Money

Eminem is cleaning out his closet to help out during the global pandemic ... parting ways with an EXTREMELY rare and expensive pair of his Jordan 4s for COVID-19 relief.

The Rap God announced the gesture Wednesday ... saying he had an extra pair of his highly coveted Jordan 4 Retro "Carhartt x Eminem" kicks lying around ... so he teamed up with shoe auction site StockX to raise money for the good cause.

So ... what makes these shoes so damn expensive?? Back in 2015, Em and the Jumpman made just 10 (TEN!!!) pairs available for bidding on eBay, with proceeds going to the Marshall Mathers Foundation.

Ever since, only a few pairs have made it to family and friends ... but for the most part, normies have a snowball's chance in hell of getting their hands on them.

In fact, the pairs that have made it to resale are going for INSANE numbers ... ranging from $20-$28k on StockX.

To make Em's gesture even sweeter, he's throwing in a vintage "Detroit Slim" shirt on top of the Js ... with the proceeds for the combo going to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

The biggest All In Challenge auction items -- so far, anyway -- have been claimed, and Tom Brady's got an $800k date with one lucky fan!!!

A handful of AIC auctions closed Tuesday night, including the biggest experiences with superstars like TB12, Magic Johnson, Peyton Manning and Meek Mill. All 4 raked in just under $1.9 million.

Peyton's golf and dinner deal ended up closing at a whopping $525k bid, with some lucky son of a gun walking away with it. Meek's 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom car ended up pulling $320k itself, and Magic Johnson's H.O.R.S.E. game and Lakers experience went for $220k.

The item that blew everyone else outta the water, though, was the G.O.A.T. of football himself. ... Brady's in-game and hangout experience closed out at a cool $800k ... no change. Just a reminder -- Tom's deal includes incredible seats at an upcoming Tampa Bay game, getting on the field with him and then grabbing dinner or working out afterward.

All that dough is going toward a great cause ... feeding hungry families during the pandemic. The All in Challenge has now pulled in more than $24 million, and its founder, 76ers partner Michael Rubin, has already distributed $10 mil to the food charities.

Did you know ... there are 103 bowling alleys in the State of Georgia?

Did you also know ... most of them are staying CLOSED despite a special order from the Governor allowing them to operate?!

It's true ... and most of the alleys that ARE up and running are getting so few customers, they're struggling to turn a profit.

We called every single B.A. in GA -- and this is what we found.

-- Only 25 alleys in the state are confirmed up and running.

-- Every active alley has social distancing protocols. Most are screening staffers (taking temperatures at the door, etc.) before they can go to work. A few alleys are also screening customers. Almost every alley is spacing out lanes between groups.

-- Several alleys are requiring customers to book lanes in advance and taking payment over the phone to reduce person-to-person interaction.

-- Wondering about bowling shoes?! Most places are having customers request rental shoes over the phone so staff can have them ready when the bowlers arrive. When they're done, the shoes are disinfected by staffers wearing PPE.

Despite the protocols, several staffers from multiple alleys echoed the same point ... business is EXTREMELY slow.

One staffer told us, "It's not profitable, but we're hanging in there."

Some lanes say they're getting customers from other states. Some have said they're catering to frontline medical workers looking to blow off steam, which makes it worth it to keep the doors open.

Karlene Welty of Calhoun Bowling Center says her staff is working their tails off keeping the place safe and clean -- and they're making just enough money to pay their staff, which is why they're staying in business.

The bottom line is this ... if you thought people were going to hit the alleys in droves just because they can, you thought wrong.

And, from what we're gathering, most places are still determining if it's even worth the risk to keep the lanes open until the pandemic is over.

DJ Khaled's entry into the All In Challenge features 2 things near and dear to his heart -- jet skis and letting loose in Miami.

The superstar DJ and producer has accepted Michael Rubin's challenge to join his brainchild -- the celeb-driven fundraiser to help feed people in need during the coronavirus pandemic -- by offering up a personal package he says will be "off the chain."

Khaled fans can enter now for a chance to ride jet skis with him, and after all the excitement ... grab dinner at his favorite spot in Miami. The package includes airfare and a 2-night hotel stay for the lucky winner.

As you may know, a growing number of star actors, athletes, musicians and TV and Internet personalities -- from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian to Drake and Tom Brady -- are "all in" ... and seem to be upping the ante with their commitments to the cause.

DJ Khaled says it's not a competition though -- it's more about offering a personal experience -- which for him, is all about getting wild on the water ... safely, of course.

Khaled also gives mad props to Rubin for orchestrating the hugely successful fundraiser and going out of his way to help others. So far, the All In Challenge has raised over $23 MILLION for relief efforts.

BTW -- jet-skiing hopefuls can enter the Khaled sweepstakes for just 10 bucks for 10 entries. Good luck!

The L.A. Lakers are giving back $4.6 million in federal loan money aimed to help small businesses affected by COVID-19, the team announced.

The Lakers confirmed they applied for -- and received -- $4.6 mil in loans under the Payroll Protection Program. CNBC is reporting the Lakers are the ONLY team in the NBA that applied for the loans.

But, the team says it's had second thoughts after learning federal funds earmarked for the program were running super low.

"The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Program," the team told CNBC.

"However, once we found out the funds from the program had been depleted, we repaid the loan so that financial support would be directed to those most in need."

"The Lakers remain completely committed to supporting both our employees and our community."

The Lakers' payroll is reportedly more than $122 MILLION -- so, it ain't exactly a cheap franchise to operate. However, Forbes recently valued the team at $4.4 BILLION.

Of course, the NBA was the first major pro sports league to suspend play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bad news for ex-UFC champ Cain Velasquez ... he's been released from his WWE contract as part of a cost-slashing effort due to COVID-19.

The former UFC heavyweight champ first signed with WWE back in October 2019 -- and the company had high hopes for Cain -- posting on WWE.com that he signed a "multi-year deal."

But, Velasquez hasn't really had a presence in the WWE universe since he was destroyed by Brock Lesnar at the Crown Jewel event on Oct. 31, 2019, in Saudi Arabia.

Now, with Vince McMahon's company looking to cut costs due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer says WWE has released the 37-year-old from his contract.

As we previously reported, WWE announced a massive cost-saving plan earlier this month hoping to keep the company afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic ... which includes slashing top executive salaries and furloughing part of its staff.

Velasquez has shown potential as a pro wrestler -- hopefully, this isn't the end of his journey.

Another major American college is being sued by students claiming they're not getting their money's worth with the campus shutdown, and this time it's all about the U.

The University of Miami's been hit with a new class-action suit filed by an architecture major who claims in legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- that she, and all others enrolled at the school, "lost the benefit of the education for which they paid" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The student says in-person classes haven't been held since March 17, and claims online learning options offered "are subpar in practically every aspect, from the lack of facilities, materials, and access to faculty."

She says online classes are especially ineffective for an architecture student like herself because she's "unable to participate in model making" and "unable to receive in-person feedback from instructors."

The student says in addition to tuition, she and others have also paid miscellaneous fees -- a student center fee, a wellness center fee, an activity fee, an athletic fee, and a health and counsel center fee -- but they can't get the full benefit.

According to the docs, the student understands the university can claim it had no choice but to cancel in-person classes over COVID-19 concerns, but she says the school "nevertheless has improperly retained funds for services it is not providing."

In short, she wants a refund of any spring tuition money for which she and her peers didn't get the full bang. So, to speak.

Michael Rubin -- who created the now-viral All In Challenge -- thinks Tom Brady's about to draw a 7-figure donation to the cause, and says that's still a bargain for one lucky, rich fan!!!

The 76ers partner came on ''TMZ Live'' Monday with updates on some of the big ticket Challenge auctions closing this week -- including G.O.A.T.s like TB12, Magic Johnson and Meek Mill.

While Michael is thrilled the All In Challenge has already raised $20 million, he's hoping to reach $100 mil in donations to feed families during the pandemic. He said what Brady's offering alone will most likely pull in a bid over $1 million when the auction closes Tuesday night.

The Brady winner will go to a game, meet Tom, go out to dinner or a workout with him ... plus, he'll even give you his game-worn Tampa Bay gear. Michael says that alone could earn back a lot of your money.

As for Meek, he's auctioning off his Phantom whip ... and Magic's offering a one-on-one game of H.O.R.S.E. plus all the in-game Lakers perks at Staples Center. Long story short -- these auctions are worth their weight in gold ... and all the cash is for a great cause.

Michael says they've already distributed $10 mil to 4 COVID-19 food charities -- but they've got a lot more to go.

Post Malone certainly entertained us with his Nirvana tribute performance ... but the live streamed show also raised serious funds for coronavirus relief.

If ya missed it on Friday ... Posty sang and played guitar à la Kurt Cobain during a 15-song, 80-minute set that included classics like "About a Girl," "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Come As You Are."

He was joined by 3 socially-distanced musicians in other rooms of his Salt Lake City home -- blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, bassist Brian Lee and guitarist Nick Mack.

We're told the makeshift tribute band raised $1 million in the first hour of the virtual concert alone, but that number's since climbed to a whopping total of nearly $4.3 million and counting.

Fans can still donate on the YouTube page of the performance, and all proceeds go to the United Nations Foundation's Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for The World Health Organization.

BTW -- Post's performance got rave reviews from some very important people, as well. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselić said, "I don't think these fellows can play any better. They are on fire!!!!" while adding that he was "holding emotions back the whole show."

Courtney Love also gave her stamp of approval with an emphatic "GOOSEBUMPS! F*** YES." on Instagram. She told Malone to celebrate afterward with a margarita.

Floyd Mayweather admits he's been "dealing with a lot" lately -- namely the deaths of his uncle and the mother of his children -- but vows to turn his focus on helping people affected by COVID-19.

Both Roger Mayweather (Floyd's uncle) and Josie Harris (who has 3 kids with Floyd) died back in March within days of each other.

58-year-old Roger had been battling health issues. Josie's death was completely unexpected. She was only 40.

"As far as dealing with the loss of the mother of my children, she was a significant other. A great woman, a great person," Floyd said.

And, on Roger ... "Great trainer, my uncle, a father figure."

As we previously reported, Floyd did not have a great relationship with Josie -- he served prison time for attacking her in 2010. She later sued him for more than $20 MILLION claiming he wrongly painted her as an unstable drug user during an interview with Katie Couric.

But, Floyd -- who's made close to $1 BILLION in fight money -- says he's turning his attention to COVID-19 ... promising to help those in need, even if he doesn't make a public spectacle of his donation.

"I'm here to help this world become a better place," Floyd said ... "With everything going on I'm going to continue to do my part."

Floyd says he will NOT be pressured into going public with the amount of his donation -- "I don't have to show the world what I'm doing, I can do something behind closed doors."

Unexpected from a guy whose whole image is throwing around cash, right? Nevertheless, he continues ...

"It's not about the money, and the money that I will be giving up will be to feed the people and help the people that don't have a lot because of this situation."

"I will continue to give back and I will never talk about it. As long as God knows that I'm doing a good deed, that what's important to me."

He ended with this ...