Money

LeBron James isn't going anywhere but L.A. now -- the King has officially signed his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Klutch Sports -- which reps LeBron -- tweeted a photo of the NBA superstar grinning widely alongside Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, and a stack of papers in front of them.

The sports agency added a caption, which read ... "Officially signed with the @Lakers @KingJames." In a press release, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson is quoted as saying, "LeBron is special. He is the best player in the world ... The Lakers players are excited to have a teammate who has been to nine NBA Finals. It’s a huge step closer to returning the Lakers to the playoffs and to the NBA Finals."

As we reported ... LeBron's new deal is worth $154 mil over 4 years. Magic is said to have engaged in immediate talks with LeBron the moment he landed in L.A. last Saturday, and was integral in landing the big fish for the Lakers organization.

4:28 PM PT -- Steve has issued a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, "I am disappointed in the decision, but we will respect it and move on."

"Much gratitude to everyone who has shown their support and stood by me."

"The last two years have been trying, but I am in now a great place, healthy, happy and loving my job with the Falcons and have the support of my family and friends and that’s where my focus is and will remain."

USC had every right to fire Steve Sarkisian after a drunken meltdown in 2015 ... so says an arbitrator who ruled the University owes ZERO dollars to the ex-football coach who had sued for $30 MILLION.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Sark filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the school claiming SC "kicked him to the curb" instead of getting him help for his alcoholism, which he argued was a "recognized disability under California law."

The case went to an arbitrator who denied every single one of Sark's claims -- explaining the coach was "not terminated on the basis of any disability," but rather for misconduct in breach of his contract.

USC argued that it tried to get help for Sark after an embarrassing booze-fueled rant at a Salute to Troy event in August 2015, but at the time Steve claimed he was NOT an alcoholic and attributed the behavior to a bad reaction from mixing Rx pills with beers.

USC had Sark sign a "last-chance agreement" requiring him to apologize for his behavior and attend weekly counseling sessions with substance abuse specialists. USC also warned Sark that any further incident that embarrassed the school would "constitute immediate termination for cause."

Sark signed the document, but USC says at the time he adamantly denied having a drinking problem.

Two months later, Sark had a drunken meltdown in the days after a loss to the University of Washington and was put on an indefinite leave on Oct 11. USC fired him on Oct. 12.

After the firing, Sark finally publicly acknowledged his drinking problem and got help -- but, the arbitrator says California disability laws "[do] not insulate the failure to control a controllable disability nor afford an employee a second chance to control a disability in the future."

In docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the arbitrator explains, "Sarkisian must bear sole responsibility for having actively concealed from USC his claimed disabilities."

In his suit, Sark claimed USC at the very least owed him the remainder of his huge contract -- $12.6 mil -- plus damages.

The arbitrator shot him down in every way.

While the international soccer world freaks out over rumors Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid for Juventus ... CR7 couldn't be more relaxed -- chillin' on a beach in Greece.

TMZ Sports has photos of Ronaldo on Monday afternoon outside a 5-star resort in Messinia, Greece ... where he caught some rays with his girlfriend (maybe fiancee?), Georgina Rodriguez.

Witnesses tell us Ronaldo and his crew had their own private area -- complete with a massive, private security team.

We're told it appears Cristiano is with 15 to 20 people ... including several family members and his kids.

One source says CR7 is staying at a massive private villa on the beach -- and, when he's not tanning on the sand, he's being chauffeured around in golf carts (like a boss!).

According to reports, Ronaldo's move to Juventus could be announced any day now -- ending his 9-season run with Real Madrid.

The move is estimated to cost Juventus around $450 MILLION to sign Ronaldo through 2022 -- but, experts say it could be worth it because Ronaldo is the most bankable athlete in the world.

11:10 AM PT -- A spokesperson for the Trump Organization tells TMZ, "Mr. Cintron was at all times paid generously and in accordance with the law. Once the facts come out we expect to be fully vindicated in court."

The man who drove Donald Trump everywhere before he was President says he was getting financially screwed for years ... and now he's looking for the big payback.

Noel Cintron says he was Trump's personal driver for more than 20 years until the Secret Service took that gig in 2016 -- and he says the last "meaningful" raise he got was more than a decade ago.

According to a lawsuit, Noel says he was making $62,700 per year and, in 2006, he got bumped up to $68,000. Great, right? Well, Noel says he got another raise in 2010, but this time Trump pulled a fast one on him.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, he says his salary jumped up to $75k annually -- but, at the same time, he was forced to surrender his health benefits, which he says saved the Trump Corporation nearly $18k per year.

Noel also claims to have worked about 3,300 hours of uncompensated overtime during his last 6 years on the job. Based on Noel's OT rate, he says he'd be owed about $178k ... just for the overtime.

Boris Becker -- who was recently caught flashing a fake diplomatic passport in order to evade a multi-million dollar debt -- is now at Wimbledon ... which begs the question, who's paying for this?!

Remember, 50-year-old Becker was declared bankrupt in the U.S. in 2017 after racking up a "historic debt."

Then, last month, officials say Becker was flashing a fake passport from the Central African Republic, which was so bad it didn't even have the signature or stamp of the foreign minister.

The theory is Becker essentially thought the document was a "get out of debt free" card -- but it wasn't.

Now, Becker is at Wimbledon ... where everything's expensive -- except the traditional strawberries and cream snack (which runs about $3.20).

Rick Ross' entire "Maybach Music" marketing strategy is a rip-off, jacked from a 2007 track with a similar name ... so says a rapper in a new suit.

We broke the story ... Ishaq R. Muhammad -- aka Young Muhammad -- threatened to sue Da Boss back in September 2017, claiming Rick stole the catchphrase -- frequently dropped on his songs -- from Muhammad's 2007 jam, "Caprice Music."

According to new legal docs ... YM says he featured Rick on his "Caprice Music" single and Ross could be heard saying the phrase all over the track. Muhammad claims that's where Ross got the idea for "Maybach Music" ... and he's been using it ever since.

Muhammad's officially taking Rick to small claims court now, and wants $9,999 for theft of his intellectual property. He's also suing Roc Nation for endorsing "Maybach Music."

Several guitars once owned by Marilyn Manson's leading guitarist, Daisy Berkowitz, including the one he used to record "Dope Hat," are being auctioned off in the wake of his death.

Daisy Berkowitz was the alias of Scott Putesky, who co-founded Marilyn Manson and The Spooky Kids with Manson back in the '90s. Berkowitz died last October of stage 4 colon cancer and now several items, including his resignation letter from the band, will be available to fans ... for a price.

Goldin Auctions is handling the sale and, next to the instruments, the resignation letter's got one of the heftiest starting bids at $1,000. In it, Berkowitz lists his reasons for quitting the band, including "personal frustrations with band members," “lack of writing cooperation," and “lack of financial compensation for business, blah blah and blah…”

He left during the making of "Antichrist Superstar" and later sued Manson for royalties.

Here are some of the other items that are being auctioned off with their opening bids ...

-- Fender Lego Bass Guitar ... $2,500
-- Tenor Saxophone Used in Marilyn Manson "Get Your Gunn" Video ... $1,000
-- Original Sheet Music For "Thrift", "Lunchbox" & "Luci in the Sky With Demons" ... $1,500
-- 1993 Marilyn Manson Handwritten Contract Between Brian Warner & Scott Putesky ... $1,500
-- Daisy Berkowitz Personally Owned & Worn Scottish Kilt ... $500

Brooklyn Nets star Allen Crabbe tells TMZ Sports ... cutting a 6-figure check to save an L.A. school was a "no-brainer" -- because giving back to the community is more important than ballin' out.

We broke the story ... Crabbe stepped in with a "miracle" donation to Frederick K.C. Price III Christian School in south Los Angeles last month ... saving it from closing permanently.

Crabbe went to school there -- and has several members who still attend -- and felt a moral obligation to help out when it couldn't afford to pay the bills.

"My mom texted me saying, 'Look, nobody has come forward with a donation, can you give this amount?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I'll do it!'"

Crabbe -- who's in the middle of a 4-year, nearly $75 million contract -- says he's blessed to be making such a high salary and says he wants to use that money to give other kids a chance.

You gotta watch the clip ... Crabbe's as humble as they come.

Jhene Aiko is being sued by a Colorado woman who says the singer stole her artwork and slapped it on a t-shirt for her clothing line.

A woman by the name of Elisa Rose Mountain says she owns the trademark for Hamsa Mandala -- her take on the centuries-old Hamsa Hand sign which is also known as the Hand of Fatima.

Elisa says a symbol almost identical to the one she copyrighted and sold for $25 a print appeared on a tee for Aiko's clothing collaboration in 2015 with PacSun and Neff Headwear, who are also defendants.

The collection was called Soul of Summer and the tee was labeled Jhene Aiko Hamsa Circle Goddess, and the two are similar in that the hand sign appears within a purple circle with details.

Elisa says the Aiko tees were sold in stores, catalogs and online without her approval and is suing Aiko, PacSun and Neff Headwear for profits. Not so namaste.

5:24 PM PT -- Morgan tells us, "For over 10 years I have shown nothing but love, respect & kindness to Stan Lee, & his wife, a fact he has repeated countless times."

He continues, "This is a witchhunt by his daughter and her lawyer against me because she cannot stand the fact Stan likes me so much. I will 100% prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the allegations against me are false. The truth will come out."

Stan Lee's legal battle with business partner Keya Morgan has intensified ... with ANOTHER restraining order.

Stan's legal team was in court Friday and requested the restraining order granted last month against Morgan to be dismissed. Stan's lawyers argued the first order -- submitted by attorney Tom Lallas on Stan's behalf -- should be voided as Lallas hadn't repped Stan for months.

The judge agreed -- tossed the order -- and Lee's legal team filed a new restraining order against Morgan.

In the new docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Stan's attorneys claim Morgan's mishandled more than $5 million of Stan's money and he's suffered severe physical and emotional injuries because of Morgan. The docs also claim Keya's tried to isolate Stan from his family and moved him to an undisclosed location last month.

Kirk Schenck, a legal rep for Lee tells us, “The Lee Family is conducting its own investigation, and working with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the LAPD, in various investigations into Keya Morgan’s and others’ who may have taken advantage of the Lee Family. We will not comment further on the ongoing investigations for witness and evidentiary protection.”

Jesse Williams is going to request a new trial in his child support case ... less than a month after he was ordered to start paying $50k per month.

The "Grey's Anatomy" star filed docs Friday telling the court he intends to seek a modification of his child support. In the docs, he says he thinks the judge got it wrong when arriving at the $50k figure. Jesse believes there's insufficient evidence to support that amount.

TMZ broke the story ... Jesse's currently paying his ex, Aryn Drake-Lee, a total of $100k per month. The other $50k is for spousal support.

Tyler Perry went and pulled an Oprah ... he bought Tiffany Haddish a brand spanking new caaaaaar!

Tyler says Tiff had been talking about buying the new ride -- a Tesla Model X -- but complained there was no time in her schedule to do the whole car shopping thing. Well, that's what friends are for, apparently ... 'cause TP did the dirty work for her. Or more likely, an assistant did it for him, for her.

Anyway ... Tiffany wins!

Tiff is known for being frugal ... her love of Groupon deals landed her a gig as their spokesperson, and she once said she'd never own a nice handbag till she could keep it full with as much cash as it was worth.

Wanna own a piece of Wayne Gretzky hockey history?! Hope you got $400,000 laying around ...

A game-worn jersey from Wayne's insane record-setting 1979-80 season is hitting the auction block and experts believe the bidding could hit the $400k range.

Remember, Wayne LIT UP the NHL during his first year in the NHL -- scoring 51 goals, leading all 1st-year NHL players in points and assists ... and winning league MVP.

Dude was unreal.

Now, Goldin Auctions has an authentic autographed game-worn uni from that legendary season ... and it's hitting the auction block with a starting price of $125,000.

Of course, Gretzky went on to be the greatest hockey player that ever lived ... his 894 career goals are nearly 100 more than second place on the all-time list!!

Goldin tells TMZ Sports ... they were able to authenticate the jersey, in part, by using photos to match up markings, tears, and other imperfections on the item.

Anthony Bourdain's will surprised lots of people when it was revealed he died with around $1.2 mil in assets, because everyone thought he was way richer ... turns out, he was.

We obtained a copy of Bourdain's will, and it appears he created a trust outside the will which contained an undisclosed amount of assets. It's very common for rich folk to create trusts outside of their will ... partly for tax purposes and partly for privacy.

As we reported, the will discloses Bourdain left behind $425k in cash, $250k in personal property, $35k in brokerage accounts and around $500k in royalties and residuals.

The will lists Ottavia Busia-Bourdain, his estranged wife, as trustee. The will was signed in 2016, after they had separated.

Bourdain committed suicide last month in France.

LeBron James was FEELIN' HIMSELF in Italy on Friday -- busting out some dance moves while a local band played "I Will Survive" ... and the video is solid!

The Lakers' new $154-million man was relaxing with his wife, Savannah, at a night spot in Capri -- where the house band played the Gloria Gaynor classic.

LeBron fired up a cigar and did a little dancing -- while the other bar patrons pulled out their phones and shot videos and pictures of the King.

James and his wife didn't seem to mind -- by now, they're used to it.

It's funny that everyone else in the club is dressed up in button-up shirts and fancy clothes ... LeBron is wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.

Anthony Bourdain left a sizable estate behind and most of it is going straight to his 11-year-old daughter, Ariane.

A copy of Bourdain's will was filed in a New York court Thursday and the celebrity chef/TV host left behind about $1.2 million in known assets at the time of his death. That includes $425k in cash, $250k in personal property, $35k in brokerage accounts, and about $500k in royalties and residuals ... according to the NY Daily News.

Bourdain's will also reportedly indicates an outstanding $1 million mortgage, but doesn't specify the location of that property.