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Former NBA player Tamar Slay says some parents are hitting the rewind button on seventh grade ... all to give their kids a bigger edge in sports and potentially make more money in college.

Slay -- who now runs the Slay Basketball Academy in Charlotte, NC -- joined "TMZ Live" Monday and told us reclassifying has become a serious move for families chasing college offers, NIL money and, eventually, the pros.

Harvey pushed back on the trend ... arguing it can make school feel like an afterthought if a kid is repeating seventh grade mainly for basketball or football.

Chris Brown’s ex-housekeeper, Maria Avila, is scoffing at the singer's plea for a new trial over the alleged dog attack that left her with serious injuries ... and she's bringing up his past.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Maria fired back at Chris' claim that the jury that awarded her $13 million in damages was biased due to the judge allowing them to hear about his criminal past ... namely, his arrest for assaulting Rihanna.

Chris claimed it turned the jury against him … and allowed them to hear things that had nothing to do with the case.

Annemarie and Marcellus Wiley are set to have quite an intense hearing in their domestic violence case … TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Annemarie plans to present photos of the injuries she claims she suffered during an alleged July 2024 attack. She claims Marcellus got physical with her, resulting in injuries to her back, leg, and shoulder.

She says she also intends to submit another image from March 2014 of an alleged injury to her lip.

Machine Gun Kelly made an unexpected appearance at Lil Durk's federal trial ... showing up at the courthouse to listen in on the proceedings.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... MGK showed up to a downtown Los Angeles court Monday and sat in an overflow room, where he listened to the trial as it unfolded.

We're told MGK's appearance was unexpected, though he and Durk have some history together ... MGK joined Durk onstage during his 2023 Amazon Music Live performance in Los Angeles, playing guitar as Durk performed "The Voice."

The male driver killed in a chain of accidents involving the rock band Buckcherry was so mangled that South Carolina authorities have yet to ID him. 

Spartanburg Coroner Rusty Clevenger tells TMZ ... the driver was "facially unrecognizable" and "his body was not fully intact" after he was struck and killed by another motorist along I-26 near Spartanburg, SC, last Friday morning. Police said the victim had stepped out of his vehicle after getting into a one-car accident.

Cops also said there were 2 more accidents around the same time in the general vicinity -- one of which was a 5-vehicle pile-up involving Buckcherry's tour bus. 

Former NBA player and WNBA hopeful Enes Kanter Freedom may have had an intense run-in with authorities at Wintrust Arena Sunday night ... however, he's welcome back as long as the WNBA approves, TMZ has learned.

A Chicago PD spokesperson tells TMZ ... there have been no reports filed regarding the incident ... even though Enes was seen surrounded by cops after he was removed from the arena for getting in an altercation Sunday with WNBA Chicago Star player Natasha Cloud.

A Wintrust Area spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Based on the incident last night, decisions regarding reprimanding or banning would be the purview of the WNBA."

Rashod Bateman allegedly shoved the mother of his child into a wall during a fight inside their home ... hours before cops say he used a screwdriver to wreck her Mercedes while their infant daughter sat inside.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver's girlfriend, Marissa Crumley, told officers an argument erupted around 3:30 AM on June 3 ... she claimed they were fighting over her past, with Bateman allegedly calling her a "liar."

Crumley told cops Bateman pushed her into a corner wall, leaving her with facial contusions. She said he later told her to pack her things and leave the home.

The death of Buffalo Bills star Ed Oliver's 2-year-old son has been ruled accidental ... and the investigation is now closed with no criminal charges, TMZ has learned.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... its Homicide Division has closed the case and no charges will be filed against Ed or anyone else.

As we previously reported ... Ed's son, also named Ed, drowned in the swimming pool at the NFL star's Texas home on June 28. Deputies responded to a life-in-danger call after the boy's parents found him unresponsive in the pool.

Oscar De La Hoya's ex-wife walked away with two Puerto Rico properties in her divorce from the boxing legend ... according to new court docs obtained by TMZ.

The filing confirms Milagros "Millie" Corretjer was awarded full ownership of both properties under the former couple's confidential divorce judgment.

One property is in San Juan and carries an assigned value of $3.5 million ... while the other is in Rio Grande at Bahia Beach Resort and is listed at $10 million.

Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, took classes on domestic violence after being accused of punching the actress in 2020 ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained court docs filed in Brian's criminal case out of Wyoming … which came months after Hayden called cops on him in L.A. over alleged abuse. He was taken into custody after officers say they saw marks on Hayden's body.

In court docs filed in August 2020, Brian's legal team made the case for a warrant for his arrest being dropped.

Brian said that he had voluntarily obtained a domestic violence prevention evaluation from the Curran Seeley Foundation and said he was "committed to following any recommendations."

Quality Control Music cofounder Pierre "P" Thomas -- who helped build the careers of stars including Migos, Lil Baby and City Girls -- is still recovering in the hospital after suffering a heart attack ... but we're told his health is improving.

A source familiar with the situation tells TMZ ... P is still recovering at a Las Vegas hospital, where his health continues to improve.

As we reported ... P was hospitalized Friday after suffering a heart attack and was being treated in the ICU.

Former Disney child star Raquel Lee Bolleau says landing a role in "The Poof Point" turned into a nightmare ... claiming she was raped and sexually assaulted by an adult employee when she was just 14.

In a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Raquel claims Disney failed to protect her -- and instead repeatedly put her in close contact with the man she says abused her.

She says Disney staffers told her to "bond" with the unnamed employee and spend time with him during filming in Utah in 2001 -- though her lawsuit targets Disney, not the individual staffers.

Madeline Zima -- one of Hayden Panettiere's co-stars on the hit show "Heroes" back in the day -- says the actress was incredibly kind ... and she's speaking out in hopes Hayden's daughter will one day know how great her mom was.

We sat down with Madeline on our "TMZ In The Know" YouTube series ... and she told us she remembers Hayden as someone who was all heart and guts.

Madeline notes she's been in the film and TV world for a long time -- starring in "The Nanny" when she was just 8 years old -- and she calls Hayden one of the kindest and most loving people she's met in the industry.

Rock band Buckcherry's tour bus was caught up in a chaotic chain of three separate accidents on a South Carolina highway, which ended fatal, TMZ has learned.

South Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson tells TMZ the series of crashes unfolded one after another. According to cops, the first accident was a single-car crash involving a male driver. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused him to crash.

The situation turned deadly moments later when the man got out of his vehicle and was struck by another motorist. The man was killed in the collision.