TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lakers super fan Ice Cube says Scottie Pippen is WRONG when he says LeBron James doesn't have the clutch gene ... but RIGHT when he says LBJ is no Michael Jordan ... or Kobe Bryant.

Pippen took some shots at LeBron recently ... actually, he pretty much destroyed the guy on "ESPN First Take," saying the King turns into a peasant during crunch time in games.

We got Ice Cube at LAX and asked the lifelong NBA fan if there's any truth to Scottie's scathing critique, and the West Coast legend said no ... and yes.

"I think he does have the clutch gene, but not too many people in the world got the Kobe and Jordan gene."

So ... LeBron is clutch, just not Kobe or Jordan clutch. So, he's not like a high-priced Gucci clutch bag (no disrespect to T.I.) he's more like a Coach clutch bag (no disrespect to Coach).

Makes sense ... Cube went on to say LeBron shouldn't sweat Scottie's opinion, because he's got 3 rings and it doesn't matter, but we think Cube forgot one thing.

Eli Manning deserves to be immortalized in bronze at his alma mater ... so says Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, who tells TMZ Sports the former-Ole Miss QB needs a campus statue!!!

Of course, Eli's big bro, Peyton, already has a monument built for him in Indianapolis ... and the Mannings as a fam have been recognized in a few different ways already at Ole Miss.

But, Wicker says Eli -- who's a legend with BOTH the Rebels and the NY Giants -- "absolutely" should have his own statue at the school.

"Eli Manning is a great athlete. Two Super Bowl rings. A good family man. A good humanitarian. And, he volunteers his time."

Think Wicker's just playing to his constituents?? Think again ... the senator actually attended Ole Miss with Archie himself!!!

Elvis Dumervil says he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm able to compete with anyone in my era of rushing the passer."

The ex-Broncos and Ravens star is widely considered by NFL pundits as a fringe HOFer after playing 11 seasons ... but, he says his resume is good enough in his mind to get in.

"Do I feel like I belong? Of course I feel like I belong."

Dumervil might have a point ... dude was a 5-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All-Pro -- AND he finished with 105.5 career sacks.

In fact, of the 25 players ahead of him on the all-time sack list that are currently eligible for the Hall of Fame -- only 7 are still waiting on the call.

But, Elvis says you shouldn't even compare him to those guys ... he's telling us it's his own draft class -- one that featured Mario Williams -- that he should be up against.

BTW, while Dumervil waits to become HOF eligible -- he's building up a pretty successful real estate business in Miami ... telling us, he's the owner of over 600 multi-family units!!!

Darius Leonard's mom better start prepping for the surprise now ... the Colts superstar says his gift giving won't stop with a Mercedes -- he's gunning to get her a new house too!!!

"That's the goal," the LB tells TMZ Sports ... "That's the ultimate goal."

ICYMI ... Leonard surprised his mom with a new set of wheels just a couple days ago -- and she went CRAZY after seeing the present ... doing full-sprint laps in the parking lot!!

The video was epic ... and Leonard says she reacted that way 'cause, "It's something that she's always wanted. She's always wanted a Mercedes-Benz."

In fact, Leonard tells us she's been driving it around town at dangerously slow speeds 'cause she doesn't want to get even a scratch on her new baby!!!

But, Darius says there's more in store for Momma ... he's telling us he's got plans to get her a new house next.

As for why ... Leonard obviously LOVES her -- but, he says she's a big reason he's such an athletic freak.

And, if his play on the gridiron this year didn't prove those genes ... he explained to us why he might've been in the NBA if his football career didn't get in the way!!!

Jaylon Ferguson -- the projected 1st-round pick who was disinvited and then reinvited to the NFL Combine -- ain't sweating the drama one bit ... telling TMZ Sports, it's only gonna HELP his draft stock.

Here's the backstory ... the 23-year-old Louisiana Tech pass rusher was reportedly arrested for fighting at a McDonald's during his freshman year. He was later convicted of simple battery.

Per NFL rules ... if a player is found guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony involving violence -- their Combine invite will be pulled.

Since Ferguson went on to become the NCAA's all-time career sack leader (with 45) -- NFL teams are VERY interested in him. Which makes the Combine drama even more interesting.

Ferguson's story has blown up on social media -- where people are arguing Ferguson deserves an opportunity to attend the Combine if only to explain his side of the story to GMs ... and on Friday, the NFL caved.

Jaylon still won't be able to work out at the annual event ... but, he's at least now able to go and interview with teams -- and he says he's JACKED for the opportunity.

But, Ferguson also says this whole drama is only going to HELP him get picked higher in April's NFL draft.

"Now that I got my name out there more, more people know me. More people heard of me."

As for the fighting incident ... Jaylon says it's a non-issue, telling us, "I'm not even the same person."

Two powerful NBA families are set to be linked by marriage -- with Steph Curry's brother, Seth, proposing to Doc Rivers' daughter, Callie ... and she said YES!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Blazers guard popped the question to his longtime girlfriend in front of their families at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Charlotte on Thursday ... with brother Steph and father Dell present.

Doc, Austin Rivers and the rest of the Rivers gang was also on hand for the special moment.

It was the perfect op for Seth to get down on one knee ... considering it was Valentine's Day and everyone's in town for NBA All-Star Weekend.

Callie tweeted about the big day, saying "2.14.19 was a DAY. so thankful & blessed & loved & happy & positive & complete."

Holiday basketball games are gonna be AWESOME!!!!!

Ex-NFL star Larry Johnson just WENT OFF on Colin Kaepernick -- saying a true civil rights leader like MLK would have fought the NFL to the bitter end instead of taking settlement money from the "oppressor."

The former All Pro running back is fuming -- saying Kaepernick's whole movement against the NFL was a "waste of time" because the settlement deal he signed "corrupted and diluted his message."

Remember, Kap sued the NFL for collusion in 2017 -- claiming owners and execs conspired to keep him out of the league for his kneeling demonstration, which shined a light on police brutality on minorities.

Johnson was down with Kap's cause -- but feels the QB betrayed all of the people who looked up to him by agreeing to end his fight for an undisclosed settlement with the NFL.

"If your backdrop is going to be the African American civil rights presence that it brought from the '60s and you're going to use that for your own causes, you don't sell out. "

He added, "You don't turn your message into a Nike hoodie."

Johnson says Kaepernick KNEW he had the NFL on the ropes but he "gave them a way out."

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid say their legal war with the NFL is over -- after striking a confidential settlement with the league.

Kaepernick and Reid had filed a lawsuit against the NFL claiming owners and league officials colluded to keep them off NFL rosters because they chose to take a knee during the national anthem at NFL games.

The league had adamantly denied blackballing Kaepernick ... even after President Donald Trump publicly urged owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who didn't stand for the anthem.

Kap's attorneys, Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, issued a statement saying, "For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL."

"As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party."

Reid was picked up by the Carolina Panthers during the 2018 season and on Monday, the safety signed a $22 million 3-year extension. Kaepernick is still a free agent.

We shot Kaepernick arriving in L.A. over the weekend -- but he remained silent when it came to his case against the NFL.

Kaepernick initially filed his lawsuit in October 2017 -- and, as part of the case, a bunch of NFL honchos were deposed ... including Jerry Jones, Bob McNair, John Elway, Robert Kraft, Pete Carroll and more.

Kaepernick first began taking a knee during the 2016 NFL season, while he was still a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

The QB opted out of his contract with the 49ers in March 2017 -- and has not been picked up by another NFL team since then.

When asked about Kaepernick during the State of the NFL speech during Super Bowl week, NFL Commish Roger Goodell insisted that Kap's unemployment was a direct result of his football ability ... and not outside politics.

Kap supporters have strongly disagreed -- pointing out a slew of QBs with inferior experience and stats who got try-outs and contracts with NFL teams over the past 2 years.

Story developing ...

What dad bod?!?

Tom Brady and Gisele spent Valentine's Day in Costa Rica -- and shocker, they look AMAZING.

Gisele looked like typical Gisele on Thursday as she hit the beach in her bikini -- sexy as hell, legs for days, toned abs, etc.

Tom on the other hand ... yeah, he's handsome too -- but, it looks like he's made some progress in the abs department since last year when the Internet clowned him for looking soft in the middle.

Of course, the big difference ... the "dad bod" pics were taken in July 2018 -- during the NFL offseason. These new pics were taken just 11 days after the Patriots won the Super Bowl ... so, football shape.

Still, the Brady fam was living it up on vacay -- with Tom even busting out the surfboard to catch a few waves in his Under Armour board shorts and rash guard (he's a UA spokesperson).

Glen "Big Baby" Davis won't go to jail after he was allegedly caught with a quarter-pound of weed ... TMZ Sports has learned the ex-NBA star cut a deal in his case and is officially off the hook.

The former Celtics PF was busted back in February 2018 after cops say they found 126 grams of marijuana on him along with $92,164 in a briefcase at his Maryland hotel.

He was arrested and hit with 7 charges -- including a felony count of drug possession with intent to distribute ... which carries a maximum of FIVE YEARS in jail.

But, Davis reached an agreement with prosecutors last month to avoid time behind bars ... agreeing to pay the maximum fine of $15,000 in exchange for having the charges dropped.

Technically, the case was placed on the "Stet docket" -- which, in Maryland, means the case is essentially inactive, but not entirely erased. The case can be reopened if Davis missteps in the next 3 years. It's NOT a conviction. Davis did not have to enter a plea.

Davis' attorney, Margaret Mead, tells us it was a "reasonable resolution" to the case ... adding, "He wants to make a comeback and he's certainly not a drug dealer. He's not any of those things."

Davis played in the NBA from 2007 to 2015 -- winning a ring with the Celtics in 2008 -- and piled up 4,111 career points.

Betcha didn't think pottery could be so appealing ... but, here's Serena Williams to prove it's definitely possible.

The tennis superstar put more than just her clay curves on display at a pottery studio on Thursday ... rockin' a leopard print shirt and some jean shorts that would make Daisy Duke proud.

Serena -- a Jehovah's Witness -- doesn't celebrate holidays, so she hit up Avenue Pottery in South Florida with some friends for GALentine's Day instead!!!

Serena picked out the matching outfits with her friend ... and posted about the experience, saying, "I’m really getting into pottery."

Of course, Serena addressed not celebrating holidays when her baby, Alexis Olympia, turned 1 back in September ... saying, "Olympia doesn't celebrate birthdays. We're Jehovah's Witnesses, we don't do that."

Williams' hubby certainly doesn't seem to mind not celebrating V-Day ... saying, "Those pottery skills tho" with a set of eye emojis.

Yeah, dude. Pottery skills.

Did you know Ben Affleck made Warner Bros. stitch the No. 12 into his Batman costume during his entire run as the superhero as an ode to Tom Brady?!?

Neither did we ... 'cause it ain't true -- but Affleck joked it was Thursday on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' ... and the TB12 shout-out was hilarious!!!

Ben spoke with Kimmel on the late-night talk show and officially retired forever from playing The Dark Knight ... and to commemorate the moment -- Jimmy said they'd hang his costume in the rafters.

Guillermo -- Jimmy's ultra funny companion on the show -- brought out the bat costume (in his own Robin outfit) ... when suddenly, it was revealed the cape had "Batfleck 12" inscribed on it!!!

Ben said the number was a shout-out to none other than football's G.O.A.T., saying, "That’s Brady’s number. You can’t be a hero unless you wear number 12.”

Affleck added -- jokingly -- Warner Bros. "actually paid $80 million to digitally remove it from every movie.”

It was a funny moment ... but, it was hardly the best part of the skit -- that involved a Matt Damon thong and Affleck's nose.

Yeah, watch the clip.

The Patriots could replace Tom Brady with Colin Kaepernick ... so says NFL legend Cris Carter, who says he KNOWS Robert Kraft's team is "very, very fond" of the QB.

Tom's fresh off his sixth Super Bowl ring ... but he's 41 years old -- and there's no clear successor to him on the roster if Father Time somehow abruptly wins their yearly battle.

Enter Carter ... an NFL Hall of Famer and overall plugged in guy who says TB12's eventual replacement ain't in this year's draft -- it might be in free agency ... in the form of Kaepernick.

"I know that the Krafts are very, very fond of Colin Kaepernick," Carter said on FS1's "First Things First" ... "I'm just saying outside the box, if someone will do it, it will be the people in New England."

Kraft has been close with Trump for years -- but he's also been critical of the President. In fact, Kraft told NFL owners and players Trump's language referring to NFL kneelers was "divisive" and "horrible."

Tom Brady has also been critical of Trump. In fact, he also publicly labeled Trump's comments regarding Kap as "divisive."

Carter says the Pats aren't known for drafting very well ... and says, "I believe you should start looking at other situations besides the draft for how they're going to look to get Tom Brady's replacement."

Of course, Kap's been out of the league since the 2016 season ... claiming the NFL has blackballed him because of his anthem kneeling protests.

But ... people close to the QB say he can still play -- with even his ex-49ers coach, Chip Kelly, telling TMZ Sports, "He's ready to go."

Russian president Vladimir Putin hit the Judo mats in Russia on Thursday to train for more than an HOUR -- and if you took one look at his training partner, it's obvious why.

Russian officials told media 66-year-old Putin trained with 2016 Olympic bronze medal winner Natalia Kuzyutina during a session in Sochi. They trained for an hour and officials insist Vladdy's "in very good physical shape."

By the way, Kuzyutina is a total babe -- besides being a world-class athlete, she also does some bikini modeling ... and yeah, DAMN.

The very next day, Putin continued his public display of fitness -- strapping on his skates and hitting the ice for a hockey workout at Shayna Arena in Sochi. No Kuzyutina this time.

Of course, Putin wore the captain's jersey -- and probably scored about 73 goals ... per usual.

Putin's public display of fitness comes just hours after Trump's doctor released the results of his physical to the media showing POTUS is officially clinically obese (he's 6'3", 243 pounds).

So, the whole thing could be an "I'm in better shape than YOU" message to the commander-in-chief.

As for Trump, he's not exactly a slouch -- dude has good blood pressure (118/80) and his resting heart rate is healthy too (70 beats per minute).

He also loves to golf!

So, we gotta ask ...

Floyd Mayweather will STILL not give up his Gucci -- in fact, he rocked one of his expensive Gucci jackets on his jet Thursday night ... despite being trashed by stars like 50 Cent and T.I.

The attacks on Mayweather have been brutal -- besides 50 leading a social media smear campaign, T.I. also recorded an anti-Mayweather track called "F*ck N*gga."

Both stars are furious Mayweather won't join the Gucci boycott after the apparel giant released a sweater many are calling "racist" because it appears to be blackface.

Floyd shot down the boycott earlier this week and dropped a TON of cash at the Bev Hills Gucci store -- which really pissed off T.I. and 50.

This new footage showing Mayweather rocking Gucci on his plane ain't gonna make things any better between the two sides. Guessing he'll continue to rock the brand during his stint in North Carolina.

François-Henri Pinault -- the guy who runs Gucci's parent company Kering -- tried to explain to reporters how the sweater actually made it to market.

"We didn’t understand the sensitivities of the African-American community, which is reflected in that mistake," Pinault told the media ... "We can’t be content with saying we’re sorry."

Pinault also says he will also push for more cultural sensitivity training with Gucci employees.

Meanwhile, 50 dropped a new Mayweather attack on Instagram early Friday morning. This thing ain't going away any time soon ...

Lolo Jones is unloading on Ryan Lochte -- fellow Team USA Olympian and 'Big Brother' housemate -- blasting him as an Olympic disgrace ... for no real apparent reason.

Lolo just wrapped up her stint on "Celebrity Big Brother" -- where she and Lochte seemed to get along for the most part. Lolo finished in 3rd place. Lochte was 10th.

But, when a couple of people on Twitter criticized her being a "sore loser" while praising Lochte, Jones fired back by ripping the swimmer and his arrest scandal in Brazil during the 2016 Games.

Here's how the exchange went.

Fan #1: "Who would’ve thought that Ryan Lochte would finish #CBB looking like the most mature and gracious Olympian on the show? I used to like Lolo as an athlete, but now I can’t stand #locoLolo"

Fan #2: "Maybe the difference is Ryan actually wins medals at the olympics while LoLo loses at the games. She needs anger management and to stop being a sore loser."

Lolo: "I also don’t get escorted out of the Olympic games either or lie about a whole country."

Boom.

Question is ... why? After Lochte was eliminated early in the show, she griped to other houseguests that Olympians should stick together. So, why turn on Lochte now?