TMZ Sports - Page 15

The power of K-Pop is real ... just ask Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins, who landed a spot in the NBA All-Star Game starting lineup with the help of one of the genre's biggest stars -- Got7 member BamBam.

The starting 5s for the ASG in Cleveland were officially announced on Thursday ... and while LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and Steph Curry unsurprisingly made the cut for the West, many were wondering how Wiggins landed the honor.

So, how did it happen?? As the SF Gate points out, BamBam -- who became the Dubs' global ambassador this season -- called on his millions of social media followers to vote for the 26-year-old baller on Twitter earlier this month ... and the Ahgase fan base clearly delivered.

Of course, the 2014 #1 overall pick is having a great year -- 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists per game -- and may very well deserve All-Star recognition this season, but getting the third-highest fan votes (3.45 million) among frontcourt players in the conference was completely unexpected.

But, if you know anything about K-Pop fans, they're the most loyal supporters in all of music ... and proved it by tweeting their fingers off to lock in the spot for Wiggins on Thursday.

FYI -- fan votes counted for 50% of the final results, with players and media accounting for the other half.

Wiggins finished with 46 votes from the players -- less than 1/3 of the other frontcourt starters -- earned 4 total votes from the media, and had 1 million more votes than the next frontcourt player, Draymond Green.

BamBam wasn't the only celeb trying to get their favs into the ASG -- Kendall Jenner rallied her millions of followers to vote for her boyfriend, Devin Booker ... but he came up short of Curry and Morant.

Shaquille O'Neal is fed up with Ben Simmons -- the NBA legend wrecked the 76ers star with a rant on Thursday ... calling the baller nothing but a "crybaby."

Shaq's comments on "Inside the NBA" came during a conversation about Joel Embiid ... which turned into a comparison between the two teammates.

"The difference between [Embiid] and his soft partner is he can take criticism without being a crybaby and he still wants to play," O’Neal said.

"The other guy I don’t respect," Shaq said in reference to Simmons. "And I’ve been thinking about it. You’re missing the whole season because they asked your coach a question – can we win without you?"

"And your coach gave a funny answer. That should tell you, in the summertime, you need to work on your game."

The moment Shaq is referring to is a postgame interview with Doc Rivers, when he was asked if Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team ... to which coach responded, "I don't know the answer to that right now."

Shaq pointed out he was criticized by guys in the media over the course of his legendary career ... but he didn't let it get to him, and it motivated him to get better.

“You don’t think I haven’t been criticized by you guys and Stephen A. [Smith] and haven’t been criticized by LA media and New York media?" the Diesel said.

"Great players get criticized but the great players also step up to the criticism and perform."

Chael Sonnen is still undefeated ... battery charges against the 44-year-old retired MMA star were dismissed in Las Vegas, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The American Gangster was slapped with 5 battery citations after an alleged brawl at a Las Vegas hotel the night of December 18 ... where Sonnen was accused of roughing up numerous people.

However, a judge in Nevada dismissed all 5 misdemeanor battery charges against Chael on Thursday.

"This matter was dismissed by the court on its own based upon the fact that the citation’s notice to appear failed to comply with the legal requirements as set forth by Nevada law," the Clark County District Attorney told us when we asked for an explanation.

It's important to note, the 5 citations were dismissed "without prejudice" ... meaning the state can refile the charges if they choose.

For his part, Sonnen's been mum ... opting not to address the incident.

Despite laying down his gloves in the Bellator cage back in June 2019, Chael's as popular as ever ... becoming one of the most respected MMA analysts in the world.

As a fighter, Sonnen was one of his era ... beating Rampage Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, and Michael Bisping.

Carmelo Anthony needed to be restrained from going after fans in Philadelphia on Thursday night ... and it's all because he says some of them called him "boy."

As the L.A. Lakers were down big to the 76ers in the fourth quarter of their game in Philly ... Melo stopped playing and began walking toward a group of Sixers fans that appeared to be talking trash.

At one point, it looked like Anthony was going to enter the crowd and get face-to-face with the men ... but, fortunately, referees grabbed him before he could get to the fans.

Arena security ended up booting the men from the area before it could escalate further ... and when Melo was asked about the incident following the game, he told the L.A. Times that he was called "boy" by the men.

Melo added in his postgame interview that he believed all of the smack talk crossed lines.

"Some things were said -- unacceptable," Anthony said. "I'm cool with fans heckling, fans talking trash, cheering for their team, booing the other team, I'm all for that."

"But when you cross certain lines, as a man, you just, that's what you're going to see. That's what you're going to get, as you saw there."

Anthony continued, "There's just certain things you don't bring to any type of sporting event. There's just certain things you don't say to anybody. If I was outside and I bumped into you and you said those things to me, then it would be a totally different story."

It's unclear if the fans will face further discipline from the 76ers.

Of course, this is far from the first time this season that players have gotten into it with fans ... even Carmelo's own teammate, LeBron James, had hecklers kicked out of their seats earlier this season.

Despite the construction of a temporary Kobe and Gigi Bryant statue this week at the site of their tragic helicopter crash ... TMZ Sports has learned a permanent sculpture will not be installed.

City of Calabasas officials told us this week they have "no plans for any sort of memorial at the crash site."

A spokesperson for the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority, which oversees the site of the tragic crash, added that there is to be "no permanent memorial on the site."

It does not mean one couldn't ultimately end up being placed there at some point down the road ... but the rep for the MRCA told us definitively there's nothing currently in the works for now or the future.

It's a bummer for those who wanted to see a statue erected ... especially after a 160-pound one was placed on the scene by sculptor Dan Medina on the anniversary of the crash on Wednesday.

Fans loved the mini-monument, which featured a depiction of Kobe and Gigi together, and Medina had told us he'd be willing to donate a life-sized version of it to the city for free.

Patrick's Mahomes' fiancée is parlaying all the hate from her champagne celebration and putting it to good use -- by creating "Team Brittany" shirts for an anti-bullying charity.

Remember, Brittany Matthews was ripped on social media for spraying bubbly on fans at Arrowhead Stadium after the Chiefs' overtime thriller victory over the Bills last weekend.

BM initially returned fire, saying she was tired of routinely being "attacked" ... but switched it up after she spoke with Charlie Hustle, a local t-shirt designer and seller, about making "Team Brittany" shirts.

"Me and my team have decided to try to turn this buzz into something and something good for the Kansas City community," Matthews said Thursday via IG.

"We have decided that part of the proceeds from the sales of this shirt are gonna go to Red Card KC which is a local charity here in Kansas City that works to prevent bullying."

The 26-year-old says she gets bullied all the time on the net ... so it means a lot that she's able to help.

"I do receive a lot of hate on a daily basis on social media and I know so so so many other people do as well," Matthews said.

"That's why I'm just proud to partner with this company and get behind this cause and hopefully push everything into the right direction and start spreading some more positivity on all of these platforms."

The future Mrs. Mahomes may get another shot at a post-game celebration this Sunday ... if the Chiefs beat the Bengals in the AFC Championship.

Ex-NBA player Kwame Brown is livid with Dwyane Wade's daughter's fashion tribute to Kobe Bryant ... saying her #8 jersey dress was "disrespectful" to the Lakers legend.

14-year-old Zaya Wade showed love to the Bryants in an Instagram post on Wednesday ... wearing the outfit and captioning the post, "always remembering and honoring Kobe and Gianna."

Seems harmless, right?? Not in Brown's eyes ... as the 2001 #1 overall pick unleashed on Dwyane during his "Bust Life" YouTube show on Thursday ... saying the ex-Miami Heat star doesn't "level up as a man."

"You are letting your woman control your house," Kwame said ... claiming Kobe's wife, Vanessa, and kids would not honor Kobe the same way Zaya did.

Kwame strongly believes Zaya's tribute does a disservice to everything Kobe stands for ... citing his work ethic, masculinity, and faith.

"I'm not saying there's anything against homosexuals, but [Kobe] is a heterosexual man. Why is he being honored by making his jersey into a dress? Wear his goddamn jersey for the day to honor him without the dress part," Brown added.

"Let's please not show our Black brother in this light. This is no offense to nobody else. This man was a heterosexual man with a wife and a family. There's no reason for this to be tied to Kobe Bryant. None whatsoever."

D-Wade has been nothing but supportive of Zaya ... and has spoken out about how the family has grown in understanding over the years.

Ben Roethlisberger had a better NFL resume than both Eli Manning and Philip Rivers ... so says Charlie Batch, who tells TMZ Sports Big Ben is the best QB from that insane 2004 draft class.

We spoke with Charlie just minutes after Roethlisberger retired on Thursday ... and the former NFL quarterback explained he thinks Ben is hands down a better QB than Manning and Rivers.

"It's no knock against Eli or Philip, but I'm taking Ben Roethlisberger 1A," Batch said. "Eli 1B, and then Philip Rivers is behind them, only because of the Super Bowl victories."

Of course, Batch is biased -- he played with Ben for years in Pittsburgh -- but he said the guy was just that good.

In fact, Charlie tells us he instantly connected with Ben after he was taken in the first round of the '04 draft because they both played in the same college conference before they got their NFL starts.

“When I first met him back in 2004, there was instant respect because he went to Miami of Ohio and I went to Eastern Michigan," Batch said.

"So when you’re from the mid-American conference, we know how hard one, it is just to get to the NFL, and how hard two, it is to get there from the mid-American conference."

As for the Ben/Manning/Rivers debate ... Batch says even though he's got Ben on top of the heap, "all three of them will end up in Canton one day."

We also spoke with Batch about where the Steelers go from here now that Ben is retired, and he told us he believes they won't be able to pursue guys like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson because they straight-up need all the draft capital it would take to acquire them.

Motorsports legend Travis Pastrana says he broke his back and hip in his horrifying parachute crash last weekend ... but somehow, he said he's expected to make a full recovery.

The X Games gold medalist and daredevil posted a video update from his hospital bed Thursday ... explaining his failed base jump attempt off a high-rise hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. last Saturday resulted in some serious injuries.

The 38-year-old said he broke the L5 vertebra in his back and suffered "multiple hip fractures" and a "pinned sacrum."

Fortunately, Travis said he's already up and moving around following the surgery ... adding, "Doctors say it's not going to be really any worse than what it is when I went in, which isn't saying much. Everything was fused down there anyway."

Pastrana went on to thank his sponsors, his fans and his family following the near-tragedy.

As we previously reported, Pastrana hit the ground hard after he appeared to deploy his parachute just a little too late after leaping off a building on Saturday morning.

He was rushed to the hospital in "serious but stable condition," authorities said.

Hilarious moment on the radio waves Thursday ... NFL reporter Ian Rapoport hung up on a show in order to break some Chicago Bears news, saying "oh s***!" just before he bolted!!

It all happened just minutes ago on WEEI ... when Rapoport, an insider for NFL Network, was discussing the possibility of future overtime rule changes in the league.

Rapoport was humming with his hit, saying a change could eventually come ... when suddenly, he abruptly paused.

"You know -- the," Rapoport said awkwardly. "Oh, s***! I just got a text. I got to go!"

Rapoport quickly hung up, and the guys howled with stunned laughter.

Everyone later learned Ian had to go to break the news that the Bears are expected to name Matt Eberflus as their next head coach.

No worries ... nobody appeared to be offended by Rapoport's sudden exit -- the show hosts, and some of Rapoport's colleagues, even joked about it on Twitter afterward.

Lamar Odom is going back to TV -- the former Lakers star will be joining the cast of "Celebrity Big Brother" this season ... where he'll be competing for a $250,000 cash prize.

The series announced Odom will be a guest for its third season on Thursday ... releasing a video on social media introducing all the celebs who'll be living under the same roof for the competition.

"My name is Lamar Odom [and] people may know me for winning two championships with the LA Lakers," Odom said in his intro.

"They also may know me for marrying Khloe Kardashian. We had our own TV show. Our own reality show."

Odom is no stranger to television -- when he was still married to Khloe, they had their own show, "Khloe & Lamar" ... which was a spinoff of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Speaking of Kardashians ... CBB will have another guest who has a tie to their family. Shanna Moakler -- whose ex-husband, Travis Barker, is engaged to Kourtney Kardashian -- will join Odom in the house.

Other notable guests include UFC star Miesha Tate, NSYNC singer Chris Kirkpatrick, SNL's Chris Kattan and 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star, Cynthia Bailey.

Lamar made more than $114 million during his NBA career ... but recently opened up about his struggles with money management -- even going to Kobe Bryant to help him get out of a gambling debt.

The most dominant duo in NBA history will never speak to each other again -- so says ex-teammate Charles Oakley ... who truly believes Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have no chance at burying the hatchet.

Scottie has made it clear for months how he really feels about #23 ... saying he deserves much more credit for the Chicago Bulls' 6 NBA championships ... and claiming MJ used the "Last Dance" doc to say young fans into thinking he's better than LeBron James.

Oak -- who played in Chicago from 1985-88 -- was asked if the relationship between MJ and Pip could ever be fixed ... and it sure sounds like a lost cause.

"No, I think it's over," Oakley said on The Bill Simmons Podcast this week. "Yeah, I think it's over. It wasn't great from the get-go."

Oakley says the "Last Dance" doc left a bad taste in Pip's mouth ... as the Hall of Famer felt left out of the story.

"I think he feels like they didn't present him more in the Last Dance," the 58-year-old said. "I think they did Dennis Rodman more than Scottie and Steve Kerr."

"But my thing to that is, Kerr did way more off the court than Scottie. Dennis probably has, too. But on that court, Scottie did a lot more than both of them, but Scottie felt like he was left out of there."

"And he felt like Jordan wouldn't have six rings if it wasn't for him."

In Scottie's words, he said last year in his memoir, "Unguarded," that the popular Netflix doc didn't put an emphasis on the rest of the squad.

"They glorified Michael Jordan while not giving nearly enough praise to me and my proud teammates," the 58-year-old said in his book.

Despite the public criticism from Pippen, Oakley thinks MJ will avoid responding to his nemesis.

The Antonio Brown cross-country turn up continues ... the NFL star spent Wednesday night partying with Rick Ross at the rapper's 46th birthday party in Miami, and TMZ Sports has video of the bash.

The ex-Bucs wideout hit up the invite-only, star-studded event last night at Mr. Hospitality's El Tucan restaurant in south Florida to celebrate another trip around the sun for Rozay (and the release of his new album, "Richer Than I Ever Been")

In addition to AB, we're told Nelly, Timbaland and French Montana were also in the house.

Brown and Ross are both Florida natives ... and have been friends for years. In fact, Ross made a cameo in AB's "Whole Lotta Money" music video.

Of course, AB pulled up in grand style ... sporting a grey suit and black turtleneck and lots of jewelry to accompany the drip.

Ben Roethlisberger's time as an NFL quarterback has come to an end ... the Pittsburgh Steelers star just retired.

The future Hall of Famer made the announcement in an emotional video on Thursday morning ... saying straight-up, "The time has come."

"I retire from football a truly grateful man," the 39-year-old said.

With his career now over, Big Ben will go down as one of the best QBs to ever play the game.

In his 18 seasons in the NFL -- all with Pittsburgh -- he won two Super Bowls and was selected to 6 Pro Bowls. He logged 64,088 passing yards and tallied 418 passing TDs.

His retirement, meanwhile, leaves a gaping hole for the Steelers at the quarterback position -- as the team now no longer has a surefire QB1 on its roster for the first time in nearly two decades.

"To all my teammates and the endless friendships that I've gained, I appreciate you and our shared commitment to wearing the black and gold with pride and dignity," Ben said.

Apparently, the whole “self-isolate if you test positive for COVID” thing, doesn’t apply to everyone … at least, that’s what Sarah Palin seems to think.

Palin was spotted with former NY Ranger Ron Duguay and friends Wednesday night at Elio’s in New York. The issue? Palin, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for COVID two days prior ... causing a judge to delay her defamation trial against the New York Times.

Things got so overwrought, according to law enforcement, a heated dispute broke out between a stranger and Duguay.

We're told someone tried to record Sarah and Co., because it became big news she tested positive. Cops were called to the restaurant but no one was arrested.

Someone who worked at the restaurant scoffed at the criticism, telling the New York Post, "S*** happens. People come to eat. We are not the border police."

Palin and Co. did sit outside at Elio’s, but that wasn’t the case over the weekend. She was there a few days earlier and dined inside, which caused an uproar and forced her to return to apologize. When she came back to eat again, Elio’s said, “Palin returned to the restaurant to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit. In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors”.

We don't know if Palin got a negative result after her positive tests. Many doctors say the virus stays in the system of unvaccinated people longer than those who are vaccinated.

UFC flyweight Deiveson Figueiredo will NEVER lose the championship belt for the rest of his career ... and it's all thanks to his brand new tattoo!!

The 34-year-old Brazilian star showed off the new ink job on Wednesday ... just days after taking the belt back from Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision at UFC 270.

Deus da Guerra got the tat on his right forearm ... featuring the belt with "Deiveson Figueiredo World Champion Flyweight" etched in the middle with the UFC logo.

It's a confident move by Figueiredo -- after his win on Saturday, he told fans he was willing to run it back with Moreno to settle the score once and for all -- and he's open to fighting in Mexico.

In fact, we spoke with Moreno about the possibility of fighting in front of his home crowd ... and he seemed 100% in on the idea -- but made it clear he'll fight the guy anywhere.