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The NBA has launched its own investigation into allegations made against the Clippers and Jerry West in a new lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

The allegations are spelled out in a lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes -- who says West promised him $2.5 MILLION for helping the Clippers sign superstar free agent Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

If the allegations are true, it would be a violation of NBA policy -- and West and the Clippers could be subject to league discipline.

For his part, West has DENIED the allegations -- telling TMZ Sports, "I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard.”

In his lawsuit, Wilkes says he has close ties with Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson -- and promised he had information that would give the Clippers an advantage in the battle to land the NBA's top free agent.

Wilkes says he also helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.

Kawhi ultimately signed with the Clippers -- but Wilkes says West never ponied up the $2.5 million fee ... so he filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and more.

Eminem's clapping back at Snoop Dogg in a new song after Snoop left him off his top 10 rappers list ... and he's also giving Rihanna a long-overdue apology.

The Detroit rapper just released a deluxe version of his album, "Music to Be Murdered By - Side B" and he responds to Snoop on his track, "Zeus."

Em raps ... "And as far as squashin' beef, I'm used to people knockin' me. But, just not in my camp. I'm diplomatic, 'cause I'm tryna be. Last thing I need is Snoop doggin' me. Man, dog, you was like a damn God to me. Man, not really. I had dog backwards."

Pretty soft as disses go, but Eminem's rebuttal comes after Snoop left him off his list of top 10 rappers of all time. Back in July, Snoop called Eminem "the great white hope" ... but basically Em owes all his success to Dr. Dre.

Em and Snoop have performed together -- they're both tight with Dre -- but now their beef seems to be heating up. It'll be interesting to see how/if they patch things up.

As for Rihanna ... Eminem said he's sorry for an older track -- not released, but leaked -- where he said he "sided" with Chris Brown.

He raps, also on Zeus, "But, me, long as I re-promise to be honest, and wholeheartedly, apologies, Rihanna. For that song that leaked, I'm sorry, Ri. It wasn't meant to cause you grief. Regardless, it was wrong of me."

Vanessa Bryant is lashing back at her mother -- claiming Sofia Laine only filed a lawsuit against her to "extort a financial windfall from our family."

Laine sued Vanessa earlier this week -- claiming Kobe Bryant had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life ... but after Kobe died in January, Vanessa left her out in the cold.

In her suit, Laine claims she worked as a nanny for Kobe and Vanessa -- and was "forced" to work around the clock for 18 years without proper meal or rest breaks.

Laine claims she was never paid for her work despite taking shifts on holidays and weekends.

She also claims Vanessa ordered her to move out of the home Kobe had allowed her to live in while he was alive.

But, Vanessa says her mom is lying -- saying, "I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny."

"I have always been a stay at home mother and my husband and I were my daughter's full-time care givers."

Vanessa continues, "In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers."

"As of ten years ago, our kids were full time students and athletes and I didn't have another child until 2016."

Vanessa says her mom's claims are "obviously false" -- and insists she repeatedly tried to "work things out with my mother" ... to no avail.

She concludes ... "This lawsuit is frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful. My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy."

We're told Sofia is planning to issue a response to Vanessa's statement soon.

Tom Cruise is flying south for the winter break ... fleeing his now controversial 'Mission: Impossible 7' set after blowing a gasket over COVID-19 rules.

Production's reportedly shut down on 'MI7,' but not due to a breach in COVID protocols -- it's so Tom can start his Christmas break a little earlier than planned. Cruise is hopping on a private jet to Miami to hang with his son, Connor ... according to The Sun.

Of course, the early break likely does have something to do with the film's star and producer blowing his top ... and the audio of his rant leaking.

As you know ... Tom exploded on set after seeing two crew members breaking COVID protocols by getting within 6 feet of each other, and his tirades and threats of mass firings convinced at least 5 folks to call it quits.

Now, Tom's deciding he needs a break too ... and The Sun reports Friday will be the movie's last day of filming this year, as tensions rise on set.

Too Short's promising no hate between E-40 and him for their upcoming Verzuz, and instead of bad blood -- a la Gucci Mane and Jeezy -- they're dropping knowledge.

We got the legendary Bay Area rapper Thursday as he shopped in Bev Hills. He told us he's not coming for his opponent's throat when the battle goes down this weekend ... but he's not taking it easy either.

Too Short admits there won't be any diss tracks about fatally shooting other rapper's friends -- but, watch the video, he explains what he and E-40 have planned and declares there will definitely be a winner.

Verzuz is going down Saturday, but you can tell Short's pretty chill about it and feeling a lot of love for his and E-40's hometown. That's obvious considering he stopped to pick up a new chain at Peter Marco Extraordinary Jewels with his friend and 'RHOC' star Liz Vargas as well as the pair's manager, David Weintraub.

Short says he'll be wearing some bling specifically for the Verzuz, and he says it's going to be auctioned off for charity after the battle.

Tisha Campbell's nasty divorce from Duane Martin is finally a done deal ... she's not getting any support payments but she gets to keep a home and a car.

Tisha and Duane got the judge's final stamp on their divorce Wednesday, and the judgment reveals neither party is getting any child or spousal support from the other.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tisha's keeping a leased property and a leased 2020 BMW. Duane's also walking away with a leased place and some cars, including a 2014 Bentley, BMW scooter, and a Kawasaki motorcycle.

The financial details are interesting ... remember, in an interview earlier this year, Tisha claimed she had $7 to her name after their split.

The exes also hammered out a visitation schedule for their minor son ... they're getting joint legal custody and sharing physical custody, with each parent getting the kid on alternating weeks.

Connie Chung just went scorched earth on some huge names in news ... saying working with Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer was "not unlike what Tonya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan."

Chung was on "The Originals" podcast for L.A. Magazine and dished about her time as an anchor at ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN. She said, "When I got to ABC news, I joined with Both Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer there and I thought, "Oh, this is going to be great. It'll be three women who get along."

Chung says it couldn't have been further from the truth, claiming her fellow anchors big footed her out of the best interviews ... per ABC news execs.

She was famously paired with Dan Rather as co-anchors of the "CBS Evening News," and says teaming up with Rather was right out of "Psycho."

And, there's more. Connie, who's been married to Maury Povich since 1984, frequently appeared on David Letterman's show. There was a lot of chatter they were flirting with each other, although Connie says, "I had this thing for him, and he had a thing for me, and I really think it was inexplicable in that respect." But, then she went on to say, "And yet, I really didn't have a thing for him. Do you know what I mean?" Sorta.

She went on to say Dave's "a dark, unhappy sort of, I don't mean he's unhappy. He is a kvetch ... He's anti-social is what he is."

Chung also had harsh words for Hugh Grant ... she had a cameo in "The Undoing." She says, "He was not very friendly. I had interviewed him right after 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' for his next movie. So when I saw him I said, 'Oh hi. I interviewed you ... do you remember? And he said, 'No."

We reached out to reps for Dan, Diane, Barbara and Dave ... so far, no word back.

Before this brunette beauty was a country girl singing tunes to get you in the mood for the holidays, she was just another cute kid serving some side-eye in Golden, Texas.

This golden gal has been performing her hit music at some of the most famous music festivals and even became the opening act for Harry Styles on his popular tour. Her most recent studio album gained critical acclaim winning 5 Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album and Album of the Year.

You can even get glittery for the holidays with her Christmas special on Amazon. Yeehaw!

Mystikal insisted he wasn’t guilty of rape ... and now it looks like a grand jury agreed with him 'cause TMZ's learned his rape charges have been dismissed.

A spokesperson with the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... a grand jury found there wasn't enough evidence to move forward with the charges and decided to dismiss the charges against Mystikal.

Mystikal's attorney, Joel Peace, tells TMZ ... the charges went away because “new scientific evidence emerged causing the Grand Jury to take a second look at the rape allegations made against [him]."

As we reported .... Mystikal turned himself in back in August 2017 when he was booked for first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping stemming from a 2016 incident involving a woman at a casino where he was performing. He spent 18 months behind bars but, thanks to a new recording deal, he finally posted $3 million bond in February to secure his release from a Louisiana prison.

Prosecutors offered a plea deal before the case ever went to trial but Mystikal rejected the offer. Why? Mystikal's defense teams believed the alleged victim had major credibility issues and were more than ready to battle it out in court.

Phew! That's the operative word after "Shameless" had to deal with a massive COVID-19 outbreak scare following tons of false-positive results on set ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the set went into full panic mode after recent COVID tests revealed 18 positive results. We're told production feared it had a massive outbreak on its hands.

Our sources say there was a lab screw up ... and bottom line, those 18 positive results were not positive at all. This does not appear to be a flaw in the testing method ... we're told it was a lab error.

It's also unclear if production shut down to deal with what was initially thought to be an outbreak ... which our sources say went down in the last week. The show recently shot large scenes with as many as 200 extras.

We're told they had also been shooting on location across various parts of L.A. as well as on the Warner Bros. lot.

When production resumed, the show's executive producer, John Wells, revealed the pandemic would be weaved into the 11th and final season of the hit Showtime series.

A Black man, who's a former police officer himself, is suing a Kansas deputy who ran him over with his patrol truck, and he believes this dramatic dashcam video proves his civil rights were violated.

Lionel Womack filed the federal suit Thursday, claiming he was surrounded by 4 cop cars during the August traffic stop. Womack says he was so frightened by the number of Kiowa County Sheriff's deputies responding for a simple traffic stop ... he took off running into an open field.

The dashcam footage shows Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez giving chase in his patrol truck, and eventually driving right over Womack.

Womack, who was a police detective in Kansas City, claims he initially complied when he was pulled over by one patrol vehicle ... presenting a valid driver's license, registration and proof of insurance.

Womack says when 3 more Sheriff's Dept. vehicles arrived ... he feared for his life. He describes it as a "fight-or-flight" moment, and took off running into the field.

Womack's suing Rodriguez for excessive force, claiming his civil rights were violated when he got hit by the truck. He says he suffered serious injuries to his back, pelvis, right knee, ankle and foot.

Jeremy Bulloch, the actor who played Boba Fett in several "Star Wars" films, has died.

Jeremy's death was announced Thursday by Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in 'Attack of The Clones.'

Jeremy played the iconic bounty hunter in the original "Star Wars" trilogy ... he was the man under the famous body armor and helmet, but not the voice you hear in the movies.

As "Star Wars" movie buffs might know, Jeremy also made a couple cameos without his Boba Fett mask -- playing Lieutenant Sheckil in 'The Empire Strikes Back' and Captain Jeremoch Colton in 'Revenge of the Sith.'

The timing is interesting -- there has been a resurgence in popularity of Boba Fett since discussions emerged about him being brought onboard in "The Mandalorian" series, and even rumors of a spinoff series surrounding Boba Fett in the works.

As an original trilogy cast member, Jeremy was beloved by "Star Wars" fans across the globe. He signed autographs and snapped pics at hundreds of tour stops and conventions.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Jeremy acted in BBC soap operas, "James Bond" films and TV shows before landing his famous role with "Star Wars."

He lived in London after retiring and is survived by his wife, Maureen, and their 3 sons. Jeremy was 75.

RIP

Sean Kingston's jewelry issues are now worse than ever -- this time there's a warrant out for his arrest due to an allegedly unpaid tab ... TMZ has learned.

The singer and songwriter's been charged with grand theft ... according to court records. Our law enforcement sources tell us Sean had some jewelry delivered to him, but has yet to pay for the goods. Stop us if you've heard this before.

It's interesting ... our sources tell us cops don't plan to actively track down Sean, but the warrant is in their system. Basically, he better not get pulled over.

As we've reported over the years, Sean's had a lot of issues with jewelers -- he's been sued several times for allegedly receiving bling and not paying.

We reached out to Sean's camp ... so far, radio silence.

People who are getting the coronavirus vaccine don't know what's coming next -- that 2nd shot could hit like a ton of bricks, according to a guy who volunteered for Pfizer's study.

Eric Gross joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and laid out his experience getting both doses of the vaccine during Pfizer's clinical trials. He said the first injection made his arm a little sore -- which we've heard from others this week -- but he says the 2nd shot is a whole different ballgame.

In Eric's experience, it left him feeling sicker than he's ever felt in his life, although not for too long. He has an analogy for his body's reaction -- think sucker punch in the face. Watch the vid, it's a great explanation.

As you know ... healthcare workers in America started getting the first round of vaccinations Monday and folks like Sandra Lindsay, the intensive care nurse who got the first shot in New York, told us so far, so good ... as far as any reactions or side effects.

Eric also talked to us about the story TMZ broke -- that volunteers who got the placebo during the trial pressured Pfizer to let them get the real deal.

Membership has its benefits -- people who participated in Pfizer's vaccine trial, but only got the placebo, now have the chance to get the real vaccine earlier ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Pfizer notified study participants earlier this week about the shift in policy -- giving people who got the placebo the chance to get the shot as early as Friday.

We're told some study participants, who got the placebo, were upset they had put their lives on the line, but were getting no benefit. In fact, Pfizer says 162 placebo patients ended up later coming down with COVID-19. By comparison ... of the participants who got the vaccine, only 8 got infected later.

Pfizer emailed instructions this week to the study group about when they can get the vaccine. As with the general public, healthcare workers and nursing home residents will go first ... as soon as Friday.

Others will get the opportunity in January or February ... about 6 months after they got their second placebo shot.

We're told no one during the study was told whether they'd gotten the placebo or the vaccine -- but they all figured it out pretty easily. Those who got the vaccine felt ill -- a normal reaction to the shot -- while placebo patients were fine.

Mariah Carey's plan to safely get from L.A. to Aspen for her annual Christmas vacay without risking COVID-19 exposure can be summed up with two words ... ROAD TRIP!!!

Diehard MC fans know the singer's known for taking this yearly trip with the kiddos, but with the pandemic still raging out of control ... the singer wanted to find a safe way to make the trip without taking to the sky. The solution? Hitting the road in a luxury RV.

We're told she kept the yearly tradition alive by renting a 2020 Prevost RV through Outdoorsy.com -- it's like the Rolls Royce of RVs -- and decking it out with Christmas decorations like wreaths and poinsettias before embarking on the 5-day trek. They ventured across a must-see scenic route that included stops in Red Rock Canyon and Zion before arriving Wednesday in Aspen.

The RV's pretty sick ... with 2 bedrooms. a spacious living area, full kitchen and multiple bathrooms. This kind of RV usually rents out for $150k a month ... so you know it's top of the line and very much Mimi-approved.

Mariah's been going to Aspen for a long time ... telling GQ last year she goes because she loves a snowy environment, gazing at the mountains and spotting shooting stars. The kiddos also interact with live reindeer and even Santa Claus pays a visit.