Coronavirus

OKC Thunder forward Andre Roberson and Rachel DeMita are showing the depressing side of the NBA's return -- with the couple sharing one last goodbye before Andre enters the bubble in Orlando.

Remember, pros will be separated from their significant others and family members for AT LEAST 50 days if their team makes it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Roberson and DeMita -- who have been together for nearly 2 years -- posted one final selfie before the hooper headed to Florida on Tuesday ... and yeah, it's pretty sad.

"Good luck in Orlando! see ya in a couple months 🥺," the former NBA 2K host said on Instagram ... meaning she's expecting her man's team -- currently 5th in the West -- to make a solid run.

Of course, there's a bunch of newer couples who are also gonna be sad about the season picking back up ... like Kyle Kuzma and Winnie Harlow ... and Tyler Herro and Katya Elise Henry.

Stay strong, love birds!!

Tiger's back!!!!!

Golf's biggest superstar announced Thursday he's making his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour at next week's Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio.

"I’ve missed going out and competing with the guys," Woods said, "and can’t wait to get back out there."

It's huge news in the golf world ... Tiger hasn't swung a club on Tour since mid-February, when he finished in last place among those who made the cut at the Genesis Invitational.

After that tournament, Woods complained of back tightness ... and sat out the ensuing events until the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on the season.

Golf returned to action in mid-June ... but Tiger passed on all the return tourneys -- only choosing to play Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson at The Match II during the layoff.

Of course, the Memorial was set to allow fans to watch Tiger in person ... but tournament officials announced this week they nixed those plans as COVID cases began spiking around the country.

Not like too many people will complain ... watching Tiger on TV instead of in-person ain't a bad consolation prize.

Stanford University just announced it's eliminating a whopping 11 varsity sports after the 2020-21 school year ... and it's all thanks to COVID-19.

The school went public with its decision in an open letter Wednesday ... officially canceling the following programs: men's and women's fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men's volleyball and wrestling.

FYI -- Stanford currently has the second-most varsity sports in the nation with 36 ... 4 sports shy of Harvard.

"This is heartbreaking news to share," Stanford officials said in the letter. "These 11 programs consist of more than 240 incredible student-athletes and 22 dedicated coaches."

"They were built by more than 4,000 alumni whose contributions led to 20 national championships, 27 Olympic medals, and an untold number of academic and professional achievements."

The school says it was already anticipating a $12 million deficit in 2021 ... and the pandemic increased its expectation to a $25 million loss ... forcing the cuts.

Stanford says it will honor all scholarships and contracts for the remaining students and coaches if they decide to stay at the school ... and will help those who decide to leave.

So, why these 11 sports?? The school says it took a number of factors into account ... with fan interest and Title IX requirements being part of the decision.

Kanye West says he's done supporting President Trump -- but there's even more he's spilling that's just as surprising in terms of his run for the White House. Oh boy, where to begin ...

Ye sat down with Forbes in a verrrry wide-ranging interview, but primarily about his Presidential campaign ... and the would-be candidate declared he's "taking off the red hat." The only specific he offered as to why was that he doesn't like what he heard about 45 hiding in a bunker recently.

He also says, "One of the main reasons I wore the red hat as a protest to the segregation of votes in the Black community." As Kanye's stated before, he hates the fact that Democrats assume all black people have to vote for them.

He added he was down with POTUS because "I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby."

As for HIS presidential run ... he says he IS serious, and that he's got some unconventional ideas to help get him there. Buckle in, 'cause this gets weird.

He told Forbes he's running as part of a new party called the Birthday Party, because ... "[W]hen we win, it’s everybody’s birthday."

He also says he's having Elon Musk help with his campaign and is considering using him for his own space program. He's already got a VP in mind ... a Wyoming preacher -- and showing a little campaign bravado, he kinda bashed Joe Biden as "not special."

Politics aside, Kanye says he contracted the coronavirus in February -- but didn't say if he learned that from getting tested -- and sounded like quite the anti-vaxxer. He called any coronavirus vaccine "the mark of the beast."

He goes on to explain, "They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things, to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven."

One thing he didn't cover, but clearly relevant for a Presidential candidate, is his mental health. Kanye has publicly said he's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and he's also said -- notably on "TMZ Live" in May 2018 -- he doesn't take his medication sometimes because it dulls his creativity.

Tiffany Haddish is sporting a new look, she just chopped off all her hair, and in true Tiff fashion ... made quite the performance out of it.

The actress and comedian streamed her DIY haircut Tuesday, much to the shock of her followers and some friends in the room.

As you can see, Tiffany started with a full head of hair, but quickly took a pair of scissors to her long locks and started slicing and dicing ... peanut gallery comments be damned!

Tiffany joked about selling some of her locks, and calmed her friends' fears throughout the roughly 20-minute haircut, declaring her hair would grow back and explaining she's got plenty of wigs for upcoming projects.

In the end, Tiffany was sporting a pretty short Afro ... and she couldn't hold back her excitement as she took a brush to her head for what sounds like the first time in a looong time.

Another Washington Wizards player has backed out of the NBA's restart in Orlando ... this time, All-Star guard Bradley Beal has officially opted out of the bubble due to a shoulder injury.

As we previously reported, Wizards breakout star Davis Bertans recently elected to sit out the remainder of the season to focus on free agency ... with an expected big payday on the horizon.

The team will have to move forward without the league's 2nd-leading scorer ... with Washington making the call to pull Beal from the restart later this month.

"This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team," Beal said in a statement. "I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term."

The Wizards say Beal had been dealing with a nagging right rotator cuff injury all season ... and it only got worse during the hiatus.

Many believe the news puts the final nail in the coffin for Washington's chances at a playoff run. The team is currently 9th in the Eastern Conference -- 5.5 games behind the Orlando Magic -- with 8 games left to jump into postseason contention.

With Beal and Bertans out of the restart, the Wizards' next-leading scorer is 22-year-old Rui Hachimura ... who averages 13.4 points a game.

LET'S DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, RUI!!! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!!!

Beal was originally intending to join the team in Orlando ... but will now stay home to focus on rehab.

Dwight Howard is officially IN for the NBA restart -- saying he will rejoin the Lakers in the bubble environment in Orlando ... and will donate the rest of his season's salary to charity.

"Yes, I will be joining my team in Orlando," Howard said Monday on "CNN Tonight."

"I have a contractual obligation to my teammates, to my fans, the Lakers, the organization and everyone -- but at the same time, I also have an obligation to my family and to my community."

Howard is reportedly set to make around $700,000 in contract money for the remainder of the 2019-20 season -- but says every penny will now be directed to Breathe Again, the social justice initiative he started back in 2015.

“I’m going to use my salary ... All the money, the paychecks I’ll be getting down in the bubble, to help push this ‘Breathe Again’ movement and just make sure people don’t forget about what’s going on in our society.”

Howard appeared on CNN from his home in the Atlanta-area -- where he's reportedly been taking care of his 6-year-old son ever since the child's mother passed away after suffering an epileptic seizure at her Calabasas home back in March.

There had been questions about whether Howard would play or sit out to focus on his family ... but now, those questions are answered.

Howard later explained "Breathe Again" -- saying his "plan of action" includes rolling out programs "to cultivate an environment so that the youth can breathe freely and be confident in every facet of their lives."

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who's become a prominent leader during quarantine and a potential Biden VP, says she's contracted the coronavirus ... without a single warning sign.

Mayor Bottoms shared her diagnosis Monday afternoon, saying ... "COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive."

As you know ... Mayor Bottoms was super outspoken about flattening the curve at the start of the outbreak, and then butted heads with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp over when to reopen the economy.

She actually urged ATL citizens to stay home in quarantine when Kemp gave the go-ahead to reopen Georgia.

Rumored to be on the shortlist of potential Joe Biden running mates, Mayor Bottoms also decried the issue of masks becoming a political symbol and urged folks in her fair city to use common sense and good judgment to safely navigate the pandemic.

FC Dallas has just been kicked out of the MLS' restart tournament ... citing a major coronavirus outbreak within the organization.

The league is hosting its MLS Is Back tournament at ESPN's Wide World Of Sports Complex in Orlando starting this week ... as a way to pick back up where things left off in March.

But, the bad news for FCD -- the team had 11 cases (10 players and 1 coach) test positive while in Orlando ... forcing the MLS to step in and stop the team from participating.

FCD head coach Luchi Gonzalez addressed the move ... saying, "As we continue to focus on the well-being of our players, coaches and staff who are in isolation in Orlando, we understand it is not in their best interests to compete at this time."

"While we’re disappointed, the health and safety of our traveling delegation as well as our league partners is our highest priority."

So, FCD is out of the restart tourney ... but the team can still re-join the rest of the season once everyone is healthy again.