TMZ Sports - Page 50

9:35 AM PT -- Turns out Gradey's intro was more PG-13 than rated R ... 'cause the Raptors tell us their announcer did actually say the D-word, but instead went with the clean version, "Big Big Energy!"

Latto's smiling somewhere ... after the Toronto Raptors PA man announced rookie Gradey Dick in the most hilarious way during player introductions -- "Mr. Big Dick Energy!"

The WTF moment happened right before the Raptors took on Damian Lillard and the Bucks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday.

The Raptors' PA announcer began introducing the Raptors starting lineup ... which for the first time ever, included Dick.

The announcer made sure GD's first time starting would be very special ... and the intro was hysterical.

"Wearing number one, Mr. Big Dick energy!" the announcer yelled, before eventually saying his full name. Video of the intro has gone viral.

Of course, it's not the first joke that's been made about Gradey's last name since the 19-year-old was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft ... Raptors fans immediately began having fun with it.

"I’m not a fan of grading draft picks this early but I’m no stranger to grading Dick picks," a fan said on draft night in June.

Insert a million and one other jokes here.

Gradey's been a star since he arrived in the city of Toronto ... and even become buddies with Drake. In fact, Gradey made a cameo in Adonis' music video for his song, "My Man Freestyle!"

The Oakland A's are now one step closer to becoming the Las Vegas A's ... MLB owners just gave their resounding stamp of approval on the team's potential move to Sin City.

All 30 of the league's bosses voted on the Athletics' relocation plans in Arlington, Texas on Thursday morning ... and not a single one disapproved -- paving the way for the team to now pack its bags and send them to Nevada.

Of course, there are plenty of other hoops the team must jump through in order to officially relocate ... namely, the org. must secure funds to build a $1.5 billion stadium on the Vegas Strip. But, it seems all of that is mere formality at this point.

The news is a crushing one for Bay Area fans ... who did all they could to try to sway MLB owners before Thursday's vote, including flying a plane over the owners' meeting earlier this week with a banner that read "A's belong in Oakland - #VoteNo."

The at least somewhat good news for Oakland supporters? The team could still remain in its current city for a while.

A Vegas stadium is not expected to be erected until January 2028 -- meaning staying in the Coliseum for the next four seasons is an option on the table.

If and when the A's officially move, however, it'll be historic ... only one other team has relocated in the last five or so decades -- the Montreal Expos, who bolted to D.C. in 2005.

Drake says the force has taken hold of him, and the songs are writing themselves, so he's releasing them -- the 3rd edition of his 'Scary Hours' EP series is about to drop!

On Thursday, Drake made the impromptu announcement via a video trailer shot inside one of his lavish estates, where he explained the method for his latest round of madness ... comparing his latest tier to being on drugs!!!

Drake says he's so confident in his recently released album "For All The Dogs" that he could go MIA for a couple of years ... but says that's not his style.

He cited his famed "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" mixtape as inspo behind the 'SH3' drop and claims to have written the project within the last 5 days!!!

Kevin Durant and Drake's longtime engineer Noel Cadastre are also listed as executive producers for the project but the guest appearances are mum for now.

Drake made no mention of the "stomach issues" he brought up last month when he told fans he wouldn't be releasing music for a while.

The new EP, and the fact he's going on tour with J. Cole, seem like good signs he's no longer worried about his health.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse is scoffing at the theories surrounding Kelly Oubre Jr.'s recent hit-and-run accident ... saying he 100% believes the hooper's injuries are the result of being struck by a vehicle.

Nurse -- who's in his first season with Philly -- met with the media prior to the Sixers' game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday ... and was asked about the rumblings that Oubre isn't sharing the full story after police stated there was no surveillance footage to back the hooper's claim.

Nurse said he's not looking that much into the report ... as he has no reason to think the 27-year-old would fabricate his side of things.

"I would not address that," Nurse said in a back-and-forth with a reporter. "I don't have an answer to that other than I believe what's been reported so far."

Nurse said he was recently made aware of the chatter surrounding the incident ... but reiterated he wasn't giving it the time of day.

"Again, I'm going to believe Kelly at his word and all that stuff and focus on this game and handle things as they come."

As we previously reported, Oubre was pretty beat up as he returned to his Philly apartment on Saturday ... with Ring footage showing him tell his wife he was just hit by a car.

We're told he was later interviewed by police at the hospital ... but possibly mixed up the location of the incident as he was on medication and new to the area.

Forget running the UFC ... Dana White now looks like he could straight-up compete in the fighting org. -- and he says it's all 'cause of an 86-hour fast he did this week.

The 54-year-old revealed in a video on his social media page Wednesday night that he began his fast after UFC 295 on Saturday night ... and just a few days later, he's seen incredible results.

White explained in the clip that he began the no-food streak by doing nothing more than drinking water with electrolytes for 24 hours.

Then, the UFC honcho said he incorporated bone broth twice a day into his diet until the fast ended Wednesday morning ... and following it all, he clearly looked great.

But, White said his motivation wasn't exactly to get his 8-pack to pop ... rather, he told his followers he just wanted further help in preventing illnesses.

"Obviously i'm not a doctor," White said on X, "but i've been told by the experts that water fasting can help to significantly reduce the risk of cancer, alzheimers and a ton of other health issues."

Jake Paul's a big deal in boxing, and some people don't like it ... but don't count legendary boxer Andre Ward among that group 'cause the multiple-time former world champion tells us he's a fan of The Problem Child driving new fans to the sport!

"I don't hate on it," Ward told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) this week ... of Paul's transition from YouTuber to boxing star.

"The crossover stuff like what Jake Paul, Logan [Paul] is doing, [Francis] Ngannou just did, I respect it. That takes a lot of courage, takes a lot of heart."

Ward -- who retired in 2017 with a perfect 32-0 record -- said he applauds Paul for ignoring the naysayers who have labeled him a gimmick or sideshow and want him out of the sport.

"I don't think so. It actually brings a new audience, more eyeballs," Ward said, "and if the fanbase follows them over to boxing, then more power to 'em."

"I'm a fan of it, I appreciate it and I watch it."

In fact, Ward, who is still only 39 years old, told us he'd actually be down to step back in the ring for an exhibition fight ... against Jake or Logan.

"I don't hate against it. I would probably do it for the right situation. I keep myself just good enough to where if I needed 7, 8 weeks, I can take care of my business," Ward said.

Although he hasn't been fighting, Ward's been busy ... in fact, he just released a brand new memoir titled "Killing The Image: A Champion's Journey Of Faith, Fighting, And Forgiveness."

Ward's book isn't just about boxing ... Son of God talks about everything from his difficult childhood to the role that faith and religion have played in his life, and how it's guided to him incredible heights -- including 5 world titles and an Olympic gold medal.

"This book takes you deep into my mind, into my life, into my upbringing [and] how I go to the point that I'm at today."

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Kelly Oubre Jr. just minutes after he was struck by a vehicle over the weekend ... showing the Philadelphia 76ers forward struggling to walk as he entered his apartment.

As we previously reported, the 6'7" hooper was involved in a hit-and-run outside his Philly residence on Saturday ... suffering a broken rib and injuries to his hip and leg after a silver car swiped him with a side-view mirror.

Sources tell us Oubre returned home shortly after being hit ... and when his wife saw him in serious pain, she called 911.

In the Ring camera footage, Oubre is heard telling Shylynn he was hit by a car as he rolled a bicycle into his residence.

We're told the 27-year-old was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital ... where medical professionals began treatment.

Our sources say a couple hours after the incident, officials interviewed Oubre to get some information on what went down.

At the time, Oubre claimed the incident happened near 15th and Spruce Street .... but on Wednesday, police said there was no surveillance video to support his claim.

Sources tell us two factors play into this -- one being Oubre was medicated and not in the right state of mind when he spoke with cops ... the other being he's fresh to the area, as he just moved to Philly in September and doesn't know his way around town just yet.

All that considered, our sources say it was challenging for Oubre to pinpoint the exact location of the accident ... so he tried his best.

There's no official timetable on Oubre's recovery ... although some reports claim he could be back in action as early as the end of the month.

Dwayne Johnson's getting acquainted with Capitol Hill, and while he's not not running for president -- or any other office, yet -- he IS taking meetings with U.S. senators to talk football and the military.

The Rock was in D.C. Wednesday for a sit-down with several top lawmakers, reportedly chopping it up about boosting recruitment in the Armed Forces, and the XFL ... which he owns.

Dwayne met with Senators Susan Collins, Dick Durbin, Lindsey Graham, Mark Kelly, Jon Tester, Tammy Duckworth and Todd Young ... along with his XFL CEO Dany Garcia.

Sen. Tester is the mastermind behind the meeting, and he told reporters Dwayne will advocate for folks to join the military. Sen. Collins had no qualms about fangirling out ... as she gushed about The Rock's following, and admitted she wanted to get a ton of pics with the movie star.

Dwayne's visit to Capitol Hill also saw him shake hands with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ... and he took a photo with Capitol Police officers.

The Army, Navy and Air Force are reportedly falling short of their recruitment goals ... and it sounds like some senators believe The Rock has the influence to convince more young people to enlist.

Dwayne's visit also comes on the heels of him saying he's been approached by political parties about a potential run for president.

For now, Dwayne says he's staying on the political sidelines -- he's open to reconsidering in the future -- because, right now, he wants to spend time with his kids.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis was just found guilty of swindling the NBA out of a ton of cash through the league's healthcare plan ... after authorities claim he accepted reimbursement for medical treatments he never received.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York announced the update in the case on Wednesday ... saying a jury determined the former Boston Celtics champion -- as well as fellow ex-NBAer Will Bynum -- were involved in a criminal scheme to defraud the NBA's Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.

As we previously reported, a number of NBA alums -- including Darius Miles, Shannon Brown, Tony Allen, Jamario Moon, Tony Wroten, Melvin Ely and Ruben Patterson -- were accused of lining their pockets through the scheme by filing bogus claims for reimbursement with the league's healthcare plan.

Prosecutors previously claimed Terrence Williams, a 2009 NBA Draft first-round pick, was the mastermind behind it all.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams released a statement ... saying, "While many of the more than 20 defendants convicted in this case were well-known NBA stars, their conduct was otherwise a typical fraudulent scheme designed to defraud the NBA’s health care plan and net the defendants over $5 million in illicit profits."

Worth noting -- Davis reportedly made more than $33.1 million over the course of his career.

5:52 PM PT -- The NBA is punishing Draymond Green for his putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold ... hitting DG with a 5-game suspension.

In announcing the suspension Wednesday, the NBA says ... "The length of the suspension is based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts."

Draymond will reportedly miss out on $769,970 in salary with the unpaid suspension ... and he's being fined $25,000.

Meanwhile, Rudy is being docked $25K ... as are Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels.

Draymond Green has found himself in hot water for putting his hands on someone once again.

This time, the Warriors superstar was ejected from Golden State's game against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night ... because he locked Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

The MMA move happened just seconds into the Dubs' contest with Minnesota at the Chase Center in San Francisco ... just after Klay Thompson got tangled up with Jaden McDaniels.

The two NBA stars swung each other around right in the middle of the court ... and in an effort to break it all up, guys from both teams raced in.

But, when Green got to the fracas, he appeared to escalate things further by wrapping his arm around Gobert's neck -- and refusing to let go ... this despite repeated pleas from head coach Steve Kerr.

Eventually, Green did drop Gobert ... but refs still decided to throw him out of the game for the act -- as well as Thompson and McDaniels.

After the game -- which the Warriors ended up losing -- Gobert blasted Green for it all ... calling the Golden State star's actions "clown behavior."

"It's kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph [Curry] is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected," Gobert said. "Because every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play -- it's his guy Steph. He'll do anything he can to get ejected."

Gobert then called for punishment for Green.

"I do hope that the league is going to do what needs to be done because that’s just clown behavior," Gobert said. "Not much to say. It’s clown behavior."

Of course, Green is no stranger to these situations ... he's been ejected for physical altercations several times over his career -- and, perhaps most famously, he was fined by his own team last year for getting violent with teammate Jordan Poole during a preseason practice.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Tua Tagovailoa used part of his bye week to get cornrows ... and then he spent most of his press conference Wednesday insisting he doesn't look like Drake now!!

The Miami quarterback showed off the new hairdo in his first meeting with reporters since the Dolphins returned to Florida from Germany this month ... and almost immediately, reporters on the scene and social media users away from it said he now bears a striking resemblance to the "God's Plan" rapper.

But, Tagovailoa said flat-out he ain't sure about the comp ... although he certainly had some fun over it all during the newser regardless.

"I don't know if I look like Drake," he said with a laugh. "Drake?!"

When a media member then asked if he could rap, he leaned into the microphone and sang, "Kiki" ... before hitting a little dance.

The scene was hilarious -- but if you were wondering ... he said the person he needed to impress the most with the haircut is a fan of it.

"The wifey likes it," Tagovailoa ensured. "She loves it."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are about to have their own real-life version of "Meet the Fockers" play out on Monday Night Football ... where their parents will come together!

Sources confirmed to TMZ ... the pop icon and NFL athlete are hoping to introduce their families to one another when the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs meet up.

Plans aren't set in stone yet, but we're told the hope is for Andrea and Scott Swift and Donna and Ed Kelce to all be under one roof for the first time. That's right, NFL fans, get ready for LOTS of luxury box shots of the folks.

ET was first to report the news of the family jamboree, and it makes a lot of sense. Of course, you'll remember from the last Super Bowl -- Travis plays for the Chiefs and his older bro Jason is an Eagles star.

Here's how the families get involved -- Taylor's dad is a massive Eagles fan, although his devotion seems to have cracked due to his daughter's new bae ... Scott was wearing a Chiefs lanyard while bonding with Travis at Tay's Argentina show.

On their podcast, Travis boasted to Jason ... "Got him over to the good side, baby," referring to Scott Swift's apparent switch. He piled on by adding, "Just one by one, getting all the good ones to come on over." Yes, Taylor was also once a diehard Eagles fan.

In a direct message to Scott, Jason asked: "What are we doing, Scott? You're gonna let this man's devilish good looks and relationship with your daughter sway you from a lifetime of fandom, Scott? Ridiculous."

Meanwhile, we already know Taylor has hit it off with Donna -- they've hung out at Chiefs games -- and Trav's mom was recently watching the "Eras" tour film in a theater when a Swiftee spotted her.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is being taken to court over his nasty car crash last year ... and the woman involved claims she may suffer permanent disability from the incident.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Cheryl Augustine says she was driving near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Allenford Avenue in Los Angeles in January 2022 when she got hit by Arnold's car.

She says Arnold was "wrongfully and recklessly" driving and was to blame for the crash and her physical injuries ... including the "shock and injury to her nervous system." She believes her injuries "will result in some permanent disability," too.

Augustine is now seeking damages to cover her medical expenses, property damage, and more.

TMZ broke the story, Arnold was driving a Yukon SUV last year when it collided with a red Prius, with his ride rolling on top of it ... and continuing to roll to the left right onto a Porsche Taycan.

Witnesses said the accident was straight out of an action film -- with the woman in the Prius, whom we're told was Augustine, apparently bleeding heavily from her head before being taken to a hospital.

Tennis star Andrey Rublev is going to need some bandages for his knee for the next few days ... 'cause he bloodied himself during a wild temper tantrum in a match on Wednesday.

Rublev's explosion happened while he was going up against Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Finals in Italy.

Rublev had been trying to go toe-to-toe with the tennis superstar ... but when Alcaraz got the better of him one too many times, Rublev snapped.

Check out video from the court ... the 26-year-old smashed his racket into his knee six straight times -- opening up a gash that required medical attention.

He was ultimately able to finish the match ... though he fell to Alcaraz, 7-5, 6-2.

Afterward, Rublev told reporters his knee was OK ... adding, "I get disappointed and couldn’t manage."

Tom Aspinall doesn't want to twiddle his thumbs for a year waiting for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic to fight -- the interim heavyweight champ says he respects the heavyweight G.O.A.T., but his time has passed -- and it's only right the two champs unify the belt!

TMZ Sports talked to Aspinall on Wednesday and asked about his plans moving forward.

"I want to fight Jon Jones, man. And this is no disrespect to Stipe at all. After a performance like Saturday night, who really cares about 42-year-old Stipe who has not fought for 3 or 4 years coming back and fighting Jon Jones. Ya know what I mean? I just knocked out the scariest dude in the UFC in a minute."

Of course, Aspinall only needed 1 minute and 9 seconds to dispatch of Sergei Pavlovich -- arguably the scariest guy in the division because of his incredible punching power -- at UFC 295, securing the interim title at Madison Square Garden.

Tom went on to make his case for the Jones scrap, saying, "I know it's like a big respect thing. Stipe is like the greatest heavyweight ever and Jon Jones is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever. I get that. I completely get that, but it's also about relevance. It's also about excitement. It's also about what puts people in seats, what people are gonna buy pay-per-views, and I'm more exciting than anybody right now. I deserve a shot. I'm the champion."

Aspinall continued ... "Jon Jones is the champion. I'm not saying he's not. But I'm a champion as well and Stipe, and this is no disrespect to Stipe at all, I'm a massive fan of his, but Stipe at this point was guy who hasn't fought in three years and is coming off a loss."

Many people around the sport agree with Tom, but that doesn't mean it's a lock to happen. In fact, Dana White has said he intends to re-book the Jones-Miocic fight when Jon gets healthy.

Aspinall was only in the Octagon at MSG because the JJ vs. Stipe fight was scrapped over the injury.

It remains to be seen if the UFC honcho changes course and unifies the belts.

There's much more with the interim UFC champ ... we talked to Tom about how life has changed since Saturday night, how he plans to celebrate achieving his lifelong dream, and what did Pavlovich's power actually feel like?!

Travis Kelce says he was downright floored when he heard Taylor Swift give him a shout-out with a lyric change last week ... admitting the now-viral moment in Buenos Aires "blew me away."

The NFL star went in-depth about his trip to Argentina to see his new girlfriend on this week's episode of  "New Heights is presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment" ... saying that because it was all "public knowledge," he was down to spill some of the beans on how his bye week vacation went.

The Chiefs tight end told his brother, Jason, that he had a "whole bunch of fun" on the excursion ... revealing it was his first time ever heading south of the equator.

He said he and Swift -- plus her dad -- got dinner on Friday night following the postponement of Taylor's concert ... and they dined on "some good steak."

Then, he opened up about Saturday ... gushing to Jason about how "electric" it was to be in attendance for her show.

As for the big moment when Swift sang about him during her "Karma" performance ... he said he had some idea it was coming -- but that didn't change his emotions when "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me" reverberated through the stadium.

"Definitely when I heard it come out of her mouth, it still shocked me and blew me away," he said. "I was like, 'Oh, shhh! She really just said that! All right!'"

Kelce then apologized to Taylor's dad for missing a high-five he had tried to get during the calamity.

"Sorry, Mr. Swift!" he said with a laugh.

Kelce also said he convinced Taylor's dad to switch allegiances from the Eagles to the Chiefs -- something Jason, Philadelphia's star center, wasn't exactly pleased about.