TMZ Sports - Page 14

Kevin Durant got very emotional during his Phoenix Suns' introductory press conference ... fighting back tears as he spoke about how much he loves his former Brooklyn Nets teammates.

The moment happened when the 13-time All-Star was asked to sum up his experience in BK in front of fans at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Thursday.

"I built a family over there," he said. "They gon' always be a part of my journey."

That's when Durant -- who was traded to the Suns last week -- choked up, saying his former teammates meant a lot to him during his four years in Brooklyn.

"I love those guys," Durant said with tears in his eyes. "I get emotional talking about 'em because that was a special four years of my career, coming off an Achilles [injury] and they helped me a lot."

Of course, the Nets were highly favored to win the NBA Finals when Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden were on the team together, but KD explains that didn't happen since the trio barely played on the court simultaneously.

"It was amazing basketball for 17 games," Durant joked. "In order for you to win a championship and to be a great team, you just need more time on the floor."

Speaking of Kyrie, Durant said he wasn't sure what was going on when he requested his trade out of Brooklyn ... but, he still gave the point guard his flowers.

"He was a huge part of what we do," Durant said. "He's a Hall of Fame player. Great player that can do everything on the floor and we relied on that."

Michael Irvin just scored a win in court ... a judge has ordered that an Arizona hotel now must turn over any video it has of an interaction the Hall of Famer had with a woman that ultimately led to his removal from NFL Network's Super Bowl coverage last week.

Irvin's attorney Levi McCathern had requested the footage from the Phoenix Marriott in a motion filed on Thursday morning, believing it will help exonerate the NFL legend, who had been accused of wrongdoing while he was in Arizona to report on SB LVII for the league's TV station.

On Thursday afternoon, a judge granted the motion ... saying the clips must be sent to Irvin by Feb. 20.

The judge also ordered that the hotel must provide the name of Irvin's accuser ... as well as anyone else who may have filed a complaint against the former football player. In the order, the judge also ruled the hotel must reveal the names of the NFL employees who received the complaints.

In the motion, Irvin's attorney made it clear he believes all of it will help show the ex-Dallas Cowboys wide receiver did nothing wrong when he interacted with a female hotel worker on Feb. 5.

According to the docs, Irvin only met the woman after she had called him over in the hotel lobby to introduce herself ... and "eyewitnesses described the interaction as 'jovial' and completely harmless." Irvin's attorney wrote in the motion that the interaction lasted less than a minute, and Michael then went to his room alone and fell asleep.

Irvin was pulled from the NFLN's SB LVII coverage on Feb. 7 after they had apparently received complaints from the woman over the meetup.

Irvin eventually sued Marriott and his accuser, ID'ed only as Jane Doe, for defamation ... claiming he had done nothing wrong.

Goldberg absolutely hated Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday ... calling the singer's performance "horrible", and saying it left him feeling "disgusted."

"I thought Rihanna was frickin horrible," Goldberg said on his CarCast podcast with Matt "The Motorator" D'Andria. "I was disgusted by it. That's all. Let's just say that. I thought it was horrible."

D'Andria said he thought Rihanna's performance was "kind of boring," and Goldberg agreed, calling Matt's comment "the understatement of the year."

Goldberg seems to have an issue with RiRi's crotch grab -- he wasn't the only one -- and felt like the "Bitch Better Have My Money" artist made the performance too much about herself.

Of course, Rihanna opted to do her 13-minute set at the Super Bowl without bringing out any surprise guests like other performers in the past have done.

Rihanna's SB halftime show at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ was the first time she's performed in over 6 years ... and we now know, she wasn't exactly alone up there. 👶

Goldberg, however, is a fan of Chris Stapleton, who sang the National Anthem before the Chiefs-Eagles played, applauding the singer-songwriter for doing his job "to the fullest."

Tim McCarver -- a two-time World Series champ who went on to become one of MLB's most famous broadcasters -- has sadly died.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon ... calling the baseball legend "an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known."

"All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim's impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime," the commish added. "I extend my deepest condolences to Tim's family, friends and the generations of fans who learned about our great game from him."

MLB.com reported the cause of death was heart failure. He was 81 years old.

Tim got his start in the MLB in 1959, when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a teenager. The catcher went on to become a full-time player in 1963, before he earned his first All-Star selection in 1966.

In 1967, he finished second in MVP voting -- just behind Orlando Cepeda and just ahead of Roberto Clemente.

Tim won two World Series with the Cardinals -- but eventually left the org. for Philadelphia in 1970. He went on to play for the Expos and Red Sox, before finishing his career with the Phils.

He ended his playing days after the 1980 season ... finishing with a career .271 batting average, 97 home runs and 645 RBI.

Following his playing career, McCarver became one of baseball's most popular analysts for FOX, calling games alongside Joe Buck from 1996 to 2013. Prior to his work at FOX, TM also worked for NBC, ABC and CBS.

At CBS, he famously had water thrown on him by Deion Sanders over some previous comments he had made about the two-sport star.

In 2012, McCarver was eventually given the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award. He had just retired from broadcasting last year.

Patrick Mahomes may have needed to slow down on the Coors Lights just a tad during the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday ... because he passed off the Lombardi Trophy to a fan -- and then obliviously left it!!

The hilarious blunder was all captured on video as the K.C. star was mingling with Chiefs supporters at the celebration.

You can see in the footage, the quarterback -- holding a beer and appearing to be just a bit tipsy -- was taking selfies ... when he let a fan hold Kansas City's newest hardware.

The problem? After he passed over the trophy -- he walked away, forgetting to take it back!!

Of course, the Chiefs were able to pick up after their QB right away, retrieving the Lombardi before it strayed too far ... but the entire scene was laugh-out-loud funny.

K.C. players went on to have a helluva time at the party -- and so did Mahomes' mom, Randi!!

She posted a video Wednesday showing her having a little dance-off with "Modern Family" star Eric Stonestreet ... and loving every minute of it.

Gervonta Davis has just pleaded guilty to four traffic offenses in his hit-and-run case.

The star boxer entered the pleas in a Baltimore courtroom on Thursday -- over two years after he was accused of running a red light in his Lamborghini and striking another vehicle ... before ultimately fleeing the area.

Davis pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, driving with a revoked license, running a red light, and failing to notify of property damage.

His sentencing hearing has been set for May 5.

Davis was initially hit with 14 charges in the case ... after prosecutors said he was responsible for the Nov. 5, 2020 accident in Baltimore.

Officials said a woman in the car that Davis had hit was pregnant at the time of the wreck. They accused Davis of making eye contact with her after the crash, but never offering assistance before leaving.

Despite Thursday's pleas, Davis is still facing other legal issues ... he has another court hearing slated for later this month in Florida after he allegedly roughed up a woman during a heated Dec. 27 argument.

YouTuber iShowSpeed's dream of snagging Drake on his live stream finally came true -- but it was very quickly shattered when he laid on the schmooze a little too thick for Drake's liking.

The award-winning streamer connected with Drake Wednesday night, and immediately drew 50,000 viewers as he jumped up and down with excitement and disbelief he was finally linking with the megastar rapper.

At first, Drizzy returned the gratitude ... praising iShowSpeed for amassing such a big following over the years. They also vibed on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate -- turns out they're both on the Ronaldo bandwagon.

But, then the convo fizzled as iShow started dropping a bunch of compliments on Champagne Papi -- like, "Bro, your voice is so sexy!!! How is it so smooth like that?"

That was all Drake needed to hear, because he instantly hit the big red button, which sent iShowSpeed into a pretty hilarious tantrum.

The Internet personality pleaded his case to his followers, saying he misspoke, but Drake was long gone by then.

A high school wrestling star was so hyped after winning the state championship ... he literally body-slammed his coach to the mat in a hilarious video!!

Southside H.S. (Youngsville, LA) wrestling coach Mike Stelly told his wrestlers they could slam him if any of them won a Louisiana state title ... and sure enough, after two of his wrestlers won the 'chip, they took coach for a ride!

After wrestlers Landon Reaux and Wiley Boudreaux won big-time matches (120 lbs., 138 lbs.) ... Stelly made good on his promise.

Coach, wearing a suit, was so fired up, he bounced up right off the mat after taking the vicious belly-to-belly suplex!

The wrestling move has a longstanding history in the sport ... WWE stars Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle and Bayley have all mastered the move throughout their careers.

Southside finished 7th in the overall team standings, according to NOLA.com.

Tiki Barber says Aaron Rodgers would likely struggle in New York if traded to the big city, but it's got little to do with football or the team's roster ... the Giants legend says AR couldn't handle the cold-blooded reporters!

Of course, Barber would know firsthand ... he spent 10 seasons with the G-Men in New York, where the pressure is incredibly high, and he received his fair share of criticism.

With talk of the Jets exploring the idea of trading for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Tiki isn't so sure it's a great idea.

"It just made me start to realize that if he is that sensitive, he gets upset that people, reporters, opinion makers, influencers, whoever, wanna talk about him, he is going to struggle in New York," Barber said on his show with Brandon Tierney on WFAN in NYC.

"I don't know if it's the right fit for him. I don't know if I want him in New York if this is going to be his reaction to things that don't matter."

Barber went on to say the Green Bay Packers quarterback brings the attention on himself, talking about isolation retreats and other things most people aren't accustomed to, and then gets upset when people talk about him.

"If Aaron Rodgers doesn't want people talking about him" Barber said, "He needs to stop talking!"

"We're gonna talk about it. you have to. It's our job to and for him to get offended by that, he's not gonna handle the intensity of the New York mediascape."

The New York Jets aren't the only organization interested in potentially bringing in the 4x MVP -- there are several other teams -- though, Rodgers has not even committed to playing the 2023 season.

Move over, Mel Kiper Jr. ... Taylor Lautner's now comin' in hot with the NFL draft advice -- telling TMZ Sports he wants his beloved Lions to go defense in the first round this year!!

We got the "Twilight" actor -- who's a MASSIVE Detroit fan -- out in L.A. on Wednesday ... and he made it clear, when Dan Campbell's guys get on the clock in April, he's hoping for some players who can scare the hell out of opposing offenses.

"Defense was lacking a little bit this year," the Grand Rapids, Mich. native said.

Lautner clearly knows his stuff (he has been, after all, a Lions supporter since he was a kid) -- Detroit had statistically one of the worst D's in the league in 2022 ... giving up the third-most points in the NFL, and the most yards.

The good news? The Lions have two first-round picks this year thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade with the Rams in 2021 -- and most mock drafts have them going with defenders at both picks.

In fact, in ESPN analyst Todd McShay's most recent mock on Wednesday, he had Detroit going with a Clemson pass rusher and a Georgia cornerback.

Rihanna tends to live in luxury wherever she goes -- and her week in Arizona preparing for the Super Bowl was no different, 'cause she spared no expense for her desert hideout.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... RiRi was renting a home about 30 miles from the stadium where SB LVII went down ... in the town of Paradise Valley -- and, we gotta say, it's a fitting name when ya see this place!!!

The price tag is a real eye-popper -- we're told she spent $85,000/night to stay here, and booked it for 6 nights ahead of the game ... so, about $510K more or less.

As for the crib where the multi-billionaire and her fam hunkered down ... well, it's a beaut. The house has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms over a sprawling 6,434 square feet.

It's a one-story pad, but it feels palatial when you take a peek inside.

For starters, there are 2 living rooms, as well as an open kitchen and accompanying walk-in wine cellar. There's also a private gym nook, and a separate office as well ... lots of room to spread out.

There's even more to marvel at outside -- in addition to the gorgeous courtyard seen out front, the backyard has extra perks ... like a huge pool with built-in waterfall, a pickle ball court, a bar area, big ol' barbecue grill, a freaking putting green and a bocce ball court!

It's been over three days since the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, but the party is still raging on in K.C. -- with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce dancing their faces off at a club on Wednesday night!!

The guys -- plus Brittany and Jackson Mahomes -- rolled through Mosaic in the hours after the team's parade ... and despite going strong since Sunday, they were still certainly in the party mood.

Kelce was seen on the top of a stage area, hittin' the stanky leg -- much to the crowd's delight.

Patrick, meanwhile, was spotted on top of the D.J. booth, firing up the clubgoers.

It's been a wild 72-plus hours for the guys -- after beating the Eagles in SB LVII, they've been going non-stop. The two had a blast with The Chainsmokers right after the win, then Patrick hit Disneyland. The BFFs reunited for a wild parade on Wednesday afternoon ... before meeting up again at the club.

Of course, they're used to all of it by now -- they did pretty much the exact same thing back in 2020 after beating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl ... even hitting the same K.C. nightclub!!

Jason Derulo sees big things happening for women's pro volleyball after the star musician launched a brand new volleyball franchise in Nebraska ... and the org will be part of a league founded by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow!

Derulo joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where the "Trumpets" singer broke the news, announcing his new team will play in the Pro Volleyball Federation -- a league founded in part by the star QB.

"I'm excited because volleyball is on a crazy trajectory."

The league, PVF, will launch in February 2024, and they plan to play across the country in some of the biggest arenas.

FYI, volleyball's huge in the Cornhusker state. In fact, since 2013, the University of Nebraska's squad has led the nation in attendance, even setting a record last year when nearly 16K fans packed their arena to watch a match.

That's to say, Derulo, who has 57 million followers on TikTok, wholeheartedly believes the sport is on the come up in a big way.

"It's on the way up and to be a small part in what these ladies created is pretty incredible to me. I think it's gonna change sports forever."

And, unlike in a sport such as basketball, where the men's game is more popular, women run volleyball.

"Women's volleyball is actually leading. It's not the guys this time that are leading. I'd like for real pro volleyball to be the platform that just changes women's sports forever."

FYI, Jason also teamed up with his business partner, Danny White, who is from Omaha.

"The trajectory just seems so bright," 33-year-old Derulo said, adding ... "It's just been growing year after year after year and if it continues on this path, especially with this platform, I think it can absolutely be the next big thing."

Jason says he also wants to be the owner of the team with the "happiest players in the world," saying "I wanna make sure everybody is living their dream."

Like him or don't, it's undeniable that Jake Paul can strike ... but if the Problem Child truly wants to brush up on his wrestling skills and take an MMA fight, there's a U.S. wrestling legend who tells us he's happy to train the 27-year-old star -- Bo Nickal!

Nickal is a 3x NCAA Division I wrestling champion (184 lbs. x 2, 197 lbs.) who earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series last year. On Wednesday, TMZ Sports was talking to the 27-year-old, who just signed a deal with Jake's media company, Betr (more on that soon), when we asked if he planned to train with JP.

"Oh yeah. 100 percent. I'm super excited to train with [Jake]. Not only to be able to help him out a little bit on the MMA grappling side, but also just to learn from him," Bo said, adding, "He's got a ton of experience boxing and it'd be awesome just to be able to get together and work together."

Of course, Paul, 6-0 as a boxer, recently signed a deal with PFL ... and called out Nate Diaz. Jake, a solid wrestler in high school, proposed a two-fight deal with the MMA star from Stockton ... one MMA fight and one boxing match.

As for the partnership with Paul's Betr, Bo says he and Jake have a few things up their sleeves ... including a 'UFC Embedded'-style show that'll follow Nickal as he prepares for his first proper UFC fight.

Speaking of, Bo, 3-0 in MMA, just learned when he'll be making his first non-Contender Series appearance ... and it's on a big card, UFC 285, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. Jones hasn't been in the Octagon since beating Dominick Reyes in February 2020, over three years ago.

Nickal will face MMA veteran, Jamie Pickett at middleweight (185 lbs.) in the first fight on the main card.

Bo has visions of winning a UFC title, but isn't looking past his first fight ... a scrap he intends to end with a knockout or submission, and early on in the fight.

"I think first and foremost, I plan on just focusing on one fight at a time. Taking care of business this next fight, putting on a spectacular performance. I'd like to get a first-round finish. I'm expecting to finish this guy, regardless."

"Getting a finish in my UFC debut is really most prominently on my mind."

To say Bo's pumped about the Pickett fight may be an understatement ... he's ready to go!

Prosecutors said Wednesday afternoon they are dropping the domestic violence case against former Univ. of Texas men's basketball head coach Chris Beard.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza made the announcement in a statement ... saying that after reviewing all of the facts of the case and speaking with the alleged victim, "our office has determined that the felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

A motion to dismiss the case was formally filed earlier Wednesday, Garza said.

Beard was initially hit with a charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation -- family violence ... over his alleged role in a heated confrontation with his fiancée, Randi Trew.

According to court docs, Trew said Beard hit, strangled, and bit her during a Dec. 12 argument in Austin, Texas. Police said they saw visible teeth marks and redness on her arm and an abrasion on her face and leg. They also said she had a cut on one of her thumbs.

Trew ultimately walked back the allegations in a public statement .... saying, "Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that."

She also added, "I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted."

Despite the retraction, UT fired Beard on Jan. 5.

Beard, who was 29-13 with the Longhorns after coming over from Texas Tech in 2021, was "crushed" by the decision, according to his attorney.

Jillian Michaels is not a fan of the latest weight loss trend -- celebs and millions of non-celebs using diabetes meds to slim down -- and she says actual data proves it's just not worth the risk.

The fitness guru joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and shared concerns about the diabetes drug Semaglutide -- sold as brands like Wegovy and Ozempic -- which got FDA approval in 2021 for "chronic weight management" in adults with weight-related health conditions.

Jillian tells us the injectable drug has significant side effects ranging from typical to severe ... including thyroid cancer, kidney issues and pancreatitis.

Set aside, for just a moment, the fact the diet craze  -- which folks like Chelsea Handler, Elon Musk and Michael Rubin have copped to joining -- is making it harder for diabetes patients to fill potentially lifesaving prescriptions.

But, JM says the drugs don't actually help folks achieve significant weight loss goals. She adds, the real kicker is one study shows some users regained nearly 70% of the weight they'd lost by taking the drug.

Ultimately, Jillian says you can reach achieve much more effective, long-lasting weight loss by getting active and making better dietary choices.