Olympics

COVID-19 is officially in the house ... or at least the place Olympians will call home when the Olympic Games begin next week.

Organizers say an Olympic Village staffer tested positive Friday for the coronavirus. They added the person is not a resident of Japan, and their job was only described as "games-concerned personnel."

As it is, the International Olympic Committee is under intense pressure. As we reported, Tokyo is under a state of emergency due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. That news prompted the IOC to make the last minute decision to pull the plug on having spectators at the games.

Still, protesters have been rallying outside the Olympic Village, demanding the games not go on as planned ... and polls show less than half the Japanese population support the games being held at this time.

While the IOC says about 80 percent of Olympic athletes are vaccinated, the concern is less than 30 percent of Japan's population is vaccinated.

The person who tested positive has has been placed on a 14-day quarantine. The games open Friday, July 23 ... and about 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to live in the Olympic Village during the 2 weeks of competition.

IOC President Thomas Bach oddly insisted earlier this week there was “zero” risk athletes could pass the virus to others in or out of the village. Makes ya wonder if the IOC is oblivious to what the world's been through for the last 18 months.

WNBA superstar Candace Parker is making history again ... she will be the first female ever to be on an NBA 2K video game cover!

The Chicago Sky center and NBA 2K made the announcement Wednesday ... saying the basketball legend will grace the front of one of the editions of this year's NBA 2K22 game.

"I’m honored to work with a company that’s investing in women and betting on us to succeed," the 35-year-old baller said.

"Being a player in 2K was a dream of mine; having the privilege to be a broadcaster in 2K was a goal of mine, and now being on the cover brings it all full circle."

Parker is certainly deserving of the honor -- she's a 2-time MVP, a 6-time All-Star and she owns a WNBA championship plus 2 Olympic gold medals.

And, before going #1 in the 2008 WNBA Draft, she won 2 NCAA championships and completely dominated at Tennessee.

Oh, she's also the first female to dunk twice in a college game!!

"I don’t take any of this for granted and I appreciate all of those who came before me and laid the groundwork for this moment. I’m hopeful there will be many more badass females to follow."

NBA 2K also announced Luka Doncic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki will be cover athletes on other editions of this year's game.

Sha'Carri Richardson is missing one golden opportunity at the Olympics, but that's now opened the door to a very green opportunity ... and yeah, that's a double entendre.

The good folks over at Dr. Dabber -- a vaping org specializing in all things weed -- have extended a cannabis-laced olive branch to the U.S. sprinting star ... it's a high-paying job that doesn't really require a whole lot of physical labor.

The offer is for Sha'Carri to become an ambassador of sorts -- or, more accurately, one of Dabber's "doctors."

Check out the offer, obtained by TMZ, which lays out the responsibilities ... and her whopping $250k compensation.

The company says, "Considering your talent and grace over these past weeks, we would love to offer you the opportunity to work with our team as a spokesperson for Dr. Dabber. This entails testing our award-winning dab rigs and vape pens as a resident 'doctor.'"

It's unclear how long of a partnership Dabber has in mind -- but either way, it's a sweet chance to make some easy dough ... and to kinda stick it to the Olympics for DQ'ing her over a positive THC test.

Win-win, really -- but no word yet if Sha'Carri will accept.

Forget watching the Tokyo Olympics at a bar -- Scottie Pippen is offering fans a WAY cooler watch party option ... his own Chicago home!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the former NBA star is renting out his pad for 3 one-night stays in August to a max of four people to have Olympics watch parties -- and the spot is amazing!

We're told Scottie's home features an indoor basketball court AND an outdoor one ... and also has an arcade and a SWEET pool.

Pippen's place also promises a stacked kitchen ... filled with fresh fruit, veggies and Scottie's favorite pregame and game-time meals (AKA steak and potatoes).

Oh, and the place even comes with a whole movie theater to catch all of the Olympic events!

We're told Pippen's hookin' up his guests with theater footage of the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics as well ... with exclusive access to his Olympic memorabilia.

Of course, the Hall of Famer won't be there for the stays -- but we're told Scottie will give a virtual welcome check-in ... and his spot comes with staff available on-call too.

The coolest part of the experience? It only costs $92 per night via the special Airbnb offer -- a tip of the cap to the 1992 year that Scottie won his gold medal.

Tennis' G.O.A.T. will not be in Tokyo for this summer's Olympics ... 'cause Roger Federer has just pulled out of the event due to a knee injury.

The 39-year-old made the announcement Tuesday ... saying he's suffered a setback on his right knee -- the same knee he had procedures on back in 2020.

"During the grass court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games," Federer said.

"I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland."

Federer -- who just lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this month -- said he has already begun rehabbing and is clearly hoping to still participate in the U.S. Open in August.

"I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer," Federer said. "I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar."

Federer has had big success in the Olympic in his career ... he won a gold medal in the doubles event at the 2008 Beijing Games and then a silver medal in the singles event in the 2012 London Games.

Federer did not compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics due to a knee injury.

The list of tennis stars who will not be in Tokyo this summer, meanwhile, is now growing rapidly ... in addition to Federer, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios have all pulled out of the event.

IT WORKED!!!!

USA track star Christina Clemons now officially has a deal with Doritos -- just weeks after she raced in Cool Ranch earrings ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 31-year-old hurdler wore the little snack bags on her ears at last month's U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Oregon ... and she balled out in the pieces, earning a spot on Team USA's Olympic roster after an amazing 12.53 finish in the 100-meter hurdles race.

The delicious jewelry ended up going viral ... and Clemons told us at the time she was hoping all of the shine would ead to some sort of deal with the chip company.

And, on Monday, she announced it did!!!

"Now I’m OFFICIALLY Cool Ranch Clemons 🥳," the track star said. "Thank you Doritos for making it official!"

The brand confirmed the deal to us, saying, "Doritos has entered into an official partnership with Christina Clemons."

"More to come on how the partnership will come to life -- Christina is a little busy over the next few weeks!"

We're told Doritos hooked her up with some new custom-made Cool Ranch bling to "celebrate our partnership and wish her luck."

Sha'Carri Richardson won't race in the Olympics ... but she has committed to running again in August -- and she says she's now gunning to put on "a show" at the event.

The 21-year-old -- who was left off the Team USA roster this month due to a failed weed test and subsequent suspension -- will compete in the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on August 20-21.

The event will likely be the first she runs in following the conclusion of her ban -- which formally ends on July 28.

And, Richardson is hoping to prove she's still one of the most elite runners in the world at the venue ... saying in a statement Monday, "I'm looking forward to running fast and putting on a show."

Event organizers say Richardson has signed up to compete in the 100 and 200-meter races.

As we previously reported, Richardson had been a favorite to medal at the Tokyo Olympics later this month ... but she was suspended 30 days after she tested positive for marijuana following last month's Olympic Trials.

Richardson explained she had consumed the drug to help her cope with losing her biological mother.

USA Track and Field officials, though, still left her off the team, saying, "All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances."

Former boxing champ James DeGale claims he has video of a person stealing his Olympic gold medal from his parents' house ... and now, he's begging for any information that could help him ID the suspect.

The 35-year-old pugilist says security video at his folks' home caught a person wearing all black walking up to a doorway at around 9 PM on Sunday.

The footage is chilling ... it appears to show the person blocking the camera with some sort of bag, before breaking into the home.

DeGale claims the person walked away with his gold medal and his MBE -- a very coveted British award -- and he's now asking for any sort of help to get his stuff back.

"He took two of my prize possessions MY OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL AND MY MBE," DeGale said. "They are worthless to anyone other than me and they are two achievements that I prize from my boxing career."

"I am gutted and need my medals back. Can anyone help by reporting any information you have. Please share far and wide."

It's unclear if police are investigating ... we're working on it.

DeGale won the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ... and he later went on to earn the IBF super-middleweight title in 2015 -- becoming the 1st British boxer to win both honors.

Byron Scott says Kevin Durant and Team USA's weekend loss to Nigeria was the biggest upset in the history of USA hoops ... and breezing through the Olympic tourney is no longer a foregone conclusion.

TMZ Sports talked to the former star player and coach ... only minutes after Nigeria downed the U.S., 90-87 in a tune-up (exhibition) game for the Olympics.

"I wouldn’t say one of the biggest, that’s probably the biggest upset," Scott says.

But, why is it such a shocker??

Consider this ... when USA and Nigeria faced off less than a decade ago at the London Olympics, America dominated Nigeria on the court -- winning by 83 points.

83 POINTS (that squad had Kobe Bryant & LeBron James, FWIW).

Despite still having a pretty stacked roster complete with KD, Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Dame Lillard ... Nigeria's squad -- with 7 active NBA players -- clearly weren't intimated.

Team USA recently came together and only had a few practices ... meanwhile Nigeria has been practicing for weeks.

And, that's why Scott says things have changed ... and gold is no longer a guarantee.

"It’s not a given. It’s not a given by the USA anymore. Basketball in this world has caught up to the U.S. of A. And it’s going to be that much tougher for them to win the gold this year, no doubt about that."

But, Byron still has faith ... we asked if he still sees gold in Team USA's future.

If Sha'Carri Richardson and Naomi Osaka had any doubts about how much public support they're getting -- it's gone after the ESPY Awards, where host Anthony Mackie put a spotlight on them.

During his opening monologue, Mackie took a direct shot at U.S.A. Track & Field over its suspension of Richardson for a positive marijuana test. He joked, "The greatest celebration of sports is back! We up here on a rooftop in New York City. Man, we're so high they wouldn't let us compete in the Olympics."

The award show was held outdoors in NYC's Seaport district, and Mackie added, "How do you justify banning Sha'Carri Richardson for smoking weed? Weed is a de-hancing drug -- it doesn't make you do anything but want to watch another episode of 'Bob's Burgers.' You never saw Snoop Dogg run anywhere!"

The event was Sha'Carri's first public appearance since she got benched from the Olympics. Ditto for tennis superstar Osaka, who took home an award for Best Female Athlete.

But, even before she got the trophy, Mackie called out the World Tennis Association for not supporting her after she pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon due to mental health.

"I'm no tennis exec, I don't know, but if my sport had one of the most popular and marketable athletes on the planet, you know what I would do? I would probably make sure she felt comfortable and respected. But hey, what do I know, right? I'm just Captain America."

Interestingly, while Sha'Carri's shut out of the Olympics, Naomi will be there. She's playing tennis for Japan ... her mother's home country.

Wanna have the same Olympic gold medal as Michael Jordan?!

A player from the Team USA hoops squad in 1984 is parting ways with their memento ... and it can be yours if you have a huge chunk of change lying around!!

This medal is from the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when Team USA -- coached by college legend Bob Knight -- dominated with Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Sam Perkins and Wayman Tisdale!!

FYI, Jordan -- who led Team USA with 17.1 points per game -- was drafted by the Chicago Bulls one month before the '84 Olympics started ... and had yet to play in an NBA game!!

The team whooped 8 teams before receiving their medals and now one of them will be up for sale ... and it's expected to go for over $70k!!

The medal will be on the market with RR Auction ... and it still has all the fine details --- "XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles 1984" inscribed on the front and "Basketball, Men" on the side plus the image of the Coliseum.

And, there's more priceless Olympics memorabilia in this upcoming auction:

A silver and bronze medal from the 1896 Olympics in Athens -- the first international games held in modern history -- will also be up for grabs.

The silver is expected to fetch over $75k ... and $40k for the bronze.

There's also a 1994 Winter Olympics torch that favors a 'sheath knife' with a handle representing Norway, where the games were held --- estimated to sell for over $30k!!

Aly Raisman has something better than a gold medal to celebrate -- her beloved dog, Mylo, is safe and sound, a week after the terrified pup bolted during 4th of July fireworks.

The gold medal gymnast broke the good news Friday that 11-month-old Mylo, a rescue dog, had been found in the Boston area. She shared some smile-inducing pics of their reunion.

In her IG post, Aly thanked the "heroes" who helped get Mylo back to her safely.

She had revealed last Saturday that Mylo had gone missing, and asked her followers in the Boston area to be on the lookout.

She wrote, "Mylo was terrified of fireworks and ran off. He has a tag on and a leash. Please let me know if you see him. Thank you."

During the week, while still holding out hope Mylo was safe, Aly offered a reward for his return.

It's unclear if anyone's claimed the reward, or exactly where Mylo was found.

Nick Kyrgios -- one of the biggest stars in men's pro tennis -- is pulling out of the Olympics ... saying the big decision is, in part, due to Japan officials barring spectators from the event.

The 26-year-old Australian made the announcement Thursday evening ... just hours after Olympic officials said no fans would be allowed to watch the Games in-person this summer due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the area.

"It's a decision I didn't make lightly," Kyrgios said. "It's been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again."

"But I also know myself," Kyrgios added. "The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has."

Kyrgios -- who was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon earlier this month due to an abdominal injury -- also said his health played a role in his decision too.

"I also wouldn't want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country," Kyrgios said.

"I will also take all the time I need to get my body right. Good luck to all the Aussies competing and I'll see you back on the court real soon."

Patrick Mahomes ain't pleased that USA Track & Field officials left Sha'Carri Richardson off the Olympic roster this week ... calling the snub "pretty ridiculous."

The NFL superstar explained his thoughts on the matter Thursday on "First Take" ... clearly believing USATF should've added Richardson to the team, despite her recent positive marijuana test.

"She put in the work," the Chiefs quarterback said. "Even though she made a mistake -- like we all make mistakes in whatever way that is -- but to give her an almost extra ban, to not let her be at the Olympics at all, it's pretty ridiculous to me."

As we previously reported, Richardson tested positive for pot after the Olympic Trials last month ... and was subsequently hit with a 1-month ban as punishment.

The penalty -- while wiping away her opportunity to race in the Tokyo Olympics' 100-meter sprint -- still was set to end in time for her to potentially run for USA in the 4x100-meter relay.

But, USATF officials announced Tuesday they were still leaving her off the team ... explaining, "All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances."

Mahomes called B.S. on all on Thursday, though ... saying, "For her to be left off, after all the hard work and dedication that she's put into the sport, and for her to be one of those bright young stars for the USA, it's just disappointing."

There will be no fans allowed to watch Olympians perform in-person at the Games this summer ... spectators have now been banned from the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga just declared a state of emergency in Tokyo ... after people in the heavily populated area have seen a spike in coronavirus cases.

Suga said Thursday the state of emergency -- and the heavy restrictions that come with it -- will be in place through Aug. 22.

The Games are scheduled to run from July 23 to Aug. 8.

"The number of infected cases in the area including Tokyo has been increasing since the end of last month," Suga said.

"The number of severe cases and bed occupancy rate continues to be on the low level, but considering the impact of variants, we need to enhance countermeasures so that the infection will not spread nationwide."

The Tokyo Olympics had already been postponed from 2020 to 2021.

Olympics officials apologized Thursday to those who had tickets to the event.

U.S. track star Sha'Carri Richardson is breaking her silence on being left off the Olympic team ... saying she's come to terms with the decision and is looking to move past the situation.

The 21-year-old -- who was a gold medal favorite to win the 100m race at the Tokyo Games before testing positive for marijuana -- had her Olympic dreams officially squashed Tuesday when U.S. Track and Field organizers elected to keep her off the 4x100 relay team ... despite her 30-day suspension set to end prior to the event.

TMZ Sports spoke with Richardson on Wednesday about getting snubbed ... and she explained she's not upset or pissed about how things transpired.

"Honestly, that news didn’t bother me because me and my team were realistic, so we kind of figured that they would say that in the first place," Richardson told us at LAX.

Richardson garnered support from celebs from Gabrielle Union, Patrick Mahomes and Cardi B over the past few days ... with others demanding an exception to be made to allow her to compete.

All things considered, Sha'Carri tells us she's doing "fine" and maintaining a positive outlook on the ordeal.

"I understand the situation that’s going on. So, I’m accepting of it, and I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career."

Richardson -- the fastest woman in America -- previously said she smoked weed to cope with the loss of her biological mother, which caused incredible amounts of stress as she prepared for the U.S. trials last month.

The USATF released a statement applauding Richardson's accountability ... but said it would be "detrimental to the integrity" of the team if the organization included her on the relay.