TMZ Sports - Page 50

This is pretty awesome ... fans at Thursday's LAFC game unveiled a HUGE tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant -- and started a stadium-wide, spine-tingling "Ko-Be" chant at the same time.

The tifo -- soccer's term for in-arena visual displays -- popped up shortly before LAFC's Concacaf Champions League match against Club Leon in Carson, CA.

And, you can see in video of it all ... it's massive -- and amazing.

Fans raised purple and white placards that spelled out the Nos. 8 and 24 ... while a banner with Kobe and Gigi's faces plus the words, "Kobe & GiGi Forever," raised behind the goal.

Soon after ... the entire stadium joined in a raucous "KO-BE" chant as well.

Team star Carlos Vela also wore a captain's armband that had Kobe's initials and jersey numbers on it.

The LAFC match was the team's first at home since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, CA.

Will Smith's gotta share the spotlight now with Serena and Venus Williams -- or at least the young actors who are costarring with him as the tennis phenoms.

Will's been digging into the role of Richard Williams in "King Richard" all week in L.A., but on Thursday we got our first look at his onscreen daughters. Saniyya Sidney is playing Venus and Demi Singleton is Serena in the biopic.

Demi and Saniyya are playing young Serena and Venus -- in their teens, it seems -- but we still don't know who will be playing them as adults ... when they really dominated tennis.

The film, about how the Williams sisters' father raised and coached them to become superstar athletes, is slated to come out in November ... so, ya know the studio behind it is thinking it's gonna be Oscar worthy.

Dana White says he could "give a s**t" if MMA fans bail on UFC over his friendship with President Trump ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's your problem, not mine."

Just last week, the UFC boss flew with POTUS to Colorado for a campaign rally -- where White even took the mic and fired up the crowd before Trump spoke.

When we saw White outside of Mulberry Street pizza in Bev Hills on Thursday, he told us how the whole thing came together.

"I wasn't really campaigning, he called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Colorado," White said ... "he said, 'Wanna go to Colorado?' So, I said, 'Yeah.' So, we flew over to Colorado for the day and then back to Vegas."

So, what did they talk about on Air Force One?

"We were just hanging out and talking fights."

"I can't say it enough. This guy, when I say this guy I'm talking about President Trump ... is such a good friend and such a loyal amazing guy. He's a great guy, been a friend of mine for a long time."

As for backlash from UFC fans upset with White for supporting Trump, Dana made it clear he doesn't care if the friendship rubs people the wrong way.

"I could give a s**t. I don't give a s**t. If you don't like me because I'm friends with this guy, that's your problem, not mine."

There's more ... Dana is also very close friends with Tom Brady -- so we asked White if he knows anything about where TB12 could end up next season?!

The good news ... Dana and Tom spoke just hours before this clip!!

Wayne Gretzky says fighting in the NHL might not be around much longer ... and tells TMZ Sports he can see a scenario where it's officially banned from the league.

"You've cleaned it out of minor hockey, junior hockey, college hockey," The Great One says. "It's not really part of our game anymore."

Of course, the issue of fighting in the sport is being brought up again after an AHL player was hospitalized after he took a haymaker to the face in an on-ice tilt earlier this week.

When we ran into Gretzky in NYC on Thursday ... he told us despite the terrifying scene, fights are still going to happen in hockey every now and then.

But, he added the league appears to be getting closer and closer to seeing the scraps become extinct.

"There's less and less fights every year," Gretzky says. "Kids grow up now and nobody fights. In the old days, they used to fight at 15, 18, 20, but now they all grow up and nobody fights."

When we asked Gretzky -- who rarely ever threw down in his 20-year NHL career -- if he could see the league inputting a rule prohibiting the knuckle chucking, he told us, "You never know."

By the way, we also asked Wayne for his thoughts on Zamboni-driver-turned-backup-goalie, David Ayres ... and The Great One had some funny comments on the amazing story!

This is the BEST thing you'll see all day.

14-year-old New York Mets superfan Braeden got hooked up with a once in a lifetime experience at spring training in Port St. Lucie, FL this week ... meeting all the players, hanging in the clubhouse and on the field!

Not only did Braeden -- who is battling cystic fibrosis -- hang with guys like Michael Conforto, Jacob deGrom, Jeff McNeil and Tim Tebow ... he also got to take the lineup card to home plate (in full uniform) before the game against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Braeden and his fam got to enjoy the game from the first row, behind home plate ... but the best part of his trip happened when he randomly ran into his favorite player -- Pete Alonso -- at his hotel!!

We're told PA was more than happy to hang with Braeden, take pics and even autograph a ball for his big fan.

“He was so chill,” Braeden said about the encounter “He was just a nice guy.”

OUUUUUUUUUUUUUCHHHHH!!!

NFL tight end prospect Mitchell Wilcox just took a ball straight to the face in his combine workout ... and it looked like it hurt like HELL!!!

The former USF standout was going through the famous gauntlet drill Thursday ... when for some reason, he didn't put his hands up before the third pass was thrown.

You can see the clip ... the fastball hits him right in the dome -- and it's pretty clear the shot didn't feel great.

To Wilcox's credit, he was able to finish the drill and is still out there chugging along -- although the damage to his face AND his NFL future might already be done.

Aside from getting hit in the noggin in front of a bunch of scouts ... Wilcox ran a slow 4.88 40-yard dash time and stumbled through other parts of his workout as well.

It ain't exactly a great look for the 23-year-old -- but there is hope ... remember the last dude who embarrassed himself in front of a national audience at the combine?

Yeah, Chris Jones is a Super Bowl champ now!!!

LaVar Ball is bringing back the Big Baller Brand in a huge way -- but admits he's still not 100% sure if his NBA-destined son LaMelo will wear BBB shoes when he gets to the pros.

FYI, 18-year-old Melo is definitely a top prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft -- some people think he could go as high as #1. His older brother Lonzo Ball was the #2 pick back in 2017.

And with LaVar relaunching BBB with the promise of new basketball shoes and other items, the guys on "TMZ Live" asked if he'd be signing his youngest son to an endorsement deal.

"Will he be wearing a Big Baller Brand shoe? I don't know," LaVar said ... "You're going to have to stay tuned for that man."

Here's the deal ... we already know multiple top shoe companies have their eyes on LaMelo -- including Nike -- and it's obvious why ... he's got superstar potential.

But at this point, we're told Melo hasn't signed on the dotted line with anyone -- though it's pretty clear his father wants him to stay with the family business.

That said, if a company like Nike or Puma comes to the table with a $50 million shoe deal ... can you really say no?!

And here ... we ... go!!!!

Tom Brady might really be on his way outta Foxborough ... 'cause his agents have been busy meeting with potential suitors while in Indy for the NFL Combine, this according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Talks of TB12 leaving the Patriots intensified on Thursday ... with ESPN's Jeff Darlington going as far as to say he'd be very surprised if the 6-time champ returned to New England.

Now, the NFL Network is naming names ... with Rapoport saying the Colts, Raiders and Chargers have met with Brady's longtime agents, Don Yee and Carter Chow, about their superstar client.

In fact, TMZ Sports spoke with Brady's old teammate, Willie McGinest, who also believed the 42-year-old QB could either retire or end up elsewhere ... so don't be shocked if it actually happens.

As for Brady ... he's probably gonna troll the hell outta everybody until he makes his decision -- whether it be Hulu ads or triggering comments on Keenan Allen's IG posts.

Take a deep breath, Pats fans ... and remember the man brought you 6 rings.

Also, if you think Pats owner Robert Kraft is simply going to let Tom walk out the door without making a solid effort to re-sign him, you clearly didn't watch our shaky, hard-to-hear 12-second BOMBSHELL clip from a few weeks ago.

Originally Published -- 1:12 PM PT

More trouble for NFL player Mark Walton ... the running back was arrested AGAIN Thursday after cops say he was involved in a dispute with the mother of his child.

Police in Opa-Locka, Fla., tell CBS Miami ... they responded to a domestic dispute call around 3:30 AM and found 22-year-old Walton arguing with a woman.

After cops say they found the woman had a protection order against Walton ... they arrested the former Miami Dolphins player -- booking him at Miami-Dade County jail.

You can see in his mug shot, obtained by TMZ Sports, the dude was NOT pleased to be back behind bars.

Of course, this is the FIFTH TIME within the last two years Mark has been arrested ... with his most recent incident going down back in November when he was accused of roughing up his pregnant GF in Davie, Florida.

Walton was cut by the Miami Dolphins immediately after that arrest ... and has yet to catch on with an NFL team.

In another one of Mark's previous arrests ... he was tased while running away from officers -- and video of that incident is WILD.

Undefeated UFC rising star Movsar Evloev has officially pulled out of UFC 248 ... after the fighter says he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle -- and the injuries are GROSS!!

The 26-year-old Russian was slated to fight Jamall Emmers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 7 -- a big opportunity since that card is loaded with big names like Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero, Weili Zhang, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and more.

Regarding the crash, the details are unclear -- no word on where it happened or if anyone was arrested. But, it's clear Evloev is lucky to be alive.

Evloev's management team posted a pic of his injuries showing pretty bad road rash all over his left side ... especially to his back, shoulder and arm.

Obviously, Evloev's injuries are too severe to compete in less than two weeks -- so he's off the card. Giga Chikadze will take Evloev's place in the fight against Emmers.

The highly anticipated push-up contest between Dr. Oz and Mark Wahlberg -- all over their breakfast beef -- just went down, and we have a winner ... but it was closer than you think!

After all their trash-talking over whether people should skip breakfast -- the doc thinks you should, Mark says chow down -- they finally met up at an F45 Training gym in L.A. for the showdown.

The gladiators decided on a race to 59 push-ups -- for Dr. Oz's age -- but Wahlberg made it an even 60 ... and won by a few seconds. Pretty close, but take a look -- seems like the buff movie star was toying with the doctor a bit. Looks like Mark edged him out in form too, but keep in mind he IS 11 years younger. If ya need a reminder, check out the abs!

Afterward, Dr. Oz was feeling pretty good about his performance, and even thinks he might have gotten the better of Mark. Debatable, but he also tells us Wahlberg is trying out intermittent fasting and has come to the #cancelbreakfast table.

So, long story short ... the fitness challenge itself went to Mark, but Oz may win in the long run if Mark changes his daily diet. One thing's clear -- both of these guys really care about staying fit and healthy ... after the challenge they ran through an F45 workout.

Famed tightrope walker Nik Wallenda's not the least bit shaken about his upcoming volcano stunt after another daredevil's recent death -- 'cause he says life or death is just his thing.

We got Nik out Thursday in NYC, and wondered if he's at all concerned about walking over the very active Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua next week. That will come on the heels of daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes' fatally crashing a rocket in California.

Nik, who last summer tightrope walked 25 stories over Times Square, says there's no doubt he's risking his life but this is the business he was literally born into, and risk is just his reality. That being said, Nik admits he has some logistical concerns ... with the volcano itself.

He says the acidic gases it emits add a layer of stress. Nik, who is training with wind machines and an oxygen-deprivation mask, said the volcanic gases could pose a real threat to the wire. Then there's the heat, but oddly he's less worried about that.

Kobe Bryant's big sister just got a permanent tribute to Kobe and Gianna -- a brand new tattoo with their numbers encircled by a Black Mamba snake.

Sharia Bryant Washington -- the oldest of the Bryant siblings -- hit up tattoo artist Peter Barrios for the work ... and it turned out pretty great.

You can see the numbers 2 and 24 (worn by Gianna and Kobe, respectfully) -- with the Black Mamba snake in the shape of the infinity symbol.

In other words ... Gianna and Kobe forever.

In the past few weeks, a bunch of people who knew Kobe and Gianna have opted for tats -- everyone from LeBron James and Anthony Davis to J.R. Smith and Shareef O'Neal.

Odell Beckham and rapper The Game also got Kobe-inspired body art.

Lamar Odom, who was extremely close with Kobe, told us he's strongly considering a Kobe tat and will likely get one soon.

It's been more than a month since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Ca.

As we previously reported, Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the doomed chopper essentially blaming the pilot for the crash.

Deontay Wilder is NOT firing the design team behind the 45-pound costume he wore at the Tyson Fury fight ... in fact, Wilder has already hit them up to work on his next outfit!!

It's a shocking move considering Wilder blamed the elaborate costume for playing a key role in his loss to Fury -- claiming the battery-powered, jewel-encrusted suit was so heavy, it zapped the energy from his legs before the fight even started!

Here's how Wilder broke it down after the fight ...

"I knew I didn’t have the legs because of my uniform. I was only able to put it on [for the first time] the night before, but I didn’t think it was going to be that heavy. It weighed 40, 40-some pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month. I wanted it to be good and I guess I put that before anything."

But, if you expected Wilder to cut ties with the Los Angeles-based company behind the costume -- Cosmo’s Glamsquad -- THAT AIN'T HAPPENING!

Cosmo Lombino and Donato Crowley spoke with CBS42 and claimed it was Deontay who reached out to them after the fight to talk about his NEXT costume!

"Deontay Wilder called me at home last night," Crowley said ... "We had an extensive, honest conversation that put confusion and rumors to rest."

Cosmo said Deontay told him he considers the designers "family" and was "very clear that he looks forward to future collaborations."

And, after they talked things out ... "The subject of the call then turned to ‘Wilder v Fury III."

For the record, Wilder has worked with Cosmo for a BUNCH of his pre-fight costumes and has always been super happy with the results.

Guessing the next design meeting will be focused around style and HOW TO MAKE THE COSTUME WAY LESS HEAVY!!!

Travis Kelce says he CAN'T WAIT to celebrate his Super Bowl victory at the White House -- telling TMZ Sports he WILL join his KC Chiefs teammates when they meet President Trump.

"Oh, yeah! Always, man!" Kelce told us in NYC on Wednesday. "Crazy opportunity!"

Not everyone on the team feels the same way ... Chiefs stud defensive end Frank Clark told the Kansas City Star he's got "mixed emotions" about the White House trip.

"I know historically ... that’s something you do as a Super Bowl champion. But we’ll see, man. It’s a lot of mixed emotions about stuff going on there. We’ll see."

Head coach Andy Reid is a firm "yes" -- telling reporters at the Super Bowl, "I mean, I’ll be there. I'll be there. If they’re inviting us, I’ll be there. It’s quite an honor, I think."

Ditto for Tyreek Hill -- who said, "That would be great to go to the White House. I’ve never been to D.C., so that would be great."

Starting CB Bashaud Breeland just told us a few days ago he's pumped for the celebration as well.

As for Trump, earlier this month he told reported he's excited to host the Chiefs -- "Every one of them wants to be here. And the coach loves us. The coach is great. Andy Reid."

There's been a ton of controversy surrounding the White House visits over the past few years -- with several high profile players -- and even full teams -- boycotting the tradition.

The Golden State Warriors famously blew off Trump after winning the NBA title in 2017 and 2018 -- instead opting to celebrate with President Obama.

MLB stars like Mookie Betts and Nationals closer Sean Doolittle have also turned down White House invites.

We asked Kelce how the rest of his teammates are feeling about the visit ... but he told us he hasn't had the chance to speak with them yet.