TMZ Sports - Page 26

LaMelo Ball or high-flying Miles Bridges didn't make the most spectacular play of the Hornets game ... that honor belonged to hip-hop star DaBaby, who saved Gordon Hayward from taking a nasty spill!

The North Carolina native was on hand Monday night to take in some NBA action ... as his hometown Hornets battled the 76ers in an Eastern Conference showdown.

It's not uncommon for the "Baby on Baby" rapper to sit courtside at the Hornets game ... he's a big supporter and always puts on for the city of Charlotte.

But, last night he was way more than just a spectator in the crowd.

Hayward attempted to save a ball before it went out of bounds ... and his momentum carried him into the first row of the stands, sending Gordon tumbling into DaBaby's arms.

After helping the hooper get stead on his feet, DaBaby jumped back into fan mode, pumping up Hayward as he returned to the court.

That wasn't the only memorable moment from the Hornets-76ers game ... minutes after Hayward's spill, Kelly Oubre Jr. blew a wide-open layup with the game tied at 119 in overtime.

Despite the blunder, Oubre finished the game with 28 points ... shooting 6-10 from 3-point range.

Sad about the Bills' loss on Monday night? Here's a Buffalo fan who definitely feels worse than you ...

Feast your eyes on a Bills Mafia member who bungled a table-smashing effort so badly on Monday -- he ended up nearly breaking bones in his lower body!!

The terrifying/hilarious scene all went down in a parking lot tailgate near Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park just hours before the Bills took on the Patriots.

For some reason, a fan decided to climb on top of a bus to break some dining room furniture before the big AFC East showdown -- but, unfortunately for him, it didn't go so well.

Watch the clip -- as fans gassed up the Bills backer (who was dressed in Buffalo gear and, thankfully, a helmet), the dude jumped ... and, well, he didn't stick the landing.

The guy missed the table almost completely -- crashing down on HARD on his tailbone.

A witness, though, tells us somehow the guy avoided serious injury -- but he was moving around gingerly and was clearly sore.

To make matters worse, the guy's night didn't get much better after that ... 'cause the Bills went on to lose a bad one to the Patriots, 14-10.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones keeps it super casual when the Dallas Cowboys aren't playing on NFL Sundays ... hinting he watches games buck nekkid!!

The Hall of Famer made the revelation while doing a radio interview Tuesday ... when he was asked how he goes about his Sundays when his team isn't taking the field -- does he suit up like he's in the owner's box or does he chill on the couch in sweats??

And, warning -- if you're eating breakfast, ya might wanna push the stack of pancakes away.

"Well, I've watched them in everything that you have or without everything that you have on as far as dress is concerned," he told "Shan and RJ" on 105.3 The Fan.

Umm ... too much information, bro. Now we're picturing it. We don't want to.

Aside from his wardrobe -- or lack thereof -- Jones adds he's always trying to find a TV screen to check in on other games even if he's on the move ... acting as if he's watching those teams play against the Cowboys.

Former UCLA and NFL QB Cade McNown's wife is in hot water after cops say she hatched and carried out a plan to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in designer goods from philanthropist Sydney Holland.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Christina McNown was arrested after a lengthy investigation revealed back in October she allegedly lifted Holland's purses, clothing and jewelry.

Sources connected to the investigation tell us McNown had been a trusted assistant and stylist for Holland for 12 years and had easy access to her personal belongings.

We're told Holland -- who famously dated Sumner Redstone for years -- started to notice items missing here and there over the span of several months before connecting the dots to McNown.

What's more, our sources say Holland noticed some of the stolen items pop up for sale online. McNown's been arrested and charged with 4 counts of felony grand theft and is set to be arraigned in February.

Christina's husband was a major BMOC when he played at UCLA, earning All-American honors in 1998, and went on to play 4 seasons in the NFL.

Lewis Hamilton had a victory on the track Sunday, and now he's got an even bigger win in his bank account -- the Formula One superstar just sold his NYC penthouse for an insane $49.5 MILLION ... resulting in a $5.6 million profit!!

The 3-floor apartment is insane -- it has more than 12,000 square feet of space in total, has a fully tricked-out kitchen, private elevator and 20-foot tall ceilings.

36-year-old Hamilton -- who came in first at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over the weekend -- bought the 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom Tribeca pad back in 2017 ... coughing up around $44 million to lock it down.

Outside the penthouse, LH has access to a 70-foot swimming pool, gym, Turkish bath, courtyard and lounge area.

Fun fact -- the building used to be a bookbinding factory before it was turned into one of the most coveted spots in the Big Apple.

If you think the final price tag for the place is bonkers, Hamilton initially listed the place for $57 million in 2019 ... before agreeing to the $49.5 mil. sale.

Whoever bought the place will be in good company -- Harry Styles, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel and The Weeknd have been tied to the spot over the years.

But, perhaps the biggest draw to the apartment?? Two private parking spots. And, considering this is New York we're talking about, that's major.

You've heard of the Red Wedding, but Stephen Jackson had a green one ... 'cause ex-NBAer Matt Barnes says everyone was tokin' up before and after his big ceremony!!

43-year-old Stak married his new wife, Tamara, at a star-studded event this weekend ... with guests like rapper 2 Chainz and fellow former hooper Al Harrington.

But, the most VIP guest of the day?? WEED!!

"We smoked before and after," Barnes tells us ... which means Stak had to be feeling reeeaaaalllly good as he exchanged vows.

"He had his close friends and family there. We had a good time."

Although folks were sparking it up, Barnes says the smoke sesh did not happen throughout the wedding -- "We didn't really smoke during the wedding because we were at the Four Seasons."

Makes sense, don't wanna lose that security deposit!!

Stak was able to smoke after exchanging vows, though ... wearing a fancy tux and rapping along to UGK and Outkast's "Int'l Players Anthem."

"It was good. We always smoke good," Barnes added.

That they do ... remember, Jackson even revealed to us in 2018 that he smoked marijuana during his whole 14-year NBA career.

Master P's 16-year-old son, Mercy, put on an absolutely incredible show ... the kid of the famous music icon just dropped a 40 piece in his first high school game as a sophomore.

Mercy, P's youngest, plays for Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota ... and they were taking on Apple Valley, and they had no answer for him all night.

As you can see in the video, Mercy was in his bag ... scoring in a variety of ways -- attacking the rim, shooting outside the perimeter, and even hitting a few mid-range jumpers.

This should come as no surprise 'cause hoops runs in the family. P had a stint in the NBA back in the day ... and Mercy's brother, Hercy, plays college ball at Tennessee State University.

P tried to warn us about the emergence of Mercy -- who committed to playing at the University of Houston -- telling TMZ Sports his son could have a legendary career like Hakeem Olujawon.

"His favorite teams was University of Houston and Duke," P told us, "That was his final choice and to be able to do that as a young kid right now ... he's blessed," P recently told us.

"A lot of the greats went to University of Houston," P said. Clyde the Glyde, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and now you got Mercy Miller -- could be on that same wall."

Two Bills players were so incensed with a reporter's question following their loss to the Patriots ... one of them asked the media member straight up, "What are we doing, bro?!"

Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde -- two of Buffalo's best defensive backs -- took the podium after losing 14-10 to New England ... and it didn't take them long to become upset with a media member.

The journalist in the crowd asked the two if they felt "embarrassed" after losing the game -- 'cause, after all, the Patriots won it despite only throwing THREE TOTAL PASSES.

"I mean, what kind of question is that?" Poyer said.

"Boy," Hyde added. "What are we doing, bro?!"

The reporter, though, stood by his question -- which enraged Poyer and Hyde even more.

"All right," Hyde said. "Keep that, keep that -- all right."

Poyer eventually ended up answering the question ... but seemed to railroad his offense in the process. Hyde, meanwhile, never answered it -- choosing instead to tell the reporter, "We'll remember that."

The Patriots, meanwhile, sure were having fun over the weird way in which they won the massive AFC East showdown ... with Matthew Judon playfully clowning Mac Jones for his unique night under center.

"Hats off to the offense," the star New England pass rusher said. "Really everybody. Probably besides Mac. He really didn't do nothing besides hand the ball off."

"Tyson, I just wanna let you know you're a f***ing bitch and so is your brother. This is an embarrassment and hopefully, you guys can get that vaginitis cleared up super quick, you f****ing dosser."

That's the voice memo Jake Paul sent directly to Tyson Fury live on the "TMZ Sports" TV Show (nightly on FS1) hours after it was officially announced the Gypsy King's little bro Tommy was out of the Dec. 18 fight with an injury.

We broke the story ... Tommy's people say the 7-0 boxer has a chest infection AND broken rib, but Jake ain't buyin' it.

"I think the pressure got to this kid. He's only been put in there against people who are meant to lose, who have losing records. It's scary fighting me on the biggest stage possible," Jake told Michael Babcock on the show.

"He's a young kid, he hasn't been through a lot. He's had a silver spoon in his mouth his whole life, so I think the pressure got to him and cracked him and he has vaginitis is what they're saying."

Tommy has sworn up and down that he only backed out when it was the absolute last option ... and made it clear he badly wants to reschedule the fight in the future.

But, the Problem Child tells us Tommy might've missed his opportunity.

"I don't know if I want to give him it anymore. I might just leave him in the dust. This was the biggest opportunity of his life, so it might be a little cynical, but I think it'd be kinda fun to just not give him the chance again, and he's gonna have to fight 20, 30 more times if he wants to get the same payday. So, good luck!"

It goes without saying -- Paul is fuming over Tommy dropping out of the fight, and he got so pissed while talking with Babcock during the interview, he went straight to Instagram and told Tyson exactly how he felt.

Virgil Abloh was honored in a big way in his hometown -- with a memorial service full of big names ... including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, just to name a few.

The service went down Monday at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Chicago, with scores of people showing up ... including the above-mentioned names, and many more. Other stars who were there -- Tyler the Creator (who delivered an emotional eulogy), Drake, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean and A$AP Rocky.

Like we said ... TTC was one of the handful of folks who spoke, and he ended up breaking down in tears remembering Virgil.

It turned out to be more than just a somber affair -- there was a live performance put on by none other than Lauryn Hill, who was also wiping away tears throughout. All in all, the service made for a lot of waterworks, and a lot of tributes and stories in Virgil's name.

On the way out, paps caught Kim with some shades on ... and also snapped RiRi and A$AP arm in arm, with everyone looking pretty blue. Ye was spotted outside too -- but he actually stopped to sign a bunch of autographs for people.

As we reported ... Virgil recently passed away from cancer -- a private battle he didn't disclose publicly, but only his closest friends were aware of. He'd just been tapped to head up Louis Vuitton's men's line as their artistic director -- this after a successful run as CEO of Off-White, his own fashion house.

The news sent shockwaves across Hollywood and beyond -- with an untold number of stars coming out with condolences ... as Virgil had friends far and wide in the entertainment industry.

Vanessa Bryant says her fear and anxiety over photos taken of the remains of Kobe and Gianna Bryant will last forever -- breaking down in heartbreaking detail how and why.

Kobe's widow filed a declaration in her ongoing lawsuit with L.A. County. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she explains she actually asked Sheriff Alex Villanueva specifically on Jan. 26, the day of the crash, to secure the crash site and not allow anyone to take photographs of what was left behind ... this upon learning there were no survivors. In her docs, she says she told the Sheriff, "If you can't bring my husband and baby back, please make sure no one takes photographs of them."

A month later, she says she learned Sheriff's deputies and firefighters were sharing photos taken of Kobe and Gianna's remains ... precisely what she wanted to avoid. Vanessa says hearing this infuriated her, and also sent her into a constant cycle of distress they'd leak and be disseminated online.

Vanessa says she has reason to believe at least 20 different people obtained copies of the photos ... and despite the County's assurance that they'd all been secured/scrubbed ... she says she has strong doubts.

Vanessa says in the documents she's already seen one photo purportedly showing her late husband's remains, saying, "Since viewing the photo, I've been tormented with thoughts of who took it and whether it depicts my husband."

She adds, "It infuriates me that the people I trusted to protect the dignity of my husband and daughter abused their positions to obtain souvenirs of their deaths, as though possessing pictures of their remains somehow makes them special. I imagine Kobe watching over what occurred at that crash scene, and I am overcome by anger and emotion."

And there's more ... "I feel sick at the thought that deputies and firefighters have gawked at photos of my husband's and child's bodies without any reason. I also feel extreme sadness and anger knowing that photos of my husband's and daughter's bodies were laughed about while shown at a bar and awards banquet."

She points to the fact photos can be easily stored, transferred and preserved with the technology of today -- and is constantly fretting about the pics surfacing in some way, shape or form. She says she's triggered when she types Kobe's name in Google and a suggested search of "Kobe Bryant body" appears. She also says trolls threaten her by claiming to have the photos and promising to release them -- which she says also adds fuel to the fire.

Long story short, Vanessa says she's deeply troubled that one day her children might come across the photos while doing a family tree project for school ... adding, "For the rest of my life, one of two things will happen: either close-up photos of my husband’s and daughter’s bodies will go viral online, or I will continue to live in fear of that happening."

Evander Kane just got a judge to order his estranged wife, Anna Kane, to stay the hell away from him ... after he said he's "afraid" of her following her gun video post last week.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Evander says he's fearful Anna might hurt him, his girlfriend, Mara Teigen, and his daughter in the wake of her recent social media activity.

As we previously reported, Anna posted a video of Evander with a gun on Instagram last Wednesday, saying it showed him recklessly pointing it at her in 2020.

In the vid's caption, Anna claimed the firearm was loaded ... and called Evander a "psycho path."

The San Jose Sharks star, though, said in the docs the gun was absolutely not loaded -- adding that he had only had it in his hand because he and Anna were doing a photo shoot with it.

Evander said in the docs he has the pictures of the two with the weapon that prove it was just a photo shoot.

Evander claims the social media post -- as well as other things Anna put on her Instagram last week -- was such a blatant attempt to hurt him, he's straight-up scared of her now.

The judge granted his request for a temporary restraining order, but Evander is now asking for another order that keeps Anna at least 300 yards away from him for the next three years.

A hearing on the matter has been set for Jan. 13, 2022.

Emmitt Smith's $2.2 million Dallas mansion and private dinner combo was snagged up faster than his 4.55-second 40-yard dash ... 'cause it sold 22 hours after it hit the market.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Smith's listing agent, Arthur Greenstein of Douglas Elliman, got 12 offers right after the 10,806-square-feet home was listed in September.

The amazing estate -- built in 1999 -- comes with five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a dining area that sits up to 22 people, a game room and a home theater.

There's also a luxurious pool and barbeque area in the backyard of the gated home.

The price tag was $2.2M, which also had a pretty unique bonus attached -- a private dinner with the Hall of Famer!!!

We're told it took "approximately 22 hours" for the right deal ... and the new buyers will be wining and dining with Smith as promised!

And, coincidentally #22 is his former Dallas Cowboys and Florida Gators jersey number ... are you picking up on the trend here??

How do you celebrate a big-time win in the Octagon?! If you're UFC star Jose Aldo ... you hit up the LV Raiders game, and then pop bottles and dance to music played by Diplo!

35-year-old Aldo beat fellow UFC star Rob Font at Fight Night Saturday night ... in a 5-round unanimous decision.

Aldo was ranked 5th before the fight ... and since he toppled the 4th ranked fighter, he is very much in title contention.

So, a reason to celebrate ... and celebrate he did Sunday afternoon.

We're told Jose attended the Raiders-WFT game (unfortunately for the hometown fans, the Raiders lost 17-15) ... hitting up the Wynn Field Club at Allegiant Stadium with 7 friends, where they watched football.

FYI, Aldo's Brazilian ... so it's unclear if he's an American football fan, or if he just went for the atmosphere and booze.

After the game, we're told Jose stayed for the game-day afterparty hosted by Diplo ... where he enjoyed bottle service with his friends, dancing up a storm.

The United States will not send an official delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, President Joe Biden and the White House announced Monday.

The decision to withdraw from the Olympic games is a statement against China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

The Biden administration told reporters in November that they were "considering" a diplomatic boycott of the '22 Beijing Olympics ... and after allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses in China's western region of Xinjiang continued, #46 put his foot down.

Psaki said at a White House briefing Monday that Biden was sending a "clear message" that the U.S. will not tolerate the alleged human rights abuses in China ... adding that things cannot be "business as usual" there.

The move from the White House is a deviation from the norm ... it's tradition for the U.S. and other nations to send high-profile delegates to represent their respective countries at the games. Biden's wife, Jill Biden, participated in this past summer's Olympics in Tokyo.

As for U.S. athletes ... they'll still be allowed to compete in the Olympics -- and Psaki said they'll have the Biden administration's "full support." Psaki, though, said the administration would not be "contributing to the fanfare of the games."

The Philadelphia Flyers' season just got a whole lot crappier ... 'cause on the day they fired their head coach amid a losing skid, a police K-9 defecated all over their center-ice logo.

Just hours after the team canned Alain Vigneault, several dogs from the Philadelphia Police Dept. took a trip to Wells Fargo Center ... and you can see in video of their visit, things got messy quickly.

One of the dogs walked all the way out to the red line ... popped a squat and then let its bowels go.

The dog pooped for several seconds -- and then appeared to unleash even more on the logo!!

Of course, we're pretty sure it'll all get cleaned up in time for the Flyers' Monday evening game against the Colorado Avalanche ... but it's yet another reminder of how badly Philly's season has gone so far.

The team is currently in the midst of an 8-game losing streak ... and they've played so poorly recently, there's not a whole lot of optimism in the City Of Brotherly Love at the moment.