TMZ Sports - Page 50

Rihanna wants to make sure she gets her Super Bowl LVII halftime performance 100% correct ... working through 39 different setlists to get it right.

The music superstar discussed her everchanging plans on Thursday during an Apple Music press conference to pump the big show.

Rihanna told panel moderator Nadeska Alexis she hasn't been afraid to take charge, as there's a lot riding on this performance, including her own reputation.

The singer says trying to condense hours worth of musical greatness into a 13-minute set has been damn near impossible, but Rihanna says there are a lot of people who are involved working to make it successful.

She says her bossy side has surfaced on several occasions -- making small changes such as where her guitar players should stand.

We spoke to Rihanna about her pregame jitters back in October and it appears she still has them.

She openly admitted she had some hesitation taking the gig after giving birth to her baby back in May, and lamented over the lack of work/life balance to spend with her child.

Ultimately, the "Umbrella" singer says it was an honor to be put in a position to represent Barbados, immigrants and Black women alike ... and plans on incorporating plenty of her native Caribbean culture into the show.

A Stars fan was socked in the face by a huge haymaker at Dallas' game on Wednesday night ... with the massive punch coming after the guy said the n-word.

The altercation went down just a few seats from the American Airlines Center ice ... when a man in a Jamie Benn jersey stopped watching the Stars vs. Wild tilt -- and began jawing with another fan behind him.

No word on why their beef initially began -- but the dude in the green No. 14 uni was clearly furious. At one point, he challenged the other fan to a fight ... saying, "How 'bout you step down here and I'll box your ass."

The guy in the black polo didn't respond -- and that's when the Benn fan, who's white, muttered the n-word.

"All right then," he could be heard saying. "Stay the f*** up there. Dumbass n****."

Almost immediately after the word left his mouth, the fan in the black shirt, who's also white, threw a right hand that landed flush. It actually appeared to briefly knock the Benn fan unconscious.

The two scuffled for a few moments following the blow -- before another woman raced in and threw a bevy of punches of her own.

Eventually, other fans stepped in before the altercation became even more violent.

It's unclear how the situation was resolved -- we've reached out to cops to see if any arrests were made, but no word back yet.

As for the game, the Stars were clearly unbothered by the ruckus in the crowd -- they were able to cruise to a 4-1 victory over Minnesota.

There's a super big game coming up, and we're not talking about the Super Bowl ... dozens of puppies will face off in the 19th annual Puppy Bowl and it's all for a great cause!!!

Dan Schachner -- the 12-year Puppy Bowl "Ruff-eree" -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and while we love Dan, we're mostly thrilled that we got a visit from some furry and adorable reps for the upcoming game. Yeah, we're suckers for puppies, but these came on a mission.

Dan tells us, the event is all about raising awareness for rescuing dogs ... because shelter animals will be competing Sunday for the Lombarky Trophy. This year, more than 122 four-legged friends will play for either Team Ruff or Team Fluff ... and they hail from 67 different rescues and shelters across the country.

If you're interested in giving one a home, all the pups are adoptable & from Paw Works.

Look for stars like Tailen Hurts, Jimmy Kibble, and Josh Allenhound -- repping for Buffalo, of course -- come game day. Heck, they even got Tom Barky to come outta retirement!!!

Dan says there's a ton of pets who need homes, and that number only increased when folks returned to work after the pandemic.

This year's bowl is super special ... 11 pups with special needs will be featured. And it's the first time ever a dog from Dominica, West Indies will compete as well as a doggy from a Native American animal org.

If you're more of a cat person, there's even a kitty halftime show featuring cats from 3 different shelters.

Shawne Merriman doesn't quite get Aaron Rodgers' upcoming isolation retreat -- he says it "sounds like jail to me" -- but the ex-Chargers star tells TMZ Sports he isn't going to judge the QB for trying to better himself.

Both Merriman and former NFL star LaVar Arrington weighed in on the Green Bay Packers signal-caller's plans to lock himself in darkness for four days later this month ... and neither guy said it was something they'd get themselves into.

But, both former football players -- who were catching a meal together out at Super Bowl week in Arizona -- had no desire to shade the 39-year-old for it.

"I don't knock how anybody goes and find themselves," Merriman said. "Like, so, if you've got to go to a dark room for four days, go to the dark room. Make it six!"

Added Arrington, "Everybody has their own journeys in life. I'm not one to judge somebody on what their journey of enlightenment and self-understanding is."

Rodgers initially revealed his plans for the isolation trip on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... saying he's going to go to "a little house" in a few weeks and lock himself in a dark room.

The quarterback said the goal of it all is to come out with a more clear picture of whether or not he wants to play football again going forward.

Arrington admitted it sounds like "solitary confinement" to him ... but, again, he said he's all for it if it helps Rodgers.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes star wide receiver Dimitrious Stanley passed away this week, after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 48 years old.

Stanley -- who played for the Buckeyes from 1993-96 -- disclosed his diagnosis back in 2019 ... urging his friends and family to get tested for the disease.

According to a GoFundMe set up by former Ohio State wide receiver Tyson Gentry, Stanley briefly went into remission ... but unfortunately, the cancer returned.

Stanley was famous for his incredible performance in the 1997 Rose Bowl ... catching a 72-yard touchdown to help Ohio State beat Jake Plummer and Arizona State, 20-17.

Stanley led the Buckeyes in receiving that season ... earning more than 800 yards and catching eight touchdown passes.

He went on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Arena Football League for the New Jersey Red Dogs.

Stanley also ventured into local TV during his post-OSU career ... providing analysis on "The Football Fever" on ABC 6.

Stanley's former co-host, Anthony Rothman, shared a touching tribute ... saying, "My heart is shattered. Best friend/brother Dimitrious Stanley has passed after an incredibly courageous battle against prostate cancer."

Riley Gaines, an All-American swimmer, is speaking out against the NCAA after she says her and her fellow competitors were made to share a locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, and were exposed to "male genitalia."

Gaines, a 12x All-American and 5x SEC champion at Kentucky turned women's sports advocate appeared on FOX News' "America Reports", and talked about Thomas.

"Of course, we competed against Thomas, we were not forewarned beforehand that we would be sharing a locker room with Lia. We did not give our consent. They did not ask for our consent," Gaines, a 12x All-American and 5x SEC champion at Kentucky turned women's sports advocate said when she appeared on FOX News' "America Reports."

Gaines continued ... "But in that locker room we turned around and there's a 6'4" biological man dropping his pants and watching us undress, and we're exposed to male genitalia."

Of course, Lia swam three seasons on the men's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania before transitioning and competing as a woman, where she won an NCAA National Championship in 2021.

While Thomas dominated in the pool, Gaines says it's the locker room situation that bothered her most.

"That to me was worse than the competition piece. Not even probably a year, two years ago, this would've been considered some form of sexual assault. Voyeurism. But now, not even are they now just allowing it to happen, it's almost as if these large organizations are encouraging it to happen."

"Of course, after NCAA Championships, the NCAA nominated then nominated Thomas for NCAA Women of the Year. So we're celebrating this movement."

Her story has been a polarizing one for Americans ... and it's a debate that's been hotly contested.

Gaines is fighting to pass "Fairness in Women's Sports" bills, and she also wants to establish separate locker rooms for transgender athletes. She says she hopes other like-minded women will step up and speak out like she's done, but acknowledges many are scared and worried about retribution.

Rasmus Andersson -- a Calgary Flames defenseman -- was terrifyingly hit by a car while riding a scooter in downtown Detroit on Wednesday ... but, thankfully, he's OK.

The NHL team explained the accident in a statement on Thursday ... revealing the 26-year-old was on his way to dinner via scooter when he was struck by a vehicle at around 6 PM.

The Flames said Andersson was transported to the Detroit Receiving Hospital for testing and, fortunately, was released a short time later.

He's now listed as day-to-day ... but will miss Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.

"He was going through a crosswalk," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said on Thursday. "The good news -- and the most important thing -- is that Ras is doing well."

Treliving added that the team and Rasmus are "very lucky."

"It certainly could have been a lot worse. We want to make sure that we thank all those involved [in his care] and let everybody know that Ras is doing well."

According to the Detroit Police Department, there was "no indication of any alcohol at all." A spokesperson added that there will be no arrests or tickets issued.

"It was a basic accident," the DPD said.

Rasmus started his hockey career in 2012 when he joined the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League.

He left Sweden for North America and played for the Ontario Hockey League before he was picked by the Flames in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Jalen Brunson had the best reaction to his old college teammate, Josh Hart being traded to the Knicks ... 'cause he absolutely freaked out -- yelling, "OH S***!!!"

The Portland Trail Blazers traded the former Villanova guard to the Big Apple on Wednesday ... in exchange for Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, and a 2023 first-round pick.

Brunson was back at Villanova's campus -- where he played from 2015 to 2018 -- to have his #1 jersey retired when the deal went down ... and as soon as someone showed him the news on their phone, he threw up his arms in excitement.

"OH S***!!!," the point guard yelled. "YES!!!"

FYI, Brunson and Hart won the 2016 NCAA championship together ... so it was only fitting Jalen was back in Wildcat territory when he learned about the reunion.

Unclear how Reddish feels about his now-former teammate being this excited ... but Cam barely got any playing time since he joined the Knicks last January, and only started 8 games this season.

Blazers superstar, Damian Lillard had good things to say about his new teammate after the trade, ... saying, "I've always liked Cam Reddish a lot."

"He's one of those guys you just always look like, 'Man, if he gets to the right place, could it just click?' Could you see something come out of it?' I take a lot of pride in pouring into guys [like him], especially in a situation like this."

Hart -- who's shooting 50% from the field -- is nice on defense, plus he's a rebounding machine, averaging 8.2 per game.

A local Arizona shop owner interrupted an ESPN shoot this week to mock Native American performers -- while yelling, "MAGA country" -- and the whole racist tirade is on video.

Cody Blackbird -- who's of Cherokee/Dakota descent, and was one of the Native American performers hired by ESPN for the Super Bowl promo -- tells TMZ a dude named Gilbert Ortega started taunting the dancers from the front of his jewelry shop Tuesday in downtown Scottsdale.

We're told Ortega was mimicking their movements and chants -- in a demeaning way -- and that prompted some in the group to come over and confront him while filming.

TMZ obtained some footage of the confrontation, and it shows Ortega was out there to provoke and posture ... calling the Native Americans "f**king Indians," invoking MAGA and telling them to go back to Gallup, NM, which is home to a well-known reservation.

Ortega even came out for a tense face-to-face with the group at one point ... on a dare to say what he was saying to their faces. So, yeah ... he was looking for trouble and trying to get under the performers' skin. Unfortunately, he succeeded.

Luckily, there was no violence ... Ortega was whisked away by a friend, and the whole thing fizzled out after he went back into his establishment -- a business, BTW, that ironically sells Native American items.

Some members of the Native American group were upset enough to contact cops to complain. The Scottsdale Police Dept. tells us they're investigating the incident as "possible disorderly conduct" ... and, as of now, they don't see anything that rises to the level of a hate crime. That's subject to change based on the investigation.

Kyrie Irving's first-ever Mavericks jersey won't have a place in a museum or a Hall of Fame -- no, it'll be somewhere in one of Floyd Mayweather's mansions ... 'cause the new Dallas star gifted the boxing legend with it following his debut on Wednesday night.

Floyd was one of the first people Irving sought out after he helped the Mavs beat the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena for the first time since he was traded on Sunday ... and as soon as the two athletes got within feet of each other on the court, they shared a lengthy embrace.

The guys exchanged words too -- and it all seemed somewhat emotional.

Finally, Irving passed off his jersey to Floyd -- who was with buddy Jona Rechnitz -- before he took off for the locker room.

Mayweather was pumped for the one-of-a-kind piece of NBA memorabilia -- he showed it off to cameras at the arena ... before he eventually headed home.

Of course, the guys have developed quite the bond recently -- after initially meeting years ago, Floyd has been in Irving's corner constantly.

In fact, back when Irving was going through his COVID-19 vaccine controversy with the Brooklyn Nets, Floyd released a video defending the basketball player's decisions.

Clearly, Irving hasn't forgotten the support.

Lil Uzi Vert's futsal footwork couldn't save him after he tried to play leapfrog at NAV's outdoor pool ... and the Philly Eagles ambassador was caught in 4K slipping on his ass!!!

On Thursday, NAV posted studio cam of Uzi attempting to hop his way into the island in the middle of his pool -- only to slip on the border and embarrassingly plunge into the water!!!

NAV can be seen bursting out laughing to the point he misses the dap Uzi tried to give him to assure he didn't break any bones!!!

The two wavy artists are frequent collaborators so fans will be happy to know they have another collab coming, which may end up on Uzi's highly anticipated album ... a project he's been successfully building buzz for.

Uzi's been everywhere these past few weeks -- recently repping for the newer class of rappers at the Grammys' 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute, and even marching the Eagles to victory with his hit record "Just Wanna Rock" during their route to Super Bowl LVII.

The woman who was accused of making false claims about Terrell Owens to police during a heated confrontation between the two back in August is now off the hook in her criminal case ... TMZ Sports has learned Caitlin Davis' misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident has been dropped.

A spokesperson for the Broward State Attorney's Office tells us the case was dismissed on Feb. 2 -- after prosecutors said in documents they "would not be able to prove the elements of the charged crime with the facts that were presented."

Davis had initially been charged with one count of misdemeanor false reports after Owens said she lied to cops following an Aug. 3 argument they had gotten into in a Deerfield Beach, Fla. neighborhood.

Owens said at the time she made up a story that he had come after her after she had yelled at him for the way he was driving on the street.

Owens actually filmed part of their altercation -- and in the clip, you can hear Davis yell at the former NFL star, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

The Hall of Fame wide receiver said he was grateful that a charge had been filed against Davis over it all ... saying to us at the time, "KAREN IS REAL."

Kyrie Irving isn't the only superstar getting shipped out of Brooklyn -- the Nets just are now trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal, according to multiple reports.

The shocking news just broke minutes ago ... with Shams Charania reporting the Suns will send Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and more draft compensation to the Nets in exchange for the 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion and T.J. Warren.

The deal comes just days after Kyrie Irving requested a trade of his own ... which resulted in a transaction with the Dallas Mavericks.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Nets will receive the Suns' unprotected picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029. Woj also reports new Suns owner Mat Ishbia pushed to have the deal done Wednesday night.

This will be KD's fourth franchise -- after playing for the Sonics/Thunder, Warriors and Nets.

Russell Westbrook's days as a Laker have come to an end -- L.A. just finalized a trade to send the superstar point guard to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers are sending Russ and a 2027 first-round pick (1-4 protected) to the Jazz in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt, according to Shams Charania.

Meanwhile, Utah's Mike Conley Jr. will join Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert in Minnesota ... as well as a second-round pick.

The Lakers acquired Russ in 2021 in a trade with the Wizards ... which sent Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Washington in exchange for the 2017 MVP.

Westbrook's last game with the Purple and Gold was Tuesday night against the Thunder ... when LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Russ' tenure with the Lakers had its fair share of ups and downs -- the former triple-double machine struggled to find his role during his two years playing alongside James and Anthony Davis.

First-year head coach Darvin Ham decided to bring Westbrook off the bench three games into this season ... a role he's flourished in, averaging 15.9 points per game to accompany 7.5 assists per game.

Westbrook has a legitimate case to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, but the Lakers are opting to move in a different direction ... despite his steady production with the team's second unit.

There are reports Westbrook's arrival in Utah will end in a buy-out ... which will allow him to join a team elsewhere.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was NOT pissed off LeBron James broke his all-time scoring record, despite what many basketball fans have said, according to Cap's close friend, teammate, and fellow Lakers great James Worthy, who tells TMZ Sports his buddy handled the situation with grace.

Of course, 38-year-old James toppled KAJ's near-long-held record (nearly 4 decades) ... and 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar was on hand, sitting in the first row, to watch history in the making.

However, many NBA fans commented on Kareem's demeanor, noting the 19x NBA All-Star looked unhappy to be there.

So, we asked Worthy, a 3x NBA champion who was sitting with Abdul-Jabbar Wednesday night, if Kareem was bothered Bron broke his record.

"Not at all," James answered, with no hesitation.

"I mean, Kareem was overwhelmed and for those of you who knew Kareem 30 years ago, Kareem has come full circle in life and really is enjoying himself and enjoying just living. I mean, he said that records were meant to be broken. I don't think he thought anybody would break it but I think Kareem handed it over with grace."

Now, as for Worthy ... he admits, as much as he likes LeBron, that he was a bit bummed to see the record change hands.

"I was a little sad to see the record being broken 'cause I just love Kareem. He's my best friend on the team. I'm sure somewhere down deep in his heart, he's had it for so long that it becomes a part of you that you never think it's gonna leave you. Not to be able to say that again, it's probably something that he'll miss, but his body of work will never be forgotten."

Rod Wave was willing to split nearly $1 million with a rapper he barely even likes just to sit in a box at the Super Bowl, but now he may get to enjoy the game with a rapper he likely admires!!!

Rick Ross got wind of Rod Wave's baller budgetary concerns on Akademiks' page and stepped in to offer Rod a place inside his Boss suite at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Rozay says the suite holds upwards of 26 people ... plenty of room for Rod and his boys to turn up with a legend who came up through similar hurdles and obstacles.

Both rap stars have yet to collaborate, but both hail from Florida and we're sure Ross can give the 'Beautiful Mind' creator a lot more game than what's out on the field.