Money

Megan Rapinoe is firing back at Draymond Green ... ripping the NBA star for his "unacceptable" comments on women's pay, and saying he showed his "whole ass" with the remarks.

Rapinoe went off on the Warriors player during a conference call with reporters Wednesday ... explaining Green's take on the gender pay gap in sports was just "really disappointing."

"It's really unfortunate, in the position [Green's] in," the soccer superstar said, "having all of the resources that he has and the ability to have a much more educated opinion, that he just hasn't."

In a Twitter thread last month, followed by a subsequent double down on the take just days later, Green essentially pinned women's sports' financial problems on women themselves.

The 31-year-old said professional female athletes need to stop "complaining" ... and think of more effective ways to bring in more revenue to their leagues -- and thus, boost their pay.

Rapinoe had a major issue with all of that ... saying, "You obviously showed your whole ass in not even understanding what we all talk about all the time -- WNBA players and us on the national team."

She continued, "You don't think we asked for more money? I mean, what are we screaming about? Nonstop!"

Rapinoe says it's actually men in power who need to help women and aid in the funneling of funds to women's sports ... telling reporters, "We know all this, about all social movements and all people who are marginalized, whether it's by race or gender, religion, sexuality, whatever it is, it is not just their job to be the ones fighting oppression."

"We need all of the other people as well."

Babe Ruth secretly penned a handwritten letter to his mistress -- behind his wife’s back -- nearly 100 years ago ... and now the super unique item just sold for a fortune at auction, TMZ Sports has learned.

An undisclosed buyer dropped $201,851 on the letter at SCP Auctions ... which was discovered years ago in the scrapbook of Nell Wilson -- Ruth’s alleged woman on the side.

Ruth wrote ... “Dear Nell, Very sorry but my wife jumped over on me without me knowing it this is the first time she ever did that she is watching me so don’t get mad and I will see you Monday night."

Bambino continued ... "The club is watching so the only way I will be able to see you all night is for you to stop in at the Aldine Hotel and I can see you. Babe”

After signing his name, Ruth -- the most famous baseball player in the world -- terrified of his wife catching him, wrote ... “Nell, don’t call me up.”

Ruth married as a 19-year-old in 1914 -- tying the knot with Helen Woodford -- a waitress he met at a Boston coffee shop during his rookie season with the Red Sox.

Over the years, the Sultan of Swat picked up a reputation as a hard-partying womanizer ... which obviously caused serious problems in his relationship.

But, Babe and Helen were devout Catholics ... so divorce wasn’t an option

The letter -- written around 1922 -- shows proper wear on the edges, and contains a signature authenticated by PSA ... important for collectors.

The piece originally sold back in 2004 for $86k ... but like the rest of the collectibles market, the value exploded!

Ruth's letter isn’t the only awesome piece of Yankees history that recently sold ... SCP unloaded a one-of-a-kind signed photo of the '27 Bronx Bombers -- aka Murderers Row -- for $444,031.

Ask we previously reported, the photo contains sigs from Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Speaking of “The Iron Horse” ... one of the last bats ever used by the dying superstar sold for $715k.

So, go ask grandma if she ever dated a legendary baseball player.

Kris Jenner is gonna love this ... Kim Kardashian says her family will have even more members joining the triple comma club in the future!!!

We got Kim at The Grove in Los Angeles Wednesday and our photog asked about her latest accomplishment, making it onto Forbes' official list of billionaires.

Kim says she's feeling blessed to have finally reached the milestone, thanks in large part to her KKW Beauty and SKIMS brands, and she sounds pretty confident she and Kylie Jenner won't be the only billionaires in the fam when the dust settles.

Kim was at the outdoor mall, btw, promoting SKIMS ... so, she's not taking her foot off the gas just because she's got a billie in the bank.

We asked who she thinks will be next up in the club for the Kardashian-Jenners, and she gave it some good hard thought. We suggested her mom, Kris, or maybe Kendall Jenner -- but Kim's thinking bigger, and says the bucks won't stop with those two!!!

No pressure or anything for Khloe, Kourtney and Rob. Not to mention North, Saint, Chicago, Psalm and -- well, we're not gonna run down ALL her nieces and nephews too. You get the point.

Can you imagine an NBA ref chasing down Zion Williamson for an autograph after a game??

That's pretty much what happened after a Champions League match on Tuesday ... when a ref ran after 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland -- and got him to sign his yellow card!!

The whole interaction was caught on video after Dortmund's 1-2 loss to Manchester City ... with assistant ref Octavian Sovre tailing the striker as he headed to the locker room.

In the footage, Sovre catches up with Haaland, whips out his card and a pen and asks for a quick John Hancock ... and the BVB star obliges!!

Of course, Haaland is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the sport ... and all the top soccer clubs are lining up in hopes to sign the guy.

In fact, the Norwegian striker has 10 Champions League goals and 21 more Bundesliga goals.

While a Haaland auto is understandably in high demand, Sovre's move has been criticized as unprofessional ... and some folks are pissed.

But, Man City manager Pep Guardiola defended the ref ... saying, "Maybe he's a fan. Why not? The referees were brilliant, the game was not a problem."

"And after, maybe [the autograph] was for his son or daughter, I don't know," Guardiola continued.

"I've never seen it before but it's happened. Listen, they did a good job so that's it. Nothing happened."

Just call him the Big Good Samaritan now ...

Shaq paid off some young guy's engagement ring debt at a jewelry store in Georgia this week -- and the amazing gesture was all caught on video.

The Big Diesel explained how it all went down on "NBA on TNT" on Tuesday night ... saying he was in a Zales in the Atlanta area on Monday shopping for some earrings when he noticed a man was stressing over a bill.

Shaq says the guy was trying to figure out a way to set up a payment plan for a ring he was purchasing for his girlfriend ... when the NBA legend felt like he just had to step in.

"I seen the guy come in -- he was just so shy," Shaq said. "He was saying, 'Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring.'"

"And I was like, 'My man, how much is the ring?' I'm not going to say the amount, but it's not a lot for me."

So, Shaq whipped out his credit card -- and paid for it right on the spot!!

"I was like, 'You know what? Tell your girlfriend I got her,'" Shaq said. "'I'll take care of it.'"

Shaq added, "At first, he didn't want to take it. He was like, 'Man, I can't do that.' I said, 'Don't worry about it. I do it all the time.' I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

The two then posed for a photo -- and it was all really freakin' awesome!!

The best part of the story, though? Shaq says he had an even MORE generous act at a furniture store recently, paying off a bill there for a sweet family.

"This lady, she had an autistic daughter," Shaq said. "And she was also looking to pay for some furniture and I just took care of her. So, I'm into making people happy."

"Whenever I leave the house, I just try to do a good deed."

Nike -- one of the largest sports apparel companies in the world -- has "suspended" its relationship with Deshaun Watson amid the investigation into sexual misconduct.

"We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and have suspended Deshaun Watson," Nike said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

"We will continue to closely monitor the situation."

Watson has been with Nike since 2017 -- the year he entered the NFL Draft.

The bombshell news comes one day after the QB's first accuser came forward at a news conference and revealed her identity.

Ashley Solis says she was the first woman to file a lawsuit against the Houston Texans superstar, accusing him of sexual misconduct during what was supposed to be a routine massage therapy treatment.

"I'm a survivor of assault and harassment. Deshaun Watson is my assaulter and my harasser," she said Tuesday while sitting next to her attorney Tony Buzbee.

"I hope [Watson] knows how much pain he's inflicted on me physically and emotionally," Solis says.

20 other women have also filed lawsuits against Watson alleging he engaged in similar behavior while getting a massage.

Watson has denied the allegations -- claiming the women are lying in an effort to shake him down for money.

The Houston PD announced this week it has launched a criminal investigation into the allegations -- but so far, Watson has not been charged with a crime.

'Real Housewives of Potomac' star Candiace Dillard no longer has to answer questions about living in a townhouse partially paid for by her mom ... 'cause she's sold it.

Candiace sold her Maryland pad for a cool $799k and talk about location, location, location -- the 3-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom crib is just 15 minutes outside of D.C. It's a stately 4-story property for sure, but Candiace could hardly enjoy it with her own castmates giving her crap about the fact her mother, Dorothy, helped foot the bill for it.

During an episode in season 4 ... Ashley Darby made a reference to Candiace's "momma's house," prompting all hell to break loose. There were times when other cast members also made sly remarks about how Candiace didn't fully own her own home.

For what it's worth, Candace later revealed she and her husband, Chris, took over the mortgage payments in full.

And, get this ... she and Chris dropped $1 mil last November for a new house, something she made crystal clear during the season 5 reunion. Candiace said, "It was purchased by myself and my husband."

In a nice jab at her castmates, Candiace added ... "My mother was generous enough to donate a rubber plant."

In any case, her old crib's off the market now, and the new owner can enjoy its 2,960 square feet ... even if their mother chipped in for it!

Another monster entry into the NFT space -- this time, it's gaming legend Tfue, who's dropping his very own collection ... and hoping to cash in like Rob Gronkowski.

The 23-year-old superstar -- one of the most popular Esports athletes ever -- is launching his own "NFTfue King of Gaming" collection.

NFTs -- aka non-fungible tokens -- are the newest rage in digital collectibles, built on blockchain technology.

In other words, you can buy, sell or trade them like you would a baseball card ... and the blockchain attached to each NFT essentially certifies the token as authentic (and not a knockoff).

But, back to Tfue ... who tells TMZ Sports he's stoked about his NFT collection and thinks collectors will snatch them up in record time.

The collection features custom animated videos, which Tfue considers to be legitimate works of art.

"They're pretty sick. They're not like, just like a picture like normal people usually do. We put a lot of time into this, a lot of effort into it. We wanted to make sure it was right. It's gonna come out pretty sweet. I'm pretty excited!"

Tfue says he was inspired by Rob Gronkowski who recently launched his own NFT collection and reportedly made $1.7 MILLION in sales!

In fact, Tfue says he bought one of the Gronk NFTs and hopes the NFL star will return the favor!

Deshaun Watson's attorney claims accuser Ashley Solis -- who identified herself as "Jane Doe #1" on Tuesday -- demanded $100,000 in "hush money" before filing her lawsuit.

... and Watson's attorney claims he has the emails to prove it.

Solis was the first accuser to file a sexual misconduct lawsuit against the Houston Texans star back on March 16. She used a pseudonym to protect her identity.

She came forward in a news conference alongside her attorney Tony Buzbee on Tuesday and spelled out her case against Watson -- at one point explaining, "People say that I'm doing this just for money. That is false. I come forward now so that Deshaun Watson does not assault another woman."

But, Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin says this is absolutely about money -- claiming Buzbee approached one of Watson's reps back in February in an effort to "quietly settle the allegations the month before he filed the first lawsuit."

Hardin says he has emails sent by Buzbee associate Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey to one of Watson's representatives on Feb. 9 spelling out the demand.

"My client’s demand is $100,000" ... and ... "This offer remains open until Friday of this week."

Hardin claims Deshaun's representative pushed back against the demand in the following email response.

"We don’t believe that the alleged facts show that Deshaun did anything wrong with regards to Ms. Solis, but we are nevertheless happy to continue the conversation around a reasonable settlement figure because we believe he can learn a lesson about having put himself in this situation."

Buzbee's response to that ...

"We made a legit demand. You rejected it. We won’t be making another or bid against ourselves. We also won’t be having an extended dialogue about why you think your client did nothing wrong or how you want this to be a 'learning' experience for your 'high profile athlete,' as you refer to him. This is Houston, Texas. Perhaps you should find him a lawyer here so you can apprise both you and your client of the landscape here and who you are dealing with. Talk soon."

The lawsuit was ultimately filed on March 16 -- and 21 women have filed similar lawsuits against Watson since then.

A University of Tennessee student claims a linebacker on the football team badly injured her 6-month-old kitten ... and now, cops are investigating.

The player at the center of the probe is Aaron Beasley -- a former high school star who just wrapped up his sophomore season at UT.

Beasley played in 8 games in 2020 -- but is touted as a potential future star with a high ceiling.

The problem ... a UT student claims Beasley committed some horrific acts of violence against an innocent kitten -- injuring the animal so badly, he, required a trip to the emergency room.

The cat's owner described the situation in a GoFundMe page set up for her pet on Thursday.

"I came home this morning to find my 6 month old kitten under a dresser hiding and not letting anyone touch him."

"When I picked him up he screamed and couldn’t walk, come to find out my roomates boyfriend had hit and kicked him, locked him in the toilet bowl, and held him upside down by his tail."

"We rushed Nugget to the emergency room and he has brain damage and will now have a hard time walking, he has a bleeding hemorrhage on his kidney caused from internal bleeding from being kicked, clots in his bladder, and he is currently in an oxygen tank."

The Knoxville Police Dept. confirmed to WBIR that it received a report of animal abuse involving another student's cat and has opened an investigation into Beasley.

We reached out to the Univ. of Tennessee for comment but so far no word back.

As for the kitten, Nugget's GoFundMe has already raised more than $4,300 to help with the cat's medical care.

Amazing stuff from Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers ... the NBA superstar and his team have committed to help build yet another all-inclusive playground in Oregon.

Portland's NBA squad has been heavily involved in funding fun, all-abilities play areas in the state for kids for the past 7 years ... and 2021 will be no different, the team announced Tuesday.

This year, the Blazers and Lillard say they're passing along $25,000 to the city of Astoria -- which is about 100 miles northwest of Portland -- to aid in the building of the new playground.

The place promises to be awesome ... it'll allow typical kids to play with others that might require wheelchairs or walkers without any sort of restrictions.

And, if you're unfamiliar, these kinds of parks are SUPER important to families with special needs children because they help break stigmas and include EVERYBODY.

You'll recall ... NFL star Drew Brees helped build a similar fully inclusive playground in the New Orleans area back in 2017 -- and it turned out GREAT!

Here's to hoping the same happens in Astoria.

Kim Kardashian has joined the 10-figure club for the first time -- she's officially a billionaire ... this according to Forbes, and she can thank her massively successful makeup and shapewear lines for most of it.

The magazine estimates KK's net worth has ballooned to a cool billion bucks -- up from around $780 million last they checked in October. The Forbes team says Kim's cosmetics line, KKW Beauty and her SKIMS brand are a huge portion of the increased wealth.

By their account, KKW Beauty was bringing in about $100 mil annually since its launch in 2017 -- and when Kim sold 20% of her ownership stake in the company to beauty conglomerate Coty, that put a tidy sum of $200 mil in her back pocket. Forbes says the remaining 72% stake she still has in the company is worth around $500 million on its own.

Then there's SKIMS -- which hasn't disclosed its financials, per Forbes, but the mag still pegs her ownership stake at around $225 million.

The rest of her cash sits in cash and other investments -- including real estate. Since 2012, Forbes says Kim's been collecting at least $10 mil a year (pre-tax) from 'KUWTK,' endorsement deals and other biz ventures she waded into over time.

Kim now joins her own sister, Kylie, who became a billionaire with her own makeup empire ... plus a slew of other celebs that have gotten into the billionaires club in recent years, including her estranged husband, Kanye.

Kim Kardashian seems to be taking a page from little sister Kylie Jenner's playbook ... 'cause she's tapping into the skincare business.

Kim filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to a skincare line she presumably plans to launch ... and it looks like she's calling it "SKKN BY KIM."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, KK is looking to slap the name on a wide range of products for skin, hair and nails, plus fragrances and cosmetics ... pretty much anything people buy to make their skin and bodies look and feel good.

It's kinda hard to believe, but Kylie is the only sister with her own dedicated skincare line, Kylie Skin ... at least now.

Bethenny Frankel could soon be doing backflips into a huge stash of cash ... because it looks like she's flipping a mansion in one of America's richest cities.

'The Big Shot with Bethenny' star is listing a 5-bedroom estate in Greenwich, CT for a cool $3,375,000 ... putting the home on the market after scooping it up last year.

The two-story house is 4,698 square feet and the master suite comes with vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, seating area and a private balcony. The master bath features a walk-in shower, freestanding tub and double sinks.

There's another fireplace in the living room, which includes a couple sets of French doors opening up to a stone terrace, which overlooks the large, oval pool in the 2.1-acre yard.

Bethenny's big into real estate, and she's flipping this property apparently for a handsome profit ... she bought it back in 2020 for $2.1 million.

Bassnectar knowingly had sex with underage girls, paid them money for sex, and kept tight control over their lives in order to keep it all a secret ... so 2 women claim in a shocking new lawsuit.

The popular EDM DJ is being sued for sex trafficking and possessing child pornography by 2 women -- Rachel and Alexis -- who claim he groomed them into having a sexual relationship when they were minors ... starting in 2012.

According to the legal docs ... Bassnectar first contacted the girls via direct message on social media to start a relationship. Both women claim he encouraged them to watch the film "American Beauty" -- described as "a movie about an older man having a relationship with a young girl" -- and even referenced the theme of the film at his shows.

Bassnectar allegedly learned the girls were underage through the DM before he sent them tickets to his shows ... and then the women claim he invited them back to his hotel room for sex ... which he allegedly "mandated be without the use of a condom."

According to the docs ... the DJ paid the girls for sex in amounts ranging from $300 to $1,600, and is accused of maintaining control over their lives while directing them to keep their relationship secret.

Rachel claims she was first contacted by Bassnectar in late 2012 and began having sex with him in May 2013 when she was underage. She says he also solicited her to "take and send sexually explicit photographs of herself while naked."

Alexis claims she was contacted by Bassnectar in 2014 and he had sex with her on numerous occasions between 2014 and 2016, when she was underage.

The women are suing for damages, past and future emotional distress as well as medical expenses.

Sam Darnold has a new home ... the Jets just officially gave up on their 2018 1st-round pick, sending him off to Carolina in a huge, pre-NFL draft trade.

The Panthers announced the move Monday afternoon ... explaining they traded 3 picks -- including a 6th-rounder this year and 2nd and 4th-rounders in 2022 -- for the QB.

Carolina's team site described the deal this way ... "The Panthers landed a first-round quarterback, without waiting to see if one fell to them with the eighth overall pick in this year's draft."

Darnold was originally taken by NY with the #3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft ... but he was largely a disappointment in his 3 seasons with Gang Green, recording a 13-25 record.

The 23-year-old struggled with injuries -- missing at least 3 games in all 3 of his 3 three seasons in the league -- as well interceptions, throwing 39 in just 38 games.

Darnold, though, did flash talent from time to time ... and as a guy who could have easily been the #1 overall pick in '18 -- it seems Carolina is more than willing to take the gamble.

As for what it means for the two teams going forward ... the Jets will almost certainly take BYU star QB, Zach Wilson, with the #2 overall pick later this month.