Money

Former Mafia captain Michael Franzese -- who once ran his own crew with the Colombo crime family -- says the NBA should blame itself for Thursday's shocking Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones arrests.

The ex-mobster explained to Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" that the league's growing relationships with various gambling platforms have invited all kinds of trouble for its employees.

Franzese told the guys that by partnering with the betting sites, they've sent a "Hey, it's OK, you can gamble" message to players and coaches throughout the league.

The Yankees might have missed out on making the World Series this year, but rich New York supporters can fill the emptiness in their hearts with some unbelievable pieces of memorabilia -- including a game-worn jersey from one of Yogi Berra's first-ever MLB appearances!!

Grey Flannel Auctions tells TMZ Sports ... its newest lot features the Hall of Famer's rookie jersey, which was photo-matched to his second-career game in 1947 -- the same year the Yankees won the World Series.

The threads feature all the classic details, including the Spalding label and Berra's name tag. He also left his autograph under the Yankees logo in blue marker.

Chauncey Billups allegedly scored $50,000 from one of the rigged poker games authorities say he participated in several years ago.

Federal prosecutors wrote in new court documents TMZ Sports has obtained that, back in October 2020, Billups was rewarded with the cash after he helped a group of alleged crooks swindle someone out of loads of dough by cheating during a game of high-stakes cards.

The feds claim the scheme Billups and his co-conspirators cooked up involved advanced technology -- such as tampered-with deck shufflers and X-ray tables -- as well as players subtly working with one another to gang up on their victim.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested in relation to a federal investigation into illegal gambling.

Rozier was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando after Miami's road matchup with the Magic, ESPN reports. He did not play in the contest due to a coach's decision.

Billups, who is in his fifth season as head coach of Portland, was arrested in Oregon over an alleged "separate but related" illegal betting operation, ABC News reports. Billups coached in the Blazers' home loss to the Timberwolves just prior to being taken into custody.

Chris Brown and his former cowriter Kevin McCall reignited their beef this week -- yet Kevin is telling TMZ Hip Hop he's willing to make amends ... that is, if Chris will stop trying to "lil homie" him!!!

We caught up with Kevin outside of Locafella Loc Studio on Melrose in L.A. Wednesday afternoon, and he couldn't resist trolling Chris with a little song about being done dirty by a "vulture."

Kevin accused Chris of owing him $25K during a recent viral interview where he broke down in tears ... and we got him to clarify this purported debt.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli no longer have a "Full House" ... so, they've decided to get rid of the one they still share -- and they've found a buyer!

The 6-bedroom, 9-bathroom home in the Hidden Hills area near Los Angeles went under contract Wednesday ... the couple had listed the pad for $14,950,000.

The contemporary farmhouse boasts nearly 12,000 square feet of living space, which includes a fully-equipped gym, custom home theater, chef's kitchen and wine cellar. There's also a swimming pool, spa, bocce ball court and BBQ area on the grounds.

Travis Kelce just revealed what he orders when he's at his and Patrick Mahomes' new steakhouse ... and the dishes are a lot like the way his fans would describe him -- rich and buttery!

The food topic came up during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" -- when Jason Kelce announced he'd be heading to 1587 Prime for the first time next week ... while he's in Kansas City to cover the Chiefs' "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Commanders.

Jason asked Travis what he should order once he plops down into one of the swanky joint's booths ... and the younger Kelce gave him some recommendations.

Rapper Kevin Gates is getting dissed in court ... his estranged wife, Dreka, is claiming he cut off her and their children financially, so she wants a judge to order him to pay a ton in child and spousal support.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Dreka says in late 2021 Kevin started to "dismantle the financial foundation of their family" when she says he stopped paying for basic family obligations such as property taxes and their children's private school tuition.

Meanwhile, Dreka says he flaunted his wealth by snatching up 18 luxury vehicles and a $4.7 million estate in Calabasas.

Young Thug is stepping up to cover Chris Brown's alleged $25K for Kevin McCall ... this after seeing the R&B singer tearfully lose his dignity on a podcast!!!

On Tuesday, Thug responded to the viral interview with 'BackOnFigg' ... where Kevin burst out crying uncontrollably after claiming Breezy still owes him 5-figures for unused songs, or anything with a mea culpa on the R&B megastar's behalf.

The way Thug sees things, Chris has just been busy with delivering the cash, and assured Kevin that Breezy's "a real one" and would give up the goods if he had the time.

Kelli Ferrell was a new addition to "The Real Housewives Of Atlanta" last season, but she's already making waves ... her ex is suing Bravo for claims made about him on the show.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Chuvalo Mark Ferrell claims Kelli spread lies on the show in a fabricated storyline on the show that he abused Kelli and didn't pay back money.

He says he and Kelli jointly applied for a $420K loan back in 2022 to build out a restaurant called Nana's Chicken-n-Waffles. He says Kelli spent a bunch of the loan money on her birthday and other unauthorized expenses and then fabricated a story that Chuvalo stole the money from her. He says he repaid the loan, but she's still pressing forward with the false claim he stole the $420K.

Singer-songwriter Kevin McCall came to grips over the fact his Chris Brown credits no longer reap the financial rewards ... and broke down crying on a podcast!!!

The R&B vet was discussing his up-and-down career on the "Back On Figg" podcast when the 40-year-old revealed he's on food stamps -- and whipped out the EBT card to prove it.

Chris Brown is currently on his "Breezy Bowl XX" tour -- even performing songs like "Strip" that Kevin cowrote -- and Kev claimed there's still a lingering $25K he was owed for 4 songs.

It's her birthday and she can buy if she wants to! Kim Kardashian is turning into a regular real estate tycoon ... she just bought the home next door to hers.

TMZ has learned ... Kim closed on the SoCal home for $7,000,000 and will be expanding her already spacious property in a beautiful neighborhood near Los Angeles.

Her current house is undergoing a big renovation, so this marks just the latest real estate change for the reality star ... who celebrates her 45th birthday today.

David Geffen's estranged husband has withdrawn his salacious civil lawsuit against the media mogul, and is choosing another course, which takes much of his enormous money demand off the table.

David Armstrong (AKA Donovan Michaels) filed his civil lawsuit back in July, alleging the 82-year-old billionaire targeted the 32-year-old, whose trauma was weaponized for Geffen's "personal gratification and public image."

Armstrong claims he gave up his modeling career after allegedly being promised Geffen would take care of him financially for life. The former couple did not have a prenup -- Armstrong says he's entitled to community property. We're told Geffen, who has been retired for 15 years, has no community income.

Those lucky enough to grab one of the three home run balls Shohei Ohtani belted last Friday night might be needing some bigger wallets soon ... 'cause one prominent auction expert tells TMZ Sports they could each be worth millions!

David Kohler, founder of SCP Auctions, said on Monday if he had one of the historic Ohtani mementos on his block ... he would anticipate it selling for "$3 million or more."

It's a staggering number, but Kohler said it's not far-fetched at all ... considering the famous 50/50 home run ball Ohtani smacked last year ultimately sold for $4.39 million.

Taylor Swift's $100K donation has totally changed a cancer-stricken girl's life ... but, that young girl's mom says it came completely out of nowhere -- 'cause Taylor dropped the dough without ever reaching out to the fam.

We spoke with Katelynn Smoot, whose daughter Lilah was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer earlier this year, about what the donation means to her and her family ... and, Smoot says it's given the family time to catch their collective breath.

Smoot says her husband was refreshing the GoFundMe one night and noticed the donation ... leaving the couple totally awestruck -- 'cause Taylor never reached out to inform them of the gift.

Lori Loughlin has separated from estranged husband Mossimo Giannulli, but if she thinks she's going to get a chunk of the fashion designer's fortune in the split, she might have to think again.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... a prenuptial agreement Lori signed when she married Mossimo in 1997 provides their assets are separate property. We're told it's something Mossimo insisted on before they married.

What's more ... Mossimo was worth north of $100 million at the time. It's unclear if the prenup changed, but if it didn't, it looks like she's screwed.