TMZ Sports - Page 50

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.

Serena Williams has just added yet another amazing achievement to her resume ... one of her rookie cards just sold for $117,000, making it the most expensive women's sports card ever made.

TMZ Sports has confirmed the 1999 Sports Illustrated For Kids piece just sold at the PWCC January Premier Auction ... and its $117k price tag shattered the previous record for a women's sports card (also set by Williams) by nearly $75,000.

The card is incredible -- because it came out of a perforated set in a Sports Illustrated For Kids magazine over two decades ago, not many survived at all ... but this one was somehow given a perfect 10 rating.

The rare piece -- which features a young Serena in the middle of a forehand shot -- has perfect corners and perfect centering.

On the back, it has a description of her game, which started out with the sentence, "Serena is the hottest rising star in women's tennis."

Another Serena card, meanwhile, also sold for big coin at the PWCC auction this month -- with a 2003 Netpro Elite Glossy Tennis Serena Williams Rookie card fetching $96,000.

PWCC exec Jesse Craig tells us the huge dollar amount for the cards "really solidify [Serena] as one of the Greatest of All Times in tennis -- be it men's or women's."

"This is also a huge milestone for women’s sports cards in general as it breaks the six-figure sales barrier for the first time," Craig added.

Craig continued, saying the prices also show "collectors consider her as one of the greatest athletes of all time regardless of the sport."

Dylan Postl is NOT here for Peter Dinklage's hot take on the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" remake. Dylan says that the esteemed actor took things waaay too far... and as a result, he's actually hurting the dwarf community.

We caught up with the actor and former WWE wrestler Wednesday, and he doubled down on his stance, saying the fairytale remake actually gives 7 real-life people in the dwarf community a chance to star in a movie. He says getting work is elusive for these actors, so such roles are not only important ... they're life-sustaining.

Dylan says Peter's actually taking roles away from dwarfs and the little people community by being so critical ... the studios might back off such projects.

ICYMI, Disney decided to remake 'Snow White.' The "Game of Thrones" star had a lot to say about it. Peter said, on the one hand, Disney made a progressive move by casting Rachel Zegler, who's Latina, as the lead ... but on the other, Disney was tone-deaf when it came to its depiction of the 7 dwarfs.

Peter described the story as f***ing backwards"... and criticized Disney's portrayals of the dwarfs as primitive creatures who live in a cave. Turns out, they actually live in a cottage in the woods, but regardless ... he was not happy.

That's very different than Dylan's take -- he says there's absolutely no issue with how they're portrayed. He adds the dwarfs worked, had a lot of gems and were very dynamic ... as opposed to all checking one box.

Dylan took a slight jab at Peter, who didn't have much to say when he was cast as a dwarf in "Elf" or 'GOT' ... so Dylan feels it's disingenuous for him to be so vocal now.

Scary moment on the NHL ice on Wednesday ... Nathan MacKinnon -- one of the league's best players -- gushed blood everywhere following a violent hit, and had to leave his game early.

The gnarly scene all went down just minutes into the Avalanche's tilt with the Bruins in Denver ... when MacKinnon was trucked by Boston winger Taylor Hall as he tried to get after a puck.

Video shows Hall's shoulder went right into MacKinnon's face, and, unfortunately for the Avs star, his own stick caught him in the nose during the play as well.

The 26-year-old lay on the ice for several minutes ... bleeding all over the place, before he was eventually helped off by trainers into the locker room.

MacKinnon never returned to the game, and it's unclear the extent of his injuries. The Avs only said that he had an "upper-body" ailment.

Seems pretty clear from the images, though, that the guy might need to get his face fixed soon.

Tuesday marked the 2-year anniversary of Shaun Weiss’ sobriety, and he decided to celebrate the occasion with some takeout, but the original plan was meant to be much more symbolic.

Friend and fellow actor Drew Gallagher was supposed to go with Shaun to Brent’s Deli in the Valley. Back in 2017, this was the first place he got a meal once released from jail, so it meant a lot for him to come full circle.

Unfortunately, Shaun has been under the weather lately, but no worries – he chose the takeout option from Brent’s and still got his matzo ball soup!

Shaun struggled with drug addiction for years and at one point was living on the streets. He had multiple run-ins with the law -- arrested for meth and burglary -- but he's since cleaned up his act in a pretty spectacular way.

As we reported in July, Shaun graduated from a drug program and chose to celebrate his graduation at – you guessed it – Brent’s Deli. This place seems to hold a lot of meaning for him.

Brandon Moreno is breaking his silence following his unsuccessful title defense against Deiveson Figueiredo ... saying their next fight -- their 4th -- will settle the rivalry once-and-for-all.

After the fight, 34-year-old Figgy (while being booed relentlessly by the pro-Moreno crowd in L.A.) called for another fight with The Assassin Baby ... but this time, in Mexico.

TMZ Sports talked to Brandon on Wednesday ... and while it's obvious a fight in Mexico would be a dream come true, he says he will take the rematch anywhere.

"I would love to go to Mexico City and fight against him," Moreno tells us. "That would be awesome for me, for the Mexican people, and very brave for Figueiredo. A lot of credit for that. But I understand he has the ball. If he wants to go to Brazil. If he wants to go other places, I don't care, man."

FYI, Brandon was the first-ever Mexican-born UFC champ.

Of course, Moreno and Figueiredo's first fight in December 2020 was a draw. Brandon won the second fight via submission, and the third scrap was Saturday at UFC 270 ... where Figgy won via decision.

Brandon -- who suffered his first loss since 2018 -- says no matter the result, he believes the next bout will likely be the last time the men fight.

"I have 1 fight. He has 1 fight. I just want to see a clear winner in all of this. And if the next one I win or I lost, I think it's the end of the rivalry."

Moreno says it's without a doubt the best fight to make in the 125-pound division.

"It's the only exciting fight right now in the flyweight division. Like 4 or 5 years ago, the flyweight division was dead, and now it's more than alive, man. That fight, I really believe makes sense."

And, it's clear not even 3 fights was enough to squash their beef.

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, was so blown away by the prices of NFC Championship game tickets ... she says she's personally buying a bunch of seats so she can give them away to Rams fans.

Kelly made the announcement on her social media page Wednesday ... encouraging any L.A. fans with good stories to reach out to her so she can start handing out the tix to Sunday's big game versus the 49ers ASAP.

"If you are a hard core rams fan, or just a regular rams fan, a veteran, active in the military, a public servant, etc.," Kelly said, "email me at staffgiveback@gmail.com and tell me your story with some photos attached!"

Kelly -- who married Matthew back in 2015 -- added that she's hoping to give away all the tickets by Thursday night.

It's an awesome gesture ... considering the tickets have reached crazy prices. Even SoFi Stadium nosebleed seats are going for over $500, and seats near the field are selling for thousands.

Kelly, though, is clearly down to help ease that financial burden -- especially because the last time the Niners came into town earlier this month, their fans took over the venue.

A sculptor in Los Angeles has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant by placing a statue of the two at the site where they tragically passed away in 2020.

The artist, Dan Medina, tells TMZ Sports he created the 160-pound bronze figure and pulled it up to the scene in Calabasas via a wagon on Wednesday.

The sculpture is only a temporary piece -- Medina says he'll haul it back down at sunset -- but the artist tells us he's hoping the city will allow him to put up a larger, more life-sized version permanently at the site.

The artwork, while smaller than what Medina hopes it'll ultimately end up being, is incredible -- it's a depiction of Kobe in a Lakers uniform with his arm around Gigi, who's also in a basketball uniform holding a ball.

At the base of the statue, Medina added the names of all nine of the victims who tragically died in the helicopter crash on the Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.

"Heroes come and go," words on the base of the statue read, "but legends are forever."

As we previously reported, Kobe, Gigi and the others were on their way to a girls basketball game, when the chopper suddenly wrecked in the terrain.

Tributes to the Bryants and the other victims of the crash have poured in on the anniversary Wednesday, with athletes and celebs from all over remembering them all on social media.

In fact, Kobe's old Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom, was gifted a diamond pendant on Wednesday to honor and remember the Bryants.

Ryan Lochte is reflecting on the 2016 gas station incident in Brazil that changed his life forever ... saying he was so distraught over it all, he at one point felt like the worst man in the world.

Lochte -- a 12-time Olympic medalist -- joined ex-NFL QB Jay Cutler on his "Uncut" podcast this week ... and the two discussed the infamous incident that landed him in hot water.

"I had rude awakenings," Lochte says, "being where everyone loved me and I was on top of the world, I felt like." "And then in one stupid night ... gone. I was like the worst guy in the world or something at one point."

Remember, Ryan claimed he and other U.S. swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station during the world's biggest sporting event.

After looking into Lochte's allegations, Brazilian authorities ultimately charged him with filing a false police report ... but he claims -- aside from one detail -- he was telling the truth.

"They did the investigation," Lochte said. "I didn't do anything wrong. What I said was right. The only thing I fabricated was when the gun was pointed to me, I said it was pointed to my head, but it was like three or four feet away."

The swimmer's lawyer told USA Today Sports a few months ago that the charges against Lochte had been dropped ... after a judge ruled Brazilian prosecutors could not prove their case.

Lochte later returned to the pool after serving a suspension, but failed to qualify for the 2021 Olympics.

"That was very tough," Ryan said. Throughout my whole swimming career and everything I've been through, I never went through depression."

"It was one of the hardest things besides 2016 ... was just waking up and looking myself in the mirror like, 'Damn, I'm a failure.'"

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will be a homecoming for 17-year-old skiing phenom Kai Owens ... and the Team USA superstar tells TMZ Sports she can't wait to return to her birth country for the very first time.

Owens' story is inspirational -- she was abandoned by her birth parents as an infant and was adopted by a Colorado couple when she was around 16 months old.

Now, the mogul skier is set to make the ultimate return and compete at the highest level during the 2022 Games ... and she tells us it's going to be an incredible experience.

"I'm just trying to explore everything I can and enjoy the moment," she told us at LAX this week.

Owens says she won't try to track down her biological parents during the trip ... but plans to make a return to China after the Games if the pandemic calms down.

"Right now, I'm mainly focused on competing, but my family and I have plans to return to China once COVID allows us to, to kind of go back to the province that I was born in and maybe do some birth parents research," Owens said.

"My primary goal for this trip is the Olympic games, but I'm definitely hoping to do a cultural experience later this year."

Big break for Nate Hobbs in his DUI case ... prosecutors say toxicology results revealed the Raiders player was UNDER the legal limit of .08 following his arrest earlier this month.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office made the announcement Wednesday ... saying blood analysis following Hobbs' Jan. 3 arrest in Las Vegas showed "Hobbs was under the legal limit for a DUI charge."

Prosecutors say as a result of the tests ... they did not pursue a DUI charge against Hobbs, and instead, they say the NFL cornerback ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor careless driving charge.

Prosecutors said in a statement they hit Hobbs with that charge after they say he fell asleep at the wheel of his car in an exit lane of a parking garage at a Vegas hotel -- just hours after Hobbs and the Raiders beat the Colts in Indianapolis.

Prosecutors say as part of Hobbs' guilty plea, he agreed to "pay a $685 fine, complete a victim impact panel, and complete 20 hours of community service."

The prosecutors added that if Hobbs does not complete the requirements, he faces a 30-day jail sentence.

"After reviewing the facts of the case, and the fact that the result of the blood-alcohol test placed Mr. Hobbs under the legal limit for a DUI charge, my office determined that this was the most appropriate disposition in this case," Clark County D.A. Steve Wolfson said in a statement.

"Mr. Hobbs' case will progress through the normal channels of the justice system, as would any other case with similar circumstances."

Wolfson added, "Additionally, he will be submitting to an alcohol treatment program provided by the National Football League and the NFL Players' Association."

Hobbs -- who played in the Raiders' playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals days after the arrest -- is due back in court for a hearing on the matter in March.

Some fighters credit boxing, wrestling, perhaps Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ... but Vanessa Demopoulos, she credits the pole.

Yes ... 33-year-old Demopoulos tells TMZ Sports she credits much of her success in the Octagon against Silvana Gomez Juarez at UFC 270 to the strength she's developed dancing on the pole.

"I just walked away from being an exotic entertainer. I'm like so good at pole dancing," Vanessa says.

"I feel like pole dancing and fighting goes hand and hand. I'm 3 stories up in the air, hanging on by a limb, mainly in my underwear. If I sweat too much, I'm falling to my death. It's like fighting, same thing. Except you're not going to die. The ref is gonna stop it before it happens."

Vanessa caused quite a stir last week. She hit a split after the weigh-in ... and she did it inside the Octagon after she won. VD also jumped in Joe Rogan's arms during her (memorable) post-fight interview.

And, then she went into the cage and took care of business ... winning via armbar submission in the 1st round.

Demopoulos clearly feels at home pole dancing, so we asked ... despite the UFC success (and the $50K bonus she won), are you swearing off the pole?

"I was at the club last night and I definitely found a pole to hop onto. It's something I love doing. I'm never not going to dance. But you won't see me in the club doing it for dollars."

So, less dancing for dollars and more punching people in the face ... and Demopoulos is hyped for her future as a fighter.

"I really am a full-time fighter now, and it feels so good. I've worked my whole life for these types of moments. It's like you work your whole life for that one moment that's gonna change the rest of it, and that was that moment, and it was absolutely incredible."