TMZ Sports - Page 50

This might be the classiest clap back ever ... Floyd Mayweather subtly responding to 50 Cent after the rapper said Floyd's protege Gervonta Davis stole Mayweather's chick.

Earlier this week, 50 posted a video on social media saying he got a tip about someone who "took champ's bitch" -- and then identified the lady stealer as Davis.

"I don't know what the f**k," 50 said ... "Nelly took one of the bitches, Ray J took one of the bitches, now Gervonta done took one of the bitches. He bought the bitch a Bentley, Maybach, motherf**king condo and all that s**t. Now Gervonta got the bitch? N***a probably want to put a suicide note, man."

So, when we saw Floyd this week, we asked him about Gervonta -- and Mayweather showered him with praise, essentially saying Davis is like family.

"He's an unbelievable fighter and they can’t stop him," Floyd said.

"He’s the best at what he do. I’m behind him. I look at him like a son, ya know? I’ve been working with him for years now. And, the only thing we’re gonna do is keep racking those victories and beating the best they got out there."

Seem like a guy who thinks Gervonta stole his lady??? Not really ...

Paige VanZant says Mackenzie Dern is a HUGE inspiration -- showing that women CAN still have a career in the UFC even after giving birth!!!

Of course, Dern lost her comeback fight to Amanda Ribas just 4 months after giving birth to her baby daughter ... but the fight went the distance and Dern still looked pretty dangerous.

25-year-old VanZant says watching Dern fight "put things into perspective for me" about the reality of starting a family with her MMA fighter husband, Austin Vanderford, while maintaining a career as an MMA fighter.

"I always thought that I was going to have kids once I’m done fighting but now seeing that, I’m like no you don’t have to."

"[Dern] legitimately, in the time I broke my arm, she had a baby, came back and fought. So, now I’m like okay there’s hope for me!"

"Me and my husband, I can have a few more fights, maybe have kids and then still continue to fight. I don’t have to give up my dreams, just because you go through childbirth."

"It’s really inspiring and I hope other women can see that too. She’s still young and she’s going to have a really successful UFC career, it’s awesome."

NFL breakout star James Bradberry has been balling OUT OF HIS MIND this season ... and he's telling TMZ Sports his biggest motivation for putting in all that extra work -- getting a FAT new contract!!!

The 26-year-old Carolina Panthers cornerback is widely considered one of the biggest bargains this season ... considering he's still on his rookie contract (4 years, $3.69 million) and has racked up 3 INTs and 30 tackles.

Yeah ... he's a beast.

We spoke with Bradberry about going HAM during his contract year ... and he admits it's given him some extra oomph when he takes the field.

“I’d be lying if I said no," Bradberry tells us. "Definitely it’s always on my mind. And, you know, it just helps me play better. And, if I play good then the team does well. It helps on both ends."

And, what's really gonna make you root for this guy??? How he's gonna spend his money when he inks his new deal.

“The number one goal for me is to retire my mom. You know, my mom she’s worked hard. She’s pretty much a single parent for me and my sister. She’s taking care of my grandmother right now as well. So, if I can retire her, that’s my number one goal right now."

So, let's go Panthers ... PAY THIS MAN ALL THE MONEY!!!!

Lofa Tatupu says his body feels so good right now after using CBD ... he could make an NFL comeback TODAY -- and tells TMZ Sports he'd legit consider coming out of retirement if the league legalized it!!!

"If it's accepted in the next CBA," the former linebacker All-Pro says, "You might see a comeback -- I'll be 38 by then, but I don't care!"

Lofa was a superstar for the Seahawks from 2005 to 2010 ... earning 3 Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro honor -- but injuries and concussions ultimately cut his NFL career short.

But, when we spoke with Tatupu earlier this week ... he says he's been taking CBD to cure his issues -- and he's never felt physically better in his life.

"I feel -- and I'm not lying -- better than my three Pro Bowl years," Tatupu says.

In fact, Lofa -- who's launched his own CBD company called ZoneIn CBD -- says he's feeling so good ... he thinks he could withstand the rigors of the NFL once again -- at nearly 40 years old!!!

Leornard Fournette is still devastated by his friend Jalen Ramsey getting traded to L.A. ... giving a blunt reaction to the NFL superstar's pics in his new uniform --

"Ain't this some sh*t."

Of course, Ramsey was shipped from the Jaguars to the Rams earlier this week in exchange for a couple of 1st round picks (as well as a 4th rounder) ... and Fournette was sad to see him go.

To add salt to the wound, the 24-year-old posted pics in his new practice threads on Friday -- smiling ear to ear and posing with fellow ex-Jag Dante Fowler.

"Reppin tha West side wit my Savage!!," Ramsey tweeted.

It's only been a few days, but Ramsey seems to love the move -- TMZ Sports shot him at LAX just hours after the trade and he told us he was "feeling good!!"

The Rams are currently 3-3 and 3rd in the NFC West ... but now that they have a shiny new piece on defense, fans have gotta be stoked to see #20 get on the field.

Nick Young and Rihanna???

It almost happened ... with the NBA star saying he shot his shot at the superstar after she watched him ball out at a Lakers game, but there was one thing holding him back ... Iggy Azalea.

It all went down around 2014, according to Swaggy (who told the story on the "Certified Buckets" podcast) ... saying he was motivated to play outta his mind after he saw RiRi sitting courtside at Staples Center.

"I had a good game, so [the reporters] asked me why ... and I said, you know, Rihanna was there."

Young says the shout-out got a reaction from Rihanna -- who actually hit him up afterward, but he didn't follow through because there was already another famous lady in the picture.

"She hit me back, but I couldn't go full throttle with it because I was like, in the beginning stages of my relationship with [Iggy]."

The hosts of the podcasts nearly lost their minds over Nick's revelation -- with Sarunas J Jackson saying straight-up, "WRONG ONE MAN!"

"You coulda been King of Barbados! You could have been first man of Barbados right now!"

Don't worry, Nick defended Iggy's honor -- "I think I did pretty good, though. It worked out for a little bit."

Of course, Nick and Iggy dated for years and even got engaged ... but things fell apart after Nick admitted messing around on Iggy on cell phone footage posted by then-teammate D'Angelo Russell ('memba that?!?).

Deebo from "Friday" is giving his blessing to "Deebo" from the 49ers -- and TMZ Sports has the video!!

FYI, "Deebo" Samuel -- real name Tyshun -- got the nickname by his father, Galen, when he was kid as a tribute to the movie badass played by Tiny Lister.

The nickname stuck as he became a star WR at South Carolina -- and he REALLY blew up when he was selected by the 49ers in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

So, when we saw Lister out in L.A. the other day, we asked him if he felt the WR was worthy of the "Deebo" name.

"He gets the blessing man," Lister told us ... "He’s one of the starting wide receivers for the San Francisco 49ers. I'm a big fan of what they doing up there man!"

And, get this, Lister says he's been in talks with Ice Cube about a new "Friday" movie -- shooting could start as early as December -- and Lister wants Samuel to get a role!

"Hey, Ice Cube is gonna have to put Lil' Deebo in the movie with Big Deebo, okay?! And, let's rock it!"

Lister even has a message for Samuel -- check out the clip!!!

Phil Mickelson nearly carded the greatest hole in PGA Tour history Friday -- missing a hole in one on a 353-yard Par 4 ... by INCHES!!!!

Lefty was playing in the second round of the CJ Cup in South Korea ... when he stepped up to the tee box on the 14th hole at Nine Bridges -- and nearly did the unthinkable.

With a driver in his hand ... Phil took a violent swing and ripped a golf ball that hit the green on the fly.

It tracked all the way to the hole ... but had just a little too much heat on it -- and instead of falling, it kicked off the pin and settled just inches away from the improbable ace.

Of course, Phil was able to roll in the eagle putt ... but you just know the dude was fuming over missing history!!

There's only been one Par-4 ace EVER on the PGA Tour -- and it was a wacky 332-yarder by Andrew Magee at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona back in 2001.

There's no video of that shot ... which means Phil's swing Friday would have been truly the most legendary one in PGA Tour history!

Wanna know how Jennifer Lopez might look when she walks down the aisle to marry Alex Rodriguez? If her movie wardrobe's any indication ... the answer is stunning.

J Lo was in all her bridal glory Thursday in NYC shooting a movie called, what else ... "Marry Me." She was rocking a lavishly floral patterned wedding dress for the scene ... with all the accessories -- veil, train, jewelry and even a fancy shawl at one point.

As you know ... J Lo and A-Rod got engaged in March, and everyone's been dying to know when and where they plan to tie the knot. Still no word on that, but maybe the movie -- which comes out next year -- is giving Jen some ideas for her real-life gown.

If you're superstitious, chill out ... doesn't look like A-Rod saw her in the gown. He was busy at Yankee Stadium covering the Bronx Bombers' playoff game.

After she wrapped on the set, Jenny from the Block made it up to the game with her hair still curled from the scenes. BTW, she looked great, but her Yankees did NOT. They lost.

Savage burn from NHL superstar Mat Barzal on Thursday night ... 'cause after he took a hockey stick to the face TWICE -- he said his lips looked like Kylie Jenner's now!!!

The New York Islanders center was popped in the mouth a few times by a high stick in his game against the Winnipeg Jets ... and when he was interviewed about his swollen face at intermission, things took a hilarious turn.

"I feel like Kylie Jenner right now," 22-year-old Barzal said with a laugh ... "But, two high sticks there, it's unfortunate. That's hockey."

Of course, Kylie's fake lips are perhaps more famous than the entire league Barzal plays in ... but still -- BUUUURNNN!!!!

In case you care, Mat fought through the pain to dominate the Jets ... scoring two goals in the Islanders' 3-1 win.

As for his face ... we're pretty sure he's going to be just fine -- but he might not look so hot for a few days.

Maybe a KJ Lip Kit can help???

The ousted cofounder of the Big Baller Brand says Lonzo Ball was secretly diagnosed with torn ligaments in his ankle BEFORE he was traded to New Orleans ... but the Pelicans and the Ball family say it's just not true.

In fact, both the Balls and the Pelicans say they have solid medical evidence proving Lonzo's ankle is fine.

The man behind the claim is Alan Foster, who was fired from BBB and later sued by Lonzo. In his suit, Ball claims Alan stole more than $2 million from him.

Foster denies the allegations -- but he's REALLY pissed ... and has launched a new YouTube show promising to "expose" the truth about the Ball family.

In a video published Thursday, Foster claims he knows a secret about Lonzo's health -- "Nobody knows that he has torn ligaments."

Foster says Lonzo met with a specialist in Ohio earlier this year (when he was still on the Lakers) and an MRI and X-rays confirmed ligament damage to his ankle.

"A torn ligament at the point of your ankle where your ligament is torn, it's not gonna heal on its own. He's applying too much pressure, he's cutting left and right. This is a very sensitive area that has to be strong," Foster says.

Foster claims Lonzo was all set to undergo surgery, but when the Lakers found out -- they "freaked out" and told him to cancel the procedure. He alleges Lakers honchos sent the team jet to immediately bring him back to L.A.

Foster claims the Lakers believed if Zo went under the knife, it would hurt his trade value -- "No team would have wanted Lonzo with an ankle injury, recovering from surgery."

Lonzo was eventually traded to the Pelicans -- but Foster says the 21-year-old never had the procedure to repair his injury, and is at a huge risk of causing even more damage.

"If Lonzo doesn't get surgery, he's gonna have another season with the New Orleans Pelicans and he's gonna get injured again."

We reached out to the Pelicans and a rep told us, "The team strongly debunks this and was very aware of Lonzo's injury history and status [before we traded for him]."

Ex-Yankees skipper Joe Girardi fought like hell to choke back tears when talking about CC Sabathia ... and if you're a Bronx Bombers fan, or just someone with a heart, cue the waterworks.

Barring a miracle, Sabathia's career ended Thursday night ... when the 39-year-old star pitcher was forced to leave Game 4 of the Yankees-Astros ALCS game when his knee buckled on the mound. The Yanks are 1 game away from elimination ... and CC's retiring after this season.

So, when former longtime manager Joe Girardi -- who managed CC from 2009-2017 -- was asked to talk about the legendary hurler during his MLB Network TV gig, it got emotional.

"That was not the way I wanted to see it end for him."

"CC, you're a Hall of Fame pitcher that was as tough as any man I was ever around, what you went through on a daily basis to just be able to get on the mound."

"You were a great husband. You were a great father. You were probably the greatest teammate I've ever been around because of your ability to pull all 25, sometimes all 50 people together in the clubhouse."

Girardi continued, and this is where it really gets emotional ... "And, you were the guy I always wanted on the mound when we needed a win. And, it was a privilege for me to manage you for 9 years. I love you, man."

WE'RE NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING!!!!

If this is it for the 251-game winning, 6x All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young winner -- and it certainly looks like it's a wrap -- Sabathia's next stop is likely Cooperstown

Shaquille O'Neal is stepping up and doing an amazing thing for the family of a 12-year-old boy who was paralyzed in a random shooting ... paying for them to live in a handicap accessible home.

12-year-old Isaiah Payton was struck in the spine by a stray bullet when leaving a high school football game in Atlanta on August 17. He was paralyzed from the chest down.

Payton was hospitalized and eventually stabilized -- but doctors would not release him because his family's 1-bedroom apartment was not equipped to handle his special needs.

That's when Shaq stepped in ...

The NBA legend -- along with partners at Papa Johns -- found Payton's family a suitable home in the College Park area and have pledged to take care of the family's finances for a year.

"We’re going to give her some furniture, TVs and pay her rent off for a year and help her get on her feet," Shaq told WXIA-TV.

"I was watching the story and it’s just sad. It could have been any one of us. It could have been my son. It could’ve been your cousin."

Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo's relationship is at "make breakfast for each other" level ... 'cause CMC snapped a pic of the former Miss Universe whippin' up egg sandwiches for him!!!

Things have been heating up between the Carolina Panthers stud and Maxim's "World's Sexiest Woman" lately -- they were pictured holding hands during a romantic trip to Cabo this past offseason.

Although the 27-year-old SI Swimsuit model has been spotted spending a lot of time in Charlotte throughout the season, the couple hasn't come right out and said, "WE'RE DATING."

Now that McCaffrey posted this pic, it seems like they're cool with the world knowing.

"Egg sammie's on a Thursday," the 23-year-old running back captioned the pic of the sandwich with OC in the background ... adding a heart emoji.

Of course, Culpo is coming off a wild breakup with 33-year-old NFL star Danny Amendola. Culpo and the Detroit Lions WR split earlier this year.

As for McCaffrey, he's in the middle of an MVP campaign, posting crazy numbers so far this season. Maybe she's his good luck charm.

And now, after this??? Just give him the trophy already.

Michael Strahan's not holding up his end of the child support deal he struck with his ex-wife, and it's going to take him more than half a mil to square up ... at least according to her.

Jean Muggli Strahan claims in legal docs ... the former NFL superstar's on the hook for some big-time equestrian expenses for their twin teenage daughters -- Sophia and Isabella -- along with owing hundreds of thousands in back child support.

Jean says a huge chunk of what Strahan owes her is to cover their daughters' horseback riding bills ... which she claims amount to $450,802 since 2017. According to the docs, Michael agreed to go halfsies with Jean but hasn't paid up ... so she's seeking more than $225k from him.

In docs he filed, Michael says he never agreed to such an arrangement.

On top of that, Jean claims Michael has underpaid child support since 2010 ... because the monthly amount he pays hasn't been adjusted for cost of living. The docs say she wants $321,654 in back support to make it right.

In his filing, Michael admits part of their agreement does call for cost-of-living adjustments -- but adds, the language about how to come up with that number is "vague and indefinite." Translation: We need to agree on a formula to come up with the correct number.

That being said, by Jean's current calculation ... she's looking to get more than $547k.

We broke the story ... the exes were in a Manhattan court last month to face off over their previous settlement.

Michael and Jean married in 1999 but split in 2006, and the judge eventually awarded Jean $15.3 million in their divorce and ordered him to pay $18k/month in child support.

However, that amount was decreased to just under $13k a month in 2009 ... according to the docs.

Jean claims his monthly income is way more now than it was in '09, due to his gigs on "FOX NFL Sunday" and "Good Morning America," among other projects ... so he can afford to increase his child support again. She wants him to pay $18,378 a month going forward.

Dennis Rodman has been charged with misdemeanor battery in Florida for allegedly slapping a man at his own birthday party back in May -- but The Worm is adamant he's innocent.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... cops say Rodman was at the Buddha Sky Bar in Delray Beach on May 17 when he "unprovokedly turned around and smacked" 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque.

Soulouque claims Rodman immediately began apologizing for the incident and invited him out to dinner the following night in an attempted peace offering.

But, Soulouque told TMZ Sports he was really hurt -- and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a left corneal abrasion. He went to cops the day after the incident and filed a report.

Cops launched an investigation and called up a witness named David Lee Roth -- who, shockingly, is NOT the Van Halen singer. Still, cops say DLR corroborated Soulouque's story.

"Roth stated he was about twenty feet away and he saw Rodman turn around and open hand smack Soulouque two times," the report states.

Prosecutors later charged Rodman with misdemeanor battery -- and on Thursday, DR's attorney appeared in court on his behalf and pled not guilty.

It's a big deal for Rodman -- the charge carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail, 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine.

And, with Dennis' criminal history, it's possible a judge could throw the book at the NBA legend if he's convicted.