TMZ Sports - Page 50

It's incredible Brooks Orpik was able to hold the Stanley Cup ... let alone play hockey -- 'cause the Washington Capitals defenseman straight-up said his finger FELL OFF during the Cup Finals!!

The Caps star told reporters this week that, after getting slashed at the end of Game 2 against the Las Vegas Golden Knights ... the top of his pinkie was no longer a part of his hand.

"It kinda fell off," he said.

The crazy part of the story?? The dude who basically chopped off Brooks' finger with his stick only got a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct for it.

The crazier part of the story?? Orpik didn't miss a minute of action after trainers stitched it back together.

The craziest part of the story?? Brooks says the hand injury he suffered in a previous series against the Blue Jackets will cause him more long-term problems than losing part of his finger!!

Looks like Michael Jordan turned up on a Wednesday ... 'cause the G.O.A.T. left his NYC hotel Thursday morning with half a bottle of tequila in one hand -- and a box of booze in the other!

What was he drinking? Seems to be a bottle of Tres Alegres Compadres Extra Anejo -- and, to be honest, we're having a hard time tracking down a price point on a bottle.

So, if you happen to be an agave juice connoisseur, hit us up!

We know MJ loves his tequila -- in fact, he once turned up in a San Diego nightclub back in 2015 with a $4,000 bottle of Clase Azul Ultra ... and danced his face off!

And don't forget the private dance he got from his wife while sippin' on tequila back in March!

Drew Brees took more hits on Kelly Slater's surf wave machine than he does on an NFL Sunday ... saying learning to ride the waves from the surfing legend caused him to get "absolutely thrashed."

It all went down recently when the Saints quarterback took a private plane up from San Diego to Slater's wave park in Lemoore, CA ... and took on some of Kelly's epic man-made waves.

Brees couldn't ride the water for more than a few seconds ... with Slater estimating the QB fell on 8 or 10 waves "back to back to back."

But ... the story has a happy ending. Slater switched boards for Drew -- a "Cadillac to a Ferrari," as Brees called it -- and the New Orleans legend finally rode one!!

Conor McGregor just walked out of an NYC courtroom where he appeared for a hearing for his bus attack case ... and told the media, "I regret my actions that led me here today."

He continued, "I understand the seriousness of this matter and I'm hopeful that it gets resolved soon."

Inside the courtroom, Conor's attorney told the judge the UFC star is negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. They're due back in court July 26.

McGregor was hit with multiple charges -- including felony criminal mischief -- for attacking a UFC bus at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 5 ... injuring multiple people including some UFC fighters.

If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 7 YEARS in prison.

Conor was escorted inside the courtroom by armed police officers who were controlling the crowd and keeping the peace.

Conor looked stylish -- wearing a suit and tie. His demeanor was much different than the last time he was in court -- no billionaire strut this time. He was very reserved.

Conor was joined by his manager, Audie Attar.

What's Tom Brady's Achilles heel?? A naked Achilles heel ... 'cause the Patriots superstar's biggest problem is being barefoot!

TB12's wife, Gisele Bundchen, revealed the random fact in Vogue's "73 Questions" ... when she answered several rapid fire questions about the New England Patriots quarterback.

One of the most interesting parts of the video ... when Gisele reveals how Tom quarterbacked a diabolical scheme back in the day to trick her into thinking her apartment flooded ... so he could propose!

Tom even makes a brief appearance in the video before Gisele spills all his secrets about their relationship and how she prepares for Patriots games.

But, the most bizarre part is when Gisele -- who's on the July 2018 cover for Vogue -- is asked to share one thing we don't know about TB12, and that's when she says the dude can't stand being barefoot.

John Cena and Nikki Bella's dinner date looked hard to swallow by the looks on their faces, and we're guessing it had nothing to do with the meals they ordered.

The on/off -- but lately, mostly off -- couple went out Tuesday night to the Cowboy Star Restaurant in San Diego, not far from where Nikki lives.

Witnesses tell us their conversation looked intense during the entire meal -- which could be good or bad. As we've told you .. they've been trying to work things out since Bella called off their engagement in April. Cena begged to get her back, but they haven't announced a reconciliation yet.

No denying ... Nikki did NOT look happy at this particular moment. Glass-half-full types will say they're having a tough convo that'll lead to a reunion. Half-empty peeps will say ... it's the last supper.

Ben Simmons not only ruined his chances at a reconciliation with Tinashe ... he also blew it for EVERY OTHER PRO BALLER -- because the singer tells TMZ Sports she's 100% done with athletes.

The "Faded Love" singer was leaving Delilah in West Hollywood after hitting the club on Wednesday night -- and, after all the drama with Ben, we asked her what she's looking for NEXT in a man.

"Not to be an idiot," she told us ... noting that she finds a LOT of idiots in this town.

And when we asked if that meant no more ballers, she responded ... "Oh yeah. That's 100."

For the record, Tinashe recently dropped a ton of new music with big stars like Future, Offset, Ty Dolla $ign and French Montana ... so who needs NBA stars when you've got rappers?

Greg Hardy says he's feeling extremely "positive" after his impressive UFC performance on Tuesday -- and says he wants to prove to his haters that he's truly a changed man.

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-NFL star after his 57-second knockout victory over Austen Lane on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series ... and you can tell he's excited about his MMA future.

"I'm feeling great. I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling excited. I'm ready to go ... ready to take this next step and see where it takes us."

Hardy knows his new UFC contract will come with scrutiny because of his troubled past -- including allegations of domestic violence -- but says he hopes people will give him a chance to prove he's not a monster.

"It would be best to meet me, give me an opportunity," Hardy said ... "I think I can win a lot of people back over to my side."

As we previously reported, Dana White wants Hardy to get a couple more fights under his belt before he matches up with a major UFC opponent ... but Hardy says he's already got his sights on Derrick Lewis.

Mark Wahlberg says his offer to give Conor McGregor a piece of his UFC ownership stake has expired ... telling TMZ Sports, the dude has already been compensated enough!

Mark -- along with a bunch of other big stars like Sylvester Stallone, Tom Brady and Ben Affleck -- got a piece of the UFC back in 2016.

And right after Conor had defeated Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez, Mark offered to sell him part of his ownership stake after McGregor had griped that he wasn't getting paid enough.

But that was BEFORE Conor made $100 MILLION fighting Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 ... and apparently, that has changed the circumstances for Wahlberg.

Don't feel bad for either guy ... they're both gonna be fine.

For the 2nd time in his life, ex-MLB star Milton Bradley has been convicted of domestic violence ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 40-year-old former All-Star was initially charged with misdemeanor spousal battery stemming from a January incident at his L.A. home. He was facing up to a year in jail.

His wife told responding officers Bradley roughed her up and fled the home by the time cops arrived.

Now, we've learned Bradley struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead no contest to domestic battery and, in exchange, he was sentenced to 36 months of probation.

He is also required to complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and pay various fines and fees. Bradley was also sentenced to 2 days in jail, but got credit for time served.

As part of his probation, Bradley is also not allowed to own or possess a firearm.

Let the trash talk begin!!!!

Logan Paul and KSI are ripping a page from Mayweather vs. McGregor and holding a massive news conference at the L.A. Coliseum for their full-contact beatdown ... and it's all going down this weekend!

As we previously reported, the two social media stars have agreed to fight each other on August 25 in Manchester, England ... and there's talk it could bring in more viewers than Conor vs. Floyd.

Besides Logan and KSI, both of their younger brothers -- Jake Paul and Deji -- will also be participating in the presser ... since they're also fighting each other that night.

Logan is taking the fight VERY seriously -- he's been training like a maniac and beating the hell out of his sparring partners.

KSI has trained up at Floyd Mayweather's gym in Vegas ... and already has one boxing victory under his belt.

Surprise, surprise ...

Ya just knew Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin were not about to walk away from MILLIONS ... finally hammering out a deal to set up boxing's long-anticipated rematch ... this according to Oscar De La Hoya.

Despite the fact the two sides were at loggerheads for months, ODLH tweeted out moments ago that a deal has been made and the fight is set for Sept. 15!

Oscar had previously set a noon deadline for GGG to accept his final offer, but c'mon ... with that much money on the line, everyone on the planet knew the deadline wasn't REALLY a deadline.

Noon came and went ... and finally at 2 PM, the deal was announced.

Oscar's problem was the GGG's camp wanted a 50/50 revenue share -- and Oscar said that was WAY too much money.

Unclear what the final deal entails.

The rematch was originally slated for Cinco de Mayo, but it was derailed when Canelo tested positive twice for PED. As we reported ... Canelo started training again, only this time he knows his next opponent. The fight's set to happen at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas.

You don't gotta be an NBA star to pull world-class chicks -- because pro gamers are doing pretty damn well these days ... this according to Fortnite god Ninja.

With gaming events like Fortnite and League of Legends selling out stadiums -- yes, STADIUMS -- pro gamers are making more cash and are becoming more famous than ever.

So, when we saw Ninja at the Fortnite Pro-Am at the E3 convention in L.A., we asked how he felt about that old stereotype that gamers are just nerds who live in their parents' basement.

Bottom line ... if you're still thinking that way, you're living in the stone age.

"I think that if they want to, [pro gamers] can have relationships, find relationships from their popularity just like professional basketball players can go out and if he's not married ... probably find someone."

He's right. Case in point -- FaZe Censor ... a pro gamer who's dating SMOKING HOT WEATHER GIRL YANET GARCIA!!!

There's more ... Ninja also says there was a celebrity at the Pro-Am who's got real skills on the sticks. And after some sleuthing, we found out the guy he's talking about is Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen!

So, if the whole NFL thing doesn't work out, sounds like the pro-gamer life is a pretty sweet gig!!!

Dana White says he will finally come face-to-face with Conor McGregor after the UFC star's bus attack hearing ... where they will presumably talk about Conor's next fight.

"He and I are meeting on the 18th of this month," Dana tells TMZ Sports. Unclear where the meeting will take place.

As for Conor's criminal case in New York City, Dana says he's had ZERO involvement in McGregor's defense and has no idea what will happen in court on Thursday.

Sources connected to the case tell us Conor has been working on a plea deal with prosecutors -- which is important for McGregor since he's facing up to 7 years in prison for the April attack which left several people injured.

But, White says he's completely in the dark on that -- "I don't know whats gonna happen. I don't know what Conor has planned. I don't know what Conor and his team have worked on."

Sorry, James Harrison ... there's a new retired linebacker pushin' serious iron in the gym -- and it's just as frightening.

DeMarcus Ware did his best impression of the former Steelers superstar in the weight room Tuesday, hang power cleaning 275 pounds -- FOR REPS.

The video starts in the middle of D-Ware's set ... so, unclear how many times he actually tossed around the nearly three bills ... but it's AT LEAST five.

The craziest part? The soon-to-be 36-year-old Ware -- who retired after the 2016 season -- called the workout a "Basic Tuesday."

FYI ... Ware just signed on to be a part-time pass-rush consultant for his old team, the Broncos ... and he was STILL the most jacked dude out at practice Wednesday.

Dana White was so impressed by Greg Hardy's 57-second knockout on Tuesday, he wants to get him back in the Octagon as soon as he can ... telling TMZ Sports he's shooting for August.

"He's got a lot of raw talent," White said from his gym ... "He looked good in his showing there."

White says he wants to get Hardy more experience before he puts the ex-NFL star on the main UFC stage -- and the ideal situation would be a second fight in his Tuesday Night Contender Series.

"In a perfect world what I'd love to do is turn him around and have him fight again in the last fight of the Contender Series."

FYI, the series finale is reportedly set for August 7 ... which would give Hardy exactly 8 weeks to prep.

White says if Hardy wins that fight, he'd still like to see him rack up a few more wins before he gets a major UFC fight.

As to the criticism that comes with signing Hardy -- who was convicted of domestic violence (which was later overturned when Hardy appealed) ... White says he's ready for it.

"What I respect about the guy is he did something really bad and horrible. He went through everything you need to go though after you do something disgusting like that. Then he hit rock bottom, picked himself back up, started to work his way up to become not only a better human being but a better athlete."