TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lonnie Ali flew into Minnesota Friday, presumably for the Super Bowl, and as good as Tom Brady is ... she clearly thinks the title "The Greatest" belongs to her late husband Muhammad Ali.

Lonnie acknowledges Tom's kind of the shiny bright object of the moment, but putting him in a larger context -- he's not at the level of Ali.

She does acknowledge ... the book isn't closed yet on Brady, and he could ascend to greater heights, especially if he does great things outside football.

Viola Davis was kinda coy about Kobe Bryant showing up during a table read for an episode of "How to Get Away with Murder," but it sounds to us like Kobe's testing his acting chops, though his fate on the show sounds like it will end tragically.

We got Viola -- who by the way is super cool and fun -- Friday at LAX, and at first she seems to pooh pooh the notion that Kobe will appear on the show. Then again, she's a great actress!

"The Notorious" might be "Minister McGregor" in a matter of years ... 'cause Conor McGregor tells TMZ Sports he's open to a career in politics!

We got Conor chillin' in NYC with his GF, Dee Devlin ... and the UFC mega-star was positively giddy when we asked him about potentially running for office -- something he teased on social media earlier this week.

"Maybe, who knows?! I know they're shakin' in their boots anyway!!" Conor said.

He was clearly in a joking mood, but Conor seemed dead serious is his cryptic message criticizing the Irish government.

There's more ... when our guy tried (emphasis on "tried") asking about a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov ... McGregor immediately brought up Floyd Mayweather, saying he "needs to fight again."

With Floyd teasing an MMA fight all week, ya gotta wonder ... could Floyd vs. Conor 2 actually happen in the UFC?

Cops have launched an investigation into the car crash that killed ex-NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife Leah LaBelle ... and they're retracing the couple's steps that night to find out exactly what went down.

We've learned investigators have visited several businesses near the crash site in Studio City, CA -- including a popular bowling alley where the couple was spotted earlier in the evening.

We know what you're thinking -- was alcohol involved? We're told cops are not specifically looking for proof Butler was boozing before the crash ... they'll know from the toxicology report.

The priority, we're told, is finding video of the couple in the car right before the crash -- in order to see what specifically caused the Range Rover to lose control and crash.

Meanwhile, we're told the autopsies on both Rasual and Leah have been completed -- and the medical examiner has said the cause is "multiple traumatic injuries" and listed the manner of death as an "accident."

Rae Sremmurd doesn't give a damn about watching football -- so what's the one thing Swae Lee wants to see on Sunday??

"A titty comin' out like Janet Jackson!"

We got Swae and Slim Jxmmi touching down in Minny for the Super Bowl -- or maybe just the halftime show ... 'cause when we asked about SBLII, they seemed WAY more hyped on Justin Timberlake's set.

Specifically, a Nipplegate sequel.

"That was like the most epic Super Bowl, in my lifetime at least," Swae -- who was 10 when JT famously exposed Janet's breast on live TV -- told TMZ Sports.

Good news for Swae -- the NFL told us JJ is NOT banned from the Big Game.

The Tom Brady of boxing is Roy Jones Jr. -- so says Roy Jones Jr. ... who broke down why he and Tom stand out among the G.O.A.T.s in their respective sports.

"You have to be able to rate people by how they perform under pressure, when things don't go their way," Roy told TMZ Sports.

Case in point -- Brady rallied the Patriots from 25 points down in last year's Super Bowl ... and RJJ told us there was a time in his career where he accomplished something similar.

As for the Brady of MMA ... Roy agrees with Dana White and says it's Anderson Silva -- who he's still gunning to face inside the ring.

RJJ didn't have an official update on that super-fight, but he did hint at making progress with Dana -- who, FYI, has agreed to broadcast his Feb. 8 "retirement fight" vs. Scott Sigmon on UFC Fight Pass.

Roll into this weekend with these ladies on the lanes ... get your mind out of the gutter and slide through our gallery of super bowling babes to get you greased up for the big game!

Did Kareem Hunt and Pat Mahomes just become best friends??

YEP!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the K.C. Chiefs breakout star about his new QB, now that Alex Smith got shipped to Washington ... and Hunt says he's totally stoked to play alongside Mahomes -- his "best bud on the team."

Hunt -- who led the entire NFL in rushing yards in his rookie season -- says he's gonna miss Smith ... but already has his eyes set on a return to the playoffs with Mahomes.

No word on whether Hunt and Mahomes have done karate in the garage.

Tonya Harding K.O.'d the living hell out of another woman during a 2005 boxing match that most people haven't seen ... UNTIL NOW ... and Tyron Woodley is breaking down the video.

The UFC welterweight champ was VERY impressed with Tonya's pro boxing performance against Brittany Drake ... which included a brutal knockout in the opening seconds of Round 2.

The fight was promoted by Damon Feldman -- who provided the incredible footage.

But the question ... with Tonya's raw athletic talent and the workout ethic that was captured in the Oscar nominated movie "I, Tonya" -- does Tyron think Harding could have been a REAL contender with the right team around her??

There's more ... Tyron also breaks down how a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather MMA fight would go ... and gives a strong warning to the guy who socked Flavor Flav in the face.

Kevin Hart pulled a great escape Friday ... narrowly dodging a passenger train!

For one scary second, it looked like Kev might become the first casualty of the Super Bowl LII events in and around Minneapolis. We got him leaving Cowboy Jack's in downtown, and started talking about the "Martin" reboot. Kevin was so excited to talk about it ... neither he, nor our photog, noticed the light rail train coming down the tracks.

Watch his security team spring into action, but really ... you gotta watch for the look on Kevin's face when he hears the train's horn sound.

If President Donald Trump decides to take a last minute trip to the Super Bowl -- don't expect Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey to lead the welcoming party!

For those unfamiliar ... 36-year-old Frey has made headlines for speaking his mind -- most recently when he made a video in which he asked if the city was really welcoming "f**king Eagles" fans to Minnesota.

So we asked if he would welcome Trump, too ... the answer? Not so much.

Frey did, however, say his dream celebrity meet-and-greet would be Snoop Dogg -- saying a Gin and Juice session with the rapper is on his bucket list!

... Unless Snoop suddenly becomes an Eagles fan.

Violence is not the answer ... even when it comes to Dr. Larry Nassar -- this according to Gabby Douglas and her mom who are strongly condemning the father who attacked Nassar in court.

Natalie Hawkins was at LAX with Gabby where she told TMZ Sports she knows exactly how Randall Margraves was feeling before he went nuclear in court ... since Gabby was also one of Nassar's victims.

"My daughter was one of the [victims]. I don't care how angry you are, the important thing is to maintain your emotions," Hawkins said ... "It's a bad example for the kids."

Gabby said people shouldn't fight evil with evil ... they should combat it with good.

If Floyd Mayweather fights in the UFC, Demetrious Johnson says he knows exactly how it'd go down -- "He'd get his ass whooped."

TMZ Sports spoke with the UFC's pound-for-pound king in Minneapolis ... and he laughed off the idea of Floyd competing in MMA -- even though there are signs the boxer might be legitimately interested.

But whether it's against him, Conor McGregor or any other UFC fighter ... Demetrious says Floyd can't hang, and "he knows it."

If Mayweather DID make the jump ... DJ says he'd have no problem showing TBE how much better MMA is than boxing -- by trying to SNAP HIS ARM.

Your move, Floyd.

HE NEVER MISSES!!!

Steph Curry's wife Ayesha has announced she's pregnant again!

Ayesha broke the news on Instagram saying, "Heyyyy how did this happen?! Curry party of 5. Feeling very blessed... and very sick. Yippie! #curryfor3."

Fetus Curry is the couple's 3rd kid -- she (or he) has got two big sisters ... 5-year-old Riley Elizabeth and 2-year-old Ryan Carson.

The kid will no doubt be adorable because that's just how things run in their family.

Steph and Ayesha were married in 2011 -- they met at a church camp when they were teenagers.

Le'Veon Bell says he doesn't wanna play anywhere but Pittsburgh ... but he wants a long-term deal ASAP 'cause the whole process is wearin' him out.

"I just wanna get a deal done. I'm tired of having to deal with this every year," Le'Veon told TMZ Sports at EA Sports' Pre-Super Bowl party in Minny.

Remember -- Bell skipped the entire preseason 'cause he wanted the Steelers to pay him what he's worth. Ultimately, he ended his holdout and signed the franchise tag for $12 mil.

But good news for Steelers fans -- the superstar RB told us they're "in a better spot" with negotiations than last offseason ... so stay tuned.

9:15 AM PT -- Margraves has been released from custody and will not be charged with a crime.

The father of 3 of Larry Nassar's victims went nuclear in a Michigan courtroom moments ago -- violently trying to attack the ex-Team USA doctor in front of the judge in his sentencing case.

Moments before the attack, Randall Margraves -- whose 3 gymnast daughters were victimized by Nassar -- asked the judge if she could grant him 5 minutes alone with that "demon" in a locked room.

When the judge denied his request, he tried to negotiate ... asking for one minute.

When the judge shot that request down, Margraves said he wouldn't let the court stop him -- and rushed at Nassar.

Multiple law enforcement officers rushed in and took Margraves down just before he got his hands on Nassar.

As he was being taken into custody, Margraves said, "I want that son of a bitch. Give me one minute with that bastard."