TMZ Sports - Page 50

Did you know Quavo can SERIOUSLY ball?!?!?!

It's true ... the Migos rapper hit the court with a bunch of other A-list celebs (including Justin Bieber and Drake) on Thursday ... and the dude put on an absolute clinic!!

Huncho scored from all three levels -- his left-handed jumper was as buttery as an NBA pro's -- and his passing was top notch too!!

It's unclear why all the guys were together for some run at the famous court at Summit NYC in New York City ... but the clips from the games were pretty legendary.

Quavo stole the show scoring 15 points in this vid alone ... but Bieber put his skills on display too -- looking like a mini-Steve Nash!!

Drake also hit some 3s, Sheck Wes knocked down his shots ... and good times appeared to be had by all.

"This game is better than the 2020 NBA Celebrity Game!!!" said NBA skills coach Chris Brickley, who witnessed the game with his own two eyes.

Yeah, heads up, LeBron and Giannis ... good luck topping this next week.

Kobe Bryant wasn't just a UFC fan -- he was a big investor -- and got a huge distribution check from the company just days before he passed away ... so says Dana White.

The NBA legend was famous for his business savvy off the court -- and White says part of Kobe's portfolio was an ownership stake in UFC and Body Armor, the official energy drink of the UFC.

White tells TMZ Sports ... that 2019 was the most successful year in UFC history which resulted in massive payouts for all of the investors.

"Kobe got a distribution from the UFC the Wednesday before the incident and he was so pumped up and excited and he said what everybody always says, 'I wish I had invested more!'"

White says he'll remember Kobe as a great dude and an important part of the UFC fabric -- and tells us the organization plans to honor Kobe on Saturday at UFC 247 in Houston.

As for the fight card, White says he's extremely fired up about the main event -- Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes -- telling us Reyes is a dangerous man with a real shot to beat the G.O.A.T.

And, if Reyes wins, there will no doubt be a rematch.

There's more ... after the controversy between Joe Rogan and Stephen A. Smith following the Conor McGregor vs. Cowboy Cerrone fight, we asked if the two TV stars would be working together at UFC 247, Dana replied, "I don't think so."

Remember, Rogan said he was upset with the ESPN host for crapping all over Cowboy's "atrocious" performance during the UFC 246 post-fight show.

Smith said he felt like Cowboy quit -- to which Rogan essentially said Smith's opinion was uninformed and just plain wrong.

Conor McGregor felt Smith disrespected Cowboy and publicly called for Stephen A. to apologize.

Ryan Cabrera is spending more and more time with WWE superstar Alexa Bliss ... and we've learned they're together ... as in, together.

Our sources tell us the singer and wrestler first met back in October at the Smackdown on FOX premiere in Los Angeles, with Ryan's buddy The Miz seemingly playing matchmaker while they all hung out backstage.

Seems Ryan and Alexa immediately hit it off, because a few weeks later they were spotted together in Chicago. Ryan was in the Windy City for a concert and Alexa was wrestling in a WWE PPV event.

The Ryan and Alexa tour picked up again in St. Louis, where they were once again were spotted, this time on New Year's Eve ... a tell-tale sign of a couple, right?!?

When the Grammys rolled around last month, Ryan and Alexa posed for a ton of pics together at a gifting suite ... adding more fuel to the dating fire.

Want more proof?!? Consider last week's trip to Disneyland, and notice how Ryan's got his arm draped around Alexa's shoulder. Super cute!!!

Shaquille O'Neal made a video to help sell his L.A.-area home -- but what it shows is the NBA star has honored 3 late rappers with some VERY cool art.

Of course, Shaq is a BIG rap nerd -- not only has he dropped albums, but he LOVES the genre and has a particular affinity for guys like Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac.

So, when he posted a brand new video tour of the Bell Canyon mansion he put on the market for $2.5 million ... the art on the walls caught our eye.

He's got two Biggie pieces along with a portrait of Pac and a newer image of Nipsey Hussle -- three great rappers who are all gone, but not forgotten.

If you're interested in the actual property, yeah -- it's pretty sick!!

5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, 5,217-square-feet with a chef's kitchen, wet bar, media room, sick pool, wine closet ... and it's all walking distance to the community center gym and tennis courts.

Check this out, James Harrison ... there's a defensive lineman who's throwing around a ridiculous amount of weight in the gym ... and it's super impressive.

Myles Garrett did his best impression of the former Steelers superstar Thursday ... posting a video of himself deadlifting what appears to be about 465 pounds with a trap bar -- multiple times!!!

Oh ... and for some of the reps, he's wearing a big-ass weighted vest loaded with 100 pounds.

Now, Garrett lifting heavy weights ain't exactly breaking news ... the dude threw up 225 pounds 33 times at the NFL Combine in 2017.

FYI -- only 2 other guys in the entire draft completed more reps.

Back in January, the Browns star also posted video of himself benching 425 pounds.

MG's still indefinitely suspended for swinging a helmet at Mason Rudolph's head ... so seeing him get after it hard in the gym is a sight for sore eyed Cleveland Browns fans who want Myles back on the field.

Garrett looks shredded -- and is obviously crazy strong -- but he's still got work to do if he wants to match feats of strength with the dude who once benched 500 pounds and pushed around an 1,800-pound sled.

Here's Eli Manning clearly devastated he ain't playing football any -- AHHH JUST KIDDING!! ELI'S HITTING THE LINKS WITH HIS BIG BRO AND OBVIOUSLY LOVING RETIREMENT!!!

The ex-NY Giants QB -- who just officially called it an NFL career on Jan. 22 -- hit the pro-am at Pebble Beach on Thursday ... and he sure didn't look like a guy who's missing getting hit for a living.

Eli and Peyton were part of a foursome alongside pros Kevin Chappell and Luke Donald ... and the Manning bros actually played pretty well.

Eli -- a 10 handicap -- posted an 8-under total with Chappell ... while Peyton -- an 8 handicap -- carded a 5-under with Donald. Not bad for two old retired guys!!

Of course, the tournament's also filled with a TON of other celebs and athletes ... including NFL legends like Steve Young and Larry Fitzgerald.

But it was another QB who stole the highlight show for the day ... Aaron Rodgers made some tremendous shots on the course -- and even walked in one of his putts!!

And, as for the non-professional athletes, country superstar Jake Owen really had himself a day ... check out these two shots he poured in from distance!!!

Andre Drummond says he's learned a very important lesson about the NBA -- "there's no friends or loyalty."

The 6'11" All-Star -- who's been with the Detroit Pistons since he was drafted in 2012 --ripped the team moments ago after learning he was just traded to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2nd worst team in the NBA.

"If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty," Drummond said.

"I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons, and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business!"

Drummond added, "I love you Detroit. You will always have a special place in my heart! But on to the next @cavs hope your ready! Let’s finish the year off the right way."

The 26-year-old center is a stud -- he's a 2-time All-Star who's currently leading the league in rebounds. In fact, he went off Wednesday night against the Suns scoring 31 points and 19 boards in that game.

Anthony Davis' tribute tattoo to Kobe Bryant was revealed this week ... and you can see in a new detailed photograph of the artwork, the piece is pretty amazing.

Remember, just days after Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, tragically passed in a helicopter crash ... both AD and LeBron James went under the needle for Kobe-inspired ink.

LeBron revealed his tat before the Lakers' game last Friday ... showing off artwork that featured a black mamba, Kobe's numbers, two roses and a "Mamba 4 Life" inscription.

But Davis hadn't publicly released his art until just this week ... when his tattoo artist showed off the piece on social media.

The ink is beautiful ... featuring a black mamba circled around Bryant's famous brand logo.

"I am mortified. I am embarrassed and I am very angry."

That's Gayle King going NUCLEAR on her own network, CBS, for releasing an interview clip with Kobe Bryant's good friend, Lisa Leslie, in which King asks about Kobe's rape case ... claiming CBS simply did her dirty.

Here's the deal ... earlier this week, CBS released a teaser clip from King's big interview with the WNBA star in which she asks if Bryant's legacy is "complicated" because of the 2003 sexual assault case.

King received a TON of backlash online from people who claim the question was insensitive and inappropriate -- including 50 Cent and Vivica A. Fox.

In a video she made Thursday morning, Gayle admitted she's been reading the tidal wave of negative comments on social media and it's been driving her crazy!

"I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too,” King said.

She continued, "I am mortified. I am embarrassed and I am very angry."

"Unbeknownst to me, my network put up a clip from a very wide-ranging interview -- totally taken out of context -- and when you see it that way, it’s very jarring. It’s jarring to me. I didn’t even know anything about it."

King says the sexual assault question was only a small part of a larger conversation about Kobe's life ... and she felt it WAS appropriate to ask that question at the time.

"We talked about that court case because that court case has also come up. And, I wanted to get Lisa’s take on it as a friend who knew him well, what she thought, where that should stand."

"It was very powerful when she looked me in the eye, as a member of the media, to say, 'It’s time for the media to leave it alone and to back off.'"

"I felt really good about the interview ... so, for the network to take the most salacious part when taken out of context, and put it up for people who didn’t see the whole interview, is very upsetting to me and that’s something I’m going to have to deal with them."

"There will be a very intense discussion about that."

Awesome gesture from PGA Tour star Justin Thomas -- the golfer is auctioning off his custom Kobe Bryant wedges ... and says the proceeds will go to the families affected by Bryant's tragic helicopter crash.

Thomas paid tribute to the Black Mamba often this past weekend at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. ... even rocking a Bryant high school jersey while playing.

But, his best Mamba ode came courtesy of the clubs he used to shoot ... 'cause each of Thomas' wedges had some cool Kobe-isms etched into the iron.

"Mamba Mentality," "Black Mamba," "Kobe Bean Bryant" and "81 Points" were inscribed on his Titleist Vokeys for the four-day tourney.

Now, Thomas -- who finished third in the event -- says a lucky fan can have them for a price ... and says all the money will go toward The MambaOnThree Fund.

Of course, that's the charity Vanessa Bryant set up to help the families of those killed in the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. on Jan. 26.

Thomas was particularly hit hard by the tragedy ... he's been a noted HUGE Kobe fan throughout his career, famously yelling "KOBE!" before tough shots in the past.

UFC star Tyron Woodley says he's been training like a MANIAC in the jungles of Thailand -- and has a warning for his next opponent Leon Edwards, "You gonna get f*cked up."

Woodley and Edwards are set to throw down at UFC Fight Night on March 21 in London ... and Tyron says he realizes he can't have ANY distractions, so he flew out to a remote part of Thailand to train.

"I was in the motherf*cking jungle for real," Woodley says ... "There were monkeys walking on my window sill. Snakes. Bats."

Tyron says he liked Thailand so much, he plans to go back for his full training camp leading up to the Edwards fight ... explaining he's laser focused on getting the "W."

"My kids need to see their dad win again ... so the most important thing for me is the victory."

As for Edwards, Tyron says he knows Leon's been talking trash -- and he LOVES it -- because it's giving him even more motivation to win.

"I'm just gonna f*ck Leon Edwards up so bad that everybody's gonna be like, 'Why did you match them up?' This is a mismatch. Dana, you should lose your job for this."

There's a LOT more in this week's episode of "The Hollywood Beatdown" ... including Tyron's thoughts on the rest of the UFC welterweight division -- from Kamaru Usman to Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.

Tyron also breaks down the Offset strip club incident, the Gervonta Davis arrest and Beyonce and Jay-Z at the Super Bowl.

Miami Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard is off the hook in his domestic violence case ... TMZ Sports has learned his battery charge was dropped Thursday.

Howard's attorney, Michael C. Grieco, says it was announced at a short hearing in a Broward County courtroom that the case against the NFL player has been dismissed.

It's huge news for the 26-year-old, who was facing jail time after his fiancee alleged he roughed her up after an argument at their Davie, Fla. home on Dec. 29.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, the woman says Howard grabbed her, pushed her against a mirrored wall, and when he let her go, she fell on one of his crutches.

Cops say in the report they noticed visible scratches, redness and an abrasion on the woman's body ... and arrested the 6-foot-1, 200-pound cornerback.

What's worse ... in 911 audio from the incident, the woman -- who has three children with Howard -- insinuated the NFL player had repeatedly abused her in the past.

It's unclear what prompted the state attorney's office to not pursue charges this week ... we're working on it.

Howard -- who made the Pro Bowl in 2018 -- is still subject to NFL discipline under the league's personal conduct policy.

Kyler Murray touchdown pass to ... Antonio Brown?!?!

AZ Cardinals safety Budda Baker tells TMZ Sports he would not hate seeing that one bit in 2020 ... saying he and his Cardinals squad would welcome the troubled receiver with arms wide-open.

"I feel like a lot of teams can use Antonio Brown," Baker tells us. "He's a great player ... Hopefully he can get back to the league because the league is definitely better with AB."

A Brown signing would make the Cards pretty damn elite on offense -- there's Murray, Larry Fitzgerald, Kenyan Drake, Christian Kirk and others -- and when we brought that possibility up to Budda, he loved the idea.

"That would be crazy!" he said.

The problem with the vision? It's unclear if the NFL will ever let Brown play again.

AB is currently in the middle of civil cases and a criminal investigation ... with rape allegations from his former trainer and assault accusations from a moving truck driver hanging over his head.

The NFL is probing all of the claims ... and when commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about all of it earlier this week, he said the league is working to make sure AB is healthy off the field first and foremost.

Patrick Mahomes and even Paul Rudd firing up clubgoers

It's good to be the CHAMPS ... just ask Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs who all got the super-VIP treatment at the Post Malone concert.

Post -- a HUGE football fan -- invited the Super Bowl champs to his Kansas City show at the Sprint Center on Wednesday where the QB, TE and others players got a special roped-off section all to themselves.

And get this ... Malone -- a hardcore Dallas Cowboys fan -- even paid tribute to the Chiefs by rocking a Mahomes jersey on stage! You can see in the clip, Patrick LOVED it!

Before the show, Post invited the guys and their gals backstage for a private dance party and some beer pong action!!

The most impressive part ... the Chiefs had been drinking HARD since like 10 AM on Wednesday because of the Super Bowl parade in K.C. Mahomes and Kelce were pounding beers on the parade bus like it was water!!!

So, to keep it up for more than 12 straight hours ... man, that's good stuff.

Hopefully they can beat a hangover like they beat those 49ers!!

Here's what you get for the man that has everything ...

Cristiano Ronaldo was surprised by his smokin' hot GF with a brand-new Mercedes for his 35th birthday ... and TMZ Sports has learned the whip cost nearly $1 MILLION!!

The insane present was given to Ronaldo after a dinner date in Italy on Wednesday night ... and CR7 -- a dude who's worth a BAJILLION dollars -- seemed legit stunned by the gift!!

The ride -- reportedly a 1-of-10 vehicle -- was draped in a red bow ... and Ronaldo's friends helped him celebrate it by dousing him in confetti and a rendition of "Feliz Cumpleanos."

Ronaldo's longtime GF, Georgina Rodriguez, said of the present in Spanish, "Congratulations to the man of my life! I can't wait to transport our love with your gift."

The ride is seriously insane ... it's got 800 horsepower, goes 0-to-60 in 2.9 seconds, and reportedly costs around $875,000!!!

Of course, Ronaldo is a huge car collector ... the dude reportedly owns around 20 super fancy rides -- so Georgina definitely won this bday.