You Might Want to Rethink

Daymond John says Adidas has a huge decision to make about Kanye West ... he says the relationship can go boom or bust, and the big issue is Ye's unpredictability.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss Adidas announcing it's reviewing the partnership with Kanye following his controversial YZY fashion show in Paris -- y'know, the one where he wore the "White Lives Matter" tee.

Daymond says Adidas is going to have a very tough decision to make. He says Ye can make or break the brand, but the X-factor is Kanye's volatility, which makes for a big risk no matter what direction Adidas takes.

As we reported, Ye's volatility was on display almost immediately after the Adidas announcement -- he accused the company of raping and stealing his ideas. Oh, and he boldly declared he IS Adidas.

Daymond added ... he hopes both parties can work this out, because it's in their best interests to do so. Interestingly, he thinks the final decision won't be made with only the bottom line in mind.

Speaking of finances, Daymond's looking to boost 'em for business owners ... with his third annual Black Entrepreneurs Day at the famed Apollo Theater.

He let us in on the huge (literally in Shaq's case) celebs who'll be joining him on stage on October 27 to share their success stories, and to dish out valuable advice.

AEW star Saraya, formerly known as Paige in the WWE, has reportedly been cleared to wrestle again ... after she initially retired from the sport back in 2018 due to a neck injury.

Saraya -- who made her AEW debut on the "Grand Slam" Dynamite Episode on Sept. 21 -- has been cleared by AEW's ringside physician Dr. Michael Sampson, according to Dave Meltzer.

The doc's decision will now pave the way for Saraya to step into real competition in the squared circle again -- something she hasn't done since 2017, when she was injured during a six-woman tag team match.

She had attempted to make a recovery immediately following the injury ... but in 2018, at 25 years old, she stepped away from the sport seemingly for good.

It appears she's now recovered enough to be able to get after it again without significant risk of re-injury.

The 30-year-old could be headed for a match with Britt Baker now -- as the two have already been intertwined in an AEW storyline.

Earlier this week, they got into an altercation in the ring -- potentially setting up a future match.

President Biden put the nation on red alert Thursday, announcing nuclear "Armageddon" is a real possibility given Russia's recent setbacks in its 8-month war in Ukraine.

At a Democratic fundraiser hosted by James Murdoch, Biden characterized Russian Czar Vladimir Putin as "a guy I know fairly well" -- and added, Putin was "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons."

Biden went on to say, "We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis." He also implied the threat from Putin is tangible "because his military is -- you might say -- significantly underperforming."

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day showdown in 1962 born out of the Soviet Union's deployment of nuclear weapons in Cuba ... prompting the Kennedy administration to launch a naval blockade of the island.

As far as the public knows, it remains the closest the U.S ever came to a nuclear war.

Biden says he's still "trying to figure" out Putin's "off-ramp" in Ukraine. Where does he find a way out?" Biden asked. "Where does he find himself in a position that he does not not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?"

Despite Biden's chilling warning, U.S. officials have NOT seen Russia change its nuclear posture to launch an imminent attack.

Draymond Green -- already in midseason form -- reportedly hit teammate Jordan Poole at practice Wednesday after a heated shoving match, and now the Warriors star is facing potential discipline.

Green and Poole reportedly exchanged words before things turned physical, according to a Shams Charania report.

The NBA insider says tensions were high, and the men were pushing before Draymond allegedly decked Jordan. The men had to be immediately separated.

As a result of the scuffle, the Warriors are reportedly considering disciplining Green for his role in the fight.

Green and Poole -- now in his fourth season with the team -- are known to have regular arguments, according to Shams, but Dubs brass believes today's incident went too far.

Dray and Jordan won an NBA title together in June ... when they defeated the Celtics in the Finals.

The Warriors have not yet commented on the incident.

Kim Kardashian's new podcast, "The System," is under attack by 2 siblings who survived a brutal crime, claiming podcast producers never reached out to them about the project ... a claim creators behind the pod are denying.

"The System" dives into the story of convicted murderer Kevin Keith -- a man Kim believes is innocent. Quanita and Quentin Reeves, who were shot during the alleged crime when they were just kids, say they were never given a heads-up about the podcast until its release.

Quentin told Daily Mail, "She did not contact us, not one time. Why aren't they contacting the victims?" They also claim Keith is guilty of the crime, saying they saw him do it.

A statement to TMZ on behalf of Tenderfoot TV & Big City TV, states, "The production team of The System made multiple attempts to reach out to the Reeves siblings. At the time, they decided not to share their story and requested we no longer contact them."

Prince Harry and Elton John believe their phones were tapped and personal info was stolen ... and now they're teaming up to go after a major news outlet who they believe is behind it, though the company is flatly denying the claims.

The Duke and the British rock star are part of a group of plaintiffs taking Associated Newspapers to court, claiming the company behind the Daily Mail and other publications hired investigators to put listening devices in people's homes and cars and paid police to dig up sensitive info.

The group is also reportedly accusing the Daily Mail publisher of tapping into phone convos, impersonating hospital staff to access medical info, and even gaining access to bank accounts and finances through illicit means and manipulation.

The company has denied these allegations, a spokesperson tells us, "We utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old."

"These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims - based on no credible evidence - appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere."

Other folks involved in the suit reportedly include ... Elton John's husband and producer David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence -- mother of a Black British teen who was infamously murdered.

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann got a very personal security check, mate ... getting his ass scanned outside the U.S. Chess Championships days after he was accused of using said rear-end to cheat dozens of times.

Security took a good long look at Hans' butt with a metal detector outside the Saint Louis Chess Club, where the championship began on Tuesday. The guard was pretty thorough in his search -- considering the female competitor in front of him didn't even have to turn around for her scan.

Sure looks like the Chess Club folks have heard some widespread Internet buzz about exactly how Niemann might be cheating.

An investigation opened Tuesday by Chess.com against Hans ... claiming he "likely cheated" in more than 100 online matches. World champ Magnus Carlsen first accused Hans of cheating in over-the-board matches, and then interested chess fans suggested online he could be using a vibrating butt plug to tip him off on moves.

For his part, Hans denies cheating, in general, and specifically using a sex toy. After a big win in the first round, he said, "I'm not going to back down and I'm going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure that I'm under.” He's also said he'd play naked if necessary.

Rick Ross says his "Boss" brand is being copied, threatening to sue the woman behind an upcoming kid's event unless she changes the name to something that doesn't give off that Maybach Music glow.

Rozay's team sent out a warning shot to Tiffany McIntosh of "I’m the Biggest Boss Conference" ... after accusing her of using a couple of his biggest hits -- singles "The Boss" and "Push It" -- to promote her conference designed to shape children into entrepreneurs.

The legendary rapper also notes he has his own "Boss Up Conference" that went down this past September, and Ross insists her conference is likely to cause confusion that he's sponsoring her event.

According to the letter, Rozay says he wants to solve the matter amicably -- and spare Tiffany the litigation hassle, but only if she takes "Boss" out of her conference title and stops using his music to promote it.

Tiffany's event also has a celebrity connotation -- with scheduled appearances from Master P, Romeo Miller and Vivica Fox ... but Rozay wants his name, brand, and music kept out of it.

Ross said he wants his demands met by October 5th ... but we're told Tiffany does not intend to make the changes and plans to go forward with the event as is. Ross' legal counsel tells us they'll evaluate the situation accordingly if there's a failure to comply.

Three Florida teens stole a Maserati and drove at warp speed to elude cops, until the car flipped over and crashed, killing one of the occupants, this according to a new police video.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released helicopter footage, tracking the teens' every move from start to finish during Sunday's INSANE wreck in St. Petersburg.

In the video, the teens are seen walking up to the parked Maserati and slipping inside the unlocked vehicle, not knowing they're being watched from above. The police were in the area on an unrelated robbery call and saw them acting suspiciously.

The kids take off in the car and drive down the street first at a moderate speed as two police SUVs begin to follow them, trying to pull them over.

Suddenly, the Maserati zooms off, hitting speeds of 123 MPH ... leaving cops in the dust. Over the radio, a sergeant orders the SUV officers not to pursue the fast-moving car.

About 20 seconds later, the Maserati loses control and hydroplanes across the road, hitting a curb and flipping over onto the hood as debris flies everywhere.

15-year-old passenger Mario Bonilla died at the scene. Driver Keondrick Lang, also 15, and passenger Malachi Daniels, 16, were hospitalized. Both are expected to survive.

The Black Lives Matter movement is going after Kanye West for the controversial "White Lives Matter" shirt he wore to his YZY Show, saying it's nothing but a stunt to hurt folks fighting for justice.

In a statement to TMZ, BLM says ... "While some may see Kanye and Candace's stunt as a distraction, we recognize that it harms thousands of families fighting for justice for their loved ones killed by state-sanctioned violence."

BLM's also ripping Candace Owens -- who also wore the shirt -- for what they view as spreading "toxic confusion" ... claiming the shirts, and phrasing, can be "used to legitimize violent assaults on Black people."

Kanye should know better, BLM says, telling us ... "Kanye knows very well that 'white lives' have never been targeted for oppression. Black folks, in contrast, are at the bottom of virtually every economic, social, and political measure because of centuries of individual and institutional racism."

For his part, Kanye says he wore the "White Lives Matter" shirt at his fashion show because he thinks BLM "was a scam."

Naturally, BLM disagrees ... they say the movement will benefit everyone in the long run because "when Black people get free, everybody gets free."

Kanye West seems to be saying he wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt because, in his mind, Black Lives Matter is nothing but a racket.

Ye took to IG to respond to all the blowback he's been getting -- and it's been A LOT -- over a shirt he and his Yeezy models were rocking during his fashion show Monday ... which had the controversial message plastered across the back.

Ye says, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

What he's referring to, it seems, is the fact that a small handful of BLM executives who've been caught in alleged scandals over the past couple years -- including one honcho accused last month of siphoning $10 million from donors, and another who's been accused of using BLM funds to buy a house.

Candace Owens -- who was also on hand Monday for Ye's show, wearing the shirt too -- has been one of many critics on the right who've latched onto this, despite denials from the BLM execs ... and it would appear Kanye's skeptical too.

There's more ... KW also went after one specific person who criticized him because of his fashion choice/political statement -- a contributing editor for Vogue named Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who called his shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible" in a well-thought-out analysis.

His response was more simple, and quite frankly childish ... making fun of her wardrobe. He posted a photo of her, roasting her shoewear, saying -- "I KNOOOOOOW ANNA [Wintour] HAAAATES THESE BOOTS."

Kanye went on to say ... "This is not a fashion person. You speak on Ye. Ima speak on you. Ask Trevor Noah."

Gabriella doesn't seem to have responded to Ye's barbs just yet ... but she was far from the only blue checkmark to have blasted him for his stunt. Kanye was trending all day because of it -- with many recalling other controversial statements, including his infamous suggestion, while on "TMZ Live," that slavery was a choice ... not to mention all the MAGA stuff from over the past few years.

At any rate, it looks like Kanye is sticking to his guns. Not only was he wearing the shirt, but there are photos online from the Yeezy show that depict other people -- including models of his -- who were rocking it on the runway.

Just another day in the life of Kanye West. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The scales of justice may collide with a different set of scales, because 2 fishermen who were caught red-handed cheating to win nearly 29k in a fishing competition are now in the crosshairs of the law.

Chase Cominski and Jake Runyan -- who allegedly stuffed their winning catch with weights  -- are in big trouble. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office in Ohio tells TMZ, "My staff will be meeting with officers from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources today regarding the matter. I take all crime seriously, including attempted felony theft at a fishing tournament."

Prosecutor Michael O'Malley added, "These individuals will be held accountable."

Cominski and Runyan seemingly won Friday's competition with 2, 7-pound walleyes ... but there were suspicions, so the fish was cut open. That's when everyone saw the fish were stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets ... nearly doubling their actual weight.

These guys had a history of winning these competitions, and their competitors were pissed. You hear the outrage from the crowd.

Runyan was asked on camera if he had anything to say for himself, but he was mum.

Rams star Bobby Wagner gave security guards a hell of an assist during "Monday Night Football" ... knocking the snot out of a fan who had invaded the field with a smoke bomb in the middle of the game.

The wild scene happened just before halftime of L.A.'s loss to the Niners in Northern California ... when a protester hopped over Levi's Stadium railing and began running wild on the turf.

The man -- holding a smoke bomb that filled the air with pink fumes -- managed to evade stadium staffers for several moments ... until he made his way over to the Rams' sideline.

That's where Wagner buried his shoulder straight into the dude's chest -- leveling him to the grass. Security guards were then able to pile on the guy ... and he was removed without further incident.

The Manning brothers -- Peyton and Eli -- found the whole situation pretty funny while they were in the middle of broadcasting the action ... but Wagner said afterward he had legit concerns that the fan had nefarious intentions.

"We don't know what they're carrying in their pockets," the 32-year-old told media members.

"That's just keeping it safe," he added. "You don't know what that fan got or what they're doing."

Animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere took credit for the scene after the game ... explaining the man, and another protester who had been taken down before reaching the pitch, had hit the field in order to raise awareness for a trial involving the alleged theft of pigs from a factory farm.

The org. said the protesters were cited by police and ultimately released from custody. It added that the man who was tackled by Wagner suffered a burn on his arm.

Kanye West is stirring the pot again ... this time wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at his Yeezy fashion show.

The Yeezy head honcho was on hand Monday in Paris for a showcasing of his Season 9 collection, and during the show -- Ye was seen rocking a black T with a very clear "White Lives Matter" message on the back. The lettering is bold and in white without context.

The front of the shirt features images of Pope John Paul II and the message, "We shall follow your example."

The show started about an hour late, and featured a kids chorus, including his daughter North that sang while the models walked.

Kanye described the new collection as something you can "pull on and pull over" ... dubbing it the future of clothing. He also ranted a bit -- musing about how Elvis would fare in 2022 if he was alive, and saying "You cannot manage me" for good measure.

Before the show came to an end, a new song with Kanye and James Blake played through the speakers ... and everyone cheered.

Remember, Kanye wore a red MAGA hat for a while back in 2018 ... even sporting it at The White House when he met with Donald Trump.

Several H.S. football players in California were booted from their team after filming a racist prank where they sold their Black teammates at a "slave auction," TMZ Sports has learned ... and now the team has been forced to forfeit the entire year over a lack of eligible players.

Once the district got word of the video, made by members of the River Valley H.S. (CA) FB team, which was apparently meant to be funny, they acted swiftly ... kicking off the offending players for violating the student-athlete code of conduct.

"Re-enacting a slave sale as a prank tells us that we have a great deal of work to do with our students so they can distinguish between intent and impact," Yuba City Unified School District Superintendent Doreen Osumi wrote.

"They may have thought this skit was funny, but it is not; it is unacceptable and requires us to look honestly and deeply at issues of systemic racism."

Osumi said the students will be disciplined, but it's as much about teaching, too ... "education, honest, open discussions and instruction will guide our students to realize that their choices and actions have consequences."

The superintendent said the district is working to make sure the student body can learn from this situation -- adding she sees this as an opportunity for students to be more "aware, thoughtful, and considerate of others."

“When students find humor in something that is so deeply offensive, it tells me that we have an opportunity to help them expand their mindset," Osumi said.

River Valley hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start. They were 0-6, according to Max Preps. Football season in California usually kicks off mid-August, and with the playoffs, can go through mid-December.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says Kyrie Irving has done something "more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly" than his COVID-19 vax stance ... going off on the NBA superstar for sharing a controversial Alex Jones video on social media.

The Brooklyn Nets guard came under fire last month after reposting a 2002 clip of the "InfoWars" host ranting about a New World Order that would release plagues into society for financial gain ... which featured the caption "Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us."

Irving's Jones endorsement came weeks after the talking head apologized in court for claiming the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ... so the timing was a bit odd to say the least.

Now, KAJ is weighing in on Irving's actions ... saying if it weren't for young basketball fans, he'd be "dismissed as a comical buffoon."

"Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench," the Lakers legend said on his website.

"When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society-- Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more -- it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks."

Abdul-Jabbar says people shouldn't just scoff at Irving -- there should be action -- and he wants those outraged to write to the All-Star's sponsors to demand they cut ties with him.

"Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior."

FYI -- Irving's deal with Nike is most likely up after this season, but KAJ points out he still has deals with Pepsi and 2K Sports.