Controversial S#!T

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Alexi Lalas is heaping a ton of praise (and perhaps a little pressure) on the U.S. Women's National Team as they close in on a chance to make history at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup this summer ... telling TMZ Sports they'd arguably be the greatest team of all-time if they secure a historic third straight win!

The U.S. soccer legend and great FOX Sports analyst told us the USWNT is already in rarified air with their 4 World Cup titles (1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019), but winning 3 in a row, which has never been done before, "would certainly put them in the conversation of the greatest team ever."

Lalas likes the USWNT's chances in the event -- which features 32 teams (eight more than in 2019) -- and will be held in Australia and New Zealand, but says other countries are looking to "spoil the party," so winning it all won't be an easy task.

"The rest of the world has started to catch up," Lalas said. "They are putting more resources in. That's a good thing. Competition is a good thing. You have the likes of England, France, and Germany and our friends up to the north, Canada, and the Netherlands.

"Yes, we want to win every single game," Lalas said. "Yes, we want to win more World Cups, but we want it to be competitive. I want the U.S. to win, but I might want England not to win it even more. Anybody but England winning, I'll be cool with."

Despite the competition gap closing, Lalas believes USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has enough to win it all because of stars like Alyssa Thompson, Dennis Rodman's daughter, Trinity Rodman, and Julie Ertz, who happens to be married to NFL tight end Zach Ertz.

FYI, the U.S. are slight favorites to win the whole tourney.

Tuesday marked the 100-day countdown to the world's biggest soccer tournament, airing on FOX Sports and FS1.

Bhad Bhabie is really in love with her BF ... she even got his name tattooed on her chest.

TMZ obtained photos of Bhad Bhabie's new ink, which reads "Le Vaughn" in red cursive script, on the left side of her chest ... between her shoulder and breast.

Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, didn't stop there ... she also got "1111" tattooed in red ink on her neck to cover up a previous tattoo, just above her boyfriend's name, in another nod to her man.

The "1111" tattoo appears to reference Le Vaughn's birthday, because he posted a pic of Bhad Bhabie's new ink on his social media with the caption "Scorpio 11:11 iykyk" ... Internet slang for "if you know, you know."

Bhad Bhabie's boyfriend also got her first name and middle name tattooed on his neck ... he went with black ink and cursive script letters spelling out "Danielle Marie."

It's interesting ... Bhad Bhabie's been defending their relationship and the tattoos on social media, saying ... "I love that man whether y'all like it or not, yall gonna talk regardless."

Remember ... Bhad Bhabie celebrated her 20th birthday just three weeks ago, twerking and lap dancing on her mother during an intimate gathering at her home.

The Dallas Mavericks season may be over, but the team's still making headlines -- the NBA fined the organization $750K for resting several key players like Kyrie Irving vs. the Bulls in the second-to-last game of the season, with the league accusing the team of losing on purpose.

The league announced the hefty punishment Friday ... explaining the Mavs violated the league's player resting policy on April 7 in the game with Chicago to improve their chances of keeping their first-round draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

NBA executive VP Joe Dumars condemned Dallas for the move ... saying the team's actions "undermined the integrity of the sport," adding their actions "failed our fans and our league."

The Mavs were tied with the Bulls for the tenth-best lottery odds heading into the matchup ... and would have owed the Knicks their first-round pick if they beat Chicago, going back to terms agreed on during the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

The NBA launched an investigation after Dallas rested several key players -- Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood, and Tim Hardaway Jr. -- even with the team's play-in tournament hopes still alive. Luka Doncic played the first 12 minutes and 35 seconds but missed the rest of the game.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd seemed to confirm the idea of resting their players in the crucial game came from upper management ... but said he agrees with his bosses' decision.

The short-handed Mavericks took Chicago down to the wire ... but ultimately lost their final two games, finishing the regular season with a disappointing 38-44 record after reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.

Drake isn't going for AI technology mimicking his vocals to rap Ice Spice's "Munch" ... and now his label, Universal Music Group, aiming to take down ALL AI versions of its artists.

On Friday, Drizzy drew the line in the sand after his faux Ice Spice mashup surfaced ... calling it the "final straw" in a haystack of artificial art.

Drake's reaction aligned with the new report that UMG demanded Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and all streaming platforms block AI versions of their artists and their copyrighted songs.

UMG is calling the clean-up a "moral and commercial" responsibility to the industry, but not everyone shares the same pessimism on the topic.

Raquel Leviss is getting treatment at a mental health facility on the heels of her affair with Tom Sandoval going public.

TMZ has confirmed the "Vanderpump Rules" star recently checked herself in.

ET, who was the first to report the story, says Raquel made the decision with her family to seek treatment. What's interesting is ... she reportedly made that decision before the so-called "Scandoval" became a thing.

A source claims she had planned to start the treatment before the reunion taping last month, but decided to officially wrap up the season before going. It's unclear what kind of treatment she's getting, but a rep for Raquel tells TMZ ... "she isn't there for rehab, but rather mental health and trauma therapy."

TMZ broke the story ... Raquel and Tom were together behind Ariana Madix's back for quite some time, but it all came to the surface last month when Ariana found sexual texts exchanged between the duo.

Since then Tom and Raquel have been dragged through the mud, in public, and at the taping for the 'VR' reunion ... and as we reported, things were so tense things almost got physical between some cast members.

We've also learned Raquel spent time with Tom in his hometown around the holidays -- while he was still dating Ariana, which is why his family didn't want to meet her.

Lolo Jones has some strong (albeit playful) words for Shaquille O'Neal after the NBA legend called Angel Reese LSU's G.O.A.T. ... telling TMZ Sports Diesel had to be "high" when he made the statement.

Jones -- who starred for LSU's track team before competing in BOTH the Summer and Winter Olympics -- got wind of O'Neal referring to Reese as the greatest athlete to ever come out of Baton Rouge on his 'Big Podcast' this week, and she vehemently disagreed with her fellow Tigers alum.

In fact, she seemed to think Shaq wasn't in his right mind since undergoing surgery last month.

"Shaq knew what he was doing," Jones said. "Shaq's just bored. He's coming off hip surgery. He's chilling at home. I think Shaq, honestly, is high on some pain medicines. The list is so big with LSU."

Jones -- a decorated hurdler and bobsledder -- feels Shaq was trying to stir the pot by saying Reese is LSU's top-ranked athlete ... knowing that it makes for good "water cooler talk."

"So, for Shaq to have the audacity to say 'she's the best ever,'" Jones continued, "I'm like, 'Bro, chill on the pain meds,' because that list is arduous. So long."

Jones -- who won three NCAA titles and earned 11 All-American honors as an LSU Tiger -- said she wouldn't put herself at the top of the list of the university's G.O.A.T. athletes.

But, don't get it twisted -- Lolo told us she isn't disrespecting Reese ... saying, "We're not hating on Angel. We love to see it. She's cooking. Let her keep cooking. But I'm telling you, LSU track and field is the powerhouse for that university."

Everything really is bigger in Texas ... including prison sentences, because a man is potentially going to spend the rest of his life behind bars for spitting at police officers during his arrest.

A Lubbock jury handed down the headline-grabbing punishment Wednesday for 36-year-old Larry Pearson ... who was found guilty of 2 counts of harassment of a public servant.

Prosecutors say Pearson spit at 2 Lubbock PD officers who arrested him in May 2022 on domestic violence charges after a woman told cops Pearson hit her in the face.

According to prosecutors, Pearson was upset the alleged victim was not arrested instead, and started kicking at the doors in the cop car where he was being held ... and he spit at the officers when they opened the car door.

Prosecutors say the spitting didn't end there ... claiming Pearson kept hocking loogies upon arrival at the Lubbock County Detention Center.

During the trial's closing arguments, prosecutor Jessica Gorman asked jurors to consider a sentence that would "send a message" to not only Pearson, but also society ... and he ended up getting 70 years.

Pearson also had prior convictions for family violence and aggravated robbery, and, as a result, the minimum sentence the jury could impose was 25 years.

The guy's no angel, for sure, but there's a huge gap between 25 and 70 years! And, for a crime like spitting ... that seems extreme. Even in Texas.

Courtney Clenney's lawyer, Frank Prieto, tells TMZ ... "Courtney will defend this civil matter as vigorously as the pending criminal case. It is important to note that the Plaintiff (Estate of Obumseli) filed suit against the security company, building management company, and the owner's of the apartment that Courtney rented."

"The Estate is seeking wrongful death damages in hopes of getting a huge payout because these companies have very high limits on their insurance policies. Courtney has no assets that the Estate can collect on."

Prieto adds ... "Courtney was a victim of domestic violence and her actions the evening of April 3, 2022 were taken to save her life. Once she is vindicated in the criminal matter, the civil case will also fall apart."

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering Christian Obusmeli, is being dragged to court by her slain boyfriend's family ... they want her to pay for his funeral.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Christian's estate is suing Courtney and others for negligence related to his brutal stabbing death.

In the docs, the estate says it racked up a ton of expenses for Christian's medical care and funeral arrangements ... and they want Courtney to help foot the bill.

What's more, the estate is demanding damages from Courtney to cover past and future mental pain and suffering for Christian's family ... plus past and future loss of his future support and services to his fam.

Remember ... Courtney is charged with second-degree murder for Christian's April 2022 stabbing death.

She was arrested 4 months after the fatal incident, and while she admits stabbing him ... she claims it was done in self-defense.

All along, Christian's family has believed Courtney killed him in cold blood ... and the family has previously told us they hope she's convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

We reached out to Courtney's camp about the lawsuit ... so far, no word back.

The Women's Tennis Association is returning to China ... ending a one-and-a-half-year boycott imposed after tennis star Peng Shuai accused a high-ranking Chinese government official of sexual assault.

Now, the WTA says after talking to their players and the tournament representatives, they'll return to China later this year ... but they're standing by their decision to stay away at the time.

“The stance that we took at the time was appropriate. And, we stand by that. But, 16 months into this, we’re convinced that our requests will not be met. And, to continue with the same strategy doesn’t make sense,” WTA Chairman Steve Simon told the AP from Florida.

The unfulfilled requests were for a full and transparent investigation into Peng's accusations ... something that never happened. Simon says despite not getting what they wanted, the WTA hopes they can effect positive change from inside the country.

“Our members believe it’s time to resume the mission in China, where we believe we can continue to make a positive difference, as we have for the last 20 years, while at the same time making sure that Peng is not forgotten. By returning, hopefully more progress can be made.”

The decision is sure to ruffle some feathers ... but the WTA says the "great majority" of their athletes support the choice to go back.

In 2021, Shuai -- formerly the #1 ranked doubles player and Wimbledon winner -- claimed a Chinese politician sexually assaulted her several years prior. She later backtracked, saying she never accused Gaoli of sexual assault.

After revealing the alleged behavior, Peng seemingly disappeared ... and fans and colleagues across the world, including tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic, expressed concern for her.

The man behind the massive leak of secret U.S. documents that exposed our spying on allies and the dire situation with Ukraine's war against Russia reportedly worked on a military base and released sensitive information in an online chat forum during the COVID pandemic.

Since the document dump last Friday, FBI agents have been working furiously to track down the culprit, while the Pentagon has cut the number of people who have access to the type of classified material that was leaked.

But, it appears the Washington Post has beat the feds to the punch. According to a new report in WAPO, the suspect, identified only as "OG," joined the invitation-only platform, Discord, in 2020 because he felt a kinship with the other members, who were also gun enthusiasts and lovers of God.

OG was seen as a leader of their small network because he claimed to possess confidential information withheld from the general public. But, at first, his fellow members paid no mind to the bizarre acronyms and unfamiliar technical jargon OG used in his often long posts.

Then one member started zeroing in on OG's messages and put two and two together. Indeed, OG's information was coming directly from classified intelligence reports.

WAPO says OG admitted to taking the documents home from his job on a "military base," which barred employees from having electronic devices inside the secure facility for fear they would photograph the sensitive information.

OG told the group that he spent hours formulating the intelligence reports so he could share them on Discord. The online platform was mainly a place where members would go to swap memes, tell jokes and make idle banter during the height of the pandemic. OG, however, used the platform to pontificate about world affairs and secret government ops.

One member told WaPo OG wanted to “keep us in the loop,” and believed his inside knowledge of government secrets offered protection from threats posed across the world.

The member added, “He’s a smart person. He knew what he was doing when he posted these documents, of course. These weren’t accidental leaks of any kind."

As you know, highly classified military documents about the Ukraine/Russia war recently surfaced online, making Pentagon officials panic. The leaked information pointed to holes in Ukraine’s air defense systems and revealed private assessments by allies, including the U.S., on intelligence matters.

A top Pentagon spokesperson has described the leak as a “very serious risk to national security."

Laker Nation better prepare for the worst ... 'cause NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein says L.A. has a snowball's chance in hell to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs -- telling TMZ Sports it would be a complete shock if LeBron James and Co. won the series.

Goldstein holds the record for attending the most NBA games in the history of the league ... so naturally, he was present for the Lakers' play-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Jimmy G says he was thoroughly unimpressed with what he saw from the Purple and Gold in the overtime thriller ... adding it just goes to show they're really not poised to make a deep playoff run this season.

Goldstein points out the Wolves were without defensive stars Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels ... and it wasn't a good sign that the Lake Show needed extra time to put them away.

He also thinks L.A.'s hot run at the end of the regular season was more due to the fact that their opponents were tanking ... which would explain why they were able to put together some wins.

Long story short -- if you're a betting person, Jimmy thinks you'd be throwing money away to pick the Lakers to win it all.

The Grizzlies vs. Lakers matchup starts on Sunday ... and if Goldstein is right, it won't be a long series.

Symba thinks Doja Cat's anti-Twitter blue checkmark stance is a valid cause ... and he has zero plans to pay for his own verification either!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Bay Area-bred lyricist on the set of his upcoming music video, "Hell of a Feeling" with LaRussell, where we took his temp on Doja's comments.

Twitter boss Elon Musk's proposed blue checkmark sweep on April 20 could throw a monkey wrench in artists' reach and visibility, but Doja doesn't give a damn ... basically labeling the check a Veblen good.

LeBron James also railed against the change and Symba wholeheartedly agrees, although he doesn't have a ton of answers on how to separate real and fake celebs without the blue check ... and is still verified himself, for now.

Symba even thinks the Twitter Blue defection could spark some sort of cool-kids movement amongst the unverified.

Comedian and former 'SNL' star Victoria Jackson felt the need to drop a TON of white-hot homophobic takes at a local city council meeting -- going off on an obscure tangent about homosexuality before, ironically, calling on people to avoid getting brainwashed.

Citizens of Franklin, Tennessee got their chance to speak at a city meeting Tuesday ... which at one point focused on whether or not the city would hold a Gay Pride Parade this year.

When it's Victoria's turn to take the mic, though ... she starts by bluntly saying God hates homosexuality, among other things -- calling it "an abomination."

She goes on to say God also despises pride, reading a verse from the Bible as proof. Obviously, that word was used as the motto for the LGBTQ+ alliance long after any of that was ever written.

While it might feel shocking, this isn't uncommon for Victoria -- she's been going on homophobic rants for a while now, including in 2011 when she called "Glee" disgusting after they showed 2 men sharing an on-screen kiss.

Since then, most forgot about her 6-year run on 'SNL' -- she instead was known as the self-proclaimed conservative Christian that would bash homosexuality.

Will Smith couldn't look happier to be back in the swing of things ... smiling during his latest gig since the infamous slap at the Oscars.

Will was on set Tuesday in Atlanta, filming "Bad Boys 4" and fully in character as Det. Mike Lowrey.

He's definitely grinning through the work, although, it's hard to say if that's Will smiling or his character.

It's not the first time we've seen WS doing movie star stuff since his infamous 2022 assault on Chris Rock. Will, Jada, and his whole fam first stepped out for the "Emancipation" film premiere last December -- and he's also been filming at least one other project.

As you you know Will was involved in one of the biggest moments in Oscars history ... when he stormed on stage and smacked host Chris Rock dead in the face.

Kim K starring in the new "American Horror Story" is raising cynics' eyebrows -- but she's probably gonna knock their socks off, according to one pro who knows TV frontward and back.

We talked to NPR's Eric Deggans Tuesday on "TMZ Live" about Kim's forthcoming role in Ryan Murphy's ongoing horror anthology -- and he believes she's poised to shock the critics with a solid acting performance that could impress the doubters.

Check out what Eric -- who handles all things television for the public radio network -- has to say about Kim and her history in Hollywood. Interestingly, he thinks she's long been underestimated.

While some might just see her as your traditional influencer trying to switch lanes in entertainment ... ED says Kim stands apart from all the other up-and-coming TikTokers and YouTubers who've similarly tried to jump to a much bigger stage.

While it didn't work out for most of those folks, Eric believes Kim's unique in that she can deliver a performance with proper direction. He adds, she's already shown flashes of acting chops.

There's also the Ryan Murphy element. We know the guy doesn't just churn out garbage -- most of the stuff he puts out is quality content, and Eric says he has no reason to believe this will be any different. He also brings up the X factor ... Lady Gaga.

Marques Houston says he's a happily married man and Internet trolls poking fun at the huge age difference between his wife and him ... will just have to find a new hobby.

We caught the R&B vet out Monday evening in L.A. amid the rabid backlash against his TV One special, "Uncensored." The first trailer for it has some people irate because it highlights how he first met his young bride Miya, fueling speculation she was a minor when they started dating.

Marques insists he's not sweating the opinions of strangers, he's well aware everyone has them -- and what he really wanted to clarify is he started dating Miya when she was 18 ... and they were married a year later.

She's now 22, while he's 41. They welcomed their first child in December 2021, and he says it's been bliss ever since.

He says the online misconception began when someone allegedly published the wrong birthdate for Miya ... leading folks to believe she was underage when their relationship began.