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Anthony Davis gave a fan the bird on Wednesday ... and we ain't talkin' Pelicans.

The NBA superstar was caught flipping off a fan after the Pels vs. Hornets game in NOLA ... after he claims the person disrespected him first.

According to Pelicans Wave, the Instagram account that initially posted the encounter, AD alleges the fan said something that rubbed him the wrong way, which prompted the reaction.

Davis -- who publicly requested a trade earlier this season -- denies any bad blood toward the team or NOLA, saying, "Never disrespected the city and never will. But of course they not gonna show what the fan said"

However, the fan who captured the video, Bradley Wehmeyer, says the fan on the receiving end of the gesture flipped AD off first ... but never actually said anything.

Jahlil Okafor defended his teammate, saying, "People can’t possibly think AD just looked at a fan and decided to flip him off for no reason. Cmon now."

It's definitely not the first time we've seen these kinds of interactions between fans and players this season ... Tristan Thompson flipped off fans back in December, there were several incidents of Kevin Durant yelling profanities at fans, and Russell Westbrook threatened to "f**k up" a fan and his wife after receiving racial verbal comments.

4/4-- Conor seems to want to put all this behind him and get back to fighting with his fists instead of his fingers ... tweeting, "I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds."

"All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all."

"Now see you in the Octagon."

4:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has a message for Conor if he continues to run his mouth.

"You're gonna get yourself f*cked up, your whole team f*cked up, your security f*cked up," Abdelaziz says.

"Get your sh*t together, boy, before you get everybody f*cked up. But, we don't want violence. We don't promote violence. We are promoting peace. Enough with the hate."

3:22 PM PT -- Conor and Khabib's boss, Dana White, is not happy with the 2 fighters ... saying he's aware of the social media back-and-forth and has reached out to them to handle the situation.

"The ongoing situation has escalated to a level that is unacceptable," White says.

"As such, we are taking the necessary steps to reach out to both athlete camps and this situation is being addressed by all parties internally

10:18 AM PT -- Khabib just fired back at his arch nemesis ... clearly alluding to the reports that McGregor is under investigation for sexual assault in Ireland (Conor's rep bashed the report as a "rumor," but did not address the allegations).

"Rapist, you are Rapist," Nurmagomedov tweeted.

"You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you. We will see."

Conor McGregor personally attacked Khabib's wife -- and seemingly mocked Muslim tradition -- tweeting a photo of the UFC champ and his bride ... and calling her a "towel."

McGregor went on a Twitter rampage Tuesday night ... unleashed a fury of Tweets directed at Paulie Malignaggi -- who slapped his good friend, Artem Lobov, earlier in the day -- and Nurmagomedov.

“Don’t be scared of the rematch you little scurrying rat" ... McGregor wrote.

Conor dug in, getting personal ... posting 2 photos from Khabib's wedding day -- along with the caption, "Your wife is a towel mate" -- appearing to make fun of Khabib's wife's clothing.

McGregor deleted the message minutes later.

Khabib and his wife are devout Muslims ... and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took the insult as a direct slight at Khabib's religion.

"Talking sh*t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re fucked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."

Conor's used racially and religiously charged rhetoric to sell fights and belittle fighters in the past ... so it's possible this entire incident is an attempt to goad Khabib into a rematch.

Here's a peek into Rob Gronkowski's retirement life -- Camille Kostek channeling Margot Robbie for sexy photo shoots -- and we gotta say, giving up being a Patriots star doesn't seem so bad!!

Gronk's GF threw on her best 'Wolf of Wall Street' costume for a smokin' hot photo sesh ... and if the pics come out as good as these vids -- they're gonna be great.

Spoiler alert: That's gonna happen.

Unclear what the shoot was for ... but Camille KILLS Naomi's famous scene with Leonardo DiCaprio -- slaying everything from the makeup to the dress to the accent!!

Of course, doesn't seem Gronk's in any danger of being in the doghouse like Jordan Belfort ... the couple's relationship seems to be going as strong as ever.

In fact, when the New England legend announced his retirement last month ... Camille wrote, "I love you with all my heart, you allow me to take the term 'proud girlfriend' to a new level."

NFL QB Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will undergo surgery in the next few weeks ... the family announced on Wednesday.

Kelly shared the news on social media ... saying she had started to feel "dizzy & off balance" over the past year ... and ultimately went for an MRI that revealed she had a tumor sitting on her cranial nerves -- requiring surgery to remove it.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely terrified of brain surgery. I am," Kelly says. "I am terrified of them opening my head, I’m terrified of losing my hearing, I’m terrified of losing facial function."

She continues ... "I’m terrified of far worse things that could happen and I’m terrified that I won’t take the time I need to recover because the guilt I might feel of being absent from my kids for too long.. I am telling y’all this to ask for prayers and support."

Kelly says she will have surgery in the next 2 weeks and asks for prayers for her whole family.

"Please pray for matthew as I know his nerves will be high during this surgery. I couldn’t imagine being out in that waiting room."

JR Smith will permanently honor the late Nipsey Hussle everywhere he goes ... getting an insanely realistic tattoo of the slain rapper on his leg!!

The heavily-tatted NBA star showed off the fresh ink job on Wednesday ... posting a pic of his new art of Nipsey's face on his right leg.

Nipsey was shot and killed outside his L.A. clothing store on Sunday. Names like LeBron James, Odell Beckham and Russell Westbrook have posted tributes honoring the late rapper.

"Praying for your family bro!" Smith said on Sunday. "WE GOT TO STOP KILLING EACH OTHER MAN THE SH*T SAD!!"

Smith went one step further with the body art route to show respect for the Grammy-nominated artist ... hitting up Ink Studio in NYC for the job.

The finished product is sick ... and don't be surprised if more athletes follow suit.

Russell Westbrook was playing for Nipsey Hussle when he went OFF in his historic performance on Tuesday night ... dedicating his 20-20-20 game to the slain rap star.

The NBA MVP became the first player to have 20 points, 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a game since Wilt Chamberlain (in 1968) in the Thunder's 119-103 win over the Lakers ... and he explained the symbolic meaning to the milestone.

"20 plus 20 plus 20 .... they know what that means," Brodie told Jason Terry on the TNT broadcast. "That's for my bro. Rest in peace, Nipsey." Brodie said after the game.

Of course, Westbrook is referencing Nipsey's Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips gang.

Brodie, who grew up in the L.A. area and was close to Nipsey ... and knew firsthand how important he was to the community.

"Grateful to play the game, but that wasn't for me, man. That was for my bro, man. That was for Nipsey."

"I'm just thankful to go out there and compete at a high level, man. Thankful to have these teammates. Thankful and humbled to go out there and play the game I love."

Westbrook also showed tribute to Nipsey with his clothing choice before the game, rocking a blue "Crenshaw" shirt, as well as writing a message on his shoes.

Brodie finished the game with 20 points, 20 assists and 21 rebounds.

The Alliance of American Football is still alive, but barely breathing ... 'cause the new league will suspend all football operations before completing its first season.

TMZ Sports has confirmed -- the league will make the news official on Tuesday ... which means guys like Johnny Manziel, Trent Richardson and Aaron Murray could be looking for work once again.

There were reports over the past few weeks that the AAF could fold, with owner Tom Dundon threatening to pull the plug if they couldn't make a deal with the NFL Players Association to get younger players to his league.

There was much debate about whether making a deal like that would create bigger issues for the NFL ... but it's clear Dundon didn't care.

Sources tell us people around the league are shocked and disappointed ... and the cofounders of the AAF do NOT support the decision -- but as a majority owner, what Dundon says goes.

Johnny's time in the league was SUPER brief ... like, if you blinked, you coulda missed it. He looked solid in his debut less than 2 weeks ago ... and was injured in the second game.

Johnny tweeted shortly after he got the news, saying, "If you’re an AAF player and the league does dissolve. The last check you got will be the last one that you get. No lawsuit or anything else will get you your bread. Save your money and keep your head up. It’s the only choice at this point unless something drastic happens."

He added, "Just the reality of this unfortunate situation.. great concept, good football on the field and fun for fans to watch. Just not enough money to go around which has been the main problem with “other” leagues for a long time."

The league seemed promising -- they were able to sign coaches like Mike Singletary, Steve Spurrier and Mike Martz.

19 people were injured and police and paramedics were on the scene of a Nipsey Hussle memorial after a loud noise sent people scrambling.

Thousands showed up outside Nipsey's clothing store -- where the rapper was gunned down just a day before. Video from overhead shows the crowd suddenly break into a panic and begin to run from the area. People heard a loud noise that sounded like gunfire ... and it sent everyone scrambling, causing a stampede ... injuring a number of people in the process.

There was no evidence of shots fired or gunshot wounds.

The LAPD released a statement saying, "Our men and women are on scene and making every effort to protect everyone in attendance at the Nipsey Hussle vigil. Reports of shots fired at the vigil do not appear to be accurate. We do have injured in the chaos and are attempting to restore order."

The statement continues, "We understand the community is mourning and we feel your loss. We are asking for everyone to follow the officers directions and disperse from the immediate area."

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was murdered Sunday outside of his clothing store. Video surveillance of the attack shows a man walk up on the rapper and others before firing multiple shots. The cause of Nipsey's death is listed as gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Thinking of being a world-class skier??? Lindsey Vonn might have ya reconsidering ... 'cause she just posted a pic of the knee she tore up flyin' down a mountain -- and it's DISGUSTING.

Vonn -- one of the greatest female skiers ever -- ripped up her knee in a crash during training last November ... and shredded her LCL so badly, she required surgery.

Lindsey says she put off the operation until now 'cause she had some obligations to fill ... and it's pretty easy to see why she waited so long to go under the knife.

The pic of the operation is NASTY ... docs cut open the side of her knee, pulled her skin apart and did everything they could to stitch her ligament back together.

Good news for Lindsey? She says despite the gnarly pic -- surgery went well and she's doing just fine.

Better news for Lindsey? The 34-year-old is retired from competitive skiing now ... which means (hopefully) no more nasty injuries!!!

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do."

That's Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin responding to the NFL's lack of diversity in its head coaching ranks ... and yeah, dude clearly ain't too happy about it.

Remember, the NFL's annual league meetings were last week ... and the teams put most of their head coaches proudly on display -- but there was one problem ... the black representation was tiny.

Of course, Tomlin missed the photo ... but so did 5 other white coaches -- which only highlighted an issue Mike says the league needs to address sooner rather than later.

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do," Tomlin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ... "knowing some of the deserving men I do who I thought should have gotten an opportunity and didn’t."

"But we’ll continue to work and fight for equality and opportunity.”

The NFL fired 8 head coaches this past season -- including FIVE African Americans -- but only hired one black coach (Miami's Brian Flores) when replacing them.

That leaves the league currently with just THREE total black coaches ... and that's something that has Tomlin searching for answers.

"We’ll continue to fight for [equality within opportunity], not only in terms of head coaching searches, but maybe other areas of the profession as well."

Think Jordan Poyer's enjoying his offseason???

Here's the Buffalo Bills safety's wife, Rachel Bush, to eliminate any possible doubt ... turning a yacht into her personal twerk stage ... and we're definitely here for it.

Fresh off a hot trip to Brazil, the Poyer fam has been keeping the heat going in Miami -- riding jet skis, hitting the water and, of course, having private booty dances on expensive boats.

If you aren't familiar with the Poyers, Rachel and Jordan have been together for years. They tied the knot back in February 2018 and have a 2-year-old daughter, Aliyah.

Rachel recently celebrated her 21st birthday by throwin' on some lingerie and doing a photo shoot with a big ass cake (it would behoove you to check those out to refresh your memory).

Definitely seems like the waters have been calmer for the Poyers lately -- there was a lot of drama with other attractive girls last year -- but it sure looks like smooth sailing now.

Le'Veon Bell innocently went to Twitter to ask his followers what he thought of his new song on Sunday ... and Keenan Allen did exactly that with a BRUTALLY honest response.

"I gotta keep it band bro. This ain’t it" (while adding a garbage can emoji).

DAMN!

The NY Jets star didn't take the public criticism lightly ... telling Allen to hit him up directly if that's how he really felt.

"if youu honestly felt that way, youu could’ve just txted me and said that," Bell responded, "but it seems even ppl with check marks wanna troll to seek attention for mentions now a days..."

"enjoy this buzz fuzz, it’s still all positive vibes."

Now, remember ... it's April Fools Day. So, is this all just a prank to get people all worked up?? The LA Chargers star's follow-up suggests otherwise.

"I was not trolling on my momma bro. I don’t troll. Like I said I speak facts. You shouldn’t have asked if you ain’t want the truth. All love over here bro"

So ... is Bell's song actually good or bad? We're just gonna post the video below and let you decide.

Yeah, we didn't think it was possible either ... but Bryce Harper's life keeps on gettin' better -- the Philadelphia Phillies' $330 MILLION man just announced he's havin' a baby boy!!!

"Philly raised little man will be!" Harper said Monday.

Bryce has had the best month of his baseball career BY FAR ... 'cause after signing a 13-year, $330 million deal with Philly, he launched two massive home runs opening weekend.

But now, dude has even MORE to celebrate ... 'cause he says a baby boy with his wife, Kay Harper, is on the way -- and she says the kid will be in a Phillies uniform by THIS summer!!

"Wrigley’s gonna be pissed..." Kay said, referencing the couple's dog ... "Baby Harper making HIS debut Aug. 2019 #littleman"

Bryce and Kay have been together for years ... and tied the knot back in 2016 in an epic ceremony at one of the most famous Mormon temples in the world.

In fact, Kay reportedly played a big role in Bryce's free agency this offseason ... with the outfielder saying he wanted a long-term deal to make sure his family had roots in place for the future.

Now, dude's got that ... and just about everything else!!!

Big news from Tom Brady ... the G.O.A.T. has finally joined the Twittersphere!!!

Oh yeah, and he's retiring from the NFL ... using his first tweet to declare "I'm retiring. In my spare time, I'll be tweeting #LFG."

WOW ... the 6-time Super Bowl champ just ended his incredible career with a tweet. No emotional press conference. No goodbye party. Nothing. Not even a Crying Brady meme for crying out loud.

(You looked at the calendar this morning, right?)

HA HA HA ... GET IT?!?!?!? APRIL FOOLS, EVERYONE!!! Oh man, Tom, you sure did fool all of us.

Anyway ... what ISN'T a joke is that Brady is now on Twitter, and that is actually something to be excited about, if avocado recipes and workout plans are your things.

Stephen Curry was devastated to hear the news of Nipsey Hussle's death ... expressing his frustrations with "senseless crimes" after the Warriors game on Sunday.

TMZ broke the story ... the rapper and community leader was gunned down Sunday outside of his own clothing store near the Crenshaw area of L.A. He died at the hospital shortly after.

Steph -- who has worked with Nipsey on projects over the past year -- took time to reflect on his experiences with Nipsey after the game.... praising his charitable work in his city.

"That was tough. Obviously surprised a lot of people," Curry says.

"I got to know him last year and had a great conversation about who he was as a person, what he stood for, what his message was, how he tried to inspire people considering where he grew up and how he turned that into something extremely powerful, represented an entire city."

"Definitely a sad, sad, tragic event. Send prayers to his family, his community, to Lauren London, hopefully, they stay strong through this, it's tough. You know, senseless crimes that don't need to happen, especially with a guy who was doing what he was doing."

There's reportedly video of the moment Steph heard the news from Kevin Durant.

Some of the biggest names in sports -- from LeBron James to Odell Beckham -- expressed their sadness over the news.

"Just spoke with you the other day on text bro!" LeBron said. "Telling you how proud I was of you and how I was gone get you to more Laker games next season. Been A Stand Up dude from Day 1.

"May you rest in PARADISE Young King 👑‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ This One Hurts Big Time!"

Odell added ... "This world ain’t right .... I swear. Im hurrt... this ain’t sitttttin right wit me ! HOW! I’m so mad , I’m so fxxkin HURT!"

"Our culture keeps getting taken from us!! RIP" Jarvis Landry tweeted.

"Nipsey tho?!?! Come on people we gotta put these f**king guns up", Eric Ebron said Sunday.

Colin Kaepernick ... "This is so painful! @nipseyhussle was doing great work for the people. Keep his legacy alive by carrying on his work! Sending love to his family. Rest in Power King."

Nipsey was 33 years old. RIP.

Kanye West is changing his tune on Coachella -- now saying he'll be performing his Sunday Service at the festival ... and he'll be doing it Easter morning at the crack of dawn.

Ye made the announcement Sunday on a flight he and Kim were on, getting on the intercom to tell the passengers that he'd booked another show at Coachella. Kanye says he's gonna do his weekly Sunday service there on Easter Sunday -- so, weekend 2 -- and, apparently, it'll be an early morning gig ... sunrise, he says.

The news definitely comes as a surprise considering Kanye pulled on negotiations with Coachella event organizers earlier this year after he felt they were limiting his creativity ... by not giving him the stage he wanted.

As we first told you ... Ye refused to perform on a traditional 60x40 flat stage that all performers normally use when they headline, and Goldenvoice -- the company that runs Coachella -- wouldn't budge either. In the end, they went their separate ways.

Not so anymore though. It's unclear if Coachella's gonna open their gates early for Kanye to perform on stage -- Coachella usually kicks off around 11 AM each day -- or if he'll be grounded outside somewhere with his choir like he has been for the past few months.

Either way ... Ye's definitely got a lot of practice under his belt. He's been running a Sunday Service since January. And, it's been a hit with everyone who's attended.