TMZ Sports

Jeffrey Davies -- the guy who played Kelly Leak in the 2005 comedy "Bad News Bears" -- is taking his first steps ... nearly a year after a terrible motorcycle accident.

The teen star was admitted into the Orlando Health Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center last week and it's there where -- with help from an exoskeleton -- he started taking his first steps. It's monumental ... especially since he caught pneumonia over the holidays.

Jeffrey's first steps triggered a wave of emotions. You can hear his caregiver, recording the achievement, crying. The nurses helping Jeffrey are also very impressed he's shifting his weight all on his own. He's still got months of rehab ... but clearly off to a strong start.

TMZ broke the story ... Jeffrey was riding a motorcycle back in May when he lost control at the center of an intersection and was thrown from the bike. He was left nearly paralyzed and required round-the-clock care that included occupational therapy.

The family's had to deal with insurance coverage too ... forcing them to start a GoFundMe to help cover Jeffrey's mounting medical bills. The campaign gained some traction when we wrote about Jeffrey on New Year's Eve ... but the family could still use the public's help.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are still celebrating their Super Bowl win ... damn near 7 days after beating the 49ers in Miami.

Patty, Travis Kelce and a bunch of the guys from the team were down in Sin City over the weekend -- where they kept the party going in at last two different clubs on the strip. On Friday, the Chiefs players were at JEWEL Nightclub at the ARIA resort and casino.

Looks like they were the center of attention, and were in good company too. Girls were doing shoulder rides and waving around Chiefs signs and flags. Some of the other players who came out ... Damien Williams, Mecole Hardman, Blake Bell, Cam Erving and Austin Reiter.

On Saturday, the boys in red bounced on over to OMNIA Nightclub at Caesars Palace, where a Steve Aoki concert was being held. We got some footage from inside ... looks like the fellas were vibing and feeling themselves.

Snoop Dogg says he was NOT threatening CBS anchor Gayle King over her Kobe Bryant interview -- but the record shows he did make a somewhat threatening comment.

The rapper took to IG Saturday to clarify a video he posted a few days ago criticizing Gayle for an interview she did with WNBA player Lisa Leslie. Snoop made what many perceived as threats against her, but now ... he claims he didn't and means her no harm.

Snoop says he's a non-violent person and was raised better than that. He insists he was only speaking on behalf of people who felt disrespected by Gayle's interview and was only going from the heart. Snoop says all he wanted to do was point out she was out of line.

What's interesting is that he claims he never threatened her -- and only told her Kobe's fans were "watching" her -- but his own words seem to contradict him here.

What Snoop said verbatim ... "Funky dog head bitch. How dare you try to tarnish my motherf***in' home boy's reputation, punk motherf***er. Respect the family and back off, bitch. Before we come get you." This came after a tirade against Gayle coming after black men, but not being as enthusiastic to grill people about Harvey Weinstein (in Snoop's eyes).

Maybe he was speaking figuratively, but the fact is ... "come get you" can be seen as a threat, even if it isn't meant seriously. Regardless, the criticism appears to have opened the floodgates for others who've allegedly made death threats against Gayle.

Gayle herself came out and said the clip was taken out of context from a much longer and wide-ranging interview, and that she felt CBS had screwed her by releasing a clip showing just that part where she pressed Lisa about the rape claim against Kobe.

While Gayle feels the clip was unfairly represented, it doesn't take away from the fact she did push Lisa about that topic -- and felt it was, in fact, appropriate to do so in the moment.

Evelyn Lozada is not done with "Basketball Wives" despite another castmember accusing her of being a bigot -- we've learned she's in talks to return to the reality show.

Sources close to Evelyn tell TMZ ... VH1 approached her about a comeback for season 9, but she's yet to reach a decision because she's weighing the pros and cons. We're told she's open to rejoining, but there are several factors making her hesitant to sign on the dotted line.

As you know ... Evelyn had major beef last year with Ogom "OG" Chijindu ... it got racial and there was even a lawsuit. EL filed for defamation when OG accused her of calling her castmates some horrible things.

As we reported, Evelyn said in the suit ... she lost tons of endorsement deals due to the racism allegations, and even had to hire security for her and her family.

So, there would be a huge elephant in the 'BBW' room if Evelyn returns.

We're told she's also slow to sign a deal because when she's left the show in the past ... she's had more time to focus on growing her jewelry and skin-care businesses.

Right now, our sources say Evelyn is trying to figure out if the 'Basketball Wives' paycheck is worth all the drama that will inevitably come with it.

"MARRY HER!!!"

Packers star pass rusher Za'Darius Smith is putting some serious heat on his OWN quarterback, telling TMZ Sports ... Aaron Rodgers needs to marry Danica Patrick ASAP!!!

"Look, 12, I know I'm on TMZ," Smith hilariously told us out at Super Bowl festivities in Miami on Wednesday ... "But, man, most definitely, you should marry that lady!"

Rodgers and Danica have been dating for over two years ... and things are definitely SERIOUS between the two.

They've publicly said "I love yous" ... she's rooted him on at Packers games, despite being a Bears fan ... and the two even just bought a $28 MILLION mansion together in Malibu.

But Rodgers has yet to bend the knee and pop the question ... and Za'Darius tells us his QB needs to change that.

"She's a lovely woman," Smith says. "I've met her."

In fact, Smith says he thinks Rodgers giving Danica a ring could elevate the QB's game ... telling us his own career really took off once he committed to his GF during his Baltimore Ravens days.

"She kept me locked in," Smith said.

Fred Taylor WILL be wearing a gold jacket sometime in the future ... so says the Jaguars legend himself, who tells TMZ Sports he has "no doubt" he'll get in soon.

"We're going to get it," Taylor said leaving Prime 112 in Miami recently. "I believe in the voters."

Fred has a pretty good case ... the former Jacksonville running back ranks 17th on the all-time rushing yards list with 11,695 -- and he did score 66 rushing TDs as well.

But, with his former team not listing him as its greatest-ever franchise player (the Jags famously put Tony Boselli ahead of him last year) ... some wonder if Fred truly will get in.

"Yeah, we'll get it," Fred told us confidently. "No doubt."

As for the current state of the Jags, Taylor had an interesting take on the current QB conundrum in Duval.

The Jags paid Nick Foles a TON of cash to be their starter this past offseason ... but he was outplayed by Gardner Minshew -- and Taylor tells us he thinks Gardner should probably be the guy going forward now.

"I think the locker room might have a little bit more faith and trust in Minshew," Taylor says.

The ex-RB made it clear, though ... don't sleep on Foles by any means in 2020.

Antonio Cromartie says Adam Gase has NO future with the Jets ... telling TMZ Sports if he were running his old team, he'd fire the guy ASAP for Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy!!

Cromartie made the bold statement when we got him out in Miami recently ... and he did NOT mince words when it came to his feelings about AG.

As for why he dislikes the guy so much ... Cromartie says the way Gase treated Le'Veon Bell during the season speaks volumes about his capabilities as a head coach.

"We don't give our running back the ball in the second half of a game," Cromartie says. "It just shows you that you're trying to say that you don't need him."

Cromartie says he would have cut bait with Gase after the season ... but says the Jets are stuck with Gase for at least the 2020 season since they didn't move on from him in January.

As for Cromartie's choice for a Gase replacement ... he tells us Andy Reid's offensive coordinator in Kansas City is the perfect man for Gang Green.

"I would go get Eric Bieniemy," Antonio says.

Prince Amukamara is going to bat for Mitch Trubisky ... telling TMZ Sports he has ZERO doubts about his Bears teammate -- saying the QB is going to be just fine!!!

"You heard it here," Prince says. "In Trubisky we trust!"

Of course, Chicago fans don't share nearly the same level of confidence in Mitch as Prince ... there's talk Bears faithful would rather see a free agent like Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston under center next season.

But, when we got Prince out in Miami recently ... the Chicago cornerback told us the Trubisky doubters need to back off.

"Coming from a guy who sees him work hard, I know what he has in store," Prince says. "I still feel like he played great for us last year and I think he's our guy."

In 15 starts in the 2019 season ... Trubisky threw for 3,138 yards and 17 TDs with 10 INTs -- piling up a not-so-great 83.0 quarterback rating.

But, Amukamara doesn't even want the Bears to sign a veteran to try to push the 25-year-old in 2020 ... telling us, "I've seen the work he's put in. He's the guy."

By the way, we got Prince leaving a sick Super Bowl gifting suite ... and he says he estimates the gear he copped was worth 5 to 10 RACKS!!!

Mary Carey is fighting Pippi Longstocking, sorta -- the famed porn star is stepping into the ring to box the former child actress who played Pippi on the big screen.

We broke the story, Mary signed a deal to fight in Damon Feldman's Celebrity Boxing promotion ... but the only question was who she'd fight?

Now we know Mary's opponent is Tami Erin, most famous for her starring role in the 1988 movie, "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking."

We're told Tami agreed to a deal and signed a contract for the bout, which is going down April 18 at the Miami strip joint, the Booby Trap.

Anyways, it's the first time Tami is stepping into the ring as a competitor ... and we'll see if she possesses superhuman strength just like Pippi, who can lift a horse with one hand!!!

Celebrity Boxing has had some problems lately with stars like Farrah Abraham, Lenny Dykstra and Angry Bagel Guy dropping out last minute -- so hopefully Mary and Tami don't get cold feet.

BTW, the Booby Trap's all warmed up for a good fight.

'Memba that's where Offset threw a flying punch Super Bowl weekend because someone sprayed champagne on Cardi B.

Time for round 2: Porn Star vs. Pippi!!!

Kobe Bryant's youngest daughter is already learning to stand up on her own two feet -- and her mom, Vanessa, is right there capturing every adorable moment of it on camera.

7-month-old Capri Kobe is the star of Vanessa's most recent IG post, impressively attempting to get up from the floor with the help of her aunt -- Kobe's sister, Sharia Washington. It's so freakin' cute, honestly ... the joy both Vanessa and Capri share is a sight to behold.

VB captioned the video, "My Koko Bean. She looks just like my Gigi. ☀️💗auntie Ri-Ri. #7months." You hear Vanessa cheer the kid on as she gets up twice in a row from a seated position ... the baby loves the encouragement, giggling and eager to try it again.

As tragic as the loss of Kobe and Gigi must be on the Bryant family right now, it's great to see Vanessa in good spirits. She's been fairly open on social media thus far, capturing Gigi's jersey retirement as well as capturing the Lakers' tribute in Staples Center.

The Rock shared the moving eulogy he delivered for his father's funeral.

Rocky "Soulman" Johnson died last month, and Rock wanted his fans to know what his dad meant to him.  He said, “Man, I wish I had … I wish I had one more shot. I wish I had one more shot to say goodbye … to say I love you, to say thank you, but I have a feeling he’s watching. He’s listening.”

And, he went on ... “I was on my way to work, the other day on Jan. 15 and I was just pulling into work and we were shooting that day and it was the very first day of production,” he said, going on to tell the story of how his wife Lauren called to tell him that “something’s going on with your dad.”

“Lauren was with our babies, she was with my mom and she said, ‘You know, I really can’t talk… I think you should call Cora though’, so of course I called Cora,”

Soulman passed away from a heart attack on January 15 at age 75. He started the National Wrestling Alliance in the '60s and joined the WWE in the '80s.

Rocky and Tony Atlas became the league's first African-American tag team champions as The Soul Patrol.

Jon Jones LOVED the first fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov -- but tells TMZ Sports if they run it back, expect another long night for the Irishman.

It's no secret Conor desperately wants a second crack at Khabib after he tapped out at UFC 229 back in Oct. 2018. Khabib recently said he has no interest in giving that "idiot" a rematch.

But, chances are it's more likely to happen than not -- so we asked Jon Jones who he'd pick if they do it again.

"If I would put my money on it, I'm definitely going with Khabib," Jones said ... "For sure."

"I think the cards are always kind of in Khabib's hands. But, Conor definitely has a chance."

Jon says he believes wrestlers typically have the advantage since they can dictate if the fight goes to the mat or not -- and obviously, Khabib has the superior ground game.

Saquon Barkley says Baker Mayfield body critics need to BACK OFF ... telling TMZ Sports the dude doesn't have to be shredded to be a good QB!!!

Bake and his closest friends let loose on a Caribbean vacay last week ... and naturally, the guys posted a few pics from the trip.

Of course, the writer of this post has literally ZERO grounds to criticize the Cleveland Browns star ... but some people pointed out Mayfield's physique was just a tad different from Saquon and Sterling Shepard's.

But, Saquon says all the haters need to chill ... 'cause Mayfield's just in R&R mode and has plenty of time to get right before next season.

"He's a quarterback, he's not supposed to be shredded," Barkley told us at the Sports Illustrated party in Miami over the weekend.

"We in off-season, he's gonna have time to get his body right. He can throw the ball 80 yards. That's the only thing that matters."

Sneakerheads are gonna love this ... Dez Bryant just got a custom pair of Air Jordan 1s from one of the top shoe artists on the planet -- complete with 24-karat gold paint!

The NFL wideout hit up SWithADot -- who's worked with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Miley Cyrus and more -- and asked for a special pair of kicks, unlike anything he's ever seen.

S delivered in a big way -- spending more than 133 hours creating a hand-painted masterpiece for Dez. The shoes were delivered to Bryant earlier this week.

Each shoe has a hand-painted image of Bryant -- which took 35 hours per portrait to complete. Plus, we're told S used real 24-karat gold paint to make the kicks shine!

So, how much are these things worth? A lot. We're told shoes like these from S can usually run up to $10,000 per pair.

Dez is obviously stoked -- he raved about the shoes as soon as he got them (following a workout on Thursday).

It's only a matter of time before someone turns Kobe Bryant's story into a major Hollywood blockbuster ... according to Ron Howard, who says the guy had a life fit for the big screen.

Howard is one of the most powerful people in the movie industry -- he recently worked closely with NBA superstar Dwyane Wade for a new documentary that's about to drop.

So, we had to ask if he'd consider working on a Black Mamba project at some point down the road and Howard says he's definitely intrigued.

"If given the opportunity under the right set of circumstances, sure. Without a doubt," Howard said.

One of the biggest issues surrounding a possible Kobe movie is the timing -- Ron says working with the family would be crucial, but they're still reeling from the tragedy and need to grieve before jumping into a movie.

Ron says whoever ultimately tells Kobe's story needs to be especially sensitive about that.

Besides being one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Howard says Kobe was a great guy, an emerging artist and a promising entrepreneur who was about to do some BIG things before his tragic death.

As we previously reported, Kobe was a part-owner of the UFC, was deeply involved in the tech industry and was making big moves in entertainment after winning an Oscar for his animated short film "Dear Basketball."

RIP.

Kenny Smith says the timing of Gayle King's questions about Kobe Bryant's rape case was WAY OFF ... telling TMZ Sports her interview with Lisa Leslie was "insensitive."

King has been the center of criticism ever since the interview aired earlier this week ... with people upset that she grilled Leslie about Bryant's 2003 rape case that was later dismissed.

The backlash has gotten so extreme ... Oprah claims her friend is getting death threats as a result, despite the majority of the interview being positive.

We spoke with Smith about the whole situation ... and he thinks it was inappropriate to bring up that part of Kobe's past so quickly after his tragic death.

"It's unfortunate that during this time of grieving, I think the timing of the interview totally was off," Smith said at LAX.

"With everyone still grieving ... to have an interview that was led in that direction, I think the timing was insensitive."

Smith applauds Leslie's responses to the tough questions ... but wishes she wasn't in that position to begin with.