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Ben Simmons, DeMarcus Cousins and Giannis Antetokounmpo were just SOME of the massive NBA stars refusing to be scared away from a video game event in NYC ... in the wake of the Florida tragedy.

The NBA stars -- along with rapper Travis Scott -- hit up the NBA 2K19 launch event at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in NYC on Wednesday night ... partying the night away while gaming it up.

The party went down less than a week after a disturbed gamer opened fire at a Madden tournament in Jacksonville, killing 2 people and injuring 11 more.

Several tournaments have either been canceled or postponed since the shooting -- but the NBA 2K19 event decided to move forward as planned.

It's a good thing too -- everyone seemed to have a great time without incident.

Just another reminder ... video games are supposed to be fun.

Before Mychal Kendricks was charged with insider trading, he sold out his ex-Philadelphia Eagles teammates to the Browns ... giving a full scouting report on the guys he played with last year.

It was all captured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- when defensive coordinator asked the linebacker to come up with a list of weaknesses he learned about his teammates during his time in Philly.

Kendricks didn't even hesitate -- putting together a Eagles cheat sheet like a double agent ... and then presented all of his info during a team meeting before they clashed in last week's preseason game.

Here's the info ...

"Uh, let's start with Nick Foles. Playing with Nick Foles, I realized on his long balls, his deep balls, he has like a teardrop effect. He's tall and he likes to drop that literally from the sky. So corners, and the timing's just a little slower on that ball coming in."

"86 [Zach Ertz], I think, is the best receiver on the team. Notice I said 'receiver.' When it comes to blocking, you f*cking hit his ass over and over, he doesn't want any smoke."

"Big V, Vaitai. He's so big that his size allows him to do what he does. You see, but he doesn't have the quickest feet and he's not the strongest. He doesn't trust his feet at all. You get on him, his confidence will go down."

Look, we get it ... sometimes teams will bring in players for their knowledge about their former team -- but this one felt especially snitchy.

Victor Cruz doesn't seem to be bored in his new life after football -- the recently retired NFL star spent his Wednesday night having a fancy dinner with Drake!

Cruz hung up his cleats after 6 seasons with the NY Giants -- in which he racked up 4,549 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Not a bad stint.

Cruz reportedly made close to $30 million in contract money during his career.

After he made his retirement official last week, Cruz signed a deal with ESPN to be an NFL analyst.

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and Cruz was leaving Nobu in New York with the 6 God.

Life is good!

By the way, when he's not hanging with world-famous rap stars, Cruz is dating Karrueche Tran.

Cynthia Nixon and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held nothing back in a nasty debate for the Democratic seat in the state's race for governor.

Nixon and Cuomo squared off Wednesday night -- at Hofstra University -- in the only debate scheduled before New York's Democratic primary September 13. Two topics in particular got the two trading jabs ... immigration and public transportation.

At one point, Gov. Cuomo flat-out yelled at the former "Sex and The City" star, asking her to stop interrupting. However, the shining jab came from Nixon who dished an insult calling Cuomo a liar.

Nixon announced her candidacy back in March on a platform that's focused on public transport and immigration.

A hacker who exposed nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebs is the one getting nailed now ... by the judge who sentenced him to 8 months in federal prison.

George Garofano illegally hacked the private Apple iCloud accounts of Lawrence, paving the way for nude photos and private info to leak all over the Internet. In addition to his prison time, the judge also hit Garofano with 3 years supervised release once he gets out.

The 26-year-old pled guilty in April and admitted he'd posed as a member of Apple's online security to access usernames and passwords.

Garofano was one of four people charged in the massive celeb hacking scandal, which began in 2014 and saw photos published online claiming to show Jennifer, Kate Upton, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst and others.

Louis C.K. did NOT tread lightly in his first stand-up gig since admitting his sexual misconduct, because he reportedly cracked a joke about rape whistles.

Remember, C.K. copped to dropping his pants and masturbating in front of women ... and even coercing them into keeping silent about it. So, at least 2 female audience members at the Comedy Cellar in NYC were shocked to hear him start a bit about the phrase "clean as a whistle."

The women told Vulture C.K. worked up to a joke about rape whistles NOT being clean, and they say it was very well received -- "people were laughing, and I was just sitting there like, oh my f**k."

They were uncomfortable and depressed that C.K.'s joke had killed ... especially considering the things he's admitted doing.

John McCain's casket has arrived at the Arizona State Capitol where family, friends and the public are paying their final respects to the late Senator.

The Arizona Army National Guard carried McCain's casket into the Capitol Museum rotunda Wednesday morning for a private ceremony for family and colleagues ... including remarks by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

During the ceremony, McCain's family was front and center honoring the somber occasion. McCain's wife, Cindy, and daughter, Meghan, were both very emotional at the sight of the casket.

The viewing will open to the public in the afternoon. McCain is the third person to lie in the rotunda in the last 40 years ... State Senator Marilyn Jarrett and Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens were the others.

There will be a procession Thursday morning that will weave through Phoenix before making its way to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

McCain died shortly after his decision to stop medical treatment after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Ex-Ohio State football coach Zach Smith is furious -- claiming allegations he beat his wife are wrong and he's threatening to sue the reporter who broke open the story, Brett McMurphy.

"Silence = over," Smith tweeted Wednesday ... the beginning of an angry rant directed at reporters and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith.

Smith claims McMurphy's reports about him are not only wrong -- but claims some of the images he's posted or reported on have been photoshopped.

"I am waiting for one thing that is accurate beyond a name change or photoshop session. I will see you in court you clown."

Smith also lays out his version of the "facts" -- saying:

"1. My kids are suffering because of all of this (most important)
2. I never beat my wife
3. OSU botched the investigation and worse off the 'punishment.'
4. They forced [Urban Meyer] into his statement, I hope at least... because he knows what’s real and would have never apologized.
5. President Drake is either the cause of the joke of an 'investigation' or 'punishment' or he allowed it."

Smith added, "It is very hard to be silent when falsehoods & half-truths are said about you and there is no way to defend yourself. I’ve made mistakes in my life but being a domestic abuser is not one of them! I’ll answer every question in court and under oath when the time comes & cant WAIT!"

Smith also posted a photo of his two young kids claiming they're the ones hurting the most from the scandal.

As we've previously reported, Smith was fired in July after allegedly violating a restraining order requiring him to stay away from his ex-wife.

It has since come out that Courtney called police on Zach several times over the years alleging domestic violence but he was never formally charged with a crime.

Zach has previously denied abusing Courtney, but acknowledged that things had gotten physical during heated disputes.

There's still mystery surrounding the death of Bethenny Frankel's boyfriend, Dennis Shields, because an autopsy was NOT performed.

The Chief Medical Examiner of NYC says there was a religious objection to the autopsy, so it was not performed -- and the cause and manner of death has been ruled undetermined.

We're told in New York, a religious objection can prevent an autopsy as long as police don't suspect a crime had been committed.

TMZ broke the story ... Dennis was found dead earlier this month in Trump Tower from an apparent oxycodone OD. Dennis took an unknown quantity of oxycodone Rx pills, law enforcement sources say, and the following morning he asked his housekeeper to fetch Narcan, which blocks the effects of an opioid overdose.

It's unknown when Dennis lost consciousness, but at some point the maid called 911. As we reported, the maid administered the Narcan but Dennis remained unresponsive. EMTs rushed to Trump Tower but it was too late.

Bethenny was extremely emotional during a final goodbye to Dennis. He was buried Aug. 13.

1:20 PM PT -- Fox News says, "We do not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that [DeSantis] has since clarified his statement."

DeSantis says characterizing his remark as anything other than voters making "the wrong decision" is absurd.

Florida's gubernatorial race got seriously racial when Republican candidate Ron DeSantis dropped a "monkey" comment while talking about his Democratic opponent ... who is black.

DeSantis is fresh off winning the Republican primary, and while on Fox News Wednesday morning ... he was asked about going head-to-head with Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum.

DeSantis said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda."

There was no pause or attempt to re-phrase -- so, either he didn't realize what he'd said, or it's blatant racial dog-whistling.

Team USA soccer legend Clint Dempsey is hanging up his cleats -- announcing he's retiring from professional soccer.

"'After a lot of thought, my family and I have decided that this is the right time for me to step away from the game,” 35-year-old Dempsey said.

"I’d like to thank all of the teammates, coaches and support staff that I’ve worked with throughout my career. It has always been my dream to make it as a pro. I’m grateful to have been on this ride."

Dempsey first appeared on the Team USA World Cup squad back in 2006 -- and became a leader due to his aggressive and passionate style of play. He scored goals in 3 consecutive World Cup tourneys (2006, 2010 and 2014).

Dempsey is tied for 1st as the U.S. Men's National Team all-time leading scorer with 57 international goals. He's tied with Landon Donovan.

Among active international soccer players, Dempsey only trails Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Villa in most goals scored.

He was drafted by the New England Revolution in the 2004 MLS Draft. He was later loaned to Fulham of the Premier League and scored 50 goals during his time with the team.

Dempsey then went to Tottenham Hotspur from 2012 to 2013 -- notching 7 goals in 29 appearances.

From there, it was back to the MLS where he finished up his career with the Seattle Sounders.

"I would like to thank all of the fans who have supported me throughout my career with the New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham, Seattle Sounders and the U.S. Men’s National Team," Dempsey said.

"Y’all have always made me feel at home, and it is something that I will always remember.”

Kanye West has more to say about slavery being a choice, because he says he couldn't get his full explanation out when he was on TMZ Live.

Ye was on the 107.5 WGCI Morning Show with Leon Rogers, Kendra G, and Kyle in Chicago Wednesday, and elaborated on what he told us back in May ... that 400 years of slavery sounds "like a choice." The part he didn't say to us involves his spirit and the spirits of Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner.

Now, Kanye admits up front, this is his "non-historical opinion," but watch his perspective. Still seems like he's saying more African slaves should have rebelled ... which, let's be honest, is what upset people the first time he said it.

He did apologize for how the slavery remark "made people feel."

Just as a refresher ... here's exactly how it came out when Kanye was on TMZ Live. It's early, around 3:45 into the episode.

On his way out of the radio station, he spoke to Chicago's FOX32 about why he's back in Chicago, and also about liking President Trump ... still.

LeBron James says white people were an acquired taste for him ... because he didn't always feel like he wanted to be around them.

James' conversation show, "The Shop," premiered on HBO Tuesday night and, while flanked with stars like Jon Stewart, Odell Beckham Jr. and Vince Staples, LBJ talked about life at his mostly white, exclusive, private school in Akron, Ohio.

LeBron candidly admits that when he first got to Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary, he had no intention of communicating or befriending his caucasian classmates.

"Took me a while to adjust to it ... I was like, I'm not f*cking with white people, that was my initial thought to white America."

James explains where these ideas came from ... telling the guys his upbringing conditioned him to be distrustful of white people, which represented oppression to him since he grew up disadvantaged.

Didn't take long for it to change ... Maverick Carter, James' business partner and bestie since high school, chimed in explaining that by the end of the year everyone was friends, hanging out and going to the same parties.

Cleveland Browns star linebacker Mychal Kendricks has admitted he participated in an insider trading scheme -- and now he's been hit with federal criminal charges.

Kendricks -- who was on the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl team last season -- allegedly made around $1.2 MILLION by making trades based on non-public information he got from a friend, which is illegal.

In exchange for the tips, Kendricks allegedly hooked up his friend with perks including cash, NFL tickets and a visit to a Teyana Taylor music video shoot.

Officials say Kendricks would speak with his friend using code words -- almost an acknowledgment that what he was doing was wrong.

Kendricks is facing serious prison time if convicted.

Seems the 27-year-old's strategy is to comply with officials and cut a plea deal because he's already publicly admitted to the crime.

"I would like to apologize," Kendricks said in a statement Wednesday morning ... "Four years ago, I participated in insider trading, and I deeply regret it."

"I invested money with a former friend of mine who I thought I could trust and who I greatly admired. His background as a Harvard graduate and an employee of Goldman Sachs gave me a false sense of confidence."

"While I didn’t fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions."

Kendricks says he's been cooperating with authorities and will "accept full responsibility for my actions."

"Although I did not take any of the profits for myself, I am committed to repaying all of the funds gained illegally and accept the consequences of my actions."

The Browns have just announced Kendricks will not make the trip to Detroit for the final preseason game on Thursday.

A 22-year-old woman claims she was raped in an apartment where 2 Cleveland Browns players live -- telling police a friend of tight end David Njoku had sex with her after she fell asleep at their pad.

Njoku is NOT accused of any wrongdoing but has been interviewed by police over the incident.

According to the police report, the woman claims she went to the upscale downtown Cleveland apartment complex where Njoku lives with WR Rashard Higgins early Saturday morning after a night of drinking with her friends.

The woman claims she fell asleep in Higgins' bed, but when she woke up a 3rd man -- Kashwayne Nelson -- was having sex with her. She immediately tried to call 911 but Nelson allegedly pulled the phone away and grabbed her by the hair.

The woman says she managed to leave the apartment and later got in touch with police.

When cops arrived, they spoke with Higgins -- who said he had hooked up with the accuser earlier that night but had left the apartment because he couldn't sleep.

While Higgins was out of the apt., Nelson allegedly snuck in and raped the woman.

Cops also spoke with Njoku -- who acknowledged Nelson is his friend who also lives in the apartment -- but Njoku says he was in his bedroom the entire evening and didn't know anything about the incident.

Ultimately, cops arrested Nelson on suspicion of rape. Cops also say he gave them a fake ID when asked for identification -- so he was also booked for obstruction of justice.

The Browns issued a statement to Ohio.com saying, "Rashard immediately notified us of the situation and he and David fully cooperated with the police while being interviewed."

Manu Ginobili might be retired ... but San Antonio Spurs star Pau Gasol's clearly still in his prime ... taking his insanely attractive GF out for a romantic trip to Ibiza ... and the pics are straight fire.

38-year-old Pau is dating Cat McDonnell -- a former USC cheerleader who has a background working for a big-time finance company. They've been IG official since 2016.

The couple looked to be having a great time on Pau's home soil ... going on boat rides, cozy dinners and other mushy stuff.

And also, she looks absolutely INSANE in a bikini.

Not like Pau can't afford to take amazing trips like this for the rest of his life -- he's currently in the middle of a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the Spurs.

And get this ... career earning for Pau? $199 MILLION!!!!!

That's just about $34 million less than LeBron James has made through NBA contracts (though James has made a TON more in off-the-court deals).

For comparison, Kobe Bryant reportedly made $323 MIL in NBA contract money. Manu Ginobili made $114 mil over 15 seasons.