TMZ Sports - Page 50

The force ain't with Gina Carano anymore ... but Ben Shapiro sure is!

The former 'Mandalorian' star -- who's on the outs with LucasFilm after sharing an offensive post about Jewish people on Instagram -- announced she's signed a new movie deal with Shapiro's conservative media outlet, "The Daily Wire."

"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams -- to develop and produce my own film -- come true," Carano told Deadine.com.

"I cried out and my prayer was answered. I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same."

She adds, "They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."

Carano -- one of the first female stars in MMA -- had a booming career as an actress after leaving the cage ... booking roles in flicks like "Deadpool" and "Fast & Furious 6."

She's most famously known for playing former Rebel shock trooper Cara Dune in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian" -- but lost the role when her bosses at LucasFilm caught wind of a post comparing her perceived mistreatment of conservatives in the U.S. to the millions of Jews who were slaughtered in the Holocaust.

Shapiro -- who is Jewish -- says his company "could not be more excited to be working with Gina Carano, an incredible talent dumped by Disney and Lucasfilm for offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."

"We’re eager to bring Gina’s talent to Americans who love her, and we’re just as eager to show Hollywood that if they want to keep cancelling those who think differently, they’ll just be helping us build the Xwing to take down their Death Star."

A college basketball team in Virginia was given two options -- stop kneeling for the national anthem or face suspension ... and the players chose to kneel.

NAIA Div. II school Bluefield College was forced to forfeit Thursday's conference matchup with Reinhardt University ... after players involved in national anthem demonstrations were suspended from the team.

Here's the deal ... the BC Rams team has been kneeling for the anthem during games in January and February this year ... despite school president David Olive telling them to cut it out.

Olive decided to take matters into his own hands by unleashing the punishment this week ... saying, "The basis for my decision stemmed from my own awareness of how kneeling is perceived by some in our country, and I did not think a number of our alumni, friends, and donors of the College would view the act of kneeling during the anthem in a positive way."

"Pointing to the already fractured and divided nature of our country, I did not want Bluefield College contributing to the further divide; rather, I wanted the College to bring people together in a united effort to address issues of racial injustice," he said.

Olive says he's been speaking with the school's athletic director and the athletes about bringing awareness to social injustice in ways other than the anthem kneeling ... but felt he was left with no choice but to suspend players after it began drawing widespread media attention.

"I further told them that their intended message in bringing awareness of racial injustices was being diluted or completely lost because some saw their act of kneeling as being disrespectful to the flag, our country, and to our veterans."

He continued ... "In my opinion, their message was not being heard."

Olive presented several alternatives -- like kneeling during player intros, reading a message about combating racism before home games -- but the players refused to compromise.

Behold, the future #1 overall pick ... of a shampoo company?!?!

That's right ... Trevor Lawrence flashed insane arm talent at his Clemson Pro Day on Friday that will no doubt make him the top selection in April's NFL draft -- but his showcase also had to have hair product companies swooning!!

The 6'6", 21-year-old QB -- who normally covers up his salad with a helmet every week -- showed off his famous arm AND 'do for about an hour in front of Urban Meyer and other NFL scouts ... and the locks were seriously glorious.

Lawrence would throw a rocket down the seam, and then he'd flip the hair. He'd drop a dime on a dig -- and yup, a hair toss would come next.

It happened after nearly every throw ... and at one point during a little water break, he even got in a full-on head whip!

Of course, shampoo and hair product companies are no strangers to partnering up with NFL stars ... Patrick Mahomes and Troy Polamalu have famously been in Head & Shoulders ads for years!

So, could Lawrence add on that kind of deal on his way to being picked by Meyer's Jacksonville Jaguars in the draft??

Just when you thought the dysfunction couldn't get any worse in Houston ...

J.J. Watt -- arguably the Texans' greatest player EVER -- has just been released by the team ... this after the 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year says he asked to be let go.

Watt made the shocking announcement Friday morning ... recording a video explaining the move.

"I have sat down with the McNair family and I have asked them for my release and we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time," Watt said.

Watt, who thanked Houston fans, teammates, coaches and ownership ... added, "I'm excited and looking forward to a new opportunity."

Watt was picked in the 1st round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Texans, and he's absolutely shredded the league since.

Despite battling a myriad of injuries, Watt made 5 Pro Bowls and 5 All-Pro teams ... and recorded a staggering 101 sacks in 10 seasons.

Watt, though, has clearly grown tired of all the issues with the Texans.

The team has traded star player after star player ... and it now is in a massive beef with its MVP-caliber quarterback Deshaun Watson, who also has reportedly asked to be traded from the team this offseason.

It's unclear where Watt will land as a free agent now ... though joining up with his little brothers, T.J. Watt and Derek Watt, in Pittsburgh seems like a very possible outcome.

In fact, ESPN is reporting J.J. Watt has talked to his 2 brothers about joining them in Pittsburgh. The Steelers probably can't afford him, but it's been discussed among the Watt bros.

Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair also issued a statement ... saying, "J.J.'s impact on not only our organization, but the entire Houston community, is unlike any player in our franchise's history."

"I told J.J. earlier this week that we will forever consider him a Texan."

Story developing ...

NBA legend Bill Russell turned 87 on Friday -- and celebrated by blowing out a "small forest fire" on his birthday cake ... and the video is great!

The Hall of Famer -- who won 11 championships during his NBA career (eat your heart out Tom Brady!) -- had Shawn Kemp Jr. on standby with a fire extinguisher in case things got out of control ... but in the end, Bill handled it on his own!

With a few deep breaths, B-Russ took down all 87 candles ... and when asked how it felt to be 87, he replied, "I'll kick its ass!!"

Afterward, the Boston Celtics legend joked about the celebration.

"Whew, I made it to 87! I want to thank my wife for another amazing cake & the small forest fire upon it," Russell said.

"Thanks [Shawn Kemp Jr.] for standing by with the extinguisher just in case, next time bring a CPR kit."

Russell is one of the greatest players in NBA history -- an 11-time NBA champion, 5-time NBA MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star ... and the NBA Finals MVP Award is named after him.

WARNING: LOOK AWAY IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH!!

Portland Trailblazers star Enes Kanter took an elbow straight to the face during a game Thursday night ... and the wound was so bad, he bled all over the court!!

The wild scene all went down late in the first half of Portland's game against the Philadelphia 76ers ... when Kanter and several others were trying to lock up a rebound.

As 28-year-old Kanter lifted off the ground, his face collided with teammate Robert Covington's elbow -- and he immediately reached for his forehead in pain.

The friendly-fire strike opened up a huge gash just above Kanter's left eye ... and he had to hit the locker room right away for treatment.

The good news? The Trailblazers training staff was able to put 3 stitches in the cut ... and Kanter then returned to the game -- and helped the Blazers win, 118-114!

"The eye is good, man," Kanter said afterward, showing off the stitches and swelling. "I'm a Turkish warrior. A little cut isn't going to keep me out."

No more fans at the Australian Open ... at least for the next week.

With the number of COVID cases in the Australian state of Victoria rising to 19 -- officials decided it was best to go back into a state-wide lockdown.

Officials declared the state would return to Stage 4 restrictions on Friday -- which means Victoria will effectively be in a state of lockdown for at least 5 days in the hopes of stopping a possible spread of the virus.

As soon as the announcement was made, tournament officials began asking fans to leave the tennis courts, ASAP.

Roughly 6 million people live in Victoria -- and now they will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential activities like shopping for food, work, medical treatment, etc.

The Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, said the event will continue ... but in a bubble environment where fans will not be allowed to attend until the restrictions have been lifted.

"Play will continue, the players will compete in a bubble not dissimilar to what they've been doing for the last year," Tiley said.

"Those that will be allowed on site will be players and direct support teams, as well as staff members unable to do their work from home. ... Those essential to the delivery of the event will be on site."

Top players from all over the world had flown to Australia for the tourney -- including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal and more.

In fact, Serena had praised the country for its handling of COVID and gushed about how nice it was to play in front of crowds again.

Safety first!

LeBron James and his Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis, had a double date in L.A. on Thursday -- hitting the fancy Giorgio Baldi restaurant, while wearing their COVID masks!

The NBA superstars had the night off from the court -- so, they took their wives to dinner now that L.A. has allowed restaurants to re-open for outdoor dining.

On the way out around midnight, photogs asked both guys about everything from the Mark Cuban national anthem controversy to injury issues -- but mum was the word.

Honestly, it's just nice to see people going out to dinner again!

The Lakers -- 2nd in the Western Conference -- will take on the visiting Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center Friday night.

Good news fight fans ... Jon Jones will face the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou, so says Dana White.

The UFC honcho says Jon has made it clear that's the fight he wants -- it'll be his first fight after leaving the light heavyweight division to join the heavyweight ranks.

Stipe and Francis are set to do battle at UFC 260 in March -- and Dana tells TMZ Sports he's hoping to book the winner to fight Jones by the end of the year ... maybe even as soon as the summer.

33-year-old Jones is considered by many (including Dana) to be the greatest UFC fighter of all time -- dominating the UFC's LHW division since 2008.

There's more ... we also asked Dana about rumors Georges St-Pierre is training for a UFC comeback ... but White shut that down real fast.

"No, he's definitely not training for a UFC fight. The guy's an athlete and he loves to train, he loves to workout. I'm sure he's just staying in shape."

What about Khabib?

"Yeah, he's in Vegas. We're gonna go to dinner soon and talk. We'll get together for the last time -- well for the last time maybe as a UFC fighter or not as a UFC fighter."

So, is there a chance he takes one last fight?

"I think there's still a chance, yes."

As for Nate Diaz ... he recently told ESPN's Ariel Helwani he'd like to fight Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira in 2021. Will he get his wish?

"I honestly don't know. We gotta see how this whole thing plays out. You got Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Oliveira, Chandler, Ferguson and Conor and at #7, Rafael dos Anjos who's a bad boy too. So, we'll see how this whole thing plays out."

Dana confirms the UFC has been in touch with Diaz and he confirms "he is interested in fighting."

Yep, we also asked about Conor McGregor's future ... and Dana says a rematch with Dustin Poirier around May "makes sense" at the moment.

"We'll see if we can put that together with those two but if not, there's a million other fights we can make."

Buccaneers star OL Donovan Smith had ZERO issues with Tom Brady's boozy celebration in Tampa on Thursday ... telling TMZ Sports the QB earned every single second of it!

Brady had an absolute blast partying it up at his seventh Super Bowl title parade ... throwing the Lombardi Trophy off the back of his boat and appearing to be a little bit tipsy when he got back to land.

But, Smith says the dude deserved to party even HARDER than that if he wanted ... telling us the feat Tom accomplished by beating the Chiefs this past Sunday is just that special.

"If my man's had a couple drinks, he deserves it!" Smith says. "You feel me? We all deserve it! I wish I had one right now."

Smith says Brady cemented himself as the greatest of all-time with the SB LV win ... telling us the guy is definitely in the conversation for best athlete ever, not just NFL player.

"Seven rings -- more than any franchise has alone," Smith said of Brady. "So, he is his own franchise. He's great, man."

As for how Smith celebrated his first-ever championship ... the 27-year-old told us he's only slept a TOTAL of 10 hours since Sunday's game.

The good news, though? Smith tells us it's all been worth it and then some ... saying, "We're still living it up!"

It's GREAT to be a Super Bowl champ ... just ask Chris Godwin, who was sent a new phone less than a day after he fumbled his old one into the water in Tampa!!

You've heard the story by now ... Godwin was partying it up at the Bucs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, when somehow, his phone took a dip into the water and sank for good.

Godwin blamed teammate Scott Miller for the disaster ... saying his fellow wideout somehow was responsible for the phone's death.

Good news, though ... after Godwin reached out to Verizon to explain the issue, he says the phone company came through in the clutch in a matter of hours!!

Godwin and his GF posted pics of the 24-year-old with his new iPhone on Thursday ... with both saying they were super grateful for the speedy hook-up.

"Phone takes a dive into the river and 24 hours later, @verizon blesses me with a new one!" Godwin said. "I appreciate ya'll! S/O to the plug!"

Godwin's GF, meanwhile, said the delivery driver brought some sage advice along with the new phone ... writing on her caption, "The Fedex guy needed a signature & then said 'try not to drop this one into the water too.'"

Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso was rushed to the hospital after getting hit by a car while out cycling in Switzerland this week ... this, according to multiple reports.

The 2-time champ was out training with his team when he was hit by a vehicle near his home in Lugano, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.

Alonso's Alpine F1 team released a statement confirming the accident ... saying Alonso was "conscious and well in himself” and would have a further examination on Friday.

FYI -- Alonso spends a lot of time on the bike when he's not behind the wheel ... and frequently shares snaps of his cycling on Instagram.

X-rays showed Alonso could have suffered multiple fractures .. and it is believed he may have fractured his jaw.

The accident throws a wrench in Alonso's planned comeback -- the driver was set to make his return to F1 for the first time since 2018 ... and the season starts March 28 in Bahrain.

Jockey Chris McIver was BANNED from racing for 1 year ... after officials say he KICKED a horse twice before a recent race.

Disgusting.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission found the 33-year-old jockey "twice forcibly stomped on the hindquarter" of a horse before a race last month in Queensland, Australia.

The commission slapped McIver with a 12-month racing ban.

"The penalty must not only deter Mr McIver but must also illustrate to the racing industry that these actions are not to be tolerated," the head of the QRIC said in a statement.

Sadly, it's not the first time the jockey has allegedly abused a horse.

In April 2020, McIver was given a 7-month suspension after he was seen on video in a race smacking his horse -- Absolute Bonanza -- in the head with his whip.

The suspension for the whipping incident just ended in November ... but it didn't take the jockey long before allegedly committing another abusive offense.

McIver's suspension is due to end in early 2022.

Khloe Kardashian isn't shocked Lamar Odom's ex-fiancée is on Tristan Thompson's hook up list ... she knew already, and Tristan's tryst with Sabrina Parr happened way before they even met.

Lamar spilled the beans on Tristan's hook up with Sabrina to Wendy Williams Thursday, but he wouldn't give a timeline. The announcement had many believing it was one of the factors that led to Lamar and Sabrina's split ... and the first time that Khloe was made aware of the situation.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tristan and Sabrina hooked up nearly a decade ago, during Tristan's rookie season in the NBA. TT was 20 years old at the time and was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sabrina's hometown team.

Our sources say when Lamar and Sabrina first went public with their relationship in 2019, Tristan told Khloe about his past with Sabrina ... so Lamar's bombshell is nothing new to Khloe.

While Lamar hinted Sabrina's fling with Tristan was recent, we're told Lamar actually knew about it before Nov. 2019, when he proposed.

The Toronto Raptors better get comfortable in their new homes ... 'cause the team is officially finishing the 2021 season in Tampa due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Of course, that wasn't the original plan -- the team agreed to play the start of the season in Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic ... as Canada officials didn't want teams flying in from the U.S. and possibly spreading the virus.

At the time of the decision, there was hope things would clear up enough for the Raps to return to the 6 for the latter part of the 2021 campaign ... but that dream officially ended Thursday, with the team announcing they will play at Amalie Arena for the remainder of the season.

Team president Masai Ujiri released a statement on the decision ... saying, "Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here."

"But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again."

Dana White says Kamaru Usman is quietly becoming one of the greatest UFC fighters ever ... and this weekend, he could break one of the organization's most revered records.

The 33-year-old welterweight champion is gearing up to face his old training partner, Gilbert Burns, at UFC 258 on Saturday in a fight White is VERY excited about.

"Stylistically, this fight is awesome. I've been waiting for this fight for so long," White tells TMZ Sports.

One of the reasons for Dana's excitement?? Kamaru has a chance to make history.

"Usman is tied with George St-Pierre for consecutive UFC [welterweight] wins with 12. If he wins this weekend, he breaks GSP's record for 13. He's on a 16-fight winning streak. This guy has not lost in 7 years."

It's true, Usman chalked up his first victory in the UFC back in 2015 and hasn't lost since -- defeating stars like Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington in the process.

Now, White says Usman has a chance to solidify himself as one of the best ever.

"If he can get through Gilbert Burns on Saturday night, which is gonna be a tough fight, he's a guy that will just keep grinding and then one day we're all gonna wake up and go 'Oh wow!' We're all gonna be talking about G.O.A.T status with this guy."

Of course, Burns ain't exactly about to roll over -- he's on a 6-fight win streak and he's super motivated for what he believes is the biggest fight of his life.

"The only thing we don't know is who used to get the better of who in the gym when they use to train together. That has to have a huge mental advantage during this fight on Saturday night."

There's more ... we also asked White about Kelvin Gastelum, who's trying to stop a 3-fight losing streak when he takes on Ian Heinisch this weekend.

Could another loss lead to Kelvin getting cut from the UFC?

"Tell me that last fight Kelvin Gastelum was in that sucked?!" White said ... noting his last 3 performances (Israel Adesanya, Darren Till and Jack Hermansson) have been impressive and fun to watch, even though he didn't get the win.