Money

Charlotte Hornets player PJ Washington is breaking his silence on WILD rumors surrounding his split with Brittany Renner and alleged $200k child support payments ... saying, "Stop the cap."

For those who haven't been keeping up with the drama, here's a quick breakdown:

Washington -- the #12 pick in the 2019 Draft -- and Renner first made headlines when the hooper seemingly shot his shot at the Instagram model after she attended his game at Kentucky in 2019.

The couple went official in 2020 ... and in May 2021, Washington confirmed they welcomed a baby boy together.

But, things appeared to go sour just a few months later ... with Washington tweeting -- and later deleting -- a cryptic message about someone "faking it all along."

Fast forward to this week ... when an unconfirmed rumor went viral on social media claiming Washington would have to shell out $200k A MONTH in child support payments following the breakup.

FYI -- Washington is still on his rookie deal ... which means he's reportedly raked in $7.8 million so far as a pro and is slated to make about $14 million over the next two seasons.

Before anyone could actually confirm or deny the child support rumors, Twitter trolls had a field day with the reckless headline ... cracking jokes and sharing condolences to Washington's bank account.

But, Washington appears to finally be addressing all the talk on Wednesday ... tweeting "Stop the cap" ... which, for all you old heads, means QUIT LYING.

After a 5-year investigation, the NCAA says Baylor's actions were "unacceptable" when dealing with football players accused of sexual assault, but the program did NOT violate any rules ... and therefore will avoid any major punishment.

Remember, head coach Art Briles was fired by the university in 2016 after allegedly failing to report numerous allegations of domestic violence or sexual assault from students made against his football players.

Since the scandal blew up, the NCAA Infraction committee launched an in-depth investigation to determine if Baylor violated any NCAA rules with its conduct. On Wednesday, Baylor finally learned its fate.

"Make no mistake, the conduct that occurred on Baylor's campus between 2010 and 2015 was unacceptable. Young people were hurt. They were hurt because the campus leaders they trusted to provide a safe campus community failed," according to the report.

"At times, these failures heavily intersected with Baylor's football program and Baylor football student-athletes. At other times, they did not. And that is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this case—that a campus-wide culture of sexual violence went unaddressed due to ignorance and leadership failings across campus."

Bottom line ... the football program acted immorally and unethically -- but didn't necessarily violate major NCAA rules.

Baylor isn't escaping totally unscathed ... the Infractions Committee did find the university provided impermissible benefits for a football player and used a "predominantly female student-host program that did not align with NCAA recruiting rules."

For that violation, Baylor was hit with a $5,000 fine and recruiting restrictions ... such as a reduction in campus visits for recruits, as well as other recruiting-based limitations.

Dennis Schroder bet on himself ... and lost MILLIONS.

The free-agent guard just agreed to a 1-year, $5.9 million deal with the Celtics ... which sounds just fine -- that is, except when you take into account he REJECTED a 4-year, $84 MILLION extension from the Lakers just months ago!!!

BTW ... ESPN's Brian Windhorst said back in February the Lakers offered him the maximum amount they could ... but DS felt he could rake in more dough, which definitely didn't happen.

The 27-year-old announced the move via his Instagram page minutes ago ... and he's smiling through the pain ... saying he's excited to join his new team and honored to wear the green and white.

The news comes just one day after reports claimed Schroder was in "shock" about the lack of interest he was getting through several days of free agency.

Shroder was pretty solid for LeBron James' Lakers as a starter during the regular season ... averaging about 15 points and 6 assists per game.

But, the postseason was a bit of a different story -- he went 3 for 22 in Game 4 and 5 of the 1st round of the playoffs.

There were also rumblings of beef in the locker room with Kyle Kuzma ... but both guys are now out of L.A.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were on the hunt Tuesday for a house, and there are real signs they're looking to buy something together.

J Lo and Ben were all over the L.A. area, and one of the homes they looked at is eye-popping. It's a Beverly Hills estate listed for $85 million, and it's incredible.

The main house is 38,000 square feet and has 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, an indoor sports complex complete with a basketball court and boxing ring, a massive pool, and on and on. There's also a "guest penthouse" and a caretaker's house. There's also a 2 bedroom guardhouse. It has parking for 80 guests.

Our sources say it looks like this is a house not just for Jen but for them.

The couple then went over the hill to the San Fernando Valley, where they looked at the former Bob Hope estate in Toluca Lake. The house is currently owned by tycoon Ron Burkle and is listed for $40 million. It sits on 5 acres and even has a 1-hole golf course.

The fact they're looking at massive homes -- especially the one in Beverly Hills -- is further evidence they are going to move in together. Jen has a home in Bel-Air which she loves, so the only reason for moving is more space. Ben has a home in Pacific Palisades.

One of the most rare LeBron James cards EVER has just been put up for sale -- a 1-of-1 autographed rookie card -- and it can be yours if you got an extra $1.2 MILLION lying around!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the collectible SP Authentic Exquisite Endorsements autographed card is from King James' 2003-2004 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There literally isn't any other card like it in existence ... plus, it's in mint condition with a 9 PSA grade -- after all, it was packed and saved for nearly 2 decades!!

Gotta Love Rock and Roll Auctions tells us ... "This may very well be one of his finest rookie cards ever printed, and it is the first time it has surfaced in nearly 20 years."

The bidding starts August 11 ... and is expected to sell anywhere from $700k to $1.2 million!!!!

That's some serious coin ... but LBJ's rookie cards have been bankin' in big money for the past year!

In April, his rookie patch autographed card sold for $1.72 million and last June, a 9.5 graded card sold for $1.8 mil.

McKayla Maroney is selling an NFT featuring her "Not Impressed" meme -- one of the most memorable moments in Olympics history -- but it could run you 7 figures!!

Sure, it ain't cheap ... but what'd you expect from such an iconic moment?!

TMZ Sports caught up with the gold medalist at Enso Studio art gallery in Malibu ... where we asked Maroney about the release of the NFT.

"There really has been a gap in sports and capturing iconic moments like that. And to put my meme out, I'm just so excited to do that because its something that meant a lot to me and it really changed my life," Maroney says.

Of course, McKayla was photographed looking anything but impressed after winning the silver medal in the vault at the 2012 Olympics. The image went crazy viral.

The 2x Olympic medalist even met then-President Obama ... and they took a picture together doing the "not impressed" pose.

"I think it just stands for being imperfect is okay. And to be not impressed, even the President [Obama] said he is not impressed sometimes."

It wasn't just politicians ... a bunch of A-list stars like Miley Cyrus also hopped on the bandwagon.

Now, you can own the NFT.

But, you won't just get the iconic image ... Maroney says she's also throwing in a private gymnastics lesson AND a copy of her soon-to-be released book.

The auction is currently live at OpenSea ... and has a starting bid of 15 Ethereum (crypto) -- which converts to around $47k.

But, McKayla tells us she expects the NFT to bring in a whole lot more ... saying she could easily see it smashing the million dollar mark.

If you're doing the math at home ... that's about 318 Ether.

Auction ends Wednesday night ... so, fire up that coin base account and happy bidding!!

Elon Musk's a billionaire with modest taste ... just check out his tiny digs in Texas.

The Tesla chief is living it up in this pre-fabricated casita near his SpaceX headquarters in Boca Chica, Texas. The entire thing's a whopping 375 square feet ... with 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom as well as a living room and kitchen.

Yup, there's a dishwasher and even a washing machine.

Las Vegas-based Boxabl is selling the houses for a cool $49,500. The company tried its best to be subtle about scoring Elon as a customer -- it announced back in November it installed one of its pre-fab cribs in Boca Chica for a "top secret customer."

The company's founder, Galiano Tiramani, had said it was "pretty exciting to have these guys as our initial customer." He didn't confirm the house was built for Elon himself but, just a couple of months ago, Elon confirmed in a tweet he was, in fact, living in the tiny home and renting it from SpaceX.

It should come as no surprise that one of the world's richest men can pull strings for this tiny house, which reportedly has a 47,000-person waitlist.

The L.A. penthouse once owned by the founders of Mattel -- and the makers of Barbie -- is hitting the market for someone else to live and play inside ... and it's going for a bundle.

The 3-bed, 3-bath condo in the luxurious Century Towers is about to list for just under $10 million after having been enjoyed by interior designer Nicole Sassaman for some years now -- this after she bought the place in 2012 for $2 mil ... according to The Post.

At the time, Sassaman took it off the hands of Barbara and Kenneth Handler -- the children of Mattel OGs Ruth and Elliot, who used to call the place home -- and made it her own sophisticated pad over the years, with echoes of doll vibes throughout ... albeit, nothing close to what you might consider classic "Barbie."

In other words, the place isn't covered in pink and a ton of tacky, plastic decor. But there is some cool Barbie art lying around ... making it way more chic than anything Barbie herself ever stepped foot in for children across America. Bottom line ... the home is a beaut.

It might just be an apartment at its core, but the penthouse is truly a taste of modern-day life -- there are mirrored surfaces in just about every room for great light and sense of space ... and don't even get us started with the views one gets from the balcony area overlooking L.A.

Seeing how it's in a super swanky building to begin with, it's got all the nice amenities one might expect ... a dog park, pool, tennis courts, valet parking, concierge, etc. The works, basically. The listing is held by Scott Segall, Carrie Berkman Lewis from Douglas Elliman.

Erica Mena is copping to ruining some of Safaree's property, but says she only went HAM after finding out he was sleeping around ... allegedly.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the 'Love & Hip Hop' star admits she damaged her now estranged husband's personal items toward the end of her pregnancy, but she blames her anger on "numerous acts of infidelity."

You'll recall, Safaree alleged she trashed some of his gear, including his expensive shoe collection.

Erica's already trying to clean up the mess she caused -- in the docs, she says she's already sent Safaree a cool $4,000 to cover at least some of the damage.

Something tells us he won't be satisfied with that dollar figure though. As we first reported ... Safaree claims Erica did $30,000 worth of damage by pouring bleach on his high-end sneakers, and cutting the laces. He said she went off while she was 8 months pregnant, and 2 days after she'd filed for divorce.

While Erica's now admitting to wreaking some havoc, they're clearly oceans apart on just how much damage was done ...  and therein lies the legal battle.

The shoes Kobe Bryant wore for his VERY FIRST NBA game can now be yours -- if you got half a milli lying around -- 'cause the iconic kicks are hitting the auction block!

The Black Mamba arrived on the scene for the L.A. Lakers on November 3, 1996, against the Minnesota Timberwolves ... going scoreless in just 6 minutes of action off the bench.

Bryant rocked a custom pair of size 14 Adidas kicks as he stepped on the court for the first time ... which he ended up giving away to a diehard fan outside The Forum after the game.

A few years later, the fan was able to run into Kobe again -- and got the legend to quickly sign them outside the team's hotel!!!

Now, the fan is looking to part ways with the keepsakes ... putting them up for auction via Gotta Have Rock And Roll.

We're told these sneakers -- which also come with a ticket stub from the game -- are NOT gonna come cheap ... they have a minimum bid of $100k and could sell for up to $500k!!!

Of course, the 5-time champ went on to eventually score quite a bit in his career -- he's ranked 4th all-time with 33,643 points ... and became one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball.

Kelly Clarkson will be responsible for the majority of her kids' private school costs, but her money won't be tied up in Montana, thanks to a new ruling from the judge in her divorce.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly will still pay Brandon Blackstock $150k per month in spousal support while the divorce case is pending -- plus an extra $45k/month or so for child support -- but he's responsible for payments on the ranch they bought in Montana.

The judge notes that the ranch expenses run around $81,000 a month -- from taxes to the mortgage and insurance, etc. -- and ordered that Brandon will carry that burden. He's the one living there, and using it as a primary residence.

Other big picture stuff -- the court laid out who brought home the majority of the bacon ... it's Kelly. The judge found Kelly had monthly income north of $1.5 mil -- and Brandon's was drastically less at about $10k per month.

There's also the issue of kid costs -- especially when it comes to school stuff. Sounds like Kelly's going to bear the brunt of the load there ... covering 70% of private school tuition and related expenses.

Christian Pulisic is leaving the Swoosh -- the American soccer star just inked a massive deal with Puma!!

The Chelsea midfielder -- who was previously under contract with Nike -- made the announcement Monday via Instagram ... saying, "Now it’s time to start a new chapter and create new memories."

"Today I’m joining a new family, the #PumaFam and together we are going to inspire the next generation of players out there."

The 22-year-old said in an interview with Complex that it was an "easy choice" for him --- especially since the brand wants his take on things and is giving him more freedom.

"I mean one of their biggest points and another massive reason why that seemed like an easy choice is because yeah, they want me to give my ideas, talk about what I like and that they want to see that and use that as well."

The corporation is also working on CP's own signature line --  with Pulisic saying they've already created a "really cool graphic" logo and he "was blown away right when I saw it to mix with the name and the brand."

Puma also released a statement, saying Pulisic's "journey has been incredible and has really paved the way for so many young American players who dream of playing in Europe for the world’s biggest clubs."

CP's been killin' it -- becoming the first American to win the Champions League with Chelsea in May and scoring the GW goal for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League in June.

The brand added, "Not only have we signed an amazing talent, but a fantastic person off the pitch who wants to continue to grow soccer in America, a goal PUMA has committed to support."

And, you might see CP wearing some custom-made Pulisic ULTRA 1.3’s at the Super Cup Final Wednesday to celebrate his new deal.

No word on how much the deal is worth ... but there's serious money in endorsement deals.

Racquel Palmer went from desperately pleading for Tyler Perry's attention to starring in one of his shows ... but she doesn't recommend her billboard tactics to others.

The actress, famous for putting up a billboard to try and catch Tyler's attention, tells TMZ ... she has now landed a leading role in Tyler Perry's upcoming show, "All The Queen's Men," but they've never talked about the billboard and almost pretended like it never happened.

Remember ... the billboard went up back in 2019 and the stunt helped Racquel land an audition with Tyler.

Tyler kinda scolded her for the stunt, but it sounds like it's all out of sight and out of mind now ... and even though it worked out in the end, Racquel tells us aspiring actors shouldn't try and duplicate her actions.

These days, Racquel says the billboard wasn't as much of a pitch to Tyler as it was a message to her children about perseverance and never giving up on your dreams.

Talib Kweli and DJ Eque have a huge sticking point in their ongoing divorce battle ... and whatever the judge decides will have a significant impact on who gets what.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Talib's big issue is the date of separation. He claims they separated on October 20, 2015, after he moved out of the home they shared.

Problem is ... Kweli says Eque's claiming July 10, 2020 as the date of separation. So, why the big stink over the dates? He thinks she's trying to make it look like the marriage lasted longer to get more money and property from the divorce. They got married in May 2009 and she filed for divorce in February.

Kweli claims after moving to NY he never revisited the marriage. He claims they stopped talking, had no further sexual relations, never exchanged birthday/anniversary cards, sent no gifts, never shared a meal together and he never shared a marital home again.

Kweli says he believed this was a clear indication they were separated. What's more ... he says he moved out because she was aggressive and violent toward him.

He claims her argumentative behavior created an unhealthy and suffocating environment. And, get this ... Kweli says he allowed her to stay at one of his houses in L.A. and supported her financially for 5-plus years ... "exceeding any legal obligation to avoid confrontation."

What's more ... Kweli says he never charged her rent. And, when he sold the house, he says he let her keep the profit -- around $30k -- hoping the money would help her to relocate.

Kweli says instead ... Eque asked for spousal support. He says he agreed to pay her $2k per month, but wants the judge to figure out their actual date of separation before moving forward with the rest of the divorce.

Carolina Panthers receiver Robby Anderson is commemorating his journey from going undrafted to being a 6-year vet ... by getting an awesome ring decked out in diamonds!!

The 28-year-old ex-Temple standout was passed up by literally every team in the league in 2016 ... but made the most of his opportunity when the New York Jets took a chance on him.

He went on to sign a 2-year, $20 MILLION deal with Carolina in 2020 ... posting career highs in receptions (95) and yards (1,096) last season.

Now, Anderson is treating himself to a meaningful keepsake in honor of his success ... hitting up Gabriel The Jeweler to cop an INCREDIBLE ring with 16 carats of VVS diamonds!!

The piece is truly special -- Anderson's nickname, "The Chosen One," is etched on top ... with a set of prayer hands and a cross (made of emerald cut diamonds) on each side.

There's also a special message engraved on the inside of the ring ... reading, "All Glory To God."

No word on how much Anderson actually dropped for the awesome ice ... but we're told a piece like this is worth around $40k!!

Tank is ecstatic that his early tunes are finally seeing the light of day, officially, alongside Aaliyah's catalog ... this in spite of the drama behind the scenes.

The R&B crooner broke down what this moment means for him Saturday morning when we ran into him at LAX, and he said it quite succinctly ... not only is this a re-introduction to fans (new and old) but it's also an opportunity to make up for lost time ... financially.

Check out his response ... Tank makes no bones about the fact that he's missed out on a lot of dough over the years considering his first 3 albums weren't streaming or on digital platforms. He's not sour over it, but notes a wrong is finally being righted ... and he's glad.

As for Aaliyah's music, and her family's apparent opposition to it being released without their blessing ... Tank says he understands, but that it's perhaps a blessing in disguise -- as he notes, as so many others have, that a whole new generation will get to know her anew.

That acrimony aside, Tank's just happy people will finally get schooled on late '90s/early 2000s R&B ... a chapter from which he DID exist pre-2010 -- and cranked out great music.