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U.S. Senator and former NBA star Bill Bradley is remembering his beloved teammate, Willis Reed, following the Knicks legend's tragic passing this week ... saying he'll always remember "The Captain" as "a man with great dignity and strength."

Bradley -- who served as a United States Senator of New Jersey (1979 to 1997) after retiring from the NBA -- joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) where he talked about his teammate who remained his friend long after their playing days were over.

Of course, Reed and Bradley won two titles together ('70 & '73) during their stellar careers in The Big Apple ... but Bill believes a big reason why the Knicks took home their first title in 1970 was because Reed shocked everyone and suited up for Game 7, despite being injured.

"He was a tremendous leader," Bradley said. "And, you don't always have players who so overtly put their whole career on the line for their teammates, which is what he did in 1970."

"We won the championship and it was partly inspired by Willis' courage and dedication to his team," Bradley said. "You really just felt everything elevate in The Garden."

Bradley didn't only star on the pro level ... he was one of the greatest college basketball players ever.

His alma mater, Princeton, a #15-seed, will face #6-seed Creighton in the Sweet 16 on Friday ... after the team pulled off two upset wins over Arizona and Missouri last week.

Bradley -- an AP College Player of the Year who also won Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tourney in 1965 -- doesn't believe the Cinderella run has to end here ... he wholeheartedly believes the Tigers can win.

"They stand a great chance," the 79-year-old said.

"They're playing seemingly well. I like the team and, of course, I respect Mitch a lot and it's great for the university."

Now, the Senator isn't guaranteeing Princeton's going to the Final Four, but like he says ... "anything is possible in sports."

Pat Sajak was simply being funny when he showed off his wrestling skills on a contestant ... so says the guy who took it on the chin, and now he's urging folks to cut the "Wheel of Fortune" host some slack.

We spoke to Fred Jackson who tells us ... as a pro wrestler and a showbiz guy, he absolutely loved the moment, and it was actually one of the highlights of the whole show! He says he's the only one who has any business being upset about it, but he's perfectly OK with it.

ICYMI, the 'Wheel' host came under fire after Tuesday's episode, where Fred revealed he's a pro wrestler ... and after he won the bonus round, PS ran over and applied a wrestling move called the "chicken wing."

Fred found it super funny and all done in jest, adding he understands if it isn't everyone's sense of humor -- but he says all the backlash against Pat is taking it too far.

BTW, Fred says the moment was absolutely not staged -- Pat had a really firm grip on him, and he claims he couldn't get loose if he tried.

No injuries, though, so ... no blood, no foul. Standard 'Wheel' rules.

American singer and rapper Matthew Morris, aka MattyBRaps, was just seven years old when he started his music career after sharing his raps and tunes on YouTube back in 2010.

He initially became popular after remixing and covering songs ... Justin Bieber's "Eenie Meenie" being the first of many! Some of his originals like "I'm Missing You" have accumulated over 240 million views on the 'Tube.

Morris collaborated with some big names including JoJo Siwa, James Maslow and Vanilla Ice, and his success landed him on some major talk shows including "Dr. Phil," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "The Queen Latifah Show."

Sam Asghari wants to star in a movie opposite Britney Spears ... and he thinks they would be the perfect fit for an action comedy.

We got Sam at LAX on Thursday and he was just getting back home from filming a project ... so naturally our photog asked him if he would ever want to act with his wife.

Sam says Britney's a great actress and he for sure wants to team up with her on the big screen ... and it sounds like he's already got some ideas for potential projects.

Britney obviously loves to dance, and Sam thinks her natural athletic ability makes her the perfect candidate for an action comedy ... which he seems to prefer over a rom-com.

The way Sam envisions it ... he and Britney could both do their own stunts, and he's seeing lots of action and fight scenes where they both kick some serious ass.

But before the perfect script comes along, Sam says Britney's excited about visiting him on his current film set ... he says he's in L.A. during a break in filming.

Rihanna's house became the center of some serious police action after one man showed up wanting to ask for her hand in marriage.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the man, who traveled from South Carolina, walked up to Rihanna's home Thursday where he was almost immediately greeted by her security.

Our sources say the man claimed he was there to propose to the singer, and Rihanna's team called the cops right away. When officers arrived, they put the man in handcuffs, got him in a car and had a serious chat about his intentions.

We're told it was determined the man -- dressed in a red Nike hoodie -- had not broken any laws, though he was asked to leave and told not to return.

It was back in 2018 when a man named Eduardo Leon was arrested inside Rihanna's L.A.-area home. Leon allegedly had been inside the home for at least a day, while Rihanna was out of town, before he was discovered. He allegedly told cops he was there to have sex with the singer.

Tom Brady never played for the Raiders, but he still made his way to Sin City in retirement -- the 7-time Super Bowl champion just became a part owner of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces!!

Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis made the announcement minutes ago ... saying, "Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court. Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole."

The team says TB12 first got hooked on the Aces when he had a courtside seat as LV beat the Connecticut Sun during a home game on May 31, 2022.

Brady -- who also owns a Major League Pickleball team -- released a statement on the business venture ... saying, "I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization."

"My love for women’s sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters' games -- They were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me."

Brady added he loves what the players and coaches on the Aces, as well as the league as a whole, have been able to do to improve the sport and inspire young athletes.

"To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor."

Naturally, Brady joins a winning team -- the Aces secured the WNBA championship last season.

No word on how much Brady's piece of the Aces is worth -- reports have estimated the average WNBA team to be valued at $13.7 million -- but considering the guy made a ton of money on and off the field over the course of his 23-year career, he can spot the dough.

There will be no summer renaissance for Beyoncé and Adidas this year ... the two powerhouses have mutually agreed to part ways.

The Wall Street Journal reports Beyoncé's custom clothing line Ivy Park fell WAY below its 2022 sales projections of $250 mil ... only bringing in roughly $40 mil to close out the year.

Those numbers were also considerably lower than 2021's tally of $93 million ... and fresh marketing campaigns with celebs such as Irina Shayk, Yara Shahidi, Megan Thee Stallion and current hip hop it-girl Ice Spice weren't able to rouse the public's interest at the cash register.

Before cutting ties, 2023's projections were shifted from $335 mill to $65 mill. Beyoncé's contract is finished at the end of the year but is still on track to earn her $20 mil annual salary.

What's also interesting about the split is Beyoncé is set to embark on her Renaissance World Tour ... which could've brought in huge merch sales for Ivy Park.

A sickening story out of St. Louis as a local man -- who goes by the rap name Woozy The Goat -- has been accused of killing his own grandparents.

Lincoln Co. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood tells us Davionne McRoberts walked into a psych ward covered in blood earlier this week ... he's been tied to the murders of his grandparents Donald and Kathy McRoberts, who were found dead in their home.

Wood told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch McRoberts is currently being held in the mental hospital under police watch.

There aren't many details yet on the specifics of the murders, but local law enforcement was reportedly looking for Davionne Tuesday night before he essentially surrendered himself to the psych ward.

Davionne's rap persona Woozy The Goat has a very small social media following and appears to have dropped some songs on SoundCloud. He posted some very disturbing messages on Facebook in the time leading up to his grandparents' deaths ... declaring he was God.

In one of the messages, he wrote, "WHO WANNA DIE TODAY? Y'all don't believe me? Come show me I'm not god."

Another reads, "Hey I really am god truly everyone I'm trying to help you all but I came to terms y'all got too comfy in hell I'm not trying to take peoples money when I say donate to $WoozyTheGoat I'm trying to show y'all new life ..."

America's crackdown on TikTok might just be a way for lawmakers to look good on camera, but that doesn't mean a potential ban of the app nationwide is just for show ... so says Taylor Lorenz.

The Washington Post's top tech reporter joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, giving us her thoughts about the current hearings about the app's ties to China ... as TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew gets grilled by congressmen at Capitol Hill.

She says it seems like a lot of the lawmakers are dragging Chew to get some viral traction, ironically enough ... adding there's a bigger point to be made about social media as a whole, but strangely the blame is just put on TikTok -- pointing to Facebook, for example.

That being said, Taylor is still taking these hearings seriously ... and she tells us why it could all still come crumbling down.

The drama is unfolding on the set of the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion show ... the cast members arrived around 9:45 AM ahead of the highly-anticipated taping.

Tom Sandoval showed up to the San Fernando Valley set looking like he's going to a funeral -- dressed in all black -- which may be fitting, because he's likely to be buried for cheating on Ariana Madix with fellow cast member Raquel Leviss.

Ariana, fresh off her recent brand partnership with a sex toy company, is glowing ... she's rocking a yellow hoodie and matching sweats, and she just got her nails and hair done.

She definitely is sending Tom a signal ... her head-to-toe ensemble by Boys Lie includes graphics that read, "WE'RE SORRY THE NUMBER YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH HAS MOVED ON."

Lala Kent pulled up with a huge designer bag ... and we've also seen arrivals from Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay and Tom Schwartz.

Of course, it wouldn't be a "Vanderpump Rules" reunion taping without the big dogs ... Lisa Vanderpump's in the house, and she was met with a huge embrace from reunion moderator Andy Cohen.

No sign of Raquel yet ... remember, her restraining order against Scheana is complicating the reunion ... but she is in L.A., because we got her yesterday at LAX and a nail salon, and she was pretty chatty.

As we first told you, Raquel and Scheana have to be kept apart when they're both on set. When one of the women is filming with the rest of the cast, the other has to be sequestered in a hair and makeup trailer.

The seating chart is out too, and there are two versions. When Raquel is filming, she's sitting between the Toms and is five seats away from Ariana. When Scheana is on the set and Raquel's in her trailer, Scheana is seated at the end after Tom Schwartz.

Lil Nas X's presence on social media has got him in some hot water once again ... with people saying his tweet about 'gays' in Africa is incredibly insensitive on the heels of serious anti-gay legislation in Uganda.

The "Old Town Road" rapper was met with a ton of backlash Wednesday after he tweeted "where do the gays be in africa i wanna come there". The tweet came on the heels Uganda parliament passing one of the most sweeping anti-gay legislations in the world.

The law punishes people with up to 10 years behind bars for simply identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or anything other than male or female.

More shockingly, citizens can be sentenced to life behind bars for committing gay sex acts and be sentenced to death for "aggravated homosexuality" -- a broad term to include sex acts committed by force as well as incest.

After LNX's tweet, folks quickly hopped on social media to express their disdain, for what they see as an extremely dangerous message. One user wrote, "This is so insensitive especially after Uganda just announced the harsh punishment of even identifying as being LGBTQ” ... and many others backed these same sentiments.

As you know, this isn't the first time he's been in the hot seat for his social media postings, recently issuing an apology for making a trans joke online.

Tyson Fury is in a MUCH better mood after going TF off on Oleksandr Usyk earlier Thursday ... 'cause the boxing superstar announced his wife is pregnant with their 7th baby!!

Just hours ago, the Gypsy King publicly unleashed on Usyk after the two sides couldn't agree on terms to throw hands in the ring next month ... cussing up a storm and claiming his potential opponent was scared.

But Tyson transformed into a completely different man a short time after ... smiling from ear to ear as he shared the big news on Instagram.

"All is not lost!" Tyson said. "I get to do Date night with my beautiful pregnant wife [Paris]. 7th [baby] incoming."

"fantastic news to cheer me up."

Of course, Fury has previously made his intentions to expand their family very clear ... saying he was ready to put a "bun in her oven" last year.

The Furys have kids ranging from one to 13 years ... and even with lucky #7 on the way, there's no telling when they'll be done growing their family!!

Terence Crawford's Nebraska home was allegedly burglarized, TMZ Sports has learned ... and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry stolen, including two luxury watches worth over 100 grand apiece.

The alleged theft occurred at the undefeated boxer's home in Omaha between March 17 and March 20, according to a Douglas County Sheriff's Office incident report.

Per the report, the unknown suspect(s) broke into his home and stole several pieces of jewelry. The haul included two gold chains featuring the logo "TBC" -- Crawford's initials -- a "Bud" personalized gold chain, and a gold cross necklace.

Two incredibly expensive watches were also reported stolen -- a diamond Patek Philippe watch and an Audemars Piguet and bracelet set.

All told, the pieces totaled over $317K ... and Crawford is asking for the public's help, even offering a hefty reward.

“I got 100k for whoever know who broke in my house and stole my jewelry," the 35-year-old announced.

This isn't the first time Crawford's home has been robbed. According to DCSO, an unknown suspect took a gold Rolex, worth a little over $137K, from the same residence in Oct. 2021.

Crawford -- 39-0 and one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world -- has been ordered to defend his WBO welterweight title against Alexis Rocha ... though boxing fans badly want him to fight fellow future Hall of Fame fighter Errol Spence in a super fight this year.

The "Vanderpump Rules" crew has seemingly figured out the work-around for Raquel Leviss' restraining order against Scheana Shay for the reunion ... and it involves a BIG separation at all times.

A source close to production tells TMZ ... when Raquel is on set filming with the rest of the cast, Scheana will be sequestered in her hair and makeup trailer watching a live feed of what's happening on the stage. When It's Scheana's turn for the cameras, Raquel will then head to her trailer.

We're told the reunion hasn't started filming yet, but it's expected to go well into Thursday evening. Our sources tell us Andy Cohen already filmed solo one on one interviews Wednesday with Raquel, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix -- which obviously should be super juicy.

Of course, the extra work to get both costars on the same set comes after Raquel got a temporary restraining order against Scheana after allegedly getting attacked by Scheana in NYC, causing a bruised eye and a cut on her face -- around the same time Tom and Raquel's affair went public.

As for the alleged assault, Scheana's attorney Neama Rahmani tells us, "This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Rachel [Raquel], period."

Kayleigh Scott, a transgender flight attendant famous for appearing in a United Airlines commercial, is dead ... and it appears to be a suicide.

The 25-year-old was found dead Monday in her Denver, CO apartment ... the same day she posted on social media about planning to end her life.

In the Instagram post, Kayleigh wrote ... "As I take my final breaths and exit this living earth, I would like to apologize to everyone I let down. I am so sorry I could not be better. To those that I love, I am sorry I could not be stronger. To those that gave me their everything, I am sorry my effort was not reciprocated."

The post was flooded with comments from concerned fans, with many saying they were calling police in Denver to conduct a welfare check.

Kayleigh's post also continued ... "Please understand that me leaving is not a reflection of you, but the result of my own inability to turn myself for the better. To Ashley, Cynthia, Regine & Sophia. I am so sorry. Please remember me for the good memories we have shared, and never for my downfall. I will see you all again on the other side."

Her sister, Ashley, commented on the IG post confirming Kayleigh's death.

Kayleigh famously shared her transition story in a 2020 United Airlines commercial for Trans Day of Visibility ... thanking the airline for helping her transition.

Police in Denver are investigating ... and the city's medical examiner will determine an official cause of death.

Kayleigh was 25.

RIP

The sous chef son of actor Dylan Walsh cooked up a wild water rescue for people at a Maryland tourist site after a car plunged into the harbor ... and the drama was all caught on video.

Thomas Walsh left a meeting with his boss at Phillips Seafood on Wednesday afternoon when he came across a group of people freaked out about what they had just seen -- a car had careened into the water at Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the driver was stuck inside.

Well, that's all Tom had to see as he dove into the water to save the motorist as The Baltimore Banner reported.

Check out the footage, posted Wednesday on Instagram, showing Tom punching the passenger side window of the car and kicking in the windshield. Tom pulled the driver out through the windshield and swam with him to the edge of the pier. Tom then hoisted the man into the waiting arms of people on the pier before he, too, was helped to safety.

Emergency Service personnel later fished the car out of the water with the help of a tow truck.

Police said Tom and the driver were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The motorist, according to cops, was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the accident.