TMZ Sports - Page 50

LaVar Ball is NOT folding the Big Baller Brand -- in fact, it's the opposite -- he's expanding BBB with plans to make it bigger than ever, TMZ Sports has learned.

LaVar has had some big problems with BBB recently -- claiming cofounder Alan Foster stole a FORTUNE from the company and his son, Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo was so pissed he sued Foster for more than $2 mil and later covered up the BBB tattoo on his arm ... which many people considered a death blow to the brand. In the wake of the chaos, the BBB website was also taken down.

But now, we've learned LaVar is in the process of building a new BBB team with plans to get back into the sportswear game and expand into other markets as well. He's already made some key hires.

Our sources tell us LaVar and his team are currently working on a battle plan and hope to get everything up and running again very soon.

LaVar launched Big Baller Brand back in 2017 -- selling ZO2 sneakers for a whopping $495 per pair. A bunch of influential celebs snatched up the shoes including Jay-Z who bought 3 pair.

A driver was nearly imprinted into the back of Jameis Winston's head this week ... 'cause the Tampa Bay Bucs star QB let a guy hit a golf ball off the top of his dome!!!

It all went down earlier this week at Derrick Brooks' annual celebrity golf tournament in Florida ... when Jameis decided to be a prop for trick shot artist Trevor Consavage.

Jameis strapped on a helmet ... put a ball and a tee on his head -- and let Trevor take a huge wack!!!

Luckily for Bruce Arians and the entire city of Tampa ... the trick went off without a flaw -- apparently, Consavage CRUSHED the shot!!!

But, seems not everyone's entertained ... Jameis -- who's found himself in trouble often over the last few years -- has said repeatedly this offseason he's going to work on making smarter decisions.

Sean McVay is finally coming clean on why the Rams were so bad against the Patriots in the Super Bowl last February ... saying he straight-up "over-prepared" for the big game.

Remember, Los Angeles came into SB LIII as one of the most potent offenses EVER ... but threw up just 3 points against Bill Belichick's boys in an epic loss.

Now, after reflecting on the sorry performance for 3 months ... McVay told Sports Illustrated he finally has the answer as to why it happened ...

"You have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there."

McVay says he poured over ALL of New England's 18 games in the 2018-19 season ... and even went back to look at how the Pats played in their Super Bowls against the Eagles and Falcons.

Sean says doing all that extra work killed the Rams, saying, "You can watch so much film that you lose perspective."

The good news for L.A.? Per Sports Illustrated, McVay seemed disgusted that he let his team down -- and seems he learned his lesson.

Ezekiel Elliott is covering funeral expenses for an 8th grade football star who was shot and killed by a stray bullet last weekend while leaving a party in St. Louis, sources confirm to TMZ Sports.

14-year-old Jaylon McKenzie was at a house party following a school dance late Saturday night when a fight broke out involving other people.

As McKenzie and others walked outside to leave the home, he was struck by a stray bullet and died at a nearby hospital a short time later, according to the Illinois State Police.

McKenzie was a rising star on the field, dominating as a running back, WR and defensive back. He reportedly had scholarship offers from the University of Missouri and University of Illinois.

He was also spotlighted by Sports Illustrated when he was 13 as a teen athlete to watch.

So, when Ezekiel Elliott -- who grew up in St. Louis -- heard about his passing, we're told the NFL star felt compelled to help McKenzie's family by paying for the funeral costs.

McKenzie's mother, Sukeena Gunner, spoke with the Belleville News-Democrat about Zeke helping out.

"For him to reach out to me was unbelievable," Gunner said ... "Jaylon loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time."

"Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless."

Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp ain't playin' around -- he REALLY wants to sell his humongous Seattle-area mansion ... so he slashed the asking price by more than a MILLION bucks!

The 49-year-old former Seattle SuperSonics star owns a 13,000-square-foot pad in Maple Valley, Washington ... complete with a basketball court, tennis court, pool, putting green and spa.

The property sits on 5 acres of land. Massive.

Kemp originally listed the place for $3.7 mil back in 2018 -- but now, he's pricing it to move fast ... cutting the number down to $2.5 mil with listing agent Robert Potashnick of Coldwell Banker Bain.

The dunk specialist originally purchased the place back in 2003 for $2.4 million -- the same year he played his last game in the NBA.

Kemp reportedly made more than $90 MILLION during his NBA career -- so it doesn't seem like he's hurting for cash.

How did one of the world's best soccer players react to meeting the Fresh Prince of Bel Air???

HE LOST HIS FREAKIN' MIND!!!!

Neymar and Will Smith connected for the first time ever Wednesday ... and the Brazilian star's reaction to seeing the "Aladdin" actor was priceless.

The unsuspecting footballer was on the phone when Big Willy walked in ... and as soon as Smith got his attention -- Neymar dropped the call and went wild.

They shook hands ... Neymar couldn't believe it ... Smith was laughing ... and good times were had by all.

"One of the Best days of my life!!!" Neymar said.

Unclear why the two linked up -- but it appears it was for an event put on by Otro, a news app that promises fans a deep look into the life of soccer's biggest stars.

Tough day at the office for Michelle Beadle ... who was forced to host an ESPN show while suffocating in Paul Pierce's fart cloud.

Yes. You read that right.

Beadle -- along with Pierce, Jalen Rose and Chauncey Billups were shooting an episode of ESPN's "Off the Clock" when The Truth let one rip.

You can see the moment when the scent hits Beadle's face -- and everything goes stank.

"Nasty," Beadle remarked.

Even Rose commented on the situation ... saying, "Michelle Beadle smelling something in the air."

Beadle noted, "We're trapped in a room y'all."

By the way ... the whole "Off the Clock" show is only 5 minutes long!!!!

Ex-NBA star Brandon Jennings COULDN'T BELIEVE the comments Ayesha Curry made about being jealous of the attention her husband gets from the opposite sex.

And, now ... Jennings has a message for Steph Curry's wife -- stop trippin'!!!

You know the backstory ... Ayesha went on "Red Table Talk" and admitted she's "bothered" by the lack of attention (in a desirous way) from men over the years while she watches groupies throw themselves at Steph.

"I don't have any of that," Ayesha said ... "I have zero -- this sounds weird -- but, like, male attention, and so then I begin to internalize it, and I'm like, 'Is something wrong with me?'"

Jennings -- who now runs his own Tuff Crowd clothing line -- was so shocked by the comments, he had to discuss out outside of Joey in Woodland Hills, CA.

"She said guys don't lust over her enough ... why would you want to lust over a woman who's married?"

Jennings says it's human nature to want to be desired by the opposite sex, but when it comes to Ayesha -- it's hard to watch her complain because she has "the best life."

Jennings points out that Ayesha is rich as hell, has a faithful husband, a beautiful family and an incredible career as a chef ... so, don't trip!

There's more ... Brandon also talks about his future basketball career. He's only 29 and feels he's got LOTS of game left.

Camille Kostek is having a pretty great 2019 -- she's officially a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl now ... and she lost her mind when she found out!

The former New England Patriots cheerleader -- who's also dating Rob Gronkowski -- was informed about the cover by the editor, MJ Day ... and immediately began bawling!

It's actually a really cool, raw moment.

Kostek first started working with SI back in 2017 -- and she's always talked about how modeling for the mag was a career goal. Congrats on the cover!!!

There are three versions of the SI Swimsuit Edition cover -- the other two feature Tyra Banks and soccer superstar Alex Morgan.

SI has also said the 2019 edition will feature other major female athletes including UFC star Paige VanZant.

As for Kostek, she just wrapped up a big weekend in Vegas celebrating Gronk's retirement from the NFL ... where the two danced their faces off and smashed cake by a Vegas pool.

Rick Singer, the man who pulled all the strings in the massive college admissions bribery case, is living the Porsche lifestyle while the clients he ratted out face years in prison.

Shirtless Rick was chillin' at a public pool Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Florida ... when a staffer from C13Originals spotted him and fired off questions ... but the mastermind was impenetrable.

As we reported ... Rick copped a plea to racketeering conspiracy, tax conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll get way less for turning on those from who he richly profited.

Rick, who raked in more than $25 mil from wealthy parents like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, has already been forced to forfeit millions ... but he's still got a fancy set of wheels.

Here's Drake ... stoked out of his MIND while watching his Toronto Raptors take a giant dump all over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday and taking a 3-2 lead in their playoff series.

Does he look worried about a curse to you?!

Drake was sitting right on the court at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as his squad put a 125 to 89 beating on Philly in a pivotal Game 5.

In the 4th quarter, with roughly 10 minutes left in the game, Drake ramped up the trash talk -- and started making airplane wing gestures at the 76ers players.

Of course, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid wasn't exactly at 100% -- he's battling a pretty nasty illness -- so, Drizzy might wanna tone it down until Game 6 ... which goes down Thursday night in Philly.

After the game, 76ers coach Brett Brown fired back at critics who were ripping Embiid's performance.

"[Embiid] was trying to do whatever he could to represent his organization and play basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers," Brown said.

"I'm kind of disappointed. He gets shaken around to me too much. He's trying to play for us. He's trying to get out of bed with a significant temperature and come represent the organization. I think it's grossly unfair, some of the criticism that he gets. I don't understand that."

Anderson Silva ain't mincing words when it comes to his message for Dana White ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a fight with Conor McGregor ASAP!!!!

"Come on, boss," Silva says ... "Give this show for the fans. Give this show for the fans of UFC."

Remember, Silva has pleaded with the UFC honcho ever since Conor said in October 2018 he'd be "interested" in scrapping with Anderson.

But, Silva tells us he's still dead serious about making the fight happen ... and he even explained to Dana why the UFC should set it up!!!

"It's good money for you, Dana. And, a good challenge for me and Conor."

Silva says the fight should take place at a 180 pounds ... which means Conor would have to go up from his normal 155-pound division -- but Anderson says it'll be worth it in the end.

"That's the good fight for me and Conor ... It's a super, super, super fight."

Luke Perry's son opened up about how much it meant for the late actor to work alongside his son on "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" ... calling it the pinnacle of his career.

Jack Perry jumped on Chris Jericho's "Talk is Jericho" podcast on Westwood One Podcast Network last week and opened up in detail about his father for the first time since the late '90210' star died in March from a massive stroke.

Check out the audio ... Jack -- who recently signed a pro wrestling deal with All Elite Wrestling and goes by Jungle Boy -- recalled how his father was the one who was adamant about Jack joining him in Quentin Tarantino's 9th film.

Luke joins Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in the 60s flick that chronicles Charles Manson's most famous victim, Sharon Tate. Jack revealed that Luke landing a role in the star-studded cast was the highlight of his career. Working alongside Jack was the cherry on top.

Two days after Luke died, Jack wrote a heartfelt tribute to his father for supporting him in everything ... and especially wrestling.

"Jeopardy" phenom James Holzhauer says if he had to compare himself to a pro athlete, he'd DEFINITELY go with DeShaun Watson ... because he can do it all!!!

Holzhauer -- who's chasing Ken Jennings for most winnings in "Jeopardy" history -- appeared on FS1's "Lock It In" on Tuesday to talk about his pre-game show life as a pro sports bettor.

During the show, Holzhauer said he was a hardcore online poker player before making the jump to sports gambling -- but now he puts together complex mathematical models to find an advantage when it comes to wagering on games.

Holzhauer says he bets on everything from football to hockey to college basketball -- and LOVES to make in-game wagers because he thinks he has an edge because the oddsmakers don't have enough time to set an accurate line.

And, just to prove he ALWAYS wins, Holzhauer told the guys he bet on the Rams to beat the Saints in the 2018 NFC championship game ... but he had 3.5 points, so he didn't care which team kicked the winning field goal in overtime!!!

One last thing ... Holzhauer wasn't afraid to talk TRASH to the hosts of the show. When asked which host would do the best on "Jeopardy," James told the group whichever person is smart enough to "keep your trap shut" for the entire game so they wouldn't fall below $0.

MMA star Kayla Harrison tells TMZ Sports she's 100% confident she could take Khabib Nurmagomedov in a judo match ... if he's man enough to step up!!!

Don't get it twisted, Kayla's not calling for a fist fight -- but if Khabib is down for a pure judo match, Kayla says she KNOWS she can win.

FYI, Harrison was a 2-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016 games) before making the switch to MMA. She's considered the most decorated American judo athlete of all time.

So, could she beat up some of the top guys in MMA???

No. Kayla knows she has a disadvantage when it comes to fighting men in mixed martial arts fight -- but she believes she's got the skill, speed and strength to beat men on the judo mat.

"Am I gonna beat Khabib? I mean I think I would beat him in a judo match. For sure. 100%. I would beat Khabib."

Of course, Khabib is known to have one of the most ferocious ground games in the UFC -- but without the ability to punch, Kayla thinks she has the advantage.

You can see Kayla put her skills on display when she takes on Larissa Pacheco in the main event at PFL1 on Thursday.

... and if Khabib's looking for some groundwork, he might wanna hit her up after the fight.

We also spoke with Kayla's manager, Ali Abdelaziz -- who also manages Khabib -- and he says he's down to set something up ... as long as the money's right!!!

This is scary stuff ... NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin fell ill while behind the wheel of his #11 car during a race at Dover on Monday when carbon monoxide gas began seeping inside of his ride.

The 38-year-old says he felt sick and experienced double vision and was treated by medical staff on pit road after he finished the race in 21st place.

According to the AP, Hamlin's car had been struck by debris on the track -- which knocked out his rear right crush panel and created an opening which allowed the dangerous fumes to enter the inside of the car.

Video from reporter Davey Segal shows Hamlin receiving oxygen and water. He looks exhausted -- but overall okay.

FYI, carbon monoxide poisoning is no joke -- it can be deadly if inhaled at high levels.