Money

Lamar Odom -- who made more than $100 million in his NBA career -- admits he struggled with a gambling problem ... and says things got so bad, he turned to Kobe Bryant for help paying off his debt.

The 41-year-old says his call to Kobe about the gambling issue was one of the last conversations they had before Bryant's death in Jan. 2020.

"I had been gambling," Odom said on the "All The Smoke" podcast ... "And, I had an old debt that got a little too steep for where I was at at that time."

"It was getting tight. And, if you're in a bad situation, especially about some money, he ain’t the one that you’re gonna want to call."

Odom never revealed the exact amount of money he owed his bookie -- but he was clearly embarrassed about the debt ... and admits the call to Kobe was out of desperation.

Lamar admits Kobe gave him a tongue lashing about the debt -- but ultimately offered to help him out.

"He was just, 'Have your people call my people, and then we’ll figure it out," Lamar said ... "And that was one before the last time I spoke to him."

Odom did not say if Kobe ever sent him the money before he passed.

What we do know ... Kobe was incredibly fond of his former Lakers teammate and treated him like a family member.

In fact, when Lamar suffered that drug overdose in a Nevada brothel in 2015 -- Kobe bailed on a Lakers preseason game early to visit Odom in the hospital.

J Lo and A-Rod may have broken up, but there are still some housekeeping matters to tend to  .... notably, who gets the $1.8 million engagement ring?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... J Lo still has the ring in her possession. As you may know, an engagement ring legally is a "gift in contemplation of marriage." When the couple breaks up before hitting the alter, in most states the person who proposes gets the ring back.

Our sources say there's been no discussion between J Lo and A-Rod over the fate of the ring. However, our sources are quick to add ... the former couple exchanged "massive amounts of jewelry." A-Rod bedazzled J Lo with all sorts of bling, and she fortified his massive watch collection. So, they could just call it a wash, but they haven't decided yet.

We're told the engagement ring is NOT in the Dominican Republic, where J Lo's been shooting a movie. She didn't want it lying around every day while she films ... for security reasons.

A high school basketball coach in North Carolina was shot to death while trying to steal drugs and money from a stash house used by a violent Mexican drug cartel, officials say.

Yeah, this is one of the craziest stories we've ever heard.

Officials have identified Barney Harris -- who worked as a coach and teacher at Union Academy in Monroe.

Investigators say Harris was also part of a "criminal organization" that was hell-bent on robbing some of the most dangerous people in town ... the Sinaloa New Generation Cartel.

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Harris -- along with "a team of people" -- snuck into a mobile home park on April 8 to clean out a "stash house" used by the Cartel.

Harris allegedly entered the stash house first and captured one of the Cartel members, Alonso Beltran Lara.

Officials say Lara was subsequently tied up and shot twice in the head, execution-style.

At some point during the incident, officials say another suspected Cartel member entered the home and a gun battle broke out.

"It was almost like an old western shootout," Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

"What was found was over 30-some shell casings in the trailer and outside the trailer, and three other mobile homes, in that particular park, with bullet holes in them."

When cops arrived at the scene, they found Harris shot to death in one of the bedrooms. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest and mask at the time. But, officials say his vest was no match for the high-powered weapons that were used against him.

Officials say they found Lara still alive and raced him to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Sheriff Johnson says investigators searched the crime scene and found 5 guns, roughly $7,000 in cash and more than a KILO of what they believe to be cocaine.

The concern now ... officials are VERY worried about violent retaliation from the Cartel.

"When we are dealing with the Mexican drug cartel ... somebody is probably gonna die as a result of this," Sheriff Johnson said.

"The Mexican cartels, they don't forget. They're gonna pay somebody back, somewhere and that concerns me."

TikTok star Bryce Hall has a truly adorable reason for wanting to beat the living hell out of YouTuber Austin McBroom in their upcoming boxing match ... saying if he comes out with a K.O., he's getting his mom a new house!!!

Of course, more Internet superstars are following Logan and Jake Paul's lead into the ring ... with 21-year-old Hall and McBroom, 28, headlining the "YouTubers vs. TikTokers" card on June 12.

Hall tells TMZ Sports he's SERIOUSLY cashing in on the event ... doubling down on his claim he's really going to make $5 million just to enter the ring.

On top of that, Hall -- who has 19.6 million followers on TikTok -- says he's going to get another $1 MILLION bonus if he's able to knock out the former college basketball player ... and that money would go to a great cause.

"That's like, my mom's house right there," Hall told us outside Toast in L.A. "I'm gonna buy my mom a house right after the fight. And, that knockout is my mom's house ... that's how much it means to me."

Hall shows us how serious he is by displaying some of his moves ... and even lets a random dude on the street punch him in the stomach!!

Bernie Madoff -- the one-time Wall Street financial adviser turned massive convicted fraudster -- died in prison ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons -- the agency that oversaw Madoff while behind bars -- says he passed Wednesday while in custody at a federal facility in North Carolina. Federal law enforcement sources confirm Madoff died of natural causes and said it was not covid-19 related.

The man had been serving a 150-year sentence following his 2009 criminal case and subsequent conviction. Last year, he'd complained of health issues that he claimed were costing him his life ... specifically, Madoff said he was experiencing terminal kidney failure.

A judge shot down Madoff's request to be sprung from prison early, even under compassionate release grounds that Madoff was trying to invoke in his filing.

Of course, his lifetime sentence was imposed after a long-running Ponzi scheme he'd been operating for years finally came to light in late 2008 ... this after he'd lost billions of dollars from investors he'd swindled over several years, and the feds caught wind of the operation.

The scheme itself is quite complex -- but it essentially boiled down to Madoff taking cash (A LOT of it, BTW) from thousands of investors, via his securities firm, and depositing that money into a bank account ... which he ultimately used to pay off other investors.

He passed his investment strategy off as legit, and on the surface ... appeared to be making steady gains. But, upon a deeper dive, it was clear Madoff's numbers just weren't adding up -- something he was able to cloak for quite a long time ... that is, until the 2008 market downturn, which bulldozed his house of cards -- as he simply didn't have the funds a lot of his partners were asking for (and assuming he had at the ready).  Many people who trusted Madoff lost their life savings.

Madoff ended up pleading guilty to 11 federal felony counts -- including securities fraud, wire fraud and a whole lot more ... but the fact he played ball from the outset didn't help him much in the way of leniency. He got the book thrown at him with a massive sentence, plus a requirement to forfeit billions of dollars in assets he and his family held.

The Madoff Victim Fund was established not too long after his conviction -- and has racked up just a fraction of the money owed to investors, less than $3 billion among tens of thousands of investors.

Madoff's downfall has been depicted and covered in countless TV shows, movies and documentaries -- but most recently, a full-blown TV biopic of sorts was made with Robert De Niro playing Madoff, which was dubbed "Wizard of Lies." It premiered on HBO in 2017.

Madoff was 82.

It's a beautiful day to move into the neighborhood Mr. Rogers called home ... or at least that should be the pitch to sell Fred Rogers' old crib in Pittsburgh.

The home where the late TV host once lived is for sale at a cool $855k ... and, boy is it rich with history. Fred and his wife, Joanne, lived there from the late 1950s until the early 1960s. In fact, the listing includes a birth announcement for the couple's youngest son, John -- the published article serving as proof they really did live there.

And, get this ... according to Pittsburgh Next, which first reported the listing, previous neighbors recalled how Mister Rogers would do puppet shows for the kiddos who lived in the neighborhood.

The house is 3,693 square feet ... featuring 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, and was built in 1921. It also has 2 fireplaces and a pretty awesome library.

Chet Hanks' ex-girlfriend is now suing him over their volatile relationship which recently came to a bloody ending ... and she's claiming he's the one who abused her while they were together.

According to new legal docs, Chet's ex, Kiana Parker, is suing him in Texas for $1 million ... she alleges he roughed her up on multiple occasions between October 2020 and January 2021.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Kiana details an alleged incident TMZ first reported last month -- she claims it happened in October 2020 in New Orleans, where Chet was shooting "Your Honor." She claims he became enraged when she told him she was leaving their room at the Windsor Court Hotel ... grabbing her by the wrists and arms and pushing her around the room, knocking over tables.

As we told you, Kiana also claims Chet told her no one would believe her because he was "Chet Hanks" and she was "just a ghetto Black bitch."

In the docs, Kiana claims Chet threatened to kill her in a murder-suicide the month after the alleged New Orleans incident, threatening her while her twins were inside his Sugar Land, Texas home.

TMZ broke the story ... Chet and Kiana had a violent altercation on video back on Jan. 8, with both of them hurling allegations of violence, and footage of a bloodied Hanks.

In the suit, Kiana claims Chet was extremely aggressive while she was moving her stuff out of his home that day, alleging he came at her with a knife and claiming she swung a pot at his head in self-defense.

Kiana first raised many of these allegations when she got a temporary restraining order against Chet in January. Chet denied her claims and fired off a lawsuit against her for assault and battery, and claimed she stole money from him.

Chet's attorney, Marty Singer, tells TMZ ... "We consider the claims filed by Kiana Parker to be a shakedown. The lawsuit filed by Ms Parker is in response to the  lawsuit filed by Chet Hanks against Ms Parker on March 4,2021."

The cryptocurrency craze is not for Barbara Corcoran -- she's into tried-and-true methods of making boatloads of cash and advises everyone to listen up ... before it's too late.

The "Shark Tank" star was out Tuesday in Union Square in NYC, and she made it clear ... she couldn't care less about Bitcoin's price, Dogecoin surging again or any of the other cryptos ... she's all about property, baby.

Barbara says she's investing every spare dollar she has this year into real estate, because she says it's still very much a buyer's market ... and she plans to get even richer the old-fashioned way. BTW ... it may be a buyer's market in NYC, but it's the opposite in other cities like L.A.

There's a caution -- Barbara suggests striking while the iron's hot, because the market could be totally different by the end of the year.

As for the crypto market, Barbara says the trick is knowing when to get out. She thinks just as many people are losing $$$ investing in cryptocurrency as those who are cashing in.

MMA star Justin Wren says Conor McGregor is just WRONG for trying to paint Dustin Poirier's charity foundation as some shady operation ... and it's more evidence that Conor is simply not a good person.

Wren is widely respected for his charity work all over the world -- in fact, Joe Rogan has praised Wren's "Fight for the Forgotten" foundation for years for all of the work he's done helping impoverished communities in Africa.

So, when Wren learned McGregor was backing out of his $500,000 pledge to Dustin Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation" -- Wren wasn't happy.

As we previously reported, Conor not only bailed on the donation he had been promising since October -- but he made Poirier's foundation seem like a clown show, incapable of explaining how the money would be deployed to actually help people in need.

McGregor called Poirier a "fool" with "no plan in place" for such a sizable donation.

Of course, Poirier has called B.S. on Conor -- saying his team reached out to McGregor's camp multiple times to address their concerns, but never got a response.

So, who's lying?

Wren says he's personally worked with Poirier's foundation and can vouch that's it's not only legitimate -- but it's made a REAL impact in communities in need in Dustin's home state of Louisiana.

"Dustin is an honorable man, a good character, who’s a family man, who has literally done everything he ever said he was gonna do and more ... and the other guy hasn’t followed through on a lot of the things that he has said. So, I think that this really calls Conor's character into question even more so than it's already been."

Wren says he's been in touch with Dustin and his wife, Jolie, over the past few days -- and they're upset Conor would take such a "cheap shot" at an organization that was created to help people in need.

"I think that this has really changed Dustin's opinion on who Conor is as a person. He’s not a good guy."

Wren adds, "Conor didn’t rob Dustin of anything. What he did was he cheated or stole from the people he would’ve helped."

Serena Williams just found something new to dominate ... 'cause the tennis legend just signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon!!

39-year-old Williams announced the big move on Tuesday ... saying she's pumped to put new and inspiring stories onto the screen -- including her own, via a new docuseries following her life on and off the court.

"I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience," Williams said.

The deal includes scripted and unscripted content ... which will all be made available via Amazon.

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world."

Williams' docuseries -- title TBD -- will be produced by Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios. Williams will also serve as executive producer on the project.

Of course, Williams is one of the best tennis players EVER -- she's won 23 Grand Slams, 73 championships and has won nearly $95 million in prize money throughout her career.

So yeah, Amazon is stoked to have her on board.

As Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke put it ... "Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well."

Move over, Count Chocula and Cap'n Crunch ... Nick Chubb is coming to the cereal game -- the NFL star is launching a new breakfast treat that's set to benefit an awesome charity!!

The Cleveland Browns running back made the announcement Tuesday ... explaining "Chubb Crunch" is currently in the works with plans to hit grocery store shelves VERY, VERY soon.

Chubb partnered with PLB Sports & Entertainment -- the same people who created Doug Flutie's famous Flutie Flakes -- for the concoction, and Nick's cereal is promising to be amazing.

A spokesperson for the company tells TMZ Sports the food will be similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... and will feature a superhero depiction of Chubb on the box.

The best part of it all? Chubb and the company say a portion of the proceeds will go toward First Candle -- an org. with a mission to eliminate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It's a cause close to Chubb's heart ... the 25-year-old reportedly had a nephew tragically die from SIDS -- and he said Tuesday, being able to help that cause with the cereal is huge for him.

"It's always been a dream to have my own cereal," Chubb said, "especially that it benefits a cause that is close to my family."

Sharon Tate would be upset by the handful of fraudulent items being sold in her name on eBay ... this according to her sister, who insists they never belonged to her late sibling.

Here's the deal ... there's a handful of eBay listings for jewelry and dresses -- including a ring with a $180,000 asking price -- with product descriptions claiming they were owned and worn by Sharon ... but her sister says it's all a scam.

Debra Tate tells TMZ ... none of the items with Sharon's famous name attached were ever worn, owned or given to her sister, and the sellers' tactics are "disgusting."

Sharon's sister says attempts to have eBay take down the fraudulent items have so far been unsuccessful.

As you can see, some of the items Debra claims have no connection to Sharon include antique jewelry, a 14k yellow gold necklace allegedly from her mother, and a white dress.

Debra believes the sellers are trying to hawk items that look like something Sharon might have once owned, but Debra says Sharon would have never been caught wearing the dress.

It's interesting ... Debra thinks interest in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" might be driving up the prices for phony Sharon Tate items.

The internet is ablaze with fury that Usher allegedly made it rain on strippers with fake ass money -- with his face on it, no less -- but take a breather, because that's not how it went down.

You might have caught wind of this today -- a dancer going by the handle @beel0ove on IG posted photos of three "Usher bucks" that came in $100, $20 and $1 denominations ... all with Mr. Raymond's face in place of the usual dead Presidents.

She posed the question ... "Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??" The insinuation was she actually got the bogus cash for services rendered, and called for Usher to be "blasted" for passing the funny money.

She kinda got her wish, based on all the Usher memes out there now -- BUT, turns out there's way more to the story ... according to people directly involved.

For starters, this all happened at Sapphire in Vegas -- and a rep for the club tells TMZ Usher did NOT tip the strippers with this fake money, and actually dished out authentic greenbacks, while also going on to tip the staff at large quite generously.

We're told Usher and co. ended up spending thousands on the dancers (REAL thousands, mind you) and also enjoyed bottle service ... which he definitely didn't cover with these Usher bucks. It goes without saying ... Sapphire tells us they'd love to host him again, anytime.

Now for some more intel on what the hell actually happened here -- sources close to Usher tell us that somebody in his crew (not him) left some stray Usher dollars behind on the stage as a bit of a gag ... both to be joke-y, but to also promote his new Vegas residency.

We've been assured by folks in the singer's camp that he did, in fact, tip the girls who danced for him ... and that the Usher bucks in question weren't used for payment AT ALL.

DMX's family is NOT strapped for cash, and is NOT asking the public to chip in for burial expenses -- and if you see anything online saying otherwise ... it's total bunk.

X's direct family members tell TMZ ... there's been a lot of unfounded rumors circulating after DMX's death last week, including a particularly absurd one -- namely, that his inner circle is raising money to help pay for his upcoming funeral.

This one's pretty easy to throw water on, because we're told family members are absolutely not raising money, and they actually want the public to know any campaigns suggesting the contrary are completely bogus, and not connected to the fam at all.

The family says it's aware there is any number of flat-out scammers out there soliciting money in X's name ... and they just want fans to be wary.

Here's another thing folks should be on the lookout for ... our sources say X's family is also NOT selling any DMX merch at this time, so if you're seeing stuff hitting the market now -- his family didn't authorize it, and they're not profiting from it.

One last wild theory that's been floating around -- you might've heard Jay-Z and Beyonce bought DMX's masters for a cool $10 mil with the idea of making sure his kids can reap the profits down the line. Yeah, the family's also setting that record straight, and ... it's BS.

The family says X's masters aren't in play with Jay and Bey at all. Yes, some are still under Def Jam control -- but not owned by Jay outright.

Thus far, X has been honored in a few unofficial ways since his passing -- fans created a makeshift memorial outside the hospital he was being treated, and there was also a prayer vigil held a few days before he died.

Another bad look for Conor McGregor ... who's admitting he never forked over the $500,000 donation check to Dustin Poirier's charity, despite promising to make the payment before they fought back in January.

In the lead up to their main event scrap at UFC 257, McGregor repeatedly publicly declared he would send the sizable donation to Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation," a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

McGregor initially pledged the money in October 2020 -- repeated the $500k promise again in November ... and vowed to cut the check again in the days before the fight.

But, Poirier revealed Sunday night his organization NEVER got a cent from Conor's team -- claiming McGregor's team went MIA on Poirier's charity "after the fight" in January.

Poirier later explained, "We thanked him because his team reached out fight week to initiate the process but ghosted us the past 2 months after the fight."

"My foundation has reached out 3 times since with no reply. We've moved past it! We will be announcing our next goal soon! It's a big one."

Conor sheepishly replied on Twitter with allegations of his own -- saying, "A donation, not a debt. We’ve been awaiting the plans for the money that never came. I do with all my donations. Know where it’s going dot for dot. Otherwise it goes walking. As is the case with a lot of these foundations, sadly. You took the McG over the belt shows I was right."

McGregor is trying to paint Dustin as more interested in money than legacy -- both in and out of the ring.

He's insinuating Dustin only took the Conor fight because of the massive check -- instead of taking a fight with another opponent that would have brought him closer to winning the UFC lightweight title.

Dustin responded to Conor early Monday morning ... saying, "100% never a debt. You offered, we accepted, and like I said your Team never responded to our emails regarding the process of where funds would be put to work! July 10th you will taste defeat yet Again."

So, here's the long and short ... McGregor is suggesting Poirier's charity is shady -- which is a pretty heavy allegation to make publicly.

But, McGregor had MONTHS to do his own research before making a public declaration to donate such a hefty amount.

Props to Dustin for dealing with the situation with class.

Madonna just plunked down a small fortune, and now she's proud of The Weeknd's Hidden Hills Estate.

Madonna paid $19.3 million for the home, which is in Kardashian Country. It's been on the market for a long time -- The Weeknd listed it back in June, 2020, for $24,995,000, so there was a significant price reduction.

The Weeknd bought the house back in 2017 for $18.2 million, so with commission at best he broke even.

The house has plenty of room, with more than 12,000 sq ft of living space, 9 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms. It sits on 3 acres with a giant pool in the backyard as well.

But don't worry, The Weeknd still has a place to rest his head, he scooped up a $25m penthouse bachelor pad back in 2019.