TMZ Sports - Page 5

LeBron James is fuming over the Joel Embiid knee injury news -- slamming all the talking heads who criticized the Sixers star for missing games ... and calling on them to admit they were wrong.

The reigning MVP suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee during Philly's game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday ... and it was later announced he'd be sidelined at least through the weekend as the team figures out how to treat the ailment.

29-year-old Embiid had missed multiple games due to soreness in that same knee ... and at the time, several analysts ripped him and questioned the legitimacy behind his reason for sitting.

Now that Embiid is out an undisclosed amount of time and at risk of missing out on MVP contention due to the league's requirements for award eligibility ... LeBron is shining a light on the folks who had it completely wrong.

King James went to social media to voice his frustrations ... saying, "Where are all the media outlets, tv media personalities, hot takes that talked so much 💩 about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with."

"Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on tv or their dumbass podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability 🗑️🗑️🗑️"

Embiid has played in 34 games so far this season ... and if he misses four more contests, he will lose his shot at top league honors -- despite averaging 35 points, 11 rebounds and nearly six assists.

February's highly anticipated heavyweight clash between champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is OFF ... after The Gypsy King suffered a deep cut above his eye, forcing him to pull out of the fight.

"I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition. I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed," Fury said.

Tyson continued, even saying sorry to Oleksandr and his people.

"I can only apologize to everyone affected including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners, and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

It's especially a bummer for Fury 'cause he'd been training so hard for the fight ... and had his body looking better than it has in years. In fact, he's noticeably leaner now than when he fought Francis Ngannou in October 2023.

If you're a boxing fan, there's a good chance you were pumped for the upcoming bout, originally scheduled to go down on February 17 in Saudi Arabia ... until this morning's sparring sesh.

The deep cut is very close to where Fury was split open while fighting Otto Wallin in 2019 ... nearly forcing that fight to be stopped. It's unclear if that played a part in today's cut ... as scar tissue can make a fighter more apt to sustaining cuts.

A rep for Fury said the eye required immediate medical attention, including stitches, to close up the wound.

It's unclear how long Tyson will need to heal up ... but several reports indicate Usyk may not want to wait, and will instead seek out another opponent to step in on short notice.

Michael Bublé was seemingly feeling too good during NHL All-Star Weekend festivities on Thursday ... and he's chalking it all up to taking way more mushrooms than he signed up for.

The 48-year-old Canadian musician -- who's a celebrity captain for the All-Star Game -- spoke with the media following the Player Draft at Scotiabank Arena ... and as he fielded questions, he abruptly claimed he was spaced out on psychedelics.

"My buddy told me, this is just a microdose of mushrooms and he was LYING," Bublé said ... adding the drugs made him feel like he was in a Will Ferrell movie.

"So, I’ll be honest, I thought I was in 'Blades of Glory' for most of the time that I was out there, until it sort of settled down and then I realized, 'Holy s***, I am in the NHL All-Star Game."

Actor Will Arnett -- who was up onstage with Bublé -- took it all in stride ... and the two joked his admission lost him a lot of endorsement money.

Despite the hilarious moment, Bublé later backtracked on his statement at dinner after his All-Star appearance ... saying the whole thing was an attempt to be funny.

"It was a joke," Bublé said alongside YouTuber Steve Dangle. "Of course I wasn’t [on mushrooms]! I'm sitting here at dinner. I do have a problem with bread. When I get anxious, I can’t stop eating it. But no, not mushrooms."

It was an emotional night in NYC ... not only did the Knicks, beat up and all, win their 9th straight game, but Jalen Brunson was selected for his first All-Star game -- and it brought him, and even some fans, to tears!

The announcement was made on Thursday ahead of the Pacers vs. Knicks game at Madison Square Garden ... the 27-year-old guard was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

It's Brunson's first-ever All-Star nod ... and after the 6'2" guard dropped 40 in a NYK dub, once again proving he's an elite player, Jalen was asked about the special night.

That's when Knicks fans started chanting "MVP" ... and Brunson was overwhelmed with emotion.

"I mean," Brunson started saying while holding back tears, "I got nothin' to say."

The Knicks and Brunson's family, including his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, also made a congratulatory video for Jalen.

The MVP chants and All-Star selection are well deserved. Brunson -- who signed with the Knicks in 2022 after 4 seasons with the Mavs (many "Experts" and fans said NY overpaid for JB) -- is averaging 27.1 points and 6.4 assists per game this season while shooting 48%.

In his one-and-a-half seasons in New York, Brunson's already accomplished a lot ... including tying Stephon Marbury for the franchise record for most 40-point games, as well as leading the Knicks to their first 14-win month in 30 years!

And, if Brunson's Knicks keep playing like they are, there are a lot more big moments ahead.

Alyssa Milano is once again defending herself over her GoFundMe move to raise cash for her kid's baseball team -- pointing out that even though she's a celeb ... she's a parent too.

The actress is still facing backlash from an attempt to fundraise for her pre-teen son's trip to Cooperstown -- something she made evident with some screenshots of people apparently attacking her boy on social media, with the kid having to stick up for himself and his mom.

She added a lengthy caption, writing ... "Every parent raises money for their child’s sports teams and many of them do so through GoFundMe. I am no different."

AM elaborated by saying ... "As much as I’d love to pay for the entire team and their families for travel, transportation, hotel, food and beverage, uniforms, trading pins and all the things teams do for this kind of trip—I can not afford to do so. Maybe someday."

She also points out that if she hypothetically did pay for everyone -- as the public has strongly suggested she do -- then she believes trolls would find a way to criticize her for that too ... and Alyssa's probably right.

One final sentiment from her on this issue ... "Leave the kids alone. Let them play baseball. If you are against donating—don’t donate. If you’d like to donate to help the team’s families — we appreciate it—the link is in his bio."

Grab a pen and paper, Shohei Ohtani -- former Dodgers star Justin Turner has some solid pointers on how the MLB superstar can succeed with his new team ... telling TMZ Sports there's one simple way to win the fanbase over (if he hasn't already).

Turner -- who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason -- will forever have a special place in the hearts of Dodger Nation ... after all, he was part of the World Series-winning squad in 2020 and also secured the NLCS MVP when they made it to the Fall Classic in 2017.

With Ohtani deciding to join the "real" L.A. team after spending his first six seasons with the Angels, we asked Red what the two-way athlete would have to do to get the diehard fans on his side ... and he pointed out everyone's probably already over the moon about the historic signing.

"I think he's doing a pretty good job with that already," Turner said this week.

When we asked for one thing in particular that could earn the fanbase's trust ... his solution was simple.

"Hit homers."

There's a ton of hype surrounding Ohtani's move to the Dodgers following his record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal ... but it's clear Turner thinks he'll fit right in.

We also asked for some L.A. recommendations -- considering Anaheim is NOT the same thing -- and Turner thinks Ohtani's got it all figured out by now.

Just one more day before we head into the weekend, and we're finishing strong at TMZ -- especially on the topic of TV coverage ... of which there was plenty on Thursday.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' we revisited an old feud that got kicked up all over again thanks to Justin Timberlake -- who took a not-so-subtle shot at his ex-girlfriend, Britney Spears.

You might've heard about his sorry-not-sorry moment in NYC this week, and Harvey and Charles have some opinions on whether he was right (or wrong) to be so brash here. Of course, BS fired back ... even though her diss was a little odd, focused on ... basketball?

'TMZ on TV' kept the good times going, and Kanye West helped us get there with a whole new look that screams bloody murder -- from the movies, of course ... of the horror variety.

What we're even talking about here ... well, it's a mask. Just take a look for yourself.

Finally we get to 'TMZ Sports,' where Lewis Hamilton made news by jumping ship at Mercedes and zooming over to Ferrari for the upcoming F1 season. Listen up, gear heads!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Mike Tyson's joined forces with another famous fighter to help kids get an education ... opening a first-of-its-kind school.

Mike is working with MMA star Daniel Puder on a new education model ... and the joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to break it down for us.

Iron Mike and Daniel just opened a school in Arizona called Tyson's Transformational Technologies Academy ... it's an extension of Daniel's prep schools, the first emotional and belief intelligence-based school system in the nation.

As the fighters explain ... the school is all about teaching life skills like financial literacy and resume building ... topics that don't fall into traditional curriculum.

Daniel says Mike's star power is what makes this whole thing run ... he says students who attend a Tyson school are going to make a serious impression when it's time for college admissions.

Mike and Daniel have four schools so far ... two in Florida and another in West Virginia ... but Mike's already talking expansion, telling us ... "We're gonna educate the world, baby!!!"

If you're one of the NFL fans who thinks Taylor Swift is ruining football, Charles Barkley has a message for you: "You’re just a loser or a jackass!"

That was the NBA legend's message Thursday, dunking on T.S. critics from the desk of his "King Charles" show on CNN ... blasting fans who have come for Swift, accusing her of screwing up football.

"I'm gonna look right in that camera," Barkley said, "If you're screaming at T-Swift saying she ruined [football], you're just a loser."

Chuck continued ... "You're just a loser or a jackass. You can be A or B. One of the two."

Legendary sportscaster Bob Costas -- a guest of Barkley and Gayle King's -- also spoke on the Traylor frenzy ... and it's clear he doesn't believe the negativity will have an impact on the hundred-plus million fans who will watch Super Bowl LVIII.

"When it comes to the Super Bowl, where a lot of people who don't watch football all year long, double the audience," Costas said.

"Like 90 of the top 100 rated television shows in a given year are football games -- almost all of them NFL games."

Florida State baseball legend Mike Martin -- the winningest coach in NCAA history -- has passed away, the organization announced Thursday. He was 79.

The tragic news comes just weeks after Martin's family revealed he was receiving hospice care amid a battle with dementia.

FSU athletic director Michael Alford released a statement on the loss ... saying, "Mike Martin was an iconic figure in the history of college baseball and a man who was both respected and beloved throughout the game."

"His record of winning the most games in the history of the sport put him at the pinnacle, and his ability to win consistently as the very highest level of the game was equally remarkable."

Martin became head coach of the Seminoles in 1980 ... and led the team to 2,029 wins, nine ACC regular-season champions, eight conference tournament titles, 11 Metro tournament championships, and four Metro regular-season titles during his career in Tallahassee.

Martin also led the 'Noles to an astonishing 41 straight postseason appearances and 17 College World Series bids.

He won ACC Coach of the Year honors seven times ... and was named Baseball America Coach of the Year twice.

His incredible coaching career earned him a spot in the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Martin -- who also played centerfield for FSU in the 1960s -- had his No. 11 jersey retired in 2021.

"Mike was a tremendous ambassador for Florida State University and loved FSU with all his heart," Alford added.

"The sport has lost one of its all-time greats and we have lost one of our greatest Seminoles."

Martin is survived by his wife of 60 years, his children, and grandchildren.

Baltimore Ravens star Mark Andrews just made the highlight of the year ... springing into action and assisting a woman who was suffering a mid-flight emergency.

A passenger flying from Baltimore to Phoenix documented the scary situation on X ... saying a woman required medical attention while thousands of feet in the air, and the doctor and nurse who attended to her could not find a pulse.

To make matters worse, the eyewitness said the woman needed oxygen to be able to breathe.

According to the passenger, Andrews -- who has type 1 diabetes -- got involved and asked if low blood sugar may have sparked the emergency ... and instructed the responders on how to use his diabetic testing kit.

Eventually, the woman's heart rate was stabilized ... and paramedics were readily waiting for her once the plane touched down in Phoenix.

Andrews addressed the incident via the Ravens ... telling TMZ Sports, "In addition to the fast-acting flight attendants, the real heroes are the nurse and doctor who also happened to be on the plane. Thankfully they were able to provide the woman the quick assistance she needed."

The All-Pro tight end has previously opened up about his experience with diabetes -- in fact, he tests his blood sugar every time he leaves the field to make sure his levels are okay.

A huge shakeup is coming on the Formula One grid ... with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes -- his home since 2013 -- for Ferrari next year.

Ferrari announced the massive news just minutes ago ... saying, "Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract."

39-year-old Hamilton is one of the most dominant drivers in F1 history -- he won six titles with Mercedes from 2014 to 2020 ... after securing his first championship with McLaren in 2008.

There had been rumors connecting Hamilton and Ferrari for a while ... but Sir Lewis temporarily put an end to the speculation when he agreed to a massive, two-year deal with Mercedes in 2024.

According to reports, Hamilton is eligible to opt out of the contract after the 2024 campaign ... which would pave the way for him to join Ferrari -- which currently seats drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc recently inked a long-term contract with Ferrari, and Sainz will keep the seat warm for Hamilton until this season comes to a close in November.

Hamilton hasn't shied away from his love for Ferrari in the past -- he told ESPN last year he always wondered what it would be like to drive in the team's iconic red.

Ferrari is a historic team in the sport, but has failed to live up to its own standards in recent years.

Patrick Mahomes is an inspiration to dad bods all over the world ... 'cause the NFL superstar hilariously defended his physique after a video of the shirtless quarterback went viral this week.

The two-time Super Bowl champ's appearance was put under the microscope when the NFL shared footage of the Chiefs' locker room celebration following Sunday's AFC Championship Game ... with many pointing out Mahomes' tummy.

While the dude isn't overweight by any means, some on social media seemingly expected him to be a bit more shredded ... considering he is one of the greatest athletes on the planet.

The 28-year-old took all the chatter in stride ... while playfully calling out the NFL for posting the vid for all to see in the first place.

"Yoooo why they have to do me like that!?!?!?," Mahomes jokingly said on his account. "🤣🤣🤣 #DadBodSZN"

"Like i got kids!!!! @Chiefs @insidetheNFL @NFL 🤣🤣🤣"

Of course, Mahomes is a happy father of two -- 2-year-old daughter, Sterling, and 1-year-old son, Bronze -- so there's a good chance he's had to pause some workouts to look after the youngins.

Many supporters -- most likely fellow dad bods -- defended Mahomes' dropped top look ... and some pointed out other legends like Tom Brady and Eli Manning have had success without resembling Greek gods.

An overzealous Kevin Durant fan was doin' TOO much at the Suns-Nets game ... so much so that Barclays Center security got irritated, forcing the man to put his ass in an arena seat!

The hilarious moment was caught by YES Network cameras and shared on social media Thursday morning, a day after the Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets, 136-120, in KD's return to Barclays.

A super excited fan wearing a Durant Nets jersey was seen standing up at his seat, pointing and making heart-hand gestures, presumably in KD's direction.

The moment quickly turned cringy as the guy kept goin' on and on ... until security had enough, confronting the dude, and quickly making him take a seat.

Social media thought it was hilarious ... with one person saying, "My boy said STFU and sit-down!"

Another said, "KD laughin at this one when he sees it."

It's not the first time a fan got a bit overeager with their favorite hooper ... remember last month when someone ran up on LeBron James as he sat on the Lakers bench.

The NBA legend was caught off guard, and responded by physically shoving the guy away before security intervened.

Usher's doubling down on his claim he was Beyoncé's babysitter for a second in the early '90s ... though he's not comfortable calling himself a "manny."

The singer-songwriter, and upcoming Super Bowl Halftime performer, stopped by Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast, released Wednesday, when the question of babysitting Queen Bey herself came up again.

ICYMI ... Usher revealed back in August that he'd watched over Beyoncé when she was just 11 or 12-years-old -- though he didn't say if anyone paid him for his services!

So, Sharpe asked him about being "Beyoncé''s nanny" and, after joking he'd actually be a "manny" ... Usher said it's probably a step too far to give him that title.

The 45-year-old explained Bey came to Atlanta with Destiny's Child -- before they "became Destiny's Child," as Usher describes it -- when he was in his teens, and he was tasked with watching the kids while they hung out at musician Daryl Simmons' house.

The way Usher explained it, his responsibilities were simple ... make sure none of the girls broke anything! So, more like a chaperone on a school field trip than a full-time caretaker, it sounds like.

And, if you're wondering if Usher's always had an eye for talent ... he says he did, claiming he saw a "brilliance and brightness" to Bey and the rest of DC that he was sure would take them all far.

On Beyoncé, he added, "[It’s] really great for my sister, to see that she’s done so amazing and continue to thrive and just get bigger and better."

Obviously, both Usher and Beyoncé have taken off since then with each winning multiple Grammys and selling millions of records worldwide ... and soon, Usher will tie Beyoncé in two Super Bowl Halftime Show performances a piece.

Justin Timberlake seems to be taking back his apology to Britney Spears, and maybe even Janet Jackson too -- the timing of which couldn't have come at a worse time, TBH.

The singer performed in NYC Wednesday for a one-night-only show, and there's footage of him going around on social media that's raising eyebrows -- specifically, a clip of him winding down one song and transitioning into the next, where he says something curious.

Check it out ... JT tells the crowd that he'd like to take this moment to apologize -- but then hits a brief pause before he finishes his thought and says ... "to absolutely f***ing nobody."

Some in the audience cheered right then and there -- but this video is NOT being well-received online in the aftermath ... for a couple reasons, depending on how you look at it.

For starters, this is immediately being perceived by many as a straight-up shot to Britney -- which is probably spot-on considering he reportedly went right into "Cry Me a River" right after this ... and everyone knows that track is famously about his popstar ex.

Of course, BS herself recently apologized to JT publicly ... well, kinda. She said sorry if what she wrote in her book made anyone feel bad -- so it was a half-apology, of sorts, to him.

The other celeb people are expressing outrage on behalf of is Janet -- and that's 'cause Thursday is the 20-year anniversary of her Super Bowl performance with him, where he pulled her boob out in front of millions ... something folks are still angry about even today.

There was a lot of controversy over this a few years ago when a doc dove into the topic in great detail, and JT ended up apologizing at the time not just to JJ, but Britney as well.