TMZ Sports - Page 5

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince is breathing easier heading into the holiday season ... TMZ Sports has learned he will not face charges stemming from his drug arrest.

According to court documents, a grand jury declined to charge him with possession of a controlled substance last week. Days later, prosecutors dismissed the gun charges he was facing related to the case as well.

Prince was initially pulled over by the Arlington Police Dept. in Texas back on May 19 ... after officers said he was driving with an expired registration. During the stop, cops say the basketball player told them he had two handguns in the car ... so officers asked him to get out of the vehicle.

During an effort to retrieve the guns from the car, cops say they found a vape pen ... and searched his ride further. They say they then found a canister with marijuana inside.

Following test results on the vape pen, cops obtained a warrant for Prince's arrest -- and in Miami in August, the 28-year-old was taken into custody over it.

"The charges were dropped because the search was clearly illegal," Prince's attorney, Kent Schaffer, told us in a statement on Friday. "On top of that, carrying a gun is legal in Texas, if not encouraged, and the amount of marijuana alleged to be in the vehicle was probably les than a usable quantity."

Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to practice free throws after his Bucks squad lost to the 76ers ... and when several arena employees got in his way, he lost it, knocking over a 10+ tall ladder.

And the whole incident was captured on video by some fans who were still in the Wells Fargo Center Friday night in Philadelphia.

The Bucks lost to the Sixers, 110-102 ... and Giannis dropped 25 points. But, he was awful from the free throw line, shooting 4-for-15 (27%) from the charity stripe.

So, after the game, Antetokounmpo clearly wanted to work on his free throws. But, several employees (unclear if they're with the arena or team) were standing next to a large ladder, seemingly about to do something to the hoop.

Giannis walked up to the ladder and pushed it under the basket. A worker, appearing confused, moved the ladder back near its original spot. Antetokounmpo, clearly pissed, approached the ladder again, emphatically yelled something to the guy, and tossed the ladder, causing it to fall.

The video ends a few seconds later as GA is putting up a free throw.

Another video on social media appeared to show Sixers forward Montrezl Harrell's reaction to Giannis ... and he was hot.

Maluma isn't exactly kicking off the World Cup on a high note ... a reporter put him on the spot over his decision to perform -- as other artists boycott -- so, he stormed out of the interview.

The "Hawái" singer sat down for an interview Friday, two days before the start of the FIFA World Cup, with Israel's state-owned Kan TV and it quickly got heated when the interviewer asked Maluma about his thoughts on Qatar's human rights violations.

As we reported, Dua Lipa and Shakira both turned down gigs at the World Cup ... citing the country's human rights record.

Maluma teamed up with Nicki Minaj and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares for the official FIFA Fan Festival anthem ... and he was asked if he had a problem with Qatar's reputation.

Maluma dodged the first question with skill, saying he's performing because he enjoys life, music and soccer -- but when pressed for more than that, Maluma stood up, asked someone off camera if he needed to answer at all, then simply stormed off and called the reporter "rude."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Maluma's performing at the World Cup strictly because, as he said, he loves the sport. We're told he was a soccer player growing up in Colombia and left the sport to become an artist, but it's been always been a dream of his to perform at a World Cup.

What's odd about Maluma's heated interview is ... the network reporter giving him a hard time for, in his words, "whitewashing" Qatar, is actually there in Qatar covering the World Cup and in doing so, publicizing it.

Dillon Danis -- a former Bellator fighter and Conor McGregor's good pal -- was punched in the eye during a wild altercation outside of a boxing event on Friday ... just minutes after he had a crazy run-in with KSI.

Here's the deal ... KSI and a bunch of other famed fighters and celeb boxers were at a hotel conference room in Austin, Texas for the weigh-ins for the YouTubers Misfits Series 3 event this weekend -- when Danis rolled up from the crowd to confront KSI.

Video shows the two traded verbal barbs -- and a flurry of threats -- before Danis knocked KSI's hat off his head and then threw a cup of cold coffee in his face.

KSI attempted to go after Danis -- but was held back. Danis, meanwhile, bolted from the area with his entourage and eventually made his way out of the hotel.

Once outside, though, former Bellator fighter Anthony Taylor yelled at Danis for going after KSI at the event ... and then repeatedly attempted to strike him.

Ultimately, Taylor threw a huge right hand that landed squarely on Danis' face.

Then all hell broke loose -- with seemingly everyone outside throwing punches. At one point, it appeared one member of Danis' entourage suffered a bloody lip from a blow to the mouth.

The fighting died down after several moments -- and peace was restored. Danis told a cameraman on the scene he was fine.

Of course, both Danis and Taylor are no strangers to these kinds of antics at fighting events. Danis was just involved in a tiff with Nate Diaz at UFC 281 ... while Taylor got into a street fight before a Floyd Mayweather celeb boxing event in Dubai earlier this month.

Nicki Minaj has no time for any 2022 World Cup controversies ... the Barbz rapper has been enlisted for "Tukoh Taka" the official FIFA Fan Festival anthem!!!

The song is a collaboration between Nicki, Colombian singer Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares and delivers lyrics in 3 different languages -- English, Spanish and Arabic to cater to the global soccer audience.

"Tukoh Taka" translates to "click clack" in Yankee talk and the 3 megastars all display their presence in the video.

Edgar Esteves and Juan Felipe Zuleta direct the high-octane visual ... which splices between cut scenes of fútbol highlights, Nicki gyrating on a school bus and Maluma and Myriam Fares performing in a green-screened desert.

World Cup action kicks off starting Sunday from Qatar ... but this year's event has many pundits raising eyebrows as festivities are underway.

Unlike Nicki, artists such as Dua Lipa and Shakira have refused to participate in Cup performances ... citing various alleged human rights infractions in the country.

FIFA also announced it's banning all alcohol sales in World Cup stadiums ahead of the opening games ... leaving many fans pissed.

The Washington Commanders will pay tribute to the three UVA football players who were tragically gunned down on campus last weekend ... by putting three stickers on their helmets for their game on Sunday.

The team just announced the homage ... revealing decals with the numbers 1, 15 and 41 -- the jersey digits of D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler -- will be placed on the back of their players' headgear while the team attempts to get a win over the Houston Texans.

"Our hearts are with @UVAFootball and the UVA community affected by the tragedy," the team said in a tweet while unveiling the uniform honor.

The Commanders added the hashtags #UVAStrong and #FootballIsFamily.

Perry, Davis and Chandler were all killed on a bus on Sunday night after they had returned from a class field trip. Two others, including Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins, were injured in the shooting as well -- though they're both expected to survive.

Former UVA football player Juan Thornhill, a safety for the Chiefs, announced earlier this week he, too, will be paying tribute to the victims on NFL Sunday this weekend ... wearing a pair of custom cleats with homages to Perry, Davis and Chandler all over them.

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing was arrested on Friday morning ... just hours after he helped his team beat the Packers on "Thursday Night Football," TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A police spokesperson tells us Downing was arrested by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Williamson County, TN. on Friday morning ... and booked on charges of DUI and speeding.

Records show the 42-year-old bonded out of jail at around 6:46 AM.

Further details surrounding the arrest were not made immediately available.

Just prior to his arrest, Downing put on a great performance in Tennessee's 27-17 win over Green Bay at Lambeau Field. He dialed up several trick plays, and was partly responsible for a big night from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who completed 22 of his 27 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns.

The Titans have yet to publicly comment on the arrest.

Alex Pereira says referee Marc Goddard definitely did NOT stop the Israel Adesanya fight early ... 'cause it was just a matter of time until Stylebender would've been unconscious on the Octagon canvas.

The newly crowned UFC Middleweight champion spoke for one of the first times since beating his rival, Izzy, at the main event of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden.

Adesanya and his team have said they would've preferred the longtime MMA ref to allow the fight to continue ... despite admitting Israel was in a dire situation.

"Adesanya stop making excuses saying that the referee stopped the fight early… you have to thank him for saving your life. The way you were with your head down looking at the ground, I only needed one or two more hits to connect a good knee to your face so we wouldn’t know the outcome," Alex wrote on social media.

But, it wasn't only trash talk ... Pereira also complimented Adesanya.

"You were a great opponent and I respect you for that. Assume the mistakes along with your team without taking away my merits."

Of course, Adesanya was winning the fight on the judge's scorecards (3 rounds to 1) and even rocked Pereira on several occasions. However, during round 5, knowing he needed a knockout ... Alex landed a couple big punches which rocked Izzy. AP threw a flurry of shots, and Goddard stopped the fight ... with Adesanya just minutes from beating his rival, and retaining his belt.

As for who is next for the new champ, Alex says he will rematch Izzy.

"You will have one more chance! You’re next!"

After 281, Dana White was asked about making an immediate rematch ... and the UFC honcho was clearly very open to the idea.

Israel, still one of the most dangerous and beloved fighters in the world, wants his belt back ASAP!

Yeah, the NFL probably made the right call to move the Bills vs. Browns game out of Buffalo this weekend ...

Check out insane photos of Highmark Stadium taken on Friday morning -- showing the field, seats and just about everything else at the venue covered in several FEET of snow.

In the pics, you can't even get a glimpse of green grass -- let alone the chairs where Bills supporters were supposed to sit for Sunday afternoon's contest.

According to weather reports, Orchard Park has been hit with 36 inches of snow in the past few hours ... and it's expected to get pelted with a bunch more in the near future as a massive storm continues to pound the Western New York area.

Things have gotten so bad, the Bills had to cancel their Friday practice over it all.

Meanwhile, at star quarterback Josh Allen's home near the stadium -- his doggo and girlfriend are struggling with the effects of the storm too.

Brittany Williams posted pics of her falling in the powder while trying to get the couple's pup to go to the bathroom.

As for the game on Sunday, it's been moved to Detroit -- with the NFL saying Thursday the conditions just weren't safe enough for all involved to play.

Luka Dončić continues to break records on and off the court ... his 2018 National Treasures Rookie NBA Logoman Patch card, a 1-of-1, just sold for $3.12 million at auction!

The ultra-rare card sold at a PWCC auction Thursday night ... and set a new all-time record for a basketball card sold at a public auction.

The card features an image of the 23-year-old hoops star on the front, along with an actual patch from a jersey he wore during his rookie year and an autograph. The back has a quote from Luka's rookie season ... when he joked he'd retire if he dunked on LeBron James.

"This is the highest price ever realized for a basketball card sold in a verified public auction," said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC Marketplace.

"When this card went to the block, we purposefully avoided speculation on a price because this was an important moment for the market to decide on the value of Luka's best trading card."

In 2021, this same Luka card reportedly sold at a private sale for $4.6 million, but PWCC's auction was the first chance bidders had to acquire the commodity on the open market.

Speaking of LBJ ... the all-time record for a basketball trading card is $5.2 million -- which a collector paid in a private sale (not at auction) for an Upper Deck Exquisite LeBron James card.

As for Dončić -- he's again having an MVP-caliber season in Dallas, and it's clear Lukamania isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Kanye West may have gotten the boot from Adidas, but he's clearly not done with the company ... still rockin' the brand as if nothing happened.

Ye was spotted Thursday night, leaving the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills with a glass of bubbly. He was with super right-winger Milo Yiannopoulos and a woman. Ye was decked out in his Balenciaga x Adidas collection -- a black sweatshirt and white crossover bag, all emblazoned with the Adidas logo.

Unclear how Adidas feels about Kanye's clothing choices after it cut ties with Ye in the wake of his antiemetic rants.

The company said they would continue to sell Ye-inspired shoes, but without a trace of the Yeezy name.

In a surprising last-minute twist ... booze sales at World Cup stadiums in Qatar have now been banned.

FIFA announced the news early Friday morning -- saying despite initial agreements between the soccer org. and the host country to sell beer and liquor where the championship football will go down, they've now reversed course.

Qatar -- a country where the sale of alcohol is highly restricted -- had been willing to allow Budweiser to sell its boozy products at games ... albeit in less visible and less accessible locations.

But, amid late pressure to ban it entirely, FIFA explained there's now been a change of plans.

"Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA," a spokesperson for the org. said Friday, "a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing the sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters."

Budweiser -- which reportedly paid $75 million to be the beer sponsor of the W.C. -- didn't exactly react well to the news.

"Well, this is awkward," the company said in a now-deleted tweet.

FIFA did say, however, that the sale of Bud's non-alcoholic Bud Zero product will still be allowed -- so, small victory there?

"Jake Paul is the next man on my hit list."

That's Tommy Fury making it crystal clear during a recent conversation with TMZ Sports ... he wants to box fellow undefeated fighter and bitter rival, 25-year-old Jake Paul.

Of course, we've been here before. The men were twice scheduled to fight ... but the bouts fell apart. But, just last weekend in Dubai, Tommy and Jake nearly came to blows after Fury boxed an exhibition match on a Floyd Mayweather fight card.

This time, Tommy tells us he's confident the two will make it all the way to the ring.

"I definitely feel like this fight will happen this time. I've said if this fight doesn't happen it'll be through no fault of my own," Tommy says.

And, Fury says he badly wants the fight.

"I want this fight more than anything because it's a chance for me to put everything that I've been hearing for the past two years to bed. And it needs to be put to bed because at the end of the day this man is not in my class, he's not in my league, and he's a YouTube fighter, that's what this man is. I'm a proper fighter. I'm from a fighting family. I have aspirations of winning world titles," Tommy tells us.

Fury's 8-0 with 4 KOs. Paul is 6-0 with 5 KOs. Jake's fought some big names in MMA, so his opponents are more recognizable. He's beaten future UFC Hall of Famers Tyron Woodley (twice) and Anderson Silva.

As for where the fight could take place, Tommy's thinking big. BIG.

"I feel like this is a Wembley [Arena] fight. I feel like it could do 80,000 very comfortably. If you ask anybody walking down the street on Saturday night do you wanna go watch Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury at Wembley, everybody's gonna say yes. I believe it's a massive pay-per-view fight."

FYI, Wembley is a huge stadium in London with a capacity around 90K for boxing matches.

If/when the fight happens ... Fury would advise you not to arrive late, because he's planning for a short night's work.

"This fight does not go the distance. There's no chance in hell cause I won't let it go to the distance. I am not gonna get in the ring and look to outpoint Jake Paul. I'm gonna be in that ring looking to take his head off with every punch."

Then came the prediction.

The Bills and Browns won't be playing inside of a snowglobe this weekend after all ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the NFL is moving the game to Detroit to avoid the massive storm that's set to hit Buffalo this weekend.

The contest had been lined up to be played at Highmark Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday ... and it was slated to be must-see TV, considering the area is expected to get pelted by roughly six feet of snow in the next few days.

But, league sources tell us the NFL put the axe to that idea on Thursday -- clearly believing the weather wouldn't make it possible for fans, essential personnel and maybe even players to attend the contest safely.

Detroit's Ford Field is open for use on Sunday -- as the Lions are playing against the Giants for a road game in New Jersey. It'll be the first of two games the Bills play there this month -- as they're set to play the Lions in the Motor City on Thanksgiving.

Playing in copious amounts of snow is not unprecedented for the Bills -- back in Dec. 2017, they played in a blizzard against the Colts, and won, 13-7, in overtime.

But, seems like 4-6 feet is just too much to cope with this weekend.

Israel Adesanya was arrested Wednesday afternoon for criminal possession of a weapon at JFK airport in NYC, TMZ Sports has learned ... after the UFC superstar was allegedly busted while going through security with metal knuckles.

The arrest was made by the Port Authority Police Department near the TSA screening area ... near the American Airlines terminal around 1:57 PM.

Brass knuckles are illegal (class A misdemeanor) in the state of New York. It's also illegal to carry them on your person or in your carry-on bag. It's unclear where the alleged brass knuckles were stored.

It's unclear if cops will issue Adesanya a Desk Appearance Ticket ... or if he'll remain in custody.

Of course, Adesanya isn't from the U.S. ... he lives in New Zealand.

Izzy, despite losing his belt to rival Alex Pereira during the main event at UFC 281 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, is one of the best and most popular UFC fighters in the entire world.

Saturday's loss was just the 2nd in his MMA career.

If ultimately charged and convicted, Adesanya could face up to one year in jail, plus fines.

Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball could be yours -- the record-setting baseball is about to hit the auction block -- after the fan who caught the historic piece of memorabilia turned down a whopping $3 million offer!

The ball will soon be on the block at Goldin Auctions ... one of the most prominent online sports sellers in the world.

As we previously reported, Cory Youmans caught the baseball on October 4th ... while he was seated in the outfield for the Yankees vs. Rangers game in Texas. The Yanks tried to convince the fan to give up the ball that night, but the fan refused to part ways with it.

In the weeks since, Youmans -- who's been living it up -- has received increasingly larger offers for the ball ... culminating in a massive $3 million offer.

Clearly, the fan believes he can make even more at auction ... and he's got company.

“The ball has the potential to become the highest-priced baseball ever sold,” Ken Goldin said, adding ... “Three million plus would be my estimate.”

Of course, Judge set the NY Yankees and American League single-season home run record this season ... topping the 61 HR mark set by former A.L. MVP and Yanks star, Roger Maris, in 1961.

If the baseball is to set the record, it'll need to sell for at least $3,005,001 ... in order to surpass the sale price of Mark McGwire's 70th home run (the slugger played in the National League), which he smashed during his historic 1998 season in which he went toe-to-toe with Sammy Sosa.