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LeBron James may not want to talk about it, but the NBA superstar did get -- or is getting -- the COVID-19 vaccine ... so says GM Rob Pelinka, who claims the whole Lakers roster will be fully vaxxed by the start of the season.

King James has danced around the question for months ... electing to keep his vaccine decision a family matter.

But, Pelinka revealed L.A.'s entire roster will, in fact, be at 100% vaccination status when the season kicks off ... and in case you didn't know, LBJ is on the Lakers.

"On opening night, all of the players that are currently signed on our roster will be deemed fully vaccinated," Pelinka told reporters Thursday. "We’re grateful for that."

Pelinka says it's a sigh of relief to know the team and staff members will not face any setbacks due to people within the organization being unvaccinated.

Of course, LeBron previously brushed the topic off ... calling it "not a big deal" back in May.

"Anything I do off the floor is predicated to my family for the majority or 99.9% of that," James said at the time.

"It’s about the health and safety of my family," he added. "That’s what it came down to. Being available to my teammates on the floor is about taking care of my body and me doing everything I can to make sure I’m available both mentally, physically and spiritually as well."

"But, anything of that nature is all family talk."

There was strong indication Bron had been vaccinated prior to the first round of the NBA playoffs last season ... when the league explained he would not have to quarantine following an appearance at an outdoor event.

Had he not been vaxxed, James would have been forced to stay away from the team for a period of time.

The family of Brian Laundrie -- the main person of interest in the death of Gabby Petito -- has not retained the lawyer known for representing other notorious defendants like Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez ... despite swirling rumors.

Attorney Jose Baez tells TMZ ... he has not spoken to the Laundrie family or Brian himself. He says, "Therefore, I do not represent him or anyone else related to the case" and tells us his current caseload makes it very unlikely he'd be available for this case "given its current complexities."

Earlier Thursday, Laundrie's parents made a 2-hour trip to Orlando and people online noticed they were close to Baez's office ... which sparked speculation they were looking to hire him. But, we're told that's not the case, and the Laundries' lawyer says they were simply there for business.

As you know ... Baez was responsible for getting Casey Anthony acquitted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Baez was also the lawyer for NFL star Aaron Hernandez's in both his 2012 double murder case and his 2013 murder appeal ... until Hernandez killed himself in prison.

As we've reported ... Laundrie is still missing roughly a week after his parents first told authorities he took his backpack and went on a hike. Before that, he was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby, his fiancee, after returning home from a cross-country trip on Sept. 1 without her.

Weeks before that, the couple were involved in a domestic dispute in Utah, in which a 911 caller said he saw Brian slapped and hit Gabby.

'Harry Potter' star Tom Felton fell violently ill during a celeb golf tournament, collapsing and unable to leave the course on his own two feet.

Felton was playing at Whistling Straits in Kohler Wisconsin Thursday when he suffered an apparent medical emergency and passed out. Tournament medical staffers were quick to attend to the actor, load him up on a cart and take him for further evaluation.

It's currently unclear what triggered the episode or what his current condition is ... but the good news, Tom was conscious and appeared to be smiling when he was taken away.

Felton, who turned 34 yesterday, is competing in a celebrity-style Ryder Cup Tournament before the real deal kicks off this weekend. He's representing Ireland.

Felton rose to global fame as Harry Potter's foe Draco Malfoy in the popular book series turned film franchise. He's an avid golfer and has participated in several tournaments over the years.

We've reached out to Tom's rep for comment and to check in on how he's doing ... so far, no word back.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s name got dragged into R. Kelly's federal trial on multiple sex crimes in a pretty outrageous way -- his attorney says the singer should be acquitted because he's just like MLK.

Yeah, try to catch your breath. Closing arguments are going down Thursday in the federal court in Brooklyn, NY -- and defense attorney Deveraux Cannick drew the comparison by telling the jury Kelly is demanding prosecutors prove he's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt ... the same way Dr. King fought for Constitutional rights.

He went on to quote a part of MLK's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, declaring ... "Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press."

His point seemed to be that Dr. King wanted the government to uphold the Constitution, and Kelly's doing the same ... in his sex crimes trial.

Mind you, Kelly's attorneys only called a handful of witnesses to the stand during the trial -- most of whom merely stated they hadn't seen Kelly doing anything illegal. The singer himself chose not to testify, although that's not uncommon.

Cannick also claimed prosecutors encouraged witnesses to lie on the stand.

Dwight Howard says his own mother was shocked while watching her fave show -- "The Masked Singer" -- because she found out her baby boy was the "Octopus!!!"

The NBA veteran, and current L.A. Lakers star, joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us all about his experience on the Fox show -- and why he went to great lengths to keep his appearance top secret from his mom.

It's super sweet ... Dwight says she was just like every other viewer across the country, watching his unmasking after he'd dropped a pretty good version of the Little Richard classic, "Tutti Frutti."

Keep in mind, he pulled that off while being 6'10" and draped in his heavy costume and headgear.

Unfortunately for the Howard fam, Dwight was eliminated at the end of Wednesday night's season premiere, but it sounds like she'll continue watching even though he got the boot.

"The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain" star Frankie Faison says he hopes the new Morgan Freeman-produced film brings justice to the family and sheds light on what really happened.

Frankie joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and explained the film's purpose is to highlight the horrific 2011 police shooting of Kenneth -- a U.S. Marine, whose family is still fighting for a sliver of justice in the case ... after the cops involved were acquitted.

Frankie, who plays the title character, says bringing accountability and opening eyes to those who don't know the complete story is the goal here ... and perhaps a lesson on how to avoid such a tragic thing from happening again.

If you don't know ... Kenneth, a 68-year-old Black Marine veteran who suffered from bipolar disorder, accidentally set off his medical device alarm necklace in his White Plains, NY home in the early hours of November 19, 2011.

Cops ultimately rushed to his home, but a confrontation ensued ... culminating with cops tasing Kenneth before fatally shooting him. At the time, cops initially said Kenneth came at them with a butcher knife ... but an autopsy report later concluded Kenneth's arms were at his side when he was shot.

Soon after, a grand jury decided the cops wouldn't face criminal charges ... and in 2016, the family lost a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit.

Drake went all out for a shin dig down in Miami ... renting out an entire Dave & Buster's and partying the night away with tons of celebs and scores of twerking hotties.

The fun and games went down Wednesday night at the D&B in Miami's Dolphin Mall ... and other celebs in attendance included Future, Yella Beezy and Alexis Skyy.

Folks who were there told us everything was free, courtesy of Drake, and the rapper played his number one album, "Certified Lover Boy."

As you can see, Drake's party people were having a blast ... the tunes were bumping and there were about 1,000 ladies in the house, many of whom got up on the arcade games and started twerking!!!

After 6.5 years away, Nick Diaz is about to make his return to the Octagon, taking on Robbie Lawler ... but Dana White admits he doesn't know if the star from Stockton will fight again after UFC 265.

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC prez on Wednesday, days before Diaz is scheduled to fight for the first time since January 2015 (a no contest vs. Anderson Silva) ... and we asked if the comeback meant Diaz was back now as a full-time fighter.

"I don't know. I never know that either. We'll take it one fight at a time," Dana told us.

FYI, it's not the first time the men have fought. Diaz beat Lawler via 2nd round knockout way back in 2004.

Despite the long layoff, Nick's one of the most accomplished MMA fighters of all time... with wins over everyone from B.J. Penn to Frank Shamrock.

But, with over 2,400 days between fights, will it take time for Nick to reacclimate himself to the Octagon?

"Ring rust is absolutely real and especially when you haven't been in here that long, but you never know what to expect from the Diaz brothers. You know what everybody does though? On Saturday, they show up and they fight -- that's it!"

Valentina Shevchenko is also on the card ... where she's a MASSIVE favorite over Lauren Murphy.

Last week we asked The Bullet if she was interested in a trilogy fight with Amanda Nunes ... and she said she was definitely down.

We asked White about making Nunes-Shevchenko 3 ... and he warned that no one should overlook Woods.

"Obviously, you can't look past Lauren Murphy and start looking at Amanda Nunes again. Lauren Murphy has a lot of knockdowns and submissions in her career. So, when you have women that are that size that can actually knock out other women, it's impressive."

But, with that said, Dana made it clear he isn't against pairing arguably the 2 best female MMA fighters in the world against each other.

"Listen, Valentina Shevchenko is a savage. I mean, her and Amanda Nunes are two of the greatest female fighters to ever walk the face of the Earth and if she gets through Lauren Murphy on Saturday, maybe there is a fight for them down the road."

We couldn't let Dana go without asking about Conor McGregor's (terrible) 1st pitch at the Cubs game earlier this week ... the epitome of the reason White says he ALWAYS says no when he's asked to throw the ceremonial pitch.

Mama June's ex-boyfriend isn't getting any breaks from the judge -- even though he's in rehab, he's in rehab in the wrong state ... which is why he's now a wanted man.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... a bench warrant's been issued for Geno Doak in Macon County, Alabama for failing to comply with the terms of his sentencing in his crack cocaine case.

The warrant says Geno's to be taken into custody by any Alabama law enforcement officer and held without bail until he can have a hearing.

The thing is -- as we first told you -- Geno's in South Carolina after checking into a recovery center there earlier this week, and the facility said he made a 120-day commitment to inpatient treatment.

Doak filed docs to loop in the judge from his crack cocaine case about his whereabouts, but unfortunately for him ... he was supposed to be in Alabama as part of his sentence, and failed to relocate there as required.

Brian Laundrie's been missing for nearly 6 days now, and his parents are still not talking as the search for him continues as a person of interest in Gabby Petito's death.

Laundrie's mother and father were leaving their home in North Port, FL Thursday morning when they were asked if they have any info on his whereabouts ... and they had nothing useful to say.

This has been par for the course ever since their son showed up at their doorstep September 1 without Gabby, his fiancee, even though they were on a long trip across the country.

Brian's family has not been forthcoming with many details, other than letting authorities know he went missing last Friday after he was named a "person of interest" in Gabby's case. They said he took his backpack and went for a hike, but never came back.

As we reported ... Gabby's body was found 2 days later at a state park in Wyoming, a spot she and Brian are believed to have visited in the days after they had a domestic dispute in Utah.

The coroner ruled Gabby's manner of death homicide, and while the obvious suspect is Brian ... he's not officially been named one by police, at least not until they find out where he's at.

Debra Messing became a huge TV star in the late '90s, and apparently, she thinks "Saturday Night Live" operates the same as it did back then ... because she doesn't have a clue why Kim Kardashian's hosting it.

The "Will & Grace" star took the bait after it was revealed the reality star would become the first Kardashian to host 'SNL' next month by airing her grievances on Twitter.

Debra questioned the choice, then added a back-handed compliment by saying ... "I know she is a cultural icon, but SNL has hosts, generally, who are performers who are there to promote a film, TV show, or album launch."

She added, "Am I missing something?"

Yep, she's missing something. The world changed, and reality stars are at the center of pop culture and Lorne Michaels is not only a great producer but a businessman who's in the business of getting ratings ... and that's exactly what's gonna happen when Kim hosts.  Remember a decade ago, when actors groused that reality stars like the Kardashians were famous for doing nothing? Debra clearly hasn't let it go.

What's more, the Kardashians have a massive project coming to Hulu, a leading TV and film streaming service ... so Messing is clearly just out of the loop.

You may recall ... when Elon Musk was tapped to host last season, many people were up in arms about it because he's not an entertainer.

Oh yeah, and one of those people ... was Debra Messing.

As for shading Kim, fans let Messing have it, one saying, "Yes Debra, you are missing something. Like the last 40 years." Another jabbed, "She’s arguably one of the most famous people in the world. It’s a smart decision by SNL ... Ppl who say she’s famous for being famous would kill to be famous for being famous. She uses her platform for positive things. Everyone RELAX"

Daymond John says Black Entrepreneurs Day is going to be HUGE the second time around ... because the event is going live from one of the most famous stages in the world!!!

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" and filled us in on all the new happenings for the second annual venture -- he has tons of celebrities coming out to The Apollo Theater to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs.

It's pretty cool ... Daymond says Kevin Hart, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O'Neal, Rev Run and Michael Strahan will be sharing biz tips live from Harlem, with a special performance from Khalid.

The celebrity backing is nice, but Daymond also tells us which major corporations are stepping up to help folks get a free $25,000 to help their small businesses.

Daymond and co. are streaming live for Black Entrepreneurs Day on Oct. 14 and you can tune in and take notes on Facebook.

Check out Daymond on Friday's "TMZ Live" in his weekly "Follow the Money" segment. He'll have more on those $25k grants -- which you can apply for at blackentrepreneursday.com -- and why, in some ways, they're a better deal than what he typically offers on "Shark Tank."

Angelina Jolie got what she wanted -- a judge just signed off on an agreement with her ex, Brad Pitt, to sell her stake in their rosé business.

We broke the story ... Jolie filed docs in July asking the court to lift a restraining order on the transfer of their assets -- which was put in place early in their divorce -- so she could unload her interest in Nouvel, LLC, their French winery company.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge signed off on Brad and Angie's agreement to lift the restraining order -- meaning they worked it out, and she has the green light to sell her part of the company to a third party.

And, it looks like that'll be it for Brangelina ... as far as their joint biz ventures are concerned.

BTW ... Nouvel is the LLC started to operate the Provence chateau and vineyard the former couple bought in 2011 for a reported $60 mil.

Unclear how much it's worth now, but we know Angelina has a prospective buyer on the hook for her portion of it.

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino had some family drama boil over this week that almost landed someone in handcuffs ... none other than his own sibling.

The "Jersey Shore" star's rep tells TMZ ... Mike had called police on Tuesday evening after his brother, Maximo, showed up to his New Jersey home with a ton of gift bags he was apparently trying to drop off for MS and his newborn son/Maximo's nephew, Romeo.

We're told Maximo excessively rang multiple doorbells, peered inside through the glass, lingered a bit and then turned to leave -- but not before leaving all the presents hanging on the doorknob.

The rep says Mike was watching this from inside -- and instantly called cops, who we're told showed up in less than a minute. They ran into Maximo on his way out and told him he wasn't allowed there unless Mike specifically invited him ... and then let him leave.

We know what you're thinking -- WTF??? Well, Mike and Max have had problems for some time now, and it's become a bit of a legal situation ... according to the rep.

We're told Mike's previously filed harassment claims against Maximo -- most recently in July -- because he feels his brother's been behaving erratically, and he wants a heads up before Maximo comes to the house.

Due to their rocky history, we're told Mike's main priority these days is protecting his wife and kid, and even though they're family ... he thinks what Maximo did crossed a line. That's why he reported it to cops, but he didn't want Max arrested.

As for Maximo's side -- he says he was just dropping off Puma BMW tracksuits for Mike and Romeo. Maximo also says he's saddened by Mike calling the 5-0 on him -- because he'd never do that -- and denies there's any ongoing issues between them ... despite what Mike says. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Linda Evangelista says she's stayed out of the spotlight after a popular cosmetic procedure left her "permanently deformed" and "unrecognizable" ... but she's hiding no more.

The supermodel is finally sounding off about her ordeal and, in part, explaining why her career has stalled all these years while her peers have been thriving.

Linda, one of the hottest supermodels in the '90s who graced Vogue covers, says around 5 years ago she underwent a fat-reduction procedure called CoolSculpting -- no doubt, you've seen and heard the ads.

But, Linda claims instead of freezing fat cells, the procedure did the exact opposite.

She claims the procedure left her "brutally disfigured" and increased, not decreased her fat cells ... and left her "permanently deformed even after undergoing two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries."

Linda added, "I have been left, as the media has described, ‘unrecognizable.'"

Linda says she then developed Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia or PAH ... when fat cells grow larger rather than smaller. It's a rare but serious side effect that mostly happens to men.

Linda says she was NOT made aware of this risk before undergoing the procedure. She says PAH "has not only destroyed my livelihood, it has sent me into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing."

She's not only speaking out on social media, Linda filed a federal lawsuit this week against Zeltiq Aesthetics, the company she says created, marketed and distributed the CoolSculpting system. She's seeking no less than $50 million.

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy aren't trying to hide their relationship anymore, and Jo's already playing the good BF role ... hyping her comedian chops at his own expense.

We got the comedy world's new couple Wednesday as they walked into LAX doing that new couple thing ... holding hands as they strolled. Yeah, they're official now.

So, when ya get 2 veteran comedians -- who are dating each other -- there's only one question that comes to mind, right? Who's funnier?

Okay, we admit it's potentially treacherous territory, especially when the relationship's as fresh as Jo and Chelsea's. Still, he didn't hesitate to answer ... telling us it's for sure, Chelsea. As for her opinion? You're gonna have to read her body language.

In the meantime, it's nice to see Jo is no longer sidestepping questions about dating Chelsea -- like he very slyly did when he was recently on "TMZ Live."

In any event ... seems this budding romance is moving fast. This week, Chelsea flat out said she's "finally in love, with the best kind of guy there is."

So, we asked if they'll be pouring all those feels into a joint performance anytime soon -- and it sounds like they're at least thinking about it.