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Paternity suit against Michael Jordan dropped

An Atlanta woman who says basketball legend Michael Jordan is the father of her 16-year-old son has dropped her paternity suit against him.

Pamela Smith, 48, filed a paternity suit against Jordan last month seeking child support. Jordan denies he is the father of the child and has also filed a counterclaim seeking sanctions against Smith for making false claims.

Smith acknowledged in a previous divorce proceeding that her now ex-husband is the father of the child, according to Jordan’s lawyers.

The case has not been settled, Smith’s attorney, Randy Kessler, told Reuters on Monday. His client has voluntarily dismissed the case “without prejudice” which means she can re-file it later if she chooses, Kessler added.

— Reported by David Beasley of Reuters

Dennis Rodman hopes to meet new Pope

Dennis Rodman — fresh from his basketball summit in North Korea — is now setting his sights on fixing those pesky problems plaguing the Catholic Church … because he’s jetting to Rome today in hopes of meeting the new Pope.

Rodman tells TMZ … his “people” in Rome have been in touch with the mucky muck’s at the Vatican and they’re trying to arrange a sit-down with the next person to don the big funny hat.

Rodman — who wants to be there when the white smoke fills the air — is gambling just a bit, because the Cardinals are voting today and Rodman won’t land until late tonight. But our top Catholic source — Shevonne — tells us … it’s unlikely anyone will get the nod on the first vote.

— Reported by TMZ

LeBron James to marry longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson in September

LeBron James will marry longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson in mid-September in San Diego, Cal., according to several reports, including Chris Chase’s for USAToday.com.

James, 28, was born in Akron and played his first seven NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers before leaving as a free agent to join the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010.

The USA Today report includes a look at the invitation, which apparently doesn’t give a specific date for the wedding ceremony, referring to “September 13-15, 2013.”

James, a three-time NBA MVP, and Brinson have two sons, LeBron Jr., 8, and Bryce, 5.

— Reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Michael Jordan says he is NOT the father

Michael Jordan doesn’t need Maury Povich to tell him he’s not the daddy, he says he knows it already … and filed documents today requesting the paternity case filed against him be dismissed.

As TMZ first reported, Pamela Smith filed docs in Fulton County, GA in an attempt to establish the NBA legend as father of her son, Grant Pierce Jay Jordan Reynolds, aka Taj.

Jordan’s lawyer filed to have the case dismissed today, saying paternity of the teen had already been established … and #23 was not the father.

— Reported by TMZ

Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian divorce trial scheduled for early May

A judge says Kim Kardashian’s divorce trial should begin in early May.

Kardashian had been urging the judge to set the trial so her marriage to Kris Humphries can end before July, when her child with Kanye West is due to be born.

Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon set a May 6 trial date on Friday over the objections of an attorney for her estranged husband, an NBA player.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Tyson Chandler loses bet to Melo, forced to wear Ravens hat

Tyson Chandler may have etched his name in the Knicks’ record books on Monday with his third straight 20-rebound game, but it wasn’t all good for the Knicks’ center.

Chandler, a 49ers fan, lost a bet with Carmelo Anthony, a Baltimore Ravens fan, after Baltimore beat San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday.

The result? Chandler had to wear a Ravens hat during postgame interviews on Monday.

“This is not my team, this is Carmelo’s team. But they won, so congratulations to the Ravens and all their fans,” Chandler begrudgingly said at the begging of his post-game interview.

“That made my day, you just don’t know,” Anthony said. “That made my day.”

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Dennis Rodman writes book for kids

Even Dennis Rodman laughs at the idea.

“Kind of funny, huh?” he said.

It’s true, though. One of basketball’s most outrageous personalities has written a book for kids.

The Hall of Famer’s book, “Dennis The Wild Bull,” came out Wednesday and fans will immediately recognize Rodman’s influence. The large red bull on the cover has flowing red hair, two nose rings, a tattoo and red stubble under his chin.

“They’ll see me, literally see me. They’ll say, ‘Wow, this is just like him,”’ Rodman said in a phone interview.

And he deals with the same issues.

Rodman, known as much for his wacky looks and lifestyle off the court as his considerable success on it, said the purpose of the book is simple.

“More than anything, I just want little kids today just to understand, ain’t no matter what you do in life, be different, rich or poor man, guess what, it’s OK to be who you are pretty much and you’ll be accepted,” Rodman said.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant divorce is off

Vanessa is on Instagram, and she was posting a significant message on Friday that she and Kobe are officially back together.

“We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled. Our divorce action will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together. Kobe & Vanessa,” read the gram.

The Bryants were wed in 2000. Vanessa filed for divorce in 2011 but reconsidered.

— Reported by Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Blog)

Gossip page says Carmelo Anthony and La La have been living separately

Carmelo and La La Anthony have been living separately, sources say, but friends close to the Knick’s wife say she’ll stand by her man and won’t split from the NBA star.

“It is true they haven’t seen much of each other in the past few months,” says a friend of the couple. “She’s been away a lot filming her show, ‘La La’s Full Court Life,’ in London, New York and LA. They are not separated and are still together. She and Melo have a house in LA — so she’s always there when she’s doing auditions.”

But others say they’ve been going through a more rocky period. “They have been living separately for several months now,” says a source. “She’s been living in LA while Carmelo has been in New York.” The source added, “La La used to go out to the games and wanted to be seen . . . now she’s always off doing her own thing.”

— Reported by Page Six of the NY Post

Allen Iverson wants new judge in divorce case

NBA legend Allen Iverson wants a new judge in his divorce case — claiming the current judge unethically does legal favors for campaign contributors, and he’s afraid she will screw him just like she did Usher’s estranged wife.

Iverson filed a motion for the judge to recuse herself last month, claiming she has accepted campaign donations from his estranged wife’s attorney — and has a track record of making biased decisions for contributors.

As for the Usher connection — the lawyer who repped the singer in his child custody showdown with Tameka Raymond is also repping Iverson’s ex.

— Reported by TMZ.com