TMZ Sports - Page 50

Another member of the Philadelphia Eagles' 2017 Super Bowl team says he's not planning on going to Trump's White House with the team ... this time it's linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

"Me personally, I wouldn't go," Ellerbe says ... noting, "I've already been before."

Ellerbe -- who's now a free agent -- is referring to the Super Bowl ring he won as a member of the 2012 Baltimore Ravens team. That squad visited then-President Barack Obama.

But, several Eagles players have stated they're not feeling the current President and will not attend the ceremony at 1600 Penn ... including Torrey Smith, Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins.

Plus, it recently came out that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had made some anti-Trump comments -- calling his presidency, "disastrous."

Wayne Gretzky REALLY IS the great one ... he just bought back the famous SoCal mansion he once sold to Lenny Dykstra for MILLIONS less than he sold it for!!!!

Gretzky had sold the palatial 6.5-acre estate in Thousand Oaks, CA to Dykstra for $18.5 million back in 2007 -- back when Lenny was still being hailed as a financial guru.

Dykstra was later exposed as a fraud and his kingdom fell apart -- and the bank eventually foreclosed on the property. Dykstra famously trashed the home he left for good.

The home recently went up for sale ... and Gretzky swooped in and picked it up for $13.5 MILLION, according to the L.A. Times.

AMAZING, RIGHT!?

In case you're wondering, the place is BALLER AS HELL ... 12,000 square feet of living space, 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a gym, movie theater, tennis court and TWO guest homes.

Lewis Hamilton is still considering making the jump from Formula One to NASCAR ... telling TMZ Sports he ain't ruling it out.

The 4-time F1 World Champ first expressed interest in NASCAR back in 2015 ... saying he'd like to take a stab at the Daytona 500.

That hasn't happened yet -- but when we saw Hamilton at LAX on Tuesday, he told us he isn't shutting the door on NASCAR.

"Maybe ... maybe one day," Hamilton said.

It was an arms race in Vegas ... with Ronda Rousey and Mark Wahlberg flexin' all over the 2018 CinemaCon ... and left everyone in the crowd feeling weak as hell!

The two were pushing their new movie, "Mile 22," during the event at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace ... the flick in which Mark plays a jacked CIA operative.

Remember, Ronda was shooting scenes for the movie in Colombia a while back -- when she snuck back to the U.S. for the Royal Rumble ... where she announced her WWE contract.

"So fun getting the gang back together again," Ronda posted after the event.

Now, it's back to wrestling ... where Ronda will most likely clash with, and then murder, Mickie James.

Saquon Barkley canceled a bunch of media appearances on Tuesday and now we know why ... HE JUST HAD A BABY!!!

The former Penn State running back revealed his girlfriend, Anna Congdon, gave birth to a bouncing baby girl on April 24 -- Jada Clare Barkley.

"Words can’t even describe how I feel right now," the 21-year-old said on Instagram.

"You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thank God for blessing me with you in my life and into my arms. I pray that I can be the best father to you and help you grow into an amazing woman. I love you so so so much."

It's a huge week for the Barkley family ... Saquon is expected to be selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

Congrats!!

Did you know ... the Villanova basketball team was SUPPOSED to ring the bell at the 76ers game Tuesday night until they got bumped for Meek Mill?

It's true ... but they seemed VERY cool with the change of plans and kicked it with the freed rapper in the moments before tip off.

The Nova players -- who won the NCAA National Championship this year -- were stoked to see Meek ... and huddled together for a photo right before Meek went out and rang the bell.

Meek Mill just walked on the court at the Wells Fargo Center -- wearing a Joel Embiid jersey -- and the crowd lost their minds!!!

Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin personally escorted the rapper from prison to the arena to be the guest of honor for Game 5 against the Miami Heat ... and he even got to ring the bell before tip-off.

As we expected ... Sixers fans -- including Kevin Hart by his side -- erupted in cheers for several moments for their hometown guy, who many felt was wrongly locked up for the past 5 months.

Before the game, the players took the floor to Meek's "Ima Boss" as he glad-handed fans and supporters courtside. He also got in a post-prison shower in the team locker room.

Congressional Republicans came together this week to play some baseball -- the team's first reunion since a shooting last year that almost left Rep. Steve Scalise dead.

The GOP held its first Congressional Baseball Game practice Tuesday at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, VA, where different members made some opening remarks at a podium ... including lobbyist Matt Mika, who was shot multiple times last summer by James Hodgkinson.

Mika thanked one of the paramedics on the scene who helped save his life, which was followed by a round of applause. We also ran into Senator Jeff Flake, who was reportedly at bat when Hodgkinson opened fire during an early morning practice.

Tekashi69's manager is under criminal investigation for two shootings that went down the day of Adrien Broner's fight ... and the moments leading up to the incident were caught on tape.

Law enforcement sources tell us 6ix9ine's manager, Tr3yway, is a person of interest in two separate gun-related incidents over the weekend -- one that occurred during the Broner fight, and another that went down just hours earlier on the streets of Brooklyn.

We're told police believe Tr3yway might be the person who fired a shot inside the Barclays Center after a fight broke out with Casanova's crew, based on surveillance video. They also think he might've been the guy who fired two shots 4 hours beforehand, when he was allegedly captured on video shooting at a car following Tekashi's SUV.

Cops tell us the suspect in the footage from both incidents resembles Tr3yway -- who'd been hanging out with 6ix9ine and Foodgod, Jonathan Cheban, over the weekend ... who was filming his new show.

In the footage from outside the arena, obtained by TMZ, you see what eyewitnesses tell us is Tekashi's SUV presumably heading to Barclays. It stops suddenly, and a guy we're told is Tr3yway hops out and runs in the opposite direction ... at which point he allegedly fired.

Sources say Tekashi got out in the vid, as well, but you can't make out his face -- or hair -- 'cause he's got a hoodie on. Criminal charges have yet to be brought against Tr3yway. Still ... considering Tekashi's crew has been linked to a THIRD shooting this week ... they might wanna lay low.

We already told you Gennady Golovkin's camp was targeting a rematch with Canelo Alvarez for September ... and now Oscar De La Hoya has confirmed that's the plan.

The Golden Boy touched down in NYC where we asked all about his #1 fighter and the alleged tainted Mexican beef that led to a positive PED test, ruining plans for a May 5 rematch with GGG.

"Canelo is getting really the short end of the stick here because obviously he's a popular fighter and a lot of people are gonna hate on him," Oscar says.

"But he's been one of the cleanest fighters I've known. He's passed numerous of tests, and you know ... it was very unfortunate."

Oscar is adamant Canelo is NOT a cheater ... and says there's proof Mexican beef has screwed all sorts of pro athletes in the past.

We also asked Oscar how he felt about GGG's new Jordan Brand ad that mocked Canelo's meat excuse ... and clearly, De La Hoya wasn't laughing!

He made it ... Meek Mill has finally arrived at Wells Fargo Center in Philly in time for the 76ers playoff game -- but first things first, dude needs a shower.

Meek arrived with 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin -- who flew Meek from the prison to the arena on his private helicopter.

Once he landed, Meek and his crew got in a waiting SUV and booked it for the arena.

Meek will hit the showers -- let's face it, gotta wash that prison stench off his body -- and then he'll get his hero's welcome before the 76ers take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the playoffs.

"I feel great," Meek said.

Enjoy it!

Meek Mill is out of prison ... and in a helicopter heading for the Philadelphia 76ers playoff game!!!

Sources tell us the chopper belongs to 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, Meek's close friend who promised to personally pick him up.

Meek has about an hour to get to the arena if he wants to make it for tip off ... and with this kind of air transportation, he'll probably make it!!

Jay-Z just spoke on Meek's release saying, "Today, Meek Mill, a son of Philadelphia, is a free man. He was incarcerated unjustly and caught in a probation trap for years by a broken system. Now we can celebrate his release. We thank every individual that has supported and fought alongside Meek every step of the way."

A statement from Roc Nation adds, "We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Meek Mill bail and allow him to return home to his loved ones."

It continues, "We are grateful for all the support that Meek has received from his fans and public advocates over the past five months and look forward to working alongside Meek to fight for criminal justice reform.”

The prison is about 12 miles from the arena -- where the 76ers will take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series.

The 76ers are up 3 games to 1 and have a chance to close out the series tonight!!!

Gronk ain't done with the Patriots just yet!!

After months of speculation, Rob Gronkowski just officially announced he's returning to the New England Patriots for the 2018 season ... and NOT retiring.

"I met with coach today and informed him I will be back for the 2018 season with the Pats," Gronk said.

"I have been working out, staying in shape and feel great. Looking forward to another championship run. #bandsamakeherdance."

Remember, Gronk said he was going to contemplate his NFL future after the Pats lost the Super Bowl to the Eagles back in February.

There was some talk he would leave football and pursue a career in Hollywood or the WWE.

We just broke the news to Floyd Mayweather that Meek Mill is being released from prison ... and Floyd says he's really happy for the rapper.

Floyd and Meek have supported each other over the years -- Floyd's publicly praised Meek's music and Meek attended the Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight.

So, when we saw Floyd out in NYC shopping for jewelry, we had to ask what he thought about Meek getting out of prison after 5 months.

"I'm glad he home," Floyd said ... "He deserves to be home."

Meek Mill just stepped out of prison for the first time since being thrown behind bars in the fall ... directly onto a waiting helicopter!!!

The Philly-based rapper walked out of Chester State Correctional Institution on Tuesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered bail for Meek so he could go free ... overruling Judge Genece Brinkley, who wanted to keep him in there for at least another 60 days.

We broke the story ... Meek was ordered to be released Tuesday, and he issued a statement thanking the District Attorney's Office, the PA Supreme Court, his legal team and all of his friends, family and fans who showed support while he was locked up. He was facing a 2-4 year prison sentence that was handed down at the beginning of November.

He also said he plans to shine a light on other cases where people of color are improperly jailed, and promised to fight to overturn his OG conviction and resume his rap career.

76ers co-owner Michael Rubin vowed to personally pick Meek up from prison and came through strong -- bringing his helicopter to the prison! The group then flew straight to Wells Fargo Center just in time for Game 5 against the Miami Heat.

1:58 PM PT -- Our sources tell us the plan is for Meek to attend Tuesday night's game, but the key issue is time.

If Meek can get formally checked out of prison and then get to the arena in time for the game, which starts at 5 PM PT, he'll be there as the team's VIP guest.

It's a 12-mile drive from the prison to the arena.

LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!!!

Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin says he's on his way to Chester State prison to personally pick up Meek Mill when he's released ... and it's a good bet the rapper will be at the game tonight.

Rubin and Meek have become very close -- with Rubin not only visiting him several times since Meek was incarcerated, but also bringing a bunch of high-profile and influential people to the prison ... including Robert Kraft, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Kevin Hart and more.

Now, with Meek officially being released after 5 months ... Rubin posted, "Meek Mill is free. Just left visiting Meek with Kevin Hart and I'm on the way back to pick him up as we speak #MeekIsFree #GoSixers."

Someone just posted from Meek's Instagram account, "Go Sixers."

The 76ers play the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center in Philly for Game 5 of their playoff series ... and the smart money is that Meek will be the VIP guest who gets to ring the famous bell.