time for the team's 2019 spring training in Tampa.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent a procedure to remove cancerous growths from her lung, but the good news is ... things are looking good for her post-surgery.

RBG reportedly underwent a pulmonary lobectomy in NYC Friday to remove 2 nodules from her lung which were recently discovered to be malignant. It appears doctors removed all of the cancer. It's unclear, but since she waited a bit to have the surgery around Xmas, it's possible RBG timed it so she wouldn't miss work.

Ginsburg's had a rough Fall ... she fell down in November, and fractured 3 ribs. While she was hospitalized doctors ran some tests and discovered the cancerous growths.

Doctors seem confident they got to the core -- based on post-op scans -- and the cancer has been removed.

RBG is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days to recover, but no further treatment is planned.

RBG's already a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. Despite the new lung cancer discovery, she's never been a smoker.

Get well, Ruth!!!

Forget Santa Claus ... Mike Evans is the real Christmas MVP -- at least, that's the case in Tampa Bay, 'cause the WR's gifts to his Bucs teammates caused everyone to lose their minds!!!

The NFL superstar got his squad their own custom Bird scooters for the holidays -- complete with every player's last name AND number ... and yeah, it was a hit in the locker room.

"This is what you call an ultimate teammate!! You feel me?!" offensive lineman Donovan Smith screamed.

"This is what you call an ultimate teammate!! My boy, Money Mike, baby!! Where you at, Mike?!?!"

Evans was mobbed by his teammates ... who couldn't wait to give the receiver some skin as a thanks for the electric wheels.

"Appreciate it, Mike!!" added rookie D-lineman Vita Vea.

We know what you're thinking -- 53 players on a roster and around $500 a scooter -- but don't worry about it ... Evans is in the middle of a 5-year, $82.5 MILLION contract!!!

A shocking recording of the Rachael Ostovich domestic violence incident has surfaced -- in which her MMA fighter husband allegedly screams, "I'm going to f**king murder you."

A neighbor used a cell phone to record the scene on Nov. 27 -- when Arnold Berdon allegedly brutalized Ostovich during an argument at their home in Hawaii.

The footage is mostly dark -- but you can definitely hear voices.

In the video, obtained by Hawaii News Now, you can hear a male voice make several threats ... including, "I’m going to murder you. I’m going to f**king murder you."'

At the end of the 9-minute video, you can see a nude female jump off the lanai and try to escape.

We broke the story ... Berdon was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree assault.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries to her face, head and body -- and pulled out of her January fight against Paige VanZant.

Ostovich later got a second opinion from another doctor who cleared her to fight -- so it's now back on.

Bill Belichick says Josh Gordon's departure from the Patriots is "an unfortunate situation" ... and the coach is hoping his troubled wideout is able to handle his issues going forward.

"Personally, I wish him the very best as we all do on this team," Bill told reporters Friday.

Gordon announced Thursday he was stepping away from the Pats to focus on his mental health ... just minutes before the NFL announced he violated the league's substance abuse policy once again.

Belichick declined to get into specifics of Gordon's problems with media members -- callin' it, "a private matter" -- but repeated he hopes the WR gets the help he needs.

"I hope that he's able to deal with it successfully," Belichick said.

As for if the Pats will continue to help Josh while he's away from the team ... Bill said, "We're going to get ready for Buffalo and play Buffalo on Sunday."

The Patriots traded for Gordon earlier in the season after the Cleveland Browns decided to cut bait. Over the years, Gordon had been suspended multiple times for substance abuse issues.

But, the final straw for Cleveland was when Gordon suffered an injury in Sept. while shooting a promotional video.

This is awesome!

The House of Representatives voted UNANIMOUSLY on Thursday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to ex-Saints star Steve Gleason for all the great work he's doing to battle ALS.

Gleason (who played for the Saints from 2000 to 2006) was diagnosed with ALS back in 2011. The disease affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

But, despite his physical challenges, Gleason has been a leading voice in raising awareness and money for ALS organizations.

For example, he's advocated for federal legislation to help ensure people living with diseases like ALS have access to speech-generating devices and he's also been a major leader in the largest coordinated and collaborative ALS research project in the world.

The politicians were obviously impressed -- and Gleason will become the 1st ex-NFL player to receive the award.

FYI, the Congressional Gold Medal recognizes people who have "performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement."

It's one of the highest civilian awards in the U.S.

“It is a true honor to witness Steve Gleason become the first New Orleanian and former NFL Legend to receive the Congressional Gold Medal,” Saints Owner Gayle Benson said.

"Along with his wife, Michel, and everyone at Team Gleason, they have unfailingly confronted ALS with a courageous and unwavering determination. Their tireless work to provide crucial assistance and the latest in technology and services has improved countless people’s quality of living."

"Steve is leaving a truly indelible mark in American history and we are honored to call him a true New Orleans Saint."

Saints superstar Cameron Jordan says there's NO WAY IN HELL Ben Roethlisberger is a Hall of Famer ... saying the Steelers stud ain't even a top 5 QB of this era.

"I'd honestly put Eli before I put Ben," Cam says.

The piping hot take came straight from the Saints' locker room this week ... when Jordan scoffed at a reporter's insinuation that Big Ben is a surefire HOFer.

"Is that true?! Really?! In this era, you'd put him at like a top three of this era?! A top five of this era?!"

Cam certainly doesn't think so ... saying he'd have Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers AND Eli Manning over the Pittsburgh superstar.

It's a smoldering take from the New Orleans pass rusher -- who just made his fourth Pro Bowl -- 'cause most not only have Ben as a Hall of Famer, but a 1st-ballot one at that.

Big Ben is a two-time Super Bowl champ, a six-time Pro Bowler AND owns a career 143-68-1 record as a starter.

Best news for all of us?? Ben gets to face off against Cam in a must-win game this weekend ... and will have every opportunity to prove Jordan wrong then.

“I think, total, that thing has seen 33 countries, four IEDs, and two combat zones.”

That's Ken Brasington -- a Washington superfan and Marine Corps veteran -- describing his beloved Nationals cap that he nearly lost ... and yeah, the story of him getting it back is incredible.

Ken was at the Caps-Hurricanes game in Raleigh last Friday ... when his favorite hat -- that he had worn during his tours of duty across the world since he bought it back in 2004 -- was snatched off his head and thrown onto the ice in celebration of Alex Ovechkin's hat trick.

Brasington says he watched the beat-up headwear hit the ice in horror ... and described the ensuing panic to get the cap back as "a nightmare."

"Everybody that knows me knows me for wearing that Nationals hat," Brasington told The Washington Post, who first reported the unbelievable story.

"It’s the ugliest. It probably has to be washed once a week because it ends up smelling so bad. It’s a special piece of where I’ve been and it kind of describes me."

Ken says he immediately tried after the game to get the cap back from Hurricanes officials ... but was told it couldn't happen -- even after he described where the hat had been and how much it meant to him.

But, Brasington didn't give up ... and thanks to the help of a Hurricanes beat writer -- Ken got in touch with the Hurricanes' manager of communications and team services, who helped get the hat back.

"There was a good amount of hats in the bag, but his hat was right on top," Pace Sagester said ... “From the way that he had described it to us, we pretty much knew right away that that was the hat."

"It’s super beat up; the bill has, like, chunks missing out of it. It’s almost pink it’s so faded. It’s not something I would want to put on my head, but it’s special to him."

Pace was able to ship the cap from Carolina back to Brasington in Washington ... and even sent him a brand-new Hurricanes one in case Ken wanted to officially retire the Nats cap.

As for the hat's future ... Brasington says after the close call -- he might consider hanging it up, or even putting it on display in a shadow box.

"That way, everybody wins," Brasington says ... “I keep my hat, and [my wife] doesn’t have to see me wearing it."

Add Blake Griffin to the list of pro athletes going after hecklers this year ... because the 6'10", 250-pound monster just walked up on a fan in Minnesota and things got heated.

It went down Wednesday night in overtime of the Pistons vs. Timberwolves game, when Blake heard something from courtside and walked over to confront the fan.

Unclear exactly what the fan said to set Griffin off -- but Blake got super pissed -- and told the guy, "What the f*ck did you say to me?!"

Blake never physically touched the heckler -- thanks to teammates like Zaza Pachulia who held him back. But, you can see Griffin is HEATED.

The fan was ejected from the game -- and he waved to the crowd on the way out. Griffin was not disciplined during the game, but could face a fine.

7:21 AM PT -- The Patriots just issued a statement saying, "We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his health."

They added, "His attempt to do so is a private and personal matter, which we intend to respect."

6:43 AM PT -- More sad news regarding Gordon ... NFL.com's Tom Pelissero is reporting Gordon violated the league's substance abuse policy and now faces a suspension.

Unclear of how Gordon failed a test -- or failed to show up to take a test. Either way, it's bad.

And, with Gordon's history of failed drug tests during his NFL career, this won't be a slap on the wrist punishment.

He's already missed the entire 2015 and 2016 NFL seasons for substance abuse issues. Unclear what he's facing this time around.

Josh Gordon is leaving the New England Patriots -- at least, for now -- with the star wide receiver saying he needs to focus on his mental health.

"I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level," Gordon said in a statement.

"I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally."

"With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health."

"I would like to thank Coach Belichick, Mr. Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support."

"I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path getting back to 100%."

This is not the first time Gordon has taken a break from football -- the 27-year-old has battled substance abuse issues and has pressed pause on his career to get treatment.

In fact, before the 2018 season -- when Gordon was still a member of the Cleveland Browns -- he trained privately away from the team so he could focus on his well-being.

When he rejoined the Browns, the reunion didn't last long -- he suffered an injury in September during a promotional video shoot -- and the team quickly traded him to New England.

When healthy, Gordon has proven to be a force in the NFL -- and made some key plays for the Patriots throughout the 2018 season. He's already caught 40 balls and 3 TDs for the Pats in 11 games.

Now, with 2 games left -- and playoff seeding on the line -- the Pats will be without Gordon. And, that's a big deal.

Story developing ...

Harvey Weinstein's got a date ... for his sexual assault pretrial in NYC, after the judge rejected his motion to dismiss the case.

Weinstein arrived at the courthouse Thursday morning, and got the bad news shortly thereafter. Once in court, the judge called prosecutors and Weinstein's attorney to the bench ... and said he was not dismissing the indictment.

The attorneys argued at the bench for about 10 minutes -- the media wasn't privy to their discussion -- but at the end the judge stated pretrial will begin on March 7.

The judge issued a written ruling addressing the defense's motion to dismiss -- saying the prosecution is not required to give the Grand Jury evidence that is favorable to the defense.

Translation: There's nothing shady about the Grand Jury not hearing evidence about relationships Weinstein might have had with his accusers. The judge also said the defense's argument the D.A. filed the charges due to "political pressure" was speculative.

Weinstein's legal team had fired off a letter earlier this month informing the judge ... they've found an email claiming to show one of the women alleging he raped her sure didn't act like it, because she went to HIS movie screening only hours after the alleged rape.

The movie mogul's defense has also pointed to a new female witness -- a close friend of one of Weinstein's accusers -- using her to paint a picture of a consensual relationship between Weinstein and his accuser.

Weinstein was greeted in court by several actresses, including Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Esposito, Nia Vardalos and Amber Tamblyn -- who were wearing Time's Up tees.

As we've reported, Weinstein's lawyers filed the motions to dismiss last month. His team also believed the whole case had been tainted ... because prosecutors admitted the lead detective, Nicholas DiGaudio, allegedly hid information about the witness in dealing with prosecutors and allegedly coaxed the witness into not disclosing what she knew.

Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, tells TMZ ... "We are obviously disappointed, by the Court's decision to deny our motion to dismiss the Indictment. Judge Burke has however, ruled and we must accept his ruling. Nothing in the Court's ruling however, removes the flawed theory of this case that we intend to vigorously defend at trial, where we are confident that Mr Weinstein will be completely exonerated."

You'll recall ... Weinstein very publicly turned himself into the NYPD in May and walked out in cuffs on the way to court, where he was charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving 2 separate women. A few days later, Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury on multiple rape charges.

As we reported ... Weinstein was slapped with 3 new sexual assault charges in July for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2006. A grand jury charged Weinstein with a first-degree criminal sexual act and 2 counts of predatory sexual assault, which are felonies carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Weinstein previously scored a huge victory when a judge dismissed one sexual assault count from the case involving actress Lucia Evans.

Ex-NFL receiver Titus Young has been released from prison after serving nearly 2 years of his sentence in his violent assault case ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

As we previously reported ... Young -- a former 2nd-round pick of the Detroit Lions -- was arrested back in 2016 after he allegedly beat the hell out of a guy in a street fight.

Young pled no contest to 1 count of felony battery causing serious bodily injury later in 2017 ... and was sentenced to four years in state prison.

But, the ex-Boise State superstar was paroled and released from prison at 2:13 AM Saturday morning.

The 29-year-old has a long, troubled history with the law -- having been arrested several times since being cut from the Lions back in 2012.

He was also put on probation back in 2015 after attacking several people during his stint at a mental health facility.

Jon Jones REALLY wants a 3rd crack at Daniel Cormier -- and he's willing to write a fat ass check to get DC back in the Octagon.

"Fight me one more time and prove you’re actually the champ champ. I’ll donate $100,000 to a charity in San Diego if you accept," Jones wrote to Cormier on Twitter.

Of course, the two have fought twice -- with Jones winning both fights ... only to have the 2nd victory overturned in the wake of a positive PED test.

Jones is finally cleared to return to the UFC after serving his suspension -- he'll fight Alexander Gustafsson for the light heavyweight title at UFC 232 on Dec. 29.

But, Jones is already thinking past Gustafsson, trying to bail Cormier.

"Conor McGregor was an actual double Champ, the whole world knows your claim is a freaking joke. You’re more than welcome to be my first title defense."

Jones also took umbrage with comments Cormier recently made to Jim Rome -- when he questioned JJ's explanation that he only had a "pinch of salt" worth of steroids in his system during their 2nd fight.

"Daddys baby still out there whining," Jones said ... "What proud 'double Champion' just vacates his belt because someone else returns to the sport?"

Cormier says he's retiring from MMA in March -- on his 40th birthday -- so if Jones wants the fight, they gotta make this thing come together fast.

Marshawn Lynch threw on his best hoodie and sandals and hit up the Oakland City Council meeting on Wednesday ... and made the following statement to city officials:

"We're losing the Warriors. We're losing the Raiders. Best not lose the A's. Appreciate it."

Marshawn is an Oakland guy, born and raised -- and is clearly upset with the mass exodus of the major sports teams in the area.

The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and the Golden State Warriors -- who play in Oracle Arena in Oakland -- are moving to the Chase Center in San Francisco next season.

The Oakland A's currently play at the Oakland Coliseum but are hoping to build a new 34,000 seat waterfront stadium in the area where they could play in 2023.

Enter Marshawn who didn't have much to say -- but made his point crystal clear.

Oakland A's president Dave Kaval was grateful for Beast Mode's support -- tweeting out, "Thank you Marshawn! Let's do this!!"

Kaval has previously commented on the stadium situation -- saying, "We've been there 50 years ... We have a great sense of the importance of that development on the future of East Oakland."