TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday night ... and the fans went absolutely insane!!!

Moments after the Habs defeated the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre in Canada, thousands of fans swarmed the streets ... and pandemonium ensued.

Cops say fans were just rowdy as hell -- setting off fireworks, fighting and even attacking police officers.

At one point, a group of Habs fans -- still wearing Habs gear -- smashed up a police car and flipped it upside down!!

Police used tear gas to break up the chaos -- and eventually arrested 15 people ... while issuing citations to an additional 60 people!

By the way, officials had only allowed 3,500 fans inside the arena for the game -- but the situation outside was so crazy, they locked down the venue and refused to let fans out in fear people could get hurt.

If you're wondering why the fans went so wild, it's the first time the Canadiens have reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1993 ... and you know how people in Canada feel about hockey!

"Like eight shots to numb it up and then they go in there and put it back -- they break it again. They break it back in place."

That's Devin Booker describing the straight-up horror show he had to go through after breaking his nose earlier this week ... and yeah, it feels like a miracle the Suns star was able play Thursday night!!

The 24-year-old broke it all down for reporters after struggling in Phoenix's loss to the Clippers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals ... saying the procedure he went through Wednesday to fix his facial issues was GNARLY.

"It's a procedure that they usually say they put you under [anesthesia] for," said Booker, who broke the nose in 3 places after clashing heads with Patrick Beverley in Game 2 on Tuesday.

"But we had a flight out a couple hours later, so they just numbed it up -- all over the place, it felt like."

Booker called the surgery "probably the worst part" of his entire injury process ... but, shockingly, he said he felt okay about 24 hours later while playing in the game.

"The nose feels fine," Booker said. "We just lost the game."

Booker -- wearing a clear, plastic mask to protect the injury for the night -- was just 5-for-21 in the game ... and scored just 15 points in 40 minutes.

He swore, though, the mask and injury were NOT a problem ... saying it all didn't affect his play one bit.

"He got the mask; he's fine," Booker's teammate, Chris Paul, said. "We're not one of those teams looking for excuses and all that stuff. Give [the Clippers] their credit -- they played really well tonight."

Scottie Pippen is going scorched earth on some of the NBA's biggest stars -- including Charles Barkley, who he's basically painting as a giant wussy.

Pippen opened up on Barkley during an interview with GQ -- stemming from their beef back in 1999.

Here's the backstory ... Pippen and Barkley played together on the Houston Rockets for one season back in 1999. But, Pippen left and trashed Barkley on the way out, calling him "fat" and a loser.

Barkley demanded an apology -- and said he would "get arrested for murder" if Pippen refused.

Fast forward to 2021 ... Pippen still hasn't apologized and has no plans to.

When GQ asked about Barkley's "arrested for murder" comment, Pippen went off.

"I wish he woulda went through with it," Pippen said.

"I never apologized to him, but I’ll tell you what: He only got arrested for throwing some little white guys out of a window."

FYI, Pippen is referring to a 1997 incident when Barkley was arrested for throwing a man through a glass window during a bar fight in Orlando.

But, Pippen wasn't done ...

"I ain’t never seen him fight a Black man unless there were referees around," Scottie added.

"[Barkley] plays his role like he’s tough. I don’t know nobody he done whooped. Go back and check his record."

"Did I apologize to him? I told him to get me the hell out of there. That’s what I recall."

"I never boxed. I'm a gang member, so I just fight a lot."

That's hip-hop star turned bare-knuckle boxer (yes, you read that right) talking about why he decided to take a real-deal fight -- NO gloves -- later this summer.

Blueface joined "TMZ Live" and made the blockbuster announcement ... revealing he will make his BKFC debut on July 23.

FYI, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is the most popular bare-knuckle fighting org ... with people like Paige VanZant and Paulie Malignaggi mixing it up in their cage.

It's unclear who Blueface will take on ... but he says it'll likely be another celeb.

"I'm pretty sure it's either gonna be some type of YouTube or TikTok-er or something of that nature," Blueface says.

And, even though the "Thotiana" star doesn't have a traditional boxing background ... don't think he isn't taking the fight seriously.

"I've only been eating grilled and baked stuff lately. Yeah, I'm on a diet and everything. I ain't been smoking, drinking, nothing."

Of course, celebrities and social media stars fighting (Jake & Logan Paul, Bryce Hall, etc.) has become all the rage lately ... something Blueface believes he helped start.

"I don't know if you guys seen but me and YK Osiris was actually boxing in the backyard for fun, kicks and giggles, and that's really how all of this celebrity boxing came about, in my opinion."

This is one of the sweetest videos you'll see today.

Philadelphia Eagles rookie DeVonta Smith just thanked his mother, Christina, in a HUGE way this week -- by gifting her a new home!!

The 22-year-old Heisman winner posted footage of the big reveal to his Instagram on Thursday ... saying, "To the world you are a mother, but to me you are the absolute world."

The vid is priceless -- Christine walks into the front door of her new digs and immediately bursts into tears ... giving her son a big hug.

Smith -- the #10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- is giving back to his loved ones fresh off inking his 4-year deal worth $20.1 million with a $12 million signing bonus.

But, don't worry ... Smith previously said he's not really intending to make any other big purchases with his big payday ... telling reporters he's mainly going to keep it in the bank.

Smith was an absolute baller for Alabama ... earning 24 TDs with more than 1,800 receiving yards during his senior season.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis got in a "mini" car accident on Wednesday ... and we mean that in more ways than one.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Davis -- the son of legendary Raiders owner Al Davis -- was involved in a wreck with another vehicle in a shopping complex near the Vegas strip early Wednesday afternoon.

From the looks of it, it was a fender bender -- nobody appeared to be seriously injured or anything like that.

In fact, it was such a minor incident, cops confirm no officers were called to the scene.

The bigger issue ... Mark Davis -- reportedly worth more than $500 million -- was spotted near a TJ Maxx and drives a Mini?? How financially responsible!!

Hey, Derek Carr is in the middle of a $125 million contract ... gotta save up so the man gets paid!!

We've obtained video following the accident ... showing Davis driving his Mini away from the scene. So don't worry, Raider fans -- your owner's car seems to be okay!!

We've reached out to Davis and the Raiders for comment ... so far, no word back.

Celine Dion's heart will go on for her hometown Canadiens ... 'cause the pop superstar says that pic of her in Vegas Golden Knights gear is a big, fat phony!!!

A photo of the Quebec native decked out in a VGK uniform popped up on the T-Mobile Arena jumbotron ahead of Game 5 of the Conference Finals on Tuesday ... with many wondering if Dion had actually ditched her roots for Sin City.

Of course, home teams love to do this in games -- showing fake pics of their opponents' most famous supporters rocking their threads really gets the fans riled up.

While the image clearly appears to be altered, Dion felt the need to set the record straight on Thursday ... saying, "By the way, I have nothing to do with this photo ... And you know what photo I'm talking about!"

It wouldn't be that farfetched to think Dion is a Golden Knights fan -- after all, her massively successful residency is in Vegas ... and she HAS been spotted wearing their jersey in the past.

But, as the Habs and Knights are set to face off in a heated Game 6, Dion had to make sure her team knew who she'd be rooting for.

Silly?? Yes. But, did you REALLY think we were gonna pass up on getting a Celine Dion sports crossover?!

The Habs are one win from making the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993 ... so you could say it's all coming back to (them) now.

Jon Rahm chugged from his U.S. Open trophy and then punished a glow-in-the-dark golf ball to the moon ... and the awesome scene was all captured on video!!

The golf superstar -- who just took home the U.S. Open crown after an amazing four days at Torrey Pines last weekend -- hit up a restaurant patio somewhere in the world this week ... and then magic ensued.

Check out the video ... Rahm slurped down some sort of drink (odds are pretty solid it was an alcoholic beverage) and then he absolutely hit a missile off the floor!!!

Seriously, watch that golf ball go ... it was annihilated.

Of course, Rahm has every reason to celebrate this way ... the U.S. Open title was his first-ever major victory -- so keep on chuggin', Jon!

By the way, if this all looks familiar ... it's 'cause it kind of is -- Phil Mickelson famously drank out his PGA Championship trophy earlier this month just days after winning it.

You can't see him, but you WILL see John Cena back in the squared circle once again ... with the WWE Superstar confirming he's DEFINITELY making a wrestling comeback!!!

44-year-old Cena hasn't been in the ring since WrestleMania 36 last year ... when he lost to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.

But, the WWE legend hasn't hung up his spandex just yet -- Cena revealed he's 100% coming back to Vince McMahon's organization in the future.

"Those rumors are true," Cena said on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon.

So, when's he making his highly anticipated return?? THE TIME IS NOW!!!!

Just kidding.

"I'll definitely be back to the WWE, I just don't know when," Cena told Fallon.

When pressed about his cryptic Instagram post of the WWE logo back in May, Cena said he was just feeling "pretty nostalgic" and wasn't trying to announce a big comeback.

"Some people took it as I was returning immediately, which that's not the case. I haven't had my last match and I can't wait to have my next match."

Cena's name has been thrown around as a possible guest for SummerSlam in August ... and Triple H recently told TMZ Sports he felt like the huge event could act as a "pretty big carrot" to get him to take a break from Hollywood.

But, as Cena points out, his movie contracts ain't exactly letting him go get beat up on the weekends while filming massive blockbuster flicks.

A Mexican Baseball League hitter was so livid after he was drilled by a fastball Wednesday ... he straight-up attacked the pitcher with his bat AND helmet -- and the wild scene was all caught on video.

It all went down in the Toros de Tijuana game against Rieleros de Aguascalientes in Tijuana ... when Toros catcher Gabriel Gutierrez absolutely lost his mind in the 8th inning.

Things between the two teams had been chippy all night -- and when Gutierrez appeared to be purposely drilled by a pitch ... he snapped.

Check out the footage of the chaos, Gutierrez launched his bat and then his helmet at Rieleros pitcher Brandon Quintero ... and then all hell broke loose.

The two teams' benches cleared and several skirmishes broke out ... with some of the fights even including wild haymakers!!!

Eventually, the two teams were separated ... with three players ultimately being booted from the game over the incident.

The Toros went on to win, 5-3 ... and afterward, Tijuana star Leandro Castro said in Spanish everything was essentially the Rieleros' fault.

He pinned the blame on them being upset over a previous matchup between the two teams ... and added he REALLY hopes a similar scene never happens again.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is gonna love this ...

Tom Brady is a HUUUUGE fan of the musical "Hamilton" -- he's seen it live a whole bunch of times -- and busted out one of the songs last night with James Corden!

"Doesn’t everybody love it?!" Tom said during an appearance on "The Late Late Show ... "I mean it’s just, it’s so good!"

Brady explained his father was obsessed with Broadway growing up -- and it eventually rubbed off on him.

Then, TB12 and Corden busted out the opening number from the musical -- "Alexander Hamilton."

Did Tom mess up some of the lyrics? Yes. Did he have a great time doing it? Absolutely!

There's a lot more ... TB12 also teaches Corden the proper way to work out with stretch bands.

Corden heckles Brady during their golf outing (Tom threatens to smash James in the face).

And, Tom also talks about what it's like to be the greatest football player of all time.

It's good stuff ... but we're here for the show tunes.

Michael Jordan ain't going to like this ...

Steve Kerr says Kevin Durant is flat-out "more gifted" than His Airness ... explaining the Brooklyn Nets star is "an entirely different breed" from MJ.

The Warriors head coach -- who was Jordan's teammate with the Chicago Bulls in the '90s -- made the somewhat stunning revelation this week ... calling his former Golden State wing "the most talented player on earth, if not of all-time."

"He's just so gifted," Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I think he's more gifted [than Jordan]."

Kerr continued, "He's 6'11" with guard skills, unlimited 3-point range, passing, shot-blocking -- his shot-blocking at the rim, it's just stunning. Watching him this year was really, really gratifying to see."

Of course, the resumes ain't exactly comparable -- at least not yet.

Jordan's got 6 rings, he was a 10-time NBA scoring champ and he won five league MVPs. Durant, meanwhile, has just two championships, 4 NBA scoring champ titles and just one MVP trophy.

Still, Kerr clearly believes KD's skillset offers more than Jordan's ... saying it was especially evident after the 32-year-old came back from an Achilles injury and still dominated.

The Milwaukee Bucks might not be able to beat Trae Young, but one of their most famous fans, Packers star David Bakhtiari, can sure help them win ANY beer drinking game ...

Here's the Green Bay offensive lineman showing he's still VERY good at throwing back suds ... sucking down a full beer in 3 seconds!!!

The impressive drinking feat all went down during the Bucks' playoff loss to Young's Hawks on Wednesday ... when Bakhtiari tried to fire up the crowd in Milwaukee with an epic chug.

Check out the footage ... dude gulped the full cup, no problem -- and then splashed the backwash all over his forehead!!

Of course, we've seen this kind of Herculean effort from David before ... you'll recall, he chugged THREE beers at a Bucks game with teammate Aaron Rodgers back in 2019.

Begs the question ... have his skills improved or diminished over the years?!

By the way ... how much better at drinking is Bakhtiari than NY Jets running back La'Mical Perine??

Las Vegas Raiders star Darren Waller says he couldn't be happier for his teammate, Carl Nassib ... telling TMZ Sports the whole team will continue to love and support the guy no matter what.

28-year-old Nassib made the groundbreaking decision to come out as gay earlier this week ... becoming the first active NFL player to do so.

Waller says he was pumped for his teammate when he heard the news ... but hopes these sort of announcements aren't such a big deal in the future.

"My initial reaction was like, ‘oh, that’s dope,'" Waller tells us. "I feel like one day, maybe we’ll get to a point where if somebody says they are gay, like it won’t be this huge thing. It’s just like, hey that’s who he is, and he’s being who he is 100%."

"And so, it’s all respect, all love for Carl, but just because Carl came out and announced that doesn’t mean he’s gonna be a different person. He’s gonna be the same person he’s been all along and we love having him on our team."

Waller added he's "super proud" of Nassib ... calling him a pioneer for speaking his truth and making a real impact in the world.

Nassib has received support from friends, teammates and others throughout sports since coming out on Monday ... and even got a shoutout from President Biden!!

As for the organization, Waller says everyone will continue to love Nassib the way they always have ... and will do whatever they can to show support.

"I feel like the people in the building are good people," he said. "And you know, good people show unconditional love and accept people as they are no matter if it's against what you believe or what you’re used to."

NFL free agent Derrius Guice is officially off the hook in his domestic violence case ... after the running back reached a deal with his ex-GF on Wednesday.

As we previously reported, the 24-year-old former LSU star was arrested in Virginia back in August 2020 ... after he allegedly choked and pushed his ex-GF to the ground on 3 separate occasions between February and April.

He was also accused of destroying her cell phone.

Guice faced 3 counts of assault and battery and 1 count of destruction of property. He also faced 1 count of felony strangulation, but that charge was dropped back in January.

According to reports, Guice and the alleged victim appeared in court to ask the judge to accept an agreement and drop the charges, which the judge apparently did.

Details on the settlement have not been released, but a rep for the prosecutors said this "process permits the parties to control the direction and outcome of such matters."

The Washington Football Team cut Guice following his arrest ... saying it was fully cooperating with the NFL as the league and law enforcement investigated the alleged incidents.

Guice was a 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- but has only played in 5 games in his career due to injury.

It's not just the Dodgers team getting beat down in San Diego ... a Dodgers fan got smacked around too!

Check out this video of a Dodgers fan in enemy territory during the team's road trip to San Diego.

Unclear why the guy in the Clayton Kershaw jersey was so mad -- but he approached a group of Padres fans at Petco Park on Tuesday night looking for a fight and yeah, he got what he wanted.

The problem for the Dodgers fan ... he ain't exactly Francis Ngannou.

He threw some punches but nothing really connected and within seconds, he was being wrestled into the bleachers while the Padres fans proceeded to beat his ass.

Eventually, some other Padres fans and a dude in a Yankees jersey pulled the Dodgers fan away ... while a bunch of fans shouted, "Beat L.A."

Law enforcement tells us no arrests were made.

But, to make matters worse for the Dodgers fan, L.A. lost the game 3 to 2.