TMZ Sports - Page 50

'Bachelor' alum, Hannah Ann Sluss won't have to stress about getting roses anymore ... 'cause the former contestant is engaged to NFL player Jake Funk -- and was spotted at a Cabo airport sporting the massive ring!!!

HAS shared the big news to her 900k+ TikTok followers on Wednesday ... showing her enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with the Indianapolis Colts running back.

Apparently, Hannah wasn't expecting a diamond ring for dessert ... as the model captioned the clip, "The surprise at the end he had for me 🥺."

You can see the emerald cut diamond on her finger and a projection on a mountain in the background reading "She said Yes."

As it turns out, Hannah Ann was already wearing the rock on Tuesday ... when the bride-to-be showed off the ring while waiting at the airport with her future hubby.

Of course, this isn't the first time Sluss was asked for her hand in marriage.

The 26-year-old was the winner in season 24 of "The Bachelor" in 2019 ... and got engaged to Peter Weber.

However, Weber called it off during the "After the Final Rose" special ... claiming he was in love with the runner-up Madison Prewett.

Safe to say it all worked out for Hannah Ann in the end.

Dennis Schroder's Wednesday night went from awesome to pretty crappy real quick ... 'cause just after the Lakers point guard helped his team beat the Spurs -- a vehicle he was riding in was stopped by cops in Hollywood.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... it all went down at around midnight, just a couple hours after the Lakers game had ended. According to an LAPD spokesperson, the stop was initiated after the vehicle allegedly had improper plates.

Video from the scene shows cops spoke with Schroder and what appeared to be his driver for about half an hour after pulling over the ride at a gas station.

It all seemed cordial, according to videos of the interaction ... with Schroder, at times, sporting a big smile on his face.

"I don't know what happened," the 29-year-old told a camera person during the stop. "I'm still surprised."

The LAPD says someone received a citation for improper plates during the stop, though it's unclear who the alleged violator was. Video shows Schroder was allowed to leave the scene without any issue.

Schroder's night had been going very well up until the pullover -- he played 37 minutes in the Lakers' win over San Antonio at Crypto.com Arena, logging nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.

Rui Hachimura made his debut as the Los Angeles Lakers' newest addition on Wednesday ... but a lot of his fans back home missed out on the action -- 'cause the historic moment caused the NBA's streaming service in Japan to crash.

The Lakers acquired the 24-year-old from the Washington Wizards earlier this week ... shipping Kendrick Nunn and a handful of second round picks to secure the deal -- making Rui the first Japanese-born player in Lakers franchise history.

Fans were quick to complain on social media about not being able to watch Rui check in towards the end of the first quarter of the Lakers' home win over the San Antonio Spurs ... forcing the streaming service to address the issue.

Rakuten -- the Association's official streaming partner in Japan since 2017 -- released a statement on the matter ... saying, "Starting around 12:20 PM Japan Time on Thursday, January 26, the NBA Rakuten site became inaccessible when a sudden surge in user traffic caused a server issue," according to The Sun.

"This was around the time that the San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers game tipped off."

To resolve the issue, Rakuten says it made the game available on YouTube until the site was back up and running again.

Rakuten claims the problem was fixed ... and service has returned to normal.

The medical professionals who assisted in Damar Hamlin's recovery following his medical emergency are being honored in a big way ... with the Cincinnati mayor giving them a key to the city!!

Aftab Pureval's office announced the news Thursday ... saying city officials want to show their appreciation for the providers who cared for the Bills safety after his cardiac arrest.

We're told the ceremony will take place at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center ... where 24-year-old Hamlin spent a week with doctors as they tended to the NFL player.

Hamlin's physicians -- Dr. Knight and Dr. Pritts -- played an integral role in rehabilitating Damar so he could be released from the hospital.

At one point during his stay at UC Health Medical Center, Damar -- while still hooked up to a breathing machine -- famously asked the doctors who won the Monday Night Football game between the Bills and Bengals.

"You won. You won at the game of life," they told Hamlin.

Ultimately, doctors felt that Damar had made enough progress to be released from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at UC Health Medical Center ... allowing him to continue his recovery at home.

It looks like Jamahal Hill's going to get his wish -- the newly crowned UFC champ tells TMZ Sports he wants Jiri Prochazka next -- and the 31-year-old fighter says Dana White's on board!

We spoke to Hill days after he thoroughly beat the legendary Glover Teixeira, during the main event at UFC 283, where he captured the vacant light heavyweight title ... And, while he's still reveling in his victory, now Jamahal wants Jiri.

"100% [Prochazka]. I'm hoping he can be back by July, August and we can get a fight set up 'cause that's the one I've wanted for a long time," Hill told us.

Of course, Prochazka, the former champion, suffered a severe shoulder injury in late 2022 (it was called the "worst shoulder injury in UFC history"), forcing him out of UFC 282 only days before he was set to step in the Octagon.

But, despite how bad it initially looked, Jiri says his healing is ahead of schedule ... and even sent a message to Hill.

"Congratulations. I'm coming."

And, that's just what Jamahal wants ... and apparently, Dana does too.

"That's the fight that they would like to have happen. So, obviously, when he's ready. I want him to heal up, I don't want any excuses whatsoever. Well, there'll probably still be some. But still, as long as he's ready to go and he feels healthy, I want us to be able to get that done," Hill told us.

There's much more.

We also talked to Hill about the viral video of him from in between rounds ... when his cornerman poured water on his head, sending blood -- lots of blood -- streaming down his face.

In the moment, Jamahal thought it was his blood ... but it wasn't.

"That was Glover's blood. Whenever [my corner] did that I had to look down, if you actually read my lips, I said 'where's that coming from? Where's that coming from? I'm bleeding? I asked him.'"

Hill -- who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- was doubted by so many along the way, and Jamahal was incredibly emotional after the fight.

We asked him for his message to anyone, especially kids, who were watching.

"Go after your dreams. Anything is possible. Whatever you want, you can literally speak it, and make it happen."

Hulk Hogan apparently had a bathroom catastrophe on Wednesday ... and instead of hitting up a buddy, his account sent out a cry for help to his 2.2 million followers.

"I ran out of toilet paper brother, help!!!!!!!!" Hogan's tweet said ... which, naturally, led a bunch of quick social media users to screenshot the message before it was ultimately deleted.

Now, it's unclear if Hulk's account was hacked -- he returned to his regular tweeting by posting a pic with his longtime wrestling pals Ted DiBiase, Diamond Dallas Page, Madusa, Jimmy Hart and IRS a few minutes later -- or if he meant to actually text someone to bring him some T.P.

Regardless, the tweets are hilarious ... and we're just going to assume the latter is what happened.

Hulk has yet to address the tweets ... and chances are, he might never bring it up.

Micah Parsons is firing back at Twitter trolls ... saying the people who believe he was shading Dak Prescott in a tweet Wednesday need to "stop reaching."

Parsons initially raised eyebrows on the social media app after he quote tweeted a video of Bills GM Brandon Beane talking about roster building and taking advantage of quarterbacks who are still on rookie contracts.

"Besides mahomes, every team in the final 4 Qb is on a rookie deal and surrounded by talent!" the 23-year-old Dallas Cowboys star said. "Mhmm interesting take!"

Some thought the electric pass rusher was taking a shot at Dak with the tweet -- as the Cowboys QB is currently in the middle of a 4-year, $160 MILLION deal.

But, Micah said he wasn't going after #4 or his contract at all ... writing, "Listen we not gonna sit here like I'm talking about Dak 😂😂😂 Shid when I get paid ima want a big contract too ! Come on stop reaching ! 😂"

He added in a separate tweet, "Street law! Never count a man pockets!"

Prescott has enjoyed a ton of regular season success since signing the contract -- but he's struggled to turn the corner in the playoffs, getting eliminated in underwhelming fashion in consecutive seasons to SF.

Matt Barnes spit on his fiancee's ex during a heated altercation at the Cowboys vs. 49ers game on Sunday -- video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows -- but the former NBA champ claims the man started it all, threatening him and shoving him.

The incident happened at around 3:40 PM just before the playoff contest began at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara ... when Barnes encountered his fiancee's former husband, David Patterson Jr., in a concourse at the venue.

In the footage, you can see Barnes sprayed the man with spit -- before he later got in the guy's face.

The clip shows the two exchanged words and got in a bit of a wrestling match -- before, thankfully, they separated and walked off in different directions.

According to an application for a temporary civil restraining order filed by Barnes in L.A. County court two days after the incident, the NBA star alleges Patterson Jr. was the aggressor in the situation.

In the court documents, Barnes says Patterson Jr. "hunted me down and aggressively confronted me." He said the 37-year-old yelled profanities and threats at him, called him names, and incited the crowd around them "into a frenzy by yelling out my full name repeatedly."

Barnes added that Patterson Jr. eventually "shoved me, and I was forced to push him off of me." He continued, "I did not want the altercation to physically escalate further, and out of frustration with him seeking me out and his unrelenting repeated harassment I spit in his direction in disgust."

Cops tell us they were called to the scene to investigate an allegation of battery -- where they say the alleged victim ID'ed 42-year-old Barnes as the suspect. They said an investigation into the case remains ongoing.

As for Barnes' request for the TRO, he says Patterson Jr. has been terrorizing him for months -- believing the man "is jealous of my relationship with his ex-wife." He said at one point in 2022, Patterson Jr. threatened to shoot him with his gun. He's asking the court to restrict Patterson Jr. from coming within 100 yards of him.

Barnes, who played three seasons in the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors in his NBA career, appeared to go on with his Sunday night without further incident ... seeming to be in great spirits as he watched the game from suite seats.

Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona's beloved scooter, which he regularly rides to and from games, was apparently stolen over the weekend ... and now, cops are on the hunt for the alleged thief.

According to the Cleveland Police Department, a member of the Guardians staff said Francona's ride was taken outside of his apartment building sometime between 9:30 PM on Jan. 20 and 8 AM on Jan. 21.

Cops say the Cleveland staffer told them Francona had parked his 2018 Genuine MC Buddy 170i black scooter on Friday night and took the ignition key -- but noticed it was gone the following day ... leading authorities to believe the suspected thief had pushed or tampered with the motorbike to take it.

According to the police report, Francona claims he did not give anyone permission to use it -- and cops have now launched an investigation into the matter.

So far, no suspects have been named and no arrests have been made ... though cops noted in the police report there were several surveillance cameras on the street where his scooter was taken.

Gisele Bundchen and her jiu-jitsu instructor are getting close once again -- this time, the two were seen riding horses in Costa Rica, in what's either an amazing just-friends date ... or further proof the two are now an item.

Tom Brady's ex and Joaquim Valente were spotted on the animals back on Jan. 18 ... and the duo looked like they had a blast.

The couple(?) rode the horses for roughly two hours through the jungle -- and check out Gisele's grin, she sure seemed giddy while plodding through the afternoon with Valente.

Of course, there's been no official confirmation they're dating -- Gisele's camp initially claimed Valente had been tagging along on family vacays to train her and her kids -- but they've certainly appeared to be awfully coupley this month.

First, they were seen jogging while appearing to share AirPods ... and just days later -- riding horseback with none of Gisele's kids in sight.

No word yet on how Brady feels about it all ... but he hasn't been in the best mood this week.

On Monday, just seven days after the Buccaneers QB was bounced from the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys, he snapped at his good friend Jim Gray on their podcast ... unleashing an F-bomb tirade about how he wasn't sure if he'd be retiring or not.

Jimmy Butler and the Heat turned a nightmare into a dream come true for one Argentinian fan who flew all the way to Miami to watch his favorite player ... gifting the kid a signed ball and a jersey after the NBA star missed the game due to an injury.

The young fan -- 12-year-old Felipe -- was spotted holding a huge sign that read, "Dear Jimmy: We flew over 4,405 miles to see you play. Can we get a photo or a big face coffee? ;)" before the game ... but unfortunately, Butler was ruled out with a back injury.

Cameras caught the moment the young fan and his sister, Zoe, found out Jimmy would not be playing in Tuesday night's matchup against the Boston Celtics ... and it's absolutely crushing.

But, this story has an amazing ending ... 'cause Butler and the Heat got wind of the kid's predicament and decided to hook him up with an even better experience.

The Heat gifted the fan with an autographed Miami Heat basketball and a new Butler Nike Mashup Vol. 2 Authentic jersey ... and gave him on-court access, which led to a photo with Heat point guard Gabe Vincent!!

Butler addressed the gesture on his Instagram story -- captioning a photo of the interaction, "I got you."

Of course, Butler always looks out for his fans ... with TNT's Jamal Crawford saying he's not one bit surprised the All-Star went above and beyond for one of his fans -- because he's done it throughout his career.

Awesome move, Jimmy.

K-pop superstar Lisa from BLACKPINK posed for a pic with a diehard Blink on Wednesday ... and that fan just so happened to be soccer superstar Neymar!!

One-fourth of the popular group shared the snapshot to her Instagram story just minutes ago ... showing the two celebs smiling from ear-to-ear.

As it turns out, the Paris Saint-Germain striker has been a BLACKPINK supporter for a while now ... he's shared their music videos on his Twitter, and even danced along to their song, "How You Like That," while streaming PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds back in 2021.

In fact, the superstar athlete has even used the group's skins pack on PUBG as he played in front of his 2.1 million followers.

The interaction was mutually exciting for the two stars ... as Neymar shared the pic on his own Instagram as well.

FYI -- Lisa and Neymar combine for 289 million followers on Instagram ... as they're some of the most-followed accounts in their respective fields.

LeBron James nearly lost his cool with a heckler on Tuesday night -- having to be held back from the man after the guy shouted insults at him, including one dig that featured a shot at the Lakers star's hairline.

The moment happened as the King and his squad were headed into the locker room at halftime of their game with the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena ... when a guy started going off on the L.A. forward.

"Hey Bron! Hey Bron!" the man said from his floor seat as the Lakers were down 77-54. "You better get this s*** together!"

The fan continued, "With that receding-ass hairline!"

LeBron turned quickly, appearing to want to go after the man, before security intervened.

"Look, he mad!" the heckler shouted as LeBron was being ushered away from the scene. "Look at him! You sick!"

It's unclear if the fan faced any punishment over the interaction.

The trolling, while clearly annoying, didn't stop James from going off ... he scored 46 points in the contest with the Clips, making him the only NBA player to score 40-plus against every team in the league.

Ex-NFL defensive tackle Chris "Swaggy" Baker had a serious health scare ... revealing he suffered a stroke -- but thankfully, he appears to be doing better and on the road to recovery.

The 35-year-old former Washington star shared an update on his Instagram story ... saying, "Tell Your love ones you love em my life almost ended 2days ago."

"I can't believe I had a stroke but God not done with me yet."

Baker also shared video from a Hartford, CT hospital room ... showing him sitting up and talking to a nurse as he appears to be hooked up to IVs.

Baker's mother says he suffered the "serious" stroke on Friday ... but doctors stated he is responding as if it were minor, and he is expected to make a full recovery -- calling it a "miracle."

She added Baker required emergency surgery following the stroke.

Baker was a lovable figure during his nine seasons in the league ... and was never shy to show off his dance moves on and off the field.

In fact, TMZ Sports has covered plenty of instances of Baker boogying on the runway at charity events in the past.

The Connecticut native most notably played for Washington from 2011-16 ... and racked up 214 tackles and 12 sacks over the course of his career.

Guy Fieri and Tom Brady are friends ... so naturally, we asked the Food Network star if he had any insight into TB12's plans, and while Fieri didn't know if/where Brady plans to play football, he did have a suggestion.

COME TO THE RAIDERS!!!

TMZ Sports talked to Fieri -- a huge sports fan -- the day he announced he was throwing a MASSIVE Super Bowl party in Arizona on Super Sunday (more on that in a minute) ... here's what Guy said about Tom.

"I'm a Raider. You know me. I'm just standing over here, 'Hello! Feel free!'" ... as Guy waved his arms in the air, calling Brady to the dessert.

Wherever he plays, Fieri says he hopes we haven't seen the last the 7x Super Bowl champ.

"Tom, I'm just so impressed, he's such a great guy, such a great athlete, he's been through a lot, and I hope this is not the last snap we saw. I really do hope he's gonna come back. The guy's in amazing shape."

Back to Fieri's Super Bowl bash ... Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate. It's going down right next to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where the big game will be played.

"You take the greatest sporting event we have," Fieri said, continuing ... "The Super Bowl is the big dance, so why not throw the big tailgate?"

Typically, tailgating at the Super Bowl doesn't happen ... but Guy's party isn't typical.

"We're gonna make it free. You're gonna get LOCASH and Diplo performing. You're gonna get great DDD restaurants that are gonna be there selling food. We're gonna have a VIP experience you can buy into where you'll get completely pampered, but we're gonna put on a party that recognizes and celebrates how great the Super Bowl is and it's literally right across the street from the Super Bowl."

As for the crowd he expects ... let's just say you should get your tickets soon.

Former Univ. of Florida quarterback recruit Marcus Stokes, who lost his Gators scholarship after rapping the n-word on video, has now landed a new scholarship offer -- this time from an HBCU.

Stokes revealed on Tuesday that Albany State Univ. -- a Historically Black College and University in Georgia -- sent the offer his way this week ... just over two months after he was embroiled in controversy.

You'll recall, the four-star recruit lost his future as a Gator in November after he posted a quick video of him singing the n-word on camera on his social media page. He apologized for it afterward, calling it "hurtful and offensive to many people" -- but his recruitment skidded to a halt.

Stokes said Tuesday he was "blessed" to receive the new college interest from Albany State -- adding in an additional tweet that he was going to "find my home" as National Signing Day kicks off next week.

According to 247Sports, Stokes is also receiving interest from Division II school West Florida -- and is planning a visit there this week.