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Tim Hardaway was forced to issue an apology on Monday night ... after he disturbingly compared a player's rough defense to rape during the middle of a Warriors game.

The former Golden State superstar was in the TV booth for the team's special "Run TMC" broadcast -- which featured Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond instead of the Warriors' regular announcers -- and a little more than halfway into the game, Tim put his foot squarely in his mouth.

While trying to talk about how he felt a player crossed the line on defense during the Warriors' matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, he shockingly said, "See, ya'll thought that was great D, I thought that was just raping him."

He added, "I think he should have called the police on that."

The other members of the broadcast booth quickly tried to move on ... but viewers were so outraged and appalled by the remarks, Hardaway had to issue a mea culpa just a few minutes later.

"Hey everybody," he said as the game headed into the fourth quarter. "I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast. I want to apologize for that. And, you know, let's get back to the game. And, let's finish this game off with a 30-point win and go home happy."

No word yet from the Warriors if there will be any punishment coming for Hardaway.

Of course, this is not the first time the 56-year-old former basketball player has offended with his words -- back in 2007, during a talk on "The Dan Le Batard Show," he infamously said, "I hate gay people."

Hardaway eventually apologized for those comments.

Chris Redd is about to enter the final stage of recovery after his brutal attack in NYC ... and this one will require him to go under the knife.

Sources close to the 'SNL' star tell TMZ ... Chris is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday in the Big Apple to finish the job of permanently repairing his busted nose. Now that it's been a couple weeks since the initial injury -- and the swelling's gone down -- our sources say a doctor will have a clear view to figure out how to fix it.

We're told the procedure will consist of breaking Chris's nose back into the correct place ... and then letting it all heal in hopes the structure returns to its original form. There's a lot of damage ... remember, one of the bones in Chris' face was cracked into 3 pieces.

Our sources say he'll be under general anesthesia for about 2-3 hours, and a plastic surgeon who specializes in this sort of thing will be overseeing the operation. While it might sound cosmetic, we're told Chris isn't aiming to change anything about his appearance.

Remember, this all started after a guy punched Chris in the face with brass knuckles in a failed attempt to steal his chain. It left the comic in bad shape, with stitches in place as a temporary fix. No arrests have been made and cops are still looking for the assailant.

NeNe Leakes' boyfriend is looking to close the book on his marriage ... all while his estranged wife remains embroiled in a lawsuit with his current girlfriend.

The 'RHOA' star's current SO, Nyonisela Sioh, just filed to divorce Malomine Tehmeh-Sioh -- who recently sued NeNe over her relationship with her soon-to-be ex-husband.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nyonisela says he and Malomine have been married since 2016 and have a kid together ... citing their separation date as Sept. 19, 2021. The next part is interesting -- he says they lived separately and haven't resumed marital relations since then, noting the separation from the jump was meant to be permanent.

That could speak to her own legal battle with NeNe ... which boils down to her suing over what she claims was a homewrecker situation -- essentially, accusing NeNe of sleeping with her husband and ruining their marriage ... allegedly causing her emotional distress.

Nyonisela seems to suggest there was no overlap between his separation from Malomine and the new relationship with NeNe. It's unclear, though, when exactly he and NeNe officially hooked up ... they were photographed together as early as December 2021.

Frankie Grande was the subject of a scary situation on the streets of NY ... he got attacked and robbed by 2 teens.

NYPD sources tell TMZ ... Frankie was walking down an NYC street last week ... when he got punched in the back of the head -- the teens then jacked his bag and ran off.

A few hours after the attack, cops say a 17-year-old and 13-year-old attempted to use one of Frankie's credit cards at a nearby smoke shop.

Cops found out and beelined it for the shop, and swiftly arrested the 2. They were booked on assault, robbery, grand larceny and other crimes.

Billy McFarland, the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival, is apologizing to the Bahamas for the project gone wrong ... and he says he wants to right his wrongs.

Billy fired off an apology letter to the Bahamian government Monday, hours after Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said his nation wanted nothing to do with Billy's next venture, which appears to be a treasure hunt in the Bahamas.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Billy doesn't mention Fyre Fest by name ... but he opens by saying, "I am writing to you to profusely apologize for my actions 5 years ago. I was completely wrong and I wholly regret my actions."

Billy mentions his prison release and time served -- he ended up pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud over the disastrous failed event and served 4 of his 6-year sentence behind bars -- and says, "my main focus is how I can right my wrongs and how I can make the Bahamas and Family Islands, a region I care so deeply about, whole again."

BF says he's kept in contact with folks in the Bahamas over the years and writes ... "Their generosity and kind hearts have been a constant guide and motivation for me. I have been re-engaging with the families of the islands to see what I can do to begin making amends."

As we reported ... Billy recently teased his latest venture, which our sources said involved another festival, among other things in the near future. His TikTok video teasing the project showed a treasure map and made it look like he's planning something else in the Bahamas, something the government there is not taking kindly.

Billy's not offering any more specifics on what he's got cooking, though, writing ... "I don't have much right now, but I am committed to make these families whole as soon I am allowed. I ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands."

Billy ends his plea with another apology ... "I truly acknowledge the hurt I caused to the people, and region, and I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs."

TMZ Sports has obtained Ben Gordon's mug shot after he allegedly attacked two McDonald's security guards in Chicago ... with the ex-NBA star appearing alert and wide-eyed.

As we previously reported, Gordon was being escorted out of a local Mickey D's on Nov. 4 when he allegedly hit a 29-year-old male guard in the face and threw him to the ground. He is also accused of shoving a second 21-year-old male guard during the altercation.

It's unclear what led to the altercation, but the former NBA lottery pick appeared to have a blank stare as he posed for his mug shot shortly after being taken into custody.

39-year-old Gordon was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery ... and his first court date is slated for next month.

Before this relaxed kid in his button-down shirt turned into a singer, television host and actor ... he was just casually posing on the playground, hanging with his little bro and growing up in Harlan, Kentucky.

If you didn't listen to him and his fellow boy banders in the mid-'90s, you probably watched him on MTV about a decade later. In 2021, he won "The Masked Singer" and unveiled his face after stripping out of his piglet costume.

Need one more clue? Because of you, this cute kid has had 3 top 10 hits.

Post Malone's week is off to an incredible start ... as of Monday morning, "Sunflower" -- his 2018 collaboration with Swae Lee -- is now 17x platinum, and officially the most certified in recording history!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Posty in L.A., where the "Twelve Carat Toothache" superstar was absolutely floored by the RIAA announcement, and all the fan support. His immediate reaction was to shout out Swae Lee as the secret sauce behind their blockbuster record.

According to Post, Swae was heavily instrumental in arranging the melodies -- doing the "heavy lifting" as he puts it.

Originally released as part of the "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" soundtrack, the end result was one of the most favored harmonic duets ever recorded.

Post says throughout his experiences, he’s seen "Sunflower" bring sad people up and make happy people even happier. The song reigned supreme at No. 1 in several countries and almost has a whopping two billion views on YouTube to date.

"Sunflower" is also Post and Swae's second diamond certification behind "Congratulations" and "Unforgettable," respectively … and won’t be the last if they have any say so.

Post tells us he and Swae have been cooking, and should be finalizing at least one recipe very soon.

It’s a very big garden to fill … but yes, we’ll take a whole field of more "Sunflowers" ASAP!!!

Megan Thee Stallion isn't letting anyone screw up her shot at an American Music Award -- not even her own label, and a Texas judge is backing her up by granting a restraining order.

Megan filed legal docs to get the restraining order against her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and her distributor 300 Entertainment. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Megan claims 1501 made "threatening and retaliatory" moves to block Megan from using her own music in connection with the AMAs ... which will be handed out this coming Sunday.

Of course, Megan's been battling 1501 on a bunch of fronts -- most notably, they're in a legal war over her contract. As we've reported, Meg believes she's satisfied the terms and should be a free agent, but 1501 insists she still owes more recordings.

She doesn't specify what 1501 and/or 300 Entertainment allegedly said or did to mess with the AMA broadcast on ABC -- but a judge heard enough to grant the temporary restraining order. Both companies are now blocked from interfering with her music being used on the award show.

Megan is up for Favorite Female Hip Hop Artist, and voting for the award ends tonight. It's interesting, there is a court hearing scheduled where the label will have a chance to tell their side of the story. Of course, that date is next Tuesday ... 2 days after the AMAs will have aired.

Former MLB superstar Yasiel Puig is facing up to five years in prison ... after he agreed to plead guilty to lying to the feds during their investigation of an illegal gambling ring.

Federal prosecutors announced the plea deal on Monday afternoon ... saying the ex-Dodgers outfielder intends to make a guilty plea to one count of making false statements at a court hearing later this month.

The charge, according to the feds, carries a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.

Puig -- who's now playing baseball in South Korea after seven seasons in the MLB -- had been accused by officials of placing bets through an illegal gambling business beginning back in May 2019.

Officials say in a matter of weeks, he racked up $282,900 in gambling losses -- and then cut two separate $100K checks to the operators of the illegal gambling biz to pay off his debts ... and continue to make bets.

Authorities say following the payments, he went on to make an additional 899 more bets on the sites from July 2019 to September 2019 on tennis, football and basketball games.

According to officials, Puig was ultimately interviewed over it all -- and they say he lied through his teeth ... prompting the federal charge.

Jay Leno is in a burn center after suffering a serious injury to his face ... TMZ has learned.

Jay was in the Burbank garage where he stores his cars on Saturday when one of the cars erupted into flames without warning. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the flames burned the left side of Jay's face, but thankfully did not penetrate his eye or his ear.

He was taken by ambulance to the burn ward at Grossman Burn Center where he remains. We do not specifically know his condition but it is serious enough that he's been admitted to the hospital.

We're told Jay has canceled all of his engagements for the duration of the week.

Jay was supposed to appear at The Financial Brand conference on Sunday, but organizers said there was a "very serious medical emergency" that prevented him from showing.

Speedy recovery, Jay.

Odell Beckham Jr. is suing Nike ... the NFL superstar claims the Swoosh swindled him out of millions of dollars by suppressing sales of sneakers that would've triggered a contract extension.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed by 30-year-old Beckham Jr.'s attorney, Daniel Davillier, laid out their claims against the shoewear giant.

Odell claims once his original Nike deal expired in 2017, he considered jumping ship to Adidas ... who offered him a huge contract. Not wanting to lose a marquee talent, Odell says Nike exercised their right to match the Adidas deal. But, he claims the fine print was different ... and it wasn't truly the same deal.

Beckham Jr. says the way the Nike deal was structured made it nearly impossible for him to trigger very valuable extensions of the deal.

OBJ says the relationship with Nike began to sour around March 2022 when he was due a payment of around $2.6 million. But, he claims, without any warning, the company withheld more than $2 million of the payment.

He later learned Nike withheld the money because the company said he committed footwear and glove violations when he altered his equipment towards the end of last season.

Beckham insists he didn't commit the violations -- he said he was forced to personally customize his cleats because Nike failed to give him cleats that matched the colors of his new team.

As for his gloves, Beckham Jr. says he always customizes the equipment to fit his "high fashion brand" and Nike never had a problem with it in the past.

Odell believes Nike manufactured the penalties as a way to pressure him into signing a less lucrative deal with them.

All in all, Odell says the fine print screwed him out of over $20 million ... and now he's suing to collect.

The Super Bowl champ released a statement addressing the suit.

"Being a Nike Athlete and Brand Icon was a dream I've had since being a young boy. I wanted to be the next Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in the Nike Family."

"When Nike exercised its right of first refusal to match the Adidas offer and not only kept me as a Nike Athlete, but also made me one of their Brand Icons – my dream had been fulfilled."

"Unfortunately, Nike did not honor its commitments. Throughout our partnership, I have kept my promise and fulfilled my obligations to the brand. I am extremely disappointed that I’ve had to take these measures to ensure Nike fulfills their obligations and promises."

Beckham Jr. continued ... "Today, I'm taking a stand not just for me, but to set a precedent for all athletes who have dedicated their life to the sport they love – especially those who don't have the means to stand up for themselves. We are held responsible for fulfilling our obligations under our contracts, but we also have to hold powerful companies like Nike accountable for honoring their commitments too."

"I look forward to resolving this issue and hope we can start a real conversation about protecting athletes and their rights. This happens too often in the sports industry and it's time for change."

Former "HQ" host Scott Rogowsky has some incredible items from the world of trivia ... courtesy of Alex Trebek's estate sale, and now he's ready to part ways with some of Trebek's sweet threads.

We got Scott Monday at his shop, "Quiz Daddy's Closet" in Santa Monica, and he says he took a trip to the late "Jeopardy" host's sale back in April and made a beeline directly for the closet items.

Seems to have been the right strategy -- Scott made off with a bunch of goodies, from custom jerseys to rare limited edition T-shirts, and he's using the goods for an auction that'll benefit those who are really in need.

Scott tells us the proceeds from Monday night's live auction will be going to the Lustgarten Foundation -- which supports pancreatic cancer research ... as you know, that's what Alex died of back in 2020.

Police are on the hunt for a former University of Virginia football player ... after they say he's suspected of shooting and killing three people, while injuring two others, in a horrifying on-campus incident Sunday night.

The shooting occurred at Culbreth Parking Garage at around 10:30 PM -- and, according to the university police department, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a current student, is suspected of pulling the trigger.

As of Monday morning, Jones had not been taken into custody. Police said they've launched a manhunt for the ex-Cavaliers running back -- and are urging anyone to call 911 with information about his whereabouts. They say he was last seen wearing a burgundy jacket, blue jeans and red shoes, and is considered armed and dangerous.

Jones, according to the school's website, played tailback for UVA in 2018, but did not appear in any games.

The victims of the shooting have not yet been identified. A potential motive also remains unclear.

School president Jim Ryan announced Monday morning classes had been canceled as the search for Jones continues.

"This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send," Ryan said in a statement to the school, "and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia."

Anne Heche's fiery car crash into a Los Angeles home almost killed the woman who lived there with her pets, and now they don't have a home ... according to a new lawsuit.

The late actress' estate is being sued over her August car wreck by the woman who lived in the home where Anne crashed her Mini Cooper and ignited a huge blaze.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lynne Mishele says she was minding her business at home with her pets when suddenly Anne's car came barreling inside, allegedly stopping just a few feet away from the woman, her dogs and her tortoise.

Lynne claims she is still traumatized by the incident -- she says she's startled by loud noises, plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of the crash, terrified of walking outside ... and has no place to live.

In the suit, she claims the house and all of her possessions were completely burned and destroyed as a result of Anne's crash.

She notes Anne was driving erratically before crashing into her home ... remember, Anne also crashed into another home nearby, and also notes a blood analysis showed Anne had cocaine and fentanyl in her system at the time of the crash.

As we reported ... Anne was stuck in her burning car for at least 45 minutes after the crash, and she was transported to a hospital where she later died from smoke inhalation and burn injuries.

Lynne is going after Anne's estate for at least $2 million in damages.

Roberta Flack says she has ALS ... and, sadly, she says that means she won't be performing her classic hits anymore.

The announcement came down Monday through the Grammy-winning singer's rep, who explained Roberta has difficulty even speaking these days due to her condition. No word on how long she's been suffering with ALS ... often known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

ALS breaks down a person's nerves over time and significantly deteriorates their functionality, especially as it pertains to muscle use. It has proven fatal, with no known cure.

It seems the reason this news is coming out now is because Roberta has a few notable projects on the horizon that might normally require her to do interviews ... including the release of a children's book in January, and a simultaneous PBS doc about her.

Plus, she's coming up on a big milestone in her career -- next year marks the 50th anniversary of her album, "Killing Me Softly" ... featuring the eponymous title song which is perhaps her most famous hit.

Lauryn Hill's version is a direct homage to Flack's rendition.