Money

LeBron James is the king on the court and now on the auction block too -- the NBA superstar's used jersey from Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals just sold for $3.7 million ... a new record!!

Sotheby's announced the final price tag for the incredible piece of memorabilia Friday morning -- making it the highest-selling game-worn James jersey to date.

This specific #6 jersey is the exact threads James wore when the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs, 98-88 ... securing LeBron's second championship.

It was a historical night for James ... as it was the first Game 7 of his NBA career, and he secured his second NBA Finals MVP award in the process.

The jersey sold for $3,680,000 at the auction ... which makes it the third most valuable game-worn jersey ever sold at Sotheby's, and among "the highest prices achieved for any game-worn jersey on the open market."

Sotheby's tells TMZ Sports it was purchased by a private collector.

"Today's tremendous result comes at a pivotal time in LeBron James' career, where he is in arm's reach of clenching the all-time points record -- one of the NBA's most revered accolades," Sotheby's officials said on Friday.

Abby Lee Miller is getting rid of her final ties to the "Dance Moms" franchise ... auctioning off a ton of memorabilia from the series on the heels of selling her famous dance studio.

The "Dance Moms" maven is teaming up with The Clean Out Krew to auction off iconic items from her hit reality series. She announced it was simply time to close out the chapter, as she expands all over the world.

And, there's some really cool stuff up for grabs, like Abby's infamous bench ... given to her by Kendall's mom in season 2. Its starting bid is $1,000!

Some of the other items include ... Abby's necklace and silver scepter used in promotional pictures for Season 8, her chalkboard from season 2 and the Broadway Baby's sign ... prominently displayed in several seasons.

Of course, this all comes after Abby sold her Pennsylvania dance studio for $300k back in December. Right after that, she listed her house in Davenport, FL for just under $400K.

Ya can spend way less, and score some sweet gear when the auction begins Friday, Jan 26 and bidding will be open till February 8.

Benjamin Button's got nothing on this guy ... a software developer well into his 40s claims he's aging backwards, but the catch is it costs him 7 figures annually to do it!!!

45-year-old Bryan Johnson says his bio-hack is costing him $2 million per year -- and with a team of 30 doctors, he maintains a strict regimen which apparently gives him the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the fitness of an 18-year-old.

He says his daily routine includes waking at 5 AM, and taking 2 dozen supplements, following a vegan diet with a high-intensity exercise routine ... and he goes to bed at the same time every night.

Bryan says his doctors closely monitor his vital signs and he does a ton of monthly tests ...  including blood tests, ultrasounds, MRIs and colonoscopies.

He also tracks things like his body fat and weight each day... while sleeping with a machine that tracks his nightly erections. Umm ... TMI, Mr. Johnson!

He told Bloomberg, "What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable.”

Bryan reportedly racked up a ton of cash in his 30s by selling his payment processing company Payment Solutions to EBay for $8M, and decided to spend his fortune finding the fountain of youth.

He calls his initiative "Project Blueprint" and he hopes to eventually have all major organs working as they did when he was in his late teens -- including his brain, liver, kidneys, teeth, skin, hair, penis and rectum.

Chris Brown was just hit with a whopping tax bill that totals $4,044,596.76 --  but never fear, the R&B artist might be able to cut into his debt if he ever decides to sell off his huge collection of designer and custom clothes

Breezy posted a video that laid out his massive clothing collection on racks ... with the scene looking very much like a department store aisle!!!

He also called out all rappers and artists who think they have more drip than him to post their own closets for comparison -- a challenge that Rick Ross, who's been known to be a hoarder in his own right, just may take on.

The timing is interesting ...  TMZ Hip Hop confirmed Breezy was recently hit with a federal tax lien for $2,245,561.50 and $1,059,967.78 for money apparently owed to Uncle Sam in 2022.

Additionally, we've learned the state of California filed a state tax lien for $739,067.48 ... so he's looking at around $4M in total!!!

Breezy's been down this road before ... having hosted a massive yard sale back in 2019 but even if Breezy doesn't sell off items this time around to pay the tax bills, he still has steady tour revenue to look forward to.

The upcoming European leg for his Under The Influence Tour recently added new dates in big cities like London, Amsterdam, and Paris after tickets sold out following the first announcement.

Kim Kardashian's daughter North West is headin' to the big screen ... breaking into the acting game in the same flick her mom's also got a part in.

The 9-year-old has been cast in the upcoming sequel, "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie," TMZ has confirmed, lending her voice alongside Kim, who's reprising her role as Delores from the 2021 film.

Kim and North won't be the only ones in their family with a part ... we're told North's little brother, Saint, will also make a cameo in the movie.

Seems like Paramount's got a ton of confidence in the sequel, BTW -- Deadline reports some big names are joining North and Saint ... including Kristen Bell, McKenna Grace, Lil Rel Howery, James Marsden, and even Serena Williams.

Makes sense -- the children's film debuted at #1 in multiple countries when it dropped -- making over $144M worldwide.

Justin Bieber's feeling himself after selling the rights to his entire library of music for $200 million ... and the proof is in the pants.

The Biebs busted out some eye-catching polka dot trousers Tuesday night as he headed out to dinner with wife, Hailey in New York City ... fresh off his huge payday.

Justin also rocked a pink jacket, beanie and a pair of black and brown boots ...  while Hailey wore a leather jacket and matching vest and heels.

The couple's got $200 million reasons to enjoy a night out in the Big Apple ... earlier in the day, Justin officially sold the rights to his publishing and artist royalties from his song catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital.

As we reported ... the deal's been in the works since December and it's being hailed as the most lucrative music rights sale for any artist from Justin's generation.

The $200 million pact reportedly covers all 290+ songs in Justin's library released through 2021 ... including his latest album, "Justice."

Something tells us Justin's picking up the tab tonight.

Mark Ronson says Justin Bieber's call to sell off his music catalog is a sweet decision, and he also says Bieb fans can chill ... this is not a sign the singer's ready to hang it up.

We got the producer/DJ Tuesday at LAX, and he doesn't see J.B.'s estimated $200 million catalog sale as a dead end -- noting it could be a good thing for fans, possibly showing Justin has a bunch more music to make, and is just looking to maximize profits off what he's done so far.

Obviously, Mark doesn't know exactly what's going through Justin's head ... but he notes money's got to be a big factor.

As we reported, Justin had his eyes on the big deal with Hipgnosis Songs Capital in December, which included his entire music catalog -- 6 albums over a decade, as well as all singles and collabs. Hipgnosis announced the closing of the mega sale Tuesday.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar says Ticketmaster's stranglehold on the concert tickets and venues is a longstanding problem -- but she gives full credit to Taylor Swift fans for pushing the issue over the hump.

The Senator from Minnesota joins us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to reveal why Swifties' making a historic fuss over the botched presale for Taylor's tour, directly led to Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee grilling of Live Nation, Ticketmaster's parent company.

Klobuchar dropped something that's always a bombshell in Washington -- the 'B' word ... as in, bipartisanship! She tells us the much-anticipated hearing had lawmakers in agreement about Ticketmaster's monopoly, and the need for the company to finally face the music.

Although Swifties got the ball rolling ... she says this issue goes well beyond Taylor's tour -- because Ticketmaster dominates the game by selling tickets, running promotions and even owning some of the venues.

The Senator says testimony from industry experts -- including some musicians -- makes it clear to her it's nearly impossible for competitors to drive down rising ticket prices.

She says bands have been sounding the alarm for years, including Pearl Jam back in the day -- but the dam broke in November, when Taylor's legion of fans got pissed off and even Taylor called out Ticketmaster.

Sen. Klobuchar says the tide's finally turning, and she expects real changes from Ticketmaster ... and quickly. You can see the full interview on Wednesday's "TMZ Live" ... check your local listings.

Polo G is looking to set the trend of "smart jewelry" -- the Chicago rap star's cashing out for a diamond-encrusted bulldog that's plenty flashy, but also functional ... as an iPhone case!!!

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox Diamonds & Watches tells TMZ Hip Hop the pendant took a couple of months of engineering to perfect all the features. For instance, Polo's phone can actually be charged without being removed from the sparkling accessory.

We're told the pendant includes more than 500 grams of 14kt white gold with 90+ carats of diamonds -- and there's another 55 carats of bling on the accompanying chain!

Fans might confuse Polo for a Boston Red Sox fan after seeing the chain and pendant's red letter "B" enamel accents -- but we're told it's actually a tribute to BMoney 1300 ... Polo's friend who was murdered in August 2021.

Amazing news for Slava Medvedenko -- the ex-Lakers player was gifted replacement championship rings on Monday ... after selling his original bling to help raise money for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss presented the new rings to Medvedenko at an event for L.A. fans ... five months after he decided to help his native country fight against the Russian invasion.

Medvedenko -- who was on the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led squads that won it all in 2001 and 2002 -- sold the rings for $253,534 ... and all of the proceeds went to his "Fly High Foundation," an organization devoted to helping kids affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Medvedenko started the org. in 2022 ... and it focuses on repairing sports facilities at schools in areas hit hard by the war.

"In this moment, I just decided, 'Why do I need these rings if they’re just sitting in my safe?'" Medvedenko said of parting ways with the bling at the time. "I just recognize I can die."

"After that, I just say I have to sell them to show people leadership, to help my Ukrainian people to live better, to help kids."

Slava did more than sell his rings, though -- the 6'10" NBA hooper served in Ukraine's territorial defense during the war, despite having no prior military experience.

Papoose has an enriching message for all artists who are tired of record labels divvying up all their profits -- come join him at Tunecore, where he's just been named the music distributor's head of hip hop!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with Pap Tuesday morning, and he was more than thrilled to have the opportunity to pivot independent artists away from record deals that don't benefit them.

He explains unlike other distributors, Tunecore allows you to maintain ownership of your masters and obtain 100 percent of the payout your music makes. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, especially if you're still trying to make a name for yourself.

Pap tells us his own experiences in the music industry led him to champion Tunecore -- he famously signed a million-dollar record deal under the tutelage of the late, great DJ Kay Slay, but he admits he's made the most traction in his career by going the indie route.

In 2021, Pap dropped 12 albums -- each named after months of the year, and featuring heavy-hitting cameos from the likes of Lil Wayne, Jim Jones, The Game and his wife, Remy Ma ... and he released all of them through Tunecore to reap all the rewards himself.

Pap says he understands the artists' plight more than anyone, and doesn't knock them for still signing lopsided record deals -- but going forward he's making it his mission to corral as many artists as possible!!!

Violet McGraw, the child actor who played one of the main characters from the smash hit horror flick "M3GAN," made a killing on the film ... and the job came with some sweet perks.

According to Violet's minor's contract -- filed in court, and obtained by TMZ -- the 11-year-old actress was paid $3,932.50 per week, and guaranteed 4 weeks of work. She ended up getting an extra 2 weeks on top of that for the government-mandated quarantine in New Zealand, where they filmed.

Violet's work also came with some extra perks, too, including gettin' to fly business class out to NZ for the project -- pretty sweet, considering it's a 13-hour trek from LAX.

The contract also says she gets bonuses based on how well the movie does at the box office -- and as it's made more than $73 mil in the U.S., Violet's potentially looking at an extra $150K!!!!

Fans of the slasher film remember Violet playing Cady, the newly-orphaned young girl who's sent to live with her Aunt Gemma ... a roboticist played by Allison Williams, responsible for designing the AI-fueled M3GAN, which turns into a killing machine.

Lil Baby strives to be the most fly rapper in the game and that mentality obviously trickles down to his own children!!!

The Atlanta rapper recently hit up Icebox Diamonds & Watches, his home away from home, to lace his 7-year-old son, Jason, with a couple of new diamond emblems modeled after a pair of Baby's pre-existing pieces.

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Jason's 4PF chain consists of more than 5 carats of VS diamonds with blue and green enamel accents -- a junior take on Baby's chain, which has 70+ carats!

The fresh father and son duo also plan to stunt at NBA games, as they frequent State Farm Arena for their hometown Atlanta Hawks ... and Skylar says they now have matching pieces to rep their team.

Jason's Hawks pendant sports 2 carats of diamonds and 25 grams of gold -- while his dad's has 10x the bling with 20 carats of diamonds, and 150 grams of white gold.

George Foreman says a woman accusing him of sexual abuse 45 years ago -- when she was a minor -- is intentionally dragging his name through the mud and flat-out lying ... so, now he's going after her in court.

Foreman filed his countersuit Monday against the accuser, Gwen H., who had initially sued the ex-boxer last summer. TMZ Sports broke the story ... she, and another woman, claimed Foreman groomed, and eventually sexually abused them, when they were still underage.

In his docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Foreman acknowledges that he can't sue Gwen for the allegations she wrote in her lawsuit ... but he says she stepped outside that protection when she held a news conference 3 months later.

During that news conference, she detailed her allegations, saying ... "He asked me to remove my clothes, and if I didn't then my father would be fired, so I complied."

According to his lawsuit, Foreman claims Gwen's allegations -- repeated in the news conference -- are "entirely fabricated" and she has "zero corroborating evidence in the form of documents, photographs, letters, or witnesses to support Gwen's false claims against Foreman."

He adds, Gwen is "hoping that the passage of time will excuse her complete lack of evidence."

Additionally, Foreman cites something he told us back in July 2022 -- even before Gwen sued him -- which is that she had allegedly demanded more than $12 million from him in order to stop her from going public with what he calls "her bogus claims."

Foreman says he's suffered "anxiety, sleeplessness, worry, shock and humiliation" since Gwen's news conference ... and he's suing her for unspecified damages.

Amazing gesture from AEW ... the wrestling org. is now selling Jay Briscoe shirts following the wrestler's tragic death, noting that all of the tee's sales will go toward his family.

The shirts officially launched this week -- just days after Briscoe, real name Jamin Pugh, was killed in a car crash in Delaware.

The black-and-red threads feature an image of Briscoe with a championship belt, as well as the words "Reach for the sky." They also have his name and the years of his birth and death on them.

Each tee costs $24.99 -- money the AEW, which purchased the Ring of Honor promotion that Briscoe wrestled for last March, says will go entirely "to benefit the Pugh family."

"The Pugh family lost a husband, a father, a brother, a son," the wrestling org. said in a statement Monday, "and in an effort to both honor Jay's memory as well as support those left behind, we are offering this 'Reach For The Sky' t-shirt with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the Pugh family as they cope with this tragic loss."

As we reported, Briscoe was killed on Jan. 17 after a car suddenly veered into his lane and collided with his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 head-on. He was just 38 years old.

Briscoe's two daughters were in the car at the time of the wreck, but, thankfully, survived. The wrester's wife asked for prayers for the two girls in a social media post following the crash.

Beyonce's weekend concert ruffled a few feathers in the LGBTQ+ community, but Ts Madison doesn't see anything wrong with her getting a fat check in Dubai ... because, first and foremost, she says Bey is loyal to her fans.

The actress and activist joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," dismissing claims Queen Bey "sold out" by performing in the UAE -- where there are firm anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Madison believes most people, even those criticizing Beyonce, would jump at a $24 million payday in Dubai. In fact, she says many people in the LGBTQ+ community already do travel there ... whether it be for work or vacay. So, the whole sellout label seems hypocritical to her.

And, Madison points out Beyonce's been an ally for years ... and doesn't think she'd do something like this to hurt the very group to which she dedicated her latest album, "Renaissance."

As we reported, Beyonce made it a truly grand opening for a new Atlantis resort ... doing a 90-minute set with multiple costume changes, an orchestra and a bunch of her classic hits.

Folks banging on the concert, feel she ditched "her own progressive values" by performing in a "homophobic dictatorship" -- but Madison says those fans should separate politics from the concert ... just as Beyonce seems to have done.