Nipsey Hussle Kids Don't Need Charity Handouts ... He Set Them Up for Life

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Nipsey Hussle's family is politely shutting down any fundraising efforts to support his kids -- even from celebs -- because turns out their father made sure they'd be financially secure.

Sources close to Nip's family tell TMZ ... Nipsey made sure his 2 children, Emani and Kross Asghedom, would never have to rely on other people for money.

While there have been multiple crowdfunding pages popping up for them -- including the one retired NFL star Reggie Bush started -- we're told the family wants everyone to know the kids are more than alright.

Nipsey was remembered as a savvy businessman during his celebration of life ... and for good reason. We're told he owned all of his master recordings, his Marathon Clothing store, and he also set up multiple trust funds to make sure his kids and family would never need a handout.

As we reported ... Bush set up a GoFundMe in hopes of raising $100,000 for Nipsey's kids, personally chipping in $10k to get things started. But, that fundraiser has already been scrubbed from the internet.

We're told the family is grateful for the outpouring of support, but as one source put it -- Nip just wouldn't want it that way, and since he left his family financially secure ... it's just not necessary.

Russell Wilson & Ciara Make Victory Video After Signing $140 Mil Contract

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What do you do when you just signed the largest contract in the NFL???

If you're Russell Wilson and Ciara ... you make a celebration video from the comfort of your own bed!

The Seahawks quarterback inked a 4-year, $140 MILLION deal late Monday night -- with $65 MILLION guaranteed!!!

The deal makes 30-year-old Wilson the highest paid player in the league ... leaping over guys like Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins -- even Tom Brady.

But, Wilson wasn't poppin' bottles and hittin' the club -- instead, he hit the sheets with Ciara and posted a video message for his fans.

"Hey Seattle, we got a deal," a shirtless Wilson said.

"Go Hawks! But, I'm gonna see y'all in the morning."

Ciara was cuddling up next to her man -- and looked VERY happy.

Hey, you would be too if your spouse just signed a $140 MIL deal!

Wilson has been a monster on the field since being selected by the Hawks in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

He's racked up 6 Pro Bowl appearances and led the Hawks to a Super Bowl victory during the 2013 season. Seattle has reached the playoffs 6 of the 7 years he's been under center.

He holds a TON of Seahawks team records including highest career passer rating and most career rushing yards.

Justin Bieber Pap Sues for Truck Accident You Ran Me Over, Now Pay Up!!!

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4/16 -- Wilson's attorney says they're only suing because settlement talks with Justin's insurance company broke down a couple of months ago when they got a "lowball" offer.

In a statement, the attorney says Wilson suffered a torn meniscus and knee cap damage in the accident and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery.

Justin Bieber's getting sued by the photographer he accidentally drove over as he was leaving a church event.

The accident was pretty brutal to see and hear -- back in 2017, Justin was leaving a worship service in Bev Hills when he pulled away in his 2017 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup. The photog, William Wilson, was no match for the monster truck and went down in a heap.

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MOMENT OF IMPACT

Wilson is now suing Bieber, claiming the singer was negligent in the way he pulled out into the street. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Wilson says he suffered "permanent disability, emotional damages and general damages."

He doesn't specify his injuries, but at the time ... Wilson posted a video from his hospital bed.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

You might recall, Justin immediately pulled over and tried to assist Wilson. He also stayed on the scene until police arrived to take a report. Police eventually decided not to pursue any criminal charges against Bieber ... and chalked it all up to an accident, partially caused by camera flashes blinding Justin.

Cops also said the photog shouldn't have been standing in the street.

Wilson's suing Justin for unspecified damages. We've reached out to Justin's camp ... but no word back yet.

Originally Published -- 4/15 3:33 PM PT

Zion Williamson Declares for 2019 NBA Draft ... Duh

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File Under, "The Most Obvious News Ever" ... Zion Williamson is leaving Duke and declaring for the NBA Draft.

Yeah, no kidding.

Williamson was a monster in high school and became a global sensation during his 1 year at Duke -- where he was widely regarded as the #1 player in the country.

Now, he's projected to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, according to anyone who's ever watched basketball.

The 18-year-old made his announcement in a video -- in which he thanked everyone at Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski for "the best year of my life."

Zion says he learned more about basketball in his 1 year at Duke than he ever thought possible -- but ultimately decided to leave to pursue his dream of becoming an NBA player.

"I don't think I can put it into words how special this year was," Zion said ... shouting out his teammates for the "brotherhood" he experienced.

As for Zion's bank account ... last year's #1 pick DeAndre Ayton signed a 4-year, $40 million contract -- so expect Zion's to be a little bigger than that.

Zion will also sign a MASSIVE shoe deal now that he's going pro -- with Nike brand legend Sonny Vaccaro telling TMZ Sports he wouldn't be shocked if Zion got a $100 MILLION deal.

Good luck!

Mayor Pete Buttigieg Celebs Offering Early $upport ... Donations Rolling In

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Mayor Pete Buttigieg is already getting tons of support from Hollywood in his bid for the White House ... celebs are donating to his Presidential campaign right out of the gate.

We sifted through 2019 Federal Election Commission filings to see which celebs are opening their wallets for Mayor Pete and found contributions are pouring in since he officially announced his candidacy over the weekend.

Jane Lynch is leading the way after throwing down $2,700 ... while Mandy Moore and Bradley Whitford each plunked down $2,000 and Pedro Pascal tossed in $1,500.

Ryan Reynolds is also backing Mayor Pete from the jump ... the A-list actor chipped in $250. We haven't seen Ryan publicly support the South Bend Mayor, but his donation proves he's at least curious about what he's selling.

Ditto for one of the famous Kennedy clan. We found three separate $250 donations from Caroline Kennedy ... daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

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TRUMP WILL GO THERE

The openly gay mayor is also getting some financial support from the LGBT community ... openly gay comedian Guy Branum cut a $500 check and Chaz Bono made 3 donations totaling $650.

We gotta say ... Pete's celebrity backing is impressive, considering the crowded field and the fact he's arguably 2020's most unlikely candidate.

'Game Of Thrones' Leak Helps Gamblers ... Bookie Takes Bloody Bath!!!

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If you loved the "Game of Thrones" premiere, you're definitely not the bookie who got crushed on 'GoT' prop bets -- and all signs point to bettors taking advantage of the episode accidentally leaking early.

After DirecTV leaked the premiere about 4 hours too soon, gamblers apparently caught on to the fact Tyrion Lannister was the first character to speak in season 8 ... and cashed in big time!!!

The cyber-gambling site, SportsBetting.ag, says it lost in the "low five figures" on the prop bet. The book says Tyrion's odds to speak first dropped from 4/1 to 1/1 in the 48 hours leading up to the premiere.

The bookie tells TMZ ... "We assume that someone with inside knowledge was either betting heavily or telling all of their friends to do so. This type of stuff does occur in our industry, and we obviously can't verify if there was a leak, but the betting action pointed to one."

AT&T, which owns DirecTV and HBO, admits a system error gave some DirecTV Now customers early access to the episode by mistake.

Some betting odds for the final season have already changed after the season's first episode.

Jaime Lannister's odds to die first moved from 50/1 to 6/1 ... and the site's no longer taking bets on him killing his sister, Cersei Lannister. Entering the season, Jaime was the favorite to kill the Queen with 3/2 odds.

Jon Snow is now favored to sit on the Iron Throne at season's end with 5/2 odds, while the previously-favored Bran Stark saw his odds double from 2/1 to 4/1.

Antonio Brown Settles Furniture Throwing Lawsuit

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One less off-the-field issue for Antonio Brown ... who just struck a settlement with the man claiming Brown nearly killed his child in a crazy furniture-throwing fit.

We broke the story ... Brown was sued by Ophir Sternberg -- who claims his 22-month-old son was walking around the pool at a high-end apartment complex in Florida in April 2018 when suddenly "large objects started to fall from the building many floors above them."

In his suit, Sternberg claims Brown tossed everything from vases to an ottoman and other pieces of furniture ... and they landed mere FEET from the toddler, who was allegedly traumatized by the whole thing.

For his part, Brown denied throwing the items -- claiming the tosser was another person who had access to his apartment that day.

The problem for Brown ... cops actually responded to the apartment that day and say the NFL star was "very agitated" and yelling when they got there. Cops also said the people who were with Brown that day were trying to calm him down.

But, it's all furniture under the bridge now ... sources connected to the case tell us both sides agreed to a settlement and the lawsuit will not be moving forward.

The terms of the settlement are confidential but we're told both sides are happy with the resolution.

The timing couldn't be better for Brown ... who's reporting to Oakland Raiders training camp MONDAY and hopes to start a new chapter in his life.

Of course, Brown has other issues to deal with ... the owners of the apartment complex are still suing Brown for allegedly trashing the place during his time as a tenant.

Kim & Kanye Eyeing Desert Gem ... A la Kris Jenner!!!

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Kim and Kanye West are THIS close to landing a vacation home out in the desert ... and if all goes well, Kris Jenner will be their neighbor.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kimye are in negotiations for a SICK house in a posh golf community in the Palm Springs area, about 2 and 1/2 hours southeast of L.A.

We're told the 8,728 square foot pad's listed at $7.5 million.

Kim and Kanye scoped out the 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom crib and fell in love with it, so they got down to brass tacks. Nothing's finalized yet but we're told negotiations are well underway.

What's more ... the house -- tucked away in a gated community -- sits right next to a relative ... momager Kris Jenner, who dropped a cool $12 million back in August.

As for Kimye's potential new vacation digs ... it's a beaut, featuring a living room with an open-concept that opens up to the backyard. There are multiple fountains and a giant pool. It's the desert, duh.

There's also tons of privacy, which is HUGE for Kim and Kanye. Remember ... Kanye surprised Kim with a $14 million Miami Beach condo, but he backed out of the deal after realizing it lacked privacy once they were photographed on their new condo's balcony.

Drake Started From The Bottom Buy My Old Bio, Note To My Mom

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Before Drake owned mansions in Toronto and L.A., a young Aubrey Graham wrote notes to his mother promising to clean his room ... and now you can buy pieces of his childhood for several thousand bucks.

A page ripped out of Drizzy's old lyrics notebook is going up for sale through the memorabilia company, Moments in Time -- and they're hawking Drake's handwritten note to his mom, and an early bio he wrote for himself, for $7,500.

The note to his mom is super cute ... Drake promises to clean his room when he comes home, and someone wrote back, "In order to receive 8:15 am rides this week -- room must be clean + bathroom must be clean AS PROMISED FRI JAN. 18th!!!"

Maybe that's why Drake famously rapped, "livin' at my momma's house, we'd argue every month."

On the back of the note is a bio Drake created on his own ... and it sheds some light into how a young Champagne Papi dreamed of making it big. He lists his music influences, hobbies and talents -- with a special shout-out to his pops.

The extremely personal page is from Drake's old rhyme book, which was found in a dumpster near his grandpa's old furniture factory in Toronto, where Drizzy used to work.

Check it out ... and see how far Drake's come from his days living at his mom's house.

Lee Ann Yanni Boston Bombing Survivor Returns to Course for '19 Marathon

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COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THEM

Lee Ann Yanni -- who suffered major injuries in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing -- is returning to course on Monday to run 26.2 miles ... all to raise money for military families in need.

Yanni was a spectator at the 2013 marathon when shrapnel from one of the bombs hit her leg causing broken bones, severed nerves and other major injuries.

But, Yanni is a beast -- and just 6 months later, she completed the Chicago Marathon in 5 hours, 43 minutes. Amazing!

She's since completed the Boston Marathon TWICE -- once in 2014 and again in 2015.

And, on Monday, she'll lace up her shoes to do it again -- not only to stick it to the scumbags behind the bombing but also to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund.

The Fund provides resources and support for combat-wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. It's a great cause.

So, where did Yanni find the physical and emotional strength to get back out there? We spoke with the 37-year-old who told us she couldn't have done it alone.

If you want to help Yanni ... click here to donate.

#BostonStrong

'Game of Thrones' Bets Are On Bran To Sit on The Iron Throne

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When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die ... and fans of HBO's wildly popular series are betting on Bran Stark to rule the seven kingdoms when all is said and done.

The cyber-gambling site, BetOnline.ag, is offering up tons of bets on the final season of "Game of Thrones" -- which kicks off Sunday on HBO -- and Bran is the front-runner to sit on the Iron Throne when season 8 ends.

Bran's not the runaway favorite though ... check out the top contenders to rule Westeros:

-- Bran Stark 2/1
-- Daenerys Targaryen 3/1
-- Jon Snow 7/2
-- Sansa Stark 9/2
-- Gendry 5/1
-- Arya Stark 8/1
-- The Night King 8/1

If you like rooting for the underdog ... Davos has the longest odds to win 'GoT' at 50/1.

Fans love the blood and violence 'GoT' provides ... so, naturally, you can bet on the first character to die in season 8. Yara Greyjoy and Tormund Giantsbane are favored at 9/4.

Still got the gambling itch? Here are some other prop bets:

-- First character to speak in the season premiere
-- Last character to speak in the season finale
-- First dragon to perish
-- First Greyjoy to perish
-- First Lannister to perish
-- First Stark to perish
-- Is Bran the Night King?
-- Who will Arya Stark kill first?

If you despise Cersei Lannister, you can bet on who will kill the Queen -- her brother, Jaime Lannister's favored at 3/2. The odds of Cersei making it through the season alive are 6/1.

Barry Bonds HR Record Ball Hits Auction Block ... Could Fetch $750K!!!

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The baseball Barry Bonds smacked for his last-ever home run is hitting the auction block ... and it could fetch $750,000 (!!!!!!!!!) -- TMZ Sports has learned.

Baseball's home run king launched the final dinger of his career -- No. 762 -- on Sept. 5, 2007 ... when Bonds took Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez deep at Coors Field in Denver.

It was a mad scramble to catch the ball -- and turns out, for good reason ... 'cause the first time the ball went up for sale back in 2008 -- it sold for $376,612.

Now, we're told the ball is set to hit the auction block on Monday at Goldin Auctions -- and it could fetch three-quarters of a million dollars by the time bidding ends!!!

The ball is a pretty remarkable piece of history ... it has dirt smudges all over it and comes with three separate affidavits that prove its authenticity -- and it could be all yours if ya got the cash.

Bonds -- in addition to being MLB's all-time home run leader -- was a 7-time MVP, 14-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove winner.

He finished his 22-year career with a .298 batting average.

Jermaine Jackson's Ex He's Been Stiffing Me on Support!!! For Nearly a Full Year

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Jermaine Jackson is hanging his estranged wife out to dry, financially speaking ... refusing to pay her a cent of spousal support ... according to new docs she's filed in court.

Halima Rashid, who filed to divorce Jermaine back in 2016, says he's supposed to be paying her $2,500 per month. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says the judge in their case ordered that back in May 2018 ... and yet, she hasn't received a single payment.

She insinuates the singer's sitting on a pile of money, while she struggles. She estimates Jermaine was hauling in anywhere between $50k and $500k each month while they were married.

Halima says she makes enough to cover her monthly expenses, but just barely. Plus, she's taking care of her elderly parents who live with her. The divorce battle, now almost 3 years old, has gotten nasty at times. TMZ broke the story ... Halima's filed docs demanding her fair cut of their assets, including a collection of Michael Jackson portraits.

She filed her income declaration this week in L.A. County Superior Court in hopes the judge will force Jermaine to start paying spousal support.

We've reached out to Jermaine for comment ... but no word back.

Soulja Boy You Took Our Money and Bailed!!! ... Pay Us $25k or Else

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Soulja Boy's has a brand new 5-figure headache to distract him while he sits in jail for the next 2 weeks or so ... it's a potential lawsuit for skipping out on a recent concert.

The legal threat's coming from a promoter named William Hicks, who claims Soulja accepted $8,750 as payment for a gig last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. Hicks says, in a letter fired off to Soulja's camp, the money was wired back in January ... but the rapper was a no-show.

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ, Soulja waited until hours before the show to cancel ... which totally screwed Hicks. He says he's out money for booking hotels and lost profits on the show itself. He called out Soulja on social media and, of course, SB responded savagely.

Hicks wants Soulja to cough up at least $25k for his troubles ... or face a lawsuit.

We're guessing Soulja hasn't seen the letter yet, because he's behind bars. As we reported ... he was arrested Thursday after a judge found he violated probation.

He's going to remain in custody until a hearing scheduled for April 30 -- and that's already forced him to cancel at least 2 scheduled shows. It remains to be seen if he gets sued for those.

Reggie Bush Donates $10,000 To Nipsey's Kids ... Wants To Raise $100K

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Awesome gesture from Reggie Bush ... the ex-NFL star is making sure Nipsey Hussle's kids will be taken care of -- donating $10,000 to them and hoping to raise over $90k more.

Unclear how close Bush was to the late rapper ... but as a San Diego native and a former USC superstar -- it's clear the SoCal legend was able to touch Reggie in some way during his life.

So, Bush is giving back to Hussle in the wake of his tragic death last month ... by donating $10,000 to Nipsey's two children and encouraging his followers to chip in as well.

"[Nipsey] touched a lot of lives in a positive way. He wanted to make a difference in his community, and communities like it all around the world," Bush said.

"As a tribute to Nipsey, I would like to offer support to his children, and all funds from this GoFundMe will be transferred directly into a trust that was created solely for his legacy, his two children, Kross & Emani."

Reggie added, "I'm making a donation to start this off. Please join me in honoring him in this way."

One NFL player has already contributed -- Patriots wideout Phillip Dorsett donated $1,000 to the campaign just an hour after Bush made the announcement.

Bush says his fundraising campaign will end on April 19.

Nipsey -- who was murdered outside his clothing store in L.A. on March 31 -- has been honored by all kinds of athletes since his death, with LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and even Clippers star Montrezl Harrell paying tribute.

Luke Walton OUT AS LAKERS COACH ... 'Mutual' Agreement

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The Luke Walton era in Los Angeles is over -- he's out as the Lakers head coach ... but both sides are saying it was a "mutual" decision.

So, not fired???

"We would like to thank Luke for his dedicated service over the last three years," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

“We wish Luke and his family the best of luck moving forward.”

Walton also issued a statement saying, "I want to thank Jeanie Buss and the Buss family for giving me the opportunity to coach the Lakers."

"This franchise and the city will always be special to me and my family.”

The Lakers were 98-148 under Walton -- who was hired in April 2016. This season, after adding LeBron James, the Lakers finished with an abysmal 37-45 ... 10th place in the Western Conference.

Back in February, we spoke with Luke about the situation with the Lakers and he told us he LOVED being the head coach.

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ALL'S WELL IN LAKER LAND

So, who's next for L.A.? There are reports Ty Lue could take over -- reuniting LeBron James with his old coach from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There are also rumblings Luke is the frontrunner to be the next head coach of the Sacramento Kings, which just fired their head coach Thursday.

It's been a wild week for the Lakers -- with Magic Johnson surprisingly stepping down as the President of Basketball Operations on Tuesday ... minutes before the Lakers played their final game of the season.

Magic insisted he just wasn't happy in the role -- and wanted to be free to tweet about NBA topics and players without being fined by the league.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says the team is actively looking for Magic's replacement.

Story developing ...