Coronavirus

Karl-Anthony Towns got a lot of dope gifts for his 26th birthday on Monday -- but none were more meaningful than this ...

TMZ Sports has learned that one of KAT's good buddies got him an amazing diamond pendant -- that's worth over $16,000 -- to honor his late mother, Jackie, for the special day.

We're told Chuck Anthony -- who's been one of Towns' best pals for years -- hit up Tim Da Jeweler to get a bday gift for the Timberwolves center earlier this year.

Chuck wanted to pay tribute to Towns' mom, who passed away in April 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.

Tim tells us he and Anthony worked closely together on the project -- saying they "wanted to make something that would have some sentimental value to Karl given that he had a really hard time dealing with his mother's passing."

The honorary bling came out PERFECT ... it features a 48.6 gram yellow/white gold "J' pendant that's infused with 7.78 carats of round/emerald VVS Color E/F diamonds.

There's also a custom, hand-painted red rose with green and blue designs to give it "some pop," according to Tim.

It also comes with a 14k solid two-tone yellow gold/white gold rosary style chain -- and we're told it all cost $16,700.

Rockmond Dunbar is OUT as an original cast member on "9-1-1" ... and it's all because of the TV show's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Rockmond, who plays Michael Grant on the FOX drama, saw his character suddenly written off in this week's episode.

Produced by Disney TV Studios 20th Television, the show reportedly requires all actors to be inoculated against the coronavirus ... and Rockmond was denied vaccine exemptions.

Rockmond explained his departure in a statement to Deadline, saying ... "I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer."

He adds ... "My sincerely held beliefs and private medical history are very intimate and personal aspects of my life that I do not publicly discuss and have no desire to start now."

Rockmond also told the outlet while he enjoyed his 5 seasons on "9-1-1" his acting gig comes second to his role as a husband and father to his 4 kids, and he's looking forward to what's next for him and wishing everyone on the show the best.

Keyshia Cole has lost another family member this year -- her adoptive father just passed away due to COVID-19 ... only months after her mom died.

The singer shared the news Monday, saying Leon Cole -- the only father she's ever known -- lost his battle with the virus. Her tribute to him is touching, as she highlighted his devotion to her throughout her childhood ... even though she wasn't his blood-born daughter.

Keyshia writes, "He made sure (Even tho he wasn’t my biological father) to keep a stable foundation and roof over all of our heads during our upbringing!!!!" KC went on to shout out the fact Leon worked hard to provide for his family -- while imparting valuable lessons on religion, values, relationships (with women, specifically) and duty.

She adds, "Seriously the most loving guy I’ve ever known. And he’s gonna be missed so much! I hate that this has happened !!! And that I’ve now lost two beautiful souls within a few months from each other."

The death of her father comes a few short months after her biological mother, Frankie, died from a drug overdose this past summer. She'd reconciled with her mom in recent years -- much of which was documented on TV.

As Keyshia alludes to here ... her parents gave her up for adoption at a young age, and the Coles took her in and raised her in Oakland, CA ... and got her into music as well.

Amazing news from Asia Durr -- the New York Liberty guard just announced that she got the green light to return to the court ... after missing two WNBA seasons due to COVID-related symptoms.

"I have been cleared to play basketball! Yeaaah! Let's go!!!" Durr said on her IG live on Monday.

Remember, Durr -- the #2 overall pick in the 2019 draft -- was diagnosed with COVID in June 2020 ... and was sidelined for the entire 2020 season.

And, she had serious health issues ... saying on HBO's "Real Sports" earlier this year she lost 32 pounds and major lung problems due to the virus.

The symptoms didn't go away and the 24-year-old also missed the entire 2021 season ... but after an extensive amount of testing, AD is officially good to go for 2022.

"I will be training every single day to play next year. I'm officially cleared to work out," Durr said.

"Man I remember when I was so sick, bro. I remember praying and asking God for this day like 'God, if I can just see one more if I can play again'. Literally."

Her prayers were answered ... and AD gives big credit to her family and fiancée, Ashley, for helping her get through it all -- getting tears in her eyes as she thanked them.

"God has really blessed me with a strong support system. I feel like if I didn't have them, I don't know where I would have been. I'm getting choked up talking about it, for real."

Several WNBA stars like Sabrina Ionescu congratulated Durr on her recovery -- as well as NBA star Donovan Mitchell, saying "YESSSSIRRRRRRR"

Durr was drafted by the NY Liberty in 2019 after four seasons with the Louisville Cardinals, where she was a 2-time ACC Player of the Year.

In the 2019 season, she averaged 9.7 points per game with a 46% shooting percentage.

Miles Teller feels a little bullied by Taylor Swift fans who called him out for shooting a music video with TS and allegedly risking her well-being by being unvaxxed ... but Miles is calling BS.

Miles had a starring role in Taylor's video, "I Bet You Think About Me," with Blake Lively behind the cam in her directorial debut. Swift's fans were apoplectic ... one saying, "Why are so many people happy that Miles Teller is in the music video when he is a selfish jerk that isn't vaccinated?" Another groused, "Why would Taylor use Miles Teller? Isn't that dude a big anti-vaxxer who caused a movie set to be shut down because he refused to get vaccinated and then got f***ing COVID?"

Miles decided to shut them all up, saying, "Hey guys, I don’t usually feel the need to address rumors on here but I am vaccinated and have been for a while. The only thing I’m anti is hate."

Rumors had surfaced back in September, when Teller was shooting "The Offer," a series about the making of "The Godfather." Production was shut down after someone tested positive for COVID, and several media outlets claimed it was Miles, citing a source on the set. Teller's publicist said the reports were bogus, but never addressed who caught the virus.

Mr. T seems to be going from the A-Team to the B-Team in this pandemic -- and "B" is for booster shot ... something the man says he's now happily been injected with.

The actor announced Saturday that he'd been inoculated anew with a new round of the vaccine -- taking to Twitter to write ... "I am Blessed and I am Thankful. I just got my Booster Vaccination shot. My arm is a little sore but no pain. I Pity Pain! Thanks again to all the Doctors and Nurses…"

He adds, "Even though I am fully vaccinated, I will still wear my mask and keep my distance, thank you. #SaturdayThoughts."

Now, there are two very different reactions to Mr. T coming out as pro-vaxx -- a good handful of folks are praising him, of course, and calling him a true inspiration and hero ... like he portrayed on screen for so many years (minus that one time from "Rocky III").

Even guys like Dan Rather are singing T's praises for putting out a good message.

Then again ... there are others responding far differently -- suggesting Mr. T is acting as a proxy for the U.S. government to push the vaccine, aka propaganda ... a term we've been seeing a lot lately from folks on the right, including politicians like Ted Cruz.

You'll remember ... Senator Cruz slammed Big Bird, of all people puppets, after the Sesame Street denizen announced he, too, had been vaccinated -- which ticked off Cruz to no end.

Ya can't be too cautious about COVID-19, even on your birthday ... and Anthony Davis had to remind Russell Westbrook that right before he almost blew all over his cake on Friday ... and the moment is hilarious!!

Brodie celebrated turning the big 3-3 at Lakers practice ... getting surprised with a delicious-looking cake in front of all his teammates right inside the gym.

Russ' teammates decided to have a little fun at his expense on his cake day ... 'cause as he went to go straight into blowing out his candles, he was abruptly stopped by AD.

"Whoa, whoa," Davis said. "COVID, COVID!!"

Russ was so damn excited to get right into the cake, he forgot all about the guys having to be extra safe ... so AD gets MVP for the day.

At first, Russ looked confused as to why everyone was tellin' him to pump the brakes ... but once he realized they were just giving him a hard time, he was able to crack a smile and laugh.

Worth noting -- the whole Lakers roster is fully vaxxed ... but hey, breakthrough cases happen!!

In the end, Westbrook used a much safer "backhand blowout" technique to extinguish his candles ... and the Lakers celebrated the California native.

Khloe Kardashian reappeared after her bout with COVID, and she definitely got noticed ... wearing a piece from her older sister's newest collab.

Khloe hit up JOEY restaurant in Woodland Hills for lunch, wearing a SKIMS X Fendi monogram jumpsuit. It's a head-to-toe type thing, and it accentuates everything! It's actually pretty bomb.

Khloe wearing Fendi is no accident ... big sister Kim has teamed up with Fendi for her SKIMS collection. As we reported, she made millions from the launch this week, including a million bucks in just the first minute the products were available.

Khloe's all smiles, but the family has drawn criticism for not pulling back after the Astroworld fiasco, given the controversy over Travis Scott's performance as the tragedy became apparent to people in the crowd.

Gene Simmons is going scorched earth on anyone who's still not vaccinated against COVID-19, and says he's sick of people using politics -- on the left AND the right -- as their rationale for remaining unvaccinated.

The KISS icon went on Talkshoplive's Rock 'N' Roll Channel Wednesday and went off about the lingering pandemic. Keep in mind, both Gene and KISS frontman Paul Stanley caught COVID earlier this year ... and one of the band's touring crew members died from it.

That's most likely why Gene has no patience for non-believers. He directly targeted folks who think "people died because they were fat or died because they smoked. No bitch, they died because they got COVID!!!"

And, in case anyone thought Simmons was getting political, he added, "The far left and the far right, they are both evil. They both spread all kinds of nonsense. Politics are the enemy."

Gene lamented the fact a lot of their European fans were unable to join the band for a recent KISS cruise vacation, but said those are the breaks when people don't wanna get the shot.

Ya can't even get through a country music awards show without hearing about Aaron Rodgers ... 'cause the Green Bay Packers QB's COVID-19 drama was the butt of a joke during Luke Bryan's opening monologue.

The country singer welcomed the crowd at the 55th Country Music Awards Wednesday night by thanking everyone for going through the proper protocols to be present for the event ... which turned into the perfect opportunity to poke fun at the NFL MVP.

"Rest assured, we're following all the health protocols to keep everyone safe," Bryan said. "And, it is so great to be here with all my favorite artists, tested and together ... or immunized???"

Of course, Bryan's line is mocking Rodgers' now-infamous response to questions surrounding his COVID-19 vaccine status back in August ... when he did not say he got the jab, but rather was "immunized."

Most people brushed over the comment, thinking he was vaxxed ... but Rodgers' status came to light when he tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

A couple 'Pat McAfee Show' appearances later, Rodgers has since apologized for misleading people with his initial response ... but that hasn't stopped the jokes and criticism from pouring in.

Earlier this week, Jon Stewart railed AR12 at the Stand Up for Heroes event in NYC ... and Howard Stern said he would kick the QB out of the NFL if he were Roger Goodell.

Aaron Rodgers just took a lightsaber to the gut ... 'cause Luke Skywalker himself is shaking his head at the NFL QB for rockin' "Star Wars" gear during his most recent controversial COVID talk.

Mark Hamill -- who played the famous Jedi in the iconic movie series -- just sent out the roast of the Packers star on social media ... doggin' the signal-caller for his wardrobe choice on "The Pat McAfee Show" this week.

"Of all the sweatshirts he could have worn," Hamill said of Rodgers' 'The Rise Of Skywalker' hoodie, "he had to take full responsibility in THAT one?"

Hamill added a weary-face emoji for emphasis -- clearly showing he doesn't approve of Rodgers' personal stance on the jab and the way he's gone about expressing it publicly.

Rodgers apologized for misleading people when saying he was "immunized" ... but also said he was standing by his previous comments against getting vaxxed.

Of course, the dig has got to hurt Rodgers -- 'cause the 37-year-old is a HUGE "Star Wars" nerd.

He's dressed up on more than one occasion in "Star Wars" garb ... even famously wearing an Obi-Wan Kenobi 'fit with his ex-GF Olivia Munn for a premiere of 'The Force Awakens' in 2015.

In fact, Rodgers even shouted out the Ewoks while he was guest-hosting "Jeopardy!" this past year ... and he was spotted geeking out at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge with Shailene Woodley in Florida in April.

Aaron Rodgers just got fined by the National Football League for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols ... and the Green Bay Packers also got dinged.

The NFL fined Rodgers a measly $14,650 for attending a Halloween party with other Packers while he was unvaccinated. The protocols prohibit unvaxxed players from going to large gatherings outside team facilities.

Packers receiver Allen Lazard, who is also unvaccinated, was also docked $14,650 for attending the team-sanctioned Halloween bash.

The big fine came for the Packers ... the franchise was hit with a $300,000 penalty for not enforcing the rules with Rodgers and Lazard, including a failure to wear face coverings inside team facilities.

As we reported ... Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday, later admitting he was not vaccinated.

The star QB claimed he was allergic to something in the Pfizer and Moderna shots ... and didn't want to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saying he feared adverse side effects.

On Friday, AR told Pat McAfee he took Ivermectin -- among other treatments -- after conferring with friend Joe Rogan.

Rodgers missed last Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, a game his team lost. The future Hall of Famer will likely have a chance to return to the field this weekend.

Aaron Rodgers made it clear Tuesday he's ready to turn the page following his controversial COVID vaccine comments last week ... saying, "I'm an athlete, not an activist."

Just four days after the Green Bay Packers star made waves with his 46-minute, vax rant on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... he rejoined the former NFL player to try to clear some things up.

Rodgers began his interview by offering a bit of an apology ... telling McAfee, "I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading. And to anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility."

Rodgers then appeared to distance himself from being any sort of poster boy for the unvaccinated -- saying his research led him to do what he believes is right for himself, not necessarily for the masses.

"I made a decision that was in my best interest based on consulting with my doctors, and I understand that not everybody is going to understand that, necessarily," Rodgers said. "But I respect everybody's opinions."

Rodgers added that he's ready to move on to focusing solely on quarterbacking and not global health -- telling McAfee there's a chance he'll be under center for the Packers vs. the Seahawks on Sunday.

As we previously reported, Rodgers tested positive for the coronavirus last Wednesday -- and admitted to McAfee on Friday that he was not vaccinated.

Aaron claimed he was allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna shots -- and just straight up didn't want to take the Johnson & Johnson version.

Rodgers ended up missing the Packers' game against the Chiefs over it all -- but said Tuesday he's "feeling better."

As for Rogan, the podcaster praised Rodgers on his own show this week ... saying, "he’s a smart f***ing dude."

The blitz on Aaron Rodgers is in full force -- Jon Stewart is now railing the superstar quarterback over his COVID-19 vaccine stance ... roasting him in his stand-up gig on Monday.

"There is good news on the pandemic," the former 'Daily Show' host said at the Stand Up for Heroes event in NYC. "I was talking to my Dr. Aaron -- Rodgers, and it looks good. It’s almost over."

"He read something in a bathroom," Stewart added, according to Page Six. "I don’t remember what it was. How the f*** does a quarterback not understand the concept of protection? Prevention and protection!!"

Stewart also made cracks about Rodgers' new long hairstyle -- which, for what it's worth, was for his John Wick costume for Halloween -- but the main theme was clearly about his vax stance.

"Let’s say you’re a vulnerable person so you get five big -- they’re not even like human -- they’re like antibodies, like fire," Stewart said. "And then you stand behind them, and then one of them just says, 'I believe in freedom. So, go ahead.'"

"I don’t know, but I don’t like any of this s*** because I’m old."

The Stewart diss piles onto what Howard Stern said Monday morning ... when he ripped the QB's comments and said he'd kick him out of the NFL if he could.

First, it was Kyrie Irving, now it's Aaron Rodgers in Howard Stern's crosshairs ... 'cause the radio legend is going OFF on the Packers QB, saying he should be kicked out of the NFL over his COVID-19 vaccine drama.

Rodgers has been under a barrage of scrutiny since testing positive for COVID-19 last week ... and revealing he was taking monoclonal antibodies and ivermectin after consulting with Joe Rogan didn't do him any favors in the public eye.

BTW -- Rodgers also said on "The Pat McAfee Show" he was allergic to the Moderna/Pfizer vaccines and had concerns with the Johnson & Johnson jab ... so he sought alternative treatment, which was not approved by the NFL.

Enter Stern, who is furious over the whole fiasco ... saying, "I would throw this guy out of the league so fast," he said Monday.

"This f***ing guy. They should throw him out of the league so fast."

Stern let his listeners know what he would do if he had things his way, while also bringing the Henry Ruggs DUI incident into the conversation.

"If I ran the NFL, if there was decency in this world, I would throw this guy out of the football league so fast. They should throw him out of the league so fast with the guy who crashed his car at 153 mph."

Stern is certainly no stranger to calling out athletes over their vaccine stance -- remember, he recently went off on Irving, saying, "In terms of idiots, he's got to be the top idiot in the country right now."

Big Bird is one of the first on Sesame Street to get protection against COVID-19 -- and while some might question why he's late to the party ... the timing makes sense for his audience.

The 8-foot costumed character made the big announcement on Twitter Saturday -- the first time he's tweeted from his account since March. So, yeah ... major development for the reclusive BB.

Big writes, "I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy." He adds, "Ms. @EricaRHill  even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!"

No photo proof or anything showing Mr. Bird getting his jab, but we'll take him at his word here ... and even give him props for spreading the word on vaccine awareness.

Now, if you're wondering why he mentioned CNN's Erica Hill specifically -- it's because she and other CNN personalities hosted a "town hall" Saturday morning called "The ABCs of Vaccines," which featured a number of 'Sesame Street' puppets talking 'rona and the shot.

Of course, that includes Big Bird too -- and the reason they're all being recruited to even talk about vaccines at all is because the Pfizer jab was just approved for kids between 5 and 11 the other day ... and the government is encouraging parents to inoculate their children.

So, no Big Bird hasn't been holding out or "doing his own research" with vaccine hesitancy -- it's just that his core demographic is now eligible, and he wants to encourage them (and their parents) to get it done. Also, he's apparently only 6 years old or something? 🤷🏽‍♂️