Controversial S#!T

No, Ja Morant is not throwing away his NBA career ... at least, that's according to Richard Jefferson, who tells TMZ Sports the star's latest lapse in judgment is simply a young man "making mistakes in front of the public eye."

The former NBA champ made the comments to us out at LAX on Monday -- just two days after Morant filmed himself brandishing a gun while out at what appeared to be a Colorado strip club.

Many believe the 23-year-old is tanking his own career -- as he's now not only under police investigation over the footage, but he's also been booted from his Grizzlies team for the time being.

Jefferson, though, said he doesn't have any concerns this could derail the superstar's track in the Association ... telling us he's confident Morant will learn and grow from the fallout with relative ease.

"Him and his family are good people," Jefferson said, before adding, "I believe in him. I believe that he'll kind of turn things on. And, look, we've seen men come through worse and come out on the other side."

Morant -- who was also accused of flashing a gun at a high school basketball player during an altercation with the teenager at his home last summer -- vowed on Saturday to seek out help.

ESPN's Bomani Jones is planting 🚩🚩🚩 all around the Ja Morant gun situation, and thinks the NBA star could find himself in a fatal tragedy -- much like Young Dolph -- if he keeps messing around in Memphis.

Bomani and Domonique Foxworth were discussing the now infamous scenario on "The Right Time" podcast when they brought up former Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Zach Randolph ... who experienced a few obstacles himself trying to shake the streets once he began playing in arenas.

According to Bomani, Zach's credentials in the streets actually stacked up while Ja's hood demeanor is questionable -- and he thinks it's highly relevant that Dolph was murdered at a seemingly neutral zone, like a cookie shop.

The popular Memphis-born rapper was shot and killed on the way to his annual Thanksgiving turkey drive in 2021 ... and Bomani says Ja's playing with guns with "regular people" in a city that is currently in the top 10 for murders.

For his part, Randolph started the NLess Entertainment record label that propelled Moneybagg Yo to prominence and has become a philanthropic beacon for years. Ja might need a similar turnaround.

Brandon Miller just received top honors in his conference -- despite his connection to a murder case -- with the Alabama Crimson Tide star being named Player of the Year.

The Southeastern Conference unveiled the winners of the men's basketball postseason awards on Monday ... which are selected by the 14 head coaches.

The Tide forward -- who leads the SEC this season with 19.6 points per game -- received two of the awards: Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year ... weeks after Miller's name was mentioned in a murder case.

As we previously reported, law enforcement testified that Miller was the one who brought his former teammate, Darius Miles, the gun that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. The mother of one was gunned down on Jan. 15 in Tuscaloosa.

Miles' friend, Michael Davis, is the alleged shooter.

Both Miles and Davis are facing capital murder charges ... but Miller isn't in any trouble with the law or his school.

This, of course, has upset some college hoops fans ... who recently chanted "lock him up" at the Bama-South Carolina game last month.

The victim's parents are also furious the university continued to let him play despite the allegations.

"He took a brief pause and it didn’t stop. It’s like, OK, slap on the wrist and go play ball," Harris' mother, DeCarla Cotton, told USA Today.

"They're worried about his career, but what about this 5-year-old boy (Harris’ son, Kaine). He’s the true victim in all this. He won’t have a mother anymore to influence his growing up and who he’s going to be."

Angela Yee didn't paint "The Breakfast Club" as a great place for women to work while chatting with Tamron Hall ... but DJ Envy's rejecting her view, and, perhaps, reopening old wounds from December's abrupt breakup.

Envy denied Yee's claims she was the only woman on the staff during most of her time at 'BC,' noting they've had a female producer for years and even she replaced a different woman.

Yee was on "The Tamron Hall Show" last week and talked about her old show as a sorta "boys club" -- but on Monday, her former cohosts said the allegation diminishes the women who propelled the show behind-the-scenes.

Envy says he spoke to Yee directly on Sunday, and claims she owned up to misspeaking during the interview ... claiming she was referring to a lack of female cohosts, despite her saying the complete opposite during her confessional.

Charlamagne Tha God didn't have much to add to Yee or Envy's side, but thinks Tamron and her producers are out to fill the sensational void left due to the departure of Wendy Williams on daytime TV.

Envy says Yee will be clearing the comments up on her "Wake Up" show later today ... as they angered many women working at the station, including the Executive VP of Programming, who happens to be a woman, 🙈

Melle Mel of the legendary Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five feels some kind of way about being ranked so far below Kendrick Lamar and Eminem ... and he's slapping both emcees with backhanded compliments.

The veteran rapper recently argued to "The Art Of Dialogue" that while both Kendrick and Em are lyrically proficient, their styles and music aren't influential or mimicked by enough rappers to earn high-class status in hip hop.

According to Billboard's list, Melle Mel is the 48th-best rapper of all time, compared to Kendrick at #2 at Em at #5 -- but Melle says their music doesn't get burn in the streets or clubs ... or so he's heard.

Melle doesn't deny he's an old fart but still thinks his radar works well enough to know Kendrick doesn't deserve to be ranked that high.

In the case of Em, Melle thinks Slim Shady benefits from reverse affirmative action ... earning more attention simply because he was a capable white rapper in an arena dominated by Black artists.

Melle says if he was white, his legacy would be in line with Elvis Presley's ... a debatable point but he's not the only pick on the BB list upset with the final count.

When we spoke to Ice Cube -- who placed #18 -- the N.W.A legend shredded the entire operation for lack of credibility and reminded us that opinions aren't facts!!!

Marcus Stroman is calling out Nike, accusing the retail conglomerate of being hypocritical for its drastically different responses to Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving's controversies -- saying, "always knew Nike was trash."

Nike released a statement over the weekend after Morant displayed a gun on Instagram Live ... saying, "We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being.”

You'll recall ... Nike parted ways with Irving, who had been with the company since 2011 after the superstar point guard tweeted out a link to a controversial film. Now, Strowman is pointing out what he believes is a double standard ... with Nike sticking by Ja, but not Kyrie.

"Kyrie posted a link with zero comments and they ended his contract. I always knew Nike was trash," the Chicago Cubs star pitcher tweeted. "Thankful to be free from any of these companies!"

Nike cut ties with Irving -- whose contract was set to expire in October 2023 -- one month after the shoe giant suspended its relationship with him. At the time, Nike cofounder and chairman Phil Knight said "Kyrie stepped over the line, adding, "It's kind of that simple."

Meanwhile, Morant -- who is also accused of beating up a teenager during a pickup basketball game, before allegedly flashing a gun in his waistband -- was suspended for at least two games by the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday ... there's no timetable for Morant's return.

"We're taking it one day at a time," Jenkins said. "This is going to be an ongoing healing process, so I can't comment in terms of what the exact timetable's going to be because it's really not a timetable situation."

A young fan was pissed after AEW star MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) threw a drink in his face at AEW's "Revolution" event, and now the promotion is trying to make things right.

It all went down Sunday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco ... MJF was fighting Bryan Danielson in a 60-minute iron match when he went after a kid in the crowd.

MJF -- widely considered one of the best heels in the business -- walked up to a woman who was standing up for the match, took her drink, then threw it in the kid's face.

The incident drew the ire of the crowd ... you could see and hear fans booing in the clip, and AEW announcer, Tazz, even said on air, "went a little too far there."

After the event, reporters asked the AEW world champion why he threw the drink at the kid, and he said ..."The kid looked thirsty. What's the second question?"

Meanwhile, AEW exec Tony Khan felt differently ... Khan condemned the champ's behavior and said he spent some time apologizing to the youngster.

“We had a serious conversation and I mean that," Khan said. "It’s not to be taken lightly. The young man, Titus, was a real pro about it. We’ll see Titus here again at AEW."

"I believe Titus is actually coming to Sacramento. I was just with him, and he was a real champ about it. The champion didn’t act like a champion there, but I think Titus was great."

Protesters in Atlanta who are against a so-called "Cop City" being built in their backyard took their fight straight to the police this weekend ... a clash that erupted in violence and flames.

APD says several of their officers were forced to respond to dozens of demonstrators Sunday -- who they say departed a music festival to descend on a construction site in a wooded area of neighboring Dekalb County, and they unleashed mayhem when they arrived.

The construction site is part of a massive, 85-acre police academy/training facility that city officials have been trying to build for years -- and which is already partially in use.

A lot of people in Atlanta have opposed its presence and have protested on and off for about a year or so -- one protester was even shot and killed earlier this year. Things had simmered down since then ... until Sunday evening.

Check out this video Atlanta PD released, which they say shows some of the attack they were under ... it's pretty insane. You see people dressed in black throwing items at officers as they scramble to close gates.

Cops say these protesters -- who they paint as agitators -- were throwing Molotov cocktails, setting off fireworks and chucking rocks and other projectiles in officers' direction. Soon enough, fires did start breaking out on some of the police equipment ... utterly wild scene.

Eventually, enough backup arrived to drive the protesters away ... and at that point, cops spread out into the surrounding woods to look for stragglers. APD says they detained upward of 35 individuals, but unclear if any of them were arrested or if they'll be charged.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins says Ja Morant could miss more than two games as a result of his gun-flashing Instagram Live video over the weekend ... telling reporters there's no set timetable for his return.

Jenkins briefly talked about his superstar guard's controversial clip prior to Memphis' matchup with the Clippers on Sunday ... saying it's a "very tough moment, for sure."

Morant -- who apologized for the vid on Saturday -- said he was going to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Jenkins said he will not disclose details of private conversations held with Morant and the front office following the incident ... but voiced his support for the guard as he seeks help.

"We love him. We want what's best for him. We support him. It's going to be a difficult process, but we got a great group to get through this."

Coach added the focus is on getting Morant in a better place on and off the court ... and he hopes the All-Star can take accountability and understand the expectations the team has for him.

As for how long Morant will be away from the team, Jenkins said there is "not a definitive timeline."

Pete Davidson went from beachside lounging one day to a collision in the streets of L.A. the next ... and his girlfriend was with him for both occasions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Pete and Chase Sui Wonders were involved in a car accident Saturday night around 11 PM. Our sources say he was behind the wheel of a Mercedes and driving at a high rate of speed through the Flats neighborhood of Bev Hills.

For some reason, we're told he lost control of the vehicle ... which hopped a curb, took out a fire hydrant and then proceeded to slam into the side of a nearby house ... dragging across the lawn and leaving skid marks on the grass.

Based on photos of the crash site, obtained by TMZ, it doesn't appear Pete went into the property ... but our sources say he did strike it and caused damage. Thankfully, nobody was hurt -- be it outside or in the home. Cops were called, however, and they responded.

We're told the preliminary view is that drugs and alcohol were not involved here, but an investigation is currently underway. Our sources also say no arrests were made on the spot, and that Pete and Chase were not cited either ... at least not for now, anyway.

Unclear what sorta interaction the two stars might've had with the homeowners, but ya gotta imagine insurance is gonna get involved for this ... at the very least. We've reached out to both of their reps for further comment ... so far, no word back.

It's pretty wild that Pete and Chase were back in L.A. in such a short turnaround ... remember, they were literally just photographed in Hawaii earlier that same day (Saturday) enjoying the beach together -- and they didn't seem to be in a rush getting back.

They must've left almost immediately after getting snapped by paps, 'cause a flight from the islands to L.A. takes a good 5 hours or so. Seems they were eager to be out and about as soon as they touched down. Pete even presented at the Kids' Choice Awards last night!

Pedro Pascal says he's aware that this new hit HBO show, "The Last of Us," is getting compared to another 'Us' series ... and his response to that is, take it up with the writers.

We got the TV star Friday in WeHo, where he was signing autographs and itching to leave. Before he did, though, PP chopped it up with us for a bit ... and we asked him why 'LOU' keeps on introducing great characters that we all love, only to kill 'em off immediately?

If that sorta gut-wrenching TV sounds familiar, it's because it is ... AKA, NBC's "This Is Us," which is a real tear-jerker and also tends to write out characters at a moment's notice.

Pedro says he thinks the pain viewers are experiencing by briefly meeting/losing onscreen faves like Bill and Frank (RIP), Tess (also RIP) and most recently, Riley (maybe RIP?) is actually worth it. He doesn't really explain why ... but perhaps he knows, that's just good TV.

When we pressed a bit further, he kinda just shrugged his shoulders and said ... hey, I just do the acting. In other words, the fleeting characters thing isn't his call -- which is honest.

Our photog also touched on another theme that's being brought up again and again throughout this first season ... namely, LGBTQ+ representation. Some of the names mentioned above actually lend themselves to that, and Pedro says ... yeah, it's important.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delayed making payments in regards to her Met Gala appearance two years ago -- this according to the findings of an ethics investigation.

The NY congresswoman has been at the center of a Capitol Hill probe for about a year, and this week ... the results were released. According to the fact-finders, it looks like AOC and/or her staff were quite slow in paying people back ... to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The House Ethics Committee came down hard in their report, saying they have "substantial reason" to believe Rep. Ocasio-Cortez might have violated ethics rules for members of Congress, and maybe even broken federal laws pertaining to gifts and perks she received at the time of the Gala, when she walked the red carpet in a loud "Tax the Rich" dress.

According to them, it's unclear if AOC was ever going to pay people back for the dress, the makeup services, the hotel costs, the accessories, or anything else she received as part of her appearance ... and they go on to claim that the launch of this investigation seems to have spurred her and her staff to act. AOC has since paid off the tab ... about $7,700 all told.

Apparently, several vendors involved in getting AOC all dolled up that day were hounding her for the cash for months ... including the designer of the dress, Aurora James. And, for a while, the circumstances under which she was invited were also murky. Apparently, she was a guest of Vogue's -- but the EIC, Anna Wintour, is obviously deeply involved in prepping the Met Gala ... so it seemed fishy, at first. While it might appear like a conflict of interest, at face value, the Ethics Committee found the invite itself OK ... and aren't dinging her for it.

As for how AOC is responding ... she's pleading ignorance. She says she wasn't aware that these payments were owed and regrets that it ever got to this point. Her attorney also notes that just because the Ethics Committee might've found evidence of possible malfeasance, it doesn't actually mean anything wrong was done ... especially since she's cleared her bill.

Erin Brockovich -- the famous paralegal turned activist who helped a massive PG&E scandal in the '90s -- has seen the aftermath in East Palestine ... and according to her, it's grim.

We got Erin at LAX Friday, where she'd just arrived from a visit in Ohio ... meeting and helping folks while surveying the damage and assessing the needs of the community. As she put it to us flatly, the situation is dire there ... and residents are without clear answers.

Based on what EB's seen, she says the area -- including groundwater and residential wells -- is very much contaminated ... despite government agencies and other politicians trying to tell the folks living there otherwise. Erin says there's contradictory information flying all over.

She even describes some symptoms of sickness she says she felt just by being in East Palestine for an extended period of time -- and it sounds very hazardous and dangerous.

So, on the question of next steps ... Erin says a lot of people living in the town have already lawyered up, which is her specialty. Apparently, there are massive class action lawsuits in the works, and it sounds like Norfolk Southern -- the company whose train derailed -- might have to pay out the nose for damages these people are alleging ... assuming they settle.

King Charles has officially extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -- asking them to be among his guests at the Coronation, but the couple's saying ... eh, maybe.

His Royal Highness fired off the invite Saturday ... this according to the Times of London, which broke the story. It appears Buckingham Palace got word to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly after Harry's televised sitdown with Dr. Gabor Mate earlier in the day.

No word on what exactly the invitation said, but the message was clear ... roll through!

Here's the kicker, though -- Harry and Meghan are holding their cards close to the vest on their plans. Their rep says ... "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."

In other words, it sounds like they have to think about it ... as there's been a lot of updates since their Netflix doc and Harry's book. Of course, they recently got word that they were getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (although there are reports Charles is offering a full-blown flat on the palace grounds as a replacement). Plus, Harry just spilled more of his guts.

Harry took some roundabout shots at his family in the Mate interview ... saying he didn't receive enough love and affection as a child, and that he now suffers from PTSD. He also said that Meghan had "saved" him from his Royal life ... and suggested his family was out of touch and insensitive. Plus, Harry clearly said Royal life was inherently inauthentic.

PH didn't address the Coronation or where things stand between him and his brother/father ... but it was clear he feels the relationship is strained. Despite this, he also made sure to note that he felt what he was doing (sharing his story/problems) was worth it big picture.

In spite of all that, Charles sent the invite anyway -- right in the mix of more headlines and drama. It's fascinating timing ... and kind of a power move, no? Ball's in their court!

Victoria's Secret hasn't hosted its annual fashion show in years, but it's coming back soon ... except now -- brace yourselves, cancel culture vultures -- it might return in a "woke" form.

Indeed ... the news came down Friday in an earnings call for the company, where CFO Timothy Johnson announced VS was bringing back their Angels to hit the runaway again -- this after a 4-year hiatus -- only this time around, the look and feel will be different.

Johnson is quoted as saying, "We're going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year."

The company further said their new "brand projection and mission" will be their guiding light -- although it's unclear what exactly that is. VS adds, "This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We're excited to share more later this year."

Considering Victoria's Secret has been mired in controversies for the past few years -- with everything from alleged toxic, misogynistic work environments being fostered to execs being tied to Jeffrey Epstein and a general convo about modern beauty standards -- it's probably a safe bet to assume that Victoria's Secret is aiming to be more inclusive going forward.

We've already seen VS change up the types of women they employ as models ... they've brought on transgender women and even women with disabilities onto the roster. With that said, it's not quite clear what folks can expect to see on the runway from here on out.

While it remains to be seen when this is all gonna roll out, it seems the days of old are done. The 2017 and 2018 VS fashion shows can be seen here ... where the ladies are adorned in the traditional bra/panties/wings getups. That might be getting scrapped too.

If that comes to pass -- namely, losing the scantily-clad outfits -- it'll be interesting to see how VS finds the right balance in representing their models ... and more importantly, their products. Fact is, they're a lingerie company ... and they gotta move merchandise somehow.

Of course, we are living in a time of body positivity and all ... so maybe they'll just trot people across the stage from all walks of life and continue to bare it all. Time will tell.

Anyhoo, old VS was fun while it lasted -- and certainly introduced us to some mega stars who, hopefully, stand the test of time. In any case, sentiments are a-changing, folks.

Rolling Loud got off to a somewhat choppy start this weekend with stop-and-go performances by some big-time talent ... including Travis Scott, who had his set end early.

The rapper was the headlining artist Saturday for the L.A. music fest, and while everything seemed to be going smoothly through his performance ... the dude's background tunes started to fade as he was in the middle of running through his hit song "Goosebumps."

Then, everything just stopped ... and Travis came on the mic soon afterward to say that "they" were making him cut things off early. No further explanation was offered.

There's rumblings that Travis was late for his gig, which may explain the strict time limit -- but, on its face, it feels like the Rolling Loud promoters might've not wanted things to get too crazy ... a la, Astroworld. It's hard to say ... the RL crowd didn't look to be in danger.

Anyway, that's far from the only technical issue that went down ... another huge star, Nicki Minaj, also had to deal with missing backing tracks and audio -- which she actually addressed in the moment as well. Frankly, she was pissed about it ... calling out the DJ.

It was pretty harsh ... she kept saying "kill the DJ" and was firing off death stares as the guy continued to struggle playing the right song behind her. Also awkward ... Lil Wayne -- her former mentor -- was standing right next to her, as he'd brought her out as a special guest.

Nicki was none too pleased with the screw-up ... and she seemed to take it personally.

In lighter news (maybe) ... Justin Bieber popped up at Rolling Loud too, which took a lot of people by surprise. Obviously, the crowd was super pumped when he rolled up next to Don Toliver (who was scheduled to perform) and helped sing their joint song "Private Landing."

Thing is though ... his cameo appearance here comes on the heels of the Biebs canceling the rest of his world tour, without a proper explanation. You'll recall -- JB pulled the plug on tour dates spanning all across the globe, including several counties in Europe.

Most assume it's because of his health struggles -- which have forced him to hit pause in the recent past -- but this time ... he didn't speak on it at all ... just kinda threw in the towel.

Now, here he is onstage looking just fine ... which might raise an eyebrow with his fanbase. If he can do this ... why not come on the road for us? It's interesting for sure. Justin, meanwhile, didn't seem to bat an eyelash over it at all ... he was in the zone and chillin'.

Elsewhere at Rolling Loud ... more artists hit the stage, and most everything else appeared to go pretty well. Rappers like Kodak Black, Tyga, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz and looootttts of others performed, and by most accounts ... it was all gravy in Los Angeles.