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VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE! VIOLENCE!

Milwaukee Bucks player Thon Maker threw FLYING KNEES AND KICKS in a crazy brawl during an international basketball game today ... and that was just the beginning!

Maker was playing for the Australian national team -- taking the Philippines -- when things got extremely chippy between the two squads.

Punches starting flying ... and so did Maker -- as the 7'1", 223 pounder took flight to try and land some shots.

One of the more devastating blows came from another NBA guy -- Andray Blatche -- who threw a crazy haymaker and knocked a guy onto the ground.

It could have been a lot worse if Blatche had hit the guy flush ...

It appears both Maker and Blatche got out of the fight without any serious injuries -- but can't say that for everyone.

Especially the dude who got hit with a flying jumping punch from one of the little guys ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is fired up about LeBron James -- and even made the The King a video to welcome LBJ to Los Angeles.

"This is so exciting that you're coming to the city of stars," Arnold said.

"And you'll be, without any doubt, the biggest star of all. On the court and off the court! I love it!"

He's not the only huge star excited about James becoming the newest Los Angeles Laker -- Snoop Dogg also posted on IG welcoming Bron to town.

And, of course, Bron's newest teammate Lonzo Ball had a few words as well -- saying, "Y’all really thought he was gonna pass up the greatest city in the world... #TheKingIsHere."

Kobe Bryant also weighed in, saying ... "Welcome to the family @KingJames #lakers4life #striveforgreatness @JeanieBuss @MagicJohnson."

'WWE Tough Enough 3' winner Matt Cappotelli -- who bravely fought through two rounds of cancer -- has passed away ... this according to his wife.

"Today my love-my strong, sweet, beautiful love-took his last breath at 3:30 a.m. and went Home to be with Jesus exactly one year after his brain surgery," Lindsay Cappotelli wrote in a statement.

"You think you can be prepared for this when you know it’s coming, but you just can’t."

"The only person who’s comfort I want right now is the one who can’t give it to me. I miss him so much. I know where he is now is so much better, but it doesn’t change how much I miss him."

Back in June 2017, TMZ Sports reported on Matt's second surgery to remove a brain tumor -- over 10 years after he had one removed and had his pro wrestling career cut short.

But, in December, things took a turn for the worse ... doctors say he had a Grade 4 tumor that could not be operated on because it was too close to his brain stem.

Cappotelli fought like hell and will definitely be remembered as a warrior inside and out of the ring.

Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham will be suspended 1 game for allegedly punching a hotel worker back in July of 2016.

We broke the story ... the Philadelphia star was arrested in Florida and charged with a felony after allegedly socking a Hilton employee in the face 'cause he took too long to set up a beach umbrella.

The criminal charge was eventually dropped after Bradham cut a deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to throw out the case if he kept his nose clean for 6 months. He did -- and the case was closed this past January.

"I would like to apologize to my fans, coaches, teammates and the entire eagles organization for the 1 game suspension," Bradham wrote in a statement.

The Uber driver who claims Jameis Winston sexually assaulted her during a 2016 ride says she's "glad" the NFL took action against Winston ... but says the QB's apology "needs work."

The woman -- Kate -- issued a statement to BuzzFeed reporter Talal Anari, who first reported her story in a Nov. 2017 article.

"I am glad to see the NFL discipline Jameis Winston," Kate said ... "I do appreciate his apology, even if it needs some work."

"I would like to publicly acknowledge the NFL investigators, particularly Lisa Friel and John Iannarelli, for their kind, professional and thorough investigation."

"My experience should highlight the importance of believing women when they have the courage to come forward about sexual assault. Perhaps that night could have been prevented if others had been believed before me."

"Mr. Winston once said, 'Girls should be silent, polite, and gentle.' I disagree. #MeToo."

50 Cent is a man of his word ... especially when the word is "lawsuit," 'cause he's going after a hip-hop blog for using his photo in a post he calls "fake news."

He's filed suit against HipHopDX for its post about Fiddy allegedly selling his catchphrase, "Get the strap," to Bellator MMA. We'll get back to the catchphrase, but the rapper's real issue is with the photo the blog used.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the pic -- showing 50 Cent with Bellator execs -- was taken on June 25 by a guy named Christopher Conrad. 50 says Conrad gave him rights to the photo on June 28. His point ... at no point did HipHopDX have rights to publish the pic.

The site posted an article on June 27, calling out 50 Cent for claiming he sold "Get the strap" to the MMA league for $1 million. That same day, 50 said, "This s**t is fake news Justin Ivey (the writer), you better go fact check. Matter of fact I'm gonna sue you and this website for using my picture."

3:30 PM PT -- Lythgoe tells us he strongly denies giving Taylor, or any contestant, the heads-up on results at any time.

Former "American Idol" champ Taylor Hicks says he had inside information about who was getting eliminated each week when he was on the show -- and says he wasn't the only one.

Taylor was on WJOX radio Friday in Birmingham, AL when he dropped the bombshell. As he put it, "I had an 'in' in the whole production of the show" who told him the results before they were revealed during season 5.

Mr. Soul Patrol says the only night he didn't get the info was the finale in 2006 -- where he was up against Katharine McPhee. He did say executive producer Nigel Lythgoe gave him a "wink and a nod" before the results were announced.

To be clear, Taylor's not suggesting the voting was rigged. However, if what he's saying is true ... you'd have to question the shocked looks on contestants' faces when Ryan Seacrest revealed the elimination.

Also ... for how many other seasons was Taylor's source tipping off contestants?

Here's something no Laker fans (or even Cleveland fans) wanna see -- LeBron James throwing himself off a cliff!!!

But, yeah, it happened ...

LeBron and his superstar kid, Bronny, scaled a cliff in Anguilla on Thursday and essentially dared each other to jump ... which is insane considering the whole risk/reward thing.

LBJ Jr. showed pops how it's done -- jumping without hesitation -- but, when it came time for Daddy to go, he froze up like J.R. Smith in Game 1.

Don't worry, Bron eventually took the leap ... after trying to hype himself up while standing on the ledge.

"It's all about America goddammit," LeBron yelled ... "LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!"

One final war cry -- "BLACK EXCELLENCE!!!"

And then, he jumped.

Bron later commented, "Excuse my language."

"Deadliest Catch" star Sig Hansen caught a major break in his Uber assault and property damage case -- it's only gonna set him back a few hundred dollars, and he's avoiding jail time.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Hansen pled guilty to assault but the judge dismissed his property damage charge. He was given a deferred sentence of 12 months, and ordered to pay $343 in fines and fees.

We broke the story ... Sig allegedly spat on the driver last year in Seattle after the app canceled his ride, and the driver refused to take Sig and his fam the rest of the way with hard cash. He also allegedly kicked the car while exiting the vehicle. He was arrested shortly afterward.

Sig apologized for the incident, saying he made a "boneheaded move" and accepted responsibility for his actions.

6:15 PM PT -- The shooting suspect has been ID'd as Jarrod Warren Ramos, according to CNN. He reportedly filed a defamation claim against the paper in 2012, which was dismissed in 2013 and upheld after an appeal in 2015.

2:49 PM PT -- The suspect is a white male in his 20s with no ID who was taken into custody without the exchange of gunfire. He has damaged his fingertips, so law enforcement cannot ID him from fingerprints.

Smoke bombs and flash bangs were found in his backpack.

1:48 PM PT -- MD officials just announced that there have been 5 fatalities, with several others "gravely" injured.

They also stated that within 60-90 seconds of the gunman opening fire, authorities were on the scene. At this time, they believe the suspect in custody acted alone, and the building is now secure.

Gunfire erupted in a Maryland newspaper's office Thursday, and the gunman reportedly took down multiple employees before cops captured him.

The mass shooting happened in the Capital Gazette's newsroom in Annapolis. The suspect reportedly shot through a glass door at the beginning of the attack ... and continued firing around the office.

Cops raced to the scene, and Anne Arundel County Sheriff says one of his deputies successfully captured the suspect alive. He's reportedly a white man in his 20s. Authorities say he used a shotgun.

In a scene we've seen far too often, employees were seen exiting the building with their hands in the air ... as cops tried to get people out of harm's way.

Some early reports say as many as 4 people were killed and 5 injured in the attack.

A confirmed reporter inside the building at the time of the shooting tweeted from the scene.

Zion Williamson did his best Michael Jordan impression Thursday ... throwing down a hammer dunk -- after taking off from the free throw line!!

It all went down at Zion's high school gym in Spartanburg, SC -- where he's put on a few dunk shows this summer.

The Duke commit took a running start from one side of the court ... planted his toes on the free throw stripe -- and stretched out like M.J. in Space Jam for the throwdown.

FYI ... it's 15 feet from where Z took off to where he landed ... and for good measure -- he put down a left-handed windmill to show it was no fluke.

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been hit with a $2.75 MILLION fine by the NFL for workplace misconduct -- misconduct which included sexual harassment and racist language.

The NFL says an investigation into Richardson substantiated the claims made by Panthers employees who claimed Richardson sexually harassed female staffers and used the n-word.

The NFL says the investigation -- led by former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White -- also showed the improper conduct in the organization was limited to Richardson.

In other words, they don't believe it's a staff-wide problem.

As for his punishment, the NFL says Richardson's massive fine will mostly go to organizations that support domestic violence and sexual assault victims ... as well as places that fight racial discrimination.

Wayne Rooney -- one of the most famous soccer players in the world -- has made it official ... he's joining D.C. United ... and his first game in the MLS is in TWO WEEKS!!

The team announced Rooney's arrival with a dope hype video ... titling it, "#NoWayneNoGain."

The ex-Everton star is a British legend on the pitch ... and his arrival has plenty of people gassed up for American soccer -- including Rooney himself, who says, "All right D.C. Let's get to work."

But, not everyone's as charged up about the move ... with Alexi Lalas telling TMZ Sports just a month ago that there's no way Rooney's arrival will "move the needle" when it comes to MLS interest.

Tekashi69 claims to be "so deadass" good at soccer -- he thinks Mexico should put him on the roster to face Brazil in the World Cup.

And, yes ... it's all on video!

The rapper put his rainbow hair in a bun and hit the pitch to show off his skills -- from a terrible penalty shot to flopping ... to that prayer thing players do when they take the field.

It's mostly bad ... until he plays goalie.

6ix9ine says he was dope as a kid -- and doesn't look completely unathletic when he's blocking shots in this workout.

Tom Brady!!!!!

Here's the deal ... Barstool Sports posted a pic on Instagram showing a hippo chewin' on another hippo's butt and included the caption, "As soon as bae gets out of the shower #AssEatinSZN."

Nothing out of the ordinary there ... until we looked at the comments and noticed Tom Brady weighing in -- with some laughing face emojis and the word, "Yep."

GISELE!!!!!!

For the uninitiated, Ass Eatin' Season is a thing on Barstool. And, by the way, they even tweeted about it already, saying ... "Tom Brady is about that life #AssEatinSZN."

Last we saw Tom and Gisele, they were at a U2 concert together in Boston and Tom was belting out the lyrics at the top of his lungs.

The brother of NY Giants star Janoris Jenkins has been charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of a man found in the basement of JJ's New Jersey home ... officials say.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... William Jenkins was taken into custody early Tuesday morning on an unrelated parole warrant violation.

But now, officials clearly believe that, before they arrested Jenkins, he killed Roosevelt Rene ... the man discovered at Janoris' home.

Rene's body was not found until roughly 9 hours after William was arrested. But, once they started investigating ... they believe they found enough evidence to connect William to the killing.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office says the investigation is ongoing and notes that the charges are "merely accusations. Defendant presumed innocent."