Money

Daymond John is offering financial aid to the family of the security guard killed in the Buffalo shooting ... reaching out after discovering the guy was a big fan of his.

The son of Aaron Salter Jr., the retired police officer who was working security at the supermarket where the tragic shooting happened, tells TMZ ... Daymond recently called him and struck up a conversation, getting emotional and offering to help with funeral expenses and other bills.

Daymond told Aaron Salter III he saw some photos online of the guy's dad posing with cardboard cutouts of the "Shark Tank" star ... and it turns out watching "Shark Tank" was a family affair in the Salter house.

Aaron, who is being hailed a hero for likely saving the lives of others in the attack, was also an inventor like Daymond ... and his son says DJ told the family his heart goes out to them and he wants to help in any way possible.

When Aaron's son relayed funeral details, Daymond offered to help cover the cost and told the family someone from his camp would be in touch.

We're told Daymond got emotional as the conversation continued ... Aaron's son could hear the pain in Daymond's voice, and towards the end of their talk Daymond offered to help the family with anything they need in the future, urging them not to hesitate.

Aaron's son says his dad was a huge fan of Daymond's and is looking down now, super proud.

Daymond's offer to the family is in addition to a visit from President Biden ... we're told POTUS spoke individually with 9 family members, shaking hands and expressing condolences.

'BMF' star Lil Meech allegedly stole a $250,000 Richard Mille watch and got caught ... leading to his arrest for grand theft.

The 22-year-old actor/rapper -- handpicked by 50 Cent to star as his dad, Big Meech, in the Starz ‘BMF’ series -- got booked on two counts of first-degree grand theft and a separate count of organized fraud on March 14.

Cops say the actor walked into Miami's Haimov Jewelers back in February and put a down payment on the Richard Mille using his $80,000 platinum Rolex, but he allegedly failed to pay the remaining $200K balance and never returned the watch.

Cops also accuse him of trying to trade the watch for a different Richard Mille piece at a different store.

Records show Meech was released on bond the same day he was arrested. Lil Meech hasn’t reacted to charges publicly, but he recently posted an Instagram photoshoot to let fans know he’s unbothered.

The Buffalo Bills and NFL are teaming up to contribute $400,000 to local relief efforts in Buffalo ... after a mass shooting on Saturday left 10 people dead and several others injured.

"On behalf of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, we are most grateful for the generous contributions from the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the National Football League Foundation that will allow us to create real change and emerge from the darkness of this heinous act," said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

The $400K donation will be divided up amongst several groups ... with $200,000 going to the Buffalo Community Response Fund, and the other $200,000 going to various nonprofit orgs working on relief efforts.

"This Fund is a partnership to build upon the collective desire to take action and to work together as a community to address immediate needs, long-term rebuilding and systemic issues that continue to marginalize communities of color," Dedecker added.

We've already seen members of the Bills org. -- like defensive back Micah Hyde -- literally, step up to the plate by donating proceeds from his charity softball game to the victims of the tragedy.

Hyde hosted the event at Sahlen Park, a minor league baseball facility, where he announced a huge $200K donation.

And, Josh Allen is also involved. The star quarterback said the team planned to meet to discuss further ways they could help the innocent victims and people in the community who are hurting.

The partnership between the Bills and the NFL is certainly a big step in the right direction.

Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers jersey from the 1988 Stanley Cup-clinching game -- the Great One's last championship -- just hit the auction block ... and it could be the most expensive piece of hockey memorabilia ever sold.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the #99 jersey Gretzky rocked during the title-deciding game against the Boston Bruins is currently on the block at Grey Flannel Auctions ... and already has a bid over $400K!!

The craziest part ... there are still 18+ days left in the auction, and bidding doesn't typically heat up until the final day. In other words, this jersey is going to sell for an insane amount of money.

Wayne wore the iconic threads as he hoisted the best trophy in sports after leading his squad to a sweep over Boston in 5 games.

Yes, a sweep in 5 ... in a best of 7 series.

Gretzky and the Oilers had a chance to close out the Bruins in Game 4 ... that is, until the power went out with about 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd period of the potential series-clinching game.

NHL and team officials conferred, and ultimately decided to essentially throw out game 4 ... and just play game 5 two days later.

The Great One -- the NHL's all-time leading scorer -- lived up to his name during the 5th game ... finishing the game with 1 goal and 2 assists.

The jersey is a huge deal because it was the last time Gretzky ever donned an Oilers uniform ... as he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings a few months after winning the Cup -- in a shocking deal.

GFA tells us the jersey, a Nike size "XL," is covered in champagne stains from the boozy locker room celebration. The jersey also shows puck marks and loose threads.

The front features the Oilers team logo -- along with a "C" patch for captain -- located on the upper left chest area of the jersey.

The back of the uniform has Gretzky's name in blue tackle twill on a white nameplate, along with his iconic number 99 ... which has since been retired leaguewide.

GFA says the jersey was authenticated using photo-matching to ensure it's authentic.

Gretzky, who broke into the NHL in 1979, won the Stanley Cup 4 times and the Conn Smythe award twice, given to the most valuable player during the playoffs.

Martin Shkreli is a free man (sorta) -- the guy's been released from prison ... and relatively early considering the length of his original sentence.

The one-time pharmaceutical exec and hedge fund manager -- who was convicted on securities fraud charges back in 2017 -- was sprung from FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania Wednesday ... and will now be transferred to community confinement through the Bureau of Prisons' NY Residential Reentry Management Office.

He was initially sentenced to 7 years in prison after being found guilty on 3 of 8 federal charges pertaining to his reign at the pharmaceutical company Retrophin.

Shkreli was quick to celebrate -- posting a photo of himself on Facebook with the caption, "Getting out of real prison is easier than getting out of Twitter prison."

He seems to be rocking prison wear -- all-gray sweatsuit -- and may have even gotten a ride by some rando. A dude named Edmund Sullivan posted pics with MS, writing ... "Picked up this guy hitchhiking. Says he's famous." Might be a joke, who knows?

Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, says his client will now be living in a halfway house. Brafman adds his client has completed various programs while behind bars to facilitate his early release from prison. He says Shkreli will make no further comment at this time.

The family of a 12-year-old boy is suing Apple ... claiming he has permanent hearing loss, after wearing AirPods during an Amber Alert.

The family filed suit Monday ... accusing the company of negligence and fraud, claiming the boy's life has been 'severely altered'.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Carlos Gordoa and Ariani Reyes claim Apple AirPods ruptured their son's eardrum back in May of 2020, while he was wearing the product and watching Netflix on his phone.

The family says, when an Amber Alert went off, it was so loud it caused tinnitus -- ringing in the ears. They claim he now suffers from dizziness and must wear a hearing aid.

The fam claims the Apple product is defective because it plays alerts at a dangerous level ... no matter what volume the user has chosen.

To take it a step further ... Gordoa and Reyes say Apple had known that the AirPods played extremely loud alerts that did not match the selected volume ... from tons of comments online. They say the complaints date back to 2019.

Kylie Jenner is making a mommy comeback ... showing off her post-baby body, just months after giving birth to her son.

Kylie shared photos for her 338 million followers Tuesday, teasing her latest Kylie Skin bubble bath ... and gave fans little-to-imagine, in a revealing lavender bodysuit.

Of course, this is the first time we are seeing Kylie put her mommy curves on full display up-close, since having her son back in February with rapper Travis Scott.

She did tease her 40-lb weight loss earlier this month, posing from afar while on vacay with her brood in Turks and Caicos.

Kylie has been open about her postpartum struggles, after giving birth to her second child ... and returning to social media.

She told her Instagram followers things were much harder this time around, both physically and mentally. She spoke candidly about feeling pressure over her body, before assuring her followers it's okay not to be okay.

Megan Rapinoe and the U.S. Women's National Team got what they've been wanting for so long -- U.S. Soccer just announced both the men's and women's national teams will receive equal pay.

The org. just announced the groundbreaking deal on Wednesday ... saying World Cup earnings for both teams will be split equally between players on both teams.

"This is a truly historic moment," U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said of the deal. "In becoming the first federation in the world to solve the massive and vexing challenge of equalizing FIFA World Cup prize money, U.S. Soccer and our players have changed the game forever here at home, with the hopes of inspiring change around the world."

On top of the WC money, the teams will also receive the same appearance fees and game bonuses ... and share commercial revenue.

As we previously reported, the USWNT has been fighting for this since winning the World Cup in 2019 ... chanting for equal pay as they celebrated the win.

All 28 players on the USWNT filed a lawsuit against the USSF shortly after ... accusing it of engaging in "institutionalized gender discrimination" against the team.

Rapinoe also gave a passionate speech about equal pay at the White House in 2021.

The lawsuit resulted in a $24 million settlement ... which was contingent on the new deal.

The families of the victims killed in the Buffalo massacre are getting a lot of help in the wake of this tragedy -- both on the crowdfunding front ... but, possibly, on the civil side too.

Fundraisers have been organized in the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting -- which claimed the lives of 10 people after 18-year-old Payton Gendron opened fire in a supermarket in an attack that was rooted in racial hatred.

One of the campaigns was organized by Keith Blakely, CEO of OnCore Golf Technology, and has already raised around $100k.

Blakely tells TMZ ... the money came in over the course of a few days, with more than 1,400 donors making contributions ranging from $5 to $5k. Blakely says the $100k goal seemed like a tall order at first, but now ... he's aiming to give each family $10,000.

Blakely says he's teamed up with the Mayor's Office to help distribute the money ASAP. He tells us celebs have chipped in, but won't say who ... but he tipped his hand and said athletes have really stepped up.

Other GFMs have been started ... one for the Tops store, another for the slain security guard, yet another for victims' families and a 4th for resource deliveries to victims and members of the community who might be affected.

While all that dough is great, there might be an even larger amount on the horizon thanks to Ben Crump and his team ... he's already been retained by the family of Ruth Whitfield -- one of the oldest victims killed in Saturday's massacre.

Sources tell us Crump is looking to represent as many families as possible ... which we're told may include suing the gun manufacturer of the weapon used in the attack ... an AR-15-style rifle with a high capacity magazine.

Yo Gotti isn't waiting around for gift cards for his 41st birthday, instead he's treating himself ... to more than a million bucks worth of super-luxury rides!!!

The Collective Music Group CEO recorded himself riding around with copious amounts of cash ... ultimately choosing to stunt on his haters with not one but two Rolls Royces off the showroom floor.

Gotti's birthday behavior is time-tested ... each year he splurges on lavish gifts ahead of his annual b-day celebration -- the star-studded Birthday Bash concert series at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

This year's Birthday Bash 8 blowout is going down July 15 and while the guests haven't been announced, past years saw the likes of Lil Baby, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Master P, Polo G, T.I., City Girls, Monica, Boosie Badazz and many more perform.

CMG apparently has plenty of wealth to spread around. Gotti's latest signee, R&B singer Lehla Samia, was recently blessed with a pink Lamborghini Urus just for inking her name on the dotted line.

Sydney Sweeney broke an agreement with a swimwear brand to promote their products, then turned around and wore the suits on "Euphoria" ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The HBO star is being sued by the swim and lifestyle brand LA Collective for allegedly breaking her contract to model and promote the company's swimsuits.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, the fashion brand claims it reached an agreement with Sydney last year, where she would be the influencer for the launch of their new line, "Somewhere Swimwear."

The brand says Sydney initially appeared to be on board and approved all their designs and production prototypes ... but they claim her camp suddenly canceled the agreement without any explanation or cause, refusing to proceed.

And, get this ... the brand claims Sydney then appropriated the designs for her own use, wearing the swimsuits on at least 5 episodes of "Euphoria."

The swimwear company says they expected to sell more than $3 million worth of suits under the deal and want the actress to cough up big damages for backing out.

Travis Scott is making sure hundreds of Black college students walk across the commencement stage with their diploma ... with a seven-figure donation.

The rapper awarded $1 million in scholarships to 100 students at HBCUs who are on track to graduate in the Class of 2022 ... ensuring they cross the finish line and aren't affected by last-minute financial hurdles.

The soon-to-be grads are each getting a $10,000 scholarship from Travis' previously-established Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund ... and the recipients finished their final semester with at least a 3.5 GPA.

Among the scholars ... Florida A&M University pharmacy major Nisha Encarnacion, who is from the U.S. Virgin Islands and paid her own way through college while supporting her mother and daughter, Fisk University computer science major Chisom Okwor, whose goal is to help transform developing countries in Africa, and North Carolina Central University broadcast journalism major Jordan Massey, who took on a ton of debt to get his communications degree.

Travis' sister, Jordan Webster, manages the scholarship fund ... and she recently graduated as well, with a degree from Howard University.

Travis' donations went to seniors at 38 HBCUs ... including Alabama A&M University, Central State University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Grambling State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Prairie View A&M University.

The $1 million worth of scholarships is part of Travis' Project HEAL, which as we first reported, was announced back in March and included $5 million in earmarks.

Remember ... Project HEAL was one of Travis' first public philanthropic since the tragic Astroworld concert last November, which saw 10 people die as a result of injuries sustained during Travis' set.

Lionel Messi -- arguably the greatest soccer player of all time -- is reportedly taking his talents to the United States after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain is up in 2023 ... as he's slated to join David Beckham's club, Inter Miami.

The 34-year-old 7-time Ballon d'Or award winner is expected to take a 35% stake with the MLS franchise, according to Front Office Sports.

Messi, who's currently playing for PSG, will sign with Inter Miami once his contract expires with one of France's top clubs.

On Monday, Beckham posted pics with several members of PSG's club -- Messi being amongst the group -- where he appeared chummy with the Argentinian player.

As we previously reported, Messi parted ways with Barcelona after the club said financial obstacles prevented them from offering him a suitable deal.

Starbucks in jumping into the Roe v. Wade fray by telling its employees the company will pay travel expenses for any staffer who has to travel more than 100 miles from home to get an abortion.

A Starbucks exec put it this way ... "Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade."

She went on ... "I know this is weighing on many of you, so let me be clear up front — regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare. And when actions impact your access to healthcare, we will work on a way to make sure you feel supported."

The coffee company pledged to its 240,000 employees it will cover all travel-related expenses "when accessing abortion or gender-affirming procedures."

A super rare, nearly 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sticker just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned it's about to sell for a STAGGERING sum!!

We're told the piece -- which is a sticker/card from the 1986 Fleer set -- is currently sitting at $95,000 in the bidding ... and is expected to fetch several thousands more by the time the auction concludes later this week.

Officials at PWCC Marketplace -- the org. hosting the auction -- tell us the scarcity of this particular KAJ sticker is what makes it a must-have item.

The experts say out of the 2,484 Abdul-Jabbar fleer stickers that have been graded by PSA, only 14 of them received a perfect 10 -- and this sticker is one of them.

"It is extremely hard to find this sticker in this grade," PWCC exec. Jesse Craig said. "A gem mint version of this asset surfaces for sale so rarely at auction that collectors are moving very aggressively to secure it."

The previous record for the sticker -- which is also notable because it's from the same set as the famed Michael Jordan rookie card -- came back in May 2016, when a piece sold for $23,766.

KAJ was a dominant force at the collegiate level -- he won three straight national titles under John Wooden -- and that brilliance translated to the NBA, where his success continued.

Kareem made 19 All-Star teams, won 6 NBA titles to go along with 6 MVP awards ... and is regarded as one of, if not, the greatest big man in NBA history.

Kareem was also a key part of the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson, that won 5 championships in the '80s ... and Craig says that's another reason the sticker's value is exploding.

Craig tells us ... HBO's 'Winning Time' documentary, which highlights the players from the Showtime Lakers, has added to the intrigue of Kareem and this sticker.

"While it has been controversial," Craig said, "the show definitely reminded many of how impressive the 'Showtime' Lakers were."

"Kareem was a critical part of that era and that point is made clear in the dramatized retelling."

Randall Emmett is working to eliminate a major source of memories in his relationship with Lala Kent ... listing the house they once called home for sale.

The producer is parting ways with the 4 bed, 4 bathroom house he and his ex-fiancée used to live in together. Randall's asking $6.295 million for the home -- which comes complete with a swimming pool, entertainer's kitchen and pickle-ball court in the backyard.

A source familiar with the situation tells us Randall is simply looking for a bigger home for his family ... he bought it several years ago and remodeled a lot of the home, so he should definitely make a decent profit.

TMZ broke the story -- the two ended their 3-year engagement back in October -- with Lala moving out of the home. While the couple had several ups and downs in their relationship, we were told the October split was the final straw ... and that's proven true.

Randall had 2 children from a previous relationship, but he and Lala had welcomed a daughter, named Ocean, together in the months before their split.

While the couple's relationship was heavily covered on "Vanderpump Rules" things got pretty messy near the end, with allegations of cheating. Clearly, there were trust issues between the two as well, Lala recently said on her podcast, "The only truth I feel that existed in my relationship was me and my daughter Ocean. That is where the truth ended. That is a hard pill to swallow.”