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Devin Booker opened a can of worms by going after the Raptors mascot ... 'cause now the Spurs' fuzzy character is getting in on the fun with a "Cone of Silence."

If you missed it, the Phoenix Suns star had referees move the Raptor from underneath the basket in the empty Scotiabank Arena last week ... claiming the dino was being too distracting.

Fast forward to Monday, and the San Antonio Spurs' beloved Coyote mascot decided to poke fun at the incident ... by holding "Quiet" and "Shhh" signs and rocking a "Cone of Silence" over his head during Booker's free throws.

Booker noticed what was going on and laughed it off ... 'cause even he had to admit the troll job was pretty epic.

FYI -- Booker had a solid outing at the charity stripe ... going 7-for-8.

The Spurs aren't alone in trolling D-Book -- last Friday, the Indiana Pacers mimicked the Raptors incident by putting someone in a dinosaur costume right behind the basket.

A Michael Jackson impersonator got the best of a dude on the mean streets of Las Vegas, and ... well, it's hilarious!

There's not a whole lot of info on what's behind the fight, but it went down on Fremont Street.

The fight looks almost slapstick ... MJ and the dude squaring off with fists raised, and then they tangle.

Michael's ground game is far superior to the guy in green, and he eventually gets the guy in a headlock and begins to squeeze. At a point, it's not funny anymore, and it looks like the guy might lose consciousness. Some passersby disentangle the 2 and no one seems worse for wear.

We don't know what started the fight, but the shirt on the guy in green reads, "CAN'T FIX STUPID."

It's the most entertaining lookalike fight since SpongeBob squared off with 2 women.

A famous pastor out of Oklahoma got very literal in his sermon this weekend about seeing God's hazy vision for ourselves in 2022 -- needing to hawk one to make his point.

Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, conjured up grossed-out reactions from his congregation Sunday during his service -- which was being streamed for the folks at home. The reason ... he wiped his own spit all over the face of a parishioner, who was up there volunteering for the yuck fest.

Even crazier ... the guy just stood there and took it!!! Check out this video of the moment it happened -- it's surreal to see, because Mike really builds up to it with a lot of theater.

The whole purpose of doing this, it seems, was to emphasize his analogy about how "receiving vision from God might get nasty." We'll let him do the explaining -- 'cause, frankly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us -- but he seems to be saying ... sometimes, you'll  have to go through some muck to fulfill God's will. Or ... something like that!

It's ironic ... as the audience gasps in horror at his weird stunt, MT fully leans into it ... arguing that's the exact sort of response one will get for answering God's call, no matter how counterintuitive it might feel ... like letting someone rub a bunch of loogies/saliva on your mug.

Of course, he's getting totally roasted online over this ... as is this poor guy who allowed himself to be the guinea pig. Y'know ... on account of the pandemic and all.

Just doesn't seem safe ... even if God cosigns. 🤷🏽‍♂️

A surgeon, who's also a Delta Sigma Theta sorority member, is apologizing for posting pics from a patient's procedure ... all to plug a historic day for her sorority.

Dr. Nicole E. Williams ruffled a lot of feathers by sharing photos and info about the surgery she performed on January 13 -- she boasted about removing 22 fibroids from a patient who's a member of another sorority ... Alpha Kappa Alpha. The photos showed the fibroids on a table next to Dr. Williams who was making the Delta hand signal to rep her sorority.

That day also happened to be founders day for Delta Sigma Theta, so the good doc thought she'd show some pride -- but it totally backfired as she faced swift online backlash.

Dr. Williams has now deleted the original post and backtracked, saying ... "A terrible decision was made. I unequivocally and prayerfully apologize for any hurt I may have caused."

A lot of the outrage came from folks who felt she was violating a patient's privacy simply to promote her sorority.

She did provide a history lesson in the original post, pointing out the 22 members who founded DST in 1913 had broken off from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Ex-NBA superstar Yao Ming says he spoke with tennis star Peng Shuai last month ... the former Wimbledon doubles champ who vanished from public eye after accusing a powerful Chinese official of sexual assault.

“We had a pleasant chat,” Yao said Monday, as he fielded questions at a news conference to promote the Beijing Olympics which open in 18 days.

Ming -- the current president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) -- said he's known Peng for about 20 years ... and the two attended a winter sports exhibition with other prominent Chinese sports figures.

"We asked many questions about the game as we were not familiar with snow sports," the ex-NBA star said.

Of course, Peng's disappearance raised international concern after a post on her verified Weibo social media account claimed a powerful government official sexually assaulted her.

36-year-old Peng has since denied making the claim ... telling a Singapore newspaper, "I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me."

Everyone from Naomi Osaka to Novak Djokovic expressed public concern for Peng ... whose recent public appearances haven't done much to quell concerns for her safety.

Speaking of Djokovic -- who was recently deported from Australia after losing his appeal -- Yao said it's unfortunate the Serbian tennis star won't be able to compete in the Australian Open.

Fans from all over the nation are gearing up for what would've been Betty White's 100th birthday ... joining in on a challenge encouraging fans to spread the love to animals in need and donate to local orgs.

Brittany Vizcarra from Paw Works joined us on TMZ live to pitch the "Betty White Challenge." As you know, Betty was a fierce animal rights advocate who spent her adult life tirelessly working for animal rights orgs. Brittany says this challenge is about everybody doing more -- just like Betty -- by caring for abandoned and abused animals.

Paw Works is an animal rescue org that places unwanted animals in L.A. shelters into loving homes.

Since the Betty White challenge has taken off on social media, some orgs have seen an uptick in donations ... and with the help of people like Brittany, those donations are bound to pour in all over the U.S., as the 17th approaches.

Brittany says it's super simple to "be more like Betty" ... folks can volunteer, adopt, foster or find any other way to get involved.

If you thought all this talk of digital goods and wealth was just some sort of nerdy fad, think again -- because the retail market space is going all in on VR ... including Walmart.

The big-box behemoth has reportedly filed a number of trademark apps in recent months seeking to gain exclusive rights to sell virtual goods on their digital shelves -- and we're not just talking about their website either. Sounds like Walmart is ramping up for a full-blown online experience, where their customers can actually own stuff ... within this dimension itself.

Per CNBC, 7 separate applications were filed of late ... and in addition to being able to hawk Walmart-related products in this forthcoming virtual reality, they're also apparently gunning to offer their own lines of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and even a unique cryptocurrency.

No word on what those tokens might look like ($5 DVD bin NFT, perhaps?) or when all this is supposed to be rolled out ... but it seems they're getting their 4D ducks in a row for what most everyone in Corporate America is scrambling for ... a seat at the metaphysical table.

Several different companies have been doing the exact same thing recently -- including other big shots like Nike (which is said to be developing a VR venture called "Nikeland"), Gap, Under Armor and even smaller outfits like Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie and Ralph Lauren.

Essentially, everyone took Zuckerberg's announcement about the metaverse last year and ran with it ... looking to protect their brand within this new frontier ... and to make money there too, obviously, if they can. So far, it seems to be a very popular/lucrative endeavor.

Funny enough, Walmart actually had a vision for what an augmented shopping reality might look like in their cyberworld about 5 years ago, when they commissioned a tech company called Mutual Mobile to create a demo of Walmart in the metaverse ... before that term was even a thing.

A gunman has reportedly taken several people hostage at a synagogue in Texas, and his demands are simple ... free his sister, who was once suspected of terrorist activities.

According to ABC's Aaron Katersky, the armed man who wandered into the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville Saturday has allegedly been ID'd as Muhammad Siddiqui, whom he says is claiming to be the brother of convicted felon Aafia Siddiqui.

She was sent to prison in 2010 after being found guilty of attempted murder of a U.S. military officer in Afghanistan -- among a slew of other charges -- and is serving out an 86-year sentence in the Fort Worth area. She's alleged to have had ties with al-Qaeda over the years ... and has been placed on federal law enforcement terrorism watch lists in the past.

Per Katersky, the gunman is demanding her release. Other reports say the perp claims to be armed with bombs, among other weapons ... the full extent of which is still unknown. Local law enforcement has descended on the scene to negotiate, as has the FBI.

Even crazier ... there was apparently a bar-mitzvah going on when the guy busted in, which was being live-streamed to the synagogue's FB account ... a stream that has since been deactivated. Still, some of the snippets that were captured are now surfacing, and you can hear what is presumably the hostage-taker railing on America, and saying he's willing to die.

The fact this man crashed a synagogue for hostages is not lost on those who covered the Siddiqui case. She is reported to have had strong objections to Jewish people representing her in her defense. She also asked for Jews to be tossed from the jury pool at the time.

At the moment, the synagogue's rabbi and three others are believed to be among those being held captive. No word on injuries or deaths yet, but SWAT units have arrived.

The lead trainer from "Canine Intervention" is absolutely pissed about that disturbing viral video of a trainer in Texas abusing a dog, and says there's no place for someone like that in his industry.

Jas Leverette had some choice words for the guy in the brutal video recorded at TyCalK9 Dog Training Center, near Houston. Jas spoke directly to the trainer, saying "You're a coward, bro!"

He explained that, as a trainer himself, this sort of behavior puts a black eye on the whole field of dog training -- and he hopes the authorities in Texas take the incident seriously enough to prosecute the guy in the video.

The video is tough to watch ... the trainer picks up the German shepherd by its leash, swings it over his shoulder and then slams it down onto a concrete floor.

Jas tells us this kind of treatment can be really terrible for animals, and leaves them with PTSD, in addition to any physical injuries. The Netflix star says some people have been contacting him over the video ... because the Texas training facility has a similar name to his company.

Jas makes one thing clear -- he is NOT affiliated with this guy at all, and thinks he ought to pay for what he did.

Britney Spears is once again telling us how she really feels about her sister, Jamie Lynn, and it seems like she's taking her foot off her neck a bit ... if only slightly.

BS wrote another notes essay for her little sis, which is perhaps even more direct than her previous one from a couple days ago -- and this time, her message is ... say what you will, but we both know I was put through hell, and you much less so.

Britney starts her remarks with this ... "I know you worked hard for the life you have and you have done amazing !!!! But I think we would both have to agree to the fact that the family has never been remotely as hard on you as they have been on me !!!"

She adds, "What Dad did to me, they don't even do that to criminals … so for you to sit back and act completely aloof to what has happened to me is honesty insane to me !!!"

There's a lot to unpack in Britney's latest thoughts, but essentially ... it boils down to her rehashing claims against her dad -- alleging she was treated worse than a prisoner -- and then going on to say that she doesn't understand JL's seemingly neutral position on things.

Britney says, "We are supposed to have each other's back … but what you're saying just truly confuses me !!! All I know is I love you unconditionally !!! So go ahead and say whatever you want … it's so tacky for a family to fight publicly like this !!! You say you love me … yet your loyalty is still with the people that hurt me the most !!!"

Britney goes on to say that when she was away at a facility for months on end, she felt like Jamie Lynn abandoned her ... and only resurfaced, half-heartedly, when Brit took her grievances public.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of Jamie Lynn doing an interview with ABC's "Nightline" ... where she dished a lot of unflattering stories about Britney, which BS takes issue with.

Britney ends by saying ... "Say whatever you want to say just know I do know your real heart more than anyone !!! It's your life and you deserve a beautiful life !!!! I wish I would be able to do what you're doing and do interviews !!! I'm scared of all of it … I admire you for being strong … just know I love you and I think you know that already more than anything !!!"

To be continued, we're sure.

A volcano eruption off the island of Tonga has sent literal shockwaves around the world -- so much so, that now authorities have warned ... we here in the U.S. could be at risk.

The underwater explosion took place Friday, which was actually noticeable from satellites all the way up in space ... and the images captured of the moment the volcano blew are mind-blowing, giving you a true sense of how powerful this thing was -- and how devastating too.

The real-world effects were felt almost immediately ... not only did people hear and see the mighty boom, but soon -- there were massive waves crashing ashore on the island of Tongatapu. Several videos were posted of the early damage, and even then ... it was bad.

Check out some of these clips ... you can see water tearing through residential areas and ripping down gates and fences. Some areas seem to have been hit harder than others.

There's one video that looks like it's straight out of a movie (in a bad way), with massive waves bursting their way onto the city streets ... and cars having to do quick U-turns to get the hell out of there.

So far, there are no reports of injuries or deaths -- but at the same time, much of the island is without communication or internet at the moment ... that's how rocked they've been over the past 10 hours or so.

Now, the rest of the world (at least on the Pacific side) is starting to feel the ramifications from this ... including here in the States, where weather officials have issued tsunami warnings in Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia and all up and down the west coast of the U.S.

There are reports of massive waves crashing against the shorelines in cities like Monterey and elsewhere ... and locals have been told to steer clear of the area for a while.

Jake and Logan Paul were money-making machines in 2021 ... with the YouTube superstars-turned-boxers reportedly raking in a combined $63 MILLION over the past year.

Forbes just released its list of highest-paid influencers on the social media platform on Friday ... with the Problem Child coming in at #2 with an astonishing $45 million estimated in earnings.

The outlet reports about $40 million of that moolah came via the boxing ring -- with Jake beating up on Ben Askren in April and Tyron Woodley in August and December.

Whether Jake is considered a "real" boxer or not, the serious money he's pocketing is not up for debate -- his income in 2021 would have put him among the top-earning athletes last year ... making more than Canelo Alvarez, who reportedly brought in $34 million.

As for Logan -- who came in at #8 on Forbes' YouTube list -- he reportedly made $18 million in 2021 ... large in part to his fight with Floyd Mayweather, his "Impaulsive" podcast, and other business opportunities.

A stomach-churning video from social media has authorities investigating a dog training facility for animal cruelty ... and the images of the dog getting brutally slammed to the ground is pretty damning evidence.

This went down at a place called TyCalK9 Dog Training Center in Arcola, TX ... outside Houston. The video, which we must warn is hard to watch, shows the trainer bark a command at a German Shepherd.

Apparently, the dog did not heed that command, because the trainer picks up the animal by its leash, swings it over his shoulder and then hurls it down onto a cement floor. You can hear the dog whimper as it struggles to get back on its feet.

The gruesome video has thrown social media into a frenzy, and it's also prompted the Fort Bend County District Attorney to launch an animal cruelty investigation.

The D.A. says, "We cannot share the details as the investigation is ongoing, but we take these matters seriously and do not condone the mistreatment of animals in any regard. A thorough investigation by experienced animal cruelty investigators and prosecutors is underway."

Devin Booker was so pissed at the Toronto Raptors' mascot during a game on Tuesday -- he made the refs move it so he could shoot free throws in peace.

For real.

The wild scene happened during the Suns' tilt with Toronto in Canada, where no fans were allowed in the building due to a recent surge in COVID cases in the area.

Toronto, though, did allow its mascot to attend ... and as Booker was shooting some crucial free throws with 6.5 seconds left in the game -- the person in the furry suit jumped up and down.

Booker nearly missed his first shot over it -- and then he was so ticked about it, he made the refs put a stop to it.

"Booker's complaining about the Raptor, the lone fan that is there," the TV broadcaster said during the game. "He's been sent away!"

Booker eventually sunk the free throws and the Suns got the W ... and afterward, Devin confirmed he was hot about the situation.

"I was just trying to get him out the way," Kendall Jenner's BF said. "It worked."

"I'd rather be shooting them without him down there. We play shooting games all the time everyday. These two do the same thing and I complain then. That's just me."

Fortunately, Booker said he and the red dinosaur will have no beef going forward ... he told media members, "We hashed it out. We're cool now."

As the clock ticked down to zero in Indianapolis, the party was on in Athens ... with Univ. of Georgia fans going crazy in the streets to celebrate the Bulldogs' win over Alabama.

Just minutes after UGA capped off its 33-18 national championship win over the Tide at Lucas Oil Stadium ... people rushed into huge crowds near the Georgia campus.

Fans danced, chanted and cheered -- with video showing thousands of people crammed into tight spaces following the Dawgs' victory.

Several people threw traffic cones -- and some even climbed light poles to celebrate the occasion too!!

But, a spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department tells TMZ Sports everyone was largely behaved, saying there were only "a handful" of arrests made for misdemeanor offenses.

Back at the stadium in Indiana ... the players partied with cigars to celebrate the W -- and they even got some love from big UGA fan Quavo in the postgame locker room.

The rapper rubbed elbows with team ... all while they blared Migos over the speakers.

And, if you think it all might be a little excessive -- it isn't ... 'cause it's been 41 years since the school last won a natty.

Ayesha Curry is putting an end to "ridiculous" rumors she's in an open relationship with her NBA superstar husband, Stephen Curry ... saying it's 100% not true.

Ayesha -- who married Steph in 2011 -- is breaking her silence weeks after gossip blogs reported (citing an anonymous tip) the adored couple wasn't monogamous ... denying the claims in a response to an Instagram troll.

"Don't believe everything you read," Curry said on Monday. "Do you know how ridiculous that is? Don't disrespect my marriage like that. Please and thank you."

Of course, the Currys first met as teens in Charlotte, N.C. ... but didn't start dating until years later.

The couple got hitched on July 30, 2011 ... and went on to have 3 kids together -- Riley (9), Ryan (6), and Canon (3).

The Currys have found success in both of their fields -- Steph is a 3-time champ and a perennial MVP candidate ... while Ayesha has her own cooking line and show.