TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James is FINALLY talking about the Daryl Morey tweet that sparked an international incident ... saying the Rockets GM simply "wasn't educated" about China before he posted his pro-Hong Kong tweet.

"I think that's another situation that should stay behind closed doors," LeBron told the media.

Remember, LeBron and the Lakers were in Shanghai to play the Brooklyn Nets in an exhibition game last week when the backlash over the tweet began.

Chinese officials essentially blackballed the Houston Rockets immediately -- taking down signage, pulling merchandise and blocking TV networks from airing games.

But, now LeBron is back in the U.S. ... and he's calling out Morey for what LeBron is describing as a selfish tweet.

"We all talk about this freedom of speech. Yes, we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others and you're only thinking about yourself," LeBron said.

Travis Scott has a seriously bum knee after his onstage fall at Rolling Loud -- and all signs point to him going under the knife as fast as possible.

Sources connected to Travis tell TMZ ... he went to see orthopedic specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. We're told he was diagnosed with a dislocated knee -- specifically, a stretch or tear in the patellar tendon.

As we reported ... Travis hurt himself this weekend while performing at NYC's Rolling Loud Festival, landing on his leg wrong while he was jumping up and down. He was hobbling around afterward but finished the show nonetheless. Total trooper!

The St. Louis Blues celebrated their Stanley Cup title at the White House on Tuesday ... with President Trump crackin' jokes and picking hypothetical fights with the players!!!

The champs were honored at 1600 Penn. for beating the Boston Bruins in Game 7 to win it all last season ... and one player, Alexander Steen, got POTUS' attention (for obvious reasons).

"Look at that guy, look at the mouth on that guy," Trump told the crowd. "Come here a minute, come here."

"You think he's taken a few hits? You think I could take him in a fight?! I don't know."

There was more funny business ... with the stars of the team, like Jaden Schwartz, issuing a golf challenge to POTUS ... and Trump calling out rookie Jordan Binnington for giving up ONE goal in Game 7.

"He stopped 32 of 33 [shots], so why didn't you stop the other one, Jordan? You coulda made the game a lot easier!"

Ex-Green Bay star Nick Collins says the Lions have nobody to blame but themselves -- not even garbage refs -- for their loss to the Packers ... telling TMZ Sports Detroit just blew it!!!

"They had so many opportunities to win that game," Collins says.

If you missed it ... the refs on "Monday Night Football" were as bad as they've been all season -- throwing flags for two questionable illegal hands to the face fouls that helped lift the Packers to a win.

But, Collins -- who admits the calls were trash -- says despite those penalties the Lions still had every opportunity to take control of the NFC North ... and they just didn't.

"Those calls probably played a factor," Collins says, "but they had a chance to just blow the game out of proportion."

Collins also tells us the Lions were helped out by sloppy play from the Pack ... saying if Green Bay didn't turn over the ball THREE times -- the game would've gotten ugly!!!

Muhammad Ali's ex-wife -- who was married to him during his Vietnam War protest -- says she wishes LeBron James would have stood up for the people of Hong Kong, because that's what Muhammad would have done.

TMZ Sports spoke with Khalilah Ali -- who was married to the boxer from 1967 to 1976 -- and she says she was his adviser for his biggest protest ... refusing to fight in the Vietnam war.

Khalilah says she's aware of China's issues with the NBA -- and the pro-Hong Kong tweet sent by Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey -- but says she'll ALWAYS support people "who are standing up for their rights."

So, when Khalilah heard LeBron's comments -- which condemned Morey's tweet -- it was clear to her Muhammad would have handled the situation MUCH differently.

Listen to the audio, Khalilah essentially says powerful people like LeBron and Muhammad should stand up for people fighting for their human rights.

Terrell Owens says the Dallas Cowboys could be 9-3 by the end of November ... IF Jerry Jones would just fire Jason Garrett already!!!

"I guarantee if he made a change right now, it would probably re-liven, rejuvenate that locker room," Owens says. "If they get rid of him, they may go on a six-game winning streak!"

Owens -- who trashed the hell out of his former coach on Twitter over the weekend -- elaborated on his disdain for JG on 95.7 "The Game" on Tuesday.

TO says it's blatantly obvious to him that Garrett has lost the Cowboys' locker room ... and a viral clip of Dallas players ignoring the coach's high-five attempts proves his point.

"Clearly, he doesn't have the heartbeat of that locker room," Owens says. "I'm telling you, if they got rid of Jason Garrett today, tomorrow -- these guys are going to play lights out."

Owens -- who played receiver for the Cowboys in 2007 and 2008 when Garrett was the offensive coordinator -- says he has no idea why Jones insists on keeping the guy around.

"Maybe Jason Garrett has something on Jerry Jones," Owens joked. "Some personal information that if he cuts him, maybe he's going to be whistleblower or something!"

Who needs a translator?!? Not Aaron Rodgers!!!

The Green Bay Packers QB flexed his Espanol during a post-game interview with ESPN Deportes on Monday night ... and it wasn't bad!!!

Of course, he wasn't exactly giving a lecture on geopolitics in Spanish ... he just used a few short phrases to praise his teammates' 23 to 22 victory over the Detroit Lions, but still -- impressive!!!

"Esto es un equipo increíble," Rodgers said ... "Te amo estos hombres."

Loose translation ... "This is an incredible team. I love those guys!"

The guy doing the interview, John Sutcliffe, was impressed -- and when Rodgers described himself as the old man on the team, Sutcliffe gave him a new Spanish nickname, "El Viejito."

By the way, Rodgers had a pretty decent game given his top WRs were all out with injuries -- completing 24 of 39 passes with 283 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.

Rob Gronkowski is putting the rumors to rest once and for all ... saying he is NOT coming out of retirement to return to the New England Patriots.

There have been rumblings for weeks that the All-Pro tight end was considering a comeback after retiring last season ... with the 30-year-old himself even teasing he'd be back in Week 14.

But, Gronk has finally put the speculation to rest on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Tuesday ... when one caller asked to give a definitive "yes" or "no" to whether there was a chance he could throw on the #87 jersey again.

"When I retired, I retired for a reason: because I needed to step away," Gronk said. "So, it would be a 'no.' There it is."

"I never say 'no,' because I've said 'no,' and everyone's like, 'Yeah ... he's kidding. He's coming back,' ... But it's a 'no.' In my mind, that's how it is. It's a no."

Of course, Gronk has moved on to promoting CBD Medic and has explained how it has kept his body finally pain-free after years of wear and tear.

He's also said he's had probably 20 concussions and 5 blackouts throughout his football career, so it shouldn't come as a surprise he's ready to put that behind.

North Korea faced off with South Korea in a historic soccer World Cup qualifier ... but nobody saw it -- 'cause North Korea didn't allow fans in the stadium OR a TV broadcast.

The meeting between the two teams on Monday -- which ended in a 0-0 tie -- was surreal ... it was reportedly the first match between the two national squads in Pyongyang EVER.

But ... North Korean officials reportedly put massive restrictions on who could view the game -- with no TV coverage, no fans in the stands and no journalists allowed.

Check out the pics ... it's straight-up eerie.

Of course, North Korea and South Korea have a tense relationship ... the two countries are technically still at war -- and reports say everything surrounding the match was strained.

According to international reports ... the South Koreans were forced to leave their cell phones at the South Korean Embassy -- and communication to and from the game was nearly impossible.

As for fans who wanted to follow the match ... their only option to watch it live consisted of brief posts about the match on FIFA and Asian Football Confederation websites.

But, North Korea will reportedly hand over a DVD of the game to South Korea this week so it can broadcast the match to its fans on tape delay at a later date.

Backlash over the blacked-out match has been strong in South Korea ... with many fans upset over the lack of coverage.

He's wrestled live bears and sprinted up mountains, but now Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking his training to the next level ... swimming a freezing cold Dagestani river!

Oh, and he's swimming against a pretty strong current!!!

THIS IS INSANE!!

Khabib -- who recently defeated Dustin Poirier -- is gearing up for a tough fight (presumably against Tony Ferguson) and he's not wasting any time getting into fight shape.

Which is why he ended up taking a dip in a river in Kizilyurt -- a small town in Dagestan.

Khabib's pal (who goes by King Farruh) shot the footage and gave his account of the session.

"Hard work and dedication from champ khabib_nurmagomedov. Today was very cold, he doesn’t care."

"Water was very cold I tried to put my feet and almost freeze my a$$ off. Tony you’re in trouble!"

Enes Kanter has a message for LeBron James -- "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE."

Moments after LeBron broke his silence on the situation with China, the Turkish-born Boston Celtics player went to Twitter to express his disgust, as illustrated by the green "sick face" emoji.

Oh, and when LeBron pointed out that he and his team had a "difficult week" dealing with the fallout of Daryl Morey's pro-Hong Kong tweets while the Lakers were in China, Kanter essentially had this to say to Bron, "Boo hoo!"

Tito Ortiz's love for the Trump family is definitely mutual -- with the UFC legend getting invited to hang with the President after a private lunch with Don Jr. and Eric Trump.

Tito's camp tells TMZ Sports ... Eric personally reached out to Tito last week when he heard the MMA superstar was in New York -- and the two sides quickly arranged a lunch date at Trump Tower.

"Secret Service walked us through crowds to a private room in Trump's restaurant," Tito's rep tells us.

"They talked fights and politics before Donald Jr. came down to join before heading off to a campaign event."

An NBA player being compared to Charles Barkley isn't always a good thing -- especially when it comes to golf ... because Mortiz Wagner is giving Chuck a run for his money for WORST SWING EVER!!!

NO EXAGGERATION -- THIS DUDE IS A PRO ATHLETE AND COULDN'T HIT THE BROADSIDE OF A BARN!!!

Here's the deal ... 22-year-old Mortiz joined the rest of his Washington Wizards teammates for an outing at Top Golf in Virginia on Monday -- and saying it went poorly for Wagner is a gross understatement.

Watch the vid ...the 6'11" power forward missed so badly, he nearly took a chunk out of the floor mat ... and his Mulligan swing wasn't much better.

But, is it worse than Barkley??? Watch and compare ...

And, get this, Mo's swing was so terrible ... Wagner's ex-Lakers teammate, Josh Hart, went to social media to make fun of him.

"Bro what is this...." Hart wrote.

Wagner tried to defend his painful assault on golf balls by firing back, "This was literally my worst try. I hit that thing over the net one time I swear."

Sure, Mo ...

As for the Hart-Wagner rivalry ... the two have been good for a TON of laughs over the last year -- remember when Josh got after Mo for his Michigan ring last season?!?

Forget the Eiffel Tower ... S.F. Giants rookie Mauricio Dubon turned to Paris' version of Mickey Mouse to propose to his smokin' hot GF -- and it worked, 'cause she told him yes!!

Dubon -- one of the top minor league prospects in the MLB heading into this season -- was on an offseason vacay with his girlfriend, Nancy Herrera, when he decided to get down on one knee at Disneyland Paris.

Right in front of a pond and Mickey shrubbery ... the 25-year-old shortstop asked Nancy to marry him -- and she said of course!!

The video is adorable ... the two look SUPER happy -- and Nancy wrote on social media afterward, "I LOVE YOU and what a great blessing to be able to share the rest of my days with my best friend and the love of my life"

Mauricio ain't a star yet -- he's still an up-and-comer in the big leagues ... but he sure knows how to pick out a ring -- check out the INSANE rock!!!

Don't worry, Dubon can afford it ... he played on a 1-year, $555,000 deal this season -- and he could be in line for a fat contract if he lives up to his potential in 2020.

Congrats!!!

Rule #1 of celebrating a championship -- MAKE SURE YOU DON'T FALL OFF THE PARADE TRUCK.

Members of the Gaelic football team Enniskerry GAA ended up having to celebrate their  Wicklow Junior B-level football championship in the hospital over the weekend ... after several players fell off the parade bus when the railing gave out.

The video is INSANE ... members of the team were losing their minds celebrating the big win ... right when they went tumbling to the ground.

Somehow, the team says the 9 players involved are expected to make a full recovery after being transported to a nearby hospital.

"Thankfully all the lads are doing ok, 3 were sent home in the early hours of this morning, another 2 have been sent home earlier today with another expected this evening leaving 3 remaining in Vincent’s."

"No injuries are life threatening however some do require surgery," the team added.

"Thankfully all injured will pull through this and the team are under strict instructions from Barto to make sure they finally have a drink out of that cup later this evening!!"

Drink up, lads ... you're champions!! And, stay away from railings. They can no longer be trusted.

Ice Cube says he knows how the L.A. Dodgers can finally stop choking in the playoffs -- SIGN MORE BLACK GUYS!!!

He's not joking ... we spoke with Cube (briefly) about the Blue Crew's habitual crashing and burning in the MLB playoffs and the rap legend summed it up this way.

"They need to get some black ballplayers."

We checked out the Dodgers roster ... and yeah, they're definitely lacking when it comes to black players.