TMZ Sports - Page 50

Scottie Pippen hates Michael Jordan's guts right now, but not all hope is lost for the legendary Bulls duo's friendship ... so says their former teammate, Dennis Rodman, who believes the two will eventually bury the hatchet.

It's no secret -- Pippen was pissed over the 'Last Dance' documentary that dropped back in 2020 ... claiming the Jordan-produced project glossed over his teammates' contributions to the Bulls dynasty and focused too much on #23.

Pippen has gone out of his way to throw verbal jabs at Jordan ever since ... calling him a "horrible player" before Scottie joined the team in 1987 and declaring LeBron James the G.O.A.T. in his eyes.

Rodman says the beef between the two is nothing like their dynamic during their playing days ... as he never saw them feuding during his time on the Bulls in the '90s.

"No, I never saw that before," Rodman claims. "I never saw them fight. Even after the season, I never saw that. They were always hanging out together, playing golf together, traveling together."

Things are totally different now, but the Worm seems to think the friendship is still salvageable.

"It's just a lot of things that's happened over the last couple of years. So, I think Scottie's a little bitter and Michael's more laid back and say, 'Okay, like whatever,' but they're gonna work it out."

Scottie and MJ's feud has taken an interesting turn recently as well ... with Pippen's ex-wife dating Jordan's son, Marcus.

As we previously reported, Michael said he didn't approve of the relationship back in July ... but Marcus later claimed his pops was joking.

The NBA's squarely in the sights of the United States Department of Justice over accusations The Association worked to torpedo Ice Cube's Big3 basketball league ... allegations the NBA denies.

TMZ Sports has learned the DOJ launched the inquiry months ago, examining alleged anticompetitive behavior on the part of the NBA, aimed at squashing the Big3's growth.

Those allegations, we're told, range from the NBA purportedly throwing its weight around to prevent sponsors and others potential partners from doing business with the rap legend's league ... to discouraging television networks from carrying Big3 games.

Cube and business partner Jeff Kwatinetz launched the 3-on-3 league, made up almost entirely of retired NBA players, in 2017.

Some current players have expressed a desire to play in Cube's league in the offseason, but we're told, as the Big3 sees it, the NBA has prevented guys from doing so, putting arbitrary rules in place to stop players from hooping in Ice's league.

FYI, the NBA and Big3 seasons do not overlap.

Of course, it's a regular occurrence for NBA players, including some of the biggest stars in the world like LeBron James, to hoop in non-NBA games after the season ends ... such as L.A.'s famed Drew League.

Big3 officials, according to sources familiar with the investigation, believe they've been unfairly targeted by the NBA.

We've also been told NBA owners have been discouraged from investing in the Big3 while simultaneously owning a franchise.

Referees haven't been immune, either, according to a source ... who says they've been told they cannot officiate for the Big3, despite some working for other organizations outside of the NBA.

A source familiar with the Dept. of Justice investigation tells us Cube and Kwatinetz met with DOJ lawyers during the first half of the year. We're also told investigators have begun reaching out to NBA owners as part of their investigation.

If the government ultimately finds the league committed antitrust violations, the NBA could face a significant fine.

We reached out to the league for comment ... and NBA spokesman Mike Bass, addressing the allegations of sponsorship and TV network interference, pressuring potential Big3 partners, and others, told us, "Those claims are not true."

Bass also added ... "We have been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, but we declined to invest."

Becky Hammon was cussin' like a sailor at the Las Vegas Aces' championship celebration Monday night ... hilariously referring to herself as an "old ass bitch" while addressing the crowd.

The Aces head coach hopped on the mic after the team made its way to the T-Mobile Arena as part of the parade and rally festivities ... and she didn't shy away from speaking her mind.

Hammon -- who became the HC for the Aces in late 2021 -- appeared to be a bit tipsy as she gave star player A'ja Wilson her flowers ... and hopefully the young fans in attendance were covering their ears.

"Listen here, I'm an old ass bitch," Hammon told the crowd.

"I played against all the GOATs. I'mma put it out there, [A'ja] gon' be the GOAT of the GOATs. She don't even know how I'm about to be on that ass ... 'cause she's that good!"

46-year-old Hammon was really feeling herself ... even counting her money onstage to make sure she had enough for the fines she'll get for the bad language.

The former WNBA star was getting lit way before she made it to the stage ... and Kelsey Plum caught her on video dancing to the "Tootsie Roll" on the bus with the team.

She wasn't the only one showing off some moves ... Sydney Colson was in slow motion onstage with legendary R&B singer Tank, who made a special appearance at the event.

Nikki Glaser is proving she's the ultra Taylor Swift fan, shelling out big bucks for the pop star's concert tickets.

The comedian appeared as a guest on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" Monday -- and admitted she anted up an eye-popping $25K for tickets to go see Taylor's super successful "Eras" tour last summer.

Chuckling, Glaser told Kelly, "I just want to say that it was a conscious decision because I went to nine "Eras" tour shows this year. "Like, when I'm not on tour, I go to her tour."

Glaser went on, "It just fills my life up with so much joy. I'm in my late 30s. I just feel like, I don't have kids, and I did the math and if I had kids, I'd be paying for dance camp and swim lessons."

For context, tickets for Taylor's shows go for between $49 to $499 a pop, depending on the seating section. Resale tickets can range from $500 to $7,000 each, but that's just chump change for die-hard Swifties like Glaser.

During her sit-down with Kelly, Glaser also joked that she saved all of her money to freeze her eggs, but then decided to spend the dough on Taylor's concerts, describing her actions as going "buck wild."

Taylor has also been going wild lately, turning the world upside down after she and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, revealed they're now an item. She has recently attended Travis' NFL games, rubbing elbows with his parents in their suite at Arrowhead Stadium in K.C.

Everyone is now wondering are wedding bells in the future for the lovebirds.

New Orleans Saints superstar Chris Olave was arrested on Monday, TMZ Sports has confirmed, after he allegedly drove like a maniac on a street in Louisiana.

According to the Kenner Police Dept., the 23-year-old wide receiver was thrown behind bars after 9 PM. ... and released at 11:30 PM.

A spokesperson for the Kenner Police Dept. said in a statement ... Olave was booked on a charge of reckless operation of a motor vehicle after officers say he was going 70 MPH in a 35 MPH zone in a mixed business/residential area where citizens had complained of people speeding.

In his Dodge Charger, Olave was allegedly "recklessly maneuvering between lanes and around other drivers on the roadway" in addition to traveling at a high rate of speed, according to cops.

Chris' brother, Josh Olave, appeared to comment on the incident in a tweet late Monday night ... writing, "Bro was on the way back to the crib from CVS... aint nun serious."

Chris and the Saints did not play over the weekend after they lost to the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football last week. They're slated to take on the Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

No, Jake Paul was NOT doing bumps of cocaine in the ring after his brother Logan's boxing match last weekend ... so says the Problem Child himself, who's combating the allegations with comedy.

The 26-year-old internet superstar and pugilist was spotted on camera touching his nose as he stood behind his older bro following his win over Dillon Danis in Manchester ... with many going to social media to accuse him of sniffing the booger sugar in plain sight.

Paul addressed it all in his most recent YouTube video ... poking fun at the wild claims by surrounding himself with Coca-Cola cans and tossing a white powder in the air like LeBron James.

"Y'all want some Coke?" Paul asked his friends as he pretended to be drugged out.

After laughing it off, Paul got serious ... saying his gesture was the result of being a sweaty guy -- even zooming in on his nose to show how moist his skin gets from "five minutes of existing."

On top of that, his involvement in the post-fight scuffle certainly didn't help his perspiration problem.

"This is the thing, is I go to brawl in the ring to save my f***ing brother," Paul added. "Forty grown men around me, everyone's huffing and puffing, I'm yelling, 'You bitch, you're lucky I didn't kill you.' and I'm literally drenched in sweat."

"I come out, everyone knows I'm the most sweatiest person in the world. So I get into the ring to like, go be there for my brother and s***, and I put my hat on and I'm literally sweating down my face, so I'm just like this, trying to get the sweat off of my f***ing face."

Paul's girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, backed her man ... saying she's seen first-hand how seriously he takes care of his body -- and all the haters need to quit trying to create a false image of him.

Jason Kelce clearly thinks Travis Kelce is getting smitten with Taylor Swift ... saying Sunday night his brother sure seems "excited" and "genuine" about the relationship.

The Eagles star told Peter King following the Eagles' win over the Dolphins in Philadelphia, however, that he is at least a little concerned about the level of attention the two new lovebirds are getting.

"On one hand, I'm happy for my brother that he seems to be in a relationship that he's excited about, that he is genuine about," Jason said. "But there's another end of it where it's like, 'Man, this is a lot.'"

Jason -- who added that he's "really, really happy" for his brother's "current situation" -- appeared to be particularly worried about the paps who have been following the duo's every move since they went public with their relationship in Kansas City last month.

"There's paparazzi talking about him fueling his car before the game today and I'm like, 'Is that really necessary information to share?'" Jason said. "This is another level of stardom that typically football players don't deal with."

Jason, though, seemed to believe his brother could handle it all ... as long as the safety of his friends and family isn't threatened.

Taylor Swift planted one on Travis Kelce this weekend -- the first time we've seen her pucker up to her boyfriend in public ... though it's still very PG-13.

The singer was photographed after the game Sunday next to her man, posing with Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. and his girlfriend, Chariah Gordon. In one of the shots, you can see TayTay kissing Travis on the cheek, with her hand on his chest.

Like we said, this marks the debut of any kind of affection at this level -- thus far, we've only seen them hold hands in public ... so, it would seem their PDA is growing by the day.

TBH, this is a side of Taylor we haven't really seen until now. Before getting with Travis, she's tended to be quite private and away from the spotlight as it relates to her significant others ... particularly while she was dating Joe Alwyn. They were practically in the shadows.

Now, however, Taylor seems to be embracing the public nature of this relationship ... and she's loving it. Not only have we seen her express herself at games full throttle, but even when it comes to stuff like this -- it doesn't seem like she and Trav are all that shy.

As for TK ... he, too, seems ready for all the scrutiny -- something that undoubtedly comes with the territory of what he does professionally. If anything, this attention is nothing new.

Gotta say, the more we see of these two ... the more it feels like they could have real legs as a couple. Their lives are certainly blending at a fast rate -- and the people are all about it.

The NFL was quick to punish Kareem Jackson for his hit on Musgrave ... suspending him four games for "violations of unnecessary roughness rules" against the Packers.

In a letter to Jackson, the NFL's VP of football operations Jon Runyan explained the decision ... saying, "On the play in question, you delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact."

"You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to."

Runyan also pointed out it wasn't Jackson's first offense ... as he was hit with several personal fouls for violating player safety-related rules.

Jackson can appeal ... but as it stands right now, he is slated to miss the Broncos' matchup against Kansas City, Buffalo, Minnesota and Cleveland.

Broncos defensive back Kareem Jackson received a racist message following his ejection from the Packers game Sunday ... and he was so angry with the comment, he called out the sender publicly.

The DM was sent to Jackson's Instagram account just after he was booted from Denver's 19-17 win over Green Bay for illegally hitting Luke Musgrave in the head and neck area.

The message, apparently sent from a man named Philipp, read, "Stop behaving like a f***ing n** 🤡"

Minutes later, the 35-year-old safety -- who was actually ejected from the Broncos vs. Commanders game earlier this season as well -- reposted the message ... and was clearly fuming over its content.

"I wanna make sure you get the attention you're looking for," Jackson said. "I want your friends and family to know what type of racist person you really are over a game."

"I'll repost all this week so it doesn't go unnoticed. Don't worry, IG tough guy."

Jackson later revealed he got another inappropriate message on the app ... one he was also furious about.

"Another IG tough guy," Jackson wrote after reposting the DM to his 120,000 followers. "This what we deal wit because we are athletes on a regular. Disgruntled fans that hide behind social media knowing it wouldn't end well in person. Enjoy this fame Daniel."

This is the second time a high-profile player has called out fans for their messages on Instagram this season ... earlier this year, Vikings star Alexander Mattison said he got over 60 hate notes from fans, with some including the N-word.

Mary Lou Retton has just taken a huge step in her fight to beat pneumonia ... she's been released from the ICU -- and is now at home recovering.

One of the Olympic legend's daughters, McKenna, shared the good news on her Instagram page on Monday ... thanking doctors, nurses and fans for everything they've done to get her to this point.

"We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us," McKenna wrote, "but baby steps."

Retton was first admitted into the ICU earlier this month after contracting a rare form of pneumonia ... and while initially her family was pleased with her progress, they said she suffered a "pretty scary setback" last week.

Seems, though, Retton has battled past that ... something her family is obviously overjoyed about.

"We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone," McKenna said. "Grateful doesn't scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts."

LeBron James might not be retiring for a LONG time -- the Lakers superstar's wife just revealed he's hoping to stay in the NBA until he plays with both Bronny AND Bryce!!

Savannah shared the surprising remark in the King's latest ad campaign for Beats By Dre ... in which she gives him a pump-up speech about his haters ahead of his 21st season in the Association.

"Tell them you're not done until you play with your son," LeBron's longtime partner said as Bronny's face popped up. "Then do that again," she added as Bryce stared into the camera.

38-year-old LeBron has always made it clear he wanted to suit up alongside 19-year-old Bronny, who is entering his first year at USC ... but now, it certainly sounds like he's planning to stick around long enough to do the same with 16-year-old Bryce.

Bryce is currently a shooting guard at Notre Dame HS in California ... and is slated to graduate in 2025, meaning he would not be able to enter the league until 2026 under the current rules -- and LeBron would be well into his 40s.

Bron admitted back in 2022 he had thought about the possibility of playing with Bryce ... saying, "I feel like I could play for quite a while," according to Sports Illustrated.

"So it’s all up to the body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even the limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see."

Nick Bosa is certainly doing his part to bring attention to SKIMS and his other assets this Monday morning ... taking off as a trending topic less than an hour after the company's new campaign launched.

We've got more new photos from the San Francisco 49ers' star's shoot wearing the brand -- posing for shirtless underwear pics and showing off some of SKIMS tees and tanks.

As with just about everything Kim Kardashian and team push out ... social media was quick to notice, shooting Nick up the Twitter trends, hitting spot #16 overall as SKIMS reached #9 on the trend list.

The comments were also good as gold ... including, "the way my mouth just watered????" "I WILL BE BUYING......" "OH KIM YOU KNOW WHAT UR DOING," "she knew she had to feed the gays too" and "yes yes yes yes yes and more yes."

Of course, Nick's not the only one in the first-ever men's campaign ... international soccer icon Neymar Jr. and Los Angeles Clippers star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also posed in SKIMS.

Georgetown women's basketball head coach Tasha Butts has tragically died following a battle with breast cancer, the school announced Monday.

She was just 41 years old.

In revealing the heartbreaking news, school president John J. DeGioia called her death "a devastating loss."

"She was extraordinary," DeGioia said. "Tasha was a person of character, determination, vision, and kindness. She will be deeply missed by our community and by so many people around the country who have been inspired by her life."

Butts starred on the court at Tennessee from 2000 to 2004 -- playing forward for Pat Summit ... before she was picked by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the 2004 WNBA Draft.

She eventually got into coaching following her one season in the league, beginning as an assistant with Duquesne in 2007. She later coached for LSU and UCLA, before landing a promotion to the associate head coach role at Georgia Tech in 2021.

She found a ton of success as the leader of the Yellow Jackets, this despite being diagnosed with breast cancer during the 2021 season ... and in April, she was named Georgetown's head coach.

She stepped away from the team last month, however, to continue her fight with cancer.

"When I met Tasha, I knew she was a winner on the court, and an incredible person whose drive, passion and determination was second to none," Georgetown AD Lee Reed said. "She exhibited these qualities both as a leader and in her fight against breast cancer. This is a difficult time for the entire Georgetown community, and we will come together to honor her memory."

The school announced Darnell Haney will be the interim head coach for this upcoming season. It also said Monday it and the Big East will continue to raise funds and breast cancer awareness through her "Tasha Tough" initiative.

Blueface and his new fiancee Jaidyn Alexis clearly have no interest in watching their beloved L.A. Rams play -- instead, they hosted a full-on stripper party inside a SoFi Stadium suite.

As his music pulsated through the stadium speakers Sunday, Blueface tossed hundreds of one-dollar bills in the air as a crew of strippers twerked and flashed their thongs for the crowd.

Blueface was feeling the whole scene, and instructed the guy on camera to go get his freak on, while he supplied the money to make it rain.

The "Thotiana" rapper wasn't stingy -- he tossed plenty of cash at onlooking fans, as well as the dancers. For good measure ... he also shared several chicken wings.

Rams fans probably shouldn't get used to this kinda scene ... we're guessing Rams/SoFi Stadium staff didn't approve the quasi-strip club routine.

However, this party didn't just include mostly naked dancers -- there was a proposal as well. That's right, Blueface popped the question to Jaidyn and she happily accepted. So ya, lot's going on inside that suite.

Everyone seems to be happy for them ... except for Chrisean Rock, who didn't share in her baby daddy's good fortune over the weekend.

She was spotted at Loody Boy's birthday party getting royally curved attempting to twerk on someone.

There might be little Olivia Culpos and Christian McCaffreys runnin' around in the very near future ... 'cause the model says she's going to try to get pregnant with the NFL star "immediately" after their upcoming wedding.

Miss Universe 2012 detailed her plans over the weekend while making a "Get Ready With Me" TikTok ... saying in the clip, "I feel like the day after my wedding I'm just going to rip out my IUD and start trying immediately."

Unclear when the pair -- who began dating in 2019 -- will officially tie the knot ... but the two got engaged back in April, so it seems to be a safe bet it'll all happen at some point during McCaffrey's 2024 offseason.

As for where the ceremonies will take place, Culpo said after initially looking at McCaffrey's native Colorado, they settled on a venue in her home state of Rhode Island.

Kim Kardashian's shapewear company is launching a men's line, and KK brought on one of the most famous and influential athletes in the world to promote the brand ... Neymar Jr.!

Kardashian's multi-billion-dollar company is getting into menswear, and Kim wanted a top athlete to promote Skims Mens ... enter the 31-year-old international soccer star from Brazil, who currently plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to Neymar, Skims also signed 49ers star Nick Bosa and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the campaign.

"To have an icon like Neymar Jr be the face of our launch campaign, along with NBA All-Star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and NFL’s top Defensive Player Nick Bosa, I think speaks volumes to the way SKIMS has evolved into becoming a brand that can provide comfort for all audiences, not just for women," Kardashian said of signing the three top athletes.