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The San Antonio Spurs just made the easiest decision in franchise history ... taking international sensation Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The 19-year-old French big man was the most hyped prospect since LeBron James ... in large in part due to his 7'5" frame, smooth ball-handling skills and impressive shooting ability.

In fact, Wemby was a massive betting favorite to have his name called first on Thursday at -50000 odds (you'd have to bet $50k just to win a hundred bucks).

Wembanyama was a star for the LNB Pro A's Metropolitans 92 this past season ... racking up 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3 blocks a game.

The selection was pretty much set in stone after the ping pong balls landed in the Spurs' favor at the Draft Lottery last month ... which was unofficially dubbed the Wemby Sweepstakes.

Wemby is already a massive star in the States ... as there have been massive crowds following him throughout NYC this week.

The rest of the draft will get a bit more interesting ... with stars like Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller slated to round out the top 3.

One thing's for sure ... Wemby won't have to pay for a meal in San Antonio again.

The 5 passengers aboard the submersible that went missing while attempting to explore the Titanic wreckage are dead ... according to the expedition company.

OceanGate Inc. gave a statement Thursday, saying those aboard the Titan vessel "have sadly been lost" ... calling them "true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans."

Officials say they located a debris field about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic wreckage. Within that debris field, there was 5 "major" pieces of debris discovered to lead them to believe the vessel imploded.

The announcement comes just hours after a debris field was spotted near the Titanic's wreckage Thursday, and experts quickly got to work on evaluating what they found ... while a friend of 2 of the missing men claimed it was a landing frame and rear cover of the vessel.

The 22-foot-long sub, dubbed Titan, was first reported missing Sunday evening by its parent company, OceanGate Expeditions. The org says it first lost communication with its deep-sea voyagers about a couple hours into their descent ... and flagged the authorities hours later when it failed to emerge to the surface when it was scheduled to.

Since then, the U.S. Coast Guard and even Canadian officials have engaged in a full-blown search and rescue effort -- deploying all sorts of teams and equipment in hopes of finding Titan ... not to mention its five occupants, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush -- who's said to have been piloting the submersible on this particular mission.

OceanGate offers tourism rides down to the Titanic for $250k a pop. The other people who were inside included British explorer Hamish Harding, researcher/diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, as well as his son Suleman.

The sub is reported to have limited life support ... including only 96 hours worth of breathable air which would have run out Thursday morning.

Search crews detected banging noises over their sonars during the hunt on Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean, going off in 30-minute intervals ... and according to CNN, an internal U.S. government memo says the noise would help assist the crew in finding the vessel.

OceanGates' technology for its submersible has also come under scrutiny in recent days. While parts of Titan were made with top technology, other elements -- including several components on the inside -- were revealed to have been comprised of makeshift consumer goods ... including gaming remote controls, basic light fixtures, and other simple parts.

Reports have indicated that a former employee of OceanGate once tried flagging what he claimed were safety concerns about Titan to his bosses in 2018 -- only to be allegedly fired after doing so ... at least according to a whistleblower complaint detailing his allegations.

Experts have said the likelihood of the passengers' survival was slim to none, considering the circumstances.

Even former Coast Guard Captain Andrew Norris filled us in on the multiple miracles that would be needed in order to ensure the passengers survived the terrifying incident.

We covered all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

A possible break in the search for the missing Titanic submersible, as rescuers have discovered a debris field near the site of the famous ship's wreckage.

A tweet from the U.S. Coast Guard Northeast account Thursday states, "A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information."

It's currently unclear what type of debris was found, or if there's reason to believe it has anything to do with OceanGate's missing Titan submersible.

In a press conference Wednesday, officials said other non-related debris had been found during the search.

The announcement comes one day after officials announced they'd heard underwater noise on several occasions during the search ... but that evidence has not yet yielded any results.

It was early Thursday morning when it became assumed the vessel's 96-hour emergency oxygen supply had run out.

As we reported, OceanGate lost contact with Titan about 2 hours into its trip Sunday morning. There's been zero sign of the vessel since.

Tyreek Hill is under police investigation, TMZ Sports has confirmed ... after the NFL star was accused of getting physical with somebody in Miami on Sunday.

Cops confirmed the probe to us on Tuesday ... though they did not disclose further details of the case, only saying they were investigating an alleged assault/battery involving the Dolphins player.

According to Local 10 News, however, the alleged incident happened at Haulover Marina after Hill got into a dispute with an employee of a charter company at the popular South Florida boating spot.

The outlet reported Tuesday the 29-year-old receiver was accused of putting his hands on the employee at some point during the altercation.

Hill has been seen on social media on boats multiple times this week ... on Father's Day, he shared a snap of him while out on the water on his IG story -- and on Tuesday, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, showed the two were at sea fishing near a shark.

But, neither Hill nor Rosenhaus have publicly commented on the police probe.

Hill has been the subject of police investigations before -- most notably, back in 2019, he was named in a child abuse report ... though he was never charged with a crime in that case.

Hill has become arguably the best wideout in the NFL ... last season -- his first with Miami -- he tallied 1,710 receiving yards and seven receiving TDs.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has officially moved on from the grimy street raps that both powered his early career and got him into trouble.

The rainbow-haired rapper surprise-dropped his third studio album Friday titled "Leyenda Viva," which translates to "Living Legend" in English.

The project is predominately in Spanish across its 11 tracks (save for the occasional "suck my d***") and features Latin Grammy-winning superstar Lenier on 7 of them.

6ix9ine abandons the drill sound in favor of tropical-tinged vibes with a twist of reggaeton ... much closer to his Mexican/Puerto Rican roots than ever before.

The new wave of music marks 6ix9ine's first full-length release in nearly 3 years ... and since he suffered a brutal beatdown inside a Miami L.A. Fitness gym in March.

Ja Morant will miss more than a quarter of the 2023-24 NBA season as a result of his second gun-flashing incident -- the league just slapped the Memphis Grizzlies star with a 25-game suspension.

Adam Silver announced the punishment just minutes ago ... saying, "Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games."

"The potential for other young people to emulate Ja's conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated."

Morant was initially suspended without pay after showing a gun while at a Colorado strip club in March ... which he later apologized for and vowed to seek help.

Just two months later, the All-Star was spotted holding a weapon during an Instagram Live session with his friend.

The suspension begins immediately ... and Ja is forbidden from attending any team events, including preseason games prior to the start of the 2023-24 campaign in October.

The punishment will also hurt Morant's pockets -- he will lose approximately $12 million in salary during his time away from the court.

"For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time," Silver added. "Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior."

There were rumors Morant's team was claiming the gun shown in the video was actually fake ... but the Association said Friday it concluded the firearm was real.

As part of the punishment, Morant will be required to meet certain conditions before he will get the green light to return to the court.

If he hits the criteria, Morant will be available to play in December.

Cycling star Gino Mader has tragically died ... succumbing to serious injuries he suffered in a horrifying crash at the Tour de Suisse on Thursday.

Mader's team, Bahrain Victorious, announced the sad news Friday morning ... explaining the Swiss rider was initially hurt after he lost control of his bike while traveling at a high rate of speed on a downhill portion of the race's Stage 5.

Tour de Suisse organizers said Mader tumbled into a ravine as a result of the wreck ... and when medical personnel first found him, he was laying motionless in a body of water.

Mader was able to be resuscitated at the scene and then airlifted to a nearby hospital ... but he passed away hours later.

"Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge," Mader's team said, "and at 11:30 a.m. we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team."

Bahrain Victorious officials added, "Gino was an extraordinary athlete, an example of determination, a valued member of our team and the whole cycling community. His talent, dedication, and passion for the sport has inspired us all."

Despite the tragedy, the Tour de Suisse will continue ... and before Friday's Stage 6 kicked off, other cyclists gathered in a circle to pay their respects to Mader.

"Gino," Mader's team said Friday, "thank you for the light, the joy, and the laughs you brought us all, we will miss you as a rider and as a person."

Mader was just 26 years old.

The Denver Nuggets championship parade just took a somber turn ... a police officer was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a firetruck that was participating in the ceremonies.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the incident happened just minutes ago while the truck was driving along the parade route in the Mile High City.

You can see in video from the scene, Nuggets superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray -- as well as the Larry O'Brien trophy -- were on the vehicle when the accident occurred.

It's unclear how exactly the officer was hurt ... but cops said in a statement Thursday afternoon they have launched an investigation into it all.

Jokic and Murray were not harmed during the incident -- and both were escorted off the truck by officials. The two are now up onstage addressing the huge crowd of supporters that have been out since early Thursday morning celebrating the team's first-ever title.

Antonio Brown's tenure as owner of the Albany Empire has hit an all-time low -- the ex-NFL star's team was just kicked out of the National Arena League.

The organization announced the decision on Thursday ... saying Brown repeatedly failed to pay his team's monthly assessments, which are used to support the league's operating budget.

In a statement, the NAL explained the Empire made its first assessment payment in April, but it was later challenged. The Super Bowl champ's team then refused to cough up the money in May.

The league says it was in contact with Brown's accountant, who claimed his client did not plan to fulfill his assessment responsibilities, nor would he pay a $1,000 fine he was handed for Conduct Detrimental to the League after recent comments he made.

The NAL held an emergency phone conference with the other team owners to address the fiasco ... and decided to give Brown until noon on Thursday to make up the payments, which he did not.

As a result, the league has severed ties with the Empire.

Brown took over the team in March, and it's been nothing short of a disaster -- he faced accusations of failing to pay players and coaches, getting in heated exchanges with members of the organization and broken promises of suiting up and playing in games.

Brown's father, Eddie, was a star for the team back in the day ... and the ex-Pittsburgh Steeler vowed to be hands-on as a member of the organization.

Fans expressed their displeasure with the team ... with game attendance tanking in the process.

Daniel Penny -- the man who choked Jordan Neely to death on an NYC subway -- has been indicted by a grand jury.

The ex-marine has now been formally charged as a result of his arrest last month -- when he was booked on a 2nd-degree manslaughter charge ... it's not yet clear if the indictment charges are the same ones he was booked on.

Like we said ... the exact charges in the indictment are unknown at this point. It appears they’ll remain under seal until he appears in court at a later date.

There's been a lot of discourse over Penny's arrest. Some see it as justice -- including Neely's family, who want this guy prosecuted to the full extent of the law ... saying he acted as a vigilante that day and took things way too far with his prolonged chokehold.

Others, however, are saying Penny shouldn’t face charges for acting as what they describe as essentially a good Samaritan. There are reports Neely was harassing folks down in the subway that day ... and that Penny stepped in to protect others.

Of course, there's a race element that's been floated as well. Neely was Black, and Penny is white -- and there are folks who believe his actions may have been motivated by the color of Neely's skin ... although, Penny has strongly denied that, insisting he was just trying to do the right thing.

Regardless, he’ll now he'll have to navigate the criminal justice system. It's unclear when he's due in court again. It goes without saying ... Neely's death has sparked protests, and in some cases -- things have gotten tumultuous with cops.

Donald Trump has officially arrived at a court in Miami ... getting arrested and booked for his indictment regarding the droves of classified documents authorities say he stashed away at Mar-a-Lago.

The former President was at the Miami federal courthouse Tuesday, where a crowd of protesters gathered out front earlier in the day -- some in support of Trump's indictment, while others continue to defend his claims of innocence.

He was spotted Monday leaving his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ on his way to Florida -- and he's reportedly going to head back there to give a speech regarding the case later tonight.

Trump was also posting on Truth Social on the way to the Miami courthouse early Tuesday morning -- calling it "one of the saddest days in the history of our country" ... adding it's a "WITCH HUNT!!!"

As we reported, DT's prosecutors claim he stored a ton of classified docs wherever he could at his Palm Beach resort -- photos showed piles of boxes stacked on a ballroom stage, a storage room, and even next to a toilet.

The feds say he housed information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the U.S. and foreign countries, U.S. nuclear programs, and other highly sensitive material about potential vulnerabilities of the country and its allies to military attacks.

According to the indictment, Trump's been hit with whopping 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

As for the other six counts, he's facing separate charges for false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document, concealing a document in a federal investigation, and a scheme to conceal.

We spoke with Loyola Law School professor Jessica Levinson, who told us why his latest indictment shouldn't have the ability to stop his 2024 campaign trail -- and she says he shockingly could even serve as president behind bars.

For those unaware, Trump announced the indictment on Truth Social before the docs were even unsealed -- and of course, he claimed total innocence.

An NBA championship celebration in Denver quickly turned from jubilation to terror ... as 10 people were injured in a mass shooting in the city following the Nuggets' win.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the shooting took place about a mile from Ball Arena at around 12:30 AM on Tuesday morning.

Full details surrounding the incident are not yet clear -- cops described the scene as "a complex" situation -- though they did say 10 total people had sustained gunshot wounds.

Cops revealed one of the injured has been identified as a suspect. Three others, police said, are in critical condition. The rest "are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries."

"As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time," a police spokesperson said. "It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night."

Photos from the scene show authorities have marked off the area with caution tape as an investigation continues.

Just prior to the shooting, it had been nothing but a good time for those in the city who were celebrating the Nuggets' 94-89 Game 5 victory over the Heat.

Fans had climbed street poles to cheer on their NBA team with others -- before they hurled themselves into happy crowds below.

Others were seen shooting off fireworks to commemorate the team's first-ever title.

Inside the arena, meanwhile, Nuggets players couldn't have been happier to finish off their championship run ... the guys doused each other in booze in the locker room -- and at one point, series MVP Nikola Jokic tossed Jamal Murray into a pool.

Pat Robertson, the legendary Christian philanthropist and radio broadcaster who once ran for President, has died.

According to a press release issued by the Christian Broadcasting Network ... Robertson passed away Thursday in his Virginia home as family gathered around him. His cause of death was not disclosed.

Robertson enjoyed a long illustrious career in TV, politics and religion. Decades ago, he first launched a small TV station and soon transformed himself into one of the most influential Christian commentators in the nation. He became known as both a religious leader and culture warrior.

Over the years, he founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which was home to the immensely popular "The 700 Club." He also created the Christian Coalition, which was credited with helping bring American evangelicals to the modern Republican Party.

Robertson became a household name when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, but lost to George H.W. Bush, who went on to become the commander in chief. Still, Robertson stayed close to politics, getting conservative Christians behind H.W.'s son, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump for their Presidential bids.

50 Cent's Hollywood juggling act has landed him back on the big screen ... as the latest action hero addition for the fourth 'Expendables' film!!!

On Wednesday, 50 and Lionsgate shared the official "Expend4bles" trailer ... which features the "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" rapper as a weapons specialist who's getting his balls broken as the new guy on the team.

The plot seems to center around the usual deranged terrorist bent on taking over the world ... but 'Expendables' fans aren't on board for its dramatic acting.

The franchise has grossed just shy of a billion dollars, with $804 million to date!!!

Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and of course, Sylvester Stallone are returning from the previous installments with Megan Fox, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais joining as newbies.

Former NFL wideout Travis Rudolph is a free man once again ... a jury just found him not guilty on all counts in his murder case.

The scene inside the courtroom Wednesday as the jury read its verdict was emotional ... Rudolph was in tears -- as were his family members.

The 27-year-old, though, eventually cracked a huge smile and shared an embrace with his lawyer. Afterward, he and his attorney thanked the jurors, the judge, the court and all others involved in the case.

"It means everything, man," the former New York Giants receiver said to reporters. "I finally got my freedom back and I can get back to my life."

Added Rudolph's attorney added, "We knew he wasn't guilty. He's one of the nicest human beings you ever met whether he plays sports or not. This is an innocent man who did what he had to do."

Rudolph was initially hit with four charges -- including one count of first-degree murder with a firearm -- back in April 2021 ... after authorities alleged he opened fire on four people inside of a car in West Palm Beach, FL, killing one, following a dispute that Rudolph had had with a woman earlier.

Rudolph, however, had adamantly claimed he was only acting in self-defense.

"I knew all along," Rudolph said Wednesday outside of the courtroom, "I did what I had to do to protect me and my brother's life."

The case went to trial last week ... and the jurors reached their verdict Wednesday afternoon after only about four hours of deliberating.

Rudolph told reporters he now has plans to resume his football career ... saying he's open to competing in any league -- not just the NFL.

"I'm going to reach out to my agent," he said, "and if God's willing, I'll still be able to play football. Definitely planning on getting back to football."

Gervonta "Tank" Davis is currently behind bars in Maryland -- TMZ Sports has confirmed he was taken into custody after an "impromptu" court hearing.

28-year-old Davis was booked at Baltimore Central Booking Thursday afternoon.

The Baltimore City Sheriff's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports Davis was taken into custody after an "impromptu hearing" ... but would not disclose any additional information.

Just weeks ago, Davis struck a plea deal with prosecutors that was intended to keep him out of jail following the November 2020 incident where he allegedly ran a red light and slammed into a Toyota.

Prosecutors claimed the woman in the Toyota was pregnant at the time ... and accused Davis of fleeing the scene without helping her.

Davis -- 29-0 as a pro boxer -- was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest on May 5 ... and was ordered to 200 hours of community service.

Davis' attorney told the Baltimore Banner the boxer will now serve the remainder of his 90-day sentence in jail.

Davis' troubles come on the heels of his recent 7th-round TKO victory over Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.