TMZ Sports - Page 38

Imagine LeBron James and Steph Curry ... playing on the same team!

The Warriors tried to make that scenario a reality, reportedly attempting to pull off a blockbuster trade that would've landed them the Lakers superstar ahead of the NBA deadline.

The report goes, Warriors owner Joe Lacob, with encouragement from LBJ's close friend Draymond Green, hit up Jeanie Buss with an offer for King James ... this after the 20x NBA All-Star has seemed less than enthused with his Lakers squad.

Lacob -- GSW owner since 2010 -- believed there was a potential opening to land LeBron and pluck him out of L.A. Unfortunately for the Dubs, the Lakers reportedly have "no desire" to trade James, nor does the 39-year-old want out.

Since the news broke, NBA fans have been salivating over what the duo could've looked like on the court, with one fan writing, "NBA got robbed. Curry and Bron winning their 5th ring would’ve been generational."

Of course, the Warriors pursuit of Bron is on hold, but it need not be over. The team can make a run at James after the season, if the future Hall of Famer chooses NOT to exercise a $51.4 million player option.

But for now, you'll only get to see Curry and James play together at the NBA All-Star games this weekend in Indy.

Matt Damon is disavowing the most talked about Super Bowl ad -- at least creatively, and instead he's laying blame/giving credit to his BFF Ben Affleck.

Of course, Matt and Ben teamed up with Tom Brady to hilariously debut their boyband, The DunKings, for the splashy Dunkin ad -- which cost $15 mil just for the airtime -- all sporting bright orange tracksuits.

The spot was the standout Super Bowl Sunday commercial, but Tuesday night, when 'Late Show' host Stephen Colbert showed Matt a pic of him in the DunKing getup ... he immediately made it crystal clear he wasn't the brains behind it!

TBF, it does have "Ben Affleck" written all over it.

MD did own this detail ... at the end of the commercial he tells Ben, '"Remember how I said I would do anything for you? This is anything" -- a line he actually said IRL to his pal.

He says Ben just decided to put it in the ad.

Matt jokingly acknowledged being in The DunKings wasn't exclusive to the Boston trio ... 'cause the only qualification needed to be in the band was the willingness to slide into those visually loud tracksuits.

Though, it seems like dressing the part ain't an issue for lots of coffee and donut lovers ... as Dunkin' sold out of the tracksuits in just 19 minutes after going up for sale on their site.

In fact, demand's so high that new stock is on the way ... with the track pants listed for pre-sale.

Dunkin's SB spot certainly seemed to sweeten the deal for them -- with staff from various DD locations telling us they've busy as hell since Sunday.

Shaquille O'Neal's days on the TNT desk might be numbered ... 'cause the NBA legend revealed he'd leave his "Inside the NBA" gig to work with the Orlando Magic during his emotional jersey retirement ceremony.

The Big Aristotle was the man of the hour at the Magic vs. OKC Thunder game on Tuesday ... and as he was shown appreciation for all his hard work on the court from 1992-96, he returned the favor by telling the team owners he'd love to come back in some capacity.

"To the DeVos family, whenever you want me to quit TNT and come back home, you give me a call," Shaq said. "I'll be here in an instant."

The comment was met with cheers ... and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Shaq also said in his speech it was an honor to be the first player in Magic history to get his digits in the rafters ... but admitted he felt it would've happened to his teammate, Nick Anderson, first.

He also shouted out Penny Hardaway -- reminiscing on how he was adamant the team find away to bring him to Orlando -- and many other teammates, staffers and execs that helped pave the way during the first stop in his Hall of Fame career.

The whole event was fitting for the larger-than-life figure ... and he was also gifted a custom team-themed jacket, which was presented by his children.

It's unclear exactly what role Shaq would play in a job with the Magic, but he does have some experience in ownership with the Sacramento Kings in the past.

Shaq was a dominant force during his time with Orlando -- averaging 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 295 games -- reaching the NBA Finals in 1995.

Chiefs fans have already hit the streets in Kansas City for the team's Super Bowl parade ... braving near-freezing temperatures to get ready for the upcoming party -- and a good spot for a potential glimpse of Taylor Swift too!!

The Kansas City Police Dept. shared video from the parade route minutes ago ... showing a drove of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce supporters already lining roadways -- this despite it being around 35 degrees at 7:30 AM.

The festivities won't officially begin for a few more hours ... but when it all kicks off -- it's expected to be a huge bash.

Of course, Kansas City fans are used to this by now -- this will be their third parade in the last five years -- though there might be one big addition to this title celly ... Swift!!

It's unclear if Kelce's GF will be in attendance -- she does, after all, have to be in Australia by Friday for her latest batch of 'Eras' tour shows -- but given that she's been such a loyal fan this year AND that it's Valentine's Day ... it certainly seems possible.

Even if she doesn't show, Mahomes, Kelce, Andy Reid and the rest of the guys will all be there ... something fans will gladly accept as a consolation prize.

Taylor Swift seems totally in love with Travis Kelce these days -- but her ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, is looking pretty damn happy too ... including last night, in the company of hotties.

The British actor was attending a pre-BAFTAs dinner in London Tuesday -- where, upon exiting, the dude came across as sharp and ready to mingle ... dressed to the nines in a tux and rocking a sly smile that telegraphed pure confidence.

More interesting than his dapper appearance was who he eventually left the event with ... namely, actresses Ellie Bamber and Saffron Hocking -- who were in the same van he hopped into as they all made an exit.

As Joe piled into the vehicle ... paps fired away, and they happened to catch Saffron grinning wide and eyeing the homeboy here with a good old-fashioned once-over. Indeed ... she seems happy to see him.

From what we can gather ... he's fully moved on from T-Swift and enjoying his life across the pond with other lovely ladies, who just so happen to be in the same line of work as him.

Of course, it's interesting to see JA in such high spirits lately -- especially since Tay Tay is dropping a new album soon that just about everyone suspects will take aim at him and their relationship ... that's what the Swifties are anticipating anyway.

By most accounts, their relationship didn't end all that well ... and considering that Taylor's very much so living out loud -- especially in her new relationship with Travis -- many suspect she's happier and freer than she's ever been ... including when she was with Joe.

In any case ... Joe doesn't seem to be sweating it very much -- he's a man about town!

Taylor, meanwhile, appears all set to dredge up their past anew with another breakup album -- that's what looks to be promised, at least. Her fans eat that stuff up -- but it's a little weird ... especially since she's knee-deep with a whole new boyfriend now.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce linked up with another famous couple while celebrating his Super Bowl win ... none other than Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly!!!

The big four posed for a photo together during the Kansas City Chiefs' after-party at Zouk Nightclub in Resorts World Las Vegas.

As you can see, Taylor is resting on Travis' shoulder while Megan and MGK throw up peace signs for the camera ... and it seems everyone got the memo, because they're all wearing black.

Taylor and Travis weren't the only stars Megan and MGK visited in Sin City over Super Bowl weekend ... they also went to see Christina Aguilera perform.

Christina has a residency at The Venetian on The Strip and she took some snaps with Megan and MGK after they took in her show.

But the big thing here is the Taylor, Travis, Megan, MGK meeting.

Bill Belichick will be back on an NFL sideline -- after he gets some much-deserved R&R -- according to one of the best players to ever suit up for the legendary Patriots coach, Rob Gronkowski!

TMZ Sports caught up with the future Hall of Fame tight end at his epic Gronk Beach Super Bowl party at Encore Beach Club at the Wynn in Las Vegas, and we asked Rob about BB's future.

"I think it's great he's going to take a year off," Rob told us, adding, "He needs it. he deserves it. And I think he's going to come back next year with some vengeance!"

Of course, after winning 6 SBs in New England, Bill mutually parted ways with the Pats this off-season, and while many around the league expected he'd get a job straight away, it didn't happen.

It's clear Gronk believes his former coach ain't done yet -- he will be back -- and he may be reunited with the superstar TE ... err, WR?

"I'm gonna play for him. I'm gonna be a wide receiver," Gronk JOKED ... "I don't know who he's gonna coach for, but I'm gonna play wideout."

That part's a pipe dream ... Bill coaching a team isn't.

Adding to the likelihood of a return, Belichick's only 15 wins away from becoming the all-time NFL total wins leader as a coach ... which counts regular season and playoff games.

There's much more with Gronk ... who alongside TMZ Sports' own Mojo Muhtadi went absolutely WILD at the party Saturday afternoon.

We're about halfway through the week now, but we're just getting started with our TV coverage at TMZ ... and on Tuesday, there was no shortage of good topics to dish on.

Kanye West is digging his heels on his troubling remarks about Jewish people -- something he made clear to us in a new interview, and which we dove into head first on 'TMZ Live.'

Our photog got Ye at the airport, and he opened up about A LOT of things -- including the fact the he's not really sorry about his antisemitic remarks ... at least not all them anyway. He also seems to be cozying up to Adidas once again ... which is, well, quite surprising.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' we talked about Usher's wedding in Vegas this weekend, where he and his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer, tied the knot right on the heels of his SB performance.

Of course, right after that ... he skated the night away, next to other lovely ladies. 😅

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' we talked to the Super Bowl streaker, and it was ... interesting.

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

LeBron James simply couldn't contain himself while jamming out to GloRilla's new song in the gym ... dancing along and reciting the very few words he knew.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar -- who's no stranger to documenting his favorite tracks in the rap game on social media -- was back at it with his usual antics on Tuesday ... this time, showing love for the Memphis artist's "Yeah Glo!"

We're not gonna fault the guy for not knowing all the lyrics, considering the song just came out last week ... but damn, does he really try to push his way through it nonetheless.

Of course, King James isn't believed to be a frequent visitor of Genius.com -- he's known for taking some creative liberties whenever he throws his background vocals during his music sessions ... like his notorious "yabba dabba doo I don't know Old Navy" while singing along to 6LACK's "hoppin' out the car, no photos, baby" line in "Stay Down."

Either way, it's a drastic improvement for the four-time NBA champ ... he really has come so far.

4:02 PM PT -- Kanye West is denying Brandon Marshall's claims about Yeezy and Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.

A rep for Kanye tells TMZ ... "This is a completely fabricated rumor. It is not true."

Kanye West apparently intended to upstage Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl -- but the pop superstar torpedoed his plan -- at least, that's what one former NFL star is claiming.

Brandon Marshall -- who played in the league from 2006-2018 for a number of teams -- made the shocking allegation on his "Paper Route" podcast this week ... explaining that he'd heard Ye purposely purchased seats right in front of Tay Tay's suite for the Big Game.

According to this purported tea ... the idea, it seems, was an attempt to photobomb all her inevitable TV appearances. On its face, it comes across as a good old-fashioned spite effort.

However, the ex-All-Pro receiver explained the alleged scheme never came to fruition ... as Swift made "a call or two" to have Ye kicked out of Allegiant Stadium entirely -- that's what Brandon's claiming anyway.

Take it all with a grain of salt, but considering how polarizing Ye has been recently -- and Swift being the non-athlete face of the SB champs this season -- it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility the league may have nudged KW to somewhere a little more low-key.

It's also hard to say with any certainty whether she actually got him fully kicked out or not, as Brandon suggests here ... especially if he bought a ticket lawfully and by the book.

In any case ... BM sounds 100% confident that he's breaking news with the world here.

Also worth noting -- TMZ spoke with Ye for several minutes on Monday ... and he only mentioned Swift in a pretty lukewarm manner.

You'd think Ye would pounce at the opportunity to trash Travis Kelce's girlfriend if it really went down as Marshall claims ... but perhaps he got some details fudged up (after all, he did initially confuse Swift with Katy Perry, FWIW).

Either way ... Ye and his wife, Bianca Censori, were definitely at the venue ... with the former rocking a face covering featuring a white crucifix. There are photos of Kanye in the building -- and in the one pic that's going around, he does appear to be next to a stadium worker.

We've made some calls to try and clear the air ... so far, no word back.

Prosecutors in North Carolina have dropped three charges against NBA player Miles Bridges -- including misdemeanor child abuse -- due to lack of sufficient evidence ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records for Mecklenburg County, the three counts -- domestic violence protective order violation, misdemeanor child abuse, and injury to personal property -- were dismissed on Tuesday by prosecutors, who cited insufficient evidence as a reason for dropping the case.

Bridges' former girlfriend had accused him of damaging her windshield while her children were in the car, but now it appears prosecutors felt the case wasn't strong enough to get a conviction.

"The evidence was going to show Miles was innocent and we were going to win a trial," Bridges' attorney said in a statement to ESPN.

Bridges was previously suspended for 30 games by the NBA for a prior domestic violence incident in 2022.

He got 3 years probation, 100 hours of community service, and had to take a parenting class after taking a plea deal in that case.

Usher is a newly married man once again ... an event his ex-wife couldn't be happier about for him -- 'cause she's got motion of her own ... moving and grooving over the news!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Tameka Foster on Tuesday, ahead of the launch of her new reality series, "Bold and Bougie" ... but she tells us she had a blast at the Super Bowl last Sunday, just like her ex-hubby did during his halftime show.

Tameka's been one of Atlanta's most sought-after stylists for YEARS, so first things first -- we had to get her thoughts on the viral backlash regarding Jermaine Dupri's schoolboy-style uniform ... and him trying to use its Louis Vuitton labels as somewhat of a defense.

Hundreds of comments rejected JD's rebuttal and you can add Tameka to that list too. She tells us relying heavily on designer brands won't always breed the best style results ... sorry, JD ... these are just her confessions.

Bottom line ... she's not very approving, just like the rest of the Internet didn't.

As for Usher, social media users couldn't help but bring her name up when we broke the deets on his marriage to Jennifer Goicoechea on Sunday ... Tameka's blowing them off.

They've been divorced for eons now -- since 2009, actually  -- but do have two children together ... and Tameka tells us he's a great dad. As a matter of fact ... one of their sons just may follow in his singing shadow sooner than later, 'cause he's a helluva crooner himself.

In any case, Tameka's not entertaining negativity on her side -- and neither are her gal pals Malaysia Pargo, Gocha Hawkins, Princess Banton-Lofters and Crystal Smith in their new TV venture.

Ya can't be a boss and be bothered by online BS ... and Tameka certainly isn't as it pertains to Usher's new marriage.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes has been arrested for the second time in the last year ... after he was accused yet again of putting his hands on a woman.

Jail records in Bexar County, Texas show Forbes was thrown behind bars on Tuesday afternoon and booked on a felony domestic violence charge.

Court documents, obtained by News 4's Mariah Medina, show the arrest all stemmed from an alleged violent encounter the basketball player had with the mother of his two children on Monday in San Antonio.

According to the docs, the woman told officers Forbes banged on her apartment's window -- and when she let him in, "he immediately punched her in the head."

Officials say the woman told them Forbes then choked her with his forearms, the collar of her shirt ... and then his bare hands.

The docs state the woman told Forbes she could not breathe ... but he allegedly responded, "if you can speak then you are not being choked."

Officials say the woman told them she was ultimately able to get away from Forbes but had soreness in her neck afterward.

This is not the first time the 30-year-old hooper has been accused of getting violent with a female ... back in February 2023, he allegedly hit a woman "several times" after a night out on the town in Bexar County.

Forbes was tagged with an assault charge over the allegations ... but court records show he entered into a pretrial diversion program back in June 2023.

It's Fat Tuesday -- and while it marks the end of Mardi Gras ... the reality is, the party out there has been going strong for several days now ... just take a look yourself.

Lots of festivities have been unfolding in New Orleans these past several days -- including elaborate parades that have been trotted up and down local streets there ... with some awesome floats on display.

There've been a handful of stars on the scene as well to celebrate Mardi Gras -- Neil Patrick Harris was spotted in NOLA on Monday ... and Kevin Dillon was out there on Sunday.

Yes, both of them both in the spirit of things ... with NPH in some fancy wardrobe, and KD dressed like a king.

There've been some other notable figures this week out and about to ring in the occasion ... like New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe and Harry Connick Jr., who were both also seen on floats Monday night.

Like we said, Fat Tuesday is the tail end of the Carnival celebration in NOLA -- coming right before Ash Wednesday starts, and when people will presumably give up foods and crap.

Yes, there's some religious significance behind it -- even though many just treat it as an excuse to eat, drink and be merry in the streets.

That's certainly how some starts have gone about it over the years, anyway.

Travis Kelce showered Taylor Swift with praise after winning his third Super Bowl ... thanking her for flying across the globe to catch the game and calling her "the absolute best."

The NFL just revealed the audio from the power couple's emotional postgame moment on Tuesday ... and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar poured his heart out as he soaked it all in with his girlfriend.

"Thank you, thank you for the support," Kelce said. "Thank you for making it halfway across the world!"

As we previously reported, Swift hopped on a private jet to make it from her "Eras" tour stop in Tokyo to Las Vegas for Sunday's kickoff ... and Kelce returned the favor with smooches on the field right after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime.

Kelce also let Tay Tay know just how much she means to him ... and you can hear him call her a cute pet name.

"You're the best," Kelce said. "The absolute best, baby!"

A 45-year-old man is now in police custody after cops claim he stole and destroyed a beloved Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas ... but authorities say they believe his actions were NOT motivated by hate.

According to the Wichita Police Department, Ricky Alderete has been hit with four criminal charges -- including felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property -- after authorities say he nabbed the famed JR monument from outside a youth baseball facility late last month and then burnt it down to a pile of rubble.

Cops say their investigation revealed Alderete committed the act in order to cash in on the figurine's metal scraps.

Officials added they believe there might be more individuals involved in the crime.

"Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue," cops said in a statement Tuesday. "The WPD extends its gratitude to the community for their support, patience, and information related to this case."

City officials, meanwhile, have already said they plan to replace the Robinson sculpture with another one in the near future.