TMZ Sports - Page 33

Brittney Griner is back in the U.S. -- and back dominating on a basketball court -- dunking in her first workout since her release from Russia ... though her WNBA future still remains uncertain.

Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN that the 32-year-old Phoenix Mercury superstar grabbed a pair of Chuck Taylor sneakers and hit a court in San Antonio on Sunday for her first hoops sesh in nearly 10 months.

The workout was said to be "light" -- though it clearly went well ... considering she was still able to rattle the rim.

Colas, though, said Griner has yet to reveal her intentions about her basketball career going forward -- just days after she was officially traded for Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap with Russia.

"If she wants to play, it will be for her to share," Colas said. "She has the holidays to rest and decide what's next without any pressure. She's doing really, really well. She seems to have endured this in pretty incredible ways."

Colas said Griner, who has yet to make a public comment since touching down in the U.S., is expected to release a statement this week.

As for how her return has gone, Colas said the hooper has been spending time with her wife, Cherelle Griner, and other family members -- while enjoying barbeque diners ... and some of her other favorite snacks like Cheetos and Reese's.

Colas also revealed Brittney got her recent haircut cleaned up by the San Antonio Spurs' team barber on Sunday morning.

Cherelle, meanwhile, posted a lengthy thank-you note Saturday to all the people who assisted or played a role in returning Brittney home.

Some of the names she shouted out included congressman Greg Stanton, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, congressman Colin Allred, Robin Roberts, Angela Rye, Gayle King, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Tamika Mallory.

"As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits -- I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!" Cherelle said.

His win might've been controversial, but Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett partied like it wasn't ... getting in the DJ booth and hanging with Marshmello after UFC 282 on Saturday!!

The 27-year-old and his entourage of around 50 people hit up XS Nightclub inside the Wynn hours after his fight ... and the dude was treated like royalty as he celebrated his unanimous decision over Jared Gordon.

The crowd had signs, a drumline and confetti in honor of Pimblett's dub ... and the man of the hour even grabbed the mic and got the good vibes going -- telling everyone to "get the party started."

Paddy eventually got in the booth to chat with Marshmello ... and the two shared a brief conversation as they jumped around to the music.

Of course, Pimblett's win had fans torn ... with many saying Gordon should have had his hand raised at the end.

"Jared won," fighter and analyst Paul Felder said. "Give him the fight."

Gilbert Burns added ... "Why the judges did my guy @JFlashGordonMMA like that???"

Legendary college football coach Mike Leach -- who's spent the last three seasons running Mississippi State's sidelines -- has been hospitalized ... and he's now reportedly fighting for his life.

MSU officials said in a statement Sunday afternoon that Leach suffered a "personal health issue at his home" that required him to be rushed to a hospital in Jackson, Miss.

The school provided no further details on his status ... though Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reported Sunday night that the 61-year-old is in "critical" condition.

Bulldogs reporter Robbie Faulk added that Leach "needs a miracle."

The college football world was rocked by the news ... with many of the top names in the sport tweeting prayers for the man credited with creating the "Air Raid" offense.

USC coach Lincoln Riley tweeted, "Prayers for my good friend Mike Leach. Please keep Coach and his family in your prayers." Univ. of Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen added, "While I am devastated by today’s news, I know Mike is a fighter with an incredible spirit and I know he will continue to battle. Prayers to Sharon and their extended family."

MSU said preparation for its bowl game on Jan. 2 against Illinois will still go on ... with defensive coordinator Zach Arnett taking over head coaching duties from Leach.

Another tragedy has struck the 2022 FIFA World Cup ... Qatari photographer Khalid al-Misslam suddenly passed away while covering the famous soccer event on Saturday.

A local Qatari outlet reports al-Misslam -- who worked for Al Kass TV -- collapsed during the Saturday games and died later in the local hospital.

The cause of his death is unknown at this time.

"Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," the Gulf Times said.

"We believe in Allah's mercy and forgiveness for him and send our deepest condolences to his family."

Of course, al-Misslam's death is chilling ... because he's not the only person who has died. A popular American soccer journalist passed away over the weekend at the World Cup.

CBS Sports' Grant Wahl also collapsed ... while working the Netherlands-Argentina match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday. He passed away after being transported to the hospital by Uber.

The 49-year-old was battling bronchitis but CBS News reports the death to be a heart attack.

But, Grant's brother, Eric, believes there was foul play. He says Grant was receiving death threats after wearing a shirt in Qatar supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Wahl had also been critical of the Qatari government.

Wahl's untimely death has devastated a lot of people ... including LeBron James who said Grant, who wrote his first Sports Illustrated cover story, was "always pretty cool to be around."

Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson better be ready for Gervonta Davis ... 'cause the boxing champ tells TMZ Sports he's coming for them -- wanting fights with the stars after he gets done whooping Ryan Garcia.

"I'm pushing for it," the 27-0 lightweight says. "I'm pushing for it."

Of course, Tank has a fight already lined up that he has to take care of before he can even think about throwing hands with Haney, Stevenson and Garcia ... his next bout is just a couple weeks away -- against Hector Luis Garcia on Jan. 7.

Tank knows what's on the line in that bout -- a win would make his next fight against Ryan Garcia a HUGE payday ... but a loss could hurt it.

Plus, the match is at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., a skip and jump away from his hometown of Baltimore.

So, does he feel pressured? "It's pressure," he said, "but good pressure."

"I think every fight is pressure," he continued. "You wanna perform, you wanna look good in front of your hometown."

"He's 16 and 0, he's a solid opponent so just trying to make sure I stay focused on that main goal and not lose myself in the midst of it."

If he takes care of Hector Luis Garcia, he knows what's up next -- Ryan Garcia -- a matchup that now has a lot of bad blood in it.

The two boxers got into it recently ... when Gervonta called Ryan Garcia out on Twitter for the fighter's size.

Tank has since deleted the tweets, but he explained to us he's not calling Ryan a cheater -- he just wants to make sure when they fight, it's fair and square.

"Make sure everybody is on an even playing field," Tank says. "I never cheated. If you cheat, not saying he's cheating ... I'm just saying I seen a picture -- he's normally not that size."

Three-time NBA champion Paul Silas, who was LeBron James' first professional coach, has died. He was 79 years old.

Longtime Boston insider Bob Ryan shared the news on Sunday ... writing, "I am very sad to report that the Great Paul Silas has died at age 79. To watch him play was a joy. To be his friend was an honor."

Silas, whose coaching career began in 1980 with the San Diego Clippers, was an accomplished player in his own right before coaching LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003-04.

Long before Silas was a head coach, he was a 2-time All-Star and was selected to 5 All-defensive teams.

Paul also won three championships with the Boston Celtics in 1974, 1976, and 1979.

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson shared his condolences on Twitter ... writing, "RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas."

Silas had a 69-77 record in two seasons at the helm with LeBron and Co.

Magic continued ... "Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! Cookie and I send our prayers and condolences to the entire Silas family."

Paul's son, Stephen Silas, followed in his father's footsteps ... becoming an NBA head coach with the Rockets in 2020.

French Montana is on top of the world, and it showed as he led a massive Times Square rally to celebrate his homeland of Morocco making World Cup history.

The rapper was a proud cheerleader Saturday evening as he stood on top of scaffolding, waving the Moroccan flag and chanting along with a crowd of thousands who were hyped up about their soccer team defeating Portugal -- sorry Cristiano Ronaldo -- and making it to the World Cup semifinals.

French -- who was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco until his teen years -- had pure joy written all over his face after watching his Atlas Lions play the Cinderella role.

Morocco is now the first African, and first Arab-speaking country to advance this far in the World Cup tournament -- and they've defeated powerhouse teams like Belgium, Spain, and now Portugal, along the way.

All the Deion Sanders haters need to get off the coach's head ... so says Al Sharpton, who tells TMZ Sports Prime had every right to leave Jackson State for Colorado earlier this month.

"I think that a lot of us had such pride in him being at an HBCU that we forget that people make personal decisions," the civil rights activist told us this week in New York City ... "And they have the right to do that."

Of course, there have been a lot of mixed reactions to Sanders' move to Boulder ... with many blasting him for leaving the HBCU that he helped turn around for a Pac-12 program he has little ties to.

But, Sharpton tells us the critics need to cool it ... saying he believes Deion did everything he said he was going to do at JSU before ultimately taking a bigger gig.

"He's moved on and I think that our job is to make sure that Jackson State and others continue at the same level," Sharpton said.

Sharpton ain't the only one that has had Sanders' back since the move ... Bomani Jones also supported him this week -- saying on "TMZ Live" he understood the choice.

Legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer says he's heartbroken over the passing of Mills Lane ... telling TMZ Sports the fight ref was "one of the all-time greats."

Lane passed away on Tuesday morning ... after he had been in hospice. His son, Tommy Lane, told the Reno Gazette Journal that Mills had taken "a significant decline in his overall situation" recently and died while surrounded by his family.

Just days after his passing, Buffer remembered Mills as a solid dude who he'd miss.

"I worked with him many times," Buffer said at LAX. "For me, I always just loved the way he would say, 'Let's get it on!' through the instructions in the middle of the ring."

"He was a great guy."

Buffer also told us he enjoyed Mills on his court show, "Judge Mills Lane."

"One of the all-time greats, without a doubt," Buffer said. "Popular, and knew what he was doing."

Mills reffed for decades, and worked alongside Buffer at popular fights for years in the '90s.

He gained national fame for the way he reffed the infamous Mike Tyson vs. Evan Holyfield ear-biting fight in 1997. He later starred on MTV's popular "Celebrity Deathmatch" show.

Ezekiel Elliott helped both the Cowboys AND the needy with his touchdown last Sunday ... the Salvation Army tells TMZ Sports it saw a significant spike in donations following the star's trip to an end zone kettle.

If you missed it ... Elliott hopped into a Salvation Army red bucket at AT&T Stadium after scoring in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' blowout win over the Colts in Dallas last weekend.

He pretended to be a jack-in-the-box -- while quarterback Dak Prescott wound him up. It was all hilarious -- and, according to Salvation Army officials, hugely beneficial as well.

The org. tells us, "after Ezekiel Elliott leaped into [the kettle] on Sunday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts, the number of donors to the Salvation Army that day doubled compared with the game last year."

They added, "We love it when players jump in the giant red kettle after scoring a touchdown because it does have an impact."

In fact, the org. tells us the amount of $21 donations -- an ode to Elliott's jersey number -- have skyrocketed as well.

Elliott himself actually contributed to the cause as well in the days following the score -- he donated a $50,000 check to the Salvation Army of North Texas on Wednesday. The money, the org. said, will help children, seniors and adults with special needs receive gifts during this holiday season.

Of course, jumping into the kettle isn't entirely a new thing for the Cowboys. In Elliott's rookie year in 2016, he started it all by hopping into the kettle after a score against the Buccaneers.

On Thanksgiving this year, Dallas tight ends had a similar party at the prop.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star Luis Palomino has an idea for his next opponent ... Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather.

TMZ Sports spoke with the former MMA fighter ... who tells us he's tired of BKFC guys seemingly ducking him -- and his sights are now set on boxing the 50-0 legend.

"I've called out several names in the BKFC and crickets," Palomino said. "I called out Chad Mendes in three consecutive fights when they signed him, and I heard nothing."

"I'm looking for the big money fight," Luis continued. "My biggest one that I have in mind, and I think it makes perfect sense, will be Mayweather."

Luis tells us it would be a great business move if the two men -- considered the greatest in their respective sports -- collided, adding he's willing to fight Floyd in "his world."

"I'll put the gloves on," Luis said. "And I will represent Bare Knuckle, boxing with the gloves on, but I'm representing the dark side. I like to call it the dark side."

Luis respects Mayweather's legacy -- but says it's time for the former champ to fight someone who can legitimately hold their own against him inside the ring.

"The last [fight] that he did, he's having fun in there, but there's no type of competition," Luis said. "I know that being the champion he is, he still needs that."

Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after Portugal's World Cup loss to Morocco this weekend -- which may be the last time he ever makes an appearance in the tournament.

The soccer star visibly wept Saturday after the final whistle in Qatar, this as he made his way off the field and through the tunnel back to the locker rooms. He, like the rest of his team, was clearly upset after the Moroccan National Team knocked them out with a 1-0 score.

Ronaldo actually started on the bench for this game -- just like he did in the last game against Switzerland -- but eventually got subbed into the action in the second half.

Still, he and the rest of the squad went scoreless. Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri knocked one in in the 42nd minute -- kinda similar to how CR (almost) did against Uruguay a couple games back.

Of course, Portugal tried scoring multiple times ... but Morocco's goalie, Yassine Bounou, was able to keep 'em out. He's being touted as one of the team's heroes.

It's been a rough World Cup for Ronaldo -- not only was he benched these past couple games amid strife with his national team ... but he also broke up with Manchester United after blasting them in a recent interview. He's also said he may retire from the sport soon.

World Cup reporter Grant Wahl's fatal collapse during a match Friday is a tragic end to a long, arduous week of illness -- something he openly discussed the day before his death.

Grant recorded and posted his "Fútbol with Grant Wahl" podcast on Thursday, and said he'd come down with a case of bronchitis so bad ... he'd "been to the medical clinic at the media center twice now, including today."

Grant added he was feeling better, but was far from 100% ... which he said listeners could probably hear in his voice.

As we reported, the veteran sports journalist collapsed Friday -- while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match -- and after CPR attempts at Lusail Stadium, he was Ubered to a hospital, but died. CBS News is reporting it was a heart attack.

Grant's brother, Eric, announced his death with a video -- in which he was understandably distraught -- and flat out said he believed there was foul play involved.

He said Grant had been getting death threats in Qatar after stadium security had detained him back in November ... when he wore a rainbow-themed T-shirt in support of LGBTQ+ rights. His detainment became a big story, as Qatar had threatened to shut down any LGBTQ+ protests during the tournament.

Grant's death shocked the sports world, well beyond the World Cup -- he'd covered huge athletes for Sports Illustrated during his career, including then-high school phenom LeBron James' famous SI cover story.

Friday night, LeBron remembered Grant fondly, saying ... "It's unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was. I wish his family the best and may he rest in paradise."

Grant was just 49.

Joe Exotic feels he ought to be next in line after President Biden struck a deal with Russia to free WNBA star Brittney Griner, and he's stating his case for freedom ... from behind bars.

In audio obtained by TMZ ... The "Tiger King" star says, "The whole Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed prisoner swap is a slap in every American's face that is wrongfully detained in the American Federal Prison System, including myself."

He goes on to plead his case to the Prez, saying he's innocent of any crimes and calling out his ex-costar Carole Baskin in the process.

Quite frankly, Joe's drawing a ridiculous parallel here, between Brittney and himself. While she was imprisoned as Vladimir Putin's political pawn, Joe was tried and convicted for hiring a hitman, and various crimes tied to the treatment of animals at his infamous wildlife park.

After she spent nearly 10 months incarcerated, U.S. officials finally struck a deal this week -- Russia agreed to free Brittney in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout ... AKA the "Merchant of Death."

You'll recall, BG was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport, back in February, and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Joe is serving a 21-year sentence, but insists he's innocent -- jury be damned -- and totally deserving of freedom ... something he's been pushing for since Donald Trump was in the White House.

Dana White may just have his next big superstar ... 'cause as long as Paddy Pimblett keeps on stacking W's, the UFC honcho believes "The Baddy" could reach Conor McGregor-like status!

"He has that 'it' factor that I always talk about and you know, and obviously he's undefeated here in the UFC. If he can keep winning these key fights, this kid will be a massive superstar," White told TMZ Sports.

"The other thing is too and you know about this, the thing with his dog going to the bathroom was so unbelievably viral, it was insane. There's things that go viral on the Internet but you guys did like a 10-minute piece on that thing on TMZ and other outlets did. It was everywhere! It was really big in America, so stuff like that doesn't hurt, either."

27-year-old Pimblett -- 3-0 in the UFC (19-3 overall) -- is fighting Jared Gordon as part of the co-main event at UFC 282 ... where Paddy will look to extend his UFC unbeaten streak.

As for the comparisons to McGregor ... here's what Dana had to say.

"It's never an insult when somebody compares you to a great or one of the biggest names in the sport. I think that [Israel Adesanya] didn't like it because he doesn't like Jon Jones and Jon Jones doesn't like him. I think that's why he didn't, but it's never an insult. It's a compliment."

We also asked White about all other things 282-related (fight's going down Saturday night from Las Vegas) ... including the UFC president's feelings on Jiri Prochazka's injury, and his relinquishing of the light heavyweight title.

Dana also weighs in on former champ Glover Teixeira -- who was supposed to fight Jiri -- instead opting NOT to fight a new opponent on the card.

White actually believes it was a smart strategic move on the part of the 43-year-old fighter.

Bottom line ... with or without Prochazka and Texeira, Dana believes it's a kickass card.

The Liver King's recent bombshell admission might be bad news for his wildly successful supplement companies ... 'cause he expects to lose customers over his steroid use.

45-year-old Brian Johnson joined "TMZ Live" to discuss his decision to come clean about doping ... and he says he understands the harm he's caused by lying about it for years, and accepts all criticism coming his way.

"I know that I f****ed this up," LK said Friday. "I owe this. This is on me to deal with, and I deserve all the hate and criticism that I'm getting. I'll deal with this."

Before he ever became the viral Liver King with millions of followers, Johnson was already raking in the dough through his Heart & Soil and Ancestral Supplements company -- which reportedly earned him $100 million a year.

Now that he's come clean, LK foresees a drop in sales ... but says that's not what's most important to him.

"I'm sure it's going to affect the revenue, but everyone needs to understand this was never why we got into this," he said.

"I hope that customers remain, but what matters more than anything is nose-to-tail nourishment better be in your diet. If you don't want to get it from one of my companies, I hope you'll get it from somewhere else."