Breaking News

Don't put a fork in the Big Baller Brand just yet ... LaVar Ball says the brand is NOT folding -- despite the fact Lonzo Ball just covered up his BBB tattoo.

The Big Baller appeared on 98.5 KLUC in Vegas to promote his Big Baller Brand All-American Game, which he says is going on as planned this weekend.

"The game is definitely still happening," LaVar says ... though he wouldn't say if his sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo would be on hand for the event.

The issue ... LaVar claims BBB co-founder Alan Foster stole $1.5 million from Lonzo -- and the Lakers star was so pissed, he covered up his BBB tattoo and is rumored to be considering a shoe deal with Nike.

But, LaVar believes the BBB brand is still alive and well -- and vows to fix things after Foster's alleged thievery.

"I'm not gonna let one roodypoo guy come in here and do something bad and then be like the brand's not good," Ball said.

"The brand is good. It's just somebody did something bad to it ... We had a snake up in the thing, but you gotta understand this -- I'm a snake charmer. When you're a snake charmer, you're gonna get bit."

Ball said he treated Foster "like a family member" and feels incredibly betrayed -- saying, "Is it worth $1.5 million to leave a family?"

Linda McMahon is stepping down from her position in President Trump's cabinet ... but she won't be far from POTUS for long.

Trump announced the former WWE CEO is resigning as the head of the Small Business Administration at Mar-a-Lago on Friday .... saying "She has been one of our all-time favorites."

"I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was that good."

Although McMahon is stepping down, she's not leavin' Trump -- she's putting her focus on his reelection.

"She'll be leaving, she's going to go and help us with a very, very important year-and-a-half that we have coming up," Trump told reporters.

McMahon is an original member of Trump's cabinet -- she was confirmed back in February 2017.

We spoke with WWE legend Kurt Angle prior to McMahon taking the job ... and he said she's a "genius," adding, "If you doubt Linda McMahon, you'd have to be literally crazy."

No word on who will be Linda's replacement ... but Trump says she'll be part of the process.

Heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev has been suspended indefinitely by the California State Athletic Commission for kissing a female reporter during a post-fight interview, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for CSAC tells us Pulev will NOT be licensed to fight in CA until he appears before the Commission to address the incident in person.

We're told the next opportunity for Pulev to face the Commission will be in May -- though it's unclear if the Bulgarian fighter plans to attend.

Of course, Pulev is in very hot water for kissing Vegas Sports Daily reporter Jenny Sushe after knocking out Bogdan Dinu Saturday night in Costa Mesa, CA.

Sushe laughed it off during the incident -- but immediately lawyered up, hiring Gloria Allred and now she's considering taking legal action against the 37-year-old fighter.

As for Pulev, he initially brushed the whole thing off ... saying Jenny is a friend and they laughed the whole thing off together at an afterparty.

Obviously, Jenny doesn't feel the same way -- saying in a statement, "I did not encourage or consent to Mr. Pulev grabbing my face, kissing me, or grabbing my backside."

It's 2019 and a grown ass man was arrested Saturday night for weed.

That man is ex-NBA player Kwame Brown ... who was busted in Georgia with a bunch of marijuana ... including pot-infused cookies, tea and mints.

The 2001 first overall pick was a passenger in his Mercedes-Benz van when it was pulled over by Brunswick PD late Saturday night ... when cops say his car REEKED of weed.

Kwame copped to having weed in the car ... and told law enforcement he had some in the trunk of the van. Sure enough, cops found a backpack with all the weed treats.

The 37-year-old was arrested and charged with felony possession of edible marijuana products and misdemeanor possession of less than one ounce of weed.

Worth noting -- Brown is MASSIVE. Like, 7-ft tall big ... and couldn't fit in a regular cop car, so the cops had to wait for a bigger vehicle to transport him for booking.

Brown was released shortly after posting bond later Saturday.

Brown played for 7 different teams during his career ... most notably the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers ... after jumping straight from high school to the Association.

4:57 PM PT -- President Trump just blasted Jussie Smollett at a Grand Rapids, Michigan rally, telling the crowd, "How 'bout Chicago," which triggered a roar of boos. He said the widespread indignation over Jussie walking free was the only time he agreed with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He called the case a national embarrassment.

The bizarre outcome of the Jussie Smollett case is now on President Trump's radar, and as federal investigations begin ... he's calling the dropping of the charges an "embarrassment" to the nation.

Trump's Thursday morning tweet storm included one about the sweet deal the Cook County State's Attorney's Office handed Smollett -- dropping the 16 felony counts for allegedly lying to police after he did 18 hours of charitable work last weekend.

POTUS said 2 federal agencies -- the FBI and the Department of Justice -- would be reviewing the "outrageous" case. It might seem like he's calling for the investigation, but the reality is the FBI and DOJ were already on the job.

Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police announced it had filed with the DOJ on Tuesday ... immediately following the announcement Jussie would not stand trial. The FBI's probe of the State's Attorney's decision was announced Wednesday afternoon.

While Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has defended cutting Smollett loose -- calling it a typical outcome for anyone facing class 4 felonies -- public outcry has prompted the feds to get involved.

Trump's tweet makes it clear ... he still knows what gets ratings.

President Trump heard the outrage loud and clear, 'cause he just announced that he will NOT seek to cut nearly $18 MILLION in funding from the Special Olympics.

Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed cutting nearly every cent of funding to the organization earlier this week ... and people were PISSED.

TMZ Sports even spoke to WWE legend and Special Olympics ambassador -- Big Show -- who called the idea "bulls**t."

Now, Trump is putting an end to all that talk ... telling reporters at the White House that he's given the order to fund the organization -- like was originally planned.

“The Special Olympics will be funded," Trump said ... "I just authorized the funding of the Special Olympics. I have overridden my people.”

Robert Kraft claims police surveillance footage showing him inside a Florida massage parlor is the result of an "unlawful sneak-and-peek search warrant" ... and he's demanding officials keep it under wraps.

Kraft has filed fiery new documents in his prostitution case in Palm Beach County -- slamming officials for putting hidden cameras inside of massage rooms as a ridiculous "governmental overreach."

"Florida resorted to the most drastic, invasive, indiscriminate spying conceivable by law enforcement -- taking continuous video recordings of private massages in which customers would be stripping naked as a matter of course -- in order to prosecute what are at most misdemeanor offenses."

Kraft says because we do not live in a police state -- and because government must answer to the rule of law -- the tapes must never go public.

The New England Patriots owner continues his attack ... saying, "Law enforcement had no satisfying justification for going to such extreme, invasive lengths just to investigate run-of-the-mill suspicion of solicitation."

Kraft says ... because of other evidence collected in the case -- including positive semen tests found in the spa's trash -- there was no need to plant the hidden cameras to "build a solicitation case around low-level consensual sex acts."

There's more ... Kraft also says the narrative about the sting operation targeting human trafficking is BS -- since officials have no real facts proving human trafficking ever occurred at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa visited by Kraft. In fact, the attorney for the spa's manager -- who was also arrested -- talked about law enforcement's lack of human trafficking evidence Thursday morning after his client's bail was reduced.

As Kraft says in his motion, "Law enforcement peddled these falsehoods to try and manufacture a patina of necessity [to put cameras in the massage rooms], where none exists."

Kraft is facing 2 misdemeanor counts of soliciting a prostitute during 2 visits to the spa in January. Officials say surveillance footage shows the 77-year-old receiving sex acts from spa employees in exchange for money.

What does LeBron James wear on his feet for a romantic dinner date at the hottest sushi spot in L.A.?? Nothin' fancy ... just a totally super rare set of kicks you'll never find in stores!!

The King and his beautiful wife, Savannah, met up with some friends at Nobu in Malibu while the Lakers played in Utah on Wednesday (LeBron stayed home in L.A.) ... and we were drawn to Bron's all white sneaks.

Turns out, LBJ was wearing a rare pair that us average Joes will never get our hands on -- the John Elliott x Nike LeBron Icon Whites ... which were only handed out to the closest of James' friends.

For reference, the grey versions of the same shoes (also only given to friends and family) are currently rocking price tags at some resale stores for more than $2,000.

Of course, LeBron's got a lifetime deal with the Swoosh ... so don't expect to see him reppin' anything else.

BTW -- the Lakers lost to the Jazz, 115-100 ... but who really cares at this point.

But man, what a flex just for dinner.

There's another element at play here ... LeBron's teammate, Lonzo Ball, is currently at a shoe crossroads after covering up his Big Baller Brand tattoo.

Seems Lonzo is severing ties with BBB in the wake of an alleged financial scandal with the co-founder of the Big Baller Brand ... and the former #2 overall draft pick could be on the hunt for another major sports apparel brand to endorse.

So, while he's in shoe limbo, Ball rocked a pair of $1,000 Dior sneakers earlier this week ... but c'mon, how much better would he look in a pair of Brons?

2:42 PM -- Foxx is on a media blitz, and she just told ABC7 in Chicago her office did NOT ask for the resolution in Smollett's case to be made under seal. She says Smollett's criminal record -- in relation to the police report -- is what should have been kept under seal. She says her office is in the process of unsealing the resolution.

Foxx also broached the subject about her recusal and added there was zero outside influence on the case. Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, Tina Tchen, clarified her contact with Foxx saying, "Shortly after Mr. Smollett reported he was attacked, as a family friend, I contacted [Foxx], who I also know from prior work together."

"My sole activity was to put the chief prosecutor in the case in touch with an alleged victim's family who had concerns about how the investigation was being characterized in public."

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx is going to bat for her office, which opted to let Jussie Smollett walk ... saying the public just doesn't understand this is how the law works.

Foxx went on WBEZ Radio in Chicago Wednesday and said she understands the confusion for those on the outside "who don't understand the intricacies of the justice system, who don't understand alternative prosecution or diversion or alternate outcomes outside of prison or lengthy probation."

On the flip side, Foxx -- who recused herself from the case -- says those who know the legal system know "the likelihood that someone would get a prison sentence for a Class 4 felony is slim."

As we reported ... First Assistant to the Cook County State's Attorney Joseph Magats said prosecutors dropped the case because Smollett doesn't have a violent criminal history and lying about the alleged attack was NOT a violent crime.

Foxx echoed Magats sentiment that although the charges were dropped ... everyone in their office backs the police investigation, and believes Jussie staged the attack. As she put it to WBEZ, you don't typically see people "give up $10,000 of their hard earned money" unless they're being held accountable for something.

Chris Evans is a HUGE New England Patriots fan ... but says he's seriously considering "cutting ties" with Tom Brady if the QB still supports "dumb sh*t" Donald Trump.

Evans -- who was born in Boston -- is one of the most famous Patriots celebrity fans. He's been to multiple Super Bowls and has hung out with Pats owner Robert Kraft.

But, the "Captain America" actor is also VERY anti-Donald Trump and told the Hollywood Reporter it would be very difficult to continue rooting for Tom Brady if TB12 is still supporting POTUS.

Remember, Tom publicly praised Trump back in the day -- and even rocked a "Make America Great Again" hat in his Patriots locker during Trump's presidential campaign.

But now, Evans says enough is enough ... and he doesn't think he can continue to root for Tom unless he disavows the Commander in Chief.

"I really hope he's not a Trump supporter," Evans said.

"I'm just hoping he's one of those guys that maybe supported him and now regrets it. Maybe he thought it was going to be different -- and even that bothers me -- but maybe there's a chance now he just thinks Trump's an absolute dumb sh*t, which he is."

"If he doesn't, if he's still on that Trump train, I might have to cut ties. It's really tough."

Evans continued ... "I think maybe a couple of years ago I might have tried to pull some, like, mental gymnastics to compartmentalize, but I don't know if I can anymore. So I'm just hoping he's woken up."

The good news for Chris ... Tom has pulled back his public support for Trump significantly over the past 2 years.

In fact, the QB missed a championship visit to Trump's White House in 2017 -- and still hasn't said whether he'll go if the Pats decide to make the trip for their latest S.B. win.

Tom has also said his wife, Gisele -- a big Trump critic -- has forbid him from talking about politics publicly anymore.

So, fact of the matter is no one REALLY knows how Brady feels about the President right now ... which is clearly bothering Evans.

Purdue University is honoring one of its most amazing and inspirational fans by naming a gate to the football stadium after Tyler Trent, whose battle with bone cancer inspired millions.

Trent passed away in January after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. He was only 20 years old.

But, his attitude during the fight was incredible. He camped out at the stadium before games to get a good seat and appeared on ESPN to root on all Boilermaker teams.

The football program loved Tyler so much, they made him an honorary team captain before he passed.

Now, in a posthumous tribute to Trent ... the school has renamed the student entry gate after him -- unveiling, "Tyler Trent Student Gate" at Ross-Ade Stadium.

There's also a tribute at the gate with a plaque that reads, "Forever Our Captain" ... along with the #TylerStrong hashtag.

After his death, the school had put out a statement summarizing their feeling for Trent:

"Rock bottom for me was laying between two and three women at a time" -- Deion Sanders.

Turns out living in mansions, buying sick cars and banging dozens of women -- sometimes 2 or 3 at a time -- ain't all it's cracked up to be ... so says Deion himself.

We know what you're thinking ... THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!! But, Deion says he actually lived through it ... and it was miserable. The lavish party lifestyle was just a cover up for the pain he was feeling inside.

"Rock bottom for me was just being in the midst of a game when everybody's screaming when they don't know your middle name," the NFL legend said on Paula Faris' 'Journeys of Faith' podcast.

"Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of suits and not covering the pain. Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of pairs of shoes but couldn't take a step in the right direction."

"Rock bottom for me was having 10 cars and wasn't going nowhere. Rock bottom for me was having a 14,000-square-foot house but never feeling at home."

"Rock bottom for me was laying between two and three women at a time, but you get up unsatisfied. Rock bottom for me … yes, I was bleeding."

"Laying right beside the person who said they love you, but she didn't even know you was in pain. That was rock bottom for me."

Sanders said he tried to talk to friends about his situation but no one understood.

"I was crying out to people. But, they couldn't hear you because they saw Prime. They saw my character. The character I created, not the character of a man. They saw the character I created -- that was Prime."

Sanders has addressed his issues before -- describing in his autobiography, "Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life," how the stress drove him to attempt suicide in 1997.

Deion says he drove his car off of a highway and over a cliff, falling 40 feet. Miraculously, he survived.

"I opened my eyes and I was still alive," Sanders says.

Sanders says it was that moment he decided to change his life and redevote himself to Jesus.

It's been a rough few months for Chad Kelly after getting arrested and losing his job ... but the troubled NFLer still has a Hall of Famer in his corner -- his Uncle Jim.

Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly joined his nephew at a workout in New York on Tuesday ... voicing support for the QB and sharing a motivational message on social media for Chad's birthday.

"Great workout Chad," JK12 says. "Looking great and your journey will continue, just stay focused and listen to Uncle JIM."

"Love your work ethic. Also a big happy birthday Bud."

Jim's brother, Dan, got in on the workout as well ... turning the session into a family affair.

It hasn't been great for Chad lately ... he was arrested for criminal trespassing after getting chased out of a stranger's house -- dressed as Woody from 'Toy Story' -- following Von Miller's Halloween party.

The Denver Broncos released Kelly shortly after ... and he's been a free agent ever since.

Jim is sticking by his fam through it all ... and he's hoping to help Chad move forward with his life.

"The best is yet to come."

Add "Boyfriend of the Year" to Aaron Rodgers' trophy case ... the QB took Danica Patrick to Paris for her birthday -- and she was SWOOOOONNNNIIINGGGG!!!!

"For my birthday he said pack a bag, we are going somewhere......" the ex-NASCAR driver said ... "Amazing."

The Green Bay Packers superstar and Danica have been going strong for over a year now ... and things are DEFINITELY getting serious.

The two have traveled the world together during Aaron's downtime from football ... with both droppin' L-bombs left and right -- and postin' lovey-dovey pics all the time.

But, France for an on-the-whim birthday trip?? Now, we KNOW this really ain't a fling ...

"Happy Birthday to this Beautiful, intelligent, strong, driven, bad ass woman that I get to stand beside in this life," Aaron wrote ... "#lover #friend #travelpartner #smokinhot #finewine"

Aaron's got a few more months to hang with Danica before it's back to the daily grind of Packers training camp.

Which begs the question ... could there be a ring in Danica's future before Aaron chases his second one with the Pack next season????

Stay tuned ...

The BBB is DOA.

Lonzo Ball sent a painful message to his father -- covering up his famous Big Baller Brand tattoo in what seems to be the final nail in the BBB coffin.

The Los Angeles Lakers star hit up tattoo artist Herchell L Carrasco -- aka the RocknRoll Gangster -- who inked out the BBB art ... covering it up with a pair of red dice.

The move comes after allegations BBB co-founder Alan Foster stole more than $1.5 million of Lonzo's money.

Earlier this week, Lonzo's manager/close friend Darren Moore threw his BBB shoes in the garbage and called for a boycott of all BBB merchandise.

There are rumblings that Lonzo and his brothers are now estranged from their father, LaVar Ball, and that the company could fold within days.

Now, with Lonzo sending a message through his tattoos ... seems where there's smoke, there's fire.

Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is asking for prayers ... the Hall of Fame receiver says he's undergoing tests for throat cancer -- and is scared for his life.

"Saying I am afraid this time is a big big understatement," Mike wrote on social media ... "I AM TERRIFIED!!"

Irvin says after the Cowboys beat the Saints on "Thursday Night Football" in an epic game last November ... he lost his voice.

But, Michael says the issue persisted for the next 8 WEEKS ... and now, doctors are undergoing tests to see if Irvin's vocal problems run deeper than just screaming his face off for his favorite team.

Irvin says he spent the weekend at Ronald Reagan Hospital in L.A. getting a throat biopsy ... and he's beyond afraid for the possible results.

"I share with you that I lost my father at the young age of 51. He had throat cancer. This daemon has chased and vexed me deep in my spirit all my life."

Michael's asking for prayers, writing, "Could you please send up a prayer to help my family and I deal with whatever the results may be?"

For their part, Irvin's ex-teammates have his back ... both Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith reached out to send love to their fellow triplet.

"Lots of love and support for you Irv," Aikman wrote ... "sending prayers my man!"