TMZ Sports - Page 41

The Golden State Warriors made their triumphant return to President Biden's White House Tuesday -- after twice spurning President Trump -- where they celebrated winning the NBA title last summer.

The Dubs were in D.C. to play the hometown Wizards Monday night at the Capital One Arena ... before pulling up on #46 Tuesday afternoon to commemorate their fourth championship in eight years. The Warriors beat the Celtics in 6 games during the 2022 NBA Finals.

Of course, it's the first time Curry and the Warriors have been back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since Barack Obama was president. The team publicly feuded with Trump after their championships in 2017 and 2018.

Despite it being a tradition to go to the W.H., the Warriors spurned Trump, refusing to go to the White House. Trump also disinvited the team.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a Warriors fan, opened things up ... recalling when the team gifted her a custom #49 jersey, in honor of her becoming the 49th VP in U.S. history.

Harris then introduced POTUS, who raved about the franchise's success ... led by Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and head coach Steve Kerr.

Speaking of Steph ... the reigning NBA Finals MVP said a few words, too -- before presenting Biden and Harris with a signature #46 and #1 Warriors jersey.

Curry and Biden stood side by side, posing for photos with the jerseys ... as photographers snapped pics of the two as the other players, coaches and executives stood in the background.

Tom Brady's biggest fan is taking a page out of Gisele Bundchen's book ... calling out the quarterback's teammates for the Buccaneers' playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Stunning model Veronika Rajek -- who sports 3.5 million followers on Instagram -- has gone viral for her TB12 support this season ... even going as far as to say she loves the 7-time Super Bowl champ.

Just like all Tampa Bay fans, Rajek was left in disbelief after Brady and Co. were torn apart on Monday Night Football and booted from the postseason ... and instead of focusing on TB12's less-than-stellar performance, she pointed fingers at the other 52 men on the roster.

"I'm just sorry," Rajek said on IG after the game. "But one guy cannot play for everyone on the field. TB you did your best. Like always."

"But one piece of the puzzle doesn't make a picture."

The comments are similar to what Brady's ex-wife said after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI ... when she infamously stated, "My husband can not f***ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."

Ja Morant's MVP-like performance on the court this year has the NBA suspicious ... 'cause the league is drug testing the Grizzlies star for the 7th time this season!!!

The 23-year-old guard could only laugh on social media ... explaining he was about to get tested AGAIN.

"Been drug tested like 6 times this season," NBA All-Star said on Twitter.

"Walked in the arena & found out I got another one today 😂🙄"

Of course, Morant's been playing at an incredible level -- averaging 27.5 points and 7.9 assists per game -- and although the drug tests are random, according to the NBA, many players ain't buyin' that at all.

In fact, the 7th test comes days after Morant destroyed Pacers' big man Jalen Smith with a monstrous poster dunk. He also had 23 points and 10 assists in Saturday's win.

The NBA even praised the 6-foot-3 guard for what it called the "dunk of the year."

Ironically, fans joked with Morant after the big jam, saying the league would probably test him after that dunk.

Antonio Brown went too far on social media again -- the controversial former NFL superstar just shared a sexually-explicit private picture on his Snapchat with the mother of his children.

The post -- which has since been deleted from AB's profile -- showed the woman performing oral sex on the Super Bowl champ in bed. The picture quickly circulated on other social media platforms early Tuesday morning.

It's unclear when the image was taken, but we're assuming it isn't recent -- things have gotten ugly between the two sides, with Kyriss claiming AB sent "explicit videos" to their son during an alleged domestic violence incident back in November.

AB has become notorious for his Snap updates recently -- as we previously reported, he shared a poorly Photoshopped pic of Tom Brady's ex, Gisele Bündchen ... editing her face onto a nude body.

The former Steeler has also trolled Brady throughout the quarterback's divorce ... sharing memes mocking his old teammate.

It's unclear why AB posted the NSFW pic, but he's been active on Twitter as well ... saying, "Don't play wit me. Play Football."

Former Univ. of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles has been accused of providing the firearm to the gunman who shot and killed a woman near campus over the weekend ... this according to cops in new court documents.

Police say in the filings, made public on Tuesday and obtained by TMZ Sports, that after Jamea Harris was killed by gunfire on The Strip in Tuscaloosa in the early hours of Sunday morning ... Miles admitted to providing a 20-year-old man named Michael Davis with the handgun prior to the shooting.

Cops claim Davis shot at the 23-year-old woman while she was in the passenger seat of a vehicle that had been stopped on the popular stretch of road near the Crimson Tide's campus. They say in the docs witnesses identified Davis as the gunman -- and that there is surveillance video of it all.

Harris died shortly after being struck by one of the bullets, cops say.

Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy said in a news conference Sunday evening that it appeared "the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip."

As we reported, both Miles and Davis were charged with capital murder over the incident ... and arrested on Sunday.

Miles, who was seen sobbing at the jail following the arrest, was released from the Alabama men's basketball team a short time after he was put in cuffs.

"We were made aware of the recent charge against student-athlete Darius Miles, and he is no longer a member of the Alabama men's basketball team," the school said. "Athletics, in conjunction with the University, is fully cooperating with this investigation."

The city of Buffalo has some fresh new artwork ... weeks after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the football field, a local artist painted a mural of the Bills safety!

Adam Zyglis, the artist, was the mastermind behind the project ... and he collaborated with Rory Allen to find the perfect place for the mural. The guys decided on Larkin Square.

FYI, Larkin Square is outside downtown Buffalo ... and is about 15 minutes away from Highmark Stadium, where the Bills play their home games.

Adam, an editorial cartoonist at the Buffalo News, tells us the inspiration for the mural was born when he heard 24-year-old Hamlin was being released from the hospital.

"I completed the illustration late last week after reading news of Damar Hamlin returning to Buffalo and coming home," Adam told us. "That moment of tragedy united the country across team allegiances and party lines."

He continued ... "It was a human moment, and his recovery was an illustration of Buffalo's strength, love, and resiliency. As the coach said, it was much bigger than football."

The 17-foot-tall illustration, which shows Damar in his Bills uniform making a heart gesture with his hands, was hand-drawn by Adam and took 4-5 hours to create and color.

The mural was installed on Monday, and once Damar saw the sick artwork on social media, he tweeted, "Where is this?" with a heart emoji and two fire emojis.

Of course, Damar hasn't returned to the field since being released from a Buffalo hospital last week ... however, Hamlin did visit his teammates at the facility over the weekend.

Hamlin supported his squad as he watched them defeat the Dolphins in the Wild-Card round ... and will be cheering for the Bills in the divisional round when they play the Bengals.

Lolo Jones says three different men have stalked her over the past year ... and their actions have been so terrifying, the Olympic hurdler and bobsledder said it's all "altered my life."

The 40-year-old explained her terrifying situation in a social media post on Monday night ... saying each man "crossed the line" and put her and her friends' safety in jeopardy.

Jones said one of her stalkers actually "broke into the Olympic training center and stayed overnight in hopes to find me."

She said another one "has continued to harass my friends in attempts to reach me." An additional one, she claimed, popped up at her home and told police she had "invited him to come live with me."

"I'm DONE," she said. "If there was any confusion here is me being very f***ing clear: I'm not interested. EVER. This is not the way to go."

Jones also shared a photo of what appeared to be surveillance cameras capturing one of the males outside of her home.

It's unclear if Jones has worked with authorities over the situations ... or taken things to court in an effort to get restraining orders.

Jake Paul and Tommy Fury are trying once again to make their boxing match happen -- the two are slated to face off in the boxing ring on February 25, according to multiple reports.

This is the third time the two sides have agreed to fight ... but as we previously reported, something on TNT's side has always prevented them from following through with the event.

Jake and Tommy were initially set to fight in December 2021, but Fury had to back out after suffering a rib injury and chest infection during training. When they rescheduled the bout to August, Fury claimed he was unable to make it to the United States ... forcing him to pass up on the fight once again.

Jake -- 6-0 with big wins over Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley -- previously said back in November he was down to settle their beef in the ring once and for all ... and now, it sounds like it will ACTUALLY happen, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The matchup is definitely interesting -- Paul and Fury are close in age and weight ... and many will say Tommy is Jake's first "real" boxing opponent.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage was forced to leave Monday night's playoff game on a backboard ... and the scene was scary -- particularly in the wake of Damar Hamlin's on-field medical emergency just two weeks ago.

Gage went down awkwardly late in the fourth quarter of TB's blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys -- and he didn't get up immediately ... prompting officials and medical personnel to race onto the field to tend to him.

The 26-year-old wideout, who took a violent hit to the head and neck area on the play, stayed down for several minutes ... all while Cowboys and Buccaneers players looked on with worried expressions on their faces.

Gage was ultimately strapped to a backboard and rushed to the hospital.

Following the game, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Tom Brady's target had a concussion and was being evaluated for potential neck injuries. He was not sure if Gage had movement in all of his extremities.

"His fingers were moving when he was down there," Bowles said. "I don't know about the rest."

The terrifying moment happened just 14 days after Hamlin was taken off the field in an ambulance during a similar scene on Monday Night Football as well.

Hamlin, thankfully, has since made tremendous strides in recovering from the crisis. We're all now hoping Gage sees similar results.

Kevin Love had a bold strategy for defending Larry Nance Jr. during the Cavs game on Monday ... by giving his old teammate's ass a smack!!

The odd moment went down with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Cleveland's MLK Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... when Nance -- the son of former Cavs and Suns star Larry Nance -- was waiting for Jose Alvarado to inbound the ball.

Nance's reaction is hilarious -- he quickly pleads with refs to do something about the bizarre tactic ... but ultimately, the game continued without a foul.

Of course, it was all in good fun ... as Love and Nance grew close during their time together with the Wine & Gold.

Love and Nance's former Cavs teammate/NBA referee Richard Jefferson even got in on the fun ... posting a TikTok about the incident.

"Hey @kevinlove this is under review for a flagrant," RJ joked. "@larrydn7 you good?"

Nance -- an Ohio native who played for the Cavs from 2018-21 -- finished the game with four points, three rebounds and three assists for NOLA.

Tom Brady ain't ready to call it a career -- at least, not publicly in the immediate aftermath of Monday night's playoff loss to the Cowboys -- the star quarterback told reporters he's still "truly" undecided about his football future.

Brady addressed media members for around five minutes following the Buccaneers' 31-14 loss to Dallas in the opening round of the 2023 postseason ... and was noncommittal when it came to questions about his next steps.

"I'm going to go home and get a good night sleep -- as good as I can tonight," the 45-year-old said ... before adding that he has no timetable for a career decision.

"This has been a lot of focus on, you know, this game. So, yeah. It'll just be one day at a time. Truly."

Brady then bid farewell to Buccaneers reporters -- a gesture that some believe could have potentially tipped his hand.

"Thank you everybody for welcoming me," Tom said ... "Just very grateful for the respect and I hope I gave the same thing back to you guys. So, thank you very much."

If it is the end, it certainly wasn't the storybook finish the future Hall of Famer would have liked. Brady looked messy for almost the entire evening against Dallas, completing just 53 percent of his 66 passes and throwing a back-breaking interception in the first half.

Tom -- a free agent this offseason -- does have options moving forward. He can return to Tampa, or he can go elsewhere ... reportedly, several other teams want him in 2023. Or, he can jump into the broadcasting deal he already inked in 2022.

A retirement decision last year ultimately came in February, before he reversed course just a couple weeks later. So, buckle in ... a long offseason of Brady speculation awaits.

Daniel Jones has what it takes to lead the Giants to a Super Bowl win in New York ... according to David Tyree, who knows a little something about winning a Lombardi Trophy.

The former Giants receiver and special teams ace joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1) -- a day after the G-Men won a road playoff game -- where the Super Bowl 42 hero was asked if Jones was, without any doubt, the team's franchise QB.

"I think I said 6 to 8 weeks back, Daniel Jones is the quarterback for the New York Giants. You don't allow gold to walk out of the building for the potential of platinum, right?" Tyree asked.

"We're not gonna sit up here and say he deserves Deshaun Watson money, but he deserves that full-blown opportunity to represent this organization in the same manner that he did this year. He's earned the right, he's been dominant, he's been consistent, he's limited turnovers. He's done everything you can ask a quarterback to do and he's got the right temperament in the New York City market."

Of course, David was half of (arguably) the greatest play in Super Bowl history, the "Helmet Catch." Tyree, with the Giants trailing Tom Brady and the undefeated Patriots by 4 points with under 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, and All-Pro Rodney Harrison blanketing him, miraculously came down with a crucial Eli Manning pass on 3rd & 5.

Just a few plays later, Manning threw the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress.

Question is, can 25-year-old Jones play well enough to lead the Giants to another Super Bowl?

"Yeah, I think the Giants are closer than I ever could imagine. Let's just be honest, I believe in all those guys who play at wide receivers but I'm just as good as them and I was the 3rd and 4th wide receiver on the roster. This is amazing what's happening."

David says with an offseason to add talent, the team will continue to improve.

"They're gonna be able to have some salary cap, able to make some good moves in the market in the offseason but obviously, they have to sign those centerpieces like Saquon [Barkley], Daniel Jones, and Dexter Lawrence."

Speaking of Catch-42 or the helmet catch ... Tyree is about to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the historic play by putting on a youth football camp, Catch Camp, in Arizona, the site of the 2008 catch, and this season's SB.

The camp, which will take place on February 3, doesn't just focus on running and catch  ... Tyree says they'll also teach the kids life skills.

There's more -- we also talked to David about the job head coach Brian Daboll's done this season, taking essentially the same roster Joe Judge went 4-13 with just a season ago, and going 9-7-1 and winning a playoff game.

Tyree, who was Director of Player Development after retiring, was let go by Judge and GM Dave Gettleman ... and let's just say he doesn't speak very fondly of how the organization was run under the two men.

Brittney Griner, less than 6 weeks after she was sprung from a Russian penal colony, surprised a group of people gathered for an MLK day march in Phoenix ... on what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 94th birthday.

The Phoenix Mercury superstar hit up the event with her wife, Cherelle ... and took pics with fans, who were visibly elated to see the hooper.

Of course, states celebrate MLK Jr. Day on the third Monday in January ... a day to remember one of the most influential civil rights leaders in the history of the world.

FYI, Arizona was the last state to recognize MLK Jr. Day (1992) after President Ronald Reagan signed a law making it a federal holiday in 1983 (though it was first observed in 1986.)

Brittney, of course, has a special relationship with Arizona ... she's played her entire WNBA career with the Mercury after dominating in college at Baylor.

Griner missed the 2021-22 WNBA season ... after she was arrested for carrying marijuana vape cartridges (hashish oil) through an airport in Russia in February.

After 10+ grueling months in a Russian penal colony, Brittney was released in a prisoner exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The 6'9" hooper returned to the United States sporting a different look -- forced to cut her dreads because of the brutally cold temperatures in Russia -- and has maintained a low profile since her release.

Deshaun Watson's out of the NFL playoffs, but don't feel too bad for the guy ... the quarterback is now on a tropical vacation, cozying up with his smokin'-hot girlfriend, Jilly Anais.

While the league's last remaining teams are duking it out for a spot in Super Bowl LVI, the Cleveland Browns star's mind couldn't be further from a football field ... as he hit a boat on Monday with Anais in an exotic location -- and clearly enjoyed the free time.

In video that Anais shot and posted on her social media page ... you can see she and Watson got really close on the ship's deck -- sippin' what appeared to be some champagne while soaking in the warm weather.

The two also got some up-close-and-personal time in the water ... when Anais hopped on Watson's back while he was cruisin' around in the ocean on an underwater sea scooter.

The couple seemed to be wearing some matching bathing suits, too ... and at one point, Watson even got close to Anais' bikini bottoms with a bottle of Veuve.

The vacation is a much-needed one for Watson, who had a rough season. After serving an 11-game ban following allegations he was inappropriate with female massage therapists, he came back rusty, completing just 58.2 percent of his passes while throwing five interceptions in six starts.

Daniil Medvedev reached his boiling point during his Australian Open match on Monday ... getting so pissed at a spectator, he told them to "f*** off."

The altercation went down as the Russian star faced off against Marcos Giron in the opening round of the tourney ... when he was up 5-2 over the American after winning the first two sets.

But, before Medvedev could handle business and finish Giron off, he confronted a fan in the stands for seemingly heckling him throughout the match.

As soon as he hurled the cuss word, the whole audience audibly reacted in shock.

The outburst resulted in a code violation ... which, naturally, Medvedev didn't agree with.

Eventually, Medvedev -- who's the 7th seed in the tournament -- was able to secure the win ... 6-0, 6-1, 6-2.

Medvedev's beef with Australian Open attendees has been well-documented over the years ... and he certainly hasn't shied away from letting his feelings known with umpires.

A Jimmy John's employee hilariously trolled former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky for notoriously running out of the back of the end zone during a game 14+ years ago ... reminding him of the gaffe while the analyst simply attempted to order lunch.

It was 2008 ... Orvlosky was the quarterback in Detroit, and the Lions were on the road in Minnesota, playing the Vikings at Mall of America Field.

Orlovsky and the Lions were backed up in their own territory. Orlovsky dropped back to pass, but was pressured by star DT Jared Allen, who began chasing Dan.

Orlovsky panicked once he saw Allen pursuing, and proceeded to run out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety, and giving birth to one of the funniest plays in NFL history.

On Monday, ESPN's Laura Rutledge posted video of Orlovsky being trolled ... saying someone at the popular sandwich chain, Jimmy John's, rehashed the iconic (or painful, if you're Dan) moment.

"Watch out for the back of the end zone," the sandwich's packaging read, much to Dan's chagrin. "How they gonna do our guy like that," Laura asked jokingly.

Meanwhile, Dan's other colleague, Mina Kimes, seemed to think the troll job was hysterical.

To his credit, Orlovsky did crack a smile ... and also got the last laugh, clapping back ... "I like Subway better."