TMZ Sports - Page 8

It may not be under the best circumstances, but Damian Lillard is happy to be back with his 2-year-old boy after leaving the NBA bubble due to injury ... saying, "This is good for the soul."

The Trail Blazers superstar left Orlando on Thursday to seek treatment for a sprained knee he suffered against the Lakers earlier this week ... and it's unclear whether he will return.

It's a HUGE bummer to have Dame go down with injuries -- he was playing lights-out in the bubble and even beat LeBron James and the top-seeded Lakers in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.

The 30-year-old appears to be in great spirits despite the bad news, saying, "Dislocated finger... Lateral knee sprain ... but this is good for the soul ... missed my baby boy ❤️."

The bubble has proven to be a challenge for players who are forced to be away from loved ones for months .... and Paul George recently spoke about the environment taking a toll on his mental health while going through a slump.

Dwyane Wade is making a statement without saying a word ... showing solidarity with his NBA friends and former teammates by debuting a Black Lives Matter-inspired hairstyle.

The sports world came to a screeching halt following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI ... with the NBA, WNBA, MLB and NFL postponing games and practices.

Wade -- who has been outspoken about social justice throughout his career -- revealed the bleach-blonde style with a black fist on Wednesday ... right after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court in honor of Blake.

The future Hall of Famer has also been spreading his message with his wardrobe recently, sporting a "Shoot hoops, not people" shirt.

Raw emotion from NY Mets player Dom Smith -- who just couldn't hold back the tears while talking about Jacob Blake ... and it's powerful stuff.

For the first time this season, Smith took a knee during the national anthem -- right before the Mets took on the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

After the game, 25-year-old Smith said he's been feeling "very emotional" lately about events like the Jacob Blake shooting -- and wanted to make a statement to the world.

But, when he was pressed about what's been "most difficult" for him over the past few days, Smith couldn't fight back the tears.

"I think the most difficult part is to see like people still don’t care," Smith said.

"For this to continually happen, it just shows the hate in people’s hearts. That just sucks, you know?!"

"Being a Black man in America is not easy."

The Mets won the game 5 to 4, but Smith didn't play particularly well. He went 0-4 but later explained he "just wasn't there [mentally]."

Finally, some good news for Cincinnati Bengals CB Mackensie Alexander -- his father has been FOUND ALIVE after going missing earlier this week!

Remember, Alexander left training camp Tuesday to help police search for his missing father -- but was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly assaulting a man who he suspected had a role in his father's disappearance.

Mackensie's dad, 65-year-old Jean Odney Alexandre went missing Monday after a palmetto berry picking trip in Okeechobee County, FL.

But now, officials say Jean has been found -- he made contact with a ranger at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in Okeechobee County at 7:15 AM Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office says, "He is in good health and is being reunited with his family."

So many questions still remain about the incident -- but for now, it's great that Jean is safe.

As for Mackensie's arrest, cops say the NFL player 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."

Barack Obama says he "commends" the NBA players who participated in Wednesday's "boycott" -- saying they're setting a great example for the rest of the country.

"I commend the players on the [Milwaukee Bucks] for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like [Doc Rivers], and the NBA and WNBA for setting an example," Obama said.

"It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values."

The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to refuse to take the court for their playoff game Wednesday -- saying they were still so upset over the shooting of Jacob Blake, they wanted to send a message to the rest of the country.

Other teams followed suit -- and the league eventually announced all of Wednesday's playoff games had been postponed.

Of course, Obama's message to the NBA and its players is much different than the message the current U.S. President has delivered to the league recently.

Donald Trump has repeatedly bashed NBA players and owners -- including LeBron James -- for the way it's dealing with the social justice issues in America.

Trump has said he will boycott the league if players continue to kneel for the national anthem -- something he considers to be disrespectful to the flag and the military.

Jake Paul is taking a cue from "Rocky IV" and heading to the mountains to train for his upcoming boxing match ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

He's confident about the fight -- but when it comes to the FBI investigation surrounding him ... not so much.

The 23-year-old was on a hardcore mountain bike ride early Wednesday morning with his team in Mammoth Lakes, California.

FYI, top fighters like UFC star Rafael dos Anjos and others have trained in Mammoth in the past because of the altitude  -- it sits nearly 8,000 feet above sea level and many athletes feel it helps with conditioning.

Paul -- who's set to fight 36-year-old ex-NBA star Nate Robinson on Nov. 28th -- clearly feels the training location will give him an advantage.

In fact, when asked for a fight prediction, Jake's promising a 1st round knockout of the 3-time NBA Slam Dunk champion.

But, when asked if he'll also be able to beat the FBI's case against him stemming from an incident in Arizona back in May, Jake replied, "I don't know about all that."

As we previously reported, the FBI says it's investigating allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square.

The feds even raided Jake's Calabasas home earlier this month and confiscated several firearms.

Jake has played down the investigation -- telling his fans not to worry ... and plans to make a music video about the situation.

UCLA says Under Armour is full of crap for using the COVID pandemic as an excuse to back out of a $280 million sponsorship deal ... and now the school is suing.

Here's the deal ... back in June, UA announced it would be pulling the plug on the 15-year deal it made with UCLA which began in 2017.

The University had touted it as the "largest athletic apparel sponsorship deal in the history of American college sports."

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, UA messaged to the school that because of the pandemic, the company would not be getting the widespread brand exposure it was promised when it entered the massive contract.

Under Armour allegedly cited the cancelation of college baseball games and the uncertainty of bigger sports like football and basketball as the main reasons for the move.

But, UCLA ain't buyin' the company's excuse -- claiming the REAL reason UA backed out is because the company is in financial trouble and was looking for a way to save some cash.

UCLA says in its suit, "Under Armour decided to try to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a cover to get out of paying on a deal that it no longer wanted to be in."

UCLA claims it seeks to "hold Under Armour to the promises that it made" ... and wants to force them to pay out the rest of the contract.

There's more ... UCLA claims UA also tried to use the excuse that the school didn't take appropriate action in the wake of the FBI's Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, which involved a former UCLA soccer coach.

UCLA claims it took swift action and put the coach on leave the same day as his arrest -- and then accepted his resignation a few days later.

UCLA says Under Armour never suggested they mishandled the situation until using it as an excuse to get out of the deal.

UCLA is suing for more than $200 MILLION in damages for breach of contract.

Kenny Smith just walked off the set of "Inside the NBA" in a show of solidarity with the NBA players who are boycotting Wednesday's playoff games.

"As a black man, as a former player ... I think its best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight," Smith said.

Smith then unplugged his mic and walked off the set -- leaving co-hosts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson to finish the show without him.

Before he left, Smith explained his decision this way ...

"Right now, my head is like ready to explode," Smith said about the aftermath of the Jacob Blake police shooting in Wisconsin.

Smith says he can't stop thinking about the incident and the surrounding issues -- whether it's in the car or in the broadcast studio -- and he felt a strong compulsion to take some sort of action.

After he walked off, Ernie Johnson said he respects Kenny's decision ... and they continued on with the show.

55-year-old Smith won 2 NBA titles during his 10 year career and has become a key member of the "Inside the NBA" team, the most popular basketball show on TV.

As we previously reported, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for Game 5 of their playoff series with the Orlando Magic. Other NBA teams followed suit.

The Milwaukee Brewers have now opted out of their game Wednesday against the Reds ... following the NBA's lead in protesting after the Jacob Blake shooting.

Players from the team met just hours before they were set to take the diamond against Cincinnati at Miller Park ... and eventually decided to sit out.

Of course, Blake was horrifically shot 7 times in the back by a police officer just 45 minutes from Milwaukee on Sunday ... and athletes all across the country are now furious and seeking justice.

In fact, Brewers star reliever Josh Hader spoke about it all just minutes before the team made the decision ... praising the Milwaukee Bucks for being the initial ones to boycott.

"It's more than sports," Hader told media members of the situation. "And [the Bucks] showed it. It's not about the game. It's more than that. And this is a time where we need to really not stay quiet and empower our voices."

Hader added, "It's something that can't just stay quiet and it's nothing that we can just put behind us. It's something that all of us we have to continue to voice and bring light to this situation that we have because it's a big thing."

As we previously reported ... after the Bucks did not come out to the court for their playoff game Wednesday -- the rest of the league's playoff schedule for the day was postponed.

Begs the question ... how many other MLB teams will now follow suit?

The Milwaukee Bucks are boycotting their playoff game against the Orlando Magic Wednesday ... electing to not take the court in protest after the Jacob Blake shooting.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates did not participate in pre-game warm-ups before their scheduled Game 5 matchup in the NBA bubble ... staying put in the locker room.

Of course, Blake was shot in the back 7 times by a police officer during an incident in Kenosha on Sunday ... about 45 minutes from Milwaukee.

The news was just made official minutes ago -- with the team announcing they will not play on Wednesday at all.

Bucks player George Hill issued a short statement saying, "We’re tired of the killings and the injustice."

Bucks exec Alex Lasry has also weighed in ...

"Some things are bigger than basketball," Lasry said.

"The stand taken today by the players and org. shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen."

"I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change."

Obviously, this will have huge ramifications -- the team is reportedly facing millions of dollars in fines for missing the game. But, they clearly feel the social justice statement is worth it.

ESPN's Bobby Marks says the fine could be as high as $5 million if the NBA chooses to enforce it.

Both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics have also discussed boycotting their playoff game on Thursday.

Unclear if the Bucks' move will embolden them to stay off the court.

Of course, Bucks player Sterling Brown was victim of police brutality back in 2018 when he was tased by cops while outside of a Walgreens in Milwaukee while on a first date.

Cops had accused him of parking in a handicap space ... and things escalated from there.

Video showed officers taking Brown to the ground and tasing him -- despite the fact he never resisted or seemed to pose a threat.

Brown says he was offered a $400,000 settlement in exchange for his silence on the matter -- but he refused, saying, "I can't be quiet."

The police chief later issued an apology to Brown.

Washington NFL team staffers secretly produced and distributed a video of the team's cheerleaders in compromising positions, including clips with their bare breasts exposed ... this according to a new bombshell report.

It all went down during a 2008 shoot for a "Beauties on the Beach" calendar -- where a video crew chronicled the making of a sexy bikini calendar.

But, according to the Washington Post, team staffers used outtakes to put together a special, secret cut featuring moments when the women inadvertently exposed their nipples in the course of the shoot.

The Washington Post claims to have obtained a copy of the video -- but obviously, the outlet is not publishing it.

The Post reports the team's lead broadcaster, Larry Michael, played a major role in the making of the lewd video.

Michael's former staffer Brad Baker claims Michael told staffers the video was being made for team owner Daniel Snyder.

For his part, Michael is adamantly denying the allegations in the report -- saying, "Nothing can be further from the truth. I was never asked to nor did I ask someone to compile videos as [the Post] described."

The Washington Football Team has not commented on the allegations in the Post's report ... though the Post claims they were given multiple opportunities before they published the story.

In the article, the Post says it spoke with more than 100 past and current employees about the culture -- and it wasn't great.

"The employees also described an atmosphere in which bullying and demeaning behavior by management created a climate of fear that allowed abusive behavior to continue unchecked," the Post reports.

The article comes in the wake of previous, similar allegations about how the franchise has been run ever since Snyder became the owner.

In the past few weeks, the team has fired several employees and hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct a full investigation into the team's workplace.

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 Giuliani just 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]."

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.

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.

"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.