Fashion

The Air Jordan 13s worn by Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2,238,000 ... the highest price ever paid at auction for a pair of sneakers!!

Sotheby's announced the historic sale of the iconic kicks on Tuesday ... rocked by MJ during the pivotal Game 2 matchup against the Utah Jazz. With the Bulls down 1-0 in the series, Jordan lived up to his clutch reputation, scoring 37 points with five rebounds and three assists in the pivotal game, evening the series at 1 game a piece.

Jordan sported the Bred -- shorthand for black and red -- AJs routinely throughout his career, but make no mistake, this pair is rare. They're the only complete set (left and right shoe) worn by Michael during a Finals game.

Sotheby's says MeiGray, the official authenticator of the NBA, used photo matching to verify the sneakers, originally gifted to a ball boy after the game, were the real deal.

The ball boy previously unloaded the shoes and was not the consignor.

The whopping sale price, despite it being shocking, wasn't necessarily a surprise. Experts predicted the kicks would bring in between $2 and $4 MILLION.

The record-setting sale comes just days after the movie "Air," starring Ben Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight, and Matt Damon, portraying talent scout Sonny Vaccaro, hit theatres. The film tells the story of MJ's signing with the Swoosh.

Michael's original deal with Nike was worth around $2.5 million ... and 39 years later, a single pair of Jordan's sold for nearly the entire value of his OG deal.

Taylor Swift clearly has a major hold on her fan base, 'cause the pants she wore on her first public single-girl outing have already sold out ... with some fans already looking into a deeper meaning behind her fashion choice.

Taylor wore a pair of "Butterfly-patch Cropped Jeans" from a brand called Area out in NYC Monday night. The pants, which come complete with a bedazzled butterfly on the leg and retail for $673, were still available online early Tuesday morning. However, Swifites were quick to track down the item, causing the pants to sell out from multiple retailers in a few hours.

Like just about everything Taylor does, her fans even hunted for clues in the singer's fashion choice -- believing the butterfly may symbolize rebirth and starting over.

As we reported, Swift wasn't alone for her night out in NYC's West Village, joined by pal Jack Antonoff and his fiancée, actress Margaret Qualley.

It's been less than a week since news broke about Taylor's relationship with Joe Alwyn coming to an end after 6 years together -- and the public outing in NYC was certainly a rare one -- only time will tell if Taylor's deciding to come out of her cocoon a little bit more.

Ben Affleck was looking light on his feet this weekend next to J Lo, and it might have to do with his new Michael Jordan movie ... even though it's not quite a money-maker just yet.

The couple was spotted out Saturday grabbing a bite for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they were both dressed up in snazzy duds -- BA was rocking a tan pullover sweater with jeans and matching sneakers to round out the ensemble. Nikes, specifically, mind you.

Jen, meanwhile, was wearing a Springtime colorful sun dress and some high-heeled boots.

It's Ben ya gotta focus on, though, 'cause the dude is absolutely radiating ... flashing a big smile to the paps who were shooting them and carrying a little extra pep to his step. The question ... what the heck is he so damn happy about considering his long grump streak???

Besides being married to Jennifer, he's got a lot to be cheery over ... including his latest flick, 'Air,' which hit theaters this week and which has garnered tremendous reviews and stellar word of mouth. By most accounts, it's 2023's first great flick and a crowd-pleaser.

The only (potential) problem is that 'Air' is not on pace to be a box office smash -- especially since it's up against Mario and co., which is taking the top spot this weekend by a mile.

Although his movie is on pace to rake in around $20 mil or so through Sunday -- depending on which projections you look at -- it reportedly cost a fortune to make ... around $90 mil, according to Variety. With that sorta budget, it's hard to say if Amazon Studios will recoup their investment in the short term ... but it's also hard to say what'll be considered a W here.

'Air' is Ben and Matt Damon's first project under their new production co., where they're sharing the wealth, and what's more ... this flick was made with a streaming-first mentality, even though it's hitting theaters initially. So, the formula for success on this one's wonky.

A national championship trophy isn't the only shiny, new thing in Angel Reese's life -- the LSU basketball star just copped some new bling -- with over 20 carats of high-quality diamonds!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tigers hooper linked up with celeb jeweler Boo Daddy Diamonds fresh off her NCAA title win over the Iowa Hawkeyes this week.

We're told Bayou Barbie is now the proud owner of several dope pieces ... including an amazing diamond tennis bracelet that's filled with VVS diamonds and 14k white gold.

She also copped two diamond chokers -- one having the initial of her first name -- and we're told the collection totaled out to 20 carats of top-quality bling!

The 6'3" forward deserves to treat herself after the year she just had -- she finished the season with 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game ... and earned a spot on the First Team All-SEC and SEC's All-Defensive Team.

Reese -- who fractured her foot at Maryland before transferring in 2022 -- also made LSU history with the most consecutive double-doubles ... and leading the women's hoop team to their first NCAA title.

Caitlyn Jenner is furious with Nike over its new endorsement deal with Dylan Mulvaney ... saying the sneaker giant is going "so woke" by throwing money at the trans influencer, but not Olympic hero Allyson Felix.

The former decathlete weighed in on the social media star's partnership with the Swoosh on Thursday ... and her issue isn't with Mulvaney -- she actually commends Dylan for securing the bag.

Instead, Jenner is pissed at the move because Felix -- a seven-time Olympic gold medalist -- claimed Nike offered her a 70% pay cut and denied her requests for maternity protections after she got pregnant in 2017. She let her contract expire, and she went on to sign with Athleta.

Jenner is using Felix's experience to get her take across ... saying, "As someone that grew up in awe of what Phil Knight did, it is a shame to see such an iconic American company go so woke!"

"We can be inclusive but not at the expense of the mass majority of people, and have some decency while being inclusive. This is an outrage."

It's worth noting -- it's unclear how much Mulvaney is making from the deal ... but as someone who has close to two million followers on Instagram alone, you can assume she got a solid chunk of change.

Jenner isn't the only Olympian fuming over Mulvaney's deal -- silver medalist Sharron Davies called for folks to boycott Nike ... labeling it "a kick in the teeth" to women.

Kylie Jenner is supporting Kim Kardashian's super successful swimwear line ... by taking some sexy pics in a pink bikini in her private pool.

The billionaire showed off all her assets in a bright pink SKIMS offering ... even hopping up on the pool deck to accentuate her butt.

Kylie's got six different poses here ... all dripping with sex appeal, just like her dripping wet hair. She even matched her nail color to her bikini. Cute!!!

It's been heating up in Los Angeles this week, and Kylie's definitely taking full advantage here ... as she should.

Remember ... Kim was at the beach on a chilly day last week for a photo shoot in a pink bikini, keeping warm in a robe when the camera wasn't snapping pics.

Here's a big shocker from señor Ben Affleck, who's breaking down his new movie, "Air" ... in perfect Spanish!!!

Ben threw social media into a tizzy Thursday as a lot of folks were shocked to learn he's bilingual ... despite the fact it's something of an open secret.

Ben sat down with El Cine En La Ser for an interview about his film ... explaining why Michael Jordan himself doesn't appear in the movie about his groundbreaking Nike contract.

If ya don't have the gift of gab en español, fear not, we did the translation, and Ben says there's not an actor in the world who could make an audience believe they're MJ, so the movie tells the story without focusing on Michael.

Still, Ben says he wouldn't have made the movie without Mike's blessing, which is why he had a sit down with the legend ... who told him the most important parts of the story were nailing 3 characters ... Howard White, George Raveling and MJ's own mother.

It's funny ... Ben says Jordan told him they had to get Viola Davis to play his mom, which Ben jokes is like asking someone to play basketball and they will only do so if MJ's on their team.

Ben's explained the same stuff in English, but it's impressive to hear him say it in Spanish -- which, btw, he learned in his youth ... pre-J Lo.

Here's a close-up look at Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn for the upcoming 'Joker 2' movie ... and this version looks dark and sinister.

Director Todd Phillips shared the in-your-face photo Wednesday on social media, announcing filming has wrapped and it's time for him to hunker down and transform hours of footage into a movie.

Lady Gaga's hair and makeup seem to match up with a scene she filmed earlier this week ... when she was singing and dancing on the very same outdoor Bronx staircase Joaquin Phoenix danced on in the first "Joker" film.

Remember ... we previously saw Lady Gaga in full costume as Harley Quinn last month, but she was sporting a different look than this grimy version.

Before, LG was looking pretty clownish as HQ ... and both versions seem darker than Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn, which has been well-received in several different flicks.

The "Vanderpump Rules" tell-all reunion is gettin' closer every day, and Bravo just dropped the first looks at the cast's wardrobe choices -- and Ariana Madix isn't just seeing red, she's wearing the hell out of it!!!

The reality stars look fierce in the new pics, with Ariana taking center stage as she flaunts a lot of skin in her red revenge dress. She's also got a healthy amount of bling on her fingers, too.

Raquel Leviss' look is a lot tamer, relatively speaking, as she's rockin' a mint green outfit along with a look of deep concern. Tom Sandoval, at the top of this love triangle, went with a classic suit sans tie.

Bravo showed off everyone else's 'fits, too -- Scheana Shay looks great in a sparkly dress, Tom Schwartz is all smiles in his blue corduroy, Lala Kent stepped out in a leopard-print piece, and Lisa Vanderpump rightfully wore ALL the diamonds with her black dress.

As we reported, Tom and Raquel were spotted having a serious heart-to-heart on reunion day ... unclear what they were chatting about, but you know all the drama surrounding them must've been on their minds.

No word on a specific airdate for the reunion, only that it'll be in late spring -- but we're on the edge of our seats, waiting for it all to unfold.

Famed sneaker artist Kreative Customs -- designer of custom kicks for star athletes like Cam Newton -- was in a horrific motorcycle accident, and may never be able to walk again, according to his business partner and friend Dez Customz.

Dez, a fellow top sneaker/cleat artist, shared the terrible news Sunday evening, posting a photo of Mohammed Gafar in the hospital, saying he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on March 26 and "faces a very difficult and long road ahead."

"The prognosis for him being able to walk again is not good. But if anyone has the will and stubbornness to prove them wrong it’s Moe."

Dez -- whose client list includes Joel Embiid -- provided another update Monday, saying Moe was awake and talking after having back surgery.

"The situation to be honest is plain and simple -- there's very little opportunity that he will walk again. That's the truth," Dez said.

"His arms, hands, upper body, neck everything is intact. No damage to the head."

Fans and artists from all over penned encouraging messages to Moe, including Mache who shared an emotional IG post ... saying his heart dropped when he got the news.

"Thoughts and prayers are great but Moe needs way more than that," the famous artist said.

"As a fellow artist and entrepreneur there’s probably no insurance or $401k to tap into to cover the amount of medical bills that are going to face him and his family as he battles in the hospital."

A GoFundMe has been started to help Moe and his family pay medical bills.

"It’s going to be a long hard fight but I know Moe, he will prevail," Mache said "Let’s help him and his family out."

Moe has been in the sneaker art business for years and shared some of his work with us, from Cam Newton's custom dabbing cleats to designing Ricky Jean-Francois's $6K Nike Marty McFly kicks.

It's been a while since we've seen or heard from Tom Holland and Zendaya -- and in case you're wondering, they are still together ... although they seem to be a little PDA shy lately.

The two actors were on hand Friday evening in India, where they both attended the NMACC Gala in Mumbai ... looking completely done up and dressed to the nines as they were heading in -- especially Z, who was wearing a gorgeous traditional Indian saree.

Her dress was flowing -- and part of it even trailed her ... much like she did with TH, who didn't stand side by side with his girl. Instead, he let her have the spotlight for herself as he went first in his own pap crush moment. In other words, they didn't pose together outside.

Once they were indoors, however, Tom sidled up to Zendaya ... as well as some other famous stars who were there too -- like Gigi Hadid, Penelope Cruz, Law Roach, etc.

No outward signs of lovey-dovey-ness from them in this instance either. They looked pretty casual ... just chitchatting and shooting the breeze. And when they did a group shot with all their famous pals in attendance, Tom and Zendaya didn't even stand next to each other.

Their seemingly conspicuous spacing and blocking in public were also noticeable when they touched down in Mumbai earlier that same day -- where they appeared to get in the same car, but avoided being photographed in the same shot ... almost like it was planned.

So, what can we make of this apparent no-affection zone in India? Hard to say -- Tom and Zendaya have cozied up a lot since going public as a couple in 2021 ... even in front of cameras and on the biggest of stages, like world premieres and high-profile outings.

We've seen them hold hands, hug and sweetly hold each other in front of cameras (post-relationship news), and we've certainly seen them share the love in private. Sometimes, though ... they seem to opt for the opposite vibe, like here where they're more low-key.

Behind the scenes, they're still hanging out as much as they've ever been -- which was also on display for their India trip. What we can gather ... they're a fairly private pair and don't seem to like rubbing their relationship in everyone's faces so much, which is respectable.

Kim Kardashian is back on a beach famously populated by celebrities, and last Friday she was the undisputed queen of the Bu.

Kim was on the sands of Malibu for another photo shoot ... it seems it's for SKIMS swim line.

The 42-year-old billionaire mogul is in INSANE shape ... thanks to two-hours of daily training. Her personal trainer, Senada Greca, needs only these pics to fill her client list.

It's a super sexy shoot ... btw, she went back to the scene of the crime, where she posed in the jaw-dropping pink bikini.

Now there are always naysayers ... yeah, she's rich, has the ability to set her own schedule, hire a trainer -- yada yada yada -- but it takes commitment and she's clearly doubled down on that.

She can sing, she can dance, she can act ... Teyana Taylor is a triple threat! As a bystander, don't be threatened by these two pics ... see if you've got what it takes to locate the differences in these two shots!

Teyana has been movin' and groovin', promoting her new movie "A Thousand and One" and was captured by the paparazzi in NYC this week. Per usual, the hot momma brought her fashion game, sporting some distressed jeans and a Tupac tee. Can you find the minor changes in the two pics?

Kanye West and his Yeezy brand now have to contend with a lawsuit from a former employee, who claims the megastar rapper/designer owes her a cool $275K.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... Dora Szilagyi was hired to be Yeezy's "Director of Product Innovation" in June 2021, but only after Kanye convinced her to quit her role at Adidas and work for him full-time.

Dora claims she was promised a $275,000 severance payment if she was fired without cause after September 1, 2021 -- but she claims it was never paid to her when she was let go in mid-December 2021.

In the suit, Dora says she doesn't believe Kanye or his company ever intended to follow through on the severance package, and only dangled it to lure her from Adidas.

A brand new season of Major League Baseball is here ... and players are kicking off the new season in style -- rockin' some wild fits for Opening Day!!

Down in Miami, Marlins centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. held nothing back for his team's Thursday matinee against the Mets ... sporting some loud, orange camo pants. His teammate, Luis Arraez, went with a more muted look, wearing a simple, button-down shirt.

In the opposing locker room, New York star Pete Alonso brought out a pair of flashy pants of his own -- while making sure his belt buckle -- and his mustache!! -- were the stars of his 'fit.

Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah, meanwhile, broke out a classic Sandlot jersey for Toronto's opener ... one that featured all of the guys from the iconic movie, including Hamilton "The Babe" Porter. Manoah was also dripped out in some dark shades and a maple leaf chain.

In the Bronx, San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval made The Big Apple look like The Wild West ... arriving with a huge cowboy hat on his head. Giants pitcher Logan Webb chose to pay homage to Dennis Rodman with his attire.

Other players opted for a more laid-back approach to the season opener -- with Tigers stars Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodriguez wearing some casual shirts and jeans.

Steph Curry and Under Armour have just entered into a new agreement ... one that could keep the NBA superstar locked in with the apparel company for the rest of his life!!

Curry and UA announced the massive extension on Thursday ... and while dollar figures of the new pact have yet to be released, the deal could reportedly end up being worth more than what he's made in his entire NBA career -- which, to this date, is over $300 MILLION.

As part of the extension, UA named the 35-year-old Warriors point guard the "President of Curry Brand" -- a title that will give Curry a say in how the company produces products related to basketball, golf, women, youth, and "sportstyle."

"What we want to do, is win every single day," UA founder Kevin Plank said of the new contract. "If we do that, this will be a lifetime deal."

Octagon founder Phil de Picciotto, whose agency helped negotiate the new agreement, added, "Done right, this partnership is forever."

"Curry Brand is now cemented into the Under Armour universe," de Picciotto said. "He's not just an ambassador. He's not just an endorser. This isn't just a deal. He will be leading a business."

The deal appears to be similar to the lifetime one that Curry's pal, LeBron James, inked with Nike in 2015.

Curry, who first signed with UA in 2013, said Thursday he was pumped for it all.

"Belief is a big part of who I am on and off the court," Curry said. "I believe in Curry Brand and Under Amour, the team now in place, and what we're doing together."