Money

Remember when Serena Williams absolutely obliterated her racket at a Wimbledon match in 2005??

That piece of history is now up for grabs, 'cause the destroyed racket has hit the auction block ... and the starting bid is $8,000!!!

According to Nate D Sanders Auctions, Serena signed and gifted the busted racket to a fan after losing the first set of her first-round match against longtime friend Angela Haynes.

In true badass fashion, Williams came back and won the match ... after she replaced her busted racket, of course. She went on to place 3rd in the tourney. Her sister, Venus Williams, went on to win Wimbledon that year!

Don't feel too bad for Serena, she's won the tourney 7 TIMES in her storied career -- and racked up more Grand Slam titles than any other woman in tennis history. So yeah, she eventually got over the smashed racket incident.

Bidding on the item kicks off on Thursday with an $8,000 starting bid -- but since people are CRAZY for Serena memorabilia, this thing could skyrocket in price real quick.

Good luck rich people!!!

FaZe Banks -- one of the biggest names in Esports -- is under investigation for allegedly destroying his hotel room and causing more than $30k in damage, TMZ Sports has learned.

FYI, 27-year-old Banks is the co-founder of the wildly successful FaZe Clan -- perennial contenders in games like "Call of Duty," "Fortnite," "Overwatch" and more. FaZe Clan is so huge, stars like Offset, Lil Yachty and Post Malone have joined the squad.

But, during a Vegas bender on October 14, we're told cops were called to FB's room at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on a destruction of property call.

We're told the room was an absolute DISASTER zone -- with smashed furniture, holes in the walls, a smashed window, broken lamp stand, pictures ripped off the wall, stains on the carpet and more.

Our sources say even the plants in the room were wrecked -- with soil all over the ground.

Oh, and it appeared the main flat-screen TV got it too -- it looked like it had been smashed multiple times with heavy objects.

In other words, WHAT A PARTY, RIGHT!?!?!?

The bad news for Banks -- real name Richard Bengtson -- we're told the estimated damage is over $30,000 which means he can be charged with felony malicious destruction of property. The charge carries a maximum 5 years in prison, but there's no way Banks gets anywhere close to that even if he's convicted.

The good news for Banks -- he's RICH AS HELL and can easily afford to cover the damages if he wants to.

One law enforcement source tells us ... stuff likes this happens in Vegas hotels all the time and the hotel usually drops the case if the damages are paid.

In fact, we just got this statement from Banks' rep -- "FaZe Clan and Encore are working together to resolve this matter."

Translation ... CUT THE CHECK!!!

So far, we're told no charges have been filed -- but the investigation is currently active.

What's interesting about this ... FaZe Clan has a reputation for being the bad boys of Esports ... so, the allegations fit the brand.

R. Kelly's been ordered to use the money from his extensive music catalog to pay his ex-wife child support.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge just ordered the R&B singer to use his royalties from entities such as BMI and Sony to pay Drea Kelly the $20,833 he owes her each month.

You'll recall ... Drea's been coming after Kelly for back child support, and at one point he was so far behind on payments he ended up in jail. He eventually squared things up for that tab, but he's gotta keep up with the monthly payments.

According to the docs, Kelly's asking the court to cut him a little slack, but for now the judge says the dough must be drawn from those hefty royalties.

As we've reported, Kelly's had plenty of financial issues ... scrambling to come up with cash for bail, child support and even a retainer for famed defense lawyer Tom Mesereau ... which never happened.

College athletes are one HUGE step closer to getting paid ... the NCAA's top governing board has just voted unanimously to allow athletes to profit off their image and likeness.

The NCAA's Board of Governors is directing the NCAA's three divisions to immediately consider updates to their bylaws to pave the way for the massive change in operation.

"We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes," chairman of the board Michael V. Drake said.

"Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships."

The Board issued guidelines for the impending changes which essentially says education and the collegiate experience must still be the priority over money.

The guidelines also say students must not be specifically compensated for athletic performance but rather their image and likeness as used for marketing purposes.

The NCAA says the topic was thoroughly researched before the Board voted -- with interviews with past and present student athletes, coaches, presidents, faculty and commissioners. They also spoke with politicians.

NCAA president Mark Emmert also weighed in ... saying, "As a national governing body, the NCAA is uniquely positioned to modify its rules to ensure fairness and a level playing field for student-athletes."

"The board’s action today creates a path to enhance opportunities for student-athletes while ensuring they compete against students and not professionals."

The news comes just weeks after California governor Gavin Newsom signed the "Fair Pay for Play" act, which made it legal for student athletes to get paid in CA without penalty.

The NCAA previously criticized the bill as a major threat to college sports -- but now, they're changing their tune.

John Cena's putting LOTS of money where his mouth is ... donating $500,000 to first responders helping to battle the California wildfires.

"Right now, California is in dire straits," the WWE superstar said in a video ... "It is burning. It is under siege from massive wildfires statewide."

And, as fate would have it, Cena also happens to be promoting his new movie, "Playing With Fire" -- a comedy about firefighters which opens next month.

Cena says shooting the movie has given him an even greater appreciation for people on the front lines battling the blazes ... so with the Kincade Fire, Tick Fire and Getty Fire raging, he's decided to reach into his own pocket to help out.

"On behalf of 'Playing With Fire' and out of respect to the people who I truly believe are heroes, my response will be to immediately donate $500,000 to this cause," Cena said.

"In times like this, when people are giving their lives and working around the clock, what they need from us is resources."

Cena challenged the studio behind the flick, Paramount, to pick the charity where his donation will land ... but says he's more than happy to write the check when they figure it out.

Kanye West has an interesting situation ... he's planning on a concert tour of sorts -- taking his wildly popular Sunday Service on the road -- but can he get an insurance company to cover the tour if disaster strikes like it did 3 years ago? Well, we found out he can, but there's a catch.

We've contacted Kanye sources as well as sources in the insurance industry, and here's what we know. Kanye can get his tour insured, but the insurance company will not cover cancellations due to mental health issues.

TMZ broke the story ... Ye pulled the plug on his Saint Pablo Tour back in November 2016, hours before he was supposed to take the stage in L.A. He was hospitalized at UCLA for 9 days to treat some pretty serious issues.

Kanye, who has said in the past he's bipolar, told us he was off his meds because they made him feel bad.

So, given that backdrop, we're told the major companies that insure concert tours would not cover hospitalization due to mental health issues ... and it doesn't matter if Kanye is taking meds or not. There will be no coverage.

That said, we're told insurance companies will still underwrite a policy for his tour with that exclusion.

Kanye has already said he's ready to get started with the JIK tour "right away," and it seems folks got a taste of what it'll look like this weekend at The Forum. Point being, he'll probably have to decide on an insurer pretty soon here if he wants to keep his word.

Did Floyd Mayweather just diss one of the richest guys on the planet? Seems that way.

Mayweather was walking into Craig's in L.A. on Monday night when our camera guy asked about the challenge made by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, a Chinese billionaire who wants to fight Floyd.

Ma made a video with Manny Pacquiao this week ... both guys called out Floyd. Manny wants a rematch and 55-year-old Ma says he's down for an exhibition scrap with TBE.

"I am ready. Any time, any place, Manny's team is ready," said Ma, who's been working out with Team Pacquiao.

The bad news for Jack ... Floyd says he's never heard of the guy!

"Who?!" Floyd said ... "I don't even know who he is!"

Yeesh. That's gotta hurt Ma's ego, right?

Floyd also responded to Manny Pacquiao's latest call for a rematch by mocking the way Manny called him out.

There have been rumblings Floyd is considering a rematch with the Filipino superstar ... but so far, nothing's in stone.

G-Eazy's giving getting saucy a whole new meaning ... after treating 100 fans to a chow down at his favorite chicken joint.

The "Me, Myself & I" rapper corralled 100 of his most fervent fans Friday night in Chicago for a spicy spread at Nando's PERi-PERi Chicken (think Chipotle but with an explosive taste featuring chicken).

G-Eazy kicked off the weekend by asking his more than 8.3 million Instagram followers who wanted to grab dinner. The first 100 to RSVP to the number he posted got directions to Nando's in Chi-Town for a free meal.

The rapper more than delivered ... treating fans to an insane spread of 25 chicken platters (that's about 100 quarter chickens if you're counting), 300 wings, plus tons of sides that included mashed potatoes, fries, spicy rice, macho peas and garlic bread.

The night ended with "Naughty Natas" ... traditional Portuguese tarts served warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. G-Eazy picked up the tab ... to the tune of well over $1,000!!!

But, that's not all ... fans also got to mingle with G-Eazy, and also each fan left with a limited edition G-Eazy Nando's sauce bottle. Dude's clearly obsessed with Nando's, an original South African joint that spread like fire in the UK before making its way to the U.S. with 42 locations in D.C., Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.

No, seriously. G-Eazy loves it so much it's practically all he eats when he's in the UK. The obsession's legit ... G-Eazy dropped the joint's name when he made his debut on Charlie Sloth's "Fire in the Booth" segment for BBC Radio.

G-Eazy rapped, "Yeah, PERi-PERi on the Nando's, couple deals on the table, watch me land those." One of Nando's slogans ... "I bring a lot to the table."

John Singleton's estate and the fortune it claims is aboutta get little more flush -- because the studio that distributed one of his biggest films is ponying up some belated cash.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Sony Pictures has agreed to fork over a little more than half a mil to the late director's film company, New Deal Productions. The money -- $515,472 -- is tied to John's 2001 flick, "Baby Boy." Unleash the behind-the-door Rodney memes!!!

In case you haven't seen it, 'BB' stars Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Ving Rhames ... and, of course, Snoop Dogg playing a gangster who's out to square things with Tyrese's character, Jody, who's got a kid with Taraji's character, but still lives at home with his mom.

It made $29.3 million in the U.S. box office, with a budget of around $16 mil. Sony and its subsidiary, TriStar Pictures, were the primary distributors.

Based on the docs, it appears John had requested a formal audit for money the film made a while back, and now in wake of his death ... Sony is settling up with this dough. The company says the settlement was agreed to prior to John's death in April.

Ben Affleck got so wasted Saturday night at a Halloween party he could barely stand, but that didn't impede his skills at his next stop -- a poker table -- where he made quick work of lining his pockets with cash.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben was wasted as he left the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood. Turns out he was on a mission, landing at a Commerce casino at around 1 AM.

We're told Ben rolled up to a table that was full -- 9 players trying their luck. The pit boss decided to make an exception and had a 10th chair moved to the table so Ben could play.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... Ben almost fell off his chair he was so inebriated. He got $20k in chips and he was in and out in 12 minutes ... pocketing $1500 in winnings.

He stumbled out of the casino with his lady friend and that was it.

Ever wonder how someone who wins a $1,000,000 prize gets paid?!

Allow us to introduce you to PFL 11 winner Lance Palmer ... who took home $1 million big ones when he beat up Steven Siler on New Years Eve 2018.

TMZ Sports talked to Palmer and he walked us through exactly how he got his million bucks.

"The night of the fight you get this one, you get the big check the night of the fight, but actually it comes in as a wire like 2 weeks later," Palmer says.

"They make sure your drug test comes back clean and then after that, you get the wire. That's the craziest feeling ever cause I've never had that kinda money, anything close to that kinda money come in my account. It's wild."

Lance continued ... "I never thought I'd see 7 figures in my account at 1 time."

So, what'd he do with the dough?

Lance says he bought a Dodge Hellcat Redeye ... a ridiculously fast 800-horsepower sports car.

And, get this, Palmer might have another fat wire transfer on the way ... 'cause he made this year's PFL tourney final and will AGAIN fight for a million dollars.

That goes down December 31.

Jeff Bezos can no longer claim he's the richest person on Earth ... the distinction now belongs to Bill Gates.

The Amazon honcho lost his title during after-hours trading Thursday, according to Forbes, when the company's shares plummeted 7 percent, dropping Bezos' fortune to a paltry $103.9 BILLION. How will he ever survive?!?

Bill's net worth stands at $105.7 billion, meaning Jeff is now looking up for the first time in over a year. The horror.

The stock market isn't the only reason Jeff is now No. 2 ... he could still be on top if not for this year's insanely costly divorce with ex-wife MacKenzie, who took a huge chunk of his fortune. MacKenzie's net worth now stands at $32.7 billion, placing her among the top 20 in the world.

As we've reported ... Jeff and MacKenzie split following what they called a trial separation, and Jeff is now seriously dating Lauren Sanchez.

Gates has gotta be super pumped ... he's once again the baddest billionaire on the block after losing the world's richest label to Bezos in 2018 after holding the title for 24 years.

Don't shed a tear for Bezos ... he could soon reclaim the top spot if Amazon stock is able to bounce back.

Originally Published -- 10:24 AM PT

"One great thing about being old and rich is you can do what you want to do!"

That's Arsenio Hall telling "TMZ Live" why money is making him an even BETTER comic -- because he can do all the risky material he wants without the fear of getting choked out financially.

Long story short ... Hall says he spent years playing it safe because if he pushed the envelope and rubbed people the wrong way, he'd jeopardize his cash flow ... and when you're poor, EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!!!

But, now that he's rich .... like super rich ... Hall ain't worried anymore -- saying he can say how he truly feels, no matter who he offends, because he can afford to take a hit!

"Comics are supposed to push the envelope and stretch that edge as far as you can," Hall says ... "That’s what creates great comedy. The great ones like Richard Pryor didn’t allow censors and critics stop him from doing what was in his heart."

Hall -- who's got a brand new Netflix special -- admits he needed to conform back in the day when he needed to buy a house and pay for school for his kids ... but he's paper'd up now.

"I’m kind of free!"

By the way, Hall also gave some inside info on the new "Coming to America" sequel -- and even throws out a spoiler to Nicole Murphy, whose daughter is in the flick!!

Rich Dollaz might want to think about changing his handle ... the "Love & Hip Hop New York" star just got busted for not paying child support ... again.

The Hudson County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... Rich Dollaz was arrested Thursday at his home in New Jersey and was booked for failure to pay child support. We're told Rich owes more than $125,000 to the mother of his child.

Police tell us Dollaz was processed at the jail and taken to Hudson County Family Court for a hearing. We're told Rich posted $20,000 bail with an agreement to start making monthly child support payments.

Child support issues are nothing new for Rich. As we've reported, the music exec got busted in October 2014 for owing $11k and again in February 2015 for owing nearly $200k.

If you're rich and a huge 'Star Wars' nerd ... GET YOUR WALLET READY!!!

The most-rare, sought-after, expensive 'Star Wars' collectible ever is about to hit the auction block -- a missile-firing Boba Fett action figure ... and it could fetch around $500,000!!!!

It's called the "Boba Fett J-Slot Rocket-Firing Prototype" -- it was debuted at the 1979 New York Toy Fair ... but never released to the public because officials at Kenner worried the "missile" could be a choking hazard for kids.

A revised version of the Boba Fett figure was released, but without the missile-firing function. Still cool, but not as fun! And, not nearly as valuable.

There are reportedly only around 25 of the rare J-Slot Fett's (with the rocket) in existence -- most of which are in bad shape -- and the good ones rarely go up for auction.

But, one has made its way to Hake's Auctions in New York where it's officially on the auction block ... and fans are FREAKING THE HELL OUT!

There have already been 13 bids on the item and the current price is $133k -- but the auction doesn't close until Nov. 7 and officials are expecting a bidding war to drive the price way up in the final days/hours.

In the past, rare Fetts have fetched anywhere between $80k and $150k -- and a similar piece was featured on "Pawn Stars" a few years back.

But, on the new auction site, Hake's estimates the value could reach $500,000 ... which is only slightly less than the $650k Mark Hamill was reportedly paid for starring in the original 'Star Wars' movie!

Paramore's lead vocalist, Hayley Williams, is spending most of her time these days in Los Angeles ... so she's looking to sell her crib back home in Tennessee.

Hayley's super cute cottage just hit the market ... and the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom pad is listed at a cool $1 million.

The historic home is made of stone, and it's got a modern touch despite being built in 1935 ... it's decked out with a screened-in porch with a swing, plus a fireplace in the living room and a sprawling basement perfect for a man cave, home gym or studio.

Hayley's 3-story house is gated for extra privacy, and it's got a stand-alone garage and a large grass lawn. The interior features hardwood floors, tile and vinyl.

The pad is in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, the same town where Hayley's rock band traces its roots.

Donna Brevard of Zeitlin Sothebys International Realty has the listing.