TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warm-up jerseys for Pride Night on Sunday, according to a report ... citing security concerns for their Russian players after the country passed an anti-LGBTQ law making it illegal to promote "gay propaganda" in Russia.

According to the Associated Press, the Blackhawks -- who've worn Pride warmup jerseys before -- ultimately decided against wearing the jerseys this season for the April 12 celebration after consulting with security officials ... who took into account president Vladimir Putin's newly-expanded law which makes it illegal for anyone to promote gay relationships as "normal."

Of course, the Blackhawks call Chicago home ... but the team has several Russian players on the roster, including defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, who is a Moscow native. There are also players on the team with family members living in Russia.

Chicago's decision comes just days after San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer refused to participate in his team's Pride event, saying his Christian beliefs won't allow him to wear a Pride-themed jersey.

“I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow him," Reimer said. "I have no hate in my heart for anyone, and I have always strived to treat everyone that I encounter with respect and kindness.

"In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life. I strongly believe that every person has value and worth, and the LGBTQIA+ community, like all others, should be welcomed in all aspects of the game of hockey."

As for the Blackhawks, they have yet to officially announce the decision.

Tyson Fury is LIVID with Oleksandr Usyk after their fight negotiations came to a screeching halt this week ... with the heavyweight champion calling his potential opponent a "bug-eyed, gappy teeth, ugly little rat bastard" after the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

"You little slimy f***er," Fury (33-0-1) said in the scathing clip on Thursday. "Tried all week to get out of it, begging for a rematch [clause] like a little girl. You got your rematch [clause] and didn’t even want to fight at that."

Fury and Usyk (20-0) were initially slated to fight on April 29 ... but that ain't happening now, after both sides couldn't see eye-to-eye over how to handle a potential second bout.

Fury claims his team presented the best possible outcome ... but ultimately, Usyk never wanted to fight him in the first place.

"You little shithouse p***y," Fury added. "Always know, p***y, that you were never man enough to tangle with the Gypsy King ever in your life, you little s***house. You little 14-stone coward. You little s***bag, you rat little bastard."

Fury wasn't done there ... but you get the gist.

There's still hope the fight between the two undefeated boxers -- which would have been a four-belt unification bout -- can still happen ... but fans will have to wait.

Olivia Culpo's younger sib, Sophia, confirmed her relationship with NFL player Braxton Berrios went kaput ... with the model/influencer firing off a number of TikToks with her sister about living the single life.

Rumors surrounding the end of the couple were circulating for weeks ... after fans noticed the once-inseparable duo suddenly stopped appearing on each other's social media platforms.

In fact, Braxton -- who signed with the Miami Dolphins earlier this month -- elected to take his mother on a Hawaiian vacation last week ... which, no disrespect to moms across the globe, seemed like what someone would do if they didn't wanna waste a getaway trip that was already booked prior to a breakup.

Sophia addressed the speculation head-on with a number of TikToks on Wednesday ... enlisting her sister, Aurora -- who separated from her husband in early 2022 -- to help her make some post-split content for her followers.

In one video, the youngest Culpo refers to Aurora and herself as "the single sisters" ... and in the follow-up, they jokingly use audio that references mental breakdowns as they sip wine and snack while laying in bed.

If you need any more convincing, the proof is in the captions ... with hashtags like #breakuptiktok and #singlelife.

Sophia and Braxton went public with their relationship in early 2021 ... and it's unclear when the split became official, but the last time he appeared on her page was November 2022.

We take it both sides will have no problem finding love again.

Mark Cuban ripped the NBA refs who officiated his team's Wednesday night game against the Warriors, accusing the crew of screwing up a critical call in a crucial game, potentially costing the squad a win (and maybe even a playoff berth), and now his Mavs are protesting the 127-125 loss.

The call in question went down in the waning moments of the 3rd quarter at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, when Warriors center Kevon Looney had an uncontested dunk on an inbound out of a timeout because the Mavs were lined up on the wrong side of the court, which Cuban blames on the refs.

"For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened," Cuban tweeted. "The ref called Mavs ball. The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout. During the time out the official changed the call and never told us."

He continued ... "Then when they saw us line up as if it were our ball, he just gave the ball to the warriors. "Never said a word to us. They got an easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a 2-point game."

Cuban called it the "worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA," adding, "All they had to do was tell us and they didn't."

"There was quite a few people out of position," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. "It's correctable, but you first have to admit there was a mistake."

After the game, crew chief Sean Wright gave the refs side of the story, and they're saying they didn't do anything wrong.

"Initially on the floor, the original signal was in fact Golden State ball as this can be seen on video," Wright told The Athletic. "There is a second signal but that signal is for a mandatory timeout that was due to the Mavs."

And, sure enough, video seems to support what the officiating crew is saying.

Meanwhile, GSW coach Steve Kerr said he was confused when he saw the Mavs lined up on the other end of the court because he felt it was pretty clear the Warriors were getting possession of the ball.

Tom Brady appeared to react to Gisele Bündchen's recent divorce comments by sharing a mysterious quote from a famed American poet on social media -- one that referenced dealing with "the betrayal of false friends."

Brady posted a Ralph Waldo Emerson passage on his IG story Thursday morning ... some 24 hours after Gisele's comments to Vanity Fair about their breakup dropped.

The post was all about the definition of success ... and in a part of it, it said in order to win at life, ya gotta "endure the betrayal of false friends."

Of course, it also explained success means laughing a lot, appreciating beauty, leaving the world a better place and more ... but the "betrayal" line stuck out most.

Unclear if it was a response to Gisele -- who told Vanity Fair that her split from Tom was due to a myriad of issues the couple had, including his football career -- but many are interpreting it that way. And, let's be honest ... Tom's a smart guy, and he knows what people are going to think.

Brady has yet to directly comment on the interview -- but he did include three heart emojis when he shared the post.

As we reported, Brady and Gisele officially divorced in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. Bündchen has been seen in Costa Rica with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente often in wake of the split, though they've denied they're dating.

NFL free agent Foster Moreau says he has cancer ... revealing Wednesday he was diagnosed following a routine physical with New Orleans Saints team doctors earlier this month.

Moreau explained on his Twitter page that he had been down in Louisiana talking with New Orleans brass about potentially signing on for the 2023 season ... when Saints medical personnel discovered he had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks the body's immune system.

The former Las Vegas Raiders tight end called the news "life changing" ... and he said he will now have to step away from football to fight the disease.

The 25-year-old, though, vowed to beat it ... writing in his statement, "I'll go kick this thing's ass and get back to doing what I love!"

The news sucks for Moreau ... the former fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft had just played out his entire rookie contract, and seemed to be in line for a big payday in free agency.

But, he appeared upbeat in his social media statement nonetheless ... telling all of his fans he has a huge support group that'll help him on his road to recovery.

Get well soon, Foster.

There was clearly no love lost for Ja Morant in Memphis during his recent suspension ... 'cause the second he returned to action for the Grizzlies, he was greeted with a massive standing ovation.

Ja -- after sitting out nearly the entire month of March for posting a video that showed him brandishing a gun at a Colorado gentleman's club -- made his long-awaited return to the NBA hardwood on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets ... and the crowd went crazy after seeing him.

He came off the bench with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter ... and the nearly 18,000 fans at FedExForum in Memphis got on their feet to show they still supported him.

And, it didn't take long for the star point guard to give them more to cheer about -- minutes after he checked into the game, he dunked all over Houston's Kenyon Martin Jr.

Some of Ja's family was in attendance for the big night -- including his father, Tee, who wore a sweatshirt with an image of Morant and the word "Redemption."

Morant ultimately played 23 minutes in the game, scoring 17 points ... helping lead Memphis to a 130-125 victory.

At least one person believes in Cam Newton after his Pro Day workout this week ... Auburn wideout Shedrick Jackson, who caught passes from the QB during the sweat sesh, tells TMZ Sports he thinks the dude can definitely still get after it in the NFL.

Newton made a surprise appearance at the Tigers' showcase on Tuesday ... in an effort to restart his pro football career after not playing in the 2022 season.

The 33-year-old threw around 30 passes in front of NFL scouts, rolling out for some while standing in the pocket for others, and afterward, some on the scene seemed to see it as a bit of a mixed bag.

But, when we talked to Jackson on Wednesday -- he appeared to be convinced Newton could help out an NFL team this season.

"He's done it before at a high level in college and in the pros," the Auburn wideout said, "so, I think he still has it."

Jackson -- the nephew of NFL legend Bo Jackson -- said he was particularly impressed by the touch on Newton's footballs.

Belal Muhammad adamantly believes he, NOT Colby Covington, is the fighter most deserving of a title shot vs. Leon Edwards ... and the UFC star says he's willing to prove it in The Octagon!

"I would love to punch Colby in the face. I would love to go out there, let's do it. You think you're the best in the world? You think you're the number one contender, come and get it from me. I'm the rightful number one contender, who the world thinks is the number one contender," 34-year-old Belal told TMZ Sports.

Of course, Dana White wasted no time tapping 35-year-old Covington, the #2-ranked welterweight, as Edwards' next opponent during his post-UFC 286 media session, saying "[Colby] deserves the fight."

The revelation was met almost immediately with outrage from Covington's critics, who point out he's just 2-2 over his last four fights, including two losses to Kamaru.

Meanwhile, Muhammad, ranked fourth in the division, hasn't lost since facing Geoff Neal in January 2019. Throwing out a no contest against a pre-champion Edwards after an inadvertent eye poke, Belal's riding an eight-fight win streak.

During the run, BM beat Demian Maia, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, Vicente Luque, and then-undefeated rising star, Sean Brady, who Muhammad handed his first pro loss.

FYI, Usman is the #1 ranked WW, but obviously isn't getting an immediate rematch. After Colby comes Khamzat Chimaev, the #3 ranked WW. Then Belal. The rankings then go ... Gilbert Burns at five, and Shavkat Rakhmonov at six (more on him in a moment).

Belal believes the work he's done in the cage should warrant him the opportunity to fight for the championship.

"Bro, I don't think there's nobody that doesn't think that I actually deserve, like if they truly look in their hearts, and if they have an IQ, they'll know that I'm the true number one contender.  I'm the true guy that's earned it."

Muhammad continued ... "I put the work in. I put the time in. I fought every single person they put in front of me. I fought backward my last one when I didn't want to, and they forced me to, and I still beat this undefeated kid [Brady], and it was by finish. To get a finish like that, I figured it was 100% gonna happen."

Then, it came as no surprise when we asked Belal about Shavkat's impressive win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285 ... and while he was very complimentary of the Kazakh fighter, he made it clear he's not looking to fight a guy below him in the rankings.

"Why am I gonna have to fight downward again to fight another hot prospect? It really doesn't make any sense. Why am I the only guy fighting backward when there's guys ahead of me that aren't fighting at all?"

Snowboarding stars Shaun White and Toby Miller took a break from shredding the gnar to share their knowledge with a newbie this week -- Finneas -- and by looking at footage of the lessons, he didn't suck!!

The singer-songwriter/Billie Eilish's older bro and his actress girlfriend, Claudia Sulewski, hit the slopes with The Flying Tomato and his girlfriend, Nina Dobrev, while in Aspen this week to celebrate the one year anniversary of Shaun's snowboard company, Whitespace ... and it looked like a helluva time.

The "Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa" crooner only posted one clip from the training session, but he was able to keep his balance as he made his way down a gradual decline ... with Miller spotting him from behind.

"Very ridiculous that my first time snowboarding ever I got to learn from Shaun White and Toby Miller but I am not complaining!!!" Finneas said on Instagram.

No word on if it was Claudia's first time as well ... but she also appeared to be in great spirits throughout the trip.

Finneas has a ton of Grammys and other awards in his trophy case ... but is an X Games medal next??

Johnny Manziel got a little extra sun protection at the beach on Wednesday courtesy of a bird ... who dropped a giant load all over his head while he was just lounging around!!

The hysterical moment happened just minutes ago while the former Heisman Trophy winner was soaking in some rays in Miami with his girlfriend, Kenzie Werner.

In video that Werner (thankfully!!!) shared on her social media page, you can see Manziel got crapped on ... and then was absolutely flummoxed over what had just happened.

"Is that s*** on my head?!" he asked.

Werner, like the rest of us, was laughing way too hard to answer.

"If you don't get that camera out of my face," he said with a huge grin, "and get it off me, Kenzie, I'm going to wipe it on your f***ing whole body!!"

It appears Werner eventually helped out her man -- but not before she took a photo to memorialize the situation, which she fittingly captioned, "My poopy boy."

Don't worry, Manziel ended up not being upset about it at all ... he was heard laughing in some of Werner's vids later.

Of course, with a view like this one at a beach in Florida ... how could ya possibly be pissed over a little bird poop?!?

Carlos Boozer's son, Cameron, is off to a great start when it comes to following his NBA father's footsteps ... 'cause the Florida hoops star just won the Gatorade Player of the Year!!

... as a sophomore!!!

The sports drink giant broke the news on Wednesday ... saying the 6'9", 215-pound forward is the recipient of the most prestigious high school hoops honors in the nation -- and he's the first from Christopher Columbus H.S.

Miami Heat star Kevin Love -- who won the award in 2007 -- surprised Cameron with his trophy in front of his teammates and coaches at the Florida school gym.

FYI, Cameron thought he was getting sized for his Class 7A state championship ring ... so he was in complete shock when the former NBA champ rolled through.

"I couldn't find a sample ring, but I could find some new hardware -- the 2023 Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year," Love said while handing over the trophy.

Cameron was extra hyped -- and so was his father, Carlos -- who shared the clip on his Instagram, saying in the caption, "Congratulations @cameron_boozer_12 So Proud Of You!!!"

Carlos has a lot to be proud of -- Cameron is the #1-ranked player in the 2025 basketball recruiting class ... and averaged 21.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2 blocks per game this past season.

He led the Explorers to their second-consecutive state title and has received offers from top basketball schools, including his father's alma mater, Duke.

Outside of basketball, Cameron is an excellent student ... and currently has a 4.81 GPA.

Of course, Cameron has basketball in his DNA -- his father was named McDonald's All-American, won the 2011 NCAA championship with the Blue Devils, and had a successful 13-year career in the NBA. He played for the Cavs, Jazz, Bulls and Lakers.

When it comes to player of the year in girls' basketball, Sierra Canyon High School's Juju Watkins was named the winner, and the 6'2" senior guard -- who will be playing at USC this fall -- was surprised by Candace Parker last week.

Patrick Beverley is channeling his inner Rocky Balboa during the NBA season ... admitting he has ZERO sex the night before games -- 'cause he wants to keep his legs fresh!!

The Chicago Bulls guard revealed his routine on Barstool Sports' 'Pat Bev' podcast this week ... when his cohost, Rone, brought up how Larsa Pippen claimed she and Scottie used to have sex four times a night during their 23-year marriage -- and asked Pat how much bangin' is too much bangin'.

That's when Pat opened up on his own sex life ... saying, "So I don’t have sex night[s] before games."

As it turns out, Pat agrees with the superstition Rocky learned from his old trainer, Mick, in the classic boxing movies ... 'cause he wants to make sure he's 100% for tipoff.

"I wanna have fresh [legs], you know what I’m saying?" he added.

Beverley admits his wife, Mandana Bolourchi, isn't too crazy about the idea ... but at the end of the day, he's sticking to his guns.

"Wifey gonna kill me, though," Pat said. "It be hard, though, because you got games every other day and s***. Shoutout to [the] wifey, man."

Beverley's strategy seems to be working ... 'cause he's been playing well after joining the Bulls in February, and they've racked up solid wins as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.

Buddy Hield has just been fined $25,000 by the NBA ... and it's all 'cause he flipped off someone during the Pacers vs. Hornets game on Monday night.

League Exec Joe Dumars announced the punishment for the Indiana star on Wednesday afternoon ... after he was spotted shootin' the bird not once, but twice while on his team's bench.

The incident occurred with 11:30 left in the second quarter of the game ... as Hield was sitting next to Tyrese Haliburton.

Cameras showed Buddy appeared to be locked in on something ... before he discreetly tried to flash his left middle finger. Eventually, he just let the single-barrel salute fly.

Unclear who Hield was flipping off or what caused him to make the gesture ... but he seemed to crack a sly smile in the video, so it's possible it was all in jest.

Daniel Vogelbach's mom ain't gonna be too happy about this ... right after a groundout Wednesday, the Mets DH let an F-bomb fly -- and it was so loud, hot mics actually picked it up on the game's broadcast!!

The whole scene was actually pretty funny -- well, for everyone except Vogelbach -- because after the 30-year-old got thrown out at first base in the sixth inning of NY's spring training game against Houston despite a sharply hit ball, he screamed, "I can't buy a f***ing hit!"

Cameras then captured him walking off the diamond completely defeated.

Obviously, there won't be any punishment for Vogelbach -- that is, if Momma lets this one slide -- but being caught cussin' on live TV hasn't always been the best look.

Then again, letting out some frustration seemed to help wake up his bat -- 'cause just two innings later, he singled to right center, bustin' out of a mini-slump.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is cracking down on Crypto companies ... and some big-name celebs -- including Jake Paul, Lindsay Lohan and Soulja Boy -- who praised the currency companies while getting paid without disclosing it ... and they've agreed to cough up some dough to make it all go away.

Jake and Lindsay are among the celebs named in the SEC's filings Wednesday ... they're charged with illegally touting Tronix and BitTorrent. Others charged include Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Austin Mahone, Kendra Lust and Akon.

The SEC says these celebs failed to disclose they were getting paid for promoting these companies.

Almost all of the celebs agreed to pay a total of $400K to settle the charges.