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Good news, bad news, Lakers fans -- Shaquille O'Neal says LeBron James' squad WILL turn things around and make the playoffs this season ... but, bringing home a championship "probably" ain't happening.

TMZ Sports talked to the Big Fella at his "Shaq's Fun House" Super Bowl party on Friday ... and he kept it a buck about the Lake Show's title hopes as they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 26-30 record.

"They definitely will make the playoffs," Shaq says ... adding there's always pressure within the Lakers organization to be the best.

"This was one of the hardest franchises I ever had to play for," Shaq says.

"I remember when I came here, Jerry West said, 'Look, I know you do movies, I know you do rap albums and all that,' But, he made me look up [in the rafters] and I seen Wilt [Chamberlain] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and he said, 'At the end of this, you're either going to be a bust or you're going to be a legend.' So, those guys have to decide how they want to be remembered."

Shaq believes the problem is this Lakers team is old and playing like it ... but if they bring the energy for all 48 minutes each game, they'll start to find more success against the younger teams in the league.

Of course, O'Neal knows a thing or two about winning in L.A. -- he helped the Purple and Gold with 3-straight titles from 2000-2002 ... something he paid tribute to during his DJ Diesel set at the party.

The current Lakers seem far from locking in title #18 this year ... and James Worthy recently said his former team is at the "lowest point" he's ever seen.

Justin Bieber brought a ton of A-listers out to his show for the opening night of Super Bowl weekend ... including Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, who couldn't get their hands off each other.

JB was the highlight of h.wood Group and REVOLVE's Super Bowl party Friday night at Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood ... an event which also included Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Shawn Mendes, Tobey Maguire, Tyga, Logan Paul and a ton of others.

Jeff and Lauren certainly enjoyed the performance, and got pretty handsy during their set as they hung out with her ex, NFL legend Tony Gonzalez in a roped-off VIP section.

Justin performed a variety of his hits in the almost-hour-long set, including "What Do You Mean?" as the crowd of about 1,500 sang along.

Jeff and Lauren were spotted leaving the party around 1 AM, but didn't appear to show up at the after-party where shots rang out more than an hour later.

Rapper Blueface was arrested early Saturday on gun charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Blueface was driving with a few people at around 3:15 AM but was stopped by cops in the heart of Hollywood at the intersection of Sunset and Vine.

Police say Blueface was pulled over because he was driving with a car that had an expired registration. Cops ran a computer check and found he was also driving on a suspended license.

That wasn't the worst of it. Blueface was ordered out of the vehicle and cops searched inside and found a loaded firearm in the center console.

Van Jones is taking progressive to a new level -- the activist and CNN commentator is a proud new dad, and he and the baby's mother just might inspire a new movement in parenting.

Van tells TMZ, "After the COVID lockdown, I got clear that I wanted another kid. I discovered that my friend Noemi also wanted a baby. So, we decided to join forces and become conscious co-parents. It’s a concept that I hope more people will explore and consider."

He continues, "This month we welcomed to Earth a baby girl, whom we will raise as co-parenting partners. This is a special time for our families. I feel grateful, joyful and blessed."

Now, sources connected to Van tell us the mother's full name is Noemi Zamacona, and they've been friends -- through a shared interest in criminal justice advocacy -- for several years. In fact, we're told their decision to have a child together was literally made over a friendly meal. Ya know what they say about friends in need!

One source described Noemi and Van's current relationship this way -- "It's a very modern arrangement. They're not a couple, but they are a team that wants to raise a kid together."

Van has 2 children from his previous marriage, and we're told this is Noemi's first.

In his statement, Van adds ... "As we create a safe and loving environment for this blessed young soul, I respectfully ask for privacy. Thank you for all the love and support.”

No word on the baby girl's name yet, but we're really wondering if either Van or Noemi plan to trademark "conscious co-parenting."

Bill Maher went in hard Friday night, using Whoopi Goldberg as an example of how America has become a hateful, spiteful country that celebrates a misinformed view of karma.

The 'Real Time' host railed on the concept of karma, saying it's bulls*** to begin with -- no such thing -- but the lore of karma was actually a positive, zen-type thing, but we've made it a thing of revenge.

Bill's phone was filled with texts after Whoopi was suspended, with friends telling him how happy they were that karma hit her hard. Bill lashed out at his buds, saying yeah, Whoopi has gone after him for his views on COVID and other stuff, but that's called free speech.

He also says she's wrong on COVID and was wrong when she talked about race -- the thing that got her benched for 2 weeks -- but that's called disagreement. As he says, she has a right to speak, and the cure for misinformed speech is more speech. And, as he hilariously mused, Whoopi has a rock-solid defense -- "F*** it, it's 11 AM!"

As Bill puts it, "The View" suspending Whoopi for her views is like firing Pat Sajak for selling a vowel.

Boxing star Jermall Charlo is in trouble with the law again ... TMZ Sports has learned he was arrested on Friday in Texas.

A Fort Bend County Jail official tells us ... the 31-year-old was booked at around 1:30 PM CT after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

According to jail records, Charlo was booked on a felony charge of assaulting a family/household member with a previous conviction. His bond was set at $10,000, though records show he's still in custody.

Details of the allegations against Charlo are currently unclear ... we're working on it.

This is the second time Charlo has been arrested in the past year -- as we previously reported, he was taken into custody in San Antonio in August 2021 after he was accused of stealing from a waitress during a dispute at a bar.

That case was dismissed earlier this month due to "insufficient evidence," records show.

Story developing ...

Shanna Moakler's boyfriend is having second thoughts about proposing ... because he's not liking what he's seeing from her and Lamar Odom on the "Celebrity Big Brother" live feed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Shanna's boyfriend, Matthew Rondeau, is NOT happy with the subtle sexual innuendos flying back and forth between his girl and Lamar inside the 'CBB' house.

We're told Matthew's been watching the live feeds, plus the reality show, ever since Shanna entered the house ... and he's picked up some troublesome behavior between the two.

In one clip, Shanna says to Lamar ... "These are wetter so just keep pushing" ... and he replies "that's always better." The exchange continues with Shanna saying, "Always better when it's wetter, that's my motto."

Our sources say Matthew noticed Shanna using some of the same phrases he uses around her, and he finds it disrespectful and hurtful and doesn't know why she's doing it.

Matthew understands Shanna's on a reality show, but he feels boundaries are being crossed ... and assumes producers are egging on the narrative for the show.

Regardless, we're told things aren't sitting well with Matthew because Shanna is still his girlfriend ... TV cameras be damned.

Add it all up, and our sources say Matthew is second-guessing whether he wants to take the plunge with Shanna and ask for her hand in marriage.

Our recon is that the Super Bowl Halftime Show will be among the best ever ... and is Kanye serious about pulling the plug on Coachella if Billie doesn't apologize? So, we gotta ask ...

Floyd Mayweather's bodyguard is under investigation for battery after a man claimed he was assaulted by the TMT member, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... but there are inconsistencies with the accuser's story.

Mayweather was at Yard House near Crypto.com arena (formerly Staples Center) in L.A. around 6 PM Thursday. While there, we're told a man claims he was assaulted by a guy on Mayweather's security team ... after the boxer allegedly got upset the alleged victim was filming him.

But, almost the entire interaction is up for debate.

The alleged victim claims he was hit by bodyguard. However, witnesses told police the bodyguard didn't hit the guy ... but rather knocked a cell phone out of his hand.

Witnesses told cops the man "flopped" after the incident with the bodyguard, falling over in dramatic fashion.

The alleged victim told cops the bodyguard then allegedly picked up the phone, and attempted to get the man to unlock him phone and erase the video. But, the man allegedly declined to comply, so the bodyguard gave the phone back, and everyone went separate ways.

As for the superstar boxer, a rep tells us Mayweather stopped by the restaurant, but left because the place was too crowded. Floyd says there was no incident at Yard House.

The man who was allegedly assaulted waited about a half-hour to call police. Cops responded and took a battery report. The man's story was not entirely consistent with witness claims.

Police will now investigate the alleged incident. No one has been arrested.

With Super Bowl LVI weekend stealing all the attention, there's a good chance you may have forgotten another celebration right around the corner ... Valentine's Day!

If you're left scrambling for a gift for your loved ones, then TMZ has you covered with some of the most topical V-Day cards the season has to offer!

Click through this cool collection of cards and pick out your favorites! From Aaron Rodgers to Olivia Rodrigo, there is something for everyone! You'll be able to download the PDF and print it straight from your house! It's that easy!

Pucker up and get ready to feel the love this year!

Suge Knight's son thinks Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records is a victory for West Coast rap ... and says there's no bad blood coming from his old man.

Suge Jacob Knight tells TMZ ... he's happy just like lots of folks in Cali that Snoop is taking over Death Row, because it's time the West Coast starts winning again after losing icons like Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant.

As we reported ... Snoop just became the top dog at Death Row Records, the label that launched his career nearly 3 decades ago.

Snoop bought Death Row from Blackstone investment firm and MNRK Music Group ... and Jacob tells us he previously pitched execs there on a rebrand, and he thinks the Doggfather is the right guy to carry the torch.

While some folks reacted to the purchase by theorizing Suge will be enraged, his son says that's simply not the case. He says everything's kosher between Suge and Snoop, despite the widespread belief the two are on the outs.

LisaRaye McCoy is laying down some surprising facts about Da Brat's pregnancy ... saying she didn't even get a call her sister's expecting!

The actress was on the new podcast "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" when she opened up about her rough relationship with her sister. It all spilled out when Raq asked how she felt about Brat having a baby.

You gotta see this ... LR took a moment, and then dropped a one-word response, "Wonderful." The tension was obvious as she explained she found out about the baby news on social media.

LisaRaye was visibly upset, and said the whole ordeal "takes me back" ... a clear reference to the last time the sisters got together publicly -- on LisaRaye's Fox Soul show, "Cocktails with Queens."

McCoy was celebrating her 53rd birthday, and Da Brat made a surprise appearance. What started as a sweet tribute to the Chicago natives' childhood ended with LR getting irate with Brat.

LisaRaye was crying and speaking directly to her sister about not talking for months ... when co-host Vivica A. Fox attempted to get LisaRaye to enjoy her birthday wishes, but she angrily said to her co-hosts, “I don’t give a **** what y’all saying at all.”

It was far from a warm fuzzy ending, and probably explains why she learned about Brat's pregnancy online.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky make you send out an SOS! Follow your heart to find love in a hopeless place ... and all the sneaky switches!

One of the hottest couples in Hollywood -- who just announced they are expecting a baby a few weeks ago -- was spotted out after dinner in New York City last month ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Love is on the brain this Valentine's Day weekend so see if you can see the differences in these two super similar lovebird snaps!

Soho's Little Beach House Malibu is quite literally a celebrity hot spot ... because a fire erupted at the swanky oceanside club.

A portion of the restaurant, which sits next door to the famous Nobu Malibu, burst into flames Friday ... but the blaze was eventually extinguished. Videos posted on the Citizen App showed smoke pouring out of the building.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the cause was a grease fire in the establishment's ventilation system. We're told Soho is being shut down until the Health Department is able to come by and check things out.

It's certainly a bummer for members and not the way anyone wanted to start their Super Bowl weekend in Los Angeles. Unclear if any celebs were there to witness the blaze ... but luckily, there were no injuries.

The fire at Soho in Malibu comes just a few weeks after Kanye West was there.

Tom Brady hung up his football cleats and slipped on some sneakers for a romantic walk in the sand with Gisele.

TB12 and Gisele are on their annual beach vacation down in Costa Rica ... and locked hands Friday as they strolled along the sand ... with a cute pup in tow.

Seems retirement is suiting Tom well ... they both look super happy. It's only been a few weeks since he gave up football after 22 years in the NFL, saying he wants to spend more time with the fam.

Tom and Gisele are about to celebrate 13 years of marriage ... when you can smile broadly after that amount of time, something's clearly working!

The Brady bunch is down in Costa Rica a little bit sooner than Tom probably would have wanted ... the family always jets down after football season, but the Super Bowl is just 2 days away.

Celebs are officially out and about to kickoff Super Bowl weekend, flooding the streets of Beverly Hills to get hyped up before the big game ... and scarf down some breakfast, too.

Spago was the spot for Michael Rubin's power brunch Friday ... with a guest list that included Shaq, Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, A-Rod, Lil Baby, Steve Aoki and J Balvin!

Certainly an impressive group of A-listers, but should be expected for one of the biggest weekends of the year in such a celeb-heavy city.