TMZ Sports - Page 50

One of the men convicted in the murder of Michael Jordan's father, James Sr., in 1993 will walk free in 2023 ... after he was granted parole on Tuesday.

MJ's dad was shot to death in July 1993 while sleeping in his car at a rest stop in North Carolina. His body was dumped off a bridge in South Carolina and recovered 11 days later.

One of the men -- 45-year-old Larry Demery -- pled guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery in 1996.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission announced that it has granted Demery parole as part of the Mutual Agreement Parole Program.

Demery is set to be released on August 6, 2023.

In a letter explaining Demery's release, the MAPP is described as a scholastic and vocational program that is a three-way agreement between the Commission, the Division of Prisons and the offender.

The Charlotte Hornets play-by-play guy John Focke says he wanted to tweet out the word "Nuggets" on Monday.

He tweeted out a different n-word instead ... and now he's been suspended indefinitely.

Here's the deal ... Focke was watching the Utah Jazz take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday and claims his intention was to tweet about the shooting.

But, something went wrong ... and he sent out the racial slur to his 3,800 followers.

"Shot making in this Jazz-(n-word) game is awesome!" Focke said in the since-deleted tweet. "Murray and Mitchell going back and forth what a game!"

Once he realized what he had done, Focke scrambled to apologize and explain ... saying, "Earlier today I made a horrific error while attempting to tweet about the Denver-Utah game."

"I don’t know how I mistyped, I had (and have) no intention of ever using that word."

"I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been sick to my stomach about it ever since. I’m truly sorry that this happened and I apologize to those I offended."

The Hornets quickly addressed the issue ... suspending Focke indefinitely and launching an investigation into the incident.

"The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the recent social media post by radio broadcaster John Focke. As an organization, we do not condone this type of language."

"John has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate the matter more closely."

To make matter worse ... this is Focke's first season broadcasting for the Hornets.

Michael Strahan's game-worn Super Bowl 42 jersey -- when his NY Giants upset Tom Brady's UNDEFEATED Patriots in 2008 -- just hit the auction block ... and it's expected to crack the $100k mark!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Goldin Auctions is featuring Strahan's white and red NYG jersey in a current auction. The starting bid was $20k and it quickly exploded to $36k.

The game -- played on February 3, 2008, in Glendale, AZ -- is widely considered one of the best in Super Bowl history. It was also Strahan's final game of his legendary NFL career.

Goldin Auctions insists the jersey is 100% authentic -- it was photo-matched from 2 different companies that specialize in apparel authenticity.

Of course, New England entered the game as huge 12 point favorites and was looking to go 19-0 ... joining the Miami Dolphins as the only teams in history to complete an undefeated championship run.

But, Strahan -- along with Eli Manning and some help from a sure-handed, sure-helmeted David Tyree -- ruined the Patriots' night in a 17-to-14 upset.

Don't feel too bad for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and the rest of the gang ... they won other Super Bowls. They're just fine.

Strahan had a solid game that night -- chalking up 3 tackles and a sack.

He later went on to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame and launched a TV career that could eclipse his playing career ... and that's really saying something!!

The jersey auction will run until August 22 and could get super hot in the final days as there are some rabid and rich Giants fans that would LOVE to get their hands on this.

Mike Conley is BACK -- almost!!!

The Utah Jazz star has returned to the NBA bubble in Orlando -- ready for the playoffs -- just one day after his wife gave birth to their son, Elijah.

Now, the quarantine begins -- and if he passed all of the COVID-19 tests, he can rejoin his teammates in just a few days.

Conley had traveled from Orlando to a hospital in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday so he could be in the room when his wife, Mary, delivered. And, he made it!

The Utah Jazz said they supported Conley taking as much time as he needed to be with his family ... but Monday night,  he was already reporting for duty, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The quick turnaround means Conley MIGHT be cleared to return to action for Game 3 (Friday) of Utah's playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.

Like everyone who leaves the bubble, Conley must quarantine for several days and pass multiple COVID-19 tests before he'll be allowed to re-enter the bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

This is the sports highlight of the day, BY FAR.

Washington Football Team QB Alex Smith made his official return to full practice on Tuesday ... nearly 2 years after he ALMOST DIED from complications following a devastating leg injury.

You can see in the amazing footage ... Smith runs through drills alongside QB Dwayne Haskins -- even connecting on a short pass to running back Antonio Gibson.

This is IMPROBABLE video considering everything Smith has gone through over the past 2 years.

Remember, the QB suffered a compound fracture in his right leg -- the bone broke through the skin -- during a game in November 2018.

Days later during his recovery, Smith became VERY sick and his leg turned black. He was diagnosed with sepsis -- a life-threatening condition that stems from a bad infection.

Doctors later determined Smith had a flesh-eating bacteria that ultimately required 17 surgeries!!!

Somehow, Smith battled through all of the procedures, all of the rehab ... all of the mental torture -- and was CLEARED by docs to return to the field over the weekend.

Alex's family celebrated the news with a champagne-spraying party -- and cake! Amazing moment.

And, now, once again Smith is beating the odds ... most everyone though the 36-year-old would just hang up his cleats and move on with his life.

But, Alex made it clear football is his passion and made it his mission to get back on the field.

Mission accomplished.

Tom Brady is fitting in just fine as the new guy down in Tampa Bay ... so says his new star wide receiver Mike Evans -- who absolutely GUSHED over the QB on Tuesday!!!

"He's the G.O.A.T. on and off the field," Evans said. "It's crazy. He's a superstar. The most accomplished player in our game in history. And. he's just like everybody else."

"He just works extremely hard. He's always taking care of his body. He loves his family. He loves family time. And, he's just cool."

Evans added, "He's a real down-to-earth guy. And, he's already up there as one of my favorite teammates."

It's huge praise from the 3-time Pro Bowl wideout ... considering the guys just became teammates about 5 months ago and have only had a few official practices as Bucs.

But, Evans says he truly means it ... saying, "I'm learning a lot from him. And hopefully, we tear it up this year."

Seems Brady's having a blast with Evans too ... Tom told NBC's Peter King earlier this week he's "so happy with the decision I made" to bolt from New England to Florida.

Good times in Tampa, huh?!

O.J. Simpson is getting political -- railing against his old pal Donald Trump's MAGA catchphrase ... while begging people to vote.

The whole thing begs the question ... Is O.J. trying to take out Trump? Sure seems that way.

The 73-year-old ex-con says his new rant was inspired by a golf outing with a buddy who was sporting a "Make America Great Again" hat ... which really rubbed him the wrong way.

"I was teasing him a little bit," Juice admits ... "He said 'Man, why does everyone get on my case when I wear this hat?'"

O.J. explained it this way... "I think 'Making America Great' is great. It's the 'Again' that bothers me."

Simpson is clearly offended by the slogan -- and tries to explain why America has BEEN great under several U.S. presidents -- he names both Republicans and Democrats, including Bush and Obama.

"Through all those presidents, America was great. We were the #1 nation there is."

"All of these politicians today, they're standing on the shoulders of the giants who ran this country before them."

Simpson ended his golf-course rant by encouraging people to vote.

So, does this mean Simpson is supporting Joe Biden?

Unclear ... but Simpson did say something interesting when asked in 2018 if he would have voted for Trump in the 2016 election.

"Somebody asked me if I'd have voted for him ... Probably not, but I only know two of my friends I'd vote to be president."

"Some of my best, best besties I would not vote to be president."

Dez Bryant has officially touched down in Baltimore ... next stop, a new contract with the Ravens?!

The former NFL superstar was at BWI Airport in Maryland Tuesday making his way to the Ravens' practice facility for a much-anticipated tryout ... and the dude seems PUMPED!!

The ex-Dallas Cowboys WR said straight-up "it'd be fun" to join the Ravens ... before adding he wants to play with Lamar Jackson BADLY!!!

"He the man," Dez said of the Baltimore QB. "He the man. Hell yeah. I've been rooting for Lamar since his Louisville days. Anybody that knows me knows that!"

Of course, there are a few hurdles Dez has to jump through before the Jackson-to-Bryant connection can be a reality.

Per NFL rules, Bryant must pass COVID testing prior to taking the field ... and even then, he's got to prove to Ravens coaches he still belongs in the league.

Remember, the 31-year-old hasn't played a down in the league since the 2017 season ... and has suffered through a blown-out Achilles in the meantime.

But, Dez has been working like a mad man to get back ... and, judging by his swagger at the airport Tuesday, dude's clearly confident heading into the tryout.

Good luck!!

Luka Doncic thinks it's RIDICULOUS the refs ejected his teammate Kristaps Porzingis for that NOTHING-BURGER of an altercation during Monday's playoff game.

... and LeBron James agrees!!

The Dallas Mavericks big man got the heave-ho for confronting Marcus Morris during an incident in the 3rd quarter.

KP was stepping up to defend Luka's honor -- after Marcus had gotten physical with him earlier. Nothing crazy. No punches. Just some minor shoving.

Still, Porzingis was tossed as a result -- and it pretty much spelled doom for the Mavs; chances at winning that critical Game 1 playoff game.

In fact, without KP, one of Dallas' best and most important players, the Mavs lost 118 to 110.

After the game, Luka not only defended Porzingis, he called out the refs in the process.

"I knew KP had my back. He did it for me, he did it for his teammate. He had my back."

"I don’t think it was fair to get him out of the game -- especially in the playoffs.”

"But you know, they decided -- so we had to play without him, which was tough."

Doncic wasn't the only one who was pissed about the bad officiating -- LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki spoke out too.

"Man that was BOGUS AS HELL MAN!!!! Cmon man." James said on Twitter.

Nowitzki added, "The ejection is super soft."

Doncic carried the team once KP was ejected, scoring a game-high 42 points -- a record for the most points by any player in their first playoff appearance in NBA history.

Bet he would rather have the "W" instead though ...

The golf blood clearly runs thick in the Woods family ... Tiger's 11-year-old son just mowed down the field in a tournament this month -- winning a kids event EASILY!!

Charlie Woods posted a super low score of 3-under 33 in the 9-hole event on Aug. 9 at Hammock Creek Golf Club in Florida, winning the whole thing by 5 strokes ... and it's got everyone wondering -- is he the next Tiger?!

Charlie carded 3 birdies and no bogeys in the round ... and it wasn't like the course was a cakewalk -- the scorecard shows 6 of the 9 holes were 300 yards or longer!!

Of course, Dad was with Charlie every step of the way ... Tiger was even spotted carrying his kid's clubs during the outing!

The 44-year-old golf G.O.A.T. has praised his son's swing in the past ... saying straight-up he wishes he could put some of it into his own!!

"He’s starting to understand how to play. He’s asking me the right questions," Tiger told GOLFTV this summer. "I’ve kept it competitive with his par, so it’s been just an absolute blast to go out there and just, you know, be with him."

The bubble life is over -- so it's back to the couple life for Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker.

The two have been inseparable since Devin's Phoenix Suns were bounced from the NBA Bubble last week ... picking up their romance right where it left off.

Check out 23-year-old Devin and 24-year-old Kendall running errands in Malibu Monday -- scooping up a brand new dog bowl for DB's pooch, Haven.

They're wearing masks! The dog's on a leash! They're doing everything right!

Remember, Devin left the Orlando bubble on Friday -- immediately hit Nobu for a fancy reunion dinner with Kendall on Saturday night. Can you blame him?!

Before the NBA season re-started, Devin and Kendall were getting pretty close ... even taking road trips together. Remember the quick Sedona getaway?

Devin played insanely well during the Suns' undefeated bubble run -- some say he should have been named MVP of the restart.

But, post-season life doesn't seem to bad either ...

Imagine hitting a towering 400-foot grand slam in an MLB game ... and APOLOGIZING FOR IT?!?!

Fernando Tatis Jr. did exactly that Monday night ... with the bizarre scene making baseball purists go CRAZY over the 21-year-old!!

Here's the deal ... the San Diego Padres were up 10-3 on the Texas Rangers in the 8th inning when Tatis Jr. was ahead 3-0 in a count.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler says he instructed Tatis Jr. to take the next pitch and to NOT run up the score ... but the shortstop says he missed the sign from coach, and blasted the baseball to the moon!!

The homer was SICK -- it traveled over 400 feet and was Tatis Jr.'s 2nd of the night ... giving him 7 RBIs in total -- but EVERYONE was seemingly pissed at the Padre for it.

Check out the footage from the field ... Rangers manager Chris Woodward was furious -- and when Tatis Jr. got back to his own bench, you can tell his teammates weren't pleased either.

Afterward, Tatis Jr. says he was sorry for smacking the home run ... saying next time he'll likely take the pitch instead of crushing it and piling on runs.

"Those experiences, you got to learn from it," Tatis Jr. said. "Probably next time, I take a pitch now that I learned from it.”

Added Tatis Jr.'s manager, "He’s young, a free spirit and focused and all these things, and that’s the last thing we’ll ever take away. But that’s a learning opportunity, that’s it and he’ll grow from it."

In fact, the Rangers were so pissed over Tatis Jr.'s swing ... they nearly hit San Diego's next batter, Manny Machado, with a fastball in retaliation.

Of course, other baseballers rushed to Tatis Jr.'s defense ... saying the unwritten MLB rule needs to be abolished -- and the dude should keep swinging no matter what.

"Hey [Fernando] listen up," Reds star pitcher Trevor Bauer said of the controversy. "1) Keep swinging 3-0 if you want to, no matter what the game situation is 2) Keep hitting homers, no matter what the situation is"

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre in April ... and claims the UFC is trying to make it happen.

"Regarding Georges St-Pierre, that fight really inspires me," Khabib said during a media event in Russia.

"It was my father’s dream fight. But time passes, Georges St-Pierre will be 40 next year. I think he has to decide whether we’ll fight or not."

As we previously reported, Khabib's father, Abdulmanap, died from COVID-19 complications back in July.

But, Khabib says he wants to make his dad's dream come true -- saying "I want that fight."

"If I beat [Justin Gaethje] in October, then fight St-Pierre in April before Ramadan, that would be ideal."

The issue -- 39-year-old GSP has repeatedly said he's retired. Though he admitted back in July he would consider another fight if Dana White had the right offer.

Dana must've been listening ... because Khabib says White is down to make it happen.

"Dana told me after this fight they’ll talk to St-Pierre. If he agrees, we’ll fight. Both I and the UFC want that to happen."

GSP was called out by reigning UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman recently -- but told TMZ Sports, "I think for me it's better if I stay retired ... It's not worth it for me."

George told us he feels extremely grateful to leave the fight game with all of his faculties and wouldn't want to compromise that.

Kate Upton, Olivia Culpo ... and now Reagan Howard?!

Alex Bregman's fiancee is hoping to follow in the footsteps of legendary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models ... announcing Monday she's officially gunning to be in the 2021 SI Swim mag!

Howard just entered the publication's annual search for undiscovered models ... saying she's been "dreaming" of being in the mag ever since she saw Bar Refaeli on a cover years ago.

"I started modeling when I was about 17 years old and faced a ton of rejection for the size of my body," said Howard, who got engaged to the Houston Astros' star 3rd baseman back in January.

"I would love to be on SI because I believe in the brand and I believe in what it represents," Howard added. "And, you guys empower women from all over the place to be as they are and to be multi-dimensional. Which I absolutely love."

Howard went on to say that she's personally inspired by Camille Kostek ... who gained SI Swim fame after being discovered in the mag's 2018 open casting call.

"Here’s to breaking molds and being you," Howard said, "no matter how many different things that may be."

Of course, another famous WAG -- Matt Kalil's wife, Haley Kalil -- also got her SI Swim breakthrough in the brand's 2019 open audition as well.

Could Howard be next? Winners won't be announced for months ... but the resume sure looks bulletproof to us!

UFC superstar Jon Jones just announced he's officially vacating his light heavyweight title -- and suggested he's done fighting. Forever.

"Just got off the phone with UFC," Jones said ... "Today I confirm that I’m vacating the light heavyweight championship. It’s officially up for grabs."

"It’s been an amazing journey, sincere thank you to all my competition, Ufc and most importantly you fans."

Jones says the UFC made it clear there was "no negotiating" moving forward -- so he's just going to hang it up instead.

"If that ever changes, I’d love to come back and compete again as a heavyweight. Until then, I’ll be enjoying Ufc has a fan and doing my best to take care of my family and community."

We recently spoke with UFC honcho Dana White about the contract issues with Jon Jones -- and he told us there was a chance JJ meant it when he suggested retiring in the past.

Still, Dana told us he hoped Jon would fight in the Octagon again because he's one of the all-time greats and the sport is better with him in it.

33-year-old Jones is without a doubt one of the greatest UFC fighters ever -- with victories over guys like Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Smith, Rampage Jackso and many many more.

He had flirted with a move to heavyweight for months ... because that's where the bigger fights are for him at this point in his career.

Jones had recently commented about fighting Francis Ngannou and most recently turned his attention to Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately, it seems he's closing the door so we won't ever get to see those fights.

Jon is 26-1 as a pro MMA fighter -- but most consider him undefeated because the 1 loss was due to an illegal strike in a fight he was dominating against Matt Hamill back in 2009.

Grammy-nominated singer Jessie Reyez just took a knee atop the CN Tower for the singing of "O Canada" before an NBA playoff game Monday ... and the video of the performance is powerful.

The Toronto Raptors posted the footage just before their tilt with the Brooklyn Nets ... showing Reyez on one knee singing the Canadian national anthem while locked into a harness at the top of the famous building.

Reyez' rendition of lasted for nearly 2 minutes ... and the shots of her on the ledge of the 1,800-foot-tall building were breathtaking.

You can also see in the video, she's wearing a mask around her neck that reads, "Breonna Taylor."

Of course, the 29-year-old's kneeling -- which went on for the duration of the song -- is clearly a showing of support for Colin Kaepernick in the fight to shine a spotlight on police brutality and social injustice.

In the NBA bubble, meanwhile, players and coaches continued with their demonstrations during the anthems ... with Raptors and Nets locking arms and kneeling on the court while Reyes' song played.

As we previously reported, the NBA has made countless efforts this summer to raise awareness for racial equality ... including suspending the rule that forced players to stand for pregame anthems.