TMZ Sports - Page 50

Allen Iverson reportedly had $500,000 worth of jewelry stolen from a Philadelphia hotel on Monday ... and now, cops say they're searching for the scumbag who took the bling.

Philly police say at around 10:30 AM, officers responded to the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Philadelphia after a man allegedly jacked a backpack with the ice in it from the lobby.

Police would NOT confirm the victim was Iverson ... but according to NBC10, the bag and the jewels DID belong to the NBA legend.

Cops say the suspect is a black male in his early 20s ... claiming he's 6 feet tall with a "thin build." They say he was last seen wearing a dark jacket, red shirt, dark pants and black and white sneakers.

44-year-old Iverson has been retired from the NBA since 2010 ... and reportedly made over $200 MILLION in his career.

He's been known to still frequent Philadelphia and 76ers games often ... and was last spotted at the Wells Fargo Center for the Sixers' game against the Lakers on Saturday.

Kobe Bryant spent his Saturday night playing with his 3-year-old daughter, Bianka ... just hours before his tragic death, TMZ Sports has learned.

We obtained footage of the 41-year-old spending some quality time with Bianka at the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach the night before the tragedy ... playing at the center's koi pond and walking through the stores.

We're told they looked adorable together -- just enjoying each other's company. The Bryants were regulars at the mall and other local spots. In other words, it wasn't unusual to see Kobe around town with his kids.

The footage is devastating to watch ... knowing it's the last outing Bianka had with her dad.

Jamie Foxx, like the rest of the world, is still in shock over Kobe Bryant's death -- that's obvious in this video -- but he mustered the strength to honor the "legendary" baller.

The Grammy and Oscar winner was out Monday night leaving Tao in Hollywood when a photog asked if he had any words for Kobe's family. and friends. He got a bit choked up, but then spoke earnestly about how Kobe "made us think about love."

Jamie went on to get pretty deep -- talking about Kobe's transition from being a "legend" in life to what he can be now. He also talked about God's plan, and doubts people might have in the wake of such a tragedy.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others perished Sunday when the helicopter they were riding in crashed in Calabasas.

Several NBA stars paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Monday by customizing their sneakers with messages about the Black Mamba ... and it's heartbreaking.

Sacramento Kings star Buddy Hield wore Nike Kobe 4s against the Timberwolves -- and used a black pen to write various messages about his friend.

"R.I.P. Kobe," Hield wrote ... "Mamba 4 Life. #24."

Miami Heat player Goran Dragic marked up his Adidas kicks with "#Mamba" and "#Mambacita" -- a tribute to Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, who also died in Sunday's helicopter crash.

Pitbull was so devastated over the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's death, he had to cancel as the headliner for a charity event ... but the show went on.

Steven Tyler held his 3rd annual private dinner and Grammys watch party in Hollywood Sunday night to benefit Janie's Fund, his mission to help girls who've suffered trauma from abuse and neglect.

Pitbull was scheduled as the event's musical guest, but sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... he was too heartbroken to take the stage.

LeBron James says he can't stop crying over the death of his great friend, Kobe Bryant ... saying in an emotional goodbye letter, "I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!!"

James penned the words in a lengthy social media post Monday night ... addressing Bryant's death for the first time since Mamba, his daughter, Gianna and 7 other people were killed in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday.

"Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had!" James said.

"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have."

James and Bryant had a friendship that dated back more than a decade ... the two were competitors in the NBA for years and were teammates on Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The two obviously grew closer when LeBron left Cleveland for Los Angeles in 2018 ... and, in fact, Kobe's last-ever post on social media was congratulating Bron for passing him on the NBA's all-time scoring list over the weekend.

"Man I love you big bro." Lebron said in his letter to Kobe. "My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation💜💛 and it’s my responsibility to put this sh*t on my back and keep it going!!"

Paul Pierce says the NBA should retire Kobe Bryant's jersey number across the league -- and he fully supports a movement to make Kobe's image the new NBA logo.

Paul and Kobe were not only fierce rivals on the court -- but great friends off of it and they had tremendous respect for each other.

When we spoke with Paul in L.A. on Monday it's obvious he's still reeling from the death of his friend and passionately wants the league to honor him in a BIG way.

"Retire his number in every arena," Pierce says.

"He had such an impact in our game [and] on this generation that you have to make his presence felt -- and continuously felt -- forever."

Both of the numbers Kobe wore with the Lakers -- #8 and #24 -- have already been retired. Plus, the Dallas Mavericks just announced they would retire Kobe's #24 from their organization as well.

Pierce says he also wants the league to create "Kobe Bryant Day" -- and he's VERY much on board with Jamal Crawford's suggestion to replace the current NBA logo with an image of KB.

"I'm with that too," Paul said ... "I'm with that too."

The pilot of the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 6 other passengers got in big trouble with fog -- they seemed to abort the trip and tried returning home, barely clearing one mountain range, but never slowed down ... this according to the flight tracker and several experienced helicopter pilots in the L.A. area.

As we reported, the pilot had to circle near the Downtown L.A. area -- near the L.A. Zoo -- for 15 minutes because of bad weather ahead. As we reported ... the LAPD had grounded its helicopter fleet because of fog at around the same time Kobe's helicopter took off.

The pilot was following a visual flight plan and was cleared by the tower to proceed north, toward Thousand Oaks where Kobe was taking his daughter for a basketball game. When he got to the Calabasas area, the fog became blinding.

As we reported, the pilot was way too low --  at 1,250 feet. The pilots we spoke with say it's clear based on the abrupt change on the flight tracker ... the pilot panicked and quickly ascended to 2,000 feet. We're told he cleared a mountain range by 100 feet, and the pilots we spoke with say he was so low he almost certainly saw the tops of the mountain.

The NBA has officially postponed Tuesday night's Lakers vs. Clippers game at Staples Center in L.A. out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is reeling from the death of Kobe Bryant.

"The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday," the NBA said in a statement.

"The game will be rescheduled at a later date."

LeBron James was seen sobbing when he got off the Lakers' team plane at LAX on Sunday following a game in Philadelphia against the Sixers.

We've been told several players, staffers and other Lakers employees -- many of whom have known Kobe for years -- are simply inconsolable and not ready to go to work.

Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years and built lasting relationships with so many people.

Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash is hitting close to home for Kylie Jenner -- she was a frequent-flier on that particular chopper, and even rented it for one of Dream's birthdays.

Kylie just broke her silence on the tragic accident that killed Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and 7 others Sunday morning in Calabasas ... and says she knew the pilot, Ara Zobayan, especially well.

The billionaire cosmetics mogul says Zobayan was the pilot whenever she flew on Kobe's helicopter, and she's remembering him as "such a nice man."

Officials say they have recovered three bodies from the crash site -- but have not specified on the IDs of those bodies. Officials worked well into the night on Sunday but had to suspend the search due to darkness and safety concerns. The search resumed Monday morning. No word on if any other bodies have recovered in Monday's search.

1/27 -- All 9 people on the helicopter have been identified ...

Kobe Bryant (41), Gianna Bryant (13), John Altobelli (56), Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester (45), Payton Chester (13), Christina Mauser and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.

Mauser was an assistant coach of the Mamba girls’ basketball team.

TMZ Sports has obtained some of the last photos taken of Kobe Bryant with his daughter, Gianna, and it's clear they both had basketball on the brain in one of their final moments together.

The pics were shot Saturday at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Gigi's Mamba team played two 8th grade girls games that day. You can see KB watching carefully from the sideline as Gianna was on the court.

At one point, Kobe was seen giving his kid some tips. It's unclear if he's the head coach of her current squad or not, but he was definitely in coaching mode from what we can tell. We know he's coached other teams she was on in the past. Kobe said Gianna had aspirations to be in the WNBA, and by all accounts ... she was well on her way to getting there.

One thing that's pretty obvious from this snapshot moment is that they were both fierce competitors and loved the game they played.

The Mayor of Costa Mesa, Katrina Foley, just confirmed the identity of one of the other victims in the helicopter crash ... girls basketball coach Christina Mauser, who's married to Tijuana Dogs singer Matt Mauser. Matt also confirmed the news himself.

On Facebook, he wrote ... "My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much."

L.A. weather was extremely foggy Sunday morning, and law enforcement sources tell us even LAPD air support was grounded because of it. Flight tracker data shows Kobe's chopper appeared to first encounter weather issues as it was above the L.A. Zoo. It circled that area at least 6 times at a very low altitude -- around 875 feet -- perhaps waiting for the fog to clear.

We know the pilot contacted the control tower at Burbank Airport around 9:30 AM PT, and the tower was aware the pilot had been circling for about 15 minutes.

The pilot eventually headed north along the 118 freeway before turning to the west, and started following above the 101 freeway around Woodland Hills, CA.

At around 9:40 AM they encounter more weather -- as in seriously heavy fog -- and the chopper turned south. This was critical, because they turned toward a mountainous area. The pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from about 1200 feet up to 2000 feet.

However, moments later -- around 9:45 AM -- they flew into a mountain at 1700 feet. Flight tracker data shows they were flying at about 161 knots.

Michael Jordan has spoken on Kobe's death, saying ... "I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing. Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling. I loved Kobe -- he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much."

He adds, "He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply -- and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball. Yvette joins me in sending my deepest condolences to Vanessa, the Lakers organization and basketball fans around the world."

The players, coaches and families at the Mamba Academy were obviously emotional when they heard the news about Kobe's death ... but came together for a moment of silence and prayer.

Some of the Academy leaders addressed everyone at the facility -- encouraging them to support each other, grieve together and honor Kobe by living good, quality lives.

Kids, parents and fans left a shrine to Kobe outside the Academy's doors.

Officials say they believe 9 people were on board -- 1 pilot and 8 passengers -- and there were no survivors. Still unclear why the chopper crashed but an investigation is underway.

Authorities say responders had to hike to get to the crash scene. When they finally got to the incident site, it was clear no one survived.

Former WCW wrestler Van Hammer was arrested and charged with DUI ... after he allegedly hit a 5-year-old boy with his car in Florida Sunday afternoon.

Boynton Beach police say Hammer -- real name Mark Hildreth -- was driving 58 MPH in a 35-zone and drunk when he hit the young boy, who was riding a bike with training wheels.

According to the report, the boy flew on to the top of Hildreth's car hood and suffered possible internal injuries.

The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he remains in stable condition, the Palm Beach Post reports.

A handcuffed Hildreth appeared before a judge on Monday morning ... and he was officially charged with first-degree felony hit and run and DUI.

During his court appearance, officials point out 2 previous DUI arrests on Hildreth's record.

Hildreth's bail was set at $125k with an option for house arrest ... and was ordered to stay away from drugs, alcohol and weapons.

Van Hammer had stints in the WCW in the '90s and early '00s ... before officially retiring from the ring in 2009.

Kobe Bryant had already made plans for his daughter, Gianna -- AKA GiGi -- to follow in his legendary footsteps by filing to trademark her very own hoops nickname.

TMZ Sports obtained the paperwork Kobe filed for "Mambacita" on Dec. 30, 2019. Of course, the name is both a tip of the hat to GiGi's father -- the Black Mamba -- and also to her own growing prowess on the hardcourt.

According to the docs ... the plan was to put "Mambacita" on all sorts of sportswear -- shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts and hoodies.

Kobe had started referring to his 13-year-old daughter by that handle on social media. In fact, one such post, back in November, is eerily poignant today. Kobe praised GiGi's offense, and also the defense of Alyssa Altobelli.

Alyssa, her mother and father -- Keri and John Altobelli -- all perished on the chopper Sunday. Alyssa, like GiGi, was a star player at Kobe's Mamba Academy.

Kobe ended the post by shouting out the "familiar fade" shot by his beloved daughter ... "#Mambacita."

Kareem Hunt had an open vodka container in his car, admitted he'd fail a drug test and was chastised by a self-proclaimed Browns fan cop during his speeding stop last week ... this according to new bombshell police video.

... Oh, and Ray Rice's elevator incident was brought up during the pullover too.

The footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows 24-year-old Hunt bolting down a freeway in his Chrysler in Rocky River, Ohio on Jan. 21.

You can see in the video, the Cleveland Browns running back blows by an officer ... quickly slams on his breaks and then is immediately pulled over to the side of the road.

The cop gets Kareem out of the car ... and while police audio doesn't pick up their conversation at that point -- it's pretty clear Hunt is emotional.

He frustratingly gestures to the cop ... and once he gets into the back of the squad car -- he appears to be sobbing over the stop.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars safety Donovin Darius was arrested for DUI on Sunday ... and he allegedly told law enforcement officials during the stop he had just ingested 20 to 30 pills.

Darius was found discombobulated in the driver's seat of his ride following a vehicle crash at around 10 a.m. ET in Jacksonville, according to ESPN, when things turned scary.

Darius was reportedly placed in an ambulance ... where he told on-scene rescue personnel that he was suicidal and had just swallowed a ton of pills.

Cops discovered two pill bottles in the 44-year-old's car ... but were NOT able to do a sobriety test on the former NFL safety because he could not stand on his own.

Darius was immediately taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

According to jail records, Donovan was ultimately charged with misdemeanor DUI for the stop. An initial appearance court date has not been set yet.

Darius was a longtime stud for the Jaguars ... he was drafted in the 1st-round by the team in 1998 and started 115 games for the team from '98 to 2006.

Some of the biggest tennis stars in the world showed love to Kobe Bryant at the Australian Open on Monday ... from Nick Kyrgios to Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff.

24-year-old Kyrgios was particularly emotional before the 4th round matchup against Nadal -- wearing Bryant's #8 Lakers jersey and choking back tears as he warmed up at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

After the match, which Nadal won, Rafa put on a Lakers baseball cap and led the crowd in a round of applause for the 41-year-old NBA star.

"What can I say? I woke up this morning with this terrible news," Nadal said during the on-court post-game interview.

"It's super sad. He was one of the greatest sportsmen in history. He deserves a big round of applause. It's one of these days that you want to forget but of course, Kobe Bryant will be in our hearts and in our minds for the rest of our lives."