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Powerful moment before the Nuggets and Kings game Thursday -- the teams, including Ukrainian-born Sacramento center, Alex Len, locked arms in a show of solidarity as war rages on in Ukraine.

Len is 1 of 2 NBA players from Ukraine. Svi Mykhailiuk, a forward from the Toronto Raptors, is the other player.

The show of unity between the teams comes in the wake of Russia launching a violent military attack in Ukraine ... sparking international condemnation and concern over the situation on the ground in eastern Europe.

It's obviously been a very difficult time for Len ... and he clearly appreciated his teammates and the opposing players on the Nuggets for the gesture.

"Thank you to my Kings family and the Denver Nuggets for your solidarity and support of Ukraine tonight," Alex wrote on Instagram.

Len also shared a joint statement on social media with Mykhailiuk condemning the awful attacks perpetrated by the Russian military.

"Ukraine is a peaceful, sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny. We pray for our families, friends, relatives, and all the people who are in the territory of Ukraine."

"We hope for an end to this terrible war as soon as possible. "Dear fellow Ukrainians, Hold on! Our strength is in unity! We are with you!"

Alvin Gentry -- head coach of the Kings -- spoke with reporters before the game ... telling the media he had a team meeting with Len, and the coach asked for prayers for his loved ones.

"I just like for you guys to kinda keep him in your prayers and hopefully his family is going to remain safe."

Hall of Fame boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are preparing for the biggest fight of their lives -- the Ukrainian brothers are vowing to defend their country from the Russian attacks.

Wladimir spoke out about the invasion of his country on Thursday ... condemning Putin's actions and pledging to join in the fight with the Ukrainian people against the Russian regime.

"I am writing to you from Kyiv, the capital of a country at war, a country being attacked and invaded from all sides," the former heavyweight champ said. "It is not 'the war of Ukraine,' it is Putin's war."

"Putin wants to call into question the geopolitical balance across the whole of Europe, he dreams of being the defender of the Slavic peoples wherever they live, and he wants to restore a fallen empire whose demise he has never accepted."

Wladimir went on to say the Ukrainian people have chosen democracy, but he knows democracy is a fragile regime and him and his brother, Vitali, are ready to fight for it.

Vitali -- the mayor of Kyiv -- told "Good Morning Britain" in an interview he was "prepared to take up arms" if need be to halt the Russian invasion.

The Klitschko brothers also released a passionate video ... calling on all countries to observe what's happening and unite against Russia.

Arnold Schwarzenegger -- a longtime friend of the Klitschko bros. -- sent a message of gratitude to the boxing legends ... lauding them for their courage in the midst of this difficult time.

Formula 1 will NOT return to Russia in September ... with organizers saying it is "impossible" to hold the event in Sochi following the attack on Ukraine.

"We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation," the org. said in a statement Friday.

"On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."

As we previously reported, superstars like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen voiced their opposition to holding the race in Sochi after Russia attacked Ukraine ... with the 4-time champ saying, "I think it’s wrong to race in that country."

The Russian G.P. has been on the F1 schedule since 2014 ... and Vladimir Putin has attended the event in the past -- even handing out the trophy to winners on the podium, including Lewis Hamilton and Valtterri Bottas.

8 years removed from official in-ring action, WWE star Corey Graves tells TMZ Sports he has officially been cleared by doctors, and is now permitted to continue kicking asses in the squared circle -- but will he do it?!

We talked to Corey and WWE Superstar fiancée Carmella about everything from great news from the docs to their upcoming reality show (more on that later!).

"I went and spent some time with doctors middle of last year. I kinda got the itch. This is one of the first times I'm saying this publicly. I have been medically cleared to compete," Corey tells us.

"It's not an immediate goal of mine, it was just something I needed to know for my own sanity. My journey in the ring got cut short and it's kinda eaten at me for years, always wondering what if, what if there's a chance, what if there's an opportunity ... so I went and did the necessary steps and it turns out I'm more okay than I thought I was."

Graves last wrestled in March 2014. Months after his final match, WWE announced the Superstar was retiring from in-ring action and moving over to the broadcast booth ... after reportedly sustaining several concussions.

At the time, Corey said he was just content with working again, telling WWE.com ... "These last eight months have been up and down, emotionally, but I’m really looking forward to being part of the show again."

Speaking of shows ... Corey and Carmella are starring in their very own digital reality show, and it looks awesome.

And, they say it all came to be organically ... starting with a spontaneous Instagram Live sesh. Fans were into it ... so they launched a podcast, "Bare With Us." Then came the partnership with WWE ... and a real deal show.

"The podcast allowed fans to see us in a different light. We wanted to shed light on normal things that couples argue over, fight over, whether it's issues in the bedroom, chores at the house, and who's responsible for what chores at the house. For us, we just wanted to maintain that authenticity from our podcast onto the show, and that's what we're doing."

"We're really excited for the fans to get to know us in real life, and not just these larger-than-life personalities they see on TV."

Jaxson Hayes faced a judge in L.A. stemming from his July arrest on Thursday ... and the Pelicans center entered a no contest plea for a resisting arrest and false imprisonment charge, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 21-year-old former Texas star was facing 10 other charges ... but the judge dismissed them.

Hayes was arrested on July 28 after LAPD responded to a reported domestic incident at a home where Hayes was staying. When officers arrived, cops say Hayes refused to allow them inside ... and a scuffle ensued.

At least one police officer sustained an injury during the struggle.

While cops were fighting with the 6'10" player -- who was tased during the scuffle -- Hayes was heard telling officers he couldn't breathe (LAPD is currently conducting a "use of force" investigation to determine if appropriate force was used).

Although Hayes did not plead guilty, a no contest plea would still end up with a conviction on his record.

Each of the two charges carries up to 364 days in jail, a fine or both.

Winnie Harlow and Kyle Kuzma were either working on their MMA ground game or packing on the PDA on vacation this week ... and we're assuming it's the latter.

Harlow posted a steamy collection of hot shots to her IG on Thursday ... where the 27-year-old model is seen straddling her 26-year-old Wizards star boyfriend while laid out on the beach somewhere in paradise.

It was clearly a great All-Star break for Kuz and Harlow -- they also enjoyed a boat ride while on the long trip ... and you can see the hooper smiling as he holds a cigar and a handful of his lady.

The couple was definitely into each other -- a good sign that their reconciliation is going extremely well since their break up last August.

Remember, the two split right around the time Kuz was traded from the Lakers to D.C. ... but they got back together 5 months later.

As we previously reported, the two first became an item after Kuz slid into Harlow's DMs ... and they became one of the first quarantine couples to surface during the pandemic.

If the Russian Grand Prix goes down as planned in September, Sebastian Vettel won't be there -- the 4-time Formula 1 champ says he will boycott the race over the attack on Ukraine.

"For myself, my opinion is I should not go, I will not go," the Aston Martin driver said Thursday. "I think it’s wrong to race in that country."

"I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons under a very strange and mad leadership."

34-year-old Vettel says he was in disbelief over the development ... and calls it "horrible" to witness.

"I'm just really shocked and sad to see what's going on. We will see going forward, but I think my decision is already made."

The Russian GP is currently slated to go down on September 25 ... but F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the org. will meet to determine whether or not to pull the race following the recent developments.

"Formula One is closely watching the very fluid developments like many others and at this time has no further comment on the race scheduled for September," F1 said in a statement.

"We will continue to monitor the situation very closely."

Vettel isn't the only champ sounding off on the Russia/Ukraine conflict -- Red Bull's Max Verstappen also weighed in on Thursday.

"When a country is at war it's not correct to race there, that's for sure."

Bronny James isn't just following in his father's footsteps on the basketball court ... he's also inherited pops business acumen -- the high school phenom just landed a deal with PSD underwear, and will release a signature collection later this year.

LeBron James' oldest son -- who has ambitions of playing in the NBA one day -- isn't wasting any time securing the bag.

PSD announced news of the huge signing on Thursday ... officially welcoming Bronny to their family.

FYI, 17-year-old Bronny Jr. -- a star on the Sierra Canyon basketball team -- is the youngest athlete entrepreneur to partner with the underwear company, according to PSD.

And, the partnership just makes sense ... Bronny says he's been rockin' PSD's draws for as long as he can remember.

Bronny now joins a star-studded roster at PSD -- Ja Morant, Deebo Samuel, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bubba Wallace are already affiliated with the brand.

Now, the plan is for Bronny to link up with the company's design team and create signature pieces that'll be available in stores in spring.

"I’m looking forward to sharing my ideas and input to create some pretty unique pieces.”

Paul George is opening up about his struggles in the NBA bubble ... saying he couldn't sleep for 2 WEEKS -- and it played a huge role in his performance on the court.

The Clippers forward joined former teammate Serge Ibaka on his "How Hungry Are You?" cooking show recently ... and detailed how mentally and physically taxing his time at the Disney World campus in Orlando was in 2020.

"A lot of it was just weighing on me," George told Ibaka. "For one, I wasn't sleeping. No lie, I probably went a good week and a half, 2 weeks of 0 sleep. I would lay in bed and my mind would be racing."

PG told Serge that his lack of sleep was so concerning, he tried using different solutions -- from taking naps to therapy to using sleeping gummies to remedy the problem.

Of course, George was pretty inconsistent throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs ... and he says it was extra tough on him because there was no way to escape.

Ultimately, Paul admits his sleep deprivation negatively affected his performance on the court ... but he's not making excuses for blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets.

"I ain't gon' make no excuses on it ... he said. "We just blew it."

The Union of European Football Associations is not playing around -- the soccer org. is taking swift action and is expected to move its Champions League Final out of Russia after the country launched an attack on Ukraine.

The Final was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 28 at Krestsovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg ... but according to reports, that's no longer the case.

UEFA wasted no time kickstarting the search for a replacement host shortly after the news broke ... releasing a statement saying the matter will be addressed on Friday.

The org. released a statement ... saying, "Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the UEFA president has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for 10 a.m. CET [4 a.m. ET] on Friday 25 February."

UEFA officials say the purpose of the meeting is "to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions" ... and that they'll release further information after the conclusion of the conference.

The governing body for European football expressed serious concern over what's happening between the neighboring countries ... condemning Russia's military-style invasion of Ukraine.

"UEFA shares the international community’s significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe," the Union said in a statement.

The statement continued ... "As the governing body of European football, we are dealing with this situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency."

Miesha Tate is more than just an MMA champ, now -- she just took the crown as the winner of "Celebrity Big Brother!!"

Tate -- a former UFC Women's bantamweight champion -- beat houseguests like Lamar Odom, Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu, Todrick Hall and singer Chris Kirkpatrick over the course of 3 weeks to finish on top.

Tate was the lone survivor after winning a 7-1 vote against Hall in the season finale on Wednesday ... and she told TooFab she still can't believe it really happened.

"It's like somebody pinch me -- not even sure if this is real right now," Tate said.

Tate admits that she wasn't super confident she would win it all ... and thought the votes would be way closer.

"I really thought the votes were gonna be 50-50," Tate said.

The 35-year-old also commented on her relationship with the runner-up ... saying Hall was the "yin to my yang" throughout the competition.

"He was my homie in that house," Tate said. "He was funny and sweet. He just was able to offer me a different perspective on life."

Now that it's all over, Tate is ready to go home to her two children, Amaia and Daxton.

"I just want to kiss my babies. I wanna hold them and squeeze them until they beg me to put them down."

The 19-8 UFC fighter is the first athlete to win 'CBB' ... following singer Tamar Braxton and actress Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Floyd Mayweather sang his damn heart out to celebrate his 45th birthday ... and he called on Kanye West, Aaron Donald and Antonio Brown to be his backup singers!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- TBE hosted a private party at David Grutman's Sushi Fly Chicken in Miami on Wednesday to celebrate his big day ... and the karaoke machine was getting put to good use.

The 50-0 boxing legend donned a baby blue plaid blazer and pants for the rager ... and he was certainly in great spirits -- dancing with a huge smile on his face.

The whole room was getting in on the fun -- singing along as Donell Jones' "Where I Wanna Be" blasted over the speakers.

But, the most surprising performance of the night?? AD and his wife, Erica, rapping along to "Set It Off" by Boosie Badazz -- and Floyd was loving every second of it.

The party then made it to Gold Rush Cabaret strip club ... where Floyd was honored with cutouts and signs -- including a shot of him beating up on Conor McGregor during their fight in 2017.

FC Schalke 04, a professional German soccer club, is removing the patch of a Russian majority state-owned energy company after Vladimir Putin's armed forces invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation.

"Following recent developments, FC Schalke 04 have decided to remove the logo of main sponsor GAZPROM from the club's shirts," the club announced in a statement.

"It will be replaced by lettering reading 'Schalke 04' instead."

Gazprom -- the largest natural gas company in the world -- is the club's biggest sponsor ... and the company name is prominently displayed across the player's chests on their jerseys.

Of course, after weeks of increased tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine, launching a full-fledged attack against the country.

Dozens of people have already reportedly died.

FC Schalke 04 wasn't alone in working with the powerful energy company. UEFA, the governing body that oversees European soccer, also has a business relationship with Gazprom.

Unlike FC Schalke 04, UEFA hasn't opted (at least not yet) to cut ties with the company ... though they did release a statement condemning the attacks.

"UEFA shares the international community's significant concern for the security situation developing in Europe and strongly condemns the ongoing Russian military invasion of Ukraine."

That's not to say the soccer body hasn't taken any action against Russia. The country was scheduled to host the Champions League final in Spring, but UEFA decided to pull the game.

They haven't yet named a replacement city.

Not everyone is happy about the $24 million settlement between the U.S. Women's National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation -- Hope Solo says the deal is "infuriating" and is calling out Megan Rapinoe in the process.

"This settlement is not a 'huge win,'" the 2-time Olympic gold medalist said via Instagram on Wednesday.

"It's heartbreaking and infuriating. A 'promise' of equal pay from the Federation and backpay for a select group of players isn't equal pay and it's not what this fight was about."

As we previously reported, the USSF agreed to dispense $22 million amongst the players ($2 million for post-career ventures) after players sued for "institutionalized gender discrimination" in 2019.

Solo says she went through all the details ... and felt some type of way about the "Contingent upon the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement" part.

"It doesn't exist yet and is not guaranteed," Solo said.

"If the players had ever been successful in negotiating an equal CBA, there would've been no reason to sue the Federation in the first place."

Solo also slammed former USWNT teammates Rapinoe and Alex Morgan for accepting the deal -- just a day after Rapinoe said on "Good Morning America" that she was proud of all the hard work.

"Throughout the entire process, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan were the two most agreeable with the Federation," Solo said, "and to this day, continue to accept terms that are nowhere near what we set out to do."

D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown says several MMA fighters have hit him up since cornering Joaquin Buckley to a win last weekend -- but unfortunately for those other fighters, the deadly self-defense expert tells TMZ Sports he's only rockin' with JB!!

We broke the news last week ... Buckley (14-4, 10 KOs) hit up Brown, a viral sensation, to be one of his cornermen for his matchup against Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Fight Night in Vegas.

Buckley won by decision ... and Commander Brown says Buckley utilized some of his moves during the tightly contested fight.

"I will say he did use some techniques," Brown says, "that are associated with my training."

And, ever since then, the Detroit Urban Surviving Training star says other fighters have been blowin' up his phone -- trying to get their own Buckley-type treatment.

"We've had several just the past couple of days reaching out, emailing, texting, trying to reach out and see if they can come by the facility and see what we can do to coordinate and collaborate."

But, sorry fightin' folks ... Brown says he's only gonna work with Buckley.

"We're #teamBuckley so that's not gonna happen."

However, Dale says he's down to with celebs like Odell Beckham ... who paid homage to Commander Brown after scoring a touchdown this season for the Rams.

In fact, Brown says he met Rick Ross after the Buckley-Alhassan fight -- telling us he showed the Miami rapper a nose-press technique.

"Training entertainers, training their staff, bodyguards -- anybody out there looking for advanced training."

Forget poppin' bottles at the club -- Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric celebrated the biggest night of his career with burgers and milkshakes ... telling TMZ Sports he partied it up at a Steak 'n Shake!!

We spoke with the 23-year-old fresh off Sunday's victory in Florida ... and he told us he went to the famous burger spot with his whole crew to fuel up after the race.

"We took everybody -- including the Harley J. Earl trophy -- and we went to Steak 'n Shake," Cindric told us. "We closed the place down after midnight, and they stayed open for us, and we killed a bunch of burgers and milkshakes."

Cindric opted to keep things simple ... telling us he knew he'd have a busy day ahead of himself the morning after the race -- and who's got time for a hangover?!

The Ohio native says he went back to his hotel room with his dad and called a few friends and family members to include them in the special moment ... and then it was time to call it a day.

Austin's win was a big surprise -- he entered Sunday's race -- the Super Bowl of auto racing -- with 25-1 odds to win it all ... meaning if you wagered $100 on Cindric, you'd win $2,500.

Cindric overcame the odds and said that winning a race of this magnitude at his age (he's the 3rd youngest to win the Daytona 500) was everything he could imagine -- and more.

"It's a dream come true," Cindric said. "It's every racer's dream to just go to the Daytona 500 and compete."

"But to do it with an overtime restart with everything on the line," he continued, "and be able to come across and win the biggest race of the year, it was awesome to get it done."