Money

LeBron James made a surprise visit to his I Promise School in Akron on Thursday ... and he came bearing a REALLY big gift -- a $1 MILLION check!!

The NBA superstar presented a grant from the DICK's Sporting Goods Foundation ... which will go towards building a brand new gym for his already-freakin'-awesome school.

The gym will be used for phys. ed classes, after-school activities and act as a safe space for local kids after hours.

“To my kids, this is more than a gym,” Bron says of the gift. “The DICK’s Sports Matter program is helping us provide even more opportunities. An opportunity to play and learn in a safe place that many don’t have access to."

"I can’t imagine where my friends and I would be if it weren’t for the coaches and teachers who cared about us and the opportunities we had.”

As we previously reported, Bron's school is doing REALLY well ... with their statewide test scores soaring after just one year.

Now, the kids will be able to work on their jump shot to, oh, who knows ... maybe become the next LeBron James.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg had an opportunity to use his rescue dogs as a credential in his run for The White House, but he didn't bite.

We got the Prez candidate Thursday night in WeHo at The Abbey -- perhaps the most famous gay bar in the U.S. of A., where he held a fundraiser to a packed house at $25 a pop.

Our photog asked Pete about his 2 rescue dogs -- Truman and Buddy -- and how it might reflect on him. It's an opening, right, to talk about compassion for the forgotten, but Pete kinda left it with the fact he and his husband, Chasten, really dig dogs.

Buttigieg was in L.A. for a bunch of fundraisers ... after leaving The Abbey Pete beelined it for Gwyneth Paltrow's digs, starting at $250 a pop. And earlier, he had another fundraiser where tickets started at $250 if you were under 37 -- his age -- but more if you were older. If you wanted a pic, it was another $2,800 and if you wanted a John Hancock you had to shell out a grand.

Money ... the mother's milk of politics.

Dennis Rodman claims he's NOT A THIEF -- telling TMZ Sports allegations he participated in a clothing heist at a yoga studio this week are just wrong.

Or as Dennis put it ... "We didn't steal sh*t!!!"

We spotted the NBA Hall of Famer leaving The Abbey in West Hollywood on Thursday with the same group of friends who were with him at the VIBES Hot Yoga studio in Newport Beach earlier this week.

As we previously reported, the owner of the studio claims Dennis and his crew stole more than $500 in clothing off the racks before breaking (and taking) a $2,500 crystal art piece. The whole incident was captured on surveillance video obtained by TMZ Sports.

But, Dennis claims it's all a giant misunderstanding -- insisting the staffers at the shop told the group they could take "a couple of gifts" in exchange for helping to move the giant crystal art piece ... which is why they grabbed the items.

Rodman never explains why his female companion tried to shield herself from view while stuffing shirts into her purse at the store ... or why the staff needed help moving the crystal in the first place.

"I tried to help ... as the good person I am," Rodman said.

When asked why the store owners filed a police report, Rodman and his crew insisted the yoga place was just looking for "exposure."

Remember, Rodman is still on probation from a 2018 DUI arrest -- but Dennis says he's not worried about this incident possibly triggering a violation because he's adamant he did NOTHING wrong!

"Am I going to jail? No."

Rodman also disputes claims he was drunk during the situation.

Cardi B has the Midas touch ... her new spring collection is nearly sold out after raking in over $1 MILLION bucks in the first 24 hours!!!

Our sources tell us Cardi's second collection with Fashion Nova is already vastly outperforming her first collab with the fast-fashion giant, a pretty tall order considering her first venture sold out within minutes.

We're told Fashion Nova prepared for "Season 2" of Cardi's spring-summer line collection by having nearly 5 times the amount of inventory as the first go-round ... and they're still struggling to meet the demand, with the vast majority of styles selling like hotcakes.

The numbers are impressive, but here's something else to give you a sense of just how wildly successful Cardi the businesswoman is ... Nasdaq is congratulating her with a massive billboard in Times Square!!! Now that's clout.

As we reported ... Cardi rolled out her new line as only she could, by shaking her ass and rapping during a launch party at the Hollywood Palladium. Tons of celebs showed up to support Cardi, including Master P, YG, Romeo, Lamar Odom, Nikki Bella, Swaggy P and Jeremy Meeks.

If you didn't get your hands on some Cardi B fashion merch, don't give up hope yet ... we're told Fashion Nova is planning weekly drops for each style to give everyone a chance to snag her new designs.

Just be sure to keep your finger on the trigger, or you might miss out. Okurrr!!!

Russ says there's TONS of money to be made in the music industry ... but ya gotta get smart like Nipsey Hussle, Taylor Swift and Meek Mill.

The rapper joined "TMZ Live" and before getting down to business we got down to pleasure ... like his new single and music video "Civil War" which dropped Wednesday to much acclaim. Check out the clip ... you're NOT gonna believe how long it took Russ to shoot the sizzling vid.

We then talked to Russ about artists -- some of whom whine about not making money off of recording music -- but some getting wiser when it comes to their earning potential. You'll recall, Taylor Swift scored a new record deal last year under the caveat she had ownership of her masters going forward.

Meek Mill earlier this year tweeted, "All records labels should start letting artist have ownership" and, as you know by now, Nipsey Hussle owns a huge chunk of his master recordings.

Russ says those are huge baller moves. He should know. That exact strategy catapulted him this year into Forbes' list of top hip-hop earners at No. 20 after earning $15 million.

10:26 AM PT -- A rep for Lyft tells TMZ ... the driver has dropped off the items at a central secure location. The rep adds, "We have let the rider know where he can collect his items. We're glad that this issue could be resolved quickly." So, case closed.

Raz B is desperately seeking Louis ... as in the high-priced Louis Vuitton bag he forgot in a Lyft ride -- because he caught one too many Zzz's -- and now he claims the driver won't give it back.

Sources close to Raz tell TMZ ... the singer jumped in a ride-share vehicle early Thursday morning and fell asleep for the entire 27-minute drive through Jacksonville, FL. We're told when he woke up, he was still half asleep and just got out ... forgetting his LV bag.

The bag's worth $2,500, and also had an iPad in it. We're told Raz B called the driver to see if he'd turn around and return the bag, but Raz says the driver hung up on him. He also shot off a text message to the driver about the bag, to no avail.

Adding insult to injury ... we're told Raz even tipped the driver!!!

Raz is in Jacksonville with B2K for their Millennium Tour, and we're told he's trying to get in touch with someone from Lyft to help before they leave after a Friday night gig. If that doesn't pan out, he plans to file a police report.

Just more drama for "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" ... which Raz just joined. We've reached out to Lyft, but no word back.

In Tennessee and looking for a classy place to booze up while feeling like you're in a country western movie??

Peyton Manning clearly knows the feeling ... and is fixing the issue -- by opening up a "high-end watering hole" in Knoxville in 2020!!!

The QB and Graduate Hotels announced Thursday they're building a "western-inspired" bar and restaurant near University of Tennessee's campus.

The name of the place? Saloon 16 ... a homage to Manning's nickname, "The Sheriff," as well as the No. 16 jersey he wore when he was a star with the Volunteers.

It's supposed to be an awesome spot -- complete with dartboards, jukeboxes, a piano and an outdoor dining area.

Graduate Hotels says the place will open its doors in the spring of 2020.

The company that organized what looks like a Woodstock 50 fiasco has just filed a lawsuit against the main investor, accusing the investor of straight-out sabotaging and money stealing.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Woodstock 50 claims in the suit ... Dentsu -- the chief investor -- blindsided them last week when it said they were pulling out, claiming safety concerns. Woodstock 50 says Dentsu was actually up to no good, allegedly draining the festival's bank account of $17.8 million.

Woodstock 50 says Dentsu then went on a campaign to sink any chance of the festival coming to life, contacting a number of agents of performers. The suit doesn't say who was contacted, but some of the names mentioned as possible performers included Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Dead & Company, and Carlos Santana.

The suit claims Dentsu told various performers and agents Woodstock 50 was off and implied to them that they'd try to get them a spot at a 2020 Olympics event ... which Dentsu is sponsoring.

Good news, bad news for David Beckham ...

The bad news -- the soccer legend just got hit with a 6-month driving ban in London after being caught using his cell phone behind the wheel back in November.

The good news -- the 44-year-old turned the courtroom into a catwalk and strutted into court looking BEAUTIFUL.

Officials say the square-jawed superstar was chatting away on his celly while pushing a $130,000 Bentley in Central London on Nov. 21 -- and just like in Los Angeles, that's a big no-no across the pond these days.

During his appearance at Bromley Magistrates Court, Beckham -- wearing a sharp charcoal suit with a white shirt and black tie -- was ordered to pay a $1,100 fine and had his driving license suspended for 6 months.

Of course, Beckham has so much money, he can afford a driver to take him anywhere he wants to go for the next 6 months ... so, no biggie for Becks.

Al Sharpton isn't surprised that President Trump was reportedly bleeding money -- about a billion dollars worth, no less -- in his "heyday" as a mogul ... 'cause that's been his MO.

We got the reverend leaving Capitol Hill in D.C. Wednesday, where our photog asked about the big NYT story from yesterday -- in which the paper claimed to have uncovered 9 years worth of Trump's taxes between 1985 and 1994 ... showing he spent a decade in the red.

Rev. Sharpton says the news didn't strike him as much as it might have the average Joe, as he says that anyone who dealt with The Donald in those days knew full well that he wasn't the business hotshot he portrayed himself as ... especially in "The Art of the Deal."

According to Al, there's only one business Trump has been successful in ... and he says the Prez has carried that same formula over to the White House. Any guesses???

Brooke Shields is suing a beauty company over a product she says is using her famous eyebrows to make huge amounts of money.

The actress and model filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming Charlotte Tilbury is marketing an eyebrow pencil dubbed "Browlift" in a shade labeled "Brooke S" ... and she claims it's clearly a ploy to cash in on her iconic brows.

In the docs, Brooke claims she never signed off on the use of her name ... and she says the product is misleading consumers into thinking she's endorsing it. Sounds like a solid eyebrow point.

Brooke claims she was out shopping earlier this year when she noticed her name emblazoned on an eyebrow pencil ... and she says it's now being hawked at a ton of retailers, like Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Nordstrom and JCPenney.

R. Kelly avoided another trip to the slammer ... by ponying up ALL of the back child support he owed to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly.

The disgraced singer appeared in court Wednesday in Cook County and forked over $62k. He currently is supposed to pay just over $20k per month to Drea. Wednesday's payment covers March, April and May.

Kelly's Crisis Manager, Darrell Johnson, tells TMZ that after paying the principal balance of the child support, his client has also put June, July, and August payments in an escrow account, and he "now looks forward to clearing his name in and being cleared of all charges in the near future."

However, during Wednesday's child support hearing ... Kelly was informed he still owes Drea $32k in interest on child support.

Additionally, Drea is now requesting he cover educational expenses for their 21-year-old daughter, Joann ... who goes by Buku Abi. Kelly's attorney asked the court for proof that she's enrolled.

As we reported ... Kelly was sprung from jail back in March after a benefactor covered his $161,633 tab for back child support. After he was released, Kelly went back to court to ask the judge to lower the $20k amount, claiming he could no longer afford it.

That hearing was scheduled for Wednesday but in the meantime ... he's still on the hook for $20k+ per month.

Problem was ... Kelly fell behind AGAIN on child support payments.

As we first reported ... Kelly stopped writing checks after claiming his ex trashed him to their kids ... the move that ultimately landed him in Cook County jail.

Kelly later booked a 1-hour nightclub gig in Illinois last month that earned him $22k -- which Drea was totally cool with for obvious reasons -- but as it turned out, he never forked over the dough to get square with her.

Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp ain't playin' around -- he REALLY wants to sell his humongous Seattle-area mansion ... so he slashed the asking price by more than a MILLION bucks!

The 49-year-old former Seattle SuperSonics star owns a 13,000-square-foot pad in Maple Valley, Washington ... complete with a basketball court, tennis court, pool, putting green and spa.

The property sits on 5 acres of land. Massive.

Kemp originally listed the place for $3.7 mil back in 2018 -- but now, he's pricing it to move fast ... cutting the number down to $2.5 mil with listing agent Robert Potashnick of Coldwell Banker Bain.

The dunk specialist originally purchased the place back in 2003 for $2.4 million -- the same year he played his last game in the NBA.

Kemp reportedly made more than $90 MILLION during his NBA career -- so it doesn't seem like he's hurting for cash.

Rick Singer, the man who pulled all the strings in the massive college admissions bribery case, is living the Porsche lifestyle while the clients he ratted out face years in prison.

Shirtless Rick was chillin' at a public pool Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Florida ... when a staffer from C13Originals spotted him and fired off questions ... but the mastermind was impenetrable.

As we reported ... Rick copped a plea to racketeering conspiracy, tax conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll get way less for turning on those from who he richly profited.

Rick, who raked in more than $25 mil from wealthy parents like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, has already been forced to forfeit millions ... but he's still got a fancy set of wheels.

"Jeopardy" phenom James Holzhauer says if he had to compare himself to a pro athlete, he'd DEFINITELY go with DeShaun Watson ... because he can do it all!!!

Holzhauer -- who's chasing Ken Jennings for most winnings in "Jeopardy" history -- appeared on FS1's "Lock It In" on Tuesday to talk about his pre-game show life as a pro sports bettor.

During the show, Holzhauer said he was a hardcore online poker player before making the jump to sports gambling -- but now he puts together complex mathematical models to find an advantage when it comes to wagering on games.

Holzhauer says he bets on everything from football to hockey to college basketball -- and LOVES to make in-game wagers because he thinks he has an edge because the oddsmakers don't have enough time to set an accurate line.

And, just to prove he ALWAYS wins, Holzhauer told the guys he bet on the Rams to beat the Saints in the 2018 NFC championship game ... but he had 3.5 points, so he didn't care which team kicked the winning field goal in overtime!!!

One last thing ... Holzhauer wasn't afraid to talk TRASH to the hosts of the show. When asked which host would do the best on "Jeopardy," James told the group whichever person is smart enough to "keep your trap shut" for the entire game so they wouldn't fall below $0.

The 2019 Met Gala's parade of overly-exaggerated outfits produced more than just some unforgettable photo ops ... the event raised a record-breaking amount of money for charity.

The shindig held Monday night at The Metropolitan Museum of Art raised an astonishing $15 million ... this according to a Met rep. That's a jump from last year's $13M figure. The Met Gala is the museum's main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and capital improvements.

The stars didn't disappoint this year. Lady Gaga strutted into the event with a giant pink Brandon Maxwell dress and she was barely getting started when a small army helped her make her way in. As we reported ... Lady Gaga had several wardrobe changes and nearly stripped down to her birthday suit.

Gaga -- along with Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour -- co-chaired the evening. This year's theme was dubbed "Camp: Notes on Fashion" to honor writer Susan Sontag's 1964 essay, "Notes on Camp" about society broadening its attitudes toward sexuality ... particularly homosexuality.

The Gala's been going down since 1948 but it wasn't until former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland became a consultant and transformed it into a glamorous affair. Vreeland's first theme in 1973 was "The World of Balenciaga."