TMZ Sports - Page 50

Travis and Jason Kelce were honored with small statues at the Cleveland Cavaliers game Tuesday, but it's not quite what you think ... they each got their own bobblehead dolls!

The Kelce brothers showed up at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in their hometown of Cleveland last evening – and they sat front and center for the Cavs matchup against the Boston Celtics. The Cavs won in a squeaker 105-104.

But that was only part of the excitement in the arena. Turns out Cavs fans all received special bobbleheads of Travis and Jason in Cleveland jerseys with basketballs gripped in their hands. As you know, the Kelces grew up in Cleveland Heights and attended high school in the suburbs.

The two guests of honor were also invited onto the court by the Cavs before the game started. Jason was handed his very own number "62" jersey in a picture frame after his emotional retirement from the NFL this week.

Travis and Jason were later filmed with their personal bobbleheads, giving the dolls their stamp of approval. Check out the video posted to X ... the siblings did a pretty funny bit with Travis' only criticism being that he forgot to wear a neck chain like his figurine.

Looks like Jason's diving headfirst into retirement ... and flaming tables!

The bros shot a stunt promo for this week's episode of their "New Heights" podcast where Jason did the bulk of the work -- leaping on to a flaming table, while Travis stood on the sidelines on laughing his ass off.

As for Travis' girlfriend Taylor Swift, the superstar singer has been galivanting around the world on her "Eras" tour and has a few more shows in Singapore.

Donovan McNabb says Jason Kelce's legendary Eagles career was truly special -- not only because he solidified his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but also due to the fact he was able to spend every season in Philadelphia.

The NFL legend spoke with TMZ Sports on the heels of Kelce's retirement announcement this week ... and he said the center did something rare in the City of Brotherly Love -- call it home for the entirety of his career.

McNabb pointed out even fellow greats like Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook had to throw on different jerseys before retiring as Eagles ... but Kelce was an exception.

"It says a lot about Jason and the things he stood for out in Philadelphia," McNabb -- who also played for Washington and Minnesota during his career -- said.

Kelce -- a 6th-round pick in 2011 -- played 13 seasons for the Eagles ... winning a Super Bowl and earning six first-team All-Pro selections.

He was as emotional as it gets when he officially announced his decision to walk away ... and McNabb loved how he did it in true Kelce fashion (including the sleeveless t-shirt look).

"It was Jason's moment," he said of the retirement speech. "He and his wife have kind of implemented that they are all about Philadelphia, they're all about the Eagles, and for a guy like Jason and the things he's been able to do in his career, he will rank among at least the top 50 of all of us who have retired and played for the Philadelphia Eagles."

It's hump day, and while we're almost done with the week ... we're just getting started on TV.

Let's kick things off with 'TMZ Live,' where Charles and Charlie talked about the latest wave of concern for Taylor Swift from her adoring fans ... this time, it came in the form of comments that suggested she was sick over a perceived cough at her Singapore show.

Obviously, their angst comes from a good place ... but Taylor's doing just fine, everyone!

Next, we land on 'TMZ on TV' ... where the gang talked about Charles Barkley's promise to put hands on any Black person who he saw rocking the Donald Trump mug shot in 2024.

Strong words, of course ... and it spurred even stronger debate in the newsroom here.

Finally, we finish with 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock and Mojo talked about Russell Wilson.

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

Dave Bautista is giving kudos to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for being respectful movie-goers -- but on the topic of his own flick crushing it ... DB ain't handing himself flowers.

We got the actor Tuesday at LAX where our photog brought out the fact that Bennifer got caught picking up their own trash and tidying up at the theaters this week while watching 'Dune 2' ... which just so happens to star in.

Check it out ... Dave tells us that what Ben and Jen did -- namely, cleaning up their own crap -- is SOP as far as he's concerned ... and even says he does it himself all the time.

AKA ... anyone who's not already being anti-slob is screwing the pooch in Dave's eyes.

Now, in terms of how successful 'Dune 2' has been at the box office -- and it certainly has been, numbers don't lie -- it's actually an accomplishment Dave wants no credit for whatsoever.

He tells us he only plays a small part in the larger picture, and the film doing well isn't on him ... which is quite the humble take. He might have a supporting role -- but he's definitely part of the A-list star power attached to this ... as is Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, etc.

In fact ... Dave tells us he's completely detached from the performance side of the film.

Josh Allen is adamant he wasn't being a bad boyfriend when he left Hailee Steinfeld in a car out in Paris this week ... explaining Tuesday he was simply rushing to fix a wardrobe malfunction!!

The Buffalo Bills star went viral late Monday night ... after cameras caught him rushing away from Steinfeld amid a night out during Paris Fashion Week.

Video shows as the door of Allen and Steinfeld's ride opened ... he quickly jetted into a nearby building before Hailee seemingly had a chance to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Fans all over social media were critical of the 27-year-old signal-caller's actions, calling him rude and unchivalrous. But, in a hilarious tweet featuring three emojis -- Allen said none of it was what it appeared to be.

"My pants ripped at dinner," he said. "Didn’t want cheeks out…"

"I love Paris," he added.

It appears to be a believable excuse -- you can see in the clip he does have a shirt tied around his waist ... seemingly in an effort to block cameras from getting a good look at his rear end.

Plus, Allen -- who's been dating Steinfeld for most of the past year -- was seen earlier in the week playing the role of a gentleman well, holding a car door open for Steinfeld as she posed for pics with fans.

As the NFL world gathered in Indianapolis this past weekend to rub elbows with the newest crop of top rookie prospects ... Bill Belichick was roughly 600 miles away -- watching cheerleading.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former New England Patriots head coach opted to forgo the NFL Combine on Saturday in favor of attending the 2024 Coastal At The Capitol cheerleading event in National Harbor, Md.

Witnesses tell us the 71-year-old had a seat in the back row of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center to catch at least one of the competing teams' routines ... before he left.

We're told Belichick declined to take pictures while there -- although he was polite and cordial to fans throughout his time at the venue.

It's unclear exactly why the future Hall of Famer was in the building ... we've reached out to a rep for the coach for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, Belichick is usually buried inside Lucas Oil Stadium around this time of year ... scouting potential draft picks.

NFL legend Donovan McNabb is expanding his business portfolio and getting closer to his fans at the same time ... telling TMZ Sports he's invested in a virtual autograph company.

The former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback explained his decision to partner with FanFair Signatures -- a request-based digital keepsake outlet -- and he said it's a unique way for athletes to interact with their supporters, which could be a real game-changer.

Think Cameo ... but for digitally handwritten personalized prints.

McNabb said he loves to sign items and write personal notes for football fans ... but his packed schedule can make it hard to fulfill everyone's wishes when he's out and about.

He said FanFair simplifies that process by sending fans' requests directly to him so he can write out personal notes and his Hancock using a stylus on an app -- which then get thrown on a print and delivered to the recipients.

McNabb believes he's spearheading a movement ... and sees other athletes following his lead by joining the company in the future as well.

A big air jump went horribly wrong for a skier when he collided with A CHAIRLIFT -- and it was all caught on video!

You can't make this up ... skier Ivan Jones was at the Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada over the weekend when the incident happened.

Jones shared the clip on Instagram ... you see the 17-year-old launch himself into the air, attempting a flat spin 360 in the air near the Top of The World Chair lift.

His stunt, unfortunately, was attempted at precisely the wrong time ... as a chairlift was going by, and Jones smacked right into it before crashing down to the snow covered ground.

Thankfully the ski lift chair was empty and Jones was left with just a few bumps and bruises.

Witnesses, and everyone who watched the clip, had pretty much the same reaction ... disbelief!

A Lake Louise Ski Resort spokesperson said they're happy Jones wasn't seriously injured, but advised guests to do stunts only in select areas.

"There's a reason why we have terrain parks," the spokesperson said. "To give people the opportunity to practice and do these kind of stunts."

Vince McMahon pocketed over $400 million in an instant on Monday ... selling a chunk of his TKO stock following his departure from the company over sexual assault allegations, according to a recent SEC filing.

McMahon dumped 5,350,000 shares -- about 25% of his stock -- while still holding on to his remaining stake in WWE and UFC's parent company, which is around 15 million shares.

The SEC filing notes the value of the stocks at $411.95 million ... though they could be worth closer to $436 million, as yesterday's TKO stock price closed at $81.67 (times 5.35 million shares).

The news comes just over one month after the former honcho resigned from his role as TKO's executive chairman as a result of a former staffer's lawsuit filing ... which accused him of heinous sexual acts and misconduct.

McMahon has maintained his innocence ... but felt it was necessary to step down "out of respect for the WWE Universe."

This is the second big stock dump for McMahon -- back in November, he sold 8,400,000 shares ... netting around $700 million.

Tyreek Hill has a bone to pick with Rick Ross ... claiming the rap superstar should've given him a call instead of posting his burning house all over social media.

Rozay -- who lives right across the street from the Miami Dolphins receiver -- documented the smoky scene from his yard on Jan. 3 ... providing his millions of followers with commentary and speculating the blaze was sparked by an electrical problem.

Hill was less than thrilled by Ross' reaction ... 'cause when speaking about the accident on "The Pivot," he admitted he felt the musician should've blown up his phone.

"First off, I just wanna say, Rick Ross, bro -- I can't vibe with you now, bro," Hill said. "I can't f*** with you no more, bro."

"Rick Ross, man. You had the audacity to talk to a fireman instead of come protect -- you got my number, bro," Hill continued. "You get on Twitter, posting me all over Twitter, like, after what me and my family went through. You're supposed to be the neighbor -- the neighborhood hero!!"

Former Jaguars star and Pivot cohost Fred Taylor -- who also lives near Hill and Ross -- shared his side of the emergency ... saying he saw Ross recording the whole thing on his celly.

He explained there were a ton of firetrucks outside by the time he knew what was going on ... but Cheetah didn't seem to be bothered at all, especially because Taylor didn't throw video up on the internet for everyone to see.

Hill also took issue with how Ross name-dropped Wing Stop during the whole fiery fiasco ... adding, "Don't try to use me for promotion, bro!!"

Believe it or not, Paul George turned down Nicki Minaj ... when the Queen of Rap wanted the NBA star to make a cameo in her music video!

The Los Angeles Clippers star made the surprising revelation on his "Podcast P" show this week, telling co-host Jackie Long he had the opportunity to make his cameo with the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper.

"You know what’s funny, this was maybe like a year or two ago, Nicki Minaj reached out for me to be in her music video," George said.

The 9x All-Star was unsure if he would've had the role of being Nicki's lover ... but joked his wife Daniela wasn't havin' it.

"I looked at Daniela, Daniela looked at me ... 'ay, I ain’t going to be able to do it'," PG13 said.

"I’m playing! She was excited about the opportunity too, but I declined."

George -- who married Daniela in 2022 -- says his wife would've been right there on set if it happened ... but his schedule had them both miss out.

"It was just a scheduling conflict that I couldn't [get out of]," George said.

"It would've been dope. It's Nicki Minaj, one of the biggest female artists -- not even just female, biggest artists of our lifetime!"

If PG's hoping for another shot, it doesn't sound like it's going to happen anytime soon ... Nicki's currently on her "Pink Friday 2" world tour while George, who is averaging 22 points a game, is smack in the heart of the NBA season ... with the playoffs approaching.

Had he accepted, George would've joined other NBA stars who appeared in music videos, including Michael Jordan, who was in Michael Jackson's "Jam" video, and Kobe Bryant, who made his cameo in "Bug-A-Boo" by Destiny's Child.

Tyreek Hill is opening up about the divorce drama that plagued him and his wife earlier this year ... saying the saga all started because of a disagreement the two had over a postnup.

The Miami Dolphins star explained the situation to Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder on the latest episode of "The Pivot," saying his relationship with Keeta Vaccaro began to sour a bit after they began talks over how they would divide assets if they were ever to split.

"We had conversations about a postnup," Hill explained. "That was really where it all spiraled from."

Hill didn't dive further into the details of their postnup issues ... though he did seem to say that once people outside of their inner circle got word of their dispute, that's when things went sideways.

"All I'm going to say is, s*** gets weird when you tell people outside your family," he said. "You feel me?"

Remember, less than three months after Hill and Vaccaro tied the knot in Texas, Hill filed for divorce in Florida. At first, the football player denied everything ... saying in a tweet that he and Keeta were "happily married." However, days later, he admitted that some "f***ing bonehead" filed the documents without his approval.

In early February, the whole case was dismissed after Hill filed to drop his petition.

Now, things seem to be a whole lot better between the two -- they've been spotted getting lovey in public a ton recently, including last week, when they swapped kisses on a yacht during Hill's 30th birthday.

Charles Barkley has a pointed, somewhat violent message for any Black person backing Donald Trump simply because he got arrested ... he's gonna knock you out.

The NBA Hall of Famer issued the warning Monday night on his CNN show with Gayle King as they discussed Trump's recent remark about Black people liking him more after he was arrested in Georgia for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Trump went on to brag about Black people "walking around with his mug shot" on t-shirts.

None of that sits well with Barkley, who said, "If I see a Black person walking around with Trump's mug shot, I'm [gonna] punch him in the face."

Barkley explained he feels Trump's comments are "an insult to all Black people" ... because he's comparing his arrest to the centuries of discrimination the Black community has faced.

The NBA legend is no stranger to slamming Trump ... as he's previously called out the Republican presidential candidate for using "pseudo-racist rhetoric" when discussing immigration.

Trump has been undeterred by any backlash from Barkley or any other critics, as "The Apprentice" alum remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination -- and the Super Tuesday primaries in 15 states, and one territory, could put the race nearly out of reach for Nikki Haley.

Taylor Swift is leaping into 2024 presidential politics on Super Tuesday, but she's stopping short of that coveted endorsement of President Joe Biden ... or any candidate, for that matter.

Taylor sounded the alarm early Tuesday morning with a post on her IG story, writing a note that says, "I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven't already, make a plan to vote today."

Political pundits have had a field day discussing the potential power of Taylor to swing campaigns this election season, having seen the power of her extremely loyal fan base. Just ask NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about it.

The Biden administration's been open about its desire to get an endorsement from Taylor -- as she did in 2020 -- and Joe himself has leaned into the possibility of her backing him.

Donald Trump's camp, meanwhile, has reportedly declared "holy war" on the singer and Swifties ... insisting the former prez is "more popular" than her, with more loyal fans.

Taylor's not endorsing anyone today, and most political analysts don't expect her to do so until we get closer to election day in November.

In her IG call out to Swifties, Taylor urged everyone to hit up vote.org to find info on polling places and times ... if you're in one of the 16 states or territories voting in today's primaries.

Solid advice.

For the first time in the history of the franchise, "MLB The Show 24" will have a story mode dedicated to female athletes ... with the hit video game announcing the groundbreaking addition on Tuesday.

The new feature -- titled "Road to the Show: Women Pave the Way" -- allows users to create and play as a woman in the Major League Baseball simulation game ... with a unique narrative and scenes separate from the usual RTTS experience.

The mode's narrative designer, Mollie Braley, said the story was inspired by real-life stories from women in baseball ... including star athletes like Toni Stone and Kelsie Whitmore.

Braley explained to the PlayStation Blog the importance of inclusion for women in baseball as the fan base continues to rise ... and she's hoping it will shine a light on the adversity many have faced within the sport.

Whitmore -- who provided insight for the project -- added she hopes the story mode helps inspire gamers to pursue their dreams ... and educate them on what women and girls are able to do on the baseball diamond.

Anthony Edwards didn't start against the Trail Blazers on Monday night because he was late for tip-off ... but he insisted after the game his tardiness had nothing to do with any sort of lengthy trip to the can.

As Minnesota was preparing to take on Portland at the Target Center ... Edwards was nowhere to be found -- forcing the T-Wolves to start Nickeil Alexander-Walker instead.

Edwards eventually made his way to the floor as action got underway -- but he had to wait at the scorer's table until he could finally check in at the 11:25 mark of the first quarter due to his pregame absence.

Many online suspected the NBA superstar had a bit of a toilet emergency -- and even the game's broadcasters hinted at it too ... saying, "Long lines at the bathroom!"

But, Edwards explained following the contest that he merely "lost track of time."

The whole snafu didn't seem to bother the 22-year-old and his teammates regardless ... Edwards ended up playing 34 total minutes, logging 13 points, four rebounds and six assists -- as the Wolves won, 119-114.

Edwards was able to have a laugh about the situation with reporters amid it all ... joking that he was trying to take teammate Naz Reid's Sixth Man of the Year honors.