Controversial S#!T

Mark Cuban ain't losing sleep over the controversy in the NBA over the term "owner" -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's not that big a deal."

"If you run a company, own a company, start a company ... you decide [on what to call yourself]," Cuban told us.

Of course, Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks back in 2000 and is still listed as "owner" in the team's 2018-19 media guide.

The issue ... several players, including Draymond Green, have voiced concern over the term -- essentially saying it's racially insensitive in a league comprised of mostly black players.

Several teams have moved away from the term -- including the Philadelphia 76ers and the L.A. Clippers -- and even NBA Commish Adam Silver has said he's sensitive to the issue.

In fact, Silver told TMZ Sports the league office is no longer using the term "owner" -- opting for the term "governor" instead. Though Silver made it clear there is no hard rule banning the term in the NBA.

Phoenix Suns baller Kelly Oubre Jr. traded his jersey for some oversized white robes on Sunday ... and it was all in the name of FASHION!!!

The 6'7" hooper was front and center at the Pigalle Paris Spring/Summer show at Paris Men's Fashion Week ... as part of the brand's collab with Converse.

The event had pretty much everything you could ask for -- people in silver head caps, creative director Stephane Ashpool in a wolf mask ... and of course, the prettiest player in the NBA.

Oubre is easily one of the most stylish players in the league ... and always takes advantage of every opportunity to show off his unique swag.

Wave Papi thanked Ashpool for the opportunity ... saying "Thank you my brother @stephane_ashpool for allowing me to be apart of your vision. Thank you for bringing ART back to Fashion. Amazing Show."

The Justin Bieber vs. Tom Cruise hype train has left the station ... with UFC honcho Dana White saying the celebrity superfight would probably be the biggest Pay-Per-View event in combat sports history!!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... White said he is seriously interested in putting together the Bieber vs. Cruise fight ... after hearing from two "serious people" with connections to the stars that they'd be down to scrap.

And, we're also told Bieber's rep, Scooter Braun, spoke with William Morris Endeavor co-owner Ari Emanuel and Dana White on a secret phone call and said Bieber is "100%" down with it.

So, when White was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Sunday night, he told TMZ Sports he thinks there's a real shot this fight goes down.

"Weirder things have happened, let's put it that way," White said.

"I think it would be the biggest purse ever and I think it would be the biggest Pay-Per-View ever too."

White says the situation is still developing and he hasn't heard anything official from Tom's camp yet -- but he's hopeful he'll have more info in the coming days.

Until then, White seems excited to make it happen ... though he's keeping it real when asked about the actual combat.

Paul Pierce loves everything about the Boston Celtics' top draft selection Grant Williams -- telling TMZ Sports straight-up," That's a great pick!"

Boston picked the forward from Tennessee with the 22nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft -- and they're expecting big things from the 6'8", 236 pounder.

Besides being a stud in college, where he was a 1st team All American and a 2-time SEC Player of the Year ... he's also been praised for being super smart -- something that runs in his family.

In fact, Grant's mother, Teresa Johnson, is an engineer for NASA -- one of the first black, female engineers to ever do it ... amazing.

This is why Grant confidently shot down Kyrie Irving's flat-Earth theory in a video that's going viral -- where the NBA rookie tells it like it is ...

"Kyrie's 'Earth is flat' theory is scientifically not true," Grant said ... "That's just not true at all."

By the way, Kyrie is still technically on the Celtics -- so things could get weird in the locker room.

Then again, Kyrie is expected to leave when free agency begins in a few weeks ... so crisis averted?!

Charles Barkley HATES LaVar Ball -- blasting the Big Baller as an "idiot" who should never be allowed on television again!

"Wherever LaVar Ball is, there's a village missing an idiot," Barkley said ... "We should just keep LaVar off television. That would be the best way to be."

Barkley's newest anti-LaVar stance comes in the wake of another Ball controversy -- he's been under fire for comments he made on-air to ESPN's Molly Qerim ... comments ESPN deemed "completely inappropriate."

Sir Charles clearly feels LaVar's antics are HURTING his sons -- especially Lonzo Ball, who just got traded to the New Orleans Pelicans -- and he wants LB to cut it out.

"It's really unfair to his son. His son is a good player and a nice kid."

When asked if LaVar can get a fresh start in Louisiana ... Charles said, "He's an idiot in all 50 states."

Charles also talked about Zion Williamson -- who a lot of people have compared to Barkley.

"He's a lot more explosive than I am," Barkley said ... "A lot more explosive."

"He's not as good of a basketball player as I am right now but he's got great potential and a great future."

Louis C.K.'s surprise appearance at a comedy festival sent the crowd into a frenzy ... roaring in approval as he took the stage.

The comedian hit up Skankfest NYC Saturday night in Brooklyn ... where the crowd had ZERO clue he was about to take the mic. Check out the video ... the packed house gave Louis a standing ovation. Some of them literally jumped for joy. You can see a woman going berserk.

We're told Louis opened up his set by quickly addressing the controversy surrounding him ... telling the crowd, "If you ever masturbate in front of someone, ask them first. If they say yes, don't do it!"

Louis had the crowd laughing their asses off for about 20 minutes before calling it a night. Remember, last time he made a surprise appearance, back in September, he also got quite the ovation.

We're told the festival's promoter, Luis J. Gomez, had been working hard to get Louis C.K. to agree to perform. And, with days to spare before the festival officially kicked off, Gomez locked him down. 'SNL' star Michael Che followed Louis' set. Bill Burr also performed.

Louis, of course, is still in the midst of making a comeback since his 2017 confession -- admitting he'd exposed himself to several women and masturbated in front of them or over the phone.

Curfews suck when you're 26 years old ... just ask Lil Durk who's having HUGE problems cashing checks for high-paying, late-night gigs thanks to a court-ordered bedtime in his attempted murder case.

Durk was released from jail Thursday night after posting $250k bail -- but under the terms of his release, he's not allowed to be out in public from 11 PM to 7 AM.

The issue for Durk ... the late-night hours are MASSIVE for rap stars -- who get paid a ton of money for late-night shows, after-parties, club appearances and more.

Durk -- who's had hits with guys like Snoop, Fetty Wap and more -- is getting calls and offers to collect some big paychecks over the next few weeks ... but he's had to turn most of them down.

He's also had other shows that were booked before the attempted murder drama -- but those shows have had to be rescheduled too.

We're told Durk usually charges about $30k per late-night show -- so calling off multiple gigs (we're told 6 have been canceled, so far) ... is costing Durk a serious coin.

Oh, and Durk is rocking a GPS-tracking ankle bracelet ... so it's not like he can sneak out and do the shows on the sneak tip.

In the meantime, we're told Durk is trying to book earlier shows at daytime festivals -- but those are harder to come by ... and he's still losing out on the after-party money.

Durk ain't exactly poor (far from it) but his legal bills are mounting up -- and it's not like this case is about to wrap up any time soon.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says moving away from the term "owner" makes sense -- telling TMZ Sports, "We moved away from that term years ago."

We broke the story ... multiple NBA teams (including the Clippers and 76ers) have stopped using the title owner because they feel it's racially insensitive in a league where the majority of the players are black.

When we saw Silver out in NYC, we asked if he supported the decision and how the league office is handling the issue.

"I don't want to overreact to the term because, as I said earlier, people end up twisting themselves into knots avoiding the use of the word owner," Silver said ... "But, we moved away from that term years ago in the league."

"We call our team owners 'Governor of the team' and 'alternate Governor.'"

Silver says the word owner has sometimes slipped through in an NBA memo -- but general rule in the office is to no longer use that term ... adding, "I'm sensitive to it and I think to the extent teams are moving away from the term, we'll stick with using Governor."

As for the feedback from the players, Silver says he's heard from both sides -- "Players have gone both ways. I think a few players have actually spoken out and said the greatest thing that ever happened was when Michael Jordan was able to call himself an owner."

Janet Jackson has broken her silence amid new allegations against her brother, Michael Jackson, in "Leaving Neverland" -- and her message is simple ... his rep will be just fine.

Michael's younger sister spoke with The Sunday Times, and addressed what she thought would happen to the King of Pop's legacy going forward ... saying, "It will continue." Janet went on to say that she still sees Michael's influence in the world today ... a reassuring sign.

Janet says, "I love it when I see kids emulating him, when adults still listen to his music. It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world." She added, "I hope I'm not sounding arrogant in any way -- I'm just stating what it is. It's really all God's doing, and I'm just thankful for that."

In the interview, Janet did not speak on Wade Robson and James Safechuck's specific allegations head-on ... but it's pretty clear where she stands on the issue. According to Billboard, Janet has been playing Michael's tunes during her concerts without hesitation.

She's also defended him in the past, specifically when Jordy Chandler accused Michael of sexual abuse in '93. At the time, Janet called it a money grab.

Other members of Michael's family have gone to bat for him in the wake of "Leaving Neverland," calling Wade and James' claims full-blown lies. His estate is even taking HBO to court for airing the explosive documentary ... saying the network violated a decades-old contract they signed with him back in the day, in which it agreed not to disparage MJ.

A San Francisco 49ers player is releasing a new rap song in support of Colin Kaepernick ... and says he has "no fear" of any possible negative repercussions.

The player is Antone Exum -- a 6th year NFL safety who writes and produces rap music when he's not playing in the league.

Exum says the song he's most excited about releasing is titled, "Officer Kaepernick" -- which addresses police brutality and "injustices in the police force."

As Exum puts it, "I feel like if [Kaepernick's] whole movement had a score, it would be this song."

The 28-year-old says he understands there are "good cops that we have" -- and appreciates them -- but says it's important to call out the bad cops who operate out of a place of fear and hate.

When asked about a possible backlash from NFL owners, teammates and fans -- Exum told us he is drawing strength from the former 49ers quarterback ... who he considers an inspiration.

"Kaepernick didn't have any fear when he first took a knee," Exum said ... "I think I'll be okay no matter what happens."

George Lopez doesn't mind including President Trump's son, Barron, when criticizing DT's immigration policies ... and don't give him the "he's a kid" line, either.

The comic was leaving the Palace Hotel Saturday in NYC, where we got a chance to ask him about an IG post he'd just thrown up ... which basically calls out the Prez for being so harsh on immigrant children, while his own offspring have immigrant mothers themselves.

In the post ... Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric and 13-year-old Barron are referred to as an "anchor baby" -- meaning a kid born by a non-citizen mother in a country that offers birthright citizenship.

For the record, Ivana -- Trump's first wife, and mother of his older three children -- obtained citizenship in 1988, and her and DT's kids were all born before that. Melania obtained her citizenship in 2006 (the same year Barron was born) but it's unclear what month.

The bigger point here though ... was it appropriate to include Barron in the critique at all? Ya know ... since he is a minor?? George says absolutely ... especially in this administration.

Check it out ... he flips the question back on our photog, asking what's the difference between Barron and any number of the children being detained down by the border. The issue's timely -- Trump just announced he was gonna hold off mass ICE raids on families.

The Tupac Estate, Tom Petty's ex-wife, Hole and countless others involved in the most epic songs in history are suing Universal Music Group, claiming UMG screwed them out of more than $100 million by secretly pocketing money it got after a fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of master recordings.

It's a class action lawsuit and could include the likes of Elton John and many others.

Here's the backstory ... a fire destroyed as many as 500,000 master recordings in UMG's archive vaults on the Universal Studios backlot warehouse.

The suit alleges there was a deal where UMG and the artists split profits from master recordings 50/50.

UMG told Billboard shortly after the fire, "We had no loss, thankfully. We moved most of what was formerly stored there earlier this year to our other facilities." The suit claims that was a big, fat lie.

According to the lawsuit, UMG filed insurance claims of at least $150 MILLION based on the fact the master recordings were destroyed ... and they did not share a penny of that with the artists. The suit claims UMG intentionally tried to deceive the artists by concealing the payments.

The suit asks for more than $100 mil. No word on other artists who may join the class action.

The Game says reparations are the only just way acknowledge the U.S. was built on the backs of slaves ... as for what that looks like, well Game's got ideas.

We got the rap legend Friday night at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where he hosted a listening party for his new album.

Game played off "40 acres and a mule," with an updated version.

Check out his reaction when our photog asks who he's gonna vote for in 2020. He starts to answer, and then recalls he can't vote at all because he's a felon, and then he launches into a solid point ... why can't felons who served their time cast ballots?

Bella Thorne is leaving her troubles behind on the mainland ... hopping on a yacht to party her face off in Miami!!!

Bella's rolling deep with her friends for a little fun in the sun on the first day of summer ... living it up with Chantel Jeffries aboard a luxury yacht full of party people.

It's been a rough week for Bella, who got blasted by Whoopi Goldberg on TV for taking nude photos ... so in the wake of her super emotional clap back at "The View" host, Bella jetted down to South Florida for a much-needed vacation.

Bella knows how to cut loose ... puffing on a blunt and taking some selfies for the Gram as she floats above the picture-perfect water.

Nicki Minaj is scoffing at the chorus of critics who are upset she featured her ex-con BF in her new music video, "MEGATRON" ... our Nicki sources say the public has spoken and they clearly dig it.

Nicki's boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, is all over the vid, in scenes that are scorching with sex.

People are griping she shouldn't have showcased Petty, because he was convicted of attempted rape as well as manslaughter. As for the attempted rape, he used a sharp object against a 16-year-old girl in an attempt to have sex with her when he was 15. He is a registered sex offender. And, as for the manslaughter, he shot and killed a man in 2002.

Sources close to Nicki say she's unmoved by the criticism, adding, "She's happy and in love and he's not going anywhere." They're also crowing that the video has millions of views just 12 hours in, and it's trending big.

The video is a testament to Nicki's relationship with Petty ... we're told it was meant to mirror the affection they have for each other.

Our sources say the love scenes were pretty much all first take ... because they say it was authentic.

At the time of this post, the video has 3.6 million views and it's only been up 12 hours. It's number 2 on trending.

Jordyn Woods wasn't thinking about the Kardashians when she promoted Ray J's new earbuds ... so she says it's not on her if people have misinterpreted her M.O.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... when she popped in a pair of Raycon Headphones for a promo vid, it wasn't done out of spite or even as a subtle dig at her ex-bestie's family -- it was simply a favor for Ray.

We're told Woods was among 12 celebs backstage on the set of VH1's "Hip Hop Squares" earlier this week who Ray J enlisted to be part of his video for his new brand ... and she just went along with it like the rest of them.

The perceived shade, of course, is that Ray J was the other half of the Kim K sex tape ... something the family has steadfastly tried to put in their rear view.

Our sources say there was nothing pre-planned with Ray, and certainly no devious mission concocted to get back at the Kardashian-Jenner fam ... by either of them.

We were told Ray's manager made a substantial offer to Jordyn to promote more of his products in the future ... but our Jordyn sources say she's not doing that.

She's just doing her, we're told, and has no hard feelings toward the Kardashians ... so any perceived disrespect isn't her intention.

As we've reported ... Jordyn's been doing plenty of her own things since the Tristan Thompson cheating scandal, including music vids, Coachella gigs and promoting her own cosmetics products.