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Heartwarming moment in the NBA on Tuesday ... Giannis Antetokounmpo hand-delivered his kicks to an 8-year-old fan who was celebrating a birthday -- and the gesture was AWESOME.

It all went down after the Milwaukee Bucks finished beating the Orlando Magic ... when the Greek Freak noticed a kid with a really cool sign.

"Giannis," the big note read. "Today is my 8th birthday. Wanna trade shoes?"

Antetokounmpo raced up several rows at the Fiserv Forum to hand off his sneakers -- and the little boy was pumped!!

Check out the footage ... the kid could barely hold Giannis' size 16 Nike Zoom Freak 2s -- they were damn near as big as his body!!

Of course, Giannis didn't take the kid's shoes in the deal ... so, total win-win for the fan, right??

The gesture is not unusual for the 26-year-old, two-time MVP ... he's been known to give out game-used stuff to young fans following games no questions asked.

Michael Jordan is still so torn up over losing Kobe Bryant ... he says he can't bring himself to erase the final text messages he received from the Lakers legend just days before his death.

The NBA's G.O.A.T. revealed this week his last talks with Bryant went down on Dec. 8, 2019 ... just 49 days before Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash.

Jordan told ESPN's Jackie MacMullen the convo was simple ... Kobe complimented his new tequila, asked about his family, and commented on coaching Gianna's girl's basketball team.

"This tequila is awesome," Jordan said Kobe texted after he had sent over a bottle.

"Thank you, my brother," Jordan says he responded.

"Yes, sir. Family good?" Kobe replied.

"All good. Yours?"

"All good."

Jordan continued ... "Happy holidays, and hope to catch up soon. Coach Kobe??!"

"Ah, back at you, man," MJ says Kobe wrote back. "Hey, coach, I'm sitting on the bench right now, and we're blowing this team out. 45-8."

Jordan says the messages -- particularly the one about dominating with Gianna's team -- mean a lot to him -- explaining, "I just love that text because it shows Kobe's competitive nature."

Jordan added, "I don't know why, but I just can't delete it."

As we previously reported, Jordan was picked by Vanessa Bryant to present Kobe at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies this Saturday in Massachusetts.

Jordan says the honor is huge -- and he promised he'd be emotional remembering his good friend during the evening.

"It's like standing up for a family member," Jordan said. "He paid me the highest respect by trying to emulate certain things I did."

Lamar Odom is looking GOOOOOOOD ... new sparring footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows the ex-NBA star is really getting the hang of boxing ahead of his bout with Aaron Carter.

The 41-year-old has been training like a mad man for his June 11 Celebrity Boxing tilt against the pop singer at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City ... and it's clear the former hooper has hands!!

Check out the footage ... Odom -- who by the way is looking svelte and in shape -- is stringing together combos and moving around the canvas like a pro.

The power might not be there just yet -- but, hey, it's still a month away from fight night!!

As for Aaron, he's been taking the scrap seriously too ... getting in training sessions constantly and hitting the mitts as well.

In fact, we've also obtained some clips from one of Carter's recent sparring sessions ... and he ain't looking half bad either!!

We know ... it's not exactly Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury here -- but the event is still shaping up to be some must-see TV.

Plus, we're told Ice-T will be on the broadcast providing color commentary!!

Urban Meyer says Tim Tebow looked SO good during his recent tryout with the Jaguars, his staff told him the former Heisman Trophy winner "looks like he's 18 years old!!"

The new Jacksonville headman revealed the inside info to Cris Collinsworth this week ... saying Tim absolutely blew the doors off of his recent workouts with Meyer's assistants.

"He was in the best shape of his life and asked to see if he could work out with a couple of our coaches," Meyer said of Tebow.

"I wasn't even there. And they came back to me and said, 'Wow, this guy's in incredible shape.'"

Meyer says his staff actually worked out Tebow multiple times in recent weeks ... and afterward, each time, they could not stop complimenting the ex-quarterback.

"They come in and they said, 'Wow. You know, this guy's ball skills,'" Meyer said. "'He's a great athlete. He looks like he's 18 years old, not whatever he is, 33.'"

Urban says the team has still NOT yet made a decision on whether they'll sign him to a deal ... though reading the tea leaves here sure makes it seem like Tim's reported 1-year contract will be official sooner rather than later.

"I said, 'Guys, you don't understand,'" Urban said. "'Now this guy is -- he's the most competitive maniac you're ever going to talk to. And let's give it a shot.'"

Wayne Gretzky's California mansion has a new owner (again) -- the Great One just sold his awesome pad (again) for $17.6 million ... resulting in a whoppin' $4 million straight to his pocket!!

As we previously reported, the hockey legend listed the Thousand Oaks property for $23 million back in October 2020 ... marking the second time he put the mansion on the market.

Of course, the history behind this gem is a bit wild, so follow along:

Gretzky built the 6-bedroom, 8-bathroom house back in 2002 ... and sold it to ex-MLB star Lenny Dykstra 5 years later.

But, Lenny's time with the baller crib came to an end after he filed for bankruptcy in 2009 ... with the home going to a new owner at a foreclosure auction in 2010.

Gretzky turned around and re-bought the insane mansion in 2013 for $13.5 million ... before deciding to move on from the 13,300-square-foot estate for good this month for $17.6 million, according to reports.

The lucky buyers -- Eric and Joanna Miller -- are getting all the bells and whistles -- a screening room, gym, game room, office, championship tennis court, outdoor entertainment area, wood-burning pizza oven, wood and gas barbecue, and formal gardens, according to the listing from Arvin Haddadzadeh of The Agency.

"In order to eradicate anti-Blackness, we must also abolish the police" -- Colin Kaepernick.

That's the core message of a new book being published by the NFL quarterback -- who's arguing for the abolition of policing and prisons.

The book -- titled "Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons" -- is set to drop in October and features 30 essays, including one from Colin himself.

Colin also served as editor on the project -- which we're told will be available in hard copy, audio book and e-book.

“The omnipresent threat of premature death at the hands, knees, chokeholds, tasers, and guns of law enforcement has only further engrained its anti-Black foundation into the institutions of policing," Kaepernick states.

"In order to eradicate anti-Blackness, we must also abolish the police. The abolition of one without the other is impossible."

One person familiar with the book says the conversation Colin wants to have with his readers is essentially this ... how do we reimagine and reenvision keeping communities safe without a militarized police presence?

Of course, Colin first took a knee during the national anthem back in 2016 to shine a spotlight on racial injustice and police brutality ... particularly in regards to incidents affecting the Black community.

Just hours after knocking out his opponent at Bellator 258 on Friday ... Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was arrested -- and cops say it's all 'cause the MMA star is an identity thief.

According to police records, Johnson had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from an incident in 2019 in which he allegedly used someone's credit card without their permission to purchase a flight.

Cops say Johnson illegally bought a round-trip ticket from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Newark, NJ with the card.

So, when 37-year-old Johnson was in Connecticut on Friday for his fight at Mohegan Sun Arena against Jose Augusto -- cops nabbed him shortly after he scored the big knockout victory.

Records show New Canaan Police Dept officers put Johnson in custody at the arena and then transported him to headquarters for processing -- where he took a mug shot.

Johnson was booked on several charges, including identity theft, and was later released on $500 bond. He's due in court in June for a hearing in the case.

Rumble's fight against Augusto was his first pro bout since 2017 -- and it was an impressive win for him, considering the long layoff and the fact that he was knocked down in the 1st round.

Prior to the arrest, Johnson had been looking to become a big star in Bellator after a long and successful career with the UFC that included wins over guys like Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira.

Colt Brennan -- a former NFL quarterback who was a superstar in college -- has died. He was only 37 years old.

TMZ Sports has confirmed Brennan was in Southern California at the time of his death -- though the cause has not been revealed. We're working on it. Hawaii News Now broke the story.

Brennan was a star QB in high school, backing up Matt Leinart at Mater Dei.

But, he really broke out at the University of Hawaii where he developed into one of the best college QBs in the country.

In fact, Brennan finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2007 -- when he completed 359 passes for more than 4,300 yards and 38 TDs.

Dude balled out that year.

Brennan was selected in the 6th round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team but never really caught on.

He had a quick stint with the Raiders before bouncing to the Canadian Football League ... followed by a short stint with the L.A. Kiss of the Arena Football League.

Just last month, Brennan wrote a detailed IG post reflecting on his life ... addressing a sexual misconduct allegation during his time at the University of Colorado (before he went to Hawaii).

Brennan was accused of exposing himself to a female student during a drunken bender.

Brennan denied the allegation -- though he was eventually convicted of felony burglary and trespassing and spent a week in jail.

Brennan was ordered to take a lie detector test about the sexual misconduct which he "passed."

He was also involved in a bad car accident (2010) and later arrested for DUI (2012 and 2019) -- all of which he addressed in his April 12 post.

"I’ve been through a lot in my life. I was a convicted felon for a crime I never committed, (passed polygraph and all). I captured every dream I had as a child."

"I was drafted into the league only to have 2 knee and 2 hip surgeries. I reached my 3rd year in the NFL, only to awake from a coma with traumatic brain injury as a passenger in a car accident."

Brennan continued, "I battled drug and alcohol abuse, and eventually developed blood clots years after the car accident."

"I spent 9 months in the hospital and for the last 2 1/2 years have been trying to learn how to walk again with a broken heart."

"I found redemption once, I will find it again. They say: 'Some people are just born to fight, and it’s not their born brave or born strong. It’s just that the Universe decided that this one, this one will have the grit and fire, and the steel in their blood. They will be tested this cosmic mettle of theirs. They will face trial after trial, be broken and damaged in countless ways, but this one was born to fight.'"

Novak Djokovic lost his cool on the court in a BIG way Tuesday ... going off on an umpire in an epic meltdown -- and the entire tantrum was captured on video.

It all went down at the Italian Open in Rome, when Djokovic got upset with an umpire for letting his match with Taylor Fritz go on despite heavy rain.

In video from the court, Djokovic can be heard exploding on the ump ... "How much more do you want to play?!"

Novak was fuming over the clay court's conditions under the falling rain ... and when the ump responded, "I want to check the court," Djokovic continued to yell.

"I asked you three times!" the world's #1-ranked tennis player said. "You're not checking anything!"

The two exchanged more words ... before Djokovic ultimately walked off the court and sought cover in the tunnel area.

The match was eventually suspended due to the weather a few minutes later.

Of course, this is far from Djokovic's first outburst on the court ... just three months ago at the Australian Open, he demolished his racket after botching a play.

And, just a few months before that, he was DQ'ed from the U.S. Open for angrily hitting a ball that struck a lineswoman in the head.

Martin Lawrence's love for the Detroit Pistons has come full circle ... with a new line of merch honoring his hit '90s sitcom!!!

The NBA team's had a rough season -- it's currently dead last in the Eastern Conference -- but its collab with "Martin" should help it go out on a high note.

Nearly 29 years after the iconic show premiered with the city of Detroit as a backdrop ... Lawrence is teaming up with the Pistons for this limited-edition clothing line including jerseys, hats, shorts, sweatshirts, T-shirts and more.

As you can see ... the merch -- available Friday exclusively on Pistons313shop.com -- features the famed "Martin" intro text along with hilarious quotes and call-backs to the show mashed up with a Pistons hoops aesthetic.

The comedian says ... "Detroit has always shown me so much love and always shows up for me. From stand-up tours to fans on the street Detroit has felt like home. It’s an honor to be part of something that means so much to me to this many years later."

Golden State Warriors wing Kent Bazemore is waving the white flag in his public beef with Bradley Beal ... saying his comment about the Wizards superstar's injury wasn't supposed to start a massive social media war.

Bazemore had referenced Beal's recent hammy injury while praising Stephen Curry's quest for the scoring title earlier this week ... saying, "We got guys hurting hamstrings to keep up."

Beal -- who's currently second in the scoring race behind Curry -- UNLEASHED on Bazemore for his comments, with the 27-year-old calling the Dubs role player a "straight lame" and other brutal jabs on Twitter.

It got so bad, even Beal's wife, Kamiah, got in on it ... saying, "I just don’t understand why someone who can’t even compete with my 2.5 year old son in basketball would fix his MOUF to say some trash ass s*** like he did."

Baze -- who averages 8 points, 3 rebounds and nearly 2 assists in his career -- was asked about the feud after the Warriors' 119-116 win over the Jazz on Monday ... and he claimed the fallout from his words "got out of hand."

"I guess you can’t joke anymore, but man, whatever," Bazemore told reporters. "I don’t know, man. I feel like I am a pretty light-hearted guy. I stay in my own lane."

"I don’t say things and ruffle feathers, but, hey, man, it's just ... if you want to know where my loyalty is, it's with SC30. Anybody out there chasing him is going to be tough, whatever."

He added ... "It kind of got out of hand. I haven’t checked my phone all day until after the game. It’s kind of blowing up. But I don’t get involved in crap, man."

No word on if Beal is buying Bazemore's clarification ... but don't hold your breath.

As for the scoring race, Steph currently has 31.9 points per game, while Beal has 31.4 ... and the regular season ends in 5 days.

Bob Baffert believes he's figured out why his Kentucky Derby-winning horse Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance ... and it all may stem from a case of dermatitis.

As we previously reported, Medina Spirit was popped for betamethasone in a post-race test ... begging the question, did Baffert cheat to win?

Bob issued a new statement Tuesday morning explaining why he believes MS tested positive ... and insists it has NOTHING to do with cheating.

Baffert says Medina Spirit developed a skin condition called dermatitis following the Santa Anita Derby back in April ... so he took the horse to a vet to get checked out.

Bob says the vet "recommended the use of an anti-fungal ointment called Otomax. The veterinary recommendation was to apply this ointment daily to give the horse relief, help heal the dermatitis, and prevent it from spreading."

Bob says his barn followed the recommendation and Medina Spirit was treated with the medication "once a day up until the day before the Kentucky Derby."

But here's the rub ...

"Yesterday, I was informed that one of the substances in Otomax is betamethasone."

"While we do not know definitively that this was the source of the alleged 21 picograms founds in Medina Spirit's post-race blood sample, and our investigation is continuing, I have been told by equine pharmacology experts that this could explain the test results."

In other words, Bob now seems to open to the fact he may have unwittingly given his horse a banned substance.

Question is ... shouldn't a legendary, experienced trainer know if there's a banned substance in medication before administering it?

Pro athletes in other sports are responsible for what they put in their bodies ... so shouldn't horse trainers share the same burden?

Chicago Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley was forced to issue a mea culpa on-air Monday night ... just minutes after he made a crass remark about suicide.

The scene all went down during the broadcast of Chicago's game against the Dallas Stars ... when Foley was trying to make a joke about the Blackhawks' grueling travel schedule amid the NHL's COVID-19 restrictions and regulations.

“Had I been traveling with the team this year," Foley said mid-broadcast, "I might have put a bullet in my head."

Yeah, not great.

The backlash to the comments was swift ... viewers weighed in all over social media, trashing Foley for the comments -- and it didn't take long for the play-by-play man to issue an apology.

"I wish I didn’t say that," said Foley, who's been broadcasting Blackhawks games since the early 1980s. "I'm sorry if I offended some folks. Apparently I did, so I apologize."

This is not the first time Foley's had to walk back some insensitive comments ... back in 2019 during a Blackhawks exhibition game, he famously tried to make a joke about a player with an ethnic last name.

"Ortega, who sounds like he ought to be a shortstop," said Foley, who issued an apology after those remarks as well.

The best wide receiver in the NFL could be the best at the breakfast game now too ... 'cause TMZ Sports has confirmed DeAndre Hopkins is getting his own cereal box!!!

... and, it's all for a great cause!!

Troy Witt, a rep for PLB Sports & Entertainment (the same people who helped create Flutie Flakes!), tells us the company is in the process of launching a cereal for the Cardinals star called "DeAndre's HOP BOX."

The sweet treat will be Honey Nut Cheerios style ... and will release online and in local Arizona Fry's grocery stores sometime in August.

But, the best part of it? Witt tells us a portion of the proceeds from the cereal will go toward the S.M.O.O.O.T.H. Foundation, a charity set up by DeAndre and his mom, Sabrina Greenlee, to help survivors of domestic violence.

"DHop's Hop Box will be unlike any athlete cereal before it," Witt says. "DeAndre helped curate this box in a way that only he can by blending football, fashion, and family. We’re proud to be working with him!”

We're told the cover of the box will feature Hopkins, while one of the side panels will have a nod to DeAndre's famous TD celebrations with his mother.

Witt says the back of the box, meanwhile, will feature a color-in style design that fans can win autographs and more from for unique creations.

History was made on the NHL ice Monday night ... the Tampa Bay Lightning started an all-Black line, and it's believed to be the first time an NHL team has EVER done that.

Daniel Walcott, Gemel Smith and Mathieu Joseph -- who are all Black -- started at the center and wing spots for TB in their game against the Panthers ... and the scene was awesome.

The trio logged a ton of ice time -- all 3 dudes played over 10 minutes each in the contest -- and they were praised by the Lightning broadcast team for their efforts in the game.

"There's another look at Daniel Walcott, playing with Mathieu Joseph and Gemel Smith," Lightning play-by-play man Dave Randorf said in the 2nd period.

"First time ever in NHL history they have started an all-Black line in this league. A big, historic moment tonight for sure."

Walcott and Smith aren't regulars on the Lightning roster -- Smith has played sparingly this season and Walcott was playing in his 1st-ever NHL game -- but Mathieu was SUPER fired up to have gotten the start with the guys nonetheless.

"Honestly, it was pretty awesome," Joseph said ... adding, "I think it’s a step in the right direction and obviously you got to thank the coaching staff for that, it was their call."

"But, it was definitely fun to have some progress and clearly it's a process over this, but seeing that, and I don’t know if it was the first, but I think it was great to see and I’m glad I was part of it."

The Lightning wasn't able to get the win -- they dropped the contest 4-0 ... though Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was certainly pleased with his starting group's effort.

"They deserve to be here and have worked their tails off," the coach said of the three. "To have them all together, they had a little chemistry. Moving forward in the league, you hope it isn't a story anymore and will be the norm. It was a pretty cool moment for all those guys."

Added Walcott, "Coop did something really special here to promote this for young kids."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez didn't just rekindle their romance within the last 2 weeks, instead, it's been building since February ... when he started flooding her with emails while she was filming in the Dominican Republic.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ben and J Lo were in very regular contact by email starting in early February when she flew to the Caribbean to begin filming "Shotgun Wedding." We're told the tone of the emails wasn't just friendly ... but more loving and longing for Jen.

For instance, after seeing pics of Jennifer in the D.R., he wrote to tell her how beautiful she looked, and how much he wished he could be down there with her. Of course, he was busy at the time in Boston, shooting "The Tender Bar" with George Clooney -- and she was still engaged to Alex Rodriguez.

Our sources say the emails also referenced J Lo's love for Ben's writing, and included a line about him being able to "own her heart" with his pen.

We're told they continued emailing each other, back and forth, for the duration of J Lo's shoot ... which wrapped in late April.

As far as our sources know, there was no physical contact or rendezvous between them during this time, but the emails do add context to how they seemingly got together so quickly.

Remember, they were together in L.A. -- very publicly -- on the first weekend in May ... just 2 weeks after Jen and A-Rod called off their engagement.

Folks in Ben and Jennifer's world said they had always maintained a friendship since splitting up in 2004. However, as we first told you, they were together again in Montana this past weekend.

One more clue the exes have been in close contact for some time came with InStyle Magazine's recent J Lo cover story. It included a quote from Ben gushing about his ex-fiancee, saying in part ... "She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves."

That story did not include a quote from Jen's then-fiance, A-Rod.