NBA Legend & Celtics Great Bill Russell Dead at 88

Bill Russell -- one of the greatest and most accomplished NBA players of all time -- has died.

The announcement came courtesy of Bill's own official social media page, which posted Sunday with a sad update. The text says BR passed away peacefully with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The exact circumstances of his death weren't discussed further.

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Bill's post goes on to list his many accomplishments, dating back to his high school days. He'd won two state championships on that level, two NCAA titles, a gold medal in the Olympics ... and, of course, 11 NBA championship titles with the Boston Celtics -- plus two titles with that same organization with him as head coach and a player simultaneously, a historic feat at the time ... on several levels, obviously.

His obit here touches on the fact that he was a civil rights activist during his playing time, with boycotts of certain events and public remarks that spoke out against racism and discrimination that was prevalent throughout the U.S. at the time.

Bill is by far one of the GOATs in league history -- evidenced in the fact that the current NBA Finals MVP award is named after him ... something that was instated in 2009.

He's been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice ... once as a player in 1975, and again as a coach just last year. His career is memorable, especially since he broke into the NBA when it was just being expanded as an organization and getting integrated with Black and white players alike, during a time of segregation in the country.

His accolades go well beyond what was mentioned above -- Bill has an enormous amount of NBA honors, including several All-Star appearances, NBA First-Team mentions, lifetime achievement awards and on and on. He retired from the sport in 1988, playing for 3 decades.

As you can imagine ... the tributes are absolutely pouring in right now. Bill Russell was beloved by just about everyone in and around the league ... players, coaches, owners and media members alike. He would come to games quite often, and was very visible in the basketball community.

Arrangements for his memorial and funeral are being made now by the family. Bill is survived by his wife, three children and other extended family. He was 88.

RIP

JAYDAYOUNGAN Ambushed By 5 Gunmen ... Dad Details Fatal Shooting

Popular Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan was fatally ambushed by 5 gunmen ... according to his father, who was there when his son was gunned down.

The slain rapper's dad, Kenyatta Scott, tells TMZ ... he and JayDaYoungan were sitting in the front yard of their Louisiana home Wednesday evening when a black truck pulled up and 3 people hopped out with guns.

Scott says he and his son tried running inside the house, but 2 more people with guns approached from the side of the property ... and then shots rang out.

JDY's father says he was armed too and shot back to defend himself and his son. Scott was shot twice in the arm, while JayDaYoungan was struck at least 8 times. Scott remains in the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... JDY lost a lot of blood in the shooting and underwent surgery, but died in the hospital.

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ON THE SCENE
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The rapper's dad believes his son's murder was the result of jealousy ... that he made it out of Bogalusa ... he thinks whoever was behind the shooting was envious of JDY's success.

Scott says his son didn't have beef with anyone, and he doesn't think it was gang-related. He does not think JDY knew the gunmen.

Bogalusa Police Chief Kendall Bullen tells TMZ ... cops are looking at all possibilities for a motive, including gangs and/or retaliation.

For some reason, cops think there was only one shooter ... police have not ID'd the suspect or made any arrests.

JayDaYoungan's dad says folks should remember the rapper as a "good, humble and respectful kid."

J Lo Enough Honeymoon Already!!! Performs at Ukrainian Relief Concert

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J LO GETS LOUD
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Jennifer Lopez has bounced from honeymoon to freedom fighter, headlining a UNICEF concert to help in the Ukrainian relief effort.

J Lo took the stage at a 14th-century monastery in Capri, and she looked pretty incredible in a zebra-print getup with feathers and glitz. And this is a shocker ... she showed off her abs, which is always a gift!

Jen wasn't done ... the next outfit was a nude thong bodysuit ... again, pretty incredible.

JLo was the headliner, following Diplo, Sofia Carson and DJ Cruz.

There were tons of celebs on hand ... Leo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens and Maye Musk. Jennifer's bro-in-law, Casey Affleck, was also there with his gf Caylee Cowan.

No sign of Ben ... as far as we know, he's back in L.A. -- recovering from his honeymoon!

Chris Rock I Got Slapped by Suge Smith ... Take That, Will!

Chris Rock made a joke of that slap during his stand-up show, but was mum on Will Smith's apology.

Chris took the stage in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre this weekend ... his first appearance since Will's apology, and his jokes were on point.

He kinda brilliantly took a big issue in our country and weaved it into Oscar's greatest hit ... "Everybody is trying to be a f---ing victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith -- I went to work the next day, I got kids."

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'I TARNISHED YOUR MOMENT'

Chris wasn't done ... "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face!"

As you know, Will apologized to Chris during his video apology, saying Chris wasn't ready to have a chit-chat with him. As we reported, our Chris Rock sources told us -- pre-Will Smith vid -- Chris was not going to talk to Will or accept his apology. We don't know if the video softened his position, but based on what we've been hearing ... Chris has moved on.

As for Will finally going public 4 months after the slap, he didn't say why it took so long, but the whole apology seemed steeped in therapy -- a good thing -- so it looks like this is Will's reemergence. It's a very good bet the whole thing will not affect Will's career, long term.

Ying Yang Twins D-Roc Collapses on Stage

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LIFTED OFF STAGE
Twitter / @ZackPeters25

One of the Ying Yang Twins collapsed at a concert over the weekend, and had to be carried off the stage.

The Twins were performing at a show in Springfield, MO at the Ozark Empire Fair, when 30 minutes into their set, D-Roc just crashed to the floor of the stage. Security rushed up to him and got him off the stage ... presumably for help.

The Ying Yang Twins were special guests at the concert, headlined by Vanilla Ice.

It's unclear what happened to him ... temps were in the 80s so it doesn't seem like heat exhaustion. We don't know if he was taken to the hospital nor do we know his condition.

BTW ... the show went on.

Billy Porter SCOTUS IS COMING FOR GAY MARRIAGE ... Slippery Slope, Clarence!!!

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YOU'RE NEXT, CLARENCE
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Billy Porter thinks the Supreme Court is going to strike down gay marriage just like abortion rights ... but he's got a feeling SCOTUS might stop short at Justice Clarence Thomas' interracial marriage.

We got Billy in NYC and asked how likely he thinks it is SCOTUS will keep rolling back the clock, and he believes nothing is safe when it comes to the highest court in the land.

Billy says SCOTUS is coming for pretty much everything and everybody, not just gays ... and the only thing not on the list is interracial marriage, for one specific reason.

BP's basically saying the fact Justice Thomas is married to a white woman, Ginni Thomas, is the only thing keeping interracial marriage from going the way of the dodo. Still, Billy's got a warning for Clarence.

We also asked Billy about GOP Congressman Glenn Thompson, who voted against protecting same-sex marriage ... then turned around and attended his gay son's wedding.

Bill says it reeks of hypocrisy .... and he's got some advice for those who want to protect people's rights.

Jake Paul Hasim Rahman Jr. Fight Canceled ... Over Weight Issue

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SCARED & UNPROFESSIONAL

Jake Paul's boxing match against Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled, according to the Problem Child's boxing promotion, after the 12-1 fighter allegedly failed to meet contractual obligations tied to his weight.

Paul vs. Rahman Jr. was set to go down August 6 at Madison Square Garden in NYC ... but just one week before the highly anticipated scrap, Most Valuable Promotions announced the fight was off.

It all has to do with the weight of Hasim, who previously fought at heavyweight, weighing more than 260 pounds. For the fight with Jake, Rahman Jr. agreed to weigh a maximum of 200 pounds at weigh-ins, the day before the fight.

However, MPV says Rahman Jr. was obligated to show the NY state athletic commission officials he was losing weight in the lead-up to the fight, in an effort to prevent a big weight cut in an attempt to make 200 pounds.

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LET THE TRASH TALK BEGIN
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Unfortunately, MVP says Hasim had lost less than one pound since signing the contract for the fight more than 3 weeks ago.

Due to this development, the athletic commission dictated the fight would be fought at 205 pounds instead. Paul -- who weighed in at 190 pounds for his second fight with Woodley -- says he agreed to the change.

But, MVP claims Rahman Jr. then demanded the match be fought at 215 pounds ... a huge jump from the originally agreed upon 200 pounds.

That's where Jake drew the line ... and that's why MVP says the fight isn't happening.

"MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner. Therefore, MVP is left no choice but to cancel the August 6th event. This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event," a statement released by the promotion said.

A few weeks ago we talked to Rahman Jr. ... and he seemed to take issue with the weight cut.

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EXPOSING HIS TACTICS
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Jake responded to the cancelation, saying ... "First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me."

"I apologize to all of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans."

Of course, Hasim wasn't Jake's original opponent. That was supposed to be Tommy Fury ... but Tyson's bro pulled out over issues traveling to the U.S.

It's unclear if Paul will now attempt to reschedule the fight with Tommy sometime in the near future.

Ric Flair I'm 'Drinking Every Night' Before Final Fight ... I'm No Good Sober!!!

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READY AS I'LL EVER BE
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Ric Flair is preparing for his final wrestling match the only way the Nature Boy would -- by training his ass off and drinking every night leading up to it.

73-year-old Flair is slated to wrestle for the very last time (and first in-ring bout since 2011) on Sunday in Nashville ... teaming up with his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo, and fighting Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

We spoke with Naitch leading up to the fight ... and he says he's faced plenty of challenges in training, but he never thought once about postponing or backing out.

Flair says he recently thought he had pneumonia or COVID-19 and dealt with plantar fasciitis ... but now, he's "good to go."

"I would never postpone it," Flair tells TMZ Sports. "They'd have to kill me for that. So many people have contributed their time and effort to make this happen. I just wanted to be at 100% of what I can be now."

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Flair has dealt with numerous issues in the past -- he previously said it's a "miracle" he's alive after several serious health scares -- but he tells us he's beating all odds and training like a madman leading up to the match ... even doing 500 squats a day and crushing it on the stationary bike, despite having a pacemaker.

Ric says he's getting his heart rate much higher than he's expected to, and he's also drinking his fair share of adult beverages to make sure he's his true self.

"I guaranteed you that I'll be drinking every night," Flair told us. "I don't do good when I don't drink."

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BLOODIED AND BEATEN
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Flair says it'll be an emotional night to say the least ... and his whole family will be there to watch him perform.

As for whether he's guaranteeing a win, Flair's got a great perspective on the potential outcome.

The event -- put on by Starrcast -- goes down Sunday night on Fite!

Luci Fang Sink Your Teeth Into Her Hot Shots!

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from the lacy looks of Aussie model Luci Fang after she slipped into some white-hot lingerie and sipped some vino while hanging around the house in Sydney.

When this influencer and entrepreneur isn't blessing her Instagram and TikTok followers with her latest and greatest sexy shots ... Luci loves to make music on the piano and flute, enjoy the outdoors while golfing or skiing ... but most of all loves a good dad joke!

What's a vampire's favorite hottie? ... FANG!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Be sure to check back every Sunday this summer to see who's overheating your computer modem.

Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo TikTok Couple's Bell Canyon Home ... Hittin' The Market for Lots Of Dough!!!

TikTokers Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo's Bell Canyon home has been listed for sale ... and it's got quite the price tag for whoever wants to pick up what the influencer couple once called home.

Tucked away in the hills near Calabasas, Nicky and Pierre's $2.25M house has great views of the canyon during the day and city lights at night ... the building's got floor-to-ceiling windows to take it all in.

The 4.4K square foot pad comes with a 3-car garage, a temperature-controlled wine room and an elevator to bring you to any floor in the house -- whether you're unable to go upstairs or just don't feel like making the climb.

The outside's got the obligatory pool with several patio areas nearby for some tanning and R&R.

The surrounding area's got a ton of stuff to do as well -- it has a park, tennis courts, hiking trails and spots for horseback riding.

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It's quite the place for a TikTok couple ... for those unaware, Nicky and Pierre have a combined follower count of over 24M on the platform, jumping on all sorts of viral trends, challenges and dances.

Rebekah Schwartz of The Agency holds the listing.

Their success came seemingly overnight ... in a recent interview Nicky says "we went from renting a studio apartment to owning a house in Calabasas in a matter of a year.”

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Underneath this spiked-out man is an American actor who started his career by double-dipping in the ultimate childhood TV networks: Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel. Even though he was just getting his feet wet in the industry, his role in "Hannah Montana" served him quite well and propelled him into landing a main role on a hit show alongside Jamie Lynn Spears.

He recently put on his best 'rubber legs' and sauntered onto "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" ... just ahead of his current movie premiere. Can you detect the 'Hound Dog' that lies under this scrambled celeb? 'It's Now or Never!'

Taylor Swift Fan Claim She Donated to Environment Charity??? Likely BS Amid Jet Backlash

Taylor Swift is getting torn up after everyone learned her private jet has been getting used A LOT, but one fan tried deflecting the outrage ... by posting an apparent false claim.

A self-described Swiftie threw up a couple tweets Friday that got a ton of traction online ... this as the backlash against TayTay continues to mount amid news that her jet has been dumping CO2 emissions all over the place for several months now ... just the latest celeb to be called out for what many label a massive carbon footprint being left on the environment.

The woman -- who goes by Britt, with the handle @taysrep89, and devotes a majority of her feed to singing TS's praises -- wrote, "TAYLOR SWIFT JUST OFFERED TO DONATE 10K TO MY ENVIRONMENT ORGANIZATION?? THIS IS BIGGER THAN ALL OUR DONATIONS FROM THE PAST 3 MONTHS THANK YOU SO MUCH @taylorswift13."

BTW, Britt claims she's the head of an environmental charity of some sort called the National Environmental Protection Agency -- which, as far as we can tell, doesn't exist. The EPA sure does, but there aren't a lot of legitimate hits with the word "National" at the front.

In any case, the woman doubled down on her claim that Taylor had sent her/her supposed org $10,000 ... not just showing a screenshot of what appears to be a DM from the singer ... but going on to post more interactions that seemingly show the convo continuing.

This gal said, yes, this is real ... but her tweets since suggest the whole thing's a hoax. Tweets she posted Saturday allude to some sort of lie, and how she can't be held accountable. And, if you dig through her replies, you'll see people acting shocked to learn this was all a prank ... with this woman apparently confirming that, albeit sorta cryptically.

If you look at her responses and tweets from today, you'll see she apparently doesn't mind if folks are calling her out for putting forth a false narrative about Taylor ... because this fan thinks she's actually doing Taylor a huge favor by playing crisis PR manager on her behalf.

Of course, Taylor herself has remained relatively silent on this issue -- although her rep did tell us this week her jet is loaned out to others ... so not all of its use is directly on her.

Dave Chappelle Tokes Up, Performs with Snoop ... Wifey Likes to Party Too!!!

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SINGIN' & SMOKIN'
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Dave Chappelle was letting it rip this weekend -- smoking and singing songs next to Snoop Dogg up in Northern California ... and the guy's wife was in on the fun as well!

The comedian was on hand Friday night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa Valley, where he took the stage next to SD to not just tell jokes and talk ... but to actually flex his pipes a bit. Indeed, they were rapping and crooning together -- and it's pretty funny.

Of course, Dave was also kind of in scavenger mode -- smoking what appeared to be a blunt with Snoop -- and the Doggfather actually comments on it at the end of the clip.

Essentially, Snoop says Dave was transforming into himself right before his eyes the more weed he took in -- and he goes on to explain that's why he doesn't like toke up with that many people ... otherwise, there'd be a crap ton of Snoop Doggs running around. 😆

BTW, DC's wife, Elaine, was also there during the festivities ... and it looks like she was having a ball alongside her hubby. There's photos of the two of them hugging up on each other, but this shot here kinda captures the vibe of the night in full.

We hear a lot about Elaine in Dave's standup, but hardly ever see her out in public ... so it's cool to catch her in action like this. Per usual, Dave's rolling with the good times -- and any lingering controversy regarding 'The Closer' just doesn't seem to stick ... at least to him.

President Biden I Got Covid Again ... After Days of Being Negative

UPDATE

2:48 PM PT -- There's a lot of hoopla surrounding the COVID announcement regarding Biden, but he wants the world to know he's doing A-OK ... by posting this video of him and his dog.

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Check out this video posted to Joe's social media page, where assures everyone that's he's feeling fine and that he'll be working from home for the time being. His German Shepherd, Commander, is right there by his side ... so this diagnosis isn't as dire as some are making it out to be.

President Biden has contracted COVID-19 again -- this after several days of testing negative for the virus and seemingly entering the recovery lane, with any illness in the rearview.

JB announced he'd tested positive once more on Saturday, taking to Twitter to write ... "Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again. This happens with a small minority of folks. I’ve got no symptoms but I am going to isolate for the safety of everyone around me. I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon."

His White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, supplemented the news with a bit more information and context, publishing a letter that further described Biden's renewed case.

Dr. O'Connor described this as a "rebound" effect, something he says happens with a small percentage of people who catch COVID and are treated with something called PAXLOVID -- which seems to be a medication POTUS was given to help combat the virus and symptoms.

His letter goes on to say Biden tested negative on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday -- but despite this, an antigen test administered on Saturday morning proved to be positive. The doc notes, "The President has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well."

It continues, "This being the case, there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time, but we will obviously continue close observation." Even though he won't go on any more meds for COVID, Biden will re-enter isolation procedures out of precaution, just like before.

Earlier this week, he made his official return to work and did a public appearance in the Rose Garden. He'd also told the press he was "feeling great" and was ready to get back to it.

Originally Published -- 12:25 PM PT

Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights' Fans Gather En Masse to Dance ... All These People in Red!!!

Kate Bush is having a moment in 2022, which couldn't be more clear than what's happening this weekend -- namely, thousands of people coming together to dance to one of her songs.

It's the singer's 64th birthday Saturday, which also happens to coincide with 'Wuthering Heights Day' ... an annual event where her legions of fans come flocking to different sites around the world to collectively boogie to her signature track of the same name.

Of course, they're all dressed in red ... a direct homage to KB's iconic music video -- in which she also puts on some killer hippy-dippy moves in a field, surrounded by woods.

Supposedly, this has been a thing for a while -- dating back to 2013, it seems -- but the yearly get-together was paused during COVID, and hasn't fired back up until now. Since then, Kate has seen a resurgence in pop culture ... thanks to "Stranger Things" using her song "Running Up That Hill."

Soooo, thanks to that renewed popularity ... this year's Wuthering Heights Day is insane, with pop-ups in Sydney, different parts of the U.K. and beyond -- the turnout might be higher than ever before, frankly.

Looks like Kate Bush's relevancy in society is stronger than it might've been in her heyday. When you got a 'Midsommar'-esque shindig like this -- it's hard to deny, she's still a thing.

Skal!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Shout-Out to My Late Mother ... Day Before My 75th Bday!!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger hit a milestone in age this weekend -- but he doesn't really wanna talk about that ... instead, he put the focus on his late mother, with a very touching tribute.

The ex-California governor and legendary movie star hit the big 7-5 Saturday, and he's getting tons of tributes online and elsewhere ... with everyone wishing him a happy 75th birthday. Of course, it's well-deserved -- but AS's mind seems to be elsewhere right now.

On Friday -- the day before Arnold's own bday -- he posted a remembrance for his mom, Aurelia, whom he said would've turned 100. He explains how much his mother meant to him while she was alive, and what she taught him growing up that he still upholds today.

Arnold writes, "Today my mother, Aurelia, would have turned 100. She was the best mother you can imagine and I’ll always love her. I can’t explain how much she meant to me, but she is the number one reason I won’t call myself self-made."

He adds, "She showed me unconditional love, the importance of keeping my house clean, how to make the perfect schnitzel, and patience. A lot of patience. Make sure to tell your mothers how much they mean to you!"

Aurelia passed away while visiting the gravesite of her late husband, Gustav, in her native Austria back in 1998. She collapsed during the visit after suffering a heart attack -- and despite being flown to the nearest hospital, she died.

It greatly affected Arnold at the time, whose Hollywood star was at its peak ... he said his world was crushed, and clearly -- his mother's death still means a great deal to him today.

He wants to celebrate her, and the world wants to celebrate him ... just celebrate the Schwarzeneggers in general this week, 'cause they've given us all a lot. Happy birthday!