TMZ Sports - Page 50

Michigan politician Matt Maddock is adamant that several buses filled with the Gonzaga men's basketball team were actually packed with "illegal invaders" -- and despite being proven wrong ... he's still insisting it's true.

Maddock posted the nonsense on his X page on Wednesday night ... after seeing three large buses get a police escort away from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The MI House of Representatives member -- a Republican -- said to his nearly 2,000 followers, "Happening right now. Three buses just loaded up with illegal invaders at Detroit Metro."

NBA center Isaiah Hartenstein is opening up on how people react when they find out he's actually Black ... saying the experience is like something straight out of a "Key and Peele" sketch.

The 25-year-old hooper's teammates, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, got right to the point when they invited him on their "Roommates" podcast this week ... when the former asked Hartenstein straight-up, "Are you Black?"

The six-year vet broke it all down ... explaining his dad, Florian, is Black.

"You know how it's like lightskin? I'm brightskin," Hartenstein said. "I'm above lightskin."

The 7'0" big man went on to point out there's one big difference he notices after folks learn he's Black ... and he compared it to the famous skit from the Comedy Central show, when Jordan Peele's Barack Obama character bases his handshake approach on race.

"When they find out I'm Black, it changes," Hartenstein added. "The whole vibe changes -- it goes from, 'Hey Zay, how are you doing?' to 'Yo, Zay, what up, man? You good?'"

It's been a VERY good year for Terrel Bernard ... 'cause not only is the Buffalo Bills linebacker fresh off a breakout season on the field, his longtime girlfriend just agreed to marry him!!

The newly engaged couple announced the huge news this week ... with Tayler Timmons, a doctor of physical therapy, sharing a photo of her beautiful diamond ring on Instagram.

Fans congratulated the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. in the comments ... including Rachel Bush who is married to former Bills safety Jordan Poyer.

Bernard and Timmons go wayyyy back -- they both started dating at La Porte High School in Texas, where they were crowned Homecoming king and queen ... and continued their relationship when they both attended Baylor University.

Now, Bernard is one of the best rising defensive stars on the Bills ... after he had 143 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and three interceptions this past season.

Buffalo coach Sean McDermott spoke highly of the 24-year-old after the Bills' playoff run ended in late January ... saying he was blown away by his production on the field.

"I thought he had a magnificent year, I really did," McDermott said on One Bills Live after the season. "And not only just on the field, but also in terms of his leadership."

Logan Paul is beyond pissed about the new documentary about him that just dropped ... and he's blaming Graham Bensinger, the guy who spent 5 months interviewing him for the film.

We had Logan and Graham on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we thought they were both going to promote, "5 Months with Logan Paul" ... the documentary -- in which Logan opens up about suicidal thoughts after a failed business deal. Well, instead it turned into a verbal Royal Rumble, with Logan hurling a lot of accusations at Graham.

His main beef is the platform on which '5 Months' debuted ... namely, Graham's YouTube channel. Logan ripped into Graham, claiming he'd promised it would debut on Apple TV+. Dude came with receipts, too -- Logan held up several emails he claims Graham sent him about the Apple TV+ deal.

It's MLB Opening Day -- and this year, ya better bring a ticket, glove AND an appetite to the ballpark ... 'cause several teams are offering some massive dishes for fans to enjoy!!

Some of the most popular, of course, include spins on the classic hot dog.

The Texas Rangers unveiled a footlong one that will come with two burger patties, a bunch of chili and cheese, Tostitos chips and a whole lot more.

A hefty fine is surely coming Kelly Oubre Jr.'s way -- the Philadelphia 76ers hooper absolutely unloaded on referees over a blown call at the end of Wednesday's game ... appearing to call them a bunch of bitches.

The Sixers' 108-107 loss to the LA Clippers ended in controversy ... when KO drove the lane in hopes of getting the lead in the final seconds of the contest, but made contact with Paul George instead.

Oubre and Sixers coach Nick Nurse were both LIVID over the non-call after the buzzer ... yelling at officials and needing to be restrained.

The internet lipreaders seemed to figure out what Oubre said in the confrontation ... claiming Oubre pointed at Kevin Scott, Brandon Adair and JB DeRosa individually and said, "you're a bitch, you're a bitch, you're a bitch."

It didn't stop there -- some believe Oubre even started talking about their relatives ... also referring to them as bitches.

Some on the internet have felt the 28-year-old's frustration was perhaps warranted ... as Scott admitted after the game a foul should've been called on the play.

Despite being technically right, Oubre expressed remorse for his actions in the locker rooms ... saying, "I want to apologize for just losing my cool, because that's something I try to work on each and every day, and try to represent God in the best way I possibly can, and that wasn't it."

"So I just ask for forgiveness."

10:00 AM PT -- Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are adamant they were not the reason for the failed deal, releasing a statement through their spokesperson on Thursday afternoon that read, "We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its process."

"Glen Taylor's statement," the two continued, "is an unfortunate case of seller's remorse that is short sighted and disruptive to the team and the fans during a historic winning season."

Alex Rodriguez won't be the majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx after all ... the orgs' owner just announced the former MLB star's bid to buy the teams has fallen through.

Glen Taylor, the current honcho of the NBA and WNBA squads, announced the news in a statement on Thursday morning ... explaining Rodriguez and former Walmart CEO Marc Lore's effort to become new majority owners collapsed after the two missed a key deadline this week.

"Under terms of the purchase agreement," Taylor said in the statement, "the closing was required to occur within 90 days following the exercise notice issued by Lore and Rodriguez. That 90-day period expired on March 27, 2024."

"Under certain circumstances, the buyer could have been entitled to a limited extension. However, those circumstances did not occur."

Rodriguez and Lore had previously bought 40 percent of the teams in prior sales. The most recent agreement between the two and Taylor was set to give them an additional 40 percent of the franchises.

Taylor said despite the failed pact, he'll still work with Lore and Rodriguez to "ensure our teams have the necessary resources to compete at the highest levels on and off the court."

As for going forward, Taylor doesn't appear to have plans of re-entering into talks with the two about a purchase ... saying, "The Timberwolves and Lynx are no longer for sale."

The Wolves currently have one of the best teams in the NBA, holding a 50-22 record. The Lynx -- who've won four WNBA titles -- are slated to begin their season this summer.

Kim Zolciak and her daughter Brielle Biermann are suffering a luxurious loss -- failing to make payments on a Range Rover means they've now been ordered to hand over the keys ... TMZ has learned.

In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, a judge ruled against the reality TV stars, granting Ally Bank the right to repossess their Range, after the bank sued BB and KZ in December for failing to meet the terms of their sales agreement.

The judge issued the order Wednesday ... making the 2019 vehicle immediately available for repossession.

Vanessa Bryant surprised the UConn men's basketball team with some Kobe kicks ahead of its Sweet 16 matchup with SDSU ... gifting the unreleased "Italian Camo" Protros to the squad -- and the players loved them!!

The Huskies got the amazing gifts on Wednesday, some 24 hours before they take on the No. 5 Aztecs in Boston as part of the NCAA tournament's next round.

In video posted by the team, you can see the Big East champs had no idea they were going to get the presents from Vanessa ... and the players went nuts when they officially got to unwrap the Nike sneakers -- which won't be available to the public 'til April.

"I just wanna say thank you to Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant family. We appreciate you," senior guard Hassan Diarra said after getting his pair. "We're gonna show out in the NCAA tournament!"

The shoes have been dubbed the "Italian Camos" ... and they were created to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant's Italian background.

This, of course, is not the first time UConn's gotten some custom Bryant footwear ... during last year's tourney, the team -- which is part of the Nike Mamba Program -- was gifted custom Huskies Kobe 8 Protros.

Remember, Kobe always had a soft spot for UConn ... he was famously a big fan of the school's men's and women's basketball teams when he was alive -- as was his daughter, Gianna, who went to several games with Dad during her life.

It's a bad day to be long grass at Landon Dickerson's house ... 'cause the Philadelphia Eagles lineman held up on his promise to get a brand-new lawn mower with his $84 million extension -- and he's already testing it out!!

The 25-year-old guard went viral with his honesty earlier this month ... revealing he was exploring the idea of treating himself to a fancy outdoor appliance after securing his big payday.

Dickerson wasn't kidding ... 'cause the two-time Pro Bowler showed off his new toy on Wednesday, cruising down his driveway as he took the riding grass-cutter for a spin.

"I got me a mower," Dickerson casually said to the camera.

But it's not just any mower we're talking about -- Dickerson seemingly went all-out with his purchase, getting what appears to be a Gravely Pro-Turn 560 Kawasaki ... which comes with a whopping $15,249 price tag.

It was a pretty practical move, especially considering Dickerson's home has a huge yard ... and the guy takes pride in his stripes!!

Draymond Green issued a mea culpa for his actions on his "The Draymond Green Show" Thursday morning ... admitting, "I said what I said. I deserved to get kicked out at that point."

"It just can't happen," he added.

Draymond Green was ejected from yet another NBA game Wednesday night -- this time for screaming at a ref -- and Steph Curry was so upset that it happened again, he got visibly emotional on the floor.

The latest DG meltdown happened early in the first quarter of the Warriors' matchup with the Magic in Orlando ... after Green was furious with official Ray Acosta over some foul calls.

Green went up to the ref and began screaming in his face ... and, initially, Acosta appeared to be set to let it all slide with a technical call.

Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts tells TMZ Sports despite all of the recent drama surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter ... L.A. is absolutely locked in on the 2024 season.

Betts made it clear to us while out at a charity appearance at a Raising Cane's in Alhambra, Calif. that the Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal is just not a distraction.

"No, no, no, no," the shortstop said. "We're just focused on business. Taking care of business and that's all we keep first."

We're almost at the weekend, but until we get there ... why not refuel with some TV topics?!

Let's kick things off with "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles continued to break down the aftermath of the raids on Diddy's homes ... including dramatic footage of what the feds left behind at his Holmby Hills mansion -- namely, an absolute mess as they tore the place up.

Before this Houston native throwin' up deuces for the camera turned into a professional basketball player, he was just a star and the captain of his high school squad before making it big in the NBA.

He currently is a small forward for the Miami Heat but you've also seen him play for the Chicago Bulls, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers.

And, don't count out his famous friends ... Camila Cabello, Alix Earle and Diplo just to name a few.

Need one more clue? "Jimmy Buckets"!

Logan Paul says the coverage of his failed CryptoZoo project led to the darkest period of his life ... revealing he at one point contemplated taking his own life amid the backlash.

The YouTuber, boxer and WWE Superstar opened up on his mental struggles in Graham Bensinger's documentary, "5 Months with Logan Paul" ... detailing the breakdown he had while in Denmark with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, and her family in 2022.

Logan said he missed out on the chance to meet Nina's father due to his emotional state ... admitting he was in "a pretty dark spot" after YouTuber Coffeezilla released a video series investigating his NFT game and accusing it of being a scam.

Ice Cube clearly thinks Caitlin Clark can succeed in the Big3 ... but one man who's convinced she can't is ex-NBA star Kenyon Martin, who said Wednesday she wouldn't be able to score a single point in the 3-on-3 league.

The Iowa Hawkeyes star received a $5 million offer to join Cube's hoops org. on Wednesday ... but when Martin was asked how he thinks she'd fare if she accepted the deal -- he made it clear, he thinks it'd be a mess.

"It's a step under prison ball," the former NBA player said of the Big3's action on Gilbert Arenas' "Gil's Arena Show." "Could you imagine her getting stuck down on Reggie Evans?"