NBA's Ben Simmons Joins FaZe Clan as Investor ... Call Me 'FaZe Simmo'

Ben Simmons has a new team -- no he hasn't been traded (yet) ... the NBA superstar has joined the world-famous FaZe Clan!

Simmons -- a hardcore gamer -- is the newest celebrity investor and even got a new FaZe nickname to go along with it ... FAZE SIMMO!

The Philadelphia 76ers big man will serve as an "ambassador to the organization for content as well as an advocate for gaming and esports and the expansion of FaZe Clan globally," the company says.

FaZe Clan also notes it will not disclose the amount of Ben's investment, though it's probably fair to assume it's a sizable number.

Simmons first started gaming with FaZe talent in 2018 -- mostly playing Call of Duty with FaZe Temperrr.

The two recently participated in a COD celebrity pro-am which raised nearly $125,000 to help people affected by COVID-19.

"Gaming is an important part of my life, and so it was a natural progression to personally invest in this industry,” Simmons said.

"FaZe Clan represents the pinnacle of the gaming culture, and I am really looking forward to connecting with new fans around the globe."

FaZe is one of the largest and most influential companies in gaming -- recently passing the 1 BILLION view mark on its YouTube channel.

Simmons joins a celebrity investment group that already features stars like Offset, Juju Smith-Schuster, Swae Lee, Pitbull, Nyjah Huston and more.

76ers Star Tobias Harris Hits Head Against Court Floor Returns to Game Soon After!!!

UPDATE

12:31 PM PT -- Lordy, Tobias Harris is BACK IN THE GAME!!! The 76ers say he showed no signs of a concussion, so they patched up his cut and sent the dude back into battle.

UPDATE
UPDATE

Tough guy, no doubt.

Tobias Harris took a scary fall on the basketball court that could've seriously injured the guy, or possibly even killed him -- but fortunately, it looks like he's going to be okay.

The 76ers star was playing in Sunday's game against the Boston Celtics, when at one point late in the third quarter, he went up for a defensive rebound ... but got his legs clipped by Jayson Tatum midair, which tilted his body and made him land hard on the paint headfirst.

You could see he was in excruciating pain as he writhed on the floor and couldn't get up at first. The refs stopped the game and the Philly's medical staff rushed out to the court to evaluate him. It appeared they signaled for trauma too, which meant it was serious.

It also looks like there might've been some blood spattered on the floor, which the med team was quick to wipe up as well.

The good news is that Tobias was able to get up and walk off the court on his own accord. He's said to have suffered a left eye laceration and was being evaluated for a concussion in the locker room.

It could've been much worse ... thank goodness it wasn't.

Originally Published -- 12:27 PM PT

Philadelphia 76ers Investigating Racism & Bullying Allegations ... On Dance Team

A former member of the Philadelphia 76ers' dance team claims she was the victim of bullying and racism during her time on the squad ... and now, the Sixers have launched an investigation.

Yahne Coleman -- a fashion model who used to perform with the Sixers Dancers -- revealed the disturbing allegations in a lengthy social media post Tuesday.

In the statement, Coleman claimed she was "racially profiled, bullied and threatened" not only by her dance teammates ... but by members of the dance team's coaching staff as well.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Coleman also attached a video with her post ... which she says shows a former teammate making inappropriate and racist remarks toward her, and even threatening her.

In the footage, the woman can be heard saying, "I will teach you how to use a tampon because your dirty-ass vagina probably smells like fish."

The woman in the video can also be heard saying, "I will find you in whatever home project you live in. I will slum it to the west side of Philly just to find your ass, beat the sh*t out of it, and then get you backlisted from whatever club you think you can get in.”

Coleman -- who reportedly left the dance team in 2015 -- claims similar bullying incidents happened to her regularly ... and she says when she reported it to officials in the 76ers' organization, "nothing was done."

The Sixers released a statement shortly after Coleman's post went up, and they say they're vowing to do a thorough investigation into the claims.

"Tonight, we were made aware of social media posts involving former dance team members that contained insensitive, offensive and unacceptable remarks, as well as allegations of bullying and racist behavior,” the team said.

"The videos, which were filmed in 2016, featured derogatory comments from a former dance team member who left the organization in 2013."

The team continued, "We take this situation very seriously. We intend to investigate this matter immediately and remain committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and equality."

NBA's Tobias Harris Demands Govt. Official Resign For Labeling BLM As 'Radical Hate Group'

76ers star Tobias Harris is calling for an elected official in Pennsylvania to resign for labeling Black Lives Matter as a "radical left-wing hate group."

The man behind the comment is Joe Gale -- a County Commissioner for Montgomery County, the 3rd largest county in PA.

The Board of Commissioners is a powerful group -- comprised of only 3 members and they control the legislative and executive functions for the entire county.

Fast forward to Monday ... when Gale issued a strong written statement slamming the protests in Philadelphia as an act of "urban domestic terror."

Gale says the people responsible are "radical left-wing hate groups like Black Lives Matter."

He continued, "This organization, in particular, screams racism not to expose bigotry and injustice, but to justify the lawless destruction of our cities and surrounding communities."

"Their objective is to unleash chaos and mayhem without consequence by falsely claiming they, in fact, are victims."

Now, 27-year-old Harris is lashing out at the statement ... saying, "I honestly can’t believe what I’m reading."

"Black Lives Matter a hate group?! This statement and your whole press release at that is disgusting to read. RESIGN!"

Rapper Meek Mill echoed Harris' statement, saying "True colors.... welcome to PA!"

Harris isn't alone in demanding Gale's removal from office ... there's already a change.org petition calling for him to step down.

Gale was elected to his position back in 2015 -- after running a grassroots campaign in the Republican primary.

Jimmy Butler Tees Off On Time With Sixers 'I Didn't Know Who The F*** Was In Charge'

Jimmy Butler is opening up about his decision to leave the 76ers ... admitting he felt like he had no idea what was going on or "who the f*** was in charge."

Butler's time in Philly was short and had its fair share of drama ... and now the 30-year-old is explaining to 'The JJ Redick Podcast' what was so challenging for him last season.

“Hell yeah, it was difficult. It was so different,” Butler told his old teammate. “And, on any given day, me as a person and as a player, I didn’t who the f*** was in charge."

"I think that was my biggest thing. I didn’t know what the f*** to expect whenever I would go into the gym, whenever I go into the plane, whenever I got into the game.”

"I think I was as lost as the next motherf***er."

Butler explains his frustrations stemmed from so many voices trying to be heard ... and meetings where "nothing got accomplished at all."

The now-Miami Heat star -- who signed a 4-year, $141 million deal this off-season -- shares the moment he knew he'd leave ... saying someone had asked if he could be "controlled" if he stayed in Philly.

"I was like, ‘You don’t got to worry about it. Sh*t, can’t nobody f***ing control me.’"

"For one, I ain’t just out there doing no bullsh*t. But, the fact that you’re trying to control a grown man? Nah, I’m cool. 'Cause I don't do nothing that's just drastically f***ing stupidly crazy. I do not do that."

Butler says he's happy with his new team ... and loves how he gets to be himself.

Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons Oil Up, Strip Down ... Sunbathing in MIA

Forget a Super Bowl hangover, the party continues for Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons ... who spent their Monday chillin' by the pool in Miami ... and good lord, they're attractive!

Bendall (that's what we're gonna call them now) went to the Super Bowl together on Sunday where they made it pretty clear to everyone they're together -- despite an on-and-off past.

Fast forward to Monday morning where normies spotted the celeb couple taking in some sun and healthy drinks by the pool of their fancy Miami hotel.

Kendall was still sporting some swag from Stormi's big 2nd birthday in Los Angeles -- one of the biggest, craziest birthday parties we've ever seen.

Clearly, Kendall flew out right after the bash ... because she's RICH, Y'ALL ... and that's what rich people do.

As for Ben ... the Philadelphia 76ers star is actually in town to play the Miami Heat on Monday afternoon in what should be a pretty competitive game.

Hydrate, bro.

Allen Iverson $500k Worth Of Jewelry Returned After Theft ... Suspect Arrested

UPDATE

2:32 PM PT -- Iverson's manager, Gary D. Moore, just released a statement saying AI's jewelry has been returned after the theft.

UPDATE

"Allen thanks the Philadelphia Police Department along with the people of Philadelphia for their support in this matter," Moore said.

UPDATE

11:35 AM PT -- Cops say they've arrested a suspect in the case ... telling TMZ Sports a 21-year-old man surrendered to police Tuesday afternoon.

UPDATE

The police said they are NOT releasing the man's identity until he is formally charged.

Allen Iverson reportedly had $500,000 worth of jewelry stolen from a Philadelphia hotel on Monday ... and now, cops say they're searching for the scumbag who took the bling.

Philly police say at around 10:30 AM, officers responded to the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Philadelphia after a man allegedly jacked a backpack with the ice in it from the lobby.

Police would NOT confirm the victim was Iverson ... but according to NBC10, the bag and the jewels DID belong to the NBA legend.

Cops say the suspect is a black male in his early 20s ... claiming he's 6 feet tall with a "thin build." They say he was last seen wearing a dark jacket, red shirt, dark pants and black and white sneakers.

44-year-old Iverson has been retired from the NBA since 2010 ... and reportedly made over $200 MILLION in his career.

He's been known to still frequent Philadelphia and 76ers games often ... and was last spotted at the Wells Fargo Center for the Sixers' game against the Lakers on Saturday.

Originally Published -- 6:16 AM PT

Kendall Jenner, Ben Simmons Ringin' in 2020 Together

Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons shared the New Year's Eve festivities together, further fueling rumors they're back together.

Kendall and Ben were in downtown Philly, where he rented out Attico, the rooftop restaurant, for an NYE bash. K & B strolled in at around 11:30 PM and stayed for the Cinderella moment.

ENDIN' THIS TOGETHER
TMZ.com

Ben and Kendall have been dating on and off since 2018. They broke up shortly after Kendall was photographed making out with Anwar Hadid, Gigi and Bella's little bro.

It seems they were only apart for a short time because as early as January 2019, she was hanging out at 76ers games with Ben's mom. They also spent Valentine's Day together last year.

At this point, it's pretty undeniable ... they're together.

Sixers' Mike Scott Slur Sparked Eagles Fan Brawl 'He Was Poppin’ Hella S***'

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED ...

Philadelphia Sixers baller Mike Scott says his brawl with Eagles fans kickstarted over a slur ... and while he regrets getting physical, he has no sympathy for the guy.

Scott spoke about the incident at Sixers Media Day on Monday ... admitting he shouldn't have fought, but makes it clear the fans at Lincoln Financial Field started it.

“I definitely should've walked away before it got to that point," Scott told the media. "I’m a professional, you know, I gotta be the bigger person, but once you keep going ... he was poppin’ hella sh*t, he was going off.”

THROWIN' PUNCHES
TMZSports.com

Initially, there were rumors that Scott went off because he thought a coffin at the game was to mock late Redskins star Sean Taylor (the fans claim it wasn't). Scott didn't get into specifics on the slur that sparked the fight ... but it clearly pissed him off.

“He was talking crazy. He took it to the next level so I had to see if he matched that energy ... and y'all saw what happened.”

When asked if he felt bad for the way he acted, Scott stands by his fists.

“Sympathy for him? I don’t feel any for those individuals ... yeah, what a day,” he laughed.

Originally Published -- 3:20 PM PT

Larsa Pippen I'm Not Banging Ben Simmons!!!

Scottie Pippen's estranged wife, Larsa Pippen, says she is NOT hooking up with NBA superstar Ben Simmons ... adamantly denying she was getting close to the hooper earlier this week.

There were reports Pippen and Kendall Jenner's recent ex-boyfriend were looking like a couple at The Highlight Room on Monday night ... with the non-couple leaving within minutes of each other that night.

The news would be a MAJOR deal in the Kardashian world since Larsa is BFFs with Kim and Kourtney. #SCANDALOUS!!

But, Larsa is having NONE of that talk ... saying she never even saw the 23-year-old Sixers point guard that night ... and would NEVER betray a family friend a la Jordyn Woods.

"I never even saw him, let alone left with him," Larsa said in a heated IG story. "He dated my bff's sister and I would never."

Seems like a low-key shot at Woods -- Kylie's ex-BFF -- who hooked up with Tristan Thompson which led to a messy split with Khloe Kardashian.

Ben and Kendall dated for a year and broke up sometime around May ... and he famously dated singer Tinashe prior to that.

As for Larsa, she has 4 kids with the Chicago Bulls legend ... but the couple split late last year.

NBA's Ben Simmons Rejected From Australia Casino ... Suggests Racial Profiling

A LONG WAY TO GO

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Ben Simmons claims he was DENIED entry into a casino in Australia ... and strongly suggested it all had to do with race.

The 23-year-old was trying to go to the Crown Casino in Melbourne early Monday morning with some friends, but claims they were all turned away by security ... well, all but ONE who happens to be white.

"I find it so crazy that the only guy who doesn’t get checked to go into the casino is this guy,” Simmons said while pointing to his Caucasian buddy.

"I get checked, Mike gets checked and Taj gets checked," Ben added. His white buddy then chimes in, "Not me!"

While showing the security guards, Ben says, "Thank you, Crown Casino."

He wasn't done -- Ben showed some of his pals, all who appear to be men of color, and continued, "They didn’t let me in, or him or this guy. Wow, we got a long way to go."

What's even more shocking about the alleged racial profiling ... Ben is insanely famous in Australia, where he grew up and became a national celebrity playing basketball.

We're reaching out to both Ben and the casino for comment -- stay tuned.

Fun Fact: The Crown Casino is where Tiger Woods and Rachel Uchitel secretly hooked up back in day. Good times!

Ben Simmons Violently Dunks All Over Kids at Charity Basketball Event

POSTERIZED!!!

WARNING -- If you come within 10 feet of Ben Simmons, there's a 100% chance he's gonna dunk on your ass ... and some kids in Australia found that out REAL QUICK!!

The NBA superstar attended the Helping Hoops charity basketball event in Melbourne on Wednesday ... and turned it into an absolute dunking CLINIC on the kids in attendance.

The vid is awesome ... Ben dribbles the ball up the court and puts his defender on a poster. The players lost their minds and Simmons playfully taunts his opponent for even jumping to block the inevitable dunk.

But, it's not like anyone was getting embarrassed by Simmons' rim shakers -- it looks like they WANTED the challenge of going face-to-face with the Sixers stud ... lining up to go against the 6'10" hooper.

Hey, it's not every day you can get dunked on by an All-Star ... can you blame 'em?!

By the way, Helping Hoops is all about supporting kids from underprivileged backgrounds through basketball -- basically, they run free hoops programs for more than 1,000 kids.

So, yeah ... props to Ben and everyone involved.

Ben Simmons Rages In Hollywood After $170 Million Offer from 76ers!!!

LIFE OF THE PARTY
TMZSports.com

How do you celebrate after getting a $170 MILLION contract offer? 

If you're Ben Simmons, you hit the Hollywood nightclubs with a massive entourage!!

That's what the 22-year-old did last night ... rolling into Bootsy Bellows in West Hollywood like the ultimate VIP and TMZ Sports has the video. 

Simmons -- looking super casual in a hoodie and a baseball cap -- strolled right past the normies and walked right into the club with a bunch of dudes and ladies surrounding him. 

It was a pretty pimp moment from one of the biggest young stars in the NBA. 

Ben joined some huge celebrities in the club including Dave Chappelle, A$AP Ferg and rapper Trinidad James

Simmons only made a measly $6.5 mil this season -- but if/when he signs his max contract, he'll be making around $34 MIL per year (He has until October to sign the contract). 

So, yeah ... we'd say that's reason to celebrate! 

Drake Mama, There Goes That Man!!! Major Catcalls in Bahamas

WET YOUR WHISTLE
TMZ.com

We all know Drake can draw a crowd anywhere he goes -- but who would've guessed he gets the construction site treatment in the Bahamas???

TMZ broke the story ... Drake and co. touched down in the Caribbean Monday with his massive new custom OVO jet, which made other nearby airliners look puny.

His plane is a 767-300F Boeing model, which can retail anywhere from $185 mil to $220 mil brand new.

As if his standout sky ride wasn't a dead giveaway that Champagne Papi was in town, his mere presence at a resort on the island nation wasn't necessarily kept incognito either.

Multiple witnesses saw Drake making his way through The Cove Luxury Resort, where folks couldn't help but hoot, holler, sing and whistle at Drizzy as he passed through with his entourage. Hey, we get it ... he's one handsome feller. Catcall when you get the chance.

Drake was later seen inside the Atlantis Casino playing the tables with none other than ... Philadelphia 76ers team investor Michael Rubin?! Yep, it'd seem Drake's NBA allegiance sees no jersey when he's not on the court cheering his home team, the Toronto Raptors ... who bounced Rubin's guys earlier in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

BTW ... we're told they were posted up at $500 minimum blackjack tables. High-rollers, obviously.

Game 1 between the Raptors and the Warriors kicks off Thursday in Toronto. Here's hoping Drake can get some R&R between now and then ... it's gonna be a doozy.

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