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Luke Bryan just made official what we told you about early Friday morning -- he and Lionel Richie are joining Katy Perry as judges #2 and 3 on "American Idol."

The country star made the announcement in a video he posted on Twitter just moments ago and hours after TMZ first reported the pending news.

Luke -- all the way from Hayfield, Kansas -- said he's excited to join "the beautiful Ms. Katy Perry and my hero Lionel Richie and my fellow Georgia boy, Ryan Seacrest."

As we reported ... signing all 3 judges didn't come cheap.

Atlanta Hawks star Dennis Schroder was arrested for battery, according to police in Georgia -- and the team says its scrambling to gather info.

Details are scarce, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting the 24-year-old guard was busted on suspicion of battery, a misdemeanor. Police records confirm Schroder was arrested for battery.

The Hawks have issued a statement saying, "We are aware of an incident involving Dennis Schröder earlier this morning."

"We are still gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time."

It was date night for Michael Jordan in NYC on Thursday.

Hot wife? Check.

Chauffeur driven SUV? Check.

MJ's trademark overly baggy dad pants? Check.

Expensive, rare Air Jordans? Of course.

The NBA legend took Yvette Prieto out to Marea bar and restaurant in Midtown. He was in a great mood. He was super nice to the paparazzi and fans on the street.

But we wanted to know what the face of one of the biggest shoe lines on the planet rocks out for a fancy dinner.

The answer -- it appears MJ's wearing the Air Jordan 1 Pinnacles ... brown leather kicks with 24K gold-plated accents. They retail for $400 a pair.

Wonder if he ever wears the same pair twice?

Colin Kaepernick took it all the way back to 1995 this week ... surfacing in Manhattan with a Tupac shirt that reads, "Me Against the World."

The song essentially encapsulates the message Kaepernick is trying to send. As a reminder, here are some of the lyrics ...

"When will I finally get to rest through this oppression? They punish the people that's askin' questions."

And this one ...

"Dreamin' of riches, in a position of makin' a difference. Politicians are hypocrites, they don't wanna listen."

Kaepernick hasn't sat down for an interview with anyone since his national anthem demonstration began last season. But he's been spotted out in NYC twice this week. Something coming?

Cristiano Ronaldo's got a shiny, new $2.9 MILLION toy ... and he's already takin' it out for a victory lap.

The international soccer superstar posted a vid showing off the brand new 2017 Bugatti Chiron on Thursday ... with his ever-so-lucky son, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jr., ridin' shotgun.

CR7 pauses to say something to the camera -- we're not sure what -- but it's probably something like, "I'm rich, beeeyotch!!"

And, since we knew you were wondering ... the car goes from 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she has breast cancer ... and the "Veep" star took a shot at President Trump and Congress while announcing her diagnosis.

Julia just posted, "1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one."

She added, "The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union." 56-year-old Julia didn't say anything about what stage she's in, or if doctors caught it early.

She did however take a shot at the battle over health care, saying not all women have the benefits she does, "so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality."

The Denver Broncos players say the days of kneeling for the national anthem are over -- and beginning Sunday, they will all STAND together.

The players issued a statement moments ago ... acknowledging the split this past Sunday when several players took a knee and others stood for the anthem before playing the Bills.

"Last week, members of our team joined their brothers around the NFL in a powerful display of unity ... As controversial as it appeared, we needed to show our collective strength and resolve."

But now, the players say they will be united in standing together moving forward.

"We may have different values and beliefs, but there's one thing we can all agree on: We're a team and we stand together -- no matter how divisive some comments and issues can be, nothing should ever get in the way of that."

"Starting Sunday, we'll be standing together."

Black Lives Matter and one of its leaders, DeRay McKesson, won't be held responsible for an officer's injuries during a protest last year, because a judge tossed the cop's lawsuit ... TMZ has learned.

According to new docs ... the case is dismissed because BLM is considered a social movement and "not an entity of any sort," so it can't be sued. As for McKesson, the federal judge ruled he was expressing his right to free speech at the July 2016 demonstration where the cop got hurt ... but it wasn't his fault.

As we reported ... the Baton Rouge cop filed a suit against DeRay and BLM, claiming McKesson incited violence at the protest and blaming him for injuries he suffered after getting hit in the face with a rock.

Washington Wizards baller Kelly Oubre is setting the record straight -- saying he's "NOT a lesbian" ... despite what some fans say.

The 21-year-old rising star was talking to CSN Mid Atlantic about some of the crap he gets from opposing fans ... and dropped this shocker.

"People call me a lesbian a lot. They think I look like a female girl or a teenage girl or something."

So, why the lesbian jabs? Oubre says he thinks he knows why ...

"I understand I'm a pretty dude. They might be mad that their wife likes me or something."

But to be clear -- "I'm not a lesbian. I'm a grown man."

"I've heard that multiple times. I guess it's something to try to get under my skin, but at the end of the day I know who I am."

And now you know.

Ex-NBA player Bonzi Wells underwent surgery in an Indiana hospital after suffering a heart attack -- but the 41-year-old says he's okay now.

Unclear when Wells was admitted to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis -- but Wells says he's back home now and "feeling good."

Wells told the Star Press the heart attack was "minor" -- explaining, "Small clot hit bottom part of the heart. Had surgery so I'm back to 100% no restrictions."

Wells posted a photo with one of the nurses at the hospital and wrote, "I wanna thank these ladies for saving my life."

"They went above and beyond to make sure I would be ok."

Bonzi played 10 seasons in the NBA for teams including the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.

Hugh Hefner -- who founded Playboy and turned it into a globally iconic brand -- is dead at 91.

Playboy says Hugh died peacefully at home Wednesday, surrounded by loved ones.

Hefner's health had been in serious decline over the last year and he's not been seen in public for some time. His passing comes just over a year after his brother, Keith, died battling cancer.

Playboy magazine catapulted Hef into a cultural phenomenon ... paving way for the iconic Playboy Mansion that quickly became known for its legendary parties.

As TMZ reported ... Hefner parted ways with the pad in August 2016 ... selling to Pabst Blue Ribbon heir Daren Metropoulos for $100 million. But the sale had one condition -- Hefner could live in the mansion without the new owner's meddling until Hefner died.

Hefner married 3 times -- first to high school sweetheart Mildred Williams in 1949 ... then former Playmate of the Year Kimberly Conrad in 1989 ... and finally Crystal Hefner in 2012. She's 31.

His third marriage came 4 years after breaking up with longtime GF Holly Madison. He's survived by 4 children -- Christie and David from his first marriage and Marston and Cooper from his second marriage.

Hefner founded Playboy in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe gracing the first cover. The magazine landed huge celebrities for years to come -- including Cindy Crawford, Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson, Madonna, Sharon Stone, Naomi Campbell, Carmen Electra, Drew Barrymore and Kim Kardashian.

The magazine stopped publishing nude photos in 2016 but went back to them in February of this year after Hugh's son, Cooper, was named chief creative officer.

The mag also had a strong pull with some amazing writers -- including Gabriel García Márquez, Margaret Atwood and Haruki Murakami.

You're looking at Maria Sharapova's worst nightmare -- a fully SNAPPED BACK Serena Williams ... looking fit, focused and ready to beat that ass ... less than a month after giving birth.

Serena gave birth to little Alexis Jr. on Sept. 1 -- and spent several days in the hospital due to "complications."

But early Thursday morning, Serena posted her first full-body post-preggo selfie -- and she looks superhero fit.

Seriously, this is a woman who won a major tennis tourney while pregnant -- who crushed it in the gym at 35 weeks pregnant -- and whose mother guaranteed she'd return to dominate the pro game after the kid was born.

So, when will Serena return? The next Grand Slam is the Australian Open in January ... the same tourney she won while she was in her 1st trimester.

You've been warned.

Donald Trump says NFL players should have "no choice" but to stand for the national anthem -- but the says NFL owners are too afraid to make it happen.

Trump appeared on "FOX & Friends" on Thursday and went off about the protests when asked about why he made the "S.O.B." comments in Alabama last week.

The President says he has a bunch of friends who are NFL owners and they're frustrated over the current situation involving the anthem.

"I think they're afraid of their players," Trump said ... "and I think it's disgraceful."

FYI, every single NFL owner put out a statement about the protests this past week -- and owners Jerry Jones and Shad Khan even participated in demonstrations with their teams.

Rob Kardashian got his ass beat by Blac Chyna while she was high on drugs and booze ... according to a new lawsuit he's filed against his baby mama.

According to the docs, Rob says Chyna went on the rampage in December 2016 by first trying to choke him with an iPhone charging cable -- and then repeatedly struck him with blows to the head and face.

He also claims she trashed the house, which he was renting from Kylie Jenner. In the docs, Rob says she broke a door, damaged walls and a TV ... doing more than $100k of damage. He says he tried to make a break for it in his Bentley, but Chyna threw a chair at his ride ... and then struck Rob with a metal rod.

She even smashed a holiday season gingerbread house, according to Rob.

In the docs, Rob says the melee played a factor in E! cancelling his and Chyna's reality show ... because execs thought the situation was way too volatile.

Rob's suing her for assault, battery and vandalism. We've reached out to Chyna, so far no word back.

Rick Pitino says there's not a SHRED of evidence proving he did anything wrong to justify his firing -- and has lawyered up in what seems to be a prelude to a legal war with Louisville.

As we previously reported, the University of Louisville says it put Pitino on "unpaid administrative leave" in the wake of an FBI probe of an Adidas exec, who was allegedly bribing recruits to attend Adidas sponsored schools, including UL.

While Pitino hasn't been formally accused of a crime -- and no other Louisville staffer has been accused either -- the school took action anyway ... and Rick is pissed.

"Coach Pitino has done nothing wrong and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise," his attorneys said in a statement ... adding, "The rush to judgment is regrettable."

Pitino's legal team says the school "did not give him prior notice of the disciplinary action or an opportunity to be heard, as required by University policy."

In a preview of what's to come, Pitino's lawyer said, "The matter will now follow its legal course."

Pitino insists there is no evidence that would implicate him in any type of misconduct or other activity that would violate the terms of his contract.

Pitino says the "complete and accurate facts" will inevitably exonerate him.

2 Chainz is calling for people to "pledge allegiance on one knee" -- in a direct response to Donald Trump ... and it's all part of a new song with NBA star Victor Oladipo.

The Indiana Pacers star just dropped his 2nd single called "Rope a Dope" (dude can really sing) -- and it features a rap verse from Tity Boi himself.

A rep tells TMZ Sports the song "serves as a response to President Donald Trump's attack on athletes who have been kneeling during the National Anthem."

"I wanted to address what was going on and bring awareness to it, but in a positive manner,"Oladipo says.

"We need to come together as a country to deal with these problems. We aren't going to solve anything unless we're united."