TMZ Sports - Page 50

Hell hath no fury like Iggy Azalea scorned -- just ask Nick Young, who had all his designer clothes LIT ON FIRE by his ex-fiancee ... after he got caught with his pants down.

"I burnt it all ... and I threw stuff in the pool, too," Iggy said, smiling.

Remember -- the rap star and NBA baller had a pretty messy breakup back in the day. We already knew Iggy dumped a bunch of Nick's crap on her driveway and personally got his car towed.

And now, we got the play-by-play of Iggy going full pyromaniac on Swaggy P's entire closet!

"I texted him a video and I’m like, 'Hey, I’m burning your s**t ... I don’t know where you’re at, probably with some girl, so I hope you get home quickly because I’m moving on,'" Azalea told Andy Cohen on 'Watch What Happens Live.'

To be fair, she also warned him -- "We're progressing on the spectrum from cheap to expensive."

"K-A-R-M-A."

That's why ex-Jets star Mark Gastineau's life is in shambles -- so says his ex-wife, Lisa Gastineau.

We got the reality TV star leaving Craig's in L.A., and asked if she had heard Mark's recent radio interview ... where he painfully described how playing football has destroyed his mind and his body.

Lisa wasn't feeling ANY sympathy for her former boo -- saying it all comes down to the K-word. Guessing she still hasn't forgotten about Mark allegedly cheating on her with Brigitte Nielsen back in the day.

FYI -- 61-year-old Mark has previously said he's been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's ... and now he's in the process of suing the NFL.

Floyd Mayweather told us he's dead serious about fighting in the UFC ... and now, he says he's taking the most important step to make sure that happens -- getting a license.

We got Floyd in L.A. earlier this week ... and he told TMZ Sports he's planning to submit the paperwork to get licensed as a pro MMA fighter. We're guessing he's eyeing Nevada.

"Everything takes time. Eventually, we're gonna apply for the license, and hopefully we can fight," Mayweather said.

No word on when exactly Floyd's applying -- or beginning his MMA training with UFC champ Tyron Woodley -- but TBE did give us an estimate on how long he'll need to get Octagon ready.

"Even if it takes 6 to 8 months -- whatever it takes. We want to make sure that everything is done correctly."

If the NY Giants don't want to get audited, they'll keep Eli Manning because a prominent NY politician is totally pro-#10 ... saying he can lead the G-Men back to the Super Bowl.

We talked to NY Senator Chuck Schumer and asked what the Giants should do with that 2nd overall pick -- and like any good politician, he had a plan.

"Yes, they gotta keep Eli and draft a line," Schumer said ..." I like the guy they got from the Patriots, but they need more offensive line."

"If they get a good offensive line, they're gonna be a Super Bowl contender."

Of course we pressed him like DJ Envy talking to Desus & Mero, but Schumer made it clear he's against picking a signal caller in this QB-heavy draft.

"Keep Eli."

Here's high school basketball phenom Shareef O'Neal going deep on one of the hottest topics in basketball -- the NBA age limit (19) ... which screws some players and helps others.

'Reef gets that not everyone grew up with Shaq money and some players need to get those life-changing checks ASAP, instead of spending a year playing for free.

"They might just do that to feed their families," Shareef told TMZ Sports. "I think that's why a lot of kids go 1-and-done."

But he also thinks NCAA basketball is the best way to prepare players for the pros -- and he points to the current NBA rookie class ... guys like Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum -- who are holding their own with the best in the world.

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about finding alternatives to the NCAA -- even LaVar Ball's trying to get in on the action -- but 'Reef argues that 1 year of college education is better than none.

"I think they should just leave it how it is ... college gets kids ready for the NBA," O'Neal said.

FYI, Shareef previously told us he would be 1-and-done too despite being comfortable financially ... but now, it seems like he ain't so sure.

Former NBA stud Chase Budinger says ballin' for Team USA is his ultimate career goal -- even though he's done with pro hoops!

Here's the deal ... last year, 29-year-old Budinger hung it up and moved back to volleyball, the other sport he used to dominate. (Fun fact: he was the #1 men's volleyball player back in high school.)

Chase tells TMZ Sports he and 2-time Olympian Sean Rosenthal are gearin' up for their 1st season as a beach v-ball team ... and he's hoping they can go all the way in the 2020 Games once they crush a couple summers on the sand.

We wouldn't doubt him -- remember, this is the guy who channeled Billy Hoyle and JUMPED OVER DIDDY at the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest!

WWE Hall of Fame inductee Hillbilly Jim says he'd be PUMPED if his old mentor, Hulk Hogan, enshrined him into the Hall ... since he owes his career to the Hulkster.

"When I first came into the business, to get brushed up against the guy that was the most popular wrestler on earth ... it was wonderful what he did for me," Jim told TMZ Sports.

Hillbilly was just announced as part of WWE's 2018 HOF class ... and he told us the news was so shocking, it damn near knocked him on his ass.

HBJ says the only thing cooler than joining all his wrestling buds in the Hall would be Hulk himself doing the honors at WrestleMania 34 weekend in April.

Only problem -- the WWE recently restated it won't work with Hulk 'cause of his 2015 N-word fiasco. Hogan, for his part, recently told us they're working toward a resolution.

Kevin Love's getting mad love from one of his teammates for talking openly about a panic attack he experienced earlier this season ... and spreading a positive message about mental health awareness.

"A lot of times people don’t look at us as humans, and we go through stuff all the time as well," Cavs SG Rodney Hood told TMZ Sports outside Craig's in L.A.

Love, DeMar DeRozan and Wizards SF Kelly Oubre have all opened up about their personal issues in recent weeks -- and Hood says it's huge not only for the NBA brotherhood, but the millions of fans they're reaching.

Rodney told us he expects a lot more players to join the conversation ... and K-Love deserves a ton of credit for helping to start the trend.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani could be leading a baseball revolution -- so says MLB postseason legend David Eckstein.

We spoke to the '06 World Series MVP after he paid a visit to Halos spring training ... and he told us Ohtani -- the team's huge offseason signing who can pitch, play outfield and DH -- is the real deal.

But the more interesting takeaway -- Eckstein told us Ohtani's just the beginning of a new wave of super-athletes who can play both ways!!

"If you start looking at more of the lower levels, and especially now going into college, you see that's where the game's going. And he might be the first," Eckstein said.

Eck knows all about trailblazing -- the 5'6'' shortstop paved the way for Jose Altuve and all the other small ballers of today!

Justin Bieber's gotta be a little tired ... because he was running all over the pitch trying to get in on the action in his soccer game.

We got the Biebs playing some organized futbol at Bluff Creek Fields in Playa Vista Saturday afternoon. It's hard to tell how well he played -- or if his team won or lost -- but he was getting props from his teammates when he went to the sidelines ... so had to be decent.

JB's team -- Churchome F.C. -- is part of an L.A. amateur league. We also got him hanging out of his ride inviting "anyone who wants to come over" afterward ... probably to somewhere awesome.

10:17 AM PT -- Davis has finally spoken out publicly about his weed bust last month, posting a since-deleted video online to refute the claims that he was allegedly selling drugs out of a hotel room in Maryland. He's on a private jet surrounded by Popeye's chicken ... and a bunch of cash that he says is all legit from his NBA days. He also says he'll have his day in court to prove his innocence.

Former NBA player Glen "Big Baby" Davis -- known for his role on the 2008 Boston Celtics team that won the championship -- was reportedly arrested last month on 7 counts of drug possession and distribution.

Davis -- who last played in the league with the Clippers in 2015 -- was busted in a Hampton Inn in Aberdeen, MD on February 7 by cops after the hotel owner smelled weed in his room, knocked on the door and was told to "F*** off!" ... according to court records obrained by WMAR Baltimore.

Aberdeen Police Lieutenant William Reiber says Davis had 126 grams of marijuana on him, along with $92,164 in a briefcase and a "ledger that contained language which is consistent with someone involved in the sale and distribution of narcotics."

The ledger reportedly had names of people who owed money along with baggies for packaging the weed ... which was from an L.A. wholesaler Davis told cops he was in business with.

He told cops he was Maryland to visit family. David was indicted weeks later on the drug charges, but his lawyer says he's innocent.

Aaron Hernandez was gay -- according to several people close to him ... and his private struggle with his sexuality caused him great emotional pain that may have turned him violent.

It's all part of the Oxygen documentary, "Aaron Hernandez Uncovered" -- which features interviews with Aaron's close friends, ex-girlfriends and members of his legal team.

Aaron's college girlfriend, Alyssa Anderson, says she first learned Aaron had a relationship with a man while they were attending the University of Florida ... but he denied it at the time. It was only years later that Hernandez cryptically acknowledged her suspicions were true.

George Leontire -- an openly gay member of Hernandez's defense team -- says he spoke with Hernandez at length about his sexuality and Aaron opened up like never before.

"This man clearly was gay," Leontire said ... "[He] acknowledged it. Acknowledged the immense pain that it caused him."

Leontire added, "I think that he also came out of a culture that was so negative about gay people that he exhibited some self-hatred."

Hernandez never spoke publicly about being gay. He was engaged to a woman, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, and they had a daughter together.

Aaron was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd in 2013 -- and there are some law enforcement officials who believe Hernandez executed Lloyd because he knew about Hernandez's sexuality.

Hernandez ultimately killed himself in his prison cell in 2017.

LaDainian Tomlinson says Saquon Barkley is basically L.T. 2.0 -- but tells TMZ Sports that ain't enough for him to go #1 in the NFL draft.

We asked LaDainian about all the Saquon comparisons people have been making when we got the Chargers legend at LAX ... and he couldn't agree more.

"He’s a little bit bigger than I am -- but they’re awesome comparisons," L.T. said.

"The lateral movement, quickness, the power, he can catch the ball ... all that stuff."

But even with all that talent, L.T. told us there's a good reason the Browns won't take him with the first overall pick ... and he says that's GREAT news for the Giants at #2.

Ted Cruz says it's awesome his hometown Astros (mostly) said what's up to Trump at the White House ... and he's got faith the Rockets will, too.

We got the Texas Senator after he took in Monday's World Series ceremony in D.C. -- and you can tell he was still PUMPED off his 'Stros winning their first title.

"To win it in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, when so many Houstonians, so many Texans, were hurting -- it just meant an enormous amount," Cruz told TMZ Sports.

It was all pretty touching stuff from Ted ... that is 'til the conversation turned to the defending champion, Warriors -- who staunchly rejected their Oval Office visit.

"I think it is unfortunate that we've seen that happen ... I'm hoping that this is the first of at least two Houston trips to the White House this year."

Guessing he hasn't seen James Harden's hat ...

Canelo Alvarez's meat problems could be over -- a San Diego butcher shop is vowing to provide free, CLEAN meat to the middleweight champ for the rest of his training camp.

Alvarez recently tested positive for traces of Clenbuterol -- a banned performance-enhancing drug -- and he blamed the whole thing on tainted Mexican beef.

Canelo says he immediately moved his training camp from Mexico to the U.S. -- and he's already got a butcher shop near his training base in S.D. down to hook him up with roid-free beef.

"This really seems like a case where contaminated, factory farmed meats almost cost someone a monumental event in their life," Heart & Trotter owner, Trey Nichols, tells TMZ Sports.

"We are happy to offer clean, locally raised and sustainably-sourced meats that will not only be free of chemicals, hormones and antibiotics, but will help Canelo Alvarez reach his peak performance during training."

Nichols says the butcher shop has previously supplied clean meat to the Lakers and Chargers ... so teaming up with Canelo to preserve the May 5 showdown with GGG is a no-brainer.

Mackenzie Dern is clappin' back at her next opponent for saying she's gonna "derail her hype train" ... saying Amanda Cooper doesn't stand a chance when they scrap at UFC 224.

"That's good, I hope she tries to do that!" Mackenzie told TMZ Sports. "It's gonna keep going -- choo choo!"

Mackenzie took some serious damage in her Octagon debut earlier this month (check out her lower lip!) ... but is such a badass, she immediately requested her next matchup.

Dana White granted her wish ... and now Dern's taking on fellow rising star Amanda Cooper in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- her home away from home.

Mackenzie, the former #1 female Brazilian jiu-jitsu player in the world, knows Amanda's gonna be a tough out ... but told us it's GAME OVER for Cooper now that she's got a whole country in her corner!