TMZ Sports - Page 50

Donovan McNabb says he's "absolutely" a Hall of Fame player ... telling TMZ Sports his career yards AND touchdowns should make him a shoo-in for Canton.

"My numbers are better than Troy Aikman," the ex-Eagles superstar says.

McNabb joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show -- airing weeknights on FS1 -- and said he unequivocally expects to be wearing a gold jacket at some point in his future.

"I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer," McNabb says ... "My numbers speak for themselves."

Of course, D-Mac's been out of the league since 2011 ... which means he's been eligible for the Hall for the past few years -- but has been passed over every time.

When the guys asked Donovan why he thinks that is ... he says he often asks that question himself.

"When they look at my numbers, yeah, but then they always want to add other stuff into it. 'Was he an All-Pro? Was he this? How many Super Bowl opportunities?'"

"But, people don't realize how hard it is to get to the NFC Championship and to get there five times, and then make it to a Super Bowl? It's tough."

For the record, McNabb has 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing TDs and 117 career interceptions. Cowboys legend Aikman has 32,942 passing yards, 165 passing TDs and 141 career picks.

Good news for McNabb ... he says now that his old Eagles team officially has two Hall of Famers -- Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens -- he thinks his HOF case will be taken more seriously now.

UFC star Tyron Woodley says he's very confident he'll be ready to fight again this summer -- despite having a jacked up right hand -- and he's already working with the UFC to book a date.

The former UFC welterweight champ recently pulled out of his June 29 bout with Robbie Lawler -- explaining on this week's 'Hollywood Beatdown' that his hand simply isn't ready to go.

Woodley says he consulted with a top hand specialist who diagnosed him with chronic arthritis in his joint ... which is a problem going into a fist fight with a stand-up striker like Lawler.

The good news ... Tyron says he's eyeing an August date to get back in the Octagon, but there's a catch ... he only wants to fight in a state where he'll be cleared to get a cortisone shot 10 days before the bout.

As for an opponent, Tyron says he'll fight anyone as long as it gets him on the right path for a title shot ... because he's obsessed with getting his belt back.

There's a lot more ... Tyron also weighs in on the disturbing face injury suffered by his friend, Sage Northcutt and tells us if he thinks Sage will ever be able to get back to 100%.

Here's smokin' hot Playboy model Francia James ... she has 1.4 MILLION followers on Instagram -- and desperately wants to bang Neymar.

... and somehow, we think she might have a shot!!!

In fact, James was so shook when she saw that pic of the Brazilian soccer superstar hanging with Rihanna in Paris the other day ... she straight up called him out on camera!!!

"He should've gotten with me instead of Rihanna!! C'mon Neymar!!"

Remember, Neymar was so stoked at the opportunity to hang with RiRi, he blew off a major soccer award ceremony for his teammate, Mbappe, to meet up with the singer at her fashion event.

James is one of the most desirable women on the planet herself ... she's graced magazine covers from Playboy to FHM and has a pretty solid career in adult modeling.

As for Neymar, the 27-year-old broke up with his serious girlfriend, Bruna Marquezine, last year and had been connected with bikini model and YouTube vlogger Mari Tavares in early 2019.

So, what's his relationship status now? Unclear ... but the dude is clearly in demand.

NASCAR stud Joey Logano needs your help ... he says his family's searching for their missing dog, an adorable French Bulldog named Luigi.

Joey's wife, Brittany, says Luigi's been missing since Monday, and she thinks he figured out a way to get past the fence at their home in North Carolina.

The Loganos say they've been calling around to local animal shelters, dialing 311 and have been putting up flyers all around their neighborhood in Charlotte -- but to no avail.

Luigi is black and brindle, weighing in at 19 lbs and should be wearing a green collar with his name and a phone number for his parents. He's also got a microchip implant, but apparently, that hasn't helped his family find him. Poor little pup.

Joey addressed the scary situation Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway ... telling reporters he thinks the dog might've been stolen.

Kylie Jenner reveals her feelings about former best friend Jordyn Woods -- she done f****d up in the Tristan Thompson cheating scandal.

It's not just Kylie on the upcoming "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ... you see and feel the torment Khloe Kardashian went through as you hear her primal screams over Tristan's tryst.

It's all pretty tense and emotional, from the phone call that starts, "I don't even know if I should tell you this" ... to Khloe breaking down and Kris addressing the fallout in Kylie and Jordyn's relationship.

There's also an apparent rift between Kendall and Kourtney.

As we told you ... Kylie recently cleared her home of all things Jordyn, when she finally got her ex-BFF to come get her stuff out of the guest house, where she was living up until the scandal broke. The duo were inseparable for years before the scandal.

The 2 have managed to remain amicable, though ... but this clip might just rip the scab off the healing wound.

Chuck Liddell now realizes the video he made to congratulate a man for coming out of the closet after 40 years was most likely a homophobic prank ... and the UFC legend is really upset about it.

Here's the backstory ... Chuck is one of the celebrities who works with Cameo, a company where people can pay celebs to make custom video messages for fans.

Someone named L-Dogg asked Chuck to make a video congratulating "Timmy" for going public with his sexuality ... and Chuck, believing it was a legitimate request, obliged.

The original video features Chuck delivering a heartfelt message to Timmy -- and saying he wishes Timmy would have been able to come out earlier in life.

But, now it seems pretty obvious L-Dogg was just using Chuck as part of a homophobic joke.

"If this is someone messing with somebody, that's messed up," Liddell told us at LAX.

"I assumed it was a guy who was actually coming out after 40 years."

Bottom line ... Chuck says he doesn't want to be used to make jokes in bad taste.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg is going to bat for Colin Kaepernick ... telling TMZ Sports he supports the QB's right to take a knee during the national anthem -- and he's ripping Trump for going after the protesters.

"The way I feel about it is the flag that was on my shoulder when I served represented, among other things, our right to free speech," Mayor Pete -- a Navy veteran -- told us in New York.

"You don't have to like it, but one of the reasons we serve was to defend that right, the right of peaceful protest and the idea that we can protest what is wrong with our country."

That's when Pete took a swipe at POTUS -- who has publicly called for the NFL to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the anthem.

"If the president had served," Pete says ... "Maybe he'd feel a little more strongly about some of those freedoms. And, I get that there's a lot of strong opinions about this, but that's part of why we served."

Colin began his demonstration in 2016 to shine a light on social injustice and police brutality. Several players joined his movement, which began a very polarizing political topic.

"[Bucks coach] Mike Budenholzer should be worried about his team. He shouldn't be worried about flexing on Drake."

That's how ex-NBA star Jay Williams feels about all the drama between the Milwaukee Bucks head coach and Drake ... after Budenholzer called out the league for allowing the rapper to have carte blanche court access during the playoffs.

Early Thursday, the Bucks head coach went off about Drizzy ... saying there's NO REASON Drake should be allowed to hang with Raptors players on the bench and shoulder rub the Raptors coaching staff.

"I will say, again, I see it in some timeouts, but I don't know of any person that's attending the game that isn't a participant in the game, a coach -- I'm sorry, a player or a coach, that has access to the court," Budenholzer said.

"there's certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. You know, to be on the court, there's boundaries and lines for a reason."

Enter, Williams who has this message for the Bucks players and staff -- DEAL WITH IT!!!

"[Drake] is like a 2019 Spike Lee ... just on steroids," Williams said referring to Lee's fan allegiance to the NY Knicks.

"You cant take one dude talking trash to you, I don't know what to tell you!"

The Bucks and Raptors play again Thursday night in Milwaukee -- but they return to Toronto for Game 6 on Saturday.

"How often have you suffered because of your last name?"

That's one of Tom Hanks' first-ever questions to Andrew Luck ... straight-up wondering how much the Indianapolis Colts QB has been made fun of in his life.

Don't worry ... Luck played off the awkward question well -- "It goes both ways!" -- and the two had a pretty fun first encounter Wednesday nonetheless.

Hanks and Luck were together for an event at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis ... when Hanks revealed he's a big Luck fan -- telling the QB, "I love watching you play."

The two talked for a while ... discussing everything from Indianapolis, to social media to dealing with haters. Tom was a co-host on NBC's 'Today' Thursday ... a special spotlighting Elizabeth Dole's Hidden Heroes' campaign.

They even posed for a pic too ... and the caption the Colts wrote for it couldn't have been more perfect -- "Andy and Woody."

"Who's the quarterback here?"

Um ... clearly you are, President Obama!!!

Barack delighted a bunch of kids -- especially one little wide receiver -- Wednesday by visiting the Washington Nationals foundation & Youth Baseball Academy in D.C. ... and he didn't hold back from showing off his athleticism.

He was appointed QB in a pickup football game, and uncorked a touchdown pass. Doesn't look like it was a tight spiral, but either way, the kid on the other end made a hell of a catch.

Then, 44 stepped up to the plate and ripped a double in the gap. Probably could have stretched it into a triple ... but he showboated a little running to first.

Obama also delivered a motivational speech to the kids, telling them to work hard and believe in themselves ... and they'll do great things.

He added, "I had a blast with all these extraordinary young people."

Life lesson ... text is text, and DM is DM.

Chris Broussard just learned this lesson HARD, courtesy of comments he made about his relationship with NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

This all started when Chris went on FS1's 'Undisputed' and suggested the Warriors playing well in Durant's absence was a "nightmare" for KD ... prompting Durant to clap back on Twitter.

So, Broussard went back on FS1 and discussed his relationship with KD -- saying he and Durant "text" all the time about a variety of topics ... some good, some bad.

Stay with us here ...

That prompted Durant to return to Twitter and let the world know he's NEVER texted with Broussard, and doesn't even have his phone number.

Soooooo ... who's lying?

Well, no one according to Chris ... who just made a video saying he does talk to Durant often, but when he said "text" he was referring to DMs on Instagram and Twitter.

So, he's never texted KD. But, he has texted KD -- explaining that he doesn't really see a difference between text and DM because a private convo is a private convo.

It's a fair point but fact of the matter is ... it's not the same.

Just to help everyone out ... here's the hierarchy of communication so everyone can navigate these newfangled technology streets:

1. Actual phone convo

2. Text

3. DM

4. Comments (back and forth)

5. Mere social media follow

If Conor McGregor wants another crack at a top flight boxer, Keith Thurman says he's ALL THE WAY DOWN -- telling the Irishman straight up, "Box me, baby!!"

Of course, Thurman -- the WBA super welterweight champ -- is gearing up to face Manny Pacquaio on July 20 ... but says he's heard about Conor's desire to get back in the ring and wants that fight!

"You know you make more money in the boxing ring anyway. Box me, Conor!"

Thurman's not kidding ... he watched the McGregor vs. Mayweather fight back in 2017 and sees major holes in Conor's fight game.

"[In boxing], the advantage is do you have skills with the left? Do you have skills with the right? Do you have footwork? And, one thing [Conor] doesn't have is conditioning! He does not have conditioning. He is not ready for these championship fights."

"Floyd walked him down and beat him like he was playing 'Fight Night!'"

Thurman continued ... "He wanna talk that trash?! He wants to think actually got hands? Come on, man."

McGregor recently told Tony Robbins he wants a rematch with Floyd Mayweather because he's learned so much from the first fight and KNOWS he could get a win.

Here's the best Rookie of the Year trophy ever ... Quavo hooked up NBA star Trae Young with a custom diamond chain for his huge 1st season in the league -- and the bling is awesome!!!

"Welcome to the A," the rap star told Young as he presented the jewelry.

Trae killed it for the Atlanta Hawks this year ... averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists per game in 81 starts -- and to show his thanks, Migos' Atlanta superfan got him some ice.

The chain -- made by famous ATL jeweler Wafi -- is pretty epic ... it features a huge basketball pendant surrounded by dripping diamonds with the nickname "Ice Trae" on it.

The Hawks PG clearly loved the gift ... writing on Quavo's social media page, "YESSSSSSSSIR Much Love My Brotha!!!"

Of course, Trae ain't officially the NBA's Rookie of the Year ... the award won't be announced until the league has its end-of-season ceremony next month.

In fact, Trae ain't even the favorite to land the honor ... Dallas Mavericks PG Luka Doncic is expected to take home the hardware.

Kendall Jenner's far away from her family and chilling in France, and it might be a sign of a fresh start for the supermodel ... in the dating world.

Kendall was soaking up some sunshine Thursday in Cannes with Kardashian family friend and Kourtney's former fling, Luka Sabbat. It looks super casual, but the timing is interesting ... because Kendall and her NBA star boyfriend, Ben Simmons, have reportedly broken up.

They haven't been seen together much lately, so people were starting to wonder and although there's been no announcement ... splitsville's looking very real. Kendall flew into France Wednesday -- presumably to hit up some Cannes Film Festival premieres, and attend the amfAR Gala later Thursday.

That busy schedule explains why she missed out on Kylie's big skincare launch and roller skating party.

There's A LOT of money in this photo ...

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo traded the pitch for the pit on Thursday ... rolling over to the Monaco Grand Prix to hang with Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton had just wrapped up his opening practice session for the race -- he turned in the fastest practice time -- when he went back to the Team Mercedes-Benz garage to chat up CR7.

Of course, Ronaldo got the ultimate VIP treatment -- getting a full tour of the track and pit lane with his son by his side the entire time. CR7's girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, was also on hand in Monaco, just two days after slaying at the Cannes Film Festival.

It was interesting to see Hamilton -- considering he'd backed out of media obligations on Wednesday in the wake of the death of Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda.

FYI, Hamilton is the highest earning F1 driver of all time -- with a reported $489 MILLION in career race earnings!!

Ronaldo's got bank too -- he reportedly made more than $108 MILLION in 2018 ... and continues to chart as one of the most bankable celebrities on the planet.

The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly wrapped up their investigation into that Kristaps Porzingis fight in Latvia ... and concluded he was just "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

TMZ Sports posted video showing the 7'3" superstar bloodied and pissed off on May 12 outside of a bar in his home country, after apparently being jumped.

Our sources told us the attackers were a bunch of Russians who were pissed off that Porzingis had been traded from the Knicks to Dallas.

There were reports that Porzingis may have suffered a broken hand in the melee -- but the Dallas Morning News says they spoke with a team source who says that's not true and his hands are fine.

DMN is also reporting that team officials spoke "at length" with Porzingis who insisted he was truly an innocent victim who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time ... and the team is buying his story.

Of course, the NBA could step in and punish Porzingis -- so he's not out of the woods -- but this definitely bodes well for him.