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Kyrie Irving is extending an olive branch to the media -- finally meeting with reporters Monday and insisting his "pawns" comment last week wasn't a shot at them.

The Brooklyn Nets star also walked back some comments about head coach Steve Nash -- so, yeah ... lot's going on here!

First, the "Pawns" issue ...

Remember, Irving was fined $25,000 for blowing off NBA media obligations last week. He later issued a statement saying, "I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Most interpreted the comment as a shot at journalists -- but when he was asked about it on Monday, Irving explained how he meant to say he's trying to eliminate everything in his life that could be considered a distraction from basketball.

"The focus is what's going on here, my job." Irving said. "And I wanted to make sure that was clear -- no distractions, nothing about dispelling anything, nothing about going back-and-forth, nothing about calling out one person or another."

"Not even referring to you guys as pawns or media. It's just really how I felt about the mistreatment of certain artists when we get to a certain platform of when we make decisions within of lives to have full control and ownership."

Then, Irving addressed the comments he made about Steve Nash earlier this year ... right after Nash was hired as head coach.

Remember, Irving had said, "I don’t really see us having a head coach ... it's a collaborative effort."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of his new coach ... but Irving walked back those comments on Monday -- praising Nash in the process.

"Steve's been amazing and it really is a reflection of the type of person he is and the IQ he has for the game," Irving said.

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is about to get a huge assist from one Tyler Perry as he ramps up to fight a lawsuit from one of the cops who raided his home ... and by that, we mean major financial help.

Sources tell TMZ that the Hollywood producer and filmmaker just donated a whopping $100,000 to Ken's legal defense fund that was recently started on GoFundMe. The goal was $100k, but was somewhat lagging in the early going ... idling at less than $10k.

On Sunday, however, we're told Tyler threw down some big cash in four separate installments within minutes of each other. He donated 2 shipments of $10k, then donated $50k and topped it all off with a final donation of $30k. Now, Ken's over the finish line and then some.

As for why ... you can take a guess. Tyler wants to support Kenneth as he prepares to go to court against Louisville PD officer Jonathan Mattingly -- who was shot in the crossfire during the raid on Ken and Breonna's home.

As we reported ... Mattingly sued Kenneth for emotional distress and trauma -- this after criminal charges against Ken were dropped. The issue in Mattingly's lawsuit is the same as the investigation into Breonna's death. Did the police announce themselves before entering? Many neighbors, along with Ken, say no. The cops say they did announce themselves.

"[Conor McGregor] is one of the greatest fighters on Earth right now. He shouldn't be fighting kids that have f**king YouTube videos."

That's Dana White stomping all over Jake Paul's dream of fighting Conor McGregor -- telling TMZ Sports there's a "zero percent" chance that fight ever happens.

Remember, Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor after knocking  Nate Robinson out cold in the 2nd round of their Nov. 28 boxing match.

Jake later told TMZ Sports his team reached out to Conor's manager to begin talks about a possible fight -- and added, "I'm going in there to f**k Conor McGregor up."

And, with Jake's big bro, Logan Paul, scoring a boxing exhibition with Floyd Mayweather, seems anything's possible these days.

While Dana says he applauds both Paul bros for "injecting themselves into the fight world" ... he makes it pretty clear when it comes to fighting skill, they're not even on the same planet as Conor and Floyd.

"There's a market for these kinda fights. It's just not what I do," White says.

"There will be a day when Conor McGregor could do these types of fights and make a bunch of money," White adds ... but it ain't happening any time soon.

Johnny Manziel may not be done with pro football after all -- he's in "serious talks" to join a new league, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the 28-year-old is close to inking a deal with the new "Fan Controlled Football" league, which is set to debut in Feb. 2021.

FYI, the FCF is an arena football-style league consisting of 4 teams where almost everything -- including the play calls -- is picked by the fans.

So far, HUGE names like Quavo, Mike Tyson and Marshawn Lynch have all signed on to be team owners and the league has a deal for the games to stream live on Twitch.

Our sources tells us Manziel is currently in talks with comedian Bob Menery -- who co-owns the Zappers team with Mets pitcher Trevor May.

Obviously, it'd be a huge get for the league ... Manziel was one of the most electric college football players EVER -- and was a former Browns first-round pick in 2014. He also brought viewers to the TV in record numbers during his stint in the Canadian Football League.

But, Manziel hasn't played ball since 2019 -- and just a few months ago, he told TMZ Sports he was officially retired from football and moving on with his life.

Manziel apparently had a change of heart -- hey, he's allowed -- and this week, even posted about the opportunity on social media.

"Currently the starting QB of [Bob Menery's Zappers]. Time to tear old town down in my owners honor."

Getcha popcorn ready!

Mark Cuban is disgusted by the images of members of Congress showing up to the White House in ballgowns and tuxedos ... when millions are homeless, starving and unemployed.

The "Shark Tank" star was irate when he saw our video of Steve King, Jim Jordan, Doug Lamborn and others yukking it up Thursday night before entering the White House.

It's really outrageous ... Democrats blame Republicans, Republicans blame Democrats for the stalemate, but their job is to reach agreements -- to compromise, but that hasn't happened for months. As a body, Cuban and others think the entire Congress has acted shamefully.

Dionne Warwick's calling on her A-list friends to help celebrate her 80th birthday ... which is doubling as a fundraiser for an important cause.

The legendary singer hopped on "TMZ Live" Friday to dish deets on her Holiday Musical Birthday Celebration ... a virtual party and concert, going down Saturday, her 80th birthday.

Dionne's using the occasion to lift spirits with her angelic voice while also raising money for Hunger Not Impossible ... an org connecting kids and families in need with prepaid, nutritious to-go meals from nearby restaurants.

Some of Dionne's pals joining the festivities include Aloe Blacc and country stars John Rich and the Oak Ridge Boys -- but anyone can join through her website, where fans can buy packages with cool perks. Aside from getting entry to the virtual event, you can get a private Zoom meet-and-greet with Dionne and a special shout out from her.

And, Dionne's still making new friends ... she told us all about the friendship she's formed with Chance the Rapper since she playfully checked him on his stage name.

Meek Mill and Michael Rubin must be tired of Congress stalling on a relief package -- they've just created their own ... a $2M scholarship fund to benefit underprivileged kids in Philadelphia.

The "Championships" rapper and 76ers partner created the fund which is expected to benefit nearly 1,000 students in the Philly area ... and the impact will be IMMEDIATE. We're told the money -- which will go toward the 2020-2021 school year -- will help students from pre-K through high school score resources they desperately need during the pandemic.

The students from poverty-stricken homes who are selected to receive a scholarship can use the money to attend private/parochial schools throughout the city with costs covered. For those in e-learning school, they can use the funds to to access equipment ... like laptops, tablets and WiFi.

As you know, so many families are struggling to make ends meet, and a big part of that includes finding resources so kids can continue learning from home.

It's an awesome and much needed gesture from Michael and Meek ... close friends who are both from Philly.

Both men have been involved in multiple relief efforts through this god awful year. Michael was the architect of the All In Challenge during the early part of the pandemic. Tons of celebrities did their part in hooking it up ... from Meek, Drake, Tom Brady and Kevin Hart to Justin Bieber, Magic Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Hollywood Hills architectural masterpiece owned by DJ Erick Morillo before he died is being listed by one of the stars of "Selling Sunset" ... who says it's his favorite home ever.

Jason Oppenheim originally sold the incredible property, once dubbed The Flying Wing, to the "I Like to Move It" DJ back in 2014 ... and now Erick's family's working with Jason to sell it again.

The 4-bed, 6-bath beauty was designed by famed architect Harry Gesner, and Oppenheim says its storied history and breathtaking views of L.A. are unrivaled ... and there's so much more.

The 4,543 sq. ft. is built into its own hillside with jetliner views from an open floor plan ... which features vaulted wood plank ceilings, and disappearing glass doors for tons of natural light.

There's a chef's kitchen, spacious living and dining areas, a custom-built bar and an infinity pool to further take in those views. After Erick bought the place, he built a state-of-the-art music studio under the pool ... and upgraded the entire property with an audiovisual system.

Erick bought the home for $7.6 million, and Jason's listing it now at $7.999 mil.

"I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Kyrie Irving doesn't give a DAMN about being fined by the NBA for ducking reporters ... saying he refuses to be strong-armed into working with the media.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn Nets star has repeatedly blown off his obligated media sessions ever since reporting to camp on Dec. 1 -- so the league hit him with a $25,000 fine.

Important to note ... Kyrie's in the middle of a 4-year, $136 MILLION contract -- so $25k is nothing for a rich dude like him.

On Friday morning, Irving reinforced his disdain for the media -- and said he hopes the league uses his fine money to help "marginalized communities in need."

He added, "I am here for Peace, Love, and Greatness. So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate the Art. We move different over here."

"I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Irving also included a quote from Malcolm X -- "I've had enough of someone else's propaganda."

Remember, just last week Irving thought he found a loophole to get out of facing the media -- issuing a written statement to reporters addressing multiple topics including COVID, his teammates and his hopes for the 2020-21 season.

But, that didn't fly with the NBA.

So, will Kyrie continue to go all Marshawn Lynch and stiff-arm reporters for the whole season?

You're looking at the most expensive hockey card that's EVER lived ... 'cause this Wayne Gretzky rookie from 1979 just fetched $1.29 MILLION at auction!!!

FYI -- the price is WILD for a hockey piece ... no hockey card had ever even surpassed the $1 million mark!!!

As for why The Great One's RC did so well on the block ... for starters, he's the best player to ever lace up skates -- but, the story behind the card is the main reason.

Heritage Auctions says the card's perfect, Gem Mint 10 grade is so incredibly rare, there are only 2 with the rating in existence!!

The guys at HA say because of the way O-Pee-Chee (AKA the Canadian wing of Topps) cut the cards ... most of the Gretzky rookies produced over 40 years ago graded poorly.

O-Pee-Chee reportedly used wire, not blade, to separate the cards ... and that created massive issues on corners that led to imperfect grades nearly across the board.

Somehow, though, this Gretzky card survived that process ... AND the ensuing 4 decades -- which made it the Holy Grail of hockey cardboard.

Unclear who the buyer is ... but it's the latest example of the ridiculous boom in the card industry -- in the last few months, cards from all sports have gone for INSANE prices.

Noah Jupe's only 15 and living large after starring with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in "The Undoing" ... cause we've learned he got a hefty paycheck for his work on the show!!!

The kid who played Nicole and Hugh's son, Henry, on the hit HBO series banked a whopping $100k per episode for the 6-episode limited series. That's a cool $600k in Noah's bank account for starring in the psychological thriller.

According to his minors contract, filed in L.A. County Court, Noah also got some other sweet perks. For starters, he got at least 5 roundtrip business class tickets for him and his parents to fly to New York, where they filmed the show.

The deal, which he signed when he was only 13, also secured him a 3-bedroom apartment ... which is GOLD in the NYC area!

More perks for Noah -- a $100 per diem, and a weekly $350 Uber stipend.

All part of his growing Hollywood success. Noah's appeared in several other TV shows, including "Downton Abbey" -- but we're guessing "The Undoing" is his biggest payday up to this point.

The Kardashians won't be without a medium for their reality tv content for long, because they're headed to Hulu ... just months after announcing 'KUWTK' was kaput.

The announcement was made Thursday during Disney's Investor Day in Santa Monica. We're told Kim, Kris, Kylie, Khloe, Kendall and Kourtney will all join the streaming service to create new global content that is expected to debut late 2021. Their content will air exclusively on Hulu domestically and on Star internationally.

As we reported, it was back in September when the family announced that after 20 seasons on E! "Keeping Up with The Kardashians" was coming to an end next year. At the time, Kim said, "This show made us who we are and I will be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers and changing our lives forever."

At the time, we were told the family was able to promote their own personal brands and products on their own social media pages, and needed to step away from TV for a bit.

Lil Wayne is deep in the hole with his ex-manager to the tune of more than $20 mil ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Ronald Sweeney claims Wayne hired him in 2005 to help renegotiate his deal with Cash Money. You'll recall Weezy beefed with Cash Money honcho Birdman over how much Cash Money paid out to Wayne's label, Young Money.

Long story short ... Lil Wayne settled that Cash Money lawsuit in May 2018, but Sweeney now claims he only got a few payments from that settlement ... and they were nowhere near what he says his full cut should be.

Then there's this ... in the suit, filed by attorney Ed McPherson,  Sweeney says back in May 2018, Lil Wayne asked him to fire Cortez Bryant -- Weezy's manager and childhood friend -- over a conflict of interest in a legal dispute involving Drake and Cash Money.

Sweeney says he did so, and took over Bryant's duties and got Wayne to give him a pay bump from 10% to 17% commission. But, Sweeney claims Bryant and Mack Maine then conspired to drive a wedge between Wayne and Sweeney, which allegedly worked. Sweeney says Wayne fired him in September 2018.

Then, this past June, Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for more than $100 million. Sweeney doesn't seem to be asking for any money from that deal ... but brings it up seemingly to point out Wayne has the cash to pay him what he claims he's owed.

Kelly Clarkson has declared war on her estranged husband, claiming he defrauded her out of a fortune.

Clarkson just filed legal docs with the California Labor Commission, claiming her ex, Brandon Blackstock, who also served as her personal manager, defrauded her by charging exorbitant fees, and she wants all of the loot back.

Among other things, Kelly says Brandon wasn't legally allowed to operate as a talent agent, because he never obtained a license.

She wants all the money back, and we are talking a fortune. Kelly has been one of the top money earners in the music biz for a long time now, so the commissions she's paid are enormous. She was with Brandon's company for 13 years.

Bryan Freedman, lawyer for Starstruck, tells TMZ “The labor petition conveniently ignores the fact that Kelly had her own licensed talent agency CAA at all times. While Starstruck Management Group provided talent management services on her behalf, it did so at all times that CAA was her agency of record."

He continues, "It is unfortunate that Kelly is again attempting to avoid paying commissions that are due and owing to Starstruck to try and achieve some perceived advantage in her ongoing custody and divorce proceedings.”

Kelly was sued by Brandon's company in September, Starstruck Management, claiming she owed the company $1.4 mil in commissions.

This is the latest shot over the bow in what has become a nasty divorce.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly and Brandon were fighting over custody ... he wanted their 2 kids to stay with him at the family's Montana ranch. She said she did not want the kids shuttling back and forth between states, and L.A. has been home base for the children. The judge agreed, and now Brandon can only see the kids every other weekend.

Listen up, Peloton -- you're excluding deaf people from being able to enjoy your app ... at least that's what's alleged in a new class-action lawsuit.

A man in New York is suing the stationary exercise bike company on behalf of his fellow deaf and hearing-impaired people ... claiming the app is violating their civil rights.

That's because, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Peloton app does not include closed captioning for its workout videos.

The plaintiff claims this makes it "impossible" to comprehend the audio portions of the workout tutorials for deaf Peloton members, so they are not able to enjoy the features of the app as much as people without hearing impairments.

Specifically, the man suing says he was unable to understand vids on the app titled "10 Minutes Stretching," "10 Minutes Arm Toning" and "3-Minute Warm-up" due to the lack of closed captioning.

The lawsuit's seeking damages from Peloton and an order requiring the company to close-caption its videos.

This isn't the first big controversy for the exercise company as it's skyrocketed in popularity the past couple years. About a year ago, it caught flak for a Christmas ad many deemed "sexist" ... though it stood behind it.

If you ever wanted to walk a mile in Bill Belichick's shoes, now's your chance ... that is, if you got a bunch of cash saved up!!

The Patriots coach is auctioning off his game-worn My Cause, My Cleats sneaks from New England's lopsided 45-0 victory over the L.A. Chargers on Dec. 6 ... with proceeds going toward his foundation’s scholarship and grant programs.

Of course, the custom kicks were part of the NFL's Week 13 campaign which allows players and coaches to rock custom sneakers to raise awareness for a special cause.

BB decided to rep his Bill Belichick Foundation, which provides coaching, mentorship and financial support to football and lacrosse organizations throughout the country.

The legendary coach is also expected to wear the sneaks for the Pats' "Thursday Night Football" showdown with the L.A. Rams.

The auction is part of a huge donation by the BBF during the holiday season -- the org. is also distributing $440k in grants and scholarships to athletes and programs throughout the country.

On top of that, the BBF is hosting a "virtual" toy drive to benefit the Boston Marine Toys for Tots.