TMZ Sports - Page 50

NY Knicks rising star Kevin Knox says his boss isn't the jerk people make him out to be ... telling TMZ Sports despite what some may think, James Dolan is a GREAT person!!!

You've heard the stories ... the billionaire has a reputation of not getting along with fans, Knicks legends or media reporters.

But, Knox -- the 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft -- says that's not the Dolan he knows ... heaping praise on the guy for being a cool dude.

"He's good, man. I like him," Knox told us at LAX. "He talks to us a lot of times before the games."

"He's a great person. I play Fortnite with his sons all the time. He's a good dude."

No word on if Knox wins ... but if he plays on the sticks like he does on the court, those kids are gettin' smoked.

Errol Spence says he's got his eyes on a BIG FISH after he dispatches with Shawn Porter in September ... and that big fish is no other than Manny Pacquiao.

Spence and Porter are set to tangle on September 28, but when we got Errol out in L.A. he said Shawn is just the appetizer, and he's looking for a full Filipino meal.

"I'm looking for the Manny Pacquiao after this."

It makes sense ... after Manny punished Keith Thurman he automatically became the biggest money fight in the welterweight division, and a path to superstardom for up-and-coming fighters.

There has been some talk that Pac Man's next fight will be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, but Errol says he hates the idea of that fight, and he's got a reason.

"I don't wanna see it. Floyd made enough money, let the young guys make some money."

BTW ... Errol isn't the only one fighting in September who wants a piece of Manny, we talked to Porter on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and he said he'll be Pac Man's huckleberry too.

Careful guys ... one fight at a time.

WWE superstar Lana knows her best foot forward is a Bundle of Joy -- and that's not a reference to her bikini ... it's her dog's name. Although, her bikini is pretty damn joyful too.

Lana was strolling on Venice Beach this week in true hot girl summer fashion. Her bedazzled pink 2-piece would be enough to draw attention up and down the beach -- but she had a bonus accessory.

Lana's famous Pomsky -- a Pomeranian-Siberian Husky mix -- soaked up some rays with a leash to match Lana's swimwear.

BTW, don't get it twisted ... BoJ is a legit famous bitch!!! She has more than 18k followers on Instagram. Point being, this is the duo you not only deserve, but NEED, as summer sadly winds down.

Another day, another Yankees meltdown that ended with Brett Gardner and others getting ejected by the umpires. Gotta love those hot August baseball games!!!

This one was pretty wild -- the Yanks were playing the Cleveland Indians Saturday in a close game, which erupted in chaos around the 6th inning ... when Cameron Maybin was called out on a third strike he and his team felt was off the plate.

Manager Aaron Boone felt very strongly about it, in fact ... and was quickly ejected by home-plate umpire Ben May when he started losing it on the field. Over, right? WRONG!!!

Shortly after Boone was tossed, Gardner started banging a bat on the roof of the Yankees' dugout ... which got him ejected as well. Pitcher C.C. Sabathia was pissed too, and he got tossed almost immediately afterward after seemingly challenging the umpire.

Both Gardner and Sabathia had to be held back by their teammates -- luckily, things didn't escalate from there. Even luckier for the Yankees, they ended up winning the game 6-5, despite the ejections.

The umpire face-offs seems to be a regular thing for the boys in pinstripes lately -- Gardner was ejected last week after a case of mistaken identity. And, of course, Boone got ejected -- and subsequently suspended -- last month when he got in an ump's face.

Meek Mill has followed through on another promise to help his hometown -- lifting the curtain on a refurbished basketball court in his old hood ... and it looks great.

The Philly rapper was on-hand Saturday for the unveiling of a renovated court that he partnered with several different orgs to fix up for the kids and residents who frequent East Fairmount Park, which is right next to Meek's stomping grounds in North Philadelphia.

You can see the blacktop is now painted blue, and slugged with a "Dream Chasers" logo and as well as some inspirational quotes along the sidelines. "Dreamchasers" is one of Meek's mixtapes, BTW.

We got Meek talking about the work that was done -- with the help of PUMA, Roc Nation, the Philadelphia Parks & Rec Department and other local agencies -- and he made sure to shout out all the parties involved for bringing basketball back to his neighborhood.

As we reported, Meek wanted to give youth of his neighborhood the opportunity to "ball in the best conditions possible," which is why he got involved in this project to begin with.

Looks like the court is already doing what Meek set out to accomplish -- bringing his community together. Kids and adults alike were seen putting up shots and enjoying the cleanup job ... including Meek himself, who was ballin' out.

Just another day in Meek's newfound philanthropy -- dude's been on a roll since walking out of prison in 2018 ... whether it's stuff like this, or full-blown criminal justice efforts.

Ezekiel Elliott will NOT face criminal charges over his Las Vegas altercation with a security guard, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents ... the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department met with prosecutors late last month -- and after reviewing all of the evidence in the case, prosecutors felt they could not move forward with charges against the Dallas Cowboys superstar.

We reached out to Zeke's camp for a comment on the matter, but they declined.

As we previously reported ... 19-year-old Kyle Johnson, who was working as a security guard, was knocked over a metal railing during a parking lot dispute on May 19 at the Electric Daisy Carnival.

The Cowboys running back was placed in handcuffs after the shove -- but the 24-year-old was NOT arrested because Johnson told the cops he did not want to press charges.

But, after Zeke was not suspended by the NFL for the incident ... Johnson decided to file a police report.

Cops spent most of July gathering evidence in the case ... but according to the police docs, they decided they will not be moving forward with charges and will close the case.

It's big news for Elliott ... he now has one less thing he to worry about while his contract holdout with the Cowboys pushes forward.

Khabib Nurmagomedov wants Daniel Cormier to retire after fighting Stipe Miocic.

TMZ Sports talked to The Eagle days before his AKA gym mate headlines UFC 241 on Saturday.

It'll come as no surprise Khabib thinks Cormier will win ... what might shock you, KN says this should be Daniel's last trip to the Octagon.

"Honestly I want him retire, honestly. He have job, he have money. He's like one of the greatest athlete who ever compete in the UFC."

"I really want him to retire. Because 40 years is not like 30 years. I really want him to win this fight and say, 'Hey, I enjoy with you guys long time. Right now, I have to stop this.'"

Just to be clear, these guys are tight (as you could see when DC came into the TMZ office). It's not that Khabib thinks DC's lost a step ... he believes Cormier's been so successful outside of fighting, he doesn't have to risk his body anymore.

Question is, will DC actually hang up the gloves?

Khabib doesn't think so.

"I think, no. Know why? He's like Olympic athlete level. These people cannot say 'I'm finished.'"

Nurmagomedov continued ... "I don't think he's gonna retire after this fight. Me, Coach Jav, all team, we really want him retire, cause we love him."

If DC doesn't listen ... and he fights again, there's a good chance the opponent would be Jon Jones.

Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz have beef... BUT, AP says that doesn't mean he won't spark a J with Diaz after they fight.

Their relationship is icy -- there's been bad blood between the fighters for awhile -- and they're gonna duke it out Saturday night at UFC 241.

"We're not cool. Me and Nate are not cool," Pettis tells TMZ Sports ... "I mean we never had any kind of relationship other than him throwing his middle fingers up at me. So, you do that to me, then I'm assuming we have a problem."

So, yeah, they ain't friends ... which made Pettis' answer to, "Would you smoke with Nate after the fight?" surprising.

"F**k yeah. Hell yeah. Honestly after this fight is done, there's no beef," he says, "I'm gonna settle it in the Octagon, and if we spark one up, we spark one up."

It could happen.

Diaz isn't shy about his love for weed, and even lit up a joint (it's unclear if it was marijuana or CBD) at his open workout on Wednesday.

Pettis loved it.

"That's dope, that's dope. Hell yeah. I support that. I smoke weed too."

Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins was burglarized in Los Angeles ... and TMZ Sports has learned the thieves made off with the NBA star's shoes and luggage.

Law enforcement sources tell us the 24-year-old -- who's been in L.A. training for the NBA this summer -- had his place broken into earlier this month.

But, we're told cops described the scene as "amateur hour" ... because the burglars left jewelry and other valuables in the heist, and only took about $1,000 worth of the stuff instead.

We're told the thieves stole a pair of Wiggins' casual Nikes and his luggage -- and also made off with his rental SUV Escalade. But, we're told authorities were able to locate the vehicle a short time later.

As for Wiggins' property, the LAPD is currently investigating ... but no arrests have been made, and his stuff hasn't been recovered yet.

By the way, sources close to the situation also tell us the break-in appears to have had nothing to do with the string of burglaries that impacted celebs in the city over the past year -- describing this incident as random.

Wiggins has been one of the Minnesota Timberwolves' best players since entering the NBA in 2014 ... starting in 400 games in his 5-year career.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper's daughter Teal Piper is following in her legendary father's footsteps ... and TMZ Sports has obtained training footage showing her first in-ring action.

We've learned Piper has signed on with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss' WOW (Women Of Wrestling) promotion ... where she'll wrestle at live events and appear on season 2 of their TV show.

Remember, Piper told us she's debuting later this month at an AEW event -- but for now, that's just a 1-time appearance -- so the WOW deal shows she's all-in on wrestling.

In the footage we obtained -- taken at a training center in Long Beach, CA -- Piper is learning the wrestling basics in the squared circle.

We're told she's been training alongside the other WOW performers ... several times a week.

Roddy was a wrestling legend who unexpectedly passed away in July of 2015 at the age of 61.

Stipe Miocic says the guy Conor McGregor attacked at a pub back in April is one badass dude ... telling TMZ Sports he's got a CHIN OF STEEL!!!

The UFC superstar says he's seen our vid of Conor clocking the bar patron for rejecting his whiskey ... and Miocic has gotta give props where it's due -- saying the guy soaked in that hit like a pro!!!

"I give that guy a lot of credit, he ate that [punch], too," Stipe says ... "amazing."

"I was like, man, that guy's got a chin of steel."

Miocic is reserving judgment on the situation, though ... saying he'd want to hear both sides of the story before calling out McGregor for the hit.

UFC star Paige VanZant tells TMZ Sports she is officially BACK after multiple surgeries on her broken arm ... saying she's been cleared to start training again.

.... And, her first opponent was a TMZ staffer!!!

PVZ stopped by the office to break the great news ... telling us after that 2 arm breaks and 3 surgeries since January 2018, she finally got the green light to get back in the Octagon.

It's been a tough time for Paige .. who initially suffered the injury against Jessica Rose-Clark at Fight Night 124.

Paige tells us she's gunning to take her next fight before 2020 hits ... but doesn't have any particular opponents in mind.

VanZant -- who has 12 career fights -- tells us she wants to keep fighting for years to come ... saying she won't consider herself a "professional fighter" until she has 20 fights under her belt.

That's important 'cause she has a lot of opportunities outside the Octagon ... she's already been in the S.I. Swimsuit Issue and on "Dancing With The Stars."

But, enough business talk ... we know there's a lot of folks out there who wanna see a TMZ staffer get choked out ... and luckily, we got our in-house crash test dummy, Lucas, willing to step up for the task.

Troubled NFL player Josh Gordon is getting another shot ... the league announced it will conditionally reinstate the receiver on Sunday.

The New England Patriots star was indefinitely suspended back in December for committing several violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Gordon's been suspended several times since 2012 ... and also stepped away from the game to focus on his mental health last year.

The league made the news official on Friday, saying Gordon will be able to attend team practices and meetings ... but will not be able to play until he's properly conditioned.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement ... saying "We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally."

Ex-JUCO star Kishawn Holmes -- exonerated this week after being charged with rape -- tells TMZ Sports he was jumped by 18 men and stabbed in jail, and now that he's free, he's gunning to make the NFL.

As we previously reported, Holmes -- a star junior college running back -- was convicted of rape in 2018. But, new evidence emerged, and in December, Holmes conviction was thrown out after it was ruled he didn't get a fair trial. He was granted a new trial.

Fast forward to an L.A. courtroom Thursday ... the district attorney told the judge the state didn't wish to proceed with the case.

We're told the DA has no plans to re-file the charges.

We talked to Kishawn the day after his case was dismissed ... and he walked us through the moment he found out he was free.

"I just broke down in front of the courtroom. I just fell."

Kishawn says his time in L.A. County Jail was TERRIBLE ... where he experienced serious violence.

"I was in jail for 2 years, man. I got jumped by 18 people of a different race. Nose broken. Stitches in my eye, dislocated jaw. I got stabbed. I been in riots. I went to war. Hell and back, hell and back."

Now that he's out of jail ... and in the clear legally, Holmes says he wants to be an advocate for people falsely accused of serious crimes.

"Now I can be a voice. A voice for the wrongly accused. The voice for the females and males out there who actually had something happen to them, and they don't have a voice, and people don't want to hear them out."

Before Kishawn was locked up, he had a legit shot at playing professional football ... and, even while behind bars, he dreamed of playing ball.

"I used to be in my cell at night, like Kishawn Holmes, the 30, the 20, the 10."

Jay-Z had multiple reasons for becoming part of the NFL family, and TMZ Sports has learned one of them is that he is going to become part owner of an NFL team ... and it's going to happen soon.

Sources connected to Jay and with direct knowledge tell us ... Jay is going to have a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team.

As for which team ... we're not being told, but we are told "it is going to happen in the near future."

We're told Jay wants to become a part owner "because he's a huge fan, already has a sports business and wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL."

There's a question ... can Jay manage players if he owns a team? Our sources make it clear ... "Jay is not an NFL agent and does not take part in the operations of the NFL players in Roc Nation."

Giants god Lawrence Taylor says the G-Men have found a brand new franchise QB ... 'cause Daniel Jones is the future in the Big Apple.

"I've seen him a little bit," LT says ... "He's a hell of a football player."

Of course, the critics were out in full force after New York seemed to reach when it picked Jones with the No. 6 overall selection in April's NFL Draft.

But, the guy dazzled in his preseason debut last week ... and Taylor clearly noticed -- saying he was surprised to see it!!!

"He went to Duke," Taylor said, "so, that's hard to believe he's a hell of a football player!"

But, don't get it twisted ... LT doesn't think Jones' skill set should mean the immediate end of Eli Manning's time as a starter in New York. The pass rusher tells us he'd like to see the 2-time Super Bowl champ stay as long as he wants.

"As long as his terms are reasonable," Taylor adds.

By the way, we had to ask about Khalil Mack -- a guy Taylor said last season is nowhere close to his level -- and ya gotta hear if he's changed his tune since the Bear's monster 2018 season.

There's more ... Taylor was in NYC to celebrate Sapphire Gentlemen's Club's debut in Time Square -- and it sure seemed like he and a buncha other athletes had a great time!!!