TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ain't nuthin' but a g-string baby ... and Johnny Manziel loves it!!

The QB hit the beach in Miami for a little fun in the sun with his fiancee, Bre Tiesi -- who turned heads in a tiny electric green bikini ... and it was gooood.

Manziel has been training his face off for his football comeback -- recently doing sand drills with his former Cleveland Browns teammate, Joe Haden.

Of course, Bre looks amazing ... but Johnny looks great, too -- putting back some of the muscle he had lost when he was partying his way out of the NFL.

UFC newcomer Mackenzie Dern is flattered by all the Ronda Rousey comparisons, but says she's her own woman ... and wants to accomplish EVEN MORE than Ronda in MMA!!

We talked to the jiu-jitsu phenom before her debut at UFC 222 ... and she laid out why labeling her Rousey 2.0 ain't right -- even though both women are known for ripping their opponents' arms off.

"It's nice that people think that, but I'm not the next Ronda Rousey," Dern told TMZ Sports. "We are two different people, different personalities, different histories, different obstacles ... it's a new era."

That said, Mackenzie told us she's gunnin' for it all -- and hopes to achieve "at least as much, if not more" than the UFC's first female trailblazer.

Gonna have to tune in Saturday to see if she passes her first test, 'TUF' alum Ashley Yoder, but one thing's for sure ... she's got the look.

Packers running back Aaron Jones just got punished for his October arrest -- driving while high on weed -- and it's gonna cost him driving privileges for 6 months.

Jones was initially pulled over in Green Bay on Oct. 1 for going 79 mph in a 55. During the stop, the officer smelled weed.

And after Jones bombed a field sobriety test, he admitted on camera "I was smoking it."

The 23-year-old was initially charged with operating a vehicle with a restricted controlled substance, speeding and operating without a valid license. In exchange for pleading no contest to the weed charge, the remaining 2 charges were dropped.

Along with losing his license, Jones will have to pay a $1,047 fine and undergo drug assessments to make sure he doesn't mess up again.

Don't smoke and drive people.

LeBron better start knucklin' up ... 'cause the baller he's been beefin' with is getting boxing lessons from a UFC superstar!!

That superstar is former middleweight champ Chris Weidman -- who came through Knicks practice on Wednesday to chill with his hometown hoops squad ... including Bron's trash-talkin' rival, Enes Kanter.

Weidman shot around with Enes -- but it looks like they had more fun strappin' on the gloves to get the Turkish big man ready for a potential throwdown with the King.

"Hey @kingjames, I've been training my guy @eneskanter11. Best think twice before messing with the Orange and Blue again," Chris tweeted at LeBron.

FYI, Kanter called LBJ a "queen" and a "princess" after they got in each other's faces in November ... and trolled him after a game last month, too.

Stipe Miocic is from Cleveland, Bron -- might be time to reach out.

Rich Rodriguez is firing back at his ex-assistant accusing him of sexual harassment -- saying her claim he grabbed his wiener in front of her is such complete bullcrap, he took a lie detector test to prove it.

It's all outlined in RichRod's attorneys' response to Melissa Wilhelmsen's notice of claim filed with the AZ Attorney General's office ... where they denounce the allegations that the ex-University of Arizona football coach terrorized her for years.

In the 290-page document, Rodriguez's lawyers poke holes in Melissa's most serious accusations -- including the "shameless, outrageous lie" that RichRod began "grasping his penis beneath his basketball shorts" in a closed-door meeting.

His lawyers say Rodriguez took a "rigorous polygraph examination" administered by a member of the American Polygraph Association to fight this claim -- and the results prove their client's innocence.

"The relevant questions put to him were, 'Did you ever expose your genitals to Melissa?' and 'Did you ever show your genitals to Melissa?' Coach Rodriguez answered 'no' to both questions."

"The testing confirmed 'no deception indicated' ... this event simply did not happen."

Of course, the accuracy of polygraph tests are controversial to say the least. Most courts won't allow polygraph results to be submitted as evidence in a case.

In the new filing, Rich's attorneys also slam Melissa for claiming RichRod ignored a warning from a team staffer about his former player, Zach Hemmila, the day before he committed suicide.

"Of all the Wilhemsens' false claims, there is none more cruel and despicable than this one -- attempting to use the tragic accidental death of a young student-athlete to extort $7.5 million from the Rodriguezes."

They claim Rodriguez actually spoke at length with Zach in the days prior to his death ... and had also been in contact with his family.

The baddest woman on the planet ain't afraid of taking on Floyd Mayweather inside an MMA cage ... and she's laying out exactly how she'd smash him.

We spoke with UFC champ Cris Cyborg ahead of her 2nd title defense this weekend at UFC 222 ... and had to ask how she thinks she'd fare against Floyd, who's talked to Dana White about potentially taking a fight for the UFC.

Cyborg didn't back down -- telling TMZ Sports all the tools she'd have to bust out to put Mayweather to sleep.

Of course, that's a fantasy matchup we're never gonna see (well, maybe in Japan) ... so if ya wanna catch Cyborg, you're gonna have to tune in this Saturday when she scraps with Yana Kunitskaya.

Charles Barkley says college basketball is still GREAT because it helps black kids get a free college education -- and he dismisses the NCAA recruiting scandals as a few bad apples.

"The NCAA has some issues," Barkley told Adam Glyn in NYC ... "but what about all those kids who got to go to college for free?!"

"There's a few guys who are corrupt, I understand that. But, I always look at the big picture."

"I want all them young black kids getting their free education!"

The NCAA has been under fire recently after several high-profile players and programs were allegedly involved in schemes to pay players ... sometimes the payments reached 6 figures.

As for how Barkley would fix the system -- he says it's not as simple as just saying, "Pay the athletes."

"I don't know how to pay 'em. Who do you pay? Do you pay the basketball team? You pay the football team? You pay the girls teams? It's not that simple."

Shaquille O'Neal and his family were so excited for Shareef to commit to UCLA last night -- they made a victory family dance video!!!

We told you first ... Shareeef was leaning toward signing with the Bruins after decommitting from the University of Arizona following a recruiting scandal involving the head coach.

Well, Tuesday night, Reef -- one of the best high school hoops players in the country -- made it official ... and his mother Shaunie couldn't be happier (he'll be close to home!).

Then ... the family dance party broke out.

Shaq also posted a message about his son's decision -- "My baby @shareefoneal decided he’s gonna be a Bruin."

"Me and your mom @shaunieoneal5 are proud of you dude. This is the first of many steps to fulfill your dreams. #prouddad."

Dwyane Wade paid respect to the 17-year-old Miami Heat superfan killed in the Parkland school shooting by writing the kid's name on his shoes. Then he hit the game-winning shot.

Wade decided to honor Joaquin Oliver -- one of the 17 people killed in the attack -- when he learned Oliver was buried Sunday in Dwyane's #3 Miami Heat jersey.

Clearly, Wade felt inspired -- dropping 15 of the Heat's final 17 points -- including the game-winner -- to seal the 102-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wade also honored his former agent Henry Thomas -- by inscribing his name on his other shoe.

After the game, Wade talked about why he chose to honor Thomas and Oliver.

"Appreciate you noticing that," Wade told reporters.

"It's just giving whatever I can to people who believe in me, and especially people who were happy about me coming back here ... who embrace me the way that I only can dream of with me coming back home."

"So just paying some due respect to [Oliver] and his family tonight."

Floyd Mayweather tells TMZ Sports ... that brand new jet he posted on social belongs to HIM -- explaining, "I'm not posting a private jet if I'm chartering."

Floyd gifted himself the new plane for his 41st birthday -- by our count, it's the THIRD private jet Floyd has purchased for himself in the past couple of years.

We spoke with Mayweather about his aircraft fleet -- here's what he told us:

"I'm not posting a private jet if I'm chartering. If I'm chartering a jet, I'm not posting it. We own jets."

The new jet appears to sit at least 14 people comfortably -- plus the flight crew.

A history-making Ghanaian Olympian says Africans can do BIG things at the Winter Games ... but only if their countries step up and give 'em what they need.

We spoke to Akwasi Frimpong -- the first ever Skeleton athlete for Ghana -- after the festivities in Pyeongchang ... and he told us his countrymen and women have all the tools to crush cold-weather sports.

"I think we have what it takes to be the best in the word," Frimpong told TMZ Sports.

But, given Africa's largely warm-weather climates, Akwasi says the athletes REALLY need their sports authorities and Olympic committees to pony up when it comes to training and travel.

If that happens ... he says there ain't nothing stopping 'em from competing with the rest of the world!

Richard Sherman is a visionary ... he was accepting Bitcoin on his website back in 2012 and 2013 -- but there's just one problem ... HE CONVERTED IT ALL TO CASH BEFORE IT EXPLODED!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a true story ... the NFL superstar tells TMZ Sports he's been a fan of cryptocurrency for years and believes it's eventually going to be the standard way people pay for things like groceries and clothes.

Of course, the price per coin was around $2.00 in 2011 ... and grew to around $1,000 by the end of 2013. It didn't really pop again until 2017 -- when it soared to more than $19,000 PER COIN!!

So, how much money would Sherman have made?? A lot.

Don't feel too bad ... Sherman says he did make some profit -- just not the gazillions that people like the Winklevoss twins hauled in. And the experience hasn't ruined cryptocurrency for Sherman ... 'cause he's now a spokesperson for a new trading platform called Cobinhood.

J.J. Watt got the hard questions today from a woman who makes penis cakes for a living ... a woman who wants to know where all of the money J.J. raised for Hurricane Harvey is actually going!

The woman runs an adult bakery in Houston called "Adult Cakes By Kim" -- and appears to be a huge fan of both the Houston Texans and J.J. Watt.

She also makes a killer "Poppin' Penis Man Cake" for $75.

But when she's not making delicious edible genitals, Kim's concerned about her community ... and reached out to Watt on Twitter about how the millions J.J. raised is being distributed.

"Do we know where any of money went because I can't find one person they got any help from the JJ Watt foundation for Hurricane Harvey and I know JJ's a great man."

We know she loves the Texans because Kim also offered a topless Texans cake for $80.

Oh, and yeah ... J.J. responded.

"There are 2.3 million people in Houston alone, Kim. I apologize that we aren’t able to reach every single person, it’s simply not possible."

"We’ve rebuilt homes & day cares, provided food & medical care and our work is far from finished! I promise we’re doing the best we can!!!"

Sounds good ... anyone hungry?

Metta World Peace says Lonzo Ball isn't just killing it on the court, he's destroying the mic, too, telling TMZ Sports he's a huge fan of both of Ball's careers.

Metta was at LAX when we asked what he thought about Ball's return -- which has led to two pretty convincing blowout wins for the Lakers over the Mavericks and Hawks.

MWP says he thinks Lonzo's return to the court is a big reason for the Lakers mini-run of dominance, but then, out of nowhere, tells us that's not where his fanhood ends.

"He's a rapper, he's a really good rapper. I like his music actually."

Here's a reason to 8-clap ... Shareef O'Neal is "leaning toward signing with UCLA" after pulling his commitment to the University of Arizona ... sources tell TMZ Sports.

O'Neal -- the high school superstar son of Shaquille O'Neal -- decommitted from Arizona over the weekend after reports surfaced that Arizona coach Sean Miller was caught on an FBI wiretap discussing making a $100,000 payment to a huge recruit.

Shareef is one of the best high school players in the country -- and the move made top programs around the country salivate at the mouth hoping to score a top prospect who has absolutely NO REASON to be involved in a pay-for-play scandal (his family's got way too much money for that).

Multiple sources connected to O'Neal tell us he's been considering a couple different schools -- mostly Pac-12 programs -- but right now, UCLA is in the lead.

Yeah, his face is still jacked up from his loss at UFC Fight Night Orlando ... but "Platinum" Mike Perry says he's ready to beat Colby Covington to death after Colby trashed Mike's GF.

Colby went wayyyyy below the belt in his trashtalking after Mike lost to Max Griffin on Saturday ... saying he should fire his "ratchet horse faced girlfriend" as his head trainer.

"I really don't like this motherf**ker," Perry tells TMZ Sports ... "He talking all this sh*t? I'll get in his face for real."

"Platinum Mike Perry is coming to kill you."

All Perry is asking is for 60 days to heal up ... and then it's on -- if the UFC makes the fight.

FYI, there are lots of fighters gunnin' to kick Colby's ass ... but respect to Platinum for being game as hell.