TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James says bringing the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors makes him the greatest basketball player of all time ... but does his teammate agree??

TMZ Sports spoke with Richard Jefferson -- who was part of that 2016 NBA title team in Cleveland -- about LBJ's bold proclamation ... and R.J. says there's no question that something "great" happened.

"It was the greatest performance I ever saw," R.J. says.

But, having witnessed firsthand what the King was able to do against the 73-9 Dubs in the 7-game thriller ... we asked R.J. if he agreed with LBJ's decision to declare himself the G.O.A.T.

1:24 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the injury photos of Elissa Ennis -- the woman who claims Foster attacked her ... but apparently, the pics weren't compelling enough for charges to be pursued.

You can see a big red bruise on her cheek and red marks on her chest.

The photos were taken in the aftermath of the Nov. 24 incident -- the woman claims Foster hit her in the face while trying to take her cell phone. She called 911 and cops responded to the team hotel.

Foster's attorney tells us he believes prosecutors dropped the case because of credibility issues.

Remember, after making a claim months ago that he attacked her in February, she recanted on the stand saying she made up the allegations in a fit of anger after being dumped.

And, it got even worse when she appeared on 'GMA' and said she lied about lying on the stand.

Bottom line ... seems prosecutors realize there is no way they could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt with an alleged victim who has repeatedly lied about the very thing for which Foster was arrested.

8:51 AM PT -- An NFL spokesperson tells TMZ Sports ... "We are monitoring all developments in the matter which continues to be under review by the league."

7:22 AM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Foster's attorney Eddie Suarez who tells us he believes the case was dropped due to issues with the witness' credibility.

Suarez says he believes the fact Foster's accuser has changed her story about a previous domestic violence incident multiple times was a factor in the decision to drop the case.

Reuben Foster is off the hook in his domestic violence case ... again.

TMZ Sports has obtained a court document filed on Jan. 2 which shows the State Attorney's Office in Florida has dismissed the misdemeanor charge against Foster stemming from a Nov. 24 incident with his ex-girlfriend.

Foster was scheduled to appear at an arraignment in Hillsborough County, FL on Thursday morning -- but the hearing was canceled after the notice of termination of prosecution was filed.

Unclear why prosecutors decided to drop the case against the 24-year-old linebacker -- we've got calls out to everyone.

As we previously reported ... Foster was arrested back on Nov. 24 for allegedly roughing up his ex-GF, Elissa Ennis, at the 49ers' team hotel in Tampa Bay.

Ennis said in an interview with "Good Morning America" on Dec. 6 the fight stemmed from her threatening to tell Foster's new GF that he paid for her flight out to Florida.

In 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... Ennis says, "My ex-boyfriend just took my phone [and broke it] ... slapped me in my face and threatened me."

She later repeated, "He took my phone and broke it and slapped me in my face."

Ennis said on 'GMA' that wasn't the first time Foster had struck her ... saying he had also roughed her up on two other separate occasions -- one of which she says she lied about in court to protect the LB.

Foster had been arrested for domestic violence in Feb. 2018 and charged with several felonies for allegedly roughing up the same woman.

But, when Ennis went on the stand in that case, she told the judge she had concocted the story to get back at Foster as revenge for breaking up with her.

The judge dismissed the charges against Foster in that case.

Ennis later said she lied in court to protect Foster because she thought she loved him.

San Francisco cut Foster just hours after the incident in Tampa ... but he was later claimed on waivers by the Redskins, who vowed the LB wouldn't suit up for them until the legal process played out.

Story developing ...

Officials in Israel believe Bar Refaeli tried to hide more than $6 MILLION from tax authorities ... and now she's been informed prosecutors will hit her with tax evasion and money laundering charges.

Refaeli has been under investigation for years -- authorities believe she tried to get out of paying taxes in Israel by claiming her primary residence was in the U.S. ... and telling U.S. authorities she lived in Israel.

Authorities claim the supermodel was shady with tax officials from 2006 to 2012 -- part of that time was when she was dating Leonardo DiCaprio.

Officials say Bar claimed to be living in the U.S. with Leo at the time when she was really living in Tel Aviv under a family member's name, this according to JPost.com.

Bar's parents, Tzipi and Rafi Refaeli, are also expected to be hit with money laundering and tax evasion charges stemming from the same investigation.

As for Bar, her attorney Moshe Mizrahi told Ynet ... Israeli tax authorities are backing out of a deal she negotiated with them in 2009. He also claims Bar "hasn’t hidden anything."

33-year-old Refaeli is one of the most famous models in the world -- gracing the covers of magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and GQ.

Stephen Jackson just ripped Darryl Strawberry for saying weed is a gateway drug ... blasting the ex-MLB superstar as a "cokehead" who's "weak-minded."

ICYMI ... Strawberry told TMZ Sports earlier this week that marijuana is SUPER dangerous and is "just the beginning" of the path to way more serious drugs.

Enter Jackson ... a staunch marijuana advocate who heard the comments -- and just had to tear into the former outfielder for making the bold claim.

"You a whole cokehead out here, bruh," Jackson says.

"Asking you for advice about weed is like asking somebody who went broke on how to stay rich. You a whole cokehead out here, bruh!!"

Jackson later apologized for the comments ... saying he didn't mean to disrespect the ex-Yankee who's tried to turn around his life after being suspended 3 times for cocaine during his baseball career.

But, Stephen didn't back off his initial opinion at all ... doubling down and saying, "If you think weed is a gateway drug, then you weak-minded."

Johnny Manziel says he's right in the middle of the Kanye West vs. Drake beef -- since it's all going down in Calabasas -- and he's convinced Yeezus is scared.

You already know the backstory ... Kanye went off on Drake publicly this weekend when he realized the rapper still followed Kim Kardashian on IG. He took his gripe to Twitter where he posted about 75 million tweets about the situation.

Since Manziel is friendly with Drake -- and lives around the corner from Kanye and Kim in Calabasas -- he talked about the situation on his Comeback SZN podcast on Barstool Sports.

"It's all happening right around the corner," Manziel said ... "So, I'm in the middle of it right now. I can't wait to see it unfold a little bit more, but [Kanye] is triggered!"

He added, "It sounds like Kanye is a little worried about Drake. Like he's going to call someone to beat him up or something."

Seems Manziel is right ... remember, Kanye suggested that Drake threatened his family during a Twitter spat a few weeks ago.

"You threatened the safety of me and my family," Kanye tweeted on Dec. 13 ... "Never threaten north saint and Chicago's dad bro."

Kanye continued ... "So drake if anything happens to me or anyone from my family you are the first suspect. So cut the tough talk."

"Mean" Gene Okerlund was seriously injured during a nasty fall back in December ... triggering a rapid decline in his health that ultimately led to his death, his son tells TMZ Sports.

We spoke with Todd Okerlund who says Okerlund suffered multiple broken ribs during the fall at his Florida home and was treated at a hospital in Sarasota.

Todd says Okerlund had been in frail health for a while but the fall clearly made things much worse.

Just 4 days before his death, Gene was admitted to a nursing home .... but he began to have trouble breathing and was rushed to a hospital on Wednesday where he ultimately passed away with his wife, Jeanne, by his side.

Todd tells us ... the family has been touched by all of the support for his father. Todd also says Gene LOVED his career and would have done it for free.

"Mean" Gene is a WWE Hall of Famer who was a key part of the company's success -- with legendary interviews with Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and more.

Vince McMahon also issued a statement on Okerlund ... saying, "It was impossible not to crack a smile whenever 'Mean' Gene Okerlund entered a room. He was the voice behind so many of WWE’s most iconic and entertaining moments, and the WWE family will miss him immensely."

Gene was 76.

R.I.P.

11:30 AM PT-- Hopkins just spoke with reporters about the decision to help Jazmine's family ... saying, "The city of Houston is always supportive of me, of this team, so I felt in my heart it's only right that I give back to those who are down."

"It's a tough situation for that to happen."

Houston Texans superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins says every penny from his NFL Wild Card round playoff paycheck will go to the family of a 7-year-old girl who was gunned down this weekend on a Texas highway.

Jazmine Barnes was killed around 7 AM on Sunday morning when a man in a red pickup truck pulled up next to the family car and opened fire for no apparent reason. The family was going on an early morning coffee run at the time of the incident.

Jazmine's mother, LaPorsha Washington, was also struck in the attack -- but she survived. Jazmine's 3 sisters were also in the car during the shooting and suffered cuts from shattered glass.

A manhunt is now underway in Texas -- the suspect has been described as a white man with a beard who appears to be in his 40s.

Officials say it doesn't appear the family did anything to provoke the driver.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, "There was nothing to indicate that the family did anything wrong in any way ... They were simply just driving along the service road when this happened to them."

Clearly, the story has resonated with Hopkins -- who said, "When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter."

"I'm pledging my playoff check this week to help her family with funeral costs and to support @shaunking @SherriffED_HCSO @SylvesterTurner in bringing this man to justice. On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine."

Social activist Shaun King has announced a $100,000 reward is being offered for info that leads to the arrest of the killer.

Antonio Brown finally got cut Wednesday night ... but it wasn't by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The superstar WR was one of the celebrity performers on "The Masked Singer" -- and while the show was taped months ago, his song choice proved insanely relevant when it aired Wednesday night.

Disguised in a hippo mask, Brown performed Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" -- which includes the famous lyrics ... "Everybody's talkin' all this stuff about me. Why don't they just let me live?"

It's almost like he knew he was gonna be in the middle of a super nasty public feud with his team when he taped the show.

The judges thought the face under the hippo mask belonged to either Odell Beckham, Deion Sanders or Allen Iverson.

Before he revealed his true identity, the judges had already sealed his fate -- giving him the lowest score among the celebrity singers ... which means he was axed from the show.

Logan Paul says KSI is pulling some shady crap when it comes to their rematch -- saying the YouTube star is breaking their contract by refusing to fight in February.

Remember, the two squared off back in August but fought to a draw in a crazy 6-round slugfest at Manchester Arena in the U.K.

The two had signed a contract requiring a rematch -- but the two sides can't seem to agree on a date.

On Wednesday, KSI posted a video pointing the finger at Logan's camp -- saying Team Paul was supposed to take the lead with planning since it's supposed to happen in the U.S. ... but he's failing.

KSI claims Logan wants the fight to go down on the West Coast -- but says it doesn't make sense because time zone issues would make it difficult for U.K. fans to watch the fight live.

KSI is demanding an East Coast location and says he wants the fight pushed to November so they can properly train and promote the event.

But, when we saw Logan at Warwick in Hollywood on Wednesday night ... he told a different story.

"He already broke the contract. It was supposed to happen in February. He already broke that sh*t."

Logan continued ... "He needs time to prepare. I'm okay. I tried to do it in December but he wouldn't do it."

Jon Jones is one step closer to his next fight ... because Anthony Smith tells TMZ Sports his manager is already talking with the UFC to get a deal done.

30-year-old Smith has clawed his way to becoming the #3 ranked light heavyweight after taking out Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua and Volkan Oezdemir in his last 3 fights.

After Jones beat up Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Saturday, he and Smith talked trash to each other during the post-fight show on FS1.

Now, Smith says he ain't just blowing smoke -- he wants smoke -- and his manager, Jim Walter, is already speaking with the UFC honchos to hammer out a deal.

No word on when the fight would go down but Smith says he'll brawl with Jones "any time, any place anywhere ... I'll fight Jon this weekend if he wants to."

Smith says he respects Jones as a fighter but wasn't super impressed with his 3rd-round victory over Gustafsson -- saying, "I've seen him look better."

Of course, there are other fighters angling for a shot at JJ -- including #6 ranked contender Corey Anderson ... but Smith says no one wants to see that fight because Jones will beat his ass.

We asked Smith if he had a message for Jones -- "I'm ready. I'm ready and you know it. And I know it. I'm the only one that's gonna push you."

New year, same ol' smokin' hot physiques for Karrueche Tran and her ex-NFL player boyfriend, Victor Cruz!

The couple hit the beach in Miami on Wednesday to take in some sun and surf while showing off their insanely toned bods.

KT and VC have been dating since December 2017 and seem to be going strong.

The former New York Giants star wideout announced his retirement back in August after 7 seasons in the NFL ... but the 32-year-old still looks like he's in playing shape.

As for Tran, she's still starring on "Claws" where she plays a former stripper turned manicurist out in Florida. The show just got renewed for a 3rd season on TNT.

But, are you really here for the background info ... or to scroll through the bikini gallery already?

Shareef O'Neal just revealed his heart surgery scar for the first time Wednesday ... and he's already given himself a new nickname, "Zipperboy."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Shareef needed a heart procedure done after UCLA doctors detected an abnormality during a routine check-up.

O'Neal went under the knife on Dec. 13 ... but came out of it just fine -- and when he finally got a look at the scar this week, he was able to joke about it.

"My first time seeing my scar ..... #zipperboy."

The operation doesn't seem like it was a laughing matter though ... the scar runs from the top of his chest to halfway down to his belly button!!!

The good news ... Shaq told us just several days ago his son's doing okay -- and could be back on the basketball court in just a few months.

Derrick Henry got his O-linemen the ultimate "thank you for blocking for me" present this week ... CUSTOM DIAMOND CHAINS, BABY!!!

The former Heisman Trophy winner ran all over the Jaguars a couple weeks ago ... trouncing Jacksonville for 238 rushing yards AND four touchdowns.

In fact ... dude had 99-yard run in the game that sent the NFL world into a frenzy!!!!

Henry's yards were the most-ever in Titans history ... and his 4 scores tied the franchise mark -- so, as a thank you to his O-line for blocking for him ... he got them some sick drip this week.

We're told Henry got the chains -- which feature a gold 238 -- for all five of the O-linemen who started for the team during the Week 14 romp.

Shannon Sharpe just went scorched earth on Ben Roethlisberger ... saying the QB is a "terrible leader" who's the problem in Pittsburgh 'cause he's "a finger pointing, divisive, selfish player."

Of course, seems Big Ben would disagree ... 'cause the Steelers superstar said on a radio appearance this week that Le'Veon Bell deserves blame for Pitt's demise this season.

"It hurts you when you don’t have one of the better players in the game,” Roethlisberger said ... “but I think the biggest thing that hurts us was that it was a distraction."

Sharpe couldn't believe the QB went after the team's star running back ... so Sharpe blasted HIM for being the real problem in Pittsburgh.

"Big Ben is terrible leader. He’s a finger pointing, divisive, selfish player. Who constantly looks for someone to blame or throw under the bus for his shortcomings," Sharpe said on Twitter.

"Le’veon situation was the prob now. Le’veon wasn’t the reason 7-2-1, but the problem for missing playoffs. FOH"

Ben does own two Super Bowl rings and is destined for the Hall of Fame -- but Sharpe ain't alone in criticizing the QB's leadership.

Ben has taken heat from many recently -- especially after he seems to be one of the key reasons Antonio Brown is beefing with the team.

The Antonio Brown drama keeps raging on ... 'cause the Steelers WR just called his ex-teammate, Ryan Clark, an "Uncle Tom" after Clark ripped him on TV.

Clark -- an ex-Steelers DB who's now an ESPN NFL analyst -- tore into A.B. after reports surfaced that Brown was benched for blowing up on teammates during practice last week.

"This is where Mike Tomlin has to put his foot down and shop Antonio Brown," Clark said ... "You have to take that stand. You have to. Time for him to go."

Brown -- who played 4 seasons with Clark in Pittsburgh -- didn't take long to fire back, calling Clark an "Uncle Tom" in a comment on an ESPN NFL Instagram post about Clark's criticism.

It's the latest chapter in a drama that's already featured Brown getting benched, requesting trade AND not returning Ben Roethlisberger's phone calls and messages.

For his part ... Brown says a "big interview" with James Harrison is on the way -- so seems we'll get Antonio's side of the story shortly.

Is a bombshell Antonio Brown interview on the way???

Sure seems like it ... 'cause the Steelers superstar was watching Mike Tomlin's press conference Wednesday with James Harrison and promised a "big interview" is coming.

A.B. created quite the controversy in Pittsburgh over the last few days ... reportedly getting into a spat with teammates at practice, getting benched for Sunday's game AND requesting a trade.

Things have gotten so bad ... Ben Roethlisberger says Brown won't even call him back -- and Tomlin said he's "disappointed" with the way the WR's been acting.

Brown seems ready to tell his side of the story ... 'cause while he was watching his head coach field questions about him from reporters, he said an "exclusive" interview is on the way.

"Stay tuned, we about to do this big interview," Brown says.

Seems the interview could be REAL damaging to the Steelers ... 'cause Harrison's made it clear he's not a huge fan of Tomlin's -- and Brown's certainly not the coach's biggest supporter right now either.