TMZ Sports - Page 35

Gradey Dick is denying any tomfoolery was involved in his jersey exchange with Anthony Black ... telling reporters he simply wanted to show love to his buddy.

The Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic rookies went stupid viral with their postgame trade over the weekend ... with many pointing out the suggestive phrase their last names spelled out when they posed for a pic (hint: Black's surname came first).

Dick was asked about all the hoopla on Tuesday ... and he swore up and down it was nothing more than two longtime friends reconnecting.

"That's my guy," Dick said at practice. "I've been playing against or with him around since middle school days. So, that's been my guy for a long time."

Dick defended the move ... adding, "Guys jersey swap with their boys. That's my friend."

When asked if he has any other jersey swaps lined up, Dick said he only has one criteria.

"If I played with them growing up and they're my guys, then I'll jersey swap with them. Nothing more to it."

While Dick's reasoning behind choosing Black for the popular tradition checks out, it's pretty clear the guys purposely positioned themselves to have a bit of fun ... especially considering it appeared they orchestrated the whole thing before smiling for the cameras.

Travis Kelce's apparently got his eyes on taking his tight end to a new seat ... he's now reportedly in talks to become a game show host in the very near future.

The Kansas City Chiefs star and Prime Video reps are working to hammer out a deal that would make the three-time Super Bowl champion the face of a "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" reboot, according to Variety.

The outlet reported Tuesday, however, that it's far from a foregone conclusion ... as there's at least some concern on the suits' end that Kelce wouldn't be able to do the gig properly if he continued his NFL career.

Jeff Foxworthy hosted the first iteration of the show on Fox way back in 2007. John Cena then picked up hosting duties years later when a new version of the program landed on Nickelodeon.

The show was a popular one -- as it, in part, tested adults' knowledge of information generally taught to elementary school students.

Variety reported Tuesday the new Prime Video version would feature celebrity contestants.

Of course, if Kelce does score the role ... it'd hardly be his first foray into the television world. He was once the center of a reality dating show called "Catching Kelce." He also famously hosted "Saturday Night Live" last year. And, don't forget, he's on-camera weekly with his brother, Jason, for their ultra-popular 'New Heights' podcast.

If Kelce's sweating the talks, he's not showing it much ... 'cause he's rumored to be down in the Bahamas with Taylor Swift at the moment -- and, yeah, kinda hard to focus on business there.

10:42 AM PT -- The Miami-Dade Police Department tells TMZ Sports ... Konstantin Koltsov was found dead in an apparent suicide at around 12:39 AM on Monday at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.

An investigation into the death is ongoing, but cops said no foul play is currently suspected.

Ex-NHL player Konstantin Koltsov -- the boyfriend of tennis star Aryna Sabalenka -- has died.

The hockey player's former club in Russia, Salavat Yulaev, announced the heartbreaking news Tuesday ... though further details surrounding his death were not made immediately available.

"He was a strong and cheerful person," Salavat Yulaev officials said, "he was loved and respected by players, colleagues, and fans. Konstantin Evgenievich forever wrote himself into the history of our club."

"May he rest in peace."

Koltsov got his start in the NHL after the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 1999 draft. He eventually logged time on the ice for the team in the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons.

After becoming a free agent in 2006, he jetted to play professionally in Russia, signing on with Salavat Yulaev. Following his playing days, he later returned to the team as an assistant coach.

In 2021, Koltsov began dating Sabalenka -- the No. 2-ranked women's tennis player in the country -- and the couple appeared inseparable.

Throughout their years of dating, 25-year-old Sabalenka posted him on her Instagram page often ... most recently sending him birthday wishes in April with a sweet collage of pics and videos.

Sabalenka was just seen competing at Indian Wells last week ... and had been slated to play in this weekend's Miami Open.

Koltsov was just 42 years old.

RIP.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Ryan Garcia just got super emotional on video ... crying as he tried to create a TikTok to thank his fans for their recent support.

The boxing star can be seen in the footage -- which was posted to his social media page on Monday -- listening to Hillsong UNITED's "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" ... before he suddenly starts to break down.

In the clip, Garcia tearfully explains that he's "been going through a lot lately," but his faith -- and the love from his supporters -- have helped him get through it.

Garcia noted he was torn up over the fact that despite trying to do good in his community -- some tried to muzzle him ... and even cancel his upcoming megafight with Devin Haney.

"I was trying to do something good, you know?" he said ... adding, "I love you guys. And I appreciate every one of you guys. And I love all you guys."

Garcia ended the vid by promising to address his fans again soon.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the 25-year-old ... especially when it comes to social media postings. Since announcing his April 20 tilt with Haney, he's shared bizarre messages and clips frequently on both his X and Instagram pages.

At one point following a series of unusual posts earlier this month, he actually vowed to no longer talk about anything but sports, boxing, and his fight with Haney.

Clearly, however, he's still making content ... although Haney's father and trainer, Bill, said on Tuesday he's sure Garcia is fine and the fight will go down as scheduled.

"No matter how many distractions, no matter the antics Ryan has displayed, I know the kid ain't crazy," Bill said.

Angel Reese is the latest celebrity victim of artificial intelligence gone bad after several nude images of the LSU hoop star hit the internet ... photos she's adamant are FAKE!!!

The 21-year-old college basketball star addressed the controversy on social media on Tuesday, writing point blank, "Creating fake AI pictures of me is crazy and weird AF!"

Despite the invasion of privacy (even though the pics are fugazi), the SEC Player of the Year is taking an upsetting situation and making the best of it ... all while making it clear she'd never pose nude on social media.

"Like i know im fine & seem to have an appeal to some but im literally 21 and yall doing this bs when i would neverrrrrr"

Of course, Angel has tons of fans ... and many ran to her defense.

"It's only bored people sweet Angel, put your eyes on the goal and that's a championship," a supporter responded on X.

Speaking of championships ... Reese, averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds, is preparing for March Madness. Her LSU squad is a three-seed in the Albany bracket, where they're hoping to run the table. The Tigers' first game is against 14-seeded Rice ... a contest they're heavily favored to win.

Louisiana State Univ. is looking to go back-to-back after winning a Natty last year under legendary coach Kim Mulkey.

Angel was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Sadly, for all the possibilities that come along with AI, there's also this ... and Reese isn't the first to have to deal with fraudulent images flooding the internet. In fact, Taylor Swift and Bobbi Althoff went through a similar situation recently.

Jake Gyllenhaal says he suffered a nasty injury while shooting the new "Road House" movie with Conor McGregor ... revealing he cut his hand right open during an intense fight scene -- and ended up with a staph infection.

The Academy Award nominee and UFC superstar opened up on working together on set during a recent episode of "Armchair Expert" with Dax Shepard ... and while they both praised each other's professionalism, there was a bit of bad blood involved.

Gyllenhaal -- who plays former MMA fighter Elwood Dalton in the flick -- explained he was shooting an intense showdown with Conor's character, Knox ... and the scene involved a ton of breakaway glass.

As it turns out, it didn't matter if it was real or fake ... 'cause when Gyllenhaal put his hand down on the bar in the middle of the take, a piece went right through his mitt.

But, there was no quit in the lead actor -- he said he trucked through the shot and finished the scene because they had already run through it several times and he knew this take was a good one.

Once the director called "cut" -- shoutout irony -- Gyllenhaal said he looked down at his hand and noticed his whole arm had swelled up ... and he later found out it was a staph infection.

Of course, staph can be a real pain in the ass ... but it can also be deadly in some cases if it goes untreated.

Luckily, Jakey G is still kickin' ... and he said that was really the only injury he had while filming the Prime Video flick.

Conor ain't the only big-name non-actor in the project -- Post Malone also showed off his acting chops ... and based on BTS pics, the musician got pretty bloody, too.

Jalen Hurts is lending a big hand to the family of a high school football player who was shot and killed in Texas earlier this month ... paying for the teen's funeral expenses.

The footballer -- 18-year-old Jarvon Coles -- died on March 9 ... after authorities say at least one shooter fired gunshots in the direction of a Houston house party he had been attending.

Cops say Coles was struck by the gunfire -- and despite life-saving efforts, the North Shore H.S. linebacker was pronounced deceased a short time later at a nearby hospital.

Hurts, who attended a rival high school of North Shore, was so moved by the tragedy after learning of the news ... he decided to pay for Coles' memorial service, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The funeral was held over the weekend at The Light of the World Christian Fellowship Church in Humble, Texas.

"He was like a light in the tunnel," Coles' grandfather, Braxton, told KHOU. "Everybody loved him. He had absolutely no enemies and it’s just beyond my comprehension that something like this would happen."

Coles, who wore No. 10, was a team captain in 2023. He helped lead North Shore to a 15-1 record this past season.

He had a 4.1 GPA and received several college offers ... but was planning to go to Lamar University.

Even Anthony Edwards was blown away by his dunk of the year candidate on Monday ... giving a hilarious reaction to the replay of the insane slam right after the game.

The Minnesota Timberwolves star set the internet on fire with his emphatic dunk over Utah Jazz player John Collins in the third quarter of the home contest ... taking a pass from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and leaping over the 6'9" big man to rattle the rim.

Ant gave his immediate take on the jaw-dropping highlight shortly after the T-Wolves' 114-104 win ... and he didn't hold back.

"Aaaeeuuuuaahhhhhh!!!! Little ass n****!!" Ant said on camera. "Oh my God."

"Ay, that's my best dunk of my career, I'm not gonna lie."

Ant explained he dislocated his finger during the wild attempt ... so he wasn't really able to react the way he wanted to after the dunk.

BTW -- Ant was actually fouled on the play ... and there was fear he wasn't going to be able to make it to the charity stripe for his and-one attempt, but he managed to fight through it.

French tennis player Arthur Cazaux suffered a terrifying health scare during his match Monday -- collapsing on the court as medics rushed to his aid.

Cazaux was waiting to return serve from Harold Mayot in the third set of their game at the Miami Open when he suddenly crumpled to the ground while the TV cameras were rolling.

Check out the video ... Cazaux was laid out on his back with his body twitching and his stiff arms pointing to the sky before they went limp.

Paramedics and the chair umpire dashed over to help Cazaux, while Mayot also came by to check on his opponent. Cazaux was eventually rolled off the court in a wheelchair.

Cazaux, who is ranked No. 74 in the world, retired from the match as he led 2-1 in the third set. Mayot and Cazaux split the first two sets, 6-4 and 7-5, respectively.

The umpire announced that Cazaux was throwing in the towel due to an illness without offering specifics.

According to weather reports, the temperatures reached the upper 80s to low 90s in Miami yesterday so that may have played a factor.

Paul Pierce is just the latest celebrity to fall prey to Los Angeles' burglary epidemic ... the former NBA superstar's home was broken into Friday night, and the perpetrators got away with luxury watches and over $100k in cash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports the 46-year-old 10x NBA All-Star's pad was hit when Pierce wasn't home, and a mind-boggling amount of personal treasure was stolen.

Amongst the burglarized items were expensive watches, 6 figures in cash, and a safe ... which police are currently trying to track down.

As for the criminal investigation, we're told cops have been combing through video from the scene, hoping to find a critical piece of evidence that'll crack the case.

No arrests have been made.

While he's the latest, he's not the first big-named star to have their personal spaces violated, and their belongings stolen ... it's been an issue in the City of Angels for years.

Post Malone, Bella Thorne, Yasiel Puig, Rihanna, Quentin Tarantino, Drake and so many other stars have fallen victim.

In fact, the LAPD recently talked about "burglary tourists" from South America who travel to Los Angeles solely to target luxurious mansions.

Police say the rings sometimes use high-tech equipment like jammers to bypass security systems.

It's unclear if one of these rings is behind the Pierce burglary.

It's Tuesday, and let's just say we started the week strong here at TMZ ... especially on TV.

Kicking things off on "TMZ Live," we actually broke a big story in publishing the first video of Kate Middleton out and about and on her own two feet since December -- which hopefully puts all the rumors to rest, especially now that we can see she seems to be doing just fine.

The footage shows her looking relatively healthy and happy. So ... much ado about nothin'?

Next up, we have "TMZ on TV," where the gang talked about Ben Affleck's latest reason to be sad -- namely, the fact that he and Jennifer Lopez's car suffered a flat tire this weekend.

It was pretty funny to see them deal with it ... and even funnier to talk about on the show.

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports" ... where Babcock and Mojo talked about wrestler Bully Ray.

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

Sleuths covering Taylor Swift's every move think she and Travis Kelce are on a getaway together -- and if they're at this specific spot ... she may be a couple's vacay repeater.

Here's the deal ... despite her best efforts, people are still tracking Taylor's private jets -- or trying to anyway -- and one particular group thinks they've got her latest flight pinned down ... specifically, for a trip down to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

This group of people who track jets suggest she may have been on a flight Sunday from L.A. to North Eleuthera -- and the reason they might be on to something  ... some purported pics of T-Swift and TK surfaced online Monday, and it appears to show them in a tropical setting.

More accurately, the photos published by Deuxmoi appear to show Taylor and Travis walking along a dock -- although the publication doesn't offer any details on where this might be.

Luckily for us, we've done some digging -- and we think we got it figured out ... 'cause the dock they're on looks awfully similar to one that's just a hop and skip away from the main Eleuthera island ... namely, one featured at the Valentines Resort & Marina at Harbour Island.

Take a close look for yourself -- it's hard to say for certain ... but on its face, some of the characteristics seem to line up in appearance. So yeah, it's possible this is where they're at.

If true -- and we're not 100% sure it is at this point, although there are signs it might be -- then this is really interesting ... 'cause Taylor vacationed with her ex, Joe Alwyn, in Eleuthera as well once upon a time. In fact, it looks like she may be doing some of the same stuff.

Remember, in 2022 ... Taylor and Joe also jetted down to the Bahamas -- and they were staying in Eleuthera as well back then ... in none other than an airstream trailer owned by Lenny Kravitz. No word on whether she's shacking up there again with Trav ... hopefully not.

What's interesting about this too ... the fact Joe was just in L.A. the other day, this while Travis and Taylor were in town. Seems to be a lot of flashbacks going on with her ex-BF.

One last thing that pretty much confirms these two are enjoying a little R&R -- this on the heels of his NFL season being over, and Taylor enjoying a break from her international tour.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Taylor and Travis have had a vacation planned for a while -- although we didn't hear exactly where they were going. However, our sources say that after they went on this vacay -- which, for now, sure seems like it's happening right now -- they were due to come back to Los Angeles and continue hanging out/playing house.

Taylor and Travis have been shacking up together at her Bev Hills crib for the past couple weeks -- and while Taylor hasn't been spotted out ... Trav's been hitting the town a lot solo.

The guy's been cruising around with his buddies, and he even went to the Justin Timberlake show last week ahead of the debut of his new album ... where he got an *NSYNC reunion.

Anyhoo ... assuming these two are on the getaway we think they're on -- this would mark their first real trip together where it's completely non-work-related ... another step in their relationship ... and just more evidence that they're truly getting serious.

Evan Fournier's decision to go all David Beckham after losing to the Miami Heat just set him back a huge wad of dough -- the Detroit Pistons player was fined $25k for the move.

The moment went down shortly after the home team lost in devastating fashion ... with Bam Adebayo chucking up a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer to secure the 104-101 win.

As the victors celebrated at center court, Fournier -- who had 18 points in the losing effort -- was in a much worse mood ... taking the game ball and punting it to the rafters.

NBA executive VP and head of basketball ops Joe Dumars announced the hefty fine on Monday ... specifically stating it was for "kicking the game ball into the spectator stands."

It was just another lowlight for the Pistons -- they currently sit almost last in the Eastern Conference with a 12-55 record.

Maya Moore's No. 23 will hang in the rafters forever -- the Minnesota Lynx are slated to retire the superstar's jersey this upcoming season.

The WNBA team listed the ceremony on its upcoming schedule ... showing "Maya Moore jersey retirement" for the August 24 game against Indiana Fever.

Moore became the 1st overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft ... and led the Lynx to four WNBA championships.

She was also named WNBA Finals MVP, a six-time All-Star ... and led the league in scoring and steals.

Moore is one of the greatest winners in women's basketball history ... and it all started with her four seasons at UConn.

Moore -- a McDonald's All-American -- averaged 19.7 points per game with a 52% shooting average during her college career ... and broke several school records including the all-time single-season scorer.

While winning two NCAA titles with the Huskies, Moore was also named Naismith College Player of the Year and earned the John R. Wooden Award twice and AP College Player of the Year twice.

She also won two Olympic gold medals and FIBA gold medals.

However, the 34-year-old stepped away from basketball in 2018 to focus on criminal injustice reform cases ... including her longtime friend, Jonathan Irons', whom she helped free from prison while he was serving a 50-year bid for assault and burglary.

Moore then revealed in 2020 she and Irons got married. Their son, Jonathan Jr., was born in 2022.

After being away from the game for several years, Moore decided to retire in 2023.

Moore still does work with her non-profit, Win With Justice, which aims to educate those on "the excessive power that prosecutors have in maintaining and expanding mass incarceration while inspiring the public and prosecutors to action."

Richard Simmons is setting the record straight after sparking concern for his well-being earlier on Monday.

The fitness guru clarified on X that he was doing just fine ... mere hours after he told his followers that he was dying. The 75-year-old star apologized to his followers for upsetting them with his shocking declaration.

He explained the concerning update was not meant to be an announcement about his health ... but rather a message about appreciating every day. He apologized again for any confusion the upload may've caused.

ICYMI ... earlier in the day, Richard took to Facebook and shared that he had sad news to announce. He wrote ... "I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying.  Every day we live we are getting closer to our death. Why am I telling you this?  Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy."

Richard went on to encourage his fans to eat healthy, move every day and watch his workout videos on YouTube for inspiration. He signed off his note by encouraging his followers to listen to Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dying."

In the hours it took him to clarify his social media activity, countless fans took to his post to send him love and healing thoughts.

Richard -- who took a step back from the limelight the last few years -- has been somewhat vocal on social media in recent months. He notably sounded off on Pauly Shore's plan to play him in a biopic ... noting that he had not given his permission for the flick.

Travis Kelce's teammate is hoping his relationship with Taylor Swift results in love, marriage and a baby in a carriage ... 'cause Harrison Butker can't get enough of the tight end's girlfriend!!

The Chiefs kicker revealed his wishes for the two lovebirds in an interview with EWTN's "In Depth" recently ... when he was asked his thoughts on the pop superstar's presence at Kansas City games this season.

Butker admitted he was initially nervous to meet Swift at first (despite not really identifying as a Swiftie) ... but praised how down-to-earth the "Karma" crooner is in person.

He pointed out the feeling was mutual ... as Swift was mind-blown over the fact he's able to kick balls so far and accurately.

Butker pointed out he hung out with Swift for a bit at a New Year's Eve party ... and it was "a great experience" and he couldn't say enough good things about her.

As for Traylor's future, Butker is wishing nothing but long-term success for the power couple ...  saying "I hope they get married and start a family."

The comments are pretty interesting -- Butker has no issue putting that kinda pressure on Kelce, so maybe the guys have talked about the tight end's true feelings toward Swift and what his intentions are in the relationship.