MADONNA & SABRINA CARPENTER SORRY, KNICKS!!! We Don't Have You On Our VIP List

NY Knicks' Players Turned Away From Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter's Met Gala After Party

Some New York Knicks' players went from courtside glory to curbside rejection ... getting turned away from one of the hottest Met Gala after-after parties in NYC ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell TMZ ... several Knicks stars tried to hit up Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's ultra-exclusive bash at Zero Bond late Monday night -- just hours after their Game 1 playoff win -- but couldn't get past the door.

In case you didn't know ... the Knicks didn't just win .... they obliterated Philly 137-98 and made history in the process as the first NBA team ever to win three consecutive playoff games by 25 points or more.

We're told the party, held on the club's main 5th floor, was locked down tight with a strict guest list capped at around 200 people ... even though the space can hold nearly double that.

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Translation ... if you weren't on the list -- or tried sneaking in a plus one -- you were out of luck.

The Knicks weren't alone either ... plenty of known faces got turned away as Madonna and Sabrina kept the vibe intentionally intimate.

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Inside, though, it was a full-on A-list scene. Katy Perry, Margot Robbie, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner all made it in, along with Serena Williams, Baz Luhrmann, Adrien Brody, Georgina Chapman, plus Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.

And in a small world moment ... Katy and Orlando Bloom ended up under the same roof ... famous exes, but we're told no drama in sight.

Earlier in the night, most of the crowd bounced between the usual Met Gala circuit -- including the GQ and Saint Laurent parties -- before landing at the Zero Bond bash, which kicked off around 1 AM and ran until about 4 AM.

Security was no joke either. Our sources say the entire block around the venue was shut down and heavily guarded. We're told some of the rejected players headed over to The Box.

The Knicks may be making history on the court ... but off it? Not even a 39-point blowout was enough to score all access.

- TMZ

REAL MADRID SET TO SNUB BALLON D'OR AGAIN - HERE'S WHY

Real Madrid will once again snub the Ballon d'Or awards in 2025, after doing so in last year's edition - with the reason being that their long-standing feud with the competition's organisers hasn't subsided after Vinicius Jr was 'robbed' of the award this time last year.

The Real star came second in the award after scoring 24 goals in 39 games in the 2023/24 season, as well as scoring the winner at Wembley in their 2-0 Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund. However, with club chiefs being agreed by the decision, this will be the second time they have turned down a place at the awards.

Real Madrid Chiefs Will 'Snub' 2025 Ballon d'Or Invite

Vinicus Jr's failure to win the 2024 award is the reason for their no-show

The feud began when Vinicius was 'widely' expected to win the Ballon d'Or last season, though it was reported late on that Manchester City star Rodri was instead going to win the award, leading to Real Madrid's delegation completely skipping the event in Paris, with the club instead 'kickstarting a formal protest against the committee'.

That will continue into this season's award, which is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 22 in Paris, with Real chiefs being unlikely to send any representatives this month.

That includes club officials and players, despite recent peace attempts between the club and FIFA, who were the initiators to try to solve the angst, but Real are maintaining their formal protest after raising objects as to how the scoring is done and how UEFA are involved in the process.

Indeed, a report by Marca (via the Daily Mail) states that Ballon d'Or chiefs flew to Spain to address the snub, with crunch talks being held with the La Liga giants. That was held in Madrid over the past few months, and the meeting was described as tense, ultimately ending without an agreement that would see Real return to the awards in September. Relations between the two have rarely been strained, with Real upholding their view that they have been given a 'historic robbery'.

Vinicius, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have been selected for the major gong, but it's thought that the award will go to either Ousmane Dembele or teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. The last Real Madrid player to win the Ballon d'Or was Karim Benzema in 2022, and they have 12 wins overall, the joint-most alongside Barcelona with Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Alfredo di Stefano and Ronaldo Nazario being the recipients.

- Will Lancaster

DONALD TRUMP APPEARS TO BE SNUBBED BY ONE CHELSEA STAR, WHO MISSED HANDSHAKE WITH THE US PRESIDENT AT CLUB WORLD CUP TROPHY PRESENTATION

The Blues youngster decided against waiting for the US President and instead accepted the congratulations of Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly

Chelsea youngster Tyrique George skipped a handshake from United States President Donald Trump after the Blues' Club World Cup win. 

Trump was put to work by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino after watching Chelsea claim a shock 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, handing out medals to the victorious squad before taking centre stage for the trophy lift.

For the most part, his presence during this portion of the ceremony went unnoticed. That was until George, who has enjoyed a breakout year for the Blues, dodged a handshake from Trump. 

Seeing Trump occupied by the task of retrieving another medal, the 19-year-old decided against waiting and instead opted to receive the congratulations of Blues co-owner Todd Boehly. 

The snub, intentional or otherwise, was noted by Trump, who looked in the youngster's direction before returning to his temporary duties. 

Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Trump later inserted himself into the heart of Chelsea's celebrations, deciding to remain among the Blues stars as skipper Reece James lifted the Club World Cup trophy. 

It was anticipated that the Commander-in-Chief would step aside after giving the trophy to James - as is customary. However, to the bewilderment of many Chelsea players, Trump remained on stage for the entire trophy lift.

Trump took centre stage for Chelsea's trophy lift, remaining next to Blues skipper Reece James for the historic moment

England hero Cole Palmer looked especially confused by Trump's actions and appeared to utter the words: 'What's he doing?'

Trump had earlier presented Palmer with the golden ball award with the 23-year-old midfielder looking as equally baffled during that presentation.

He and First Lady Melania arrived roughly 35 minutes before kickoff at the nearby Teterboro Airport on the presidential Marine One helicopter from his local golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The 79-year-old was given VIP treatment as he soaked up the action alongside Melania, who cut a chic figure in a white dress and black blazer, and FIFA boss Infantino.

The 79-year-old was given VIP treatment as he soaked up the action alongside Melania, who cut a chic figure in a white dress and black blazer, and FIFA boss Infantino

The outing fell on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Butler, Pennsylvania, and significant security measures were put in place for his arrival.

As detailed in The Athletic , secret service officials worked with organizers to put together a travel route to the venue, and it was believed he would be behind a pane of bulletproof glass at the game.

The president was put on screen at MetLife during the singing of the national anthem prior to the game, and reports emerged from the stadium that he was booed before the stadium camera cut away from him.

MetLife Stadium later echoed with more boos when Trump, joined by Infantino, made his way out onto the field to present the champions with the trophy.

Trump's involvement in the trophy presentation after the game further complicated the required security around the American Commander-in-Chief.

'When you do the threat and risk assessment, you cover anything that could go wrong: if they were at a mass gathering, what if the stage collapsed?' Nigel Thomas, a former British Special Air Service (SAS) soldier and founder of security training firm, Blue Mountain Group, told The Athletic.

'We will have a standard operating procedure for that, for example. You need to be prepared for it, and that takes communication with stadium security and emergency services.'

- TUM BALOGUN