Johnny Wilkes filed a lawsuit against Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West, saying he was instrumental in helping the Clippers sign Kawhi Leonard in 2019.
TMZ Sports obtained the $2.5 million lawsuit in which Wilkes claims he and West came to an agreement whereby Wilkes would provide the Clippers with information to lure Leonard to Los Angeles. Wilkes says he has a close relationship with Leonard and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson.
According to Wilkes, he was the person who told the Clippers they should pursue Paul George to pair with Leonard.
"This information was vital, because it was the exact information Kawhi Leonard wanted to hear at the time in order to effectuate his signing with the Clippers," the lawsuit says.
Wilkes claims West guaranteed him payment on several occasions, including at a dinner following Leonard's signing with the team.
If Wilkes' claims are found to be accurate, the Clippers could face significant ramifications under NBA league rules. Leonard's signing would be viewed as a violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement, and the Clippers would be subject to punishment for tampering.
It's possible the league could look to void Leonard's deal with the Clippers outright, similar to Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves—the most famous contractual circumvention of the league's CBA.
However, the burden of proof will be on Wilkes to prove his lawsuit has merit.
A rep for Jerry West told TMZ Sports he did nothing improper ... and didn't even know he was being sued.
“I am not aware of any lawsuit being filed against me and I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard.”
The Cleveland Indians changing their name will prevent Native Americans from taking their own lives -- this according to leaders in the community, who insist there's a connection.
Suicide is an enormous problem among Native Americans -- it's the 2nd leading cause of death, and is especially dire among the young.
As for why the name of a baseball team affects the suicide rate -- when Native Americans see non-Natives wearing sacred headdresses and mocking their people with mascots, names, antics, etc. -- it screws with their heads in a big way ... so says Prairie Bighorn-Blount, Executive Director of the American Indigenous Business Leaders. This, we're told, profoundly diminishes self-esteem as well as pride, and can create a severe identity crisis.
There's actual, hard proof to back this up ... namely a study of 600 Native Americans, the overwhelming majority saying they were highly offended by pro sports teams using nicknames related to Native Americans.
The groups we spoke with are thrilled Cleveland's changing its name, but they won't be satisfied until other teams follow. They're talkin' to you, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Blackhawks.
Rigz of the Rochester, New York collective Da Cloth and Toronto producer Futurewave locked in together to drop a new album titled "Substance Abuse." Peep the visual for "Bodies Behind Mojoes" off of the project.
2020 will be remembered by hip hop fans as the year Ransom cemented cemented his legacy as one of the best emcees in the history of the game. As if his "Director's Cut" series and "Beautiful Graves" single wasn't enough, the Presidential boss reached into his Duffle Bag to pull out a new single to close out the year titled "GoodTime" featuring Stove God Cooks and fellow TRUST member Che Noir.
The song was produced by Ransom's frequent collaborator Nicholas Craven.
Cheflodeezy is a Jamaican born Miami rapper. Deezy moved to Opa Locka, Miami at the age of 9 where he lived with his mom and younger brother. Deezy found his love for music as a teenager at Miami Central High, when his best friend at the time introduced him to the beat making platform Fruity Loops. After high school, Deezy fell into the street life. By the age of 21 he had multiple arrests, struggled with homelessness and the loss of a few close friends to gun violence. After almost going to prison for undisclosed cases and the birth of his first child llamiyah, Deezy decided to change his life.The Miami rapper went to culinary school and pursued a career as a professional chef. This is where he got the nick name “Cheflodeezy”. He free-styled and had other students listen to his music on a daily basis. After graduating culinary school, Deezy began to climb in the hospitality industry. Cheflodeezy started to literally blow up in the culinary word where he was featured in SoHo House world magazine as a rising star on Deco drive, and cooking for various celebrities on visits. Never letting his love for music die, Cheflodeezy went to recording studios on his days off and wrote music before and after work on most days. Still dream chasing and dropping music weekly, Cheflodeezy does this for the love of the craft.
Brazilian-born boxer Viviane Obenauf has been arrested in Switzerland in connection with the death of her husband, who she married earlier this year, multiple reports say.
Obenauf, 34, was arrested by Swiss police last week after being named the prime suspect in the brutal death of her 61-year-old husband, who was found beaten to death in their apartment in October, the New York Daily News reported.
The victim, only identified as Thomas, was found with “massive injuries due to [a] blunt instrument,” BoxingScene.com reported, citing a police report. He died after a “sustained violent assault.”
The couple married in January and owned an apartment and gym together in the town of Interlaken, local media reported. The victim was also said to have owned a restaurant there.
The former super featherweight fighter retired in November 2019 with a 14-6 record.
Obenauf has a documented violent past. According to Swedish news outlet Blick, she was arrested in 2016 for punching a man who allegedly groped her in a London nightclub. An ex-boyfriend also accused her of assaulting him during a dispute in which he also admitted to hitting her.
You Need to Know Him: There's been an intriguing SoundCloud specialty that has been named "trap" rap—a development established in Atlanta, Georgia, with its sound created by makers like T.I. and Gucci Mane. Relentless catches describe the music and hello there caps that are with frequenting synths to make an evil impact.
Dvfflebvg Ruggv, alongside with other signees to Paper Chaser Association, is driving this subgenre. Like the OG spray painting tags from Atlanta onto trains in Maryland, the Takoma Park, Maryland rapper, is taking over his city's raps to the trap sound. His synergistic tapes with Indo Glixk and his presentation collection Facing Death are acceptable starter collections that give you a superior thought of his social diffusing of two incredible underground scenes.
Paid and Addy is available on all music streaming platforms.
Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is about to get a huge assist from one Tyler Perry as he ramps up to fight a lawsuit from one of the cops who raided his home ... and by that, we mean major financial help.
Sources tell TMZ that the Hollywood producer and filmmaker just donated a whopping $100,000 to Ken's legal defense fund that was recently started on GoFundMe. The goal was $100k, but was somewhat lagging in the early going ... idling at less than $10k.
On Sunday, however, we're told Tyler threw down some big cash in four separate installments within minutes of each other. He donated 2 shipments of $10k, then donated $50k and topped it all off with a final donation of $30k. Now, Ken's over the finish line and then some.
As for why ... you can take a guess. Tyler wants to support Kenneth as he prepares to go to court against Louisville PD officer Jonathan Mattingly -- who was shot in the crossfire during the raid on Ken and Breonna's home.
As we reported ... Mattingly sued Kenneth for emotional distress and trauma -- this after criminal charges against Ken were dropped. The issue in Mattingly's lawsuit is the same as the investigation into Breonna's death. Did the police announce themselves before entering? Many neighbors, along with Ken, say no. The cops say they did announce themselves.
In any case, Ken now has some financial backing so he can defend himself. And, of course, it's no surprise that support is coming from TP himself.
(AP) - The biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history kicked off Monday as health workers rolled up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic — a day of optimism even as the nation’s death toll closed in on 300,000.
“I feel hopeful today. Relieved,” critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay said after getting a shot in the arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. “I feel like healing is coming.”
With a countdown of “3-2-1,” workers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center gave the first injections to applause.
And in New Orleans, Steven Lee, an intensive care unit pharmacist at Ochsner Medical Center, summed up the moment as he got his own vaccination: “We can finally prevent the disease as opposed to treating it.”
Other hospitals around the country, from Rhode Island to Texas, unloaded precious frozen vials of vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech, with staggered deliveries set throughout the day and Tuesday. A few other countries have authorized the vaccine, including Britain, which started vaccinating people last week, and Canada, which began doing so on Monday.
For health care workers, who along with nursing home residents will be first in line for vaccination, hope is tempered by grief and the sheer exhaustion of months spent battling a coronavirus that still is surging in the U.S. and around the world.
“This is mile 24 of a marathon. People are fatigued. But we also recognize that this end is in sight,” said Dr. Chris Dale of Swedish Health Services in Seattle.
Packed in dry ice to stay at ultra-frozen temperatures, the first of nearly 3 million doses being shipped are a down payment on the amount needed. More of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive each week. And later this week, the FDA will decide whether to green-light the world’s second rigorously studied COVID-19 vaccine, made by Moderna Inc.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 14, 2020 at 12:16pm
A juvenile in West Virginia has been charged in the slayings of two boys and their parents inside their home, authorities said.
The unidentified man, woman and their two sons, ages 3 and 12, were found dead with gunshot wounds around 10:40 a.m. Sunday in a house in Elkview, WV Metro News reported.
Authorities said a relative went to the home that morning to check on the family after not hearing from them for days.
When he arrived, he found the front door unlocked and three people dead, news station WSAZ reported.
Responding authorities found the the fourth victim, the outlet reported.
“We determined immediately on the deputies’ arrival they were all deceased,” Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford told WV Metro News.
Rutherford said a fifth member of the family — a teenage boy — had been found safe away from the crime scene. He has spoken to authorities.
It’s unclear whether the child charged with the murders has any relationship to the victims.
Rutherford declined to release more information because the suspect is a minor.
No further details were provided about the victims or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
“We’re in the process now of going through the residence collecting evidence. Right now it’s very, very early,” Rutherford told reporters.
Posted by Traps N Trunks on December 14, 2020 at 11:59am
Producer Squadzilla hails from Las Vegas, Nevada and has been putting in work for years. Today he's back with two new tunes from two different projects that will be releasing in 2021. The first track titled "In The Field" is produced by Squadzilla and DoubleGChapo and features LilAstro. The second track titled "Roll Up Drip" is produced by Lil Astro and features Squadzilla himself, Flako, and Bin Smokin. You can expect both projects In Squad We Trust and Zip Flair EP in 2021.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 14, 2020 at 10:00am
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"Mother of Pearls" featuring Eto is one of the highlights off of Willie The Kid and V Don's excellent "Deutsche Marks 2" album. Check out the new official music video for it!
Directed by Cole Eckerle @ColeEckerle
Production company: Bad Grey @Bad.Grey
"Deutsche Marks 2" is available now on all streaming platforms:
LORD, LORD! The hardest working man in show business, Flee Lord comes through with an official music video for "WestCoastin" featuring T.F off of his latest album titled "No More Humble Fashion."
Produced by Mephux
Directed by New High Filmz @NewHighFilmz
"No More Humble Fashion" is available now on all streaming platforms:
01. NMHF intro (Prod. by 4ord) 02. Roc to the X Ft. Zaza God (Prod. by Ghost Dave) 03. Skinny Pete in a Dutch (Prod. by Ghost Dave) 04. Cut It 3x Ft. Westside Gunn (Prod. by Ghost Dave) 05. Top Back, Chopper Lit (Prod. by Milky Fella) 06. WestCoastin Ft T.F (Prod. by Mephux) 07. NMHF Skit (Prod. by MELKS) 08. Payin Bills with Cocaine (Prod. by 4ord) 09. Doors Locked Ft. Conway the Machine (Prod. by Ghost Dave) 10. NMHF Skit 2 (Prod. by Mephux) 11. Broke N Still Lyin Ft. G4 Jag (Prod. by Eto) 12. NMHF outro (Prod. by 4ord)
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 13, 2020 at 11:10pm
In the midst of a national crisis, prison inmates are often an afterthought for the general public.
Rapper and community activist Trae the Truth is working to do something about it. The rapper reached an agreement with Harris County officials to allow inmates to attend virtual funerals for loved ones during the pandemic.
The agreement was reached between the rapper and the office of Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Inmates can now attend funerals via Zoom. While it doesn't take the place of attending an in-person burial, inmates can still receive some closure despite sentences and pending cases, according to the press release.
In a post shared to Instagram, Trae the Truth said, "I stepped up on behalf of the inmates locked up to come to a understanding with the jail to allow inmates to at least be part of laying they love ones to rest... In most cases you cant be involved with a funeral at all when u locked up, so now I made it where they will at least be able to Zoom the funeral," Trae the Truth said.
This is a first for the city of Houston, as inmates aren't typically allowed to attend funerals. While it's not ideal to attend a virtual funeral, the opportunity allows inmates a degree of closure while behind bars.
"It might not be the best but at least they can see their loves ones off... This is a major step forward for those locked up. Hopefully it will spread to more than just the County. Grateful."
Since the initiative began, Harris County has conducted over 20 funerals via Zoom.
Rapper and Georgia native Bubba Sparxxx returns today with a new EP titled King of Crap. The project has 8 new songs with one guest feature from JeremyCrews. Listen below via YouTube or on any digital music platform.
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Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 13, 2020 at 11:50am
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In 2014, rising stars Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier met in Las Vegas, both hoping to pave their way to a world championship. Since then, McGregor has won titles in two weight classes, while Poirier secured an interim lightweight crown, both becoming UFC superstars in the process. The two will meet again on Saturday, January 23, at UFC 257.
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 13, 2020 at 10:30am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Deiveson Figueiredo stepped back after the final bell and spread his arms wide. The UFC flyweight champion loosed a full-throated scream as he wrapped a hug around Brandon Moreno, who had just stretched him to the limit of his ability.
When the scorecards couldn’t decide a winner, Figueiredo stayed the champ — and the UFC had every reason to get these two together again soon.
Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a thrilling majority draw at UFC 256 on Saturday, with Figuereido setting a UFC record in his second defense of his flyweight title in three weeks.
Lightweight contender Charles Oliveira also earned his eighth consecutive victory by unanimous decision after dominating former champion Tony Ferguson on the ground at the Apex gym on the UFC’s corporate campus.
Just 21 days after Figueiredo (20-1-1) stopped Alex Perez for his first title defense at UFC 255, the Brazilian returned to the cage and survived a perilous stalemate with Moreno (18-5-2), who also fought at UFC 255.
After making a trip to the hospital Friday night because of an undisclosed ailment, Figueiredo gathered the strength to complete the quickest two title defenses in UFC history. His third defense will almost certainly be against Moreno again.
“You absolutely, positively do that rematch,” UFC President Dana White said. “What a fight that was.”
Figueiredo didn’t speak publicly after the fight, heading straight back to the hospital instead. He was battered and bruised after barely holding off Moreno, who almost became the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history with a stirring mid-fight rally after a low blow left him crouched in pain on the canvas.
Referee Jason Herzog took a point from Figueiredo in the third round for the low kick, and Figueiredo’s mistake proved crucial: One judge scored it 48-47 for Figueiredo, but the other two had it 47-47. The Associated Press also scored it 47-47.
“I think it’s the correct decision to make an immediate rematch, and I’ll be ready next year,” Moreno said. “I’m happy, because obviously I wanted the title, but I just enjoy throwing punches in the octagon.”
Figueiredo and Moreno both won last month and then agreed to stay in Las Vegas for a hastily arranged title fight headlining a card that had been decimated by injuries and COVID-related bout cancellations.
Their subsequent slugfest capped the final pay-per-view event of a tumultuous year for the UFC, the first major North American sports organization to return to competition amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The promotion has put on 32 events in 32 weeks since early May despite innumerable fight cancellations and alterations due to positive COVID-19 tests.
After one more event in Las Vegas next Saturday, the UFC will take a three-week holiday break before resuming weekly shows, likely inside its coronavirus-secure bubble in Abu Dhabi.
Conor McGregor, the biggest star in combat sports, is scheduled for a rematch with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Jan. 23.
“I don’t know what I expected for 2021, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a lot different,” White said. “But this was a great year for us. We had great fights. Business has never been better. Basically our business broke records last year in almost every category except live gate. 2020 was a horrible year in a lot of ways for all of us personally and professionally, but it was a great year for the UFC.”
Figueiredo and Moreno traded big shots from the opening minutes, with both fighters showing power belying their 125-pound frames. Moreno took significant damage around his right eye in the first two rounds, but he also peppered Figueiredo with shots and controlled the champion when they went to the ground.
Moreno was in serious pain after Figueiredo’s low blow, but he gathered himself and unleashed on Figueiredo for the rest of the round. Moreno also looked sharper in the fourth round, but Figueiredo rallied with power in the fifth.
Earlier, Oliveira (30-8) left no doubt about his worthiness for a title shot in the UFC’s deepest weight class with his one-sided victory over Ferguson (25-5), who lost his second fight in 2020 after going 12-0 over the previous seven years.
“Nobody has done to Tony Ferguson what I just did,” Oliveira said. “I’m proving that I have what it takes to be champion, and that I will be champion next year.”
Oliveira sunk in a nasty armbar in the closing seconds of the first, but Ferguson simply refused to tap before the bell, even as his elbow bowed dangerously in the wrong direction.
Oliveira won 30-26 on all three judges’ cards. Only four active UFC fighters have longer winning streaks than the Brazilian submission specialist.
The main card began with former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos’ fourth consecutive TKO loss, this time to France’s Ciryl Gane, who only started MMA three years ago.
Several minutes later, middleweight Kevin Holland improbably knocked out Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza with punches from the ground just 1:45 into the first round. Holland somehow generated enough power in a right hook to stop the veteran Jacaré despite being on the bottom of their clinch on the ground.
Holland has won five fights in seven months after the UFC’s coronavirus pause, and he yelled at the cageside cameras after this victory, asking for another fight next week.
“If I broke records this year, that means I need to break more records next year,” Holland said. “We’re just getting started. If I’m happy off what I did, that means I can’t continue to grow.”
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on December 13, 2020 at 10:03am
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In this clip from next week's "People's Party with Talib Kweli," Kweli and co-host Jasmin Leigh talk with rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and record executive Busta Rhymes about his early career, Q-Tip's mentorship, and his debut studio album 'The Coming.'
Full episode arrives on Monday 12/14 at 9AMet/6AMpt.
Cardi B's husband, Offset, just weighed into the controversy over Snoop Dogg criticizing Cardi for being too openly sexual on 'WAP' -- and his message is basically this ... dude, pause.
We got the Migos rapper Saturday in Bev Hills, and asked him about the tiff Snoop caused by saying Cardi shouldn't be so vulgar in her music -- and he tells us that while he loves Snoop and respects him like no other ... he says the Doggfather's got it wrong here.
Check out Offset's rationale ... he makes some very valid points. For starters, he says men should NOT be telling women what to do period -- but especially as it pertains to their own business and bodies. He says that's been going on for way too long throughout history, and Offset thinks we should uplift ladies now more than ever and let them shine.
More importantly, Offset points out the double standard of male rappers being able to rap in often pretty filthy terms -- including promoting violence, etc. -- but don't catch any flak that a female rapper might when she crosses a line in a man's mind. Offset also points out that he, too, has children ... but that on this front, ya gotta acknowledge it's entertainment and not a moral compass.
Here's hoping they can all break bread after this -- sounds like Offset's cool enough with Snoop to call him up anytime.
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