Celebrity Health

Michael Jordan is coming clean about his epic flu game performance in the 1997 NBA Finals ... saying he didn't actually have the flu -- it was some bad pizza.

Remember, #23 was dealing with "flu-like symptoms" before a crucial Game 5 against the Utah Jazz ... and fought through the pain for a 38-point performance to give the Bulls a 3-2 lead.

But, MJ's trainer, Tim Grover, revealed it was actually food poisoning -- not the flu -- that had Jordan under the weather ... after a late-night order from the only place that was open -- a pizza shop.

When the pie was delivered, Grover says 5 dudes pulled up to Jordan's hotel room ... and the trainer hinted there could have been something fishy going on, saying, "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Glover's instincts were right ... 'cause MJ woke up at 2 AM "throwing up left and right."

"So, it really wasn’t the flu game. It was food poisoning," MJ admitted on ESPN's "The Last Dance."

MJ's mom thought it was best he didn't play ... but as we all know, he didn't listen and went on to put up one of the most iconic performances of his career.

A Canadian military jet crashed just after takeoff, and the entire flight was caught on video.

The plane took off in tandem with another jet from Kamloops Airport at 11:30 AM. Both pilots are part of the Snowbirds. They've been flying around Canada for a few weeks for something called Operation Inspiration. The goal is to boost morale for Canadians who have been stuck in isolation due to the coronavirus.

Seconds after takeoff, as both planes gained altitude, one suddenly circled back toward the runway ... presumably, the pilot realized something was seriously wrong.

The distressed plane did a barrel roll and then plunged to the ground. Just before the aircraft hit, the pilot ejected. An eyewitness says he believed 2 people may have been on board.

The plane hit a home, which burst into flames. You see a parachute on the roof of the house.

We don't know if there were fatalities, and if so, how many.

Barack Obama, meet Arnold Schwarzenegger -- he's got a little commencement speech of his own ... and it might be just as good or possibly better advice for the Class of 2020.

The A-list actor and former California Governor delivered an epic address via ATTN to all the grads who couldn't attend their own in-person ceremonies -- and his takeaway message was very clear, and at times ... brutally honest. Have yourself a vision, damn it.

Arnold said that while the pandemic might seem like the biggest obstacle to overcome right now, he assured the grads that more would come throughout their life ... adding that having a clear and attainable goal in mind would undoubtedly help them move past them.

He gave a very personal example that hits home for him -- his 2018 emergency heart surgery that could've killed him, according to AS. He recounts how, at first, he thought he was going to have a simple, non-invasive procedure done to replace a heart valve -- but was fighting for his health back after things went left and they had to open him up.

During the story, Arnold shows off never-before-seen footage of him in the hospital at the time, and the rehab he had to endure to get back to peak condition ... and to get back to the new 'Terminator' set he was supposed to be on starting August 1. Because of his vision, Arnold says he was able to get there -- and suggested grads strive or the same clarity as they go forward, sometimes in pretty blunt terms too. This speech ain't for TV.

It's an 11-minute clip here, but it's very much so worth the full watch. BTW, he also takes a shot at Trump toward the end to highlight that it's not about the diploma in the end.

A group of brave Los Angeles firefighters were hospitalized after they were caught in a massive fireball while fleeing an exploding building ... and it's all on wild video.

The scary moment went down Saturday evening in Downtown L.A., where LAFD crew members were responding to a structure fire at a warehouse-type building near Little Tokyo, which quickly escalated into a dangerous situation that required everyone to get out.

LAFD says smoke started rising way too quickly and the inside was getting hotter by the second. Suddenly ... an explosion rang out and the building was starting to become engulfed in flames. While trying to safely exit, a group of about 7 firefighters had to climb down their firetruck ladder from a window -- and cross the red hot flames in the process.

About 3 to 4 of them were actually set completely ablaze as they were making their way down -- becoming fully engulfed in the fire ball all around them that was raging like crazy. Parts of their helmets melted, and their jackets caught on fire too. Even some of the firetruck's seats began to burn as a result ... according to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott.

The footage of the moment when a handful of them were caught in the blaze is insane to watch -- it was even caught from a couple different angles, including drone footage you can see here. Scott described it as directly walking through a 30-foot blowtorch. Yikes ...

At least eleven firefighters were hospitalized as a result, and 4 of them are in the ICU in critical condition. Fortunately, all of them are expected to survive ... which is truly a miracle.

As for how the fire started, the official cause is still under investigation. However, it's reported that the warehouse in question was a local supplier for those who manufacture butane honey oil ... which is highly flammable. Multiple buildings caught fire, and it took hundreds of firefighters to finally temper the flames into the night.

Hope Solo claims some gun-toting maniac shot one of her dogs Wednesday night -- but the good news, the pooch survived the attack.

It all went down North Carolina, where the former Team USA soccer superstar lives with her husband, ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

"Our magnificent dog Conan (brown, on the far left) is in critical condition after being shot last night," Hope says.

"It’s hard news to share, but harder to make sense of this heinous act."

"Jerramy and I are shocked and heartbroken, but we want to say thank you to Wilkes Veterinary Hospital and their staff for rushing Conan into emergency care, as well as their COVID-19 care practices."

We're reaching out to police to find out what the hell happened and if they've identified a suspect.

In the meantime, Hope is optimistic about Conan's chances -- saying, "We‘ve heard that there are developments in canine prosthetics and would love any information about getting Conan a new front leg!"

Get well, Conan!!!!

Maybe take this as a sign of hope, that things can slowly get back to some sort of normal, because some of the folks in Wuhan, China -- where the coronavirus first spread -- are once again able to enjoy themselves with a night of relatively safe dancing.

More than 100 people gathered in the middle of the city Saturday night and it was choreographed for the times -- everyone was spaced 6-feet apart and it seems everyone was wearing a mask.

It's something of a tradition in Wuhan ... mass dances at night. The music ranges from EDM to Japanese pop ... even a little square dancing is mixed in.

Oprah Winfrey wasn't supposed to be the commencement speaker for this year's graduates, but she's trying to inspire the Class of 2020 to rise above their unprecedented circumstances.

O addressed high school and college graduates across the U.S. Friday as part of Facebook's plan to honor graduating students in lieu of physical ceremonies, which have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oprah acknowledged this is not the graduation any of them envisioned but said that's what makes them special ... heading into a real-world filled with even more uncertainty than usual.

She tells them ... "Never has a graduating class been called to step into the future with more purpose, vision, passion and energy and hope."

Friday's event was hosted by Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak and also featured appearances by DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Awkwafina, Lil Nas X, John Mayer, Matthew McConaughey, Miley Cyrus and many more.

Oprah's inspirational for sure. If we can offer a few words of our own ... with every crisis comes opportunity. There will be new ways of living, conducting business and socializing. For graduates who had plans that were torpedoed by the virus, figure out where there's a hole in the marketplace -- where you can provide a service of value. The reality in crisis ... ingenuity usually rules.

Barack Obama's slated to speak Saturday, and it all leads up to National Graduation Day on May 17.

Van Jones says while America's now coping with a pandemic, black America's been battling epidemic violence, poverty and disease long before coronavirus came along.

The Reform Alliance CEO was on "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about his CNN special, "The Color of Covid" -- and he didn't mince words when describing the challenges facing many minority communities.

Van says there's always been an epidemic of death in neighborhoods of color. He says, "You’re worried about invisible bullets from the virus? We've been dodging real bullets the whole time." He says that mentality explains the recent massive crowds gathered for parties in Atlanta and Chicago.

Black and Latino communities also face different health risks as the nation reopens, due to underlying health problems that have gone unchecked for years. As Van, and many doctors, point out ... hypertension, heart disease and diabetes immediately put you in the at-risk category for COVID-19. Of course, staying home only creates economic hardship.

Van says the federal government needs a better battle plan, one that offers better medical AND economic stimuli to people of color.

UFC star Anthony Smith says he's "good" in the wake of a violent loss to Glover Teixeira -- and recovering with the help of his loving family.

"Everyone is arguing about good stop, bad stop, bad corner, good corner...blah blah blah," Smith said.

"I’m still winning. I’m good, and I’m exactly where i need to be, doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing."

As we previously reported -- Smith suffered intense injuries during his fight on May 13 -- a broken nose, fractured eye socket, a gash under his right eye and had 2 teeth knocked out.

Some high-profile UFC stars like Chael Sonnen have criticized Smith's coaching staff ... saying they should've thrown in the towel instead of allowing him to fight in the 5th round, where he sustained even more damage.

"All that time spent worrying about me needs to be spent somewhere a little more productive," Smith said on social media.

Rob Manfred says owners could lose $4 BILLION if the MLB is forced to cancel its 2020 season due to coronavirus ... claiming the economic fallout would be "devastating."

"We’re a big business, but we’re a seasonal business and, unfortunately, this crisis began at the low point for us in terms of revenue," the league commish told CNN on Thursday.

"We hadn’t quite started our season yet and if we don’t play a season, the losses for the owners could approach $4 billion."

Manfred says he and his staff are working tirelessly to figure out a way to avoid that possibility ... revealing to Anderson Cooper that they've come up with an 80-page protocol to keep players safe in a return scenario.

Manfred says the league is eyeing "frequent testing," quarantine plans for those who contract the virus and safety measurements like fan-less games to ensure players' health is the top priority if a comeback happens.

The problem? There's a disagreement right now between MLB owners and players over whether or not players should take a pay cut in a return to the diamond.

Rays ace Blake Snell blasted the notion this week ("For me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof") and several MLB stars have since backed the 27-year-old.

Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper said on his Twitch stream Thursday, "He's speaking the truth, bro. I ain't mad at him."

Rockies megastar Nolan Arenado added, per The Athletic, "He made a lot of good points. There are some points he made that were true, that are facts."