Money

Lonzo Ball is suing Alan Foster -- the co-founder of the Big Baller Brand -- alleging the longtime family friend conned them and swindled them out of more than $1.5 million.

TMZ Sports has obtained the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday ... in which Ball alleges Foster orchestrated a "fraudulent scheme" to take money from BBB and divert the money to his personal accounts.

Ball claims Foster intentionally got close to his family knowing he was one of the best basketball players in the country and would likely go on to make millions in the NBA.

The Balls also claim they had no knowledge of Foster's checkered past ... and that he spent several years in federal prison in the early 2000s for his alleged role in a ponzi scheme.

Ball claims Foster began conspiring against them shortly after his release.

It was reported last week that Foster -- who owns around 16 percent of the company -- allegedly stole the money and that Ball cut ties with him ... so it was only a matter of time before it went to court.

Zo also alleges when Foster was confronted, he threatened to expose the Ball family with false information to the public.

It's unclear how much Lonzo is asking for ... but it's well in excess of $2 million.

Famed makeup artist Jeffree Star got his warehouse ransacked by burglars, and the heist is hitting him hard ... as in millions of dollars worth of stolen goods.

Jeffree revealed on his YouTube page Tuesday a warehouse he uses in L.A. to store a bulk of his makeup line was broken into last month ... and virtually stripped clean by "black market" peddlers.

He says they made off with upwards of $2.5 million of his stuff -- and the break-in appears to be a 6-man operation. The majority of stolen goods were from his skincare concealer line.

The break-in was even more elaborate than what it sounds like. Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ the burglars cut a hole through the roof of Jeffree's warehouse to get in, and also used the rear door somehow. We're told thousands of lip liners were jacked, among other items.

They definitely trashed the place too, as you can see in the photos we got.

Jeffree says he's been working with cops and the feds to catch the crooks.

Law enforcement sources tell us the burglary went down in mid-March, and that investigation is still ongoing. There are no suspects who've been identified yet.

We're told this does not appear to be connected to a string of other high-profile makeup heists that have happened in L.A. lately.

The makeup mafia ... apparently it's a thing.

We reached out to the FBI, but they told us they couldn't confirm an investigation.

9:50 AM PT -- A source connected to J Lo tells us 'WoD' was floating around NBC years ago -- it was the network's concept and they brought it to Jennifer.

Jennifer Lopez pulled a sneaky 1-2 step to get her hit TV show, "World of Dance," on the air ... at least according to a guy who claims she stole the idea -- but his story's got some holes.

Alvin Gray-El is suing J Lo claiming 'WoD' is a total rip from an idea he first pitched to renowned choreographer Debbie Allen. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Alvin claims he faxed Debbie a copy of his idea back in 2009. His reality show was supposed to be entitled, "Let's Start the Dance."

Alvin, however, says he never heard back from Debbie, whom he's also suing.

The following year, according to docs, Alvin registered his show idea with the U.S. Copyright Office -- but was told about 7 years later ... there was already a similar show being produced by J Lo and NBC.

Alvin claims he fired off a letter to NBC telling them the show J Lo's producing is his original pitch from years ago he made to Debbie. But, he says he got zero response.

BTW, Debbie has nothing to do with J Lo's show. Assuming she actually got Alvin's fax all those years ago, Alvin's lawsuit never explains how his idea jumped from Debbie to Jennifer.

In any event, he's now suing both of them for $6.5 million in damages. We've reached out to J Lo's camp and Debbie's ... so far no word back.

Why the hell did Lonzo Ball cover his Big Baller Brand tattoo?

LaVar Ball is about to answer that question for the entire world, and reveal that despite the cover job, BBB is intact, and so is the Ball family.

We spoke directly to LaVar (he was in a loud arena -- that's why he's so close to the phone), and he told us that after Lonzo learned a former business partner allegedly defrauded the company of $1.5 million, he made the decision to dissolve the brand.

"We had a meeting before the story came out, man. And, everybody was in they feelings. What I mean by that is, we're not really thinking. 'Cause I told them we're shutting down everything, 'cause I don't want him to get nothing."

"So, I said it was shut down. And, that's why DMo and everybody heard what I said and was going on them things. Okay, triple B's is done."

LaVar says he came to his senses and decided to keep the brand alive ... but not before Zo's tattoo was covered.

Still, LaVar has no problem with Lonzo covering his BBB tat, 'cause the art was a distraction anyway.

"Lonzo had to cover that Triple B up anyway. You can't play with no band-aid when you not even hurt. It feels weird playing like that. So, you gotta cover it anyway."

As far as stories that the family is estranged ... LaVar calls B.S. on those too.

"The media's making it a big deal, man. Our family stick together. Everything is good. The games still going on, man. My boys still going forward, and my family is still in tact. So, I'm good."

50 Cent just made a massive donation to charity ... and the funds are all thanks to the unloading of his mega-mansion in Connecticut.

50 just sold his 50,000 square foot pad -- with a whopping 21 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms -- for $3 million. A source close to the rapper tells us every penny from the sale will be donated to 50's G-Unity Foundation ... a project that provides grants to non-profit organizations that focus on improving the quality of life for low-income and underserved communities across the country.

50's been trying to sell the massive property for years ... he bought it way back in 2007 for $18.5 million.

The baller pad is palatial ... with 9 kitchens, outdoor infinity pool and grotto, indoor pool, helicopter pad, casino, nightclub, basketball courts and a pond!!!

Nipsey Hussle's murder has rocked the music world, but it has also sparked new spins on his most beloved tunes -- 'cause the rapper is dominating the charts.

The Crenshaw rapper's music has soared on Amazon and iTunes in the wake of his fatal shooting, with a lot of his former projects jumping up in position by as much as 500%. Specifically, Nipsey's debut studio album, "Victory Lap," has skyrocketed to the #1 album on Amazon's Movers & Shakers list ... having risen by a whopping 504,766%.

That's not all though -- Nipsey's album and previous mixtapes actually occupy all four top slots on Amazon's Movers & Shakers list. "Victory Lap" has also jumped to #2 on Amazon's overall bestsellers in digital music.

Nipsey's making an impact on iTunes as well -- his studio album is ranked second on its album chart, and his mixtape, "Crenshaw," has climbed to #12 on the list.

For the record, "Victory Lap" was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammy Awards. It lost out to Cardi B's record, but it was still a major milestone for Nipsey.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was shot and killed Sunday outside of his Marathon Clothing store in South L.A. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

He was 33.

If you're wondering why President Trump's going to party in super libby La La Land ... we've learned the guy who's fêting him has given nearly half a million bucks to the GOP!

Sources connected tell TMZ ... super wealthy businessman Lee Samson is the guy rolling out a very pricey red carpet for Trump this Friday in Bev Hills. He's throwing a fundraising event for POTUS and his supporters -- yes, he's got 'em in L.A., and if they're anything like Samson ... they're coming with deep pockets.

According to records, Samson -- who runs SnF Management, a hugely successful healthcare company -- donated $10k to Trump last year. Even before that, though, he was giving frequently and generously to some of Trump's former rivals ... especially Sen. Ted Cruz.

Samson's given "Lying" Ted -- as Trump used to call him -- nearly $12k since 2015 to support his Presidential run ... and his hotly contested Senate race against Beto Rourke.

He also backed Marco Rubio's Presidential campaign with a $4,360 donation. While Trump's made no secret of his hatred of late Sen. John McCain, Samson liked him enough to send $5,700 his way.

Basically, he's sprinkled a ton o' dough on multiple Republicans, but he's no dummy. He's also given to 2 Democratic Congressmen -- Ted Lieu and Brad Sherman -- we're guessing because they represent L.A. districts where Samson does business.

The old oak tree from "The Shawshank Redemption" is still getting busy living ... now as a piece of fancy furniture made for a superfan.

Brian McNeal, owner of Natural Wood Mirrors, tells TMZ ... he's been working with the owners of the famous movie tree to craft a table for a potential buyer from Toronto who loves the film, and already has 2 smaller tables made from the oak.

We're told the guy dropped over $24k total on the 2 tables, but wanted to take it to another level for the third piece in the set, and gave McNeal a $65,000 budget to work with. As you can see ... he's making the most of it.

McNeal says he's using a product called EcoPoxy to encase the wood for the table's surface, and also used a branch from the tree to create the table's base. The centerpiece includes stills from the classic film -- including shots of Andy and Red -- and reads, "crafted from The Shawshank Oak Tree."

"The Shawshank Redemption" will be celebrating its 25th anniversary later this year, and the Ohio State Reformatory where it was filmed will be holding the 5th annual Shawshank Hustle -- a race and festival in its honor.

McNeal says he and the tree's owner will be offering online chances to win tickets to the event, where some of the actors are expected to attend, along with a tour of where the remaining wood is stored and the field where the tree stood.

The famous tree was cut down after suffering severe storm damage in 2016, but the lumber's lived on the form of collector's items ... including 25th anniversary slices of the tree's trunk.

Young M.A is treating herself for her upcoming birthday ... throwing down fat stacks of cash for some insane custom jewelry that's guaranteed to outshine any of her other presents!!!

We've learned the "OOOUUU" rapper dropped a whopping $140,000 on a diamond chain and pendant ... hitting up Ali G and Ali L over at Luxe Jewelers in Atlanta for the super sick piece.

The specs on the bling are pretty wild ... we're talking more than 39 carats of diamonds, with the pendant and bussdown cuban link chain tipping the scale at 129 grams.

We're told Young M.A scooped up the jewelry on Wednesday, which is a week before her 27th birthday. If you're looking for a last-minute gift, may we suggest a turtleneck ... she's gonna need it for all that ice on her collar!

Felicity Huffman and her daughter, Georgia Macy, hit the shops Saturday in West Hollywood.

The mother/daughter duo looked chill in the wake of the Varsity Blues college scandal. As you know, Felicity has been indicted on felony charges for allegedly paid bribery ringleader Rick Singer $15,000 to rig the SAT test of her other daughter, Sophia Grace ... giving her twice the amount of time to take it and then correcting her answers.

Sophia scored 1420 on the SAT, approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

They carted around a pack of Poly-fil ... used for arts and crafts.

No one seems to know the location of Zion Williamson's infamous blown-out Nike sneaker -- not Zion, not Duke, not even Nike ... and it's a huge problem considering it's worth around $250,000!!!

Of course, Zion exploded his left PG 2.5 PE sneaker during the Feb. 20 game against North Carolina -- injuring his knee in the process. Thankfully, he's better now.

But, what happened next? Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has said Nike reps came out to Durham and inspected the shoe in hopes of identifying the problem. But, it's unclear who has the shoe now.

So, when we spotted Zion and his Duke teammates in Washington, D.C. the other day, we asked the 18-year-old straight up ... who's got the shoe?

Zion smiled and told us, "Uh, ask coach about 'em."

So, we did! We hit up the Duke athletic dept., and a rep told us they have no idea where the shoes ended up.

Next call was to Nike -- maybe they have the shoe, right?

A Nike spokesperson told us ... “We’re thrilled to see Zion returning to the court. After working closely with the Duke Basketball team to examine the issue, we are confident this was an isolated incident. We continue to work with Duke, and all of our partner programs, to ensure we are providing the best product for their athletes.”

When we again asked who currently possessed the busted sneaker, Nike told us ... "I don't have any more information [on the location of the shoe]."

WHY HAS THIS BECOME SUCH A MYSTERY?!!

Our next call was to Ken Goldin from Goldin Auctions -- one of the leading sellers of sports memorabilia in the world. He just sold some of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's prized mementos for almost $3 MILLION!

Ken told us the shoes are INSANELY collectible -- and could fetch more than $250,000 on the open market!!

In fact, Ken believes the blown out shoe plus the matching intact sneaker are "the most famous pair of sneakers in the world, period. End of story."

A piece of Beatles history is up for grabs, but it's so old -- or vintage -- it goes by a different name.

If ya don't know ... John Lennon's first band wasn't The Beatles, it was The Quarry Men. He formed the group in 1956, later added Paul McCartney and George Harrison ... then made their famous name change in 1960.

Before that, though, the lads from Liverpool printed out business cards for The Quarry Men and an original -- one of just a few known to exist -- is up for sale. That's the good news. The bad news is ... baby, you'll need to be a rich man (or woman) to afford it.

The roughly 3.5 x 2-inch piece of paper and rock 'n' roll history is going for $32,500.

As for the card's origin story ... a collector bought it from a woman living in a Liverpool suburb 30 years ago. She sold off a bunch of membership cards and tickets she'd collected from her days hitting the clubs there in the late '50s and '60s.

The card's been down a long and winding road -- it's a little worn with some creases and stains, but that's part of its charm.

Lil Uzi Vert is stewing over his record deal with Generation Now ... he thinks he's not getting his fair shake, and he wants to hammer out a new contract.

A source familiar with his current deal tells TMZ ... the rapper's being exploited because the contract allows little room for growth and doesn't do enough for his bottom line.

We're told Generation Now is supposed to cover Lil Uzi's studio time and recordings, but the label's refusing to pony up -- so he's being forced to seek financial assistance from people close to him. Sounds like an awkward conversation.

We got one of his rap buddies, Nav, out in NYC this week, and he told us Uzi's gotta fix his situation so they can drop new music.

Lil Uzi's serious about getting out from under his contract ... we're told his side proposed an amended deal, one that's more fair and balanced for the artist. As you might expect, the label is pushing back.

However, another source tells us Generation Now isn't holding up the release of Uzi's upcoming album, "Eternal Atake," and they're definitely NOT exploiting him -- they claim he's been in full control of the project from the jump.

As the label sees it ... Uzi has a production budget for the album and he's been recording in Philadelphia for a while, but hasn't shared any of his work -- making it difficult for the label to set release dates, or figure out marketing and promotion plans.

Financial woes aren't the only problems for Lil Uzi ... his latest single, "Free Uzi," was just yanked from streaming services over licensing issues.

While it sounds like the standoff's getting worse, we're told both sides still hope to meet in the middle.

Lori Loughlin says you can follow her around all day ... her lips are sealed about her college bribery case.

The "Fuller House" star was leaving a yoga session in Brentwood Saturday when the paps hit her up with some questions about her alleged involvement in the scandal ... and if she's fearing prison time.

Lori was polite but firm -- she ain't talking. She did seem like she genuinely appreciated the camera guy wishing her well, though ... she even called him "honey."

As you know ... Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were among the parents indicted for allegedly paying bribes to get their kids into prestigious schools like Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA and USC. Felicity Huffman was also charged.

Loughlin's daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, have both left USC in wake of the scandal and have reportedly been keeping a low profile at the family pad in Bel-Air.

Lori and Mossimo were recently spotted together in Orange County looking very pensive about the days ahead. They face the judge in a court hearing next week.

The Jussie Smollett saga might be over for the Osundairo brothers -- but they're just getting started on their fitness business ... which is apparently skyrocketing.

Sources close to Abel and Ola tell TMZ ... the brothers' training regiment is a hot commodity in the wake of the Jussie scandal, which ended with the actor getting off scot-free this week. We're told hundreds of people have been hitting them up for training and diet plans.

Ironic, really, considering that's exactly what they were doing for Jussie before things went awry.

Business must actually be doing pretty well considering they're now advertising a new "Team Abel" fitness package on their social media pages. The basic purchase will run ya $30 for a workout plan -- does NOT include personal training. The premium plan will cost folks just $20 more ... and it gets you a lot, including a diet program, strength training, power training, shred training and a 4-week meal plan.

No word on whether personal training costs $3,500 ...

Getting on-board could be worth your while -- in case you haven't noticed, these dudes are completely shredded (and athletic). So, obviously, they know a thing or two when it comes to fitness.

The bigger -- and unanswered -- question more people probably care about at this point, though, is whether they'll break their silence on how the Jussie case shook out in Chi-town.

We're told they will speak on it in the near future ... but no word on an exact date yet, or if there's a price tag attached.

Stay tuned ...

Jamaal Charles is thrilled Donald Trump won't let Betsy DeVos cut $18 MILLION from Special Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports competing in them when he was younger changed his life.

The Kansas City Chiefs legend was diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age ... and used track and field at Special Olympics events to help him get through tough times.

In fact, the running back -- who's the all-time NFL leader in yards per carry -- says, "Special Olympics is one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Charles says the events helped him deal with bullying and other issues that came with his disability, and tells us he couldn't be happier the organization's government funding remains intact.

"When you go to some of these games right here, these kids will just put a smile on your face. Winning is really nothing to them. It's just really just having fun."

Charles' message to all the Special Olympians out there? "Don't give up. Believe in yourself."