12:32 PM PT -- Shocking comments from Charles Barkley ... the NBA legend just ripped Paul George for revealing he battled depression in the league's bubble -- with Chuck saying the Clippers star should straight up stop complaining.
UPDATE
Barkley went on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday and essentially said PG13 had no right to speak about his bubble anxiety ... given the hardships other Americans are currently going through.
UPDATE
UPDATE
"I don't think guys making millions of dollars should be worried just because they're stuck in a place where they can go fishing and play golf and play basketball and make millions of dollars," Barkley said.
UPDATE
"That's not a dark place. The thing that just happened in Wisconsin, the things happening with this pandemic, all these people losing their jobs, those people are in a dark place."
UPDATE
Barkley continued, "We are the luckiest people in the world to dribble a stupid basketball and make millions of dollars. We're never in a dark place. I just think we need to be careful what we complain about."
Paul George is speaking out about the challenges of being stuck in the NBA bubble ... saying he battled with anxiety and depression while going through a historic slump.
The L.A. Clippers superstar had been under-performing during the playoffs before erupting for a 35-point game against the Mavericks on Tuesday ... and spoke in detail about what it was like to struggle with the mental aspect of the game in Orlando.
"It was just a little bit of everything," George said after the huge Game 5 win. "I underestimated mental health, honestly. I had anxiety, a little bit of depression. Just being locked in here."
"I just wasn't there. I checked out."
FYI -- George was REALLY going through a tough time on the court ... becoming the first player since 1960 to shoot less than 25% in 3 straight games.
It got so bad, it was to the point where PG-13 was posting cryptic messages about haters on IG ... and was trending on social media.
The 30-year-old said it all changed for him after speaking with a team psychiatrist ... who helped him get in a good spot before the 154-111 win.
"My energy, my spirit was changed. That's all it needed. That's all I needed. I came here, I knew what my job was. Left it all on that court .... Ready to move forward."
The Bubble situation isn't exactly a cakewalk for some of the NBA players -- while the league has done a good job keeping players healthy and safe, many are having a tough time being away from their families and friends for so long.
Props to George for speaking out about his mental health issues -- it's not an easy thing for people to discuss, especially on a national platform ... and he deserves credit.
Rudy Giulianijust went scorched-earth on Doc Rivers -- claiming his emotional speech about the Jacob Blake shooting is loaded with BS.
The former NYC mayor took serious issue with the Clippers coach during a call Wednesday on the "Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio ... and he didn't hold back.
"What Doc is doing is seriously misleading the African-American community," Giuliani said ... "It's a con job the Democrats have played on them for 60 years."
Rudy was particularly upset about Doc's claim that Black people love America, but "this country does not love us back."
"That's a totally ridiculous statement about loving this country," Giuliani said.
"Look, the danger of getting shot by a cop is about one-tenth of one percent. The danger of being shot and killed by another black is about 99%."
"So, for every 8 or 10 people that are shot by cops every year, 7,000 are killed by other black men. So, hey Doc, how about we deal with that?! And stop blaming it on the cops."
Rudy acknowledged cops "make a mistake once in a while" but says the bigger issue is, "Why are they in your neighborhood ten times more than anybody else's neighborhood? 'Cause they don't like you or because you're killing each other ten times more than anybody else and they're trying to protect the innocent victims that your people are killing?!"
Giuliani claims he has "the right" to speak on the matter because "nobody saved more black lives than I did when I reduced homicide [in NYC] by 65% [when I was mayor]."
He also had this message for Doc -- "How about you deal with the real problem and stop the bull? The real problem is the heavy level of crime in the black community."
LaMelo Ball will NOT be reppin' the family business when the NBA season rolls around -- the prospect is about to ink a huge deal with Puma!!!
The news will officially end an era for the Big Baller Brand ... with Melo becoming the first Ball Bro to jump ship for another company.
The partnership makes sense, considering Melo, Lonzo and LiAngelo all just signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports ... and Hov is the creative director for Puma Basketball.
In fact, we spoke with LaVar about the possibility of a BBB x Puma collab back in May ... and he seemed interested in the idea.
Melo's move adds to Puma's growing list of clients ... including names like veteran center DeMarcus Cousins, Suns star Deandre Ayton and Hornets guard Terry Rozier.
Of course, Ball is no newbie to the shoe game -- he had his own signature shoe in high school, which eventually deemed him ineligible for the NCAA.
Ball is widely regarded as one of the best players in the 2020 NBA Draft ... and is projected to be a top-3 pick.
The Athletic's Shams Charania says the deal is close to being completed ... but so far, no word on the $$$ or if Zo will make another song in honor of the move.
11:10 AM PT -- In 911 audio of the alleged incident obtained by TMZ Sports ... the caller tells dispatch the whole altercation was related to Alexander's father's "disappearance."
UPDATE
"Someone went missing," the caller says, "and [the alleged victim] was with the guy and now they're telling him like, 'Where's the guy?' and all that."
The caller, who ID'd himself as the alleged victim's son, claimed he was on the phone with his father when he heard two guys arguing and roughing him up.
UPDATE
The caller says he could hear his dad saying, "Why are you hitting me" and "stuff like that" ... adding he believed his dad was "in trouble."
UPDATE
10:10 AM PT -- Police say Mackensie Alexander and another man beat the hell out of a guy on Tuesday ... and cops say it all started because the men confronted the alleged victim about "an incident that had transpired the day prior."
UPDATE
In police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say Alexander and Evins Clement showed up to an Immokalee, FL residence to interrogate a man about a "prior incident."
UPDATE
FYI -- cops did NOT reveal what the alleged incident was nor did they confirm the identity of the alleged victim. But, it looks like the altercation could be connected to Alexander's father's disappearance.
UPDATE
In the docs, cops say Alexander and Clement tried to get the man to leave with them in their car ... but they say the man refused, "due to fear of retaliation from the prior incident."
UPDATE
Officers say that's when Alexander "threatened the victim that he had a firearm in his vehicle if the victim continued to refuse to go with them."
UPDATE
Cops say when the alleged victim continued to refuse ... they say Clement grabbed the man and held him down while Alexander punched him with a closed fist in the face repeatedly.
UPDATE
Officers say both Alexander and Clement then fled the scene when they heard cops' sirens approaching.
UPDATE
Cops add in the report the alleged victim "had a noticeable injury to his lip and forehead."
UPDATE
Both Clement and Alexander were eventually arrested ... with the two each being booked on misdemeanor battery charges.
UPDATE
UPDATE
In a statement released Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Collier County Sheriff's Office said, "We recognize that this is an emotional and frightening time for the family and friends of [Alexander's father] Jean Odney Alexandre."
UPDATE
"However, everyone must act within the law."
UPDATE
6:15 AM PT -- 8/26 -- Alexander was arrested shortly after leaving Bengals camp to search for his missing father ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.
UPDATE
Jail records show the NFL player was booked on 1 count of battery on Tuesday.
UPDATE
Unclear the details of the arrest -- we're working on it -- but NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports, "My understanding is he allegedly confronted the man who left behind his father, Jean Odney Alexandre, on a berry-picking trip."
Cincinnati Bengals CB Mackensie Alexander has left training camp to help police search for his missing father, this according to reports.
Mackensie's dad, 65-year-old Jean Odney Alexandre went missing Monday after a palmetto berry picking trip in Okeechobee County, FL.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office says Jean went on the trip with another man ... who ended up leaving the prairie without Alexandre.
Jean was reported missing late Monday night ... and law enforcement launched a search mission using K-9's, 4 wheelers and helicopters.
26-year-old Alexander -- a 2nd-round draft pick out of Clemson in 2016 -- bolted training camp in Cincinnati to join the search, according to Tom Pelissero.
The former Commissioner of the NYPD is going after LeBron James ... saying the NBA superstar should keep his mouth shut when it comes to criticizing police because he "has no idea what the job is."
Bernie Kerik -- who was commish from 2000 to 2001 -- was really upset with LeBron's critical comments about the police officers involved in the Jacob Blake shooting.
"I’ve got nothing nice to say about those cops at all," Bron told the media on Monday.
"If you’re sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue [Blake] or detain him before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and lying to not only me, you’re lying to every African American, and every black person in the community."
Enter Kerik ... who clapped back hard at Bron on social media.
"You should not comment or criticize when you have no idea what the job is, nor would you have the courage to do it," he said.
You should not comment or criticize when you have no idea what the job is, nor would you have the courage to do it. I’d challenge @KingJames to handcuff someone the refuses to comply, or spend a day in a firearms simulations training center? https://t.co/z61JBmhKrS
"I’d challenge [LeBron James] to handcuff someone the refuses to comply, or spend a day in a firearms simulations training center?"
Kerik has been a staunch defender of the police in several high profile shooting cases over the years.
He's also a big Donald Trump supporter -- and was pardoned by POTUS in 2020 stemming from a 2010 conviction on 8 felonies, including tax fraud and lying to govt. officials.
San Jose Sharks star Logan Couture claims he was "sucker punched" in Toronto on Tuesday ... and says it was all because he said he'd vote Republican if he could.
Couture -- who's Canadian -- made the revelation in a series of social media posts Wednesday ... saying, "I spent last night in Toronto Ontario."
"I talked about voting for the Republican Party, and I mentioned Donald Trump by name. I was sucker punched."
Couture didn't say if he suffered any injuries as a result of the alleged attack ... but added, "Is this really what we are coming to? If you vote you are a villain? Man this world is so wrong."
It's unclear exactly what Couture said that led to the alleged punch ... the 31-year-old claims he does NOT support Donald Trump and appeared to say he never voiced a pro-Trump opinion Tuesday.
Rather, Couture says he simply said something along the lines of he'd vote for the Republican party if he had a say in the matter.
"[I was punched for] saying my dad was a police officer and I 'would' if I could vote republican," Couture said.
We're out to the Toronto Police Service for more information.
Couture has been a beast for the Sharks for the past decade ... scoring 256 career goals since he came up with the team in the 2009-10 season.
He famously signed an 8-year, $64 MILLION contract extension with SJ back in 2018.
Dana Whitesays he never had second thoughts about stumping for his pal, Donald Trump, at the Republican National Convention this week ... essentially saying critics can kiss his ass.
In fact, when it comes to criticism about his relationship with Trump, White told reporters Tuesday -- "That sh*t doesn’t bother me."
"I don’t give a sh*t. I don’t care what people think of me or what they think,” White said.
With how divisive politics are right now, @DanaWhite says that never factored into his decision to speak at the #RNC in support of his friend, @realDonaldTrump.
“The people that know me know who I am and know what I’m about."
White is slated to speak at the 2020 RNC on Thursday night. He also gave a speech for Trump at the 2016 RNC.
"Listen, this is America. Everybody has their own opinions and their own choices. I know that sometimes people go after you because of whatever, but everybody knows me. Everybody knows what I’m about."
White and Trump go back decades. Dana has often said POTUS was one of the few early supporters of UFC who helped pave the way for the business to become the monster that it is today.
Ex-Formula One team manager Flavio Briatore -- a former titan in the sport -- is hospitalized in "stable" condition after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
70-year-old Briatore -- who had been rallying against COVID closures -- was admitted to San Raffaele hospital in Italy on Sunday after coming down with a fever.
His condition was initially described as serious -- but Flavio's team now says he's "good and stable."
Briatore -- who was once engaged to Naomi Campbell and has a kid with Heidi Klum -- had been at odds recently with Italian officials who were trying to close nightclubs to stop the spread of the virus.
He famously owns the Billionaire nightclub in Sardinia -- and fought hard to keep the place open ... saying recently on IG, "It breaks my heart to see an economy slaughtered by people who have done sod all."
But, more than 60 staffers at the club tested positive for COVID over the past few days -- sparking concerns of a possible major outbreak.
FYI, Briatore managed the RenaultandBenetton teams in the 90s and 2000s ... and oversaw champion drivers including Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.
David Beckham isn't quite ready to pucker up for International Dog Day, but he is ready to show off his newest pooch, which seems more than eager to plant one on its owner.
The soccer star posted a cute photo Wednesday in honor of the holiday, showing off the Beckham family's newest canine addition, Sage, which made its debut this past Christmas.
In his IG post, David can bee seen trying to resist face licks from Sage. He captioned it ... "Happy International dog day 🐶 sage trying her luck with a kiss on the lips 💋." Lips or not, it looks like Sage is getting her share of face time with papa bear.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
BTW, Victoria appears to have been the photog here ... she posted a BTS shot that might be just as adorable -- showing Dave cradling Sage, who looks all too pleased with the attention.
Sage is the Beckhams' third dog ... they have two other Cocker Spaniels, Fig and Olive, who've been with the brood for a bit now. As with any incoming family member, though, Sage is the one getting most of the fam's love ... social media-wise, anyway.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Don't worry, you're just as important F&O. It's just Sage's time to shine right now ...
A historic moment nearly turned disastrous for the White Sox on Tuesday ... star OF Eloy Jimenez smashed up his ankle celebrating a no-hitter -- and, for a while, it didn't look good.
Here's the deal ... Chicago ace Lucas Giolito went OFF against the Pittsburgh Pirates -- twirling a sparkling 9 no-hit innings with 13 strikeouts -- and after the final out, his teammates mobbed him to celebrate.
#WhiteSox Eloy Jimenez was injured during the celebration on the field.
Clip 1: he's running to the celebration. Very end may have gone down Clip 2: on ground talking to trainer about lower leg possible ankle injury Clip 3: Eloy gets up and walks off on his own power pic.twitter.com/evPzIIk9Ft
The problem? When Eloy rushed into the mosh pit ... Edwin Encarnacion appeared to step on his foot, twisting his ankle.
Eloy -- who's been a MONSTER for Chicago this season -- crumpled to the diamond in serious pain ... and was down on the ground for nearly the entirety of the Sox's celebration.
Fortunately, Eloy was able to hobble off the field under his own power ... and, for now, the White Sox believe Jimenez avoided serious injury.
"Jumping up and down, he kind of twisted his ankle a little bit," Chicago manager Rick Renteria told reporters after the game.
"But thankfully he walked off the field OK under his own power, and we’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow."
It'd be a huge blow for the Sox if Eloy has to miss any time ... he's batting .306 with NINE home runs this season.
An emotional Doc Rivers choked back tears as he talked about the Jacob Blake police shooting on Tuesday -- explaining why Black people are pissed and railing against republicans.
"It's amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back," Rivers said.
"It's really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. I'm so often reminded of my color. It's just really sad. We got to do better. But, we got to demand better."
The L.A. Clippers coach had refused to talk about the shooting BEFORE the playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks "because it's so hard to keep watching it."
But, after the game, the emotions poured out of the 58-year-old, who interestingly enough, used to be friends with Donald Trump.
"If you watch that [Jacob Blake] video, you don’t need to be Black to be outraged. You need to be American and outraged."
"All you hear is Donald Trumpand all of them talking about fear," Rivers said while referring to the Republican National Convention.
"We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We're the ones that we're denied to live in certain communities. We've been hung. We've been shot. And, all you do is keep hearing about fear."
Doc says he's not anti-cop -- his father was a police officer -- but he demands changes when it comes to training, especially when it comes to policing the Black community.
"The training has to change in the police force. The unions have to be taken down in the police force," Rivers said.
"My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops. We’re not trying to defund the police and take all of their money away. We’re trying to get them to protect us just like they protect everybody else."
Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow just got himself an amazing welcome-to-the-NFL gift ... a diamond chain of his jersey number!!
TMZ Sports has learned ... the Heisman Trophy winner wanted to do something special after inking his massive, $36 million rookie deal, so he hit up celeb jeweler Leo Frost to whip up the one-of-a-kind piece.
We're told the awesome #9 pendant is made of 18k white gold and VVS diamonds ... sitting on an 18k white gold prong-set Cuban chain with VVS diamonds.
In other words, the rook's got taste!!
For those who paid close attention to our pre-draft jewelry roundup back in February, this should come as no surprise. As Leo told Burrow at the time, "After the draft, I'm thinking we make this a fat ass piece for you, #9? A fat #9."
Leo delivered on his promise ... flying to Cincinnati this week to hand over the final product ... and Joe loved it!!
It's been one crazy year for the Ohio boy -- he won a natty, won the Heisman, helped raise $500k for his hometown food bank, and went #1 overall in the Draft.
Marshal Yanda has gone from All-Pro offensive lineman to absolute SNACK in just a few months ... dude's shaved off a ton of weight since his retirement -- and looks amazing!
Yanda -- one of the best linemen in the NFL for the past decade-plus -- just retired in March ... but it's clear he's got no chance of playing in the gridiron trenches any time soon.
Check out a photo the 6'3" potential future Hall of Famer posted Monday ... he looks NOTHING like the guy who used to crush D-lineman for the Ravens at over 300 pounds!!!
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
"Family RV Trip Out West," Yanda captioned the pic. "August is looking a lot different this year!!!"
No kidding!!!
Of course, we shouldn't be TOO surprised about the weight loss ... many NFL linemen have found it easy to trim down after retirement -- remember how quickly Joe Thomas gotshredded last year?!?!
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's son has been hit with several felonies stemming from his alleged knife attack on a neighbor in June ... and now he's facing nearly 10 years behind bars.
We broke the story ... cops in San Clemente, Calif. arrested 28-year-old Adam Abdul-Jabbar after they say he attacked his neighbor during an argument.
Adam's neighbor says he complained to the basketball legend's son about helping his grandma with outdoor trash cans ... which the man says set Adam off.
The 60-year-old says Adam stabbed him numerous times ... causing serious injuries, including a fractured skull and brain bleed. The man -- who's since filed a civil lawsuit against Adam -- also claims he nearly died from blood loss due to the incident.
TMZ Sports has learned ... Adam has now been charged with 3 felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of carrying a dirk or dagger, and three enhancements of inflicting great bodily injury over his alleged role in the incident.
If convicted on all counts, Adam faces up to nine years and eight months in prison.
"A dispute between neighbors should never escalate to violence, much less the ruthless nature of this attack," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Tuesday.
"Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in Orange County and those who choose to inflict violence on others will be prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to the fullest extent of the law."
The Indians have apparently forgiven Mike Clevinger for his COVID partying ... Cleveland just announced it's bringing back its ace for a start against the Twins on Wednesday.
Clevinger has been exiled at the team's alternate site ever since he was caught breaking COVID protocol by hanging out with teammate Zach Plesac and some buds after curfew in Chicago earlier this month.
It was unclear if the team would ever bring Clevinger back ... his teammates were furious with him and trade rumors have been swirling heavily.
But, Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said Tuesday he believes the pitcher is ready to rejoin the team after spending the past couple weeks reflecting on his actions.
"We did have engagement with our players," Antonetti told reporters. "I think he’s ready to come back out to the mound and help us win games."
Remember, Adam Plutko had ripped both Clevinger and Plesac for the night out ... saying it would take a lot of work for them to earn back the Indians' trust.
Teammate Oliver Perez, meanwhile, had reportedly even threatened to quit over the guys' actions.
For their parts, both Clevinger and Plesac did apologize for the night out ... although Plesac insisted the media was making a bigger deal out of it than what it was.
Antonetti said there's still no timetable for a return for Plesac, who's remained at the Indians' alternate site since being busted for breaking the team rules.
It may be the end of an era with Barcelona, but Lionel Messi is getting serious love from his longtime teammates on Tuesday ... after the international soccer superstar has asked the club to terminate his contract.
The earth-shattering news broke hours ago ... with arguably the greatest player on the planet sending a letter to Barca asking to be released from his contract, citing a clause that could make him available at the end of the season.
It's a HUGE deal -- 33-year-old Messi has been with Barcelona since 2001, winning 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles.
Messi's also won the Ballon d’Or 6 times with Barca ... the most any player has ever earned in a career.
While Messi is prepped to leave the only pro club he's ever known, his teammates are taking the news in stride ... wishing the forward the best of luck in the future.
"Respect and admiration, Leo," Carles Puyol said on Twitter. "All my support, friend."
Luis Suarez -- Messi's teammate since 2014 -- echoed Puyol's message with a couple clapping emojis.
Messi wanting out isn't all that shocking to some, especially coming off an embarrassing season ... but it's still crazy to think about the guy in a new uniform.
The break-up might be a bit messy, however ... there are reports Messi's clause may have expired back in June ... which would require an $826 MILLION buyout.
