TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he's decided to retire from NASCAR after the 2017 season because, "I just wanted the opportunity to go out on my own terms."

Junior opened up about the decision at a news conference Tuesday -- saying he thought about how he wanted to end his storied career while rehabbing from an injury last year.

Dale thanked a bunch of people who impacted his life -- including his wife, fans, sponsors and his late father Dale Earnhardt saying, "I would not have been a race car driver if not for him. He believed in me."

As for his future ... Junior wants to stay involved in racing in some capacity, saying "I want to be a part of the future of this sport for many, many years to come."

BIG WIN FOR DEREK JETER!!!

The MLB legend and his new business partner, Jeb Bush, have reportedly won the auction to become the next owners of the Miami Marlins!!

No word on the official sale price. So far, the final contract has not been signed, according to Bloomberg.com.

Jeter has been gunning to be an MLB team owner for a while. It seems like his relationship with Jeb Bush put him over the top.

That was quick!

Just days after Aaron Hernandez's death, his legal team has already filed a motion to have his murder conviction officially dismissed ... as part of a Massachusetts law that everyone's talking about.

Gareon Conley -- a projected 1st round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft -- has been named in a police report by a woman who claims he raped her in a Cleveland hotel but he adamantly DENIES the allegations.

Kim Kardashian's giant butt is sending a damaging message to little girls who look up to her ... so says boxing star Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin.

The former WBO middleweight champ says he saw the new pics of Kim's ass on the beach and it rubbed him the wrong way.

"I know some people have a hard time being happy with what they're born with, or maybe I shouldn't even bring up what I think about this pic. I just have a hard time understanding the reason for modifying your body to look like this?"

"And the impact it has on our culture, because the majority of the women wanna be followers and have a behind just like this!"

He added, "I just posted this picture because no matter what- you going to have to learn to live, with or without work to your body."

"I think we should worry about the genetically modified foods we're eating instead of modifying our bodies. #justmyopinion and it really #dontcount if it brings you peace #nevermindme #imnotajudge."

Kim has been criticized for her giant butt for years -- but insists it's real and has famously responded in the past, "I love my big, fat ass."

Kobe Bryant took it all the way back to 1992 Monday night ... busting out a slam poem about the legendary Steve Urkel from "Family Matters" -- and he kinda killed it.

The Mamba delivered his performance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" -- and with a soft bongo beat in the background, Kobe waxed poetically about Steve vs. Stefan.

He even dropped a "Did I Do That?"

La La Anthony didn't let her split from Carmelo Anthony keep her from spending her weekend in one of NYC's top strip clubs ... but this time, it was more business than pleasure.

We've learned La La hit up Sapphire New York on Friday night -- but sources tell us she wasn't throwing around singles and partying it up, she was there to shoot footage for her new TV show.

La La is a producer on a docu-series called "Goal Diggers" -- about women in risque industries (strippers and video girls) who break out and become mainstream businesswomen.

We're told one of the women in the series works at Sapphire, so La La and some crew members hit up the club to shoot footage.

It just so happened her good friend French Montana was there (he was there to party) -- so they kicked it together inside the building.

We spoke with French in NYC on Monday who told us La La is doing so well since the split, he came up with a new nickname for her.

So many questions ...

Colin Kaepernick turned up in Brooklyn, NY on Monday -- hanging at the Chris Brown concert at the Barclays Center where he posed for a photo with boxing star Adrien Broner.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is waving the white flag on his storied career -- announcing he'll retire from NASCAR after the 2017 season.

The 42-year-old has racked up 26 wins (including TWO Daytona 500 victories) in 603 starts since turning pro in 1999.

He suffered a concussion back in 2016 that forced him to miss roughly half the season -- but he's since returned to the track and now the retirement tour begins.

Think Kobe Bryant ... but faster.

We recently got Dale Jr. out and talked about his recent marriage and the possibility of kids in his future ... and whether he would pass on the famous Dale Earnhardt name.

Kevin Hart is still confident in the Clippers -- even with superstar Blake Griffin out for the rest of the playoffs -- telling TMZ Sports his friend, Chris Paul, is the epitome of a winner.

Hart was leaving the brand new Tao restaurant in L.A. when we talked basketball -- and Hart explained why he still believes in CP3 despite the devastating toe injury that ended Blake's season.

Hart knows firsthand how dominant Chris can be ... he dunked ALL OVER HIS FACE a few years ago and thankfully that moment lives forever because of the Internet.

Tony Gonzalez says he was NOT forced out at CBS to make room for the new guy, Tony Romo -- telling TMZ Sports the decision to leave was HIS and his alone.

The future Hall of Fame tight end spent 3 seasons on "The NFL Today" (and was pretty good) only to announce he was leaving the show back in March.

A few days later, CBS announced Romo was joining the network as a live game broadcaster -- replacing Phil Simms who will take over for Gonzalez on "The NFL Today."

So ... was Tony G pushed out??

Gonzalez is adamant the answer is 'No' -- and gives a pretty solid explanation about his career choice.

UFC rising star "Platinum" Mike Perry says he knows the devastating right elbow he used to K.O. Jake Ellenberger could've ended the guy's career ... but it hasn't fazed him one bit!

Perry joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Monday night on FS1) and told us he met with Ellenberger after and thinks he'll bounce back, but if he doesn't ... so be it.

Perry is a monster in the Octagon -- he's 10-1 with all 10 wins coming by way of KO/TKO.

He's also only 25 years old.

Letters were found inside Aaron Hernandez's cell when his body was found, but none of them were written to a gay lover.

Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, tells TMZ Sports, "Rumors of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false. These are malicious leaks used to tarnish somebody who is dead."

The D.A. announced Thursday 3 letters were next to Hernandez's Bible, and that's when the rumors began.

TMZ Sports has obtained new footage from the night Cincinnati Bengals star Pacman Jones was arrested for assault -- and it shows even MORE of the tense relationship between Pac and the cops.

Yes, J Lo ... A-Rod is just that into you, and the poor guy couldn't even hide it Monday afternoon as the two grabbed lunch in New York City.

The couple had a fancy meal at The Sea Grill, which is just above the Rockefeller Center ice rink. Plenty of city sights to see outside, but Alex was transfixed by his date.

Be honest ... ya kind of want someone to look at you the way he's looking at Jennifer.

The family of Aaron Hernandez says they love him and miss him and want to thank the public for supporting them in the wake of the NFL star's death.

Hernandez was laid to rest in a funeral service in Bristol, Connecticut Monday in a ceremony attended by family, friends and old college and NFL teammates.

After the funeral, Hernandez's attorney, Jose Baez, and his team issued a statement from the family.

Hernandez died last Wednesday after prison staffers found the former New England Patriots tight end hanging in his cell, where he was serving a life sentence for murder.