Kids

Ex-NBA player Kwame Brown is livid with Dwyane Wade's daughter's fashion tribute to Kobe Bryant ... saying her #8 jersey dress was "disrespectful" to the Lakers legend.

14-year-old Zaya Wade showed love to the Bryants in an Instagram post on Wednesday ... wearing the outfit and captioning the post, "always remembering and honoring Kobe and Gianna."

Seems harmless, right?? Not in Brown's eyes ... as the 2001 #1 overall pick unleashed on Dwyane during his "Bust Life" YouTube show on Thursday ... saying the ex-Miami Heat star doesn't "level up as a man."

"You are letting your woman control your house," Kwame said ... claiming Kobe's wife, Vanessa, and kids would not honor Kobe the same way Zaya did.

Kwame strongly believes Zaya's tribute does a disservice to everything Kobe stands for ... citing his work ethic, masculinity, and faith.

"I'm not saying there's anything against homosexuals, but [Kobe] is a heterosexual man. Why is he being honored by making his jersey into a dress? Wear his goddamn jersey for the day to honor him without the dress part," Brown added.

"Let's please not show our Black brother in this light. This is no offense to nobody else. This man was a heterosexual man with a wife and a family. There's no reason for this to be tied to Kobe Bryant. None whatsoever."

D-Wade has been nothing but supportive of Zaya ... and has spoken out about how the family has grown in understanding over the years.

A sculptor in Los Angeles has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant by placing a statue of the two at the site where they tragically passed away in 2020.

The artist, Dan Medina, tells TMZ Sports he created the 160-pound bronze figure and pulled it up to the scene in Calabasas via a wagon on Wednesday.

The sculpture is only a temporary piece -- Medina says he'll haul it back down at sunset -- but the artist tells us he's hoping the city will allow him to put up a larger, more life-sized version permanently at the site.

The artwork, while smaller than what Medina hopes it'll ultimately end up being, is incredible -- it's a depiction of Kobe in a Lakers uniform with his arm around Gigi, who's also in a basketball uniform holding a ball.

At the base of the statue, Medina added the names of all nine of the victims who tragically died in the helicopter crash on the Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.

"Heroes come and go," words on the base of the statue read, "but legends are forever."

As we previously reported, Kobe, Gigi and the others were on their way to a girls basketball game, when the chopper suddenly wrecked in the terrain.

Tributes to the Bryants and the other victims of the crash have poured in on the anniversary Wednesday, with athletes and celebs from all over remembering them all on social media.

In fact, Kobe's old Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom, was gifted a diamond pendant on Wednesday to honor and remember the Bryants.

HBO might think it’s revolutionary to show Zendaya snorting it up on camera, but one group is just saying no to TV drug use ... yep, you guessed it!

The good folks at D.A.R.E (yes, it’s still around, even in 2022) are speaking out on what they say is the glamorization of substance use -- and in many cases, abuse -- that’s depicted throughout the hit series "Euphoria," especially right now as Season 2 gets underway.

A rep for D.A.R.E tells TMZ ... "Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, Euphoria, chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world."

Just to give you one example of how dark this show is, Zendaya’s character, Rue, actually almost OD's during an episode this season ... and, ironically, takes even more drugs to prevent it. And yes, it’s shown in graphic detail ... as is much of the sex and other taboo topics tackled in the series.

The EPs have said their approach to all this is “honest,” but D.A.R.E. says otherwise ... adding, “It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school-age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges.”

Now, D.A.R.E. isn’t just here to criticize ... they say they actually wanna collaborate to help send the right message to real-life kids, "We would welcome the opportunity for our team, including members of our high school-aged Youth Advocacy Board, to meet with individuals at HBO who are involved with producing Euphoria to present our concerns directly."

If this attitude comes off as antiquated, well there’s a reason for that ... D.A.R.E. was super popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially with Nancy Reagan behind the “Just Say No” campaign. But, while that slogan might be dated, D.A.R.E. says everything they stand for in talking about the dangers of drugs is not, insisting "Euphoria" is doing more bad than good.

Scary moment at the Australian Open -- tennis star Nick Kyrgios smacked a loose ball out of frustration during a doubles match ... and it ended up nailing a young fan in the crowd.

Fortunately, the kid appeared to be OK after Kyrgios apologized with a gift racket.

The wild play all went down Monday during Kyrgios' doubles event with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis ... when Kyrgios got pissed over a missed serve.

You can see in footage from the Open, Kyrgios rifled a ball into the ground, and it ended up ricocheting straight into the stands and right into a kid's stomach.

The boy was so visibly hurt and upset ... Kyrgios himself was shaken up on the court.

Nick, though, collected himself and immediately grabbed one of his spare rackets to make up for the major blunder. And, it seemed the child was going to be just fine after the present.

"I saw it heading towards the kid and I thought, "Oh, no, I am getting defaulted," Kyrgios said of the scene to Channel Nine after the match. "I was glad he was OK and I gave him the racket."

This isn't the first time Kyrgios has made headlines at this month's tourney -- just last week, the 26-year-old took a swig of a fan's beer after defeating his opponent.

The fans in attendance loved it ... but the gesture didn't come without controversy, as some wondered if event organizers would come down hard on the Aussie ... given the COVID drama that went down with Novak Djokovic in the buildup to the tourney.

But, Nick has yet to face any discipline for the not-so-safe action.

Kanye West's minivan may not come with little juice box holders -- but it's got swivel seats, custom speakers and TVs big enough for a living room -- all tools to get him in dad mode.

Kanye's been spotted whipping around L.A. lately in a 1-of-1 custom luxury Mercedes-Benz van ... less horsepower than the Lamborghinis we usually see him drive, but it still comes with a hefty price tag of more than $400,000!!!

We're told the vans are sold exclusively by RD Whittington, owner of Wires Only in L.A. and Miami.

Ye's version is called Executive Style, seats 7 and features multiple TV screens, fully reclining and swiveling chairs ... as well as a sound system to rival a recording studio.

We've obtained some photos from inside different versions of the van, Kanye's is almost exactly like the one with red leather seats -- but you can see the insane light and interior options that come with these suped-up minivans.

RD will show off more crazy rides on the Jamie Foxx-produced "Million Dollar Wheels" ... which premieres February 21 on Discovery Plus.

When you think about it, Ye's vehicle makes a lot of sense ... he's got 4 kids to drive around AND a new album on the way. So, the available seating and impressive audio setup are a perfect fit for his needs.

We saw Kanye out to grab some ice cream Thursday in the van -- he had a massive smile on his face when a fan told him he was an "awesome dad."

Criss Angel could simply be celebrating his son's cancer going into remission, but instead, he wants to help other families feel the same hope and joy -- and he believes sharing Johnny's story is the best way to do that.

The famed illusionist got the great news Monday about 7-year-old Johnny, whose remission comes after he was first diagnosed at just 20-months-old. Criss captured much of his son's brave battle on camera, and joined us on "TMZ live" to talk about their new documentary "1095."

Criss tells us the 13-minute film documents the trials and tribulations his family faced with pediatric cancer ... and he knows it mirrors the experiences of so many other families. He says that's why he wants to use his platform to help people who are struggling but don't have the resources to raise awareness about this form of cancer.

Criss couldn't hold back tears as he admitted the ordeal has made him a different person. While he's still the same crazy guy onstage ... offstage he's focused on helping others in this dire situation.

After several streaming platforms rejected "1095" -- which is the number of days of chemo Johnny endured -- Criss simply posted it on his YouTube channel ... and we've included it above as well, so pass it on.

A woman frantically hurried kids into lockdown while NFL player Malik McDowell was roaming naked nearby ... new 911 audio, obtained by TMZ Sports, reveals.

In a call to dispatch ... a female can be heard on the line saying a man -- later identified as Cleveland Browns defensive lineman McDowell -- was "naked walking the premises" in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

The call is redacted, so it's unclear where the woman exactly is, but it seems she's calling from the school that cops say McDowell had walked near before his arrest on Monday afternoon.

"You're going to go into lockdown," the woman can be heard saying on the call. "You're going to have to take these kids into the bathroom, OK? Yes. One-by-one."

The woman then told dispatch McDowell was "out front."

"He's just walking up and down in front of the building," she added ... "He's completely naked."

At another point during the call, the woman can be heard again appearing to rush kids into lockdown, saying, "Whitney, help them get into their safe places!"

Two other callers, meanwhile, urged dispatch to get cops out to the scene ASAP ... describing McDowell as fully nude.

As we reported, cops say they were able to eventually tase McDowell at the scene and take him into custody. In video of the arrest, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see McDowell was completely naked while interacting with cops.

McDowell was ultimately booked on charges of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting and exposing sex organs in public.

The Browns released a statement on the arrest on Tuesday, saying, "We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information."

"We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. … No further comment at this time."

Serena Williams' young daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., is already showin' she's got tennis in her DNA ... the 4-year-old hit the court to work on her backhand.

Video of the training sesh was posted Monday ... showing Alexis in her sports gear, executing a picture-perfect backhand.

Keep in mind, she's only 4 years old!!

"Practice makes progress," the caption read on the video posted to Alexis' Instagram (BTW, she has 631K followers) ... and fans went crazy in the comments over the resemblance to her 23-time Grand Slam winning mom, Serena.

Even her auntie, tennis star Venus Williams, was taken back by the impressive move -- saying, "It's Oracene [Price] all over again!".

FYI, Oracene is Serena and Venus's mother who coached them -- alongside their father Richard Williams -- when they were around Alexis' age.

Alexis seems to be a star in the making ... not only does she have her momma's move, she also has her fashion sense! She wore the same fit Serena had on at 2021's Australian Open.

Kanye West's created a monster ... a super-fashionable one, who's taking every opportunity -- including her son's first birthday -- to show off her couture wardrobe.

Julia Fox jumped into fashion runway mode when photogs showed up outside Lucien in NYC's SoHo neighborhood -- posing her ass off (don't worry she's got plenty) in a head-to-toe black ensemble that included a black hoodie ... one of Ye's fave looks.

She was also rocking a black leather trench along with black leather pants and boots. Fact is, Julia's been draped in high fashion designs like Balenciaga -- often at Ye's behest -- ever since they hooked up on New Year's Eve.

Anyone walking past her sidewalk catwalk act Monday in SoHo would never have imagined this was all for a 1-year-old's party!

Yes, Mama Fox was there celebrating her baby boy Valentino's birthday.

We'll say this, her co-parenting seems to be going smoother than her BF's. As you know, Kanye was pissed over the weekend, claiming Kim Kardashian kept the location of their daughter Chicago's birthday party secret from him.

TMZ broke the story ... our Kim sources say she simply thought Ye was throwing a separate 4th birthday party for Chi.

"Heavenly Happy Birthday Josie! 🕊 There’s not a day I don’t think about you"

That's Floyd Mayweather reflecting on the birthday of his late, longtime-girlfriend and mother of his 3 children, Josie Harris, who would've turned 42 years old today.

Harris was tragically found dead at her Valencia, CA home back in March 2020.

Emergency responders received a call around 9:30 PM for a woman, Josie, who was found unresponsive in her car. Unfortunately, medics weren't able to save Harris ... and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Foul play was not involved.

Tragic news for the Mayweather family.

Floyd and Josie dated for around 15 years ... reportedly from about 1990 to 2005. They have 3 kids together ... Kouran, Zion, and Jirah Mayweather.

And, even though almost 2 years have passed, it's obvious Floyd -- not typically one to show emotion -- is still having a tough time dealing with the loss.

Mayweather went to Instagram and posted a photo of the mausoleum where Harris was laid to rest.

The stone is marked with a "Happy Birthday" decoration ... and a bouquet of flowers.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's divorce does not seem friendly anymore ... at least from Kanye's vantage point.

Ye did an interview with Hollywood Unlocked, in which he seemed to be saying security at Kim's house prevented him from seeing his kids, and he says the reason is that Pete Davidson was inside.

Our Kim sources say Kim is committed to co-parenting with her soon-to-be ex-husband and is not restricting him -- in fact, we're told she goes "above and beyond" -- but it's pretty clear they're not seeing eye to eye.

Entertainment Tonight talked to Jason Lee from Hollywood Unlocked and provided some short excerpts of his interview with Kanye, who said, "Earlier this week, Monday, when I went to go pick my kids up from school, the security stopped me at the gate. So, at that point, security was in between me and my children and that's what was not going to happen."

Kanye went on .... "But, I didn't want to argue about it. So I just chilled, took my kids to school, and then took my kids back. I am driving. I bring them back and North was like, 'I want you to come upstairs and see something.' And it's like, 'Oh, Daddy can't come see something. Daddy can't come inside.' But that hadn't been defined."

Kanye says Kim hasn't talked to him about any restrictions, but he's adamant ... security has blocked him ... "My daughter wanted me to go inside. I was like, I am the richest Black man and North's father, right, and the security was able to stop me from going into the room with my daughter and that had not been defined."

Kanye then insinuates the reason he was blocked by security was because Pete Davidson was inside ... "And I am hearing that the new boyfriend is actually in the house that I can't even go to. And, that's where I call my cousins. And, my cousin is real opinionated, you know that. And I said, 'I need you to go and say these two things.' Security ain't going to be in between me and my children, and my children ain't going to be on TikTok without my permission."

As we reported, Kanye has been going at Pete, rapping in his track with The Game -- "Eazy" -- "God saved me from the crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass."

Kanye seemed triggered by Kim's "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig, where he came face-to-face with Pete ... "How you gonna bring me to 'SNL' and kiss the dude you dating right in front of me, and everybody's like, 'awww, that's cool.'"

Kanye also told Jason Lee the reason he punched a guy early Thursday morning, saying the guy wasn't a fan -- he was getting autographs to make money ... "This is the same as the paparazzi, this is not a fan. This is someone who is using your image, who probably never listened to your songs, are ones that are like, 'This is my song, for real?'"

Kanye says he got triggered because his cousins, who were there, were supposed to talk to Kim about making sure he has access to his kids, but they hadn't contacted her ... "So, now my cousins are coming back and they have not delivered on it. So, I end up getting into an altercation with the guy that wanted to make money off of my autographs, then my cousin pulls up and she's talking to me. I say, 'Give me a breather. Get away from me.' She is not taking accountability for the fact that she did not do what she was supposed to do, and that added to me being in a mood where I was like, 'I am not going to have this.'"

And, then the punches ... "I'm saying, 'You don't know what I'm dealing with right now.' I just finished these two songs, I came from the studio. I created the record, this impromptu shoot, and my cousins went and did really deliver the mission. And, this dude just, he just had this real attitude, like, 'Whatchu gonna do? And, see that?' Imma just tell you, that blue COVID mask ain't stop that knockout, you know what I'm saying."

Kanye West still has Julia Fox in his corner despite tons of drama in his life ... we're told the new couple is still, well, a couple.

Our sources say Julia's been consoling Ye with everything he's been going through ... and not just the latest drama -- a criminal battery investigation after Kanye allegedly attacked and injured a man.

We're told Julia knew she'd have to help Kanye navigate his divorce from Kim Kardashian, but she may not have bargained for all the piled-on drama, including Ye's musical threat to kick Pete Davidson's ass.

Some outlets speculated Kanye and Julia were done, because we last saw her heading back into a club alone while he went on his way ... in a matter of hours, he was allegedly on the attack.

It hasn't scared Julia away ... she feels it's all part of signing up for the role as Ye's GF.

Julia has had her own drama ... she's dealing with her own split and co-parenting issues.

Kanye West is strongly insinuating that Kim Kardashian is limiting his access to their children, but people close to her say nothing could be further from the truth.

Kanye sounded pissed off about the amount of face time he's getting with their 4 kids when he sat down with Hollywood Unlocked's Jason Lee. Ye said, "Don't play with me, don't play with my children. Ain't no security gonna get in between me and my children and you ain't gonna gaslight me."

While he never mentions his estranged wife by name, the reference to security standing between him and the kids would seem to indicate Kim's involvement. He added, "Nothing with my career, with this rap, with this media, with none of that, that's gonna keep me from my children. And that's what I want everybody to know."

Ye's rant about the kids is puzzling to Kim, because sources connected to her tell TMZ ... Kim's never denied him time with the North, Saint, Chicago or Psalm. We're told she goes "above and beyond" to make sure he gets as much time with them as his schedule will allow.

Kanye was last photographed with all the kids last weekend.

Our sources say the one thing Kim has asked Kanye to do is call ahead of time when he wants to come to her house to see the children. We're told she simply wants some structure in order to protect her right to privacy in her home.

Ye also said he was annoyed by media coverage of his recent purchase of a home next to Kim's ... saying the only reason he did that was to remain close to his kids.

TMZ broke the story ... before he allegedly punched an autograph seeker early Thursday morning, Kanye told fans outside his hotel he was going through a lot related to his divorce and seeing his kids.

Bob Saget very privately turned a personal tragedy in his life into a mission to spare others similar grief ...  and a 9-year-old girl named Sophie Anne and her parents are forever grateful.

Sophie Anne is afflicted with Scleroderma, a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening of the skin and connective tissues. It's a disease that took the life of Bob's sister, Gay, who died in 1994 at age 47.

Bob became a tireless advocate and fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, but we found out he also reached out to families suffering from the illness to offer comfort and support.

Bob found out about Sophie Anne roughly 2 years ago, after she was diagnosed.  Her parents, Martha and Jeff Seaman, tell us they felt they were in the middle of the ocean without any lifeline, when suddenly, Bob came into their lives.

Bob sent the little girl personalized videos, always with comfort and hope ... "We are going to find a cure, sending lots of love."

Bob knew how the disease affects an entire family, so he offered support to Sophie Anne's sister with a school paper. The paper she chose to write, "Bob Saget: My Everyday Hero." We're told Bob was incredibly patient and candid about his life ... spending more than 30 minutes with her on the phone.

It didn't stop there. Just a few months ago, Bob invited Sophie Anne's parents to his show in North Carolina. He comped their tickets, meals and brought them backstage after his show.

The Scleroderma Research Foundation is benefiting from the massive goodwill embodied in Bob. More than 1,200 people have donated a total of more than $80,000. And, people are learning about the disease because of Bob's good work.

Kevin Hart's now on a Philly dream team -- joining Meek Mill and Michael Rubin to give back to their community with a $15 million donation to benefit students in the greater Philadelphia area.

The "Championships" rapper and 76ers partner added Kevin to the mix for another big charitable push -- pooling their funds to support 5,000 students from underserved communities who are attending private and parochial schools.

We're told the $15 mil donation will back the students at 110 schools for the 2022-23 school year.

As we've reported ... Meek's made a tradition out of playing Santa for Philly kids each Christmas -- but he's also put forth a year-round effort to support education in his hometown.

He and Michael launched a $2 million scholarship fund for Philly students back in December 2020, providing youth with critical resources during the pandemic.

The duo partnered with REFORM Alliance just last month, hosting a special VIP experience for more than 25 children negatively impacted by the criminal justice system -- the kids went to a 76ers game, and even got to shoot around on the court.

Ja Morant is as ruthless as he is athletic -- the Grizzlies star savagely mean-mugged a kid in a Warriors jersey during Memphis' game Tuesday night ... but he's at least now apologizing for the cold shoulder.

In the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' game against Golden State ... Morant took over, and hit a huge clutch bucket to extend Memphis' lead.

As his momentum carried him into the crowd, though, a young kid in a Warriors jersey was hoping to slap hands with the 22-year-old phenom after the sweet layup.

But, Ja paid the youngster no mind -- and instead, appeared to hit him with a death stare!!

"He was disrespectful with that jersey on," Morant said of the interaction in a postgame interview. "We in Memphis. It looked like he wanted to cheer but he had that jersey on."

But, Morant did eventually say he was sorry ... and added that he was hoping to get the kid's information so he could send him some Grizzlies gear to replace the Dubs colors.