TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lil Wayne wants his bling, bling back -- claiming NBA player Frank Mason ditched his Young Money sports agency ... and refuses to give back his YM chain.

Backstory ... Mason signed to Weezy's Young Money APAA Sports Group back in April 2017 ... right before the NBA Draft (he was selected in the 2nd round by the Sacramento Kings).

As part of the deal, YM says it advanced Mason $40,000, agreed to pay his pre-draft expenses (totaling $52k) and hooked him up with an $11,000 diamond Young Money chain. Pretty standard stuff.

The catch, YM says Mason's contract stated that if he ever left the agency, he had to repay the money and give back his jewelry.

Well, in April 2018 -- toward the end of Mason's rookie season -- Mason fired Young Money "at the urging of a former YM employee" but never gave back the stuff, according to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

Now, Young Money is asking the judge to force Mason's hand -- demanding $92k in cash plus the chain PLUS damages.

FYI, Mason's NBA contract isn't super rich -- he only made $1.3 mil last season and will make similar money for the next 2 years.

What's interesting, Mason appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show right after he signed with Young Money and told the guys why he was pumped to be in business with Lil Wayne.

No word on what changed after the interview ...

Greg Hardy just destroyed a grown-ass man in 17 seconds in his second UFC fight ... and Dana White is fired up!

Hardy -- the former NFL star -- had already won a UFC contract on Dana's Tuesday night contender series back in June, but Dana wanted to book him a second fight on the show to get him more experience.

So, Hardy stepped in the Octagon again Tuesday night against Tebaris Gordon, and if you blinked ... you missed Hardy unleash an epic can of whoop ass that resulted in another ferocious victory.

Hardy has only had a handful of MMA fights since he decided to focus on becoming a pro fighter -- but he's destroyed every single opponent he's faced. Dana has previously told us he wants to get Hardy more fights before putting him on a major UFC card.

Richie Incognito says Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is straight-up lying about the NFL lineman's claim that he was talking with the team about a job this offseason ... and it's getting nasty.

It all started when Richie appeared on "TMZ Sports" last week and he told us he'd been speaking with multiple teams about a possible contract ... including Minnesota.

"I'm still in great shape, just waiting on that call. I've had calls from Minnesota, Seattle ... I really just don't want to go to training camp, so we'll see."

Zimmer was asked about Incognito's comments during a press conference on Tuesday -- and straight-up said Incognito was wrong.

"No interest and totally false," Zimmer said ... "Tweet that."

Incognito -- needless to say -- was furious over Zimmer's comments and tweeted, "Mike Zimmer is a F**KING LIAR!!"

Incognito claims he had been talking with Vikings line coach Tony Sparano all summer long and posted screen shots of text conversations. Sparano passed away a few weeks ago.

The screenshots show Incognito was interested in a job -- but they don't show Tony ever made a direct offer. Incognito claims they "spoke weekly this off-season" and believes Tony was seriously interested.

UFC champ Henry Cejudo -- the guy who beat Demetrious Johnson -- says he's flattered Mark Wahlberg thinks his life story could be a movie ... and says he knows exactly who should play him!

MARIO LOPEZ!!

Cejudo's story is pretty amazing -- he grew up poor in South Central L.A. ... one of 7 children ... his drug-addicted father was deported and died when Henry was 20.

But, he worked like hell to be one of the best wrestlers in the world -- and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games when he was only 21.

Then on Saturday -- at age 31 -- he beat DJ (one of the greatest UFC fighters ever) to win the UFC flyweight title. Amazing.

Wahlberg told us Cejudo's story has movie potential ... and he would know. And, you can tell Henry is super flattered.

LaVar Ball is going to love this ...

There will be no Lakers beef between Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball this season -- at least when it comes to minutes -- 'cause Rajon tells TMZ Sports he'll do whatever it takes to help Zo grow!!

Of course, Rondo and Lonzo play the same position -- point guard -- and there's been some concern the two could clash in a battle for playing time.

But, 32-year-old Rajon says he just wants to be the best teammate he can be -- and if that means sitting behind 20-year-old Lonzo, so be it.

"I'm ready to help develop Lonzo as much as possible," Rajon says.

"If I'm not starting and he's starting, he's going to be ready to go and ready for anybody that comes his way. And we'll be ready to roll."

Stan Mikita -- a Chicago Blackhawks legend and one of hockey's all-time greats -- passed away Tuesday, his family confirmed.

"With great sorrow, the Mikita family announces that Stan passed away," Stan's loved ones said in a statement.

"He was surrounded by his loving family whom he fiercely loved."

The NHL Hall of Famer -- who was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2015 -- is considered one of the 100 best hockey players that's ever lived ... playing his entire 22-year career with the Blackhawks.

Mikita also had a big pop culture moment back in the '90s -- "Stan Mikita's Donuts" was the main coffee shop in "Wayne's World" where Wayne and Garth hung out.

Despite retiring after the 1979-80 season, Mikita is still Chicago's all-time leader in points (1,467) and games played (1,396). He's also a huge reason the team hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1961.

"There are no words to describe our sadness over Stan's passing," Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said.

"He meant so much to the Chicago Blackhawks, to the game of hockey, and to all of Chicago."

Forget Von Miller and Case Keenum ... the hottest autographed Denver Broncos jersey is TAYLOR SWIFT!

The singer signed a #13 jersey for the NFL team's big Kickoff Luncheon charity auction -- and it's already getting more heat than some of the biggest players on the team.

At time of post, bidding is already at $450 -- more than twice the price for an autographed helmet from Terrell Davis ... who's a HALL OF FAMER!!!

Some of the other items up for auction -- a Peyton Manning signed football (less than Swift), Tiger Woods signed hat (way less than Swift) and a Ryan Tannehill signed helmet (not even close).

As for the Swift jersey, the Broncos say she signed the uni during her May concert at Mile High Stadium and she got #13 because it's her lucky number. Also, she was born on Dec. 13.

The money from the auction will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club -- so get in there and SPEND SOME MONEY.

Here's Joakim Noah proving he's got nothing to hide when it comes to getting naked -- stripping off his pants in the middle of the street in Santa Monica ... and yeah, dude's in great shape.

The New York Knicks player was leaving a vintage French boutique in Santa Monica on Monday -- when he decided it was time for a wardrobe change.

Off came the shorts ... out came his bare ass -- and Noah couldn't help but smile as people walked by him in the middle of the day.

Joakim Noah's 6'11", 230 pounds and was standing in front of his expensive Porsche ... so, we're sure no one even noticed -- right?

Charles Oakley pled no contest to misdemeanor disorderly conduct stemming from his alleged cheating incident at a Vegas casino ... but he won't spend another minute behind bars.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Oakley was arrested on July 8 after officials say he cheated multiple times at the Cosmopolitan hotel while playing the Ultimate Texas Hold'Em table game.

The ex-NBA star was initially charged with committing a fraudulent act in a casino -- a felony that carried up to 6 years in prison.

But, Oakley's attorneys were able to cut a deal with prosecutors in which they reduced the felony to a misdemeanor ... and ultimately, Oak will not serve ANY jail time. We're told Oakley's punishment is a $1,000 fine.

"Mr. Oakley has pled no contest to the simple misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct which fully resolves this situation," Oakley's attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement.

Jeffrey Toobin thinks it's awfully peculiar President Trump seems to have a habit of viciously attacking black people ... but stops short of calling him a full-on racist.

We got CNN's Chief Legal Analyst Monday at LAX and asked about DT's latest vitriol against prominent African-Americans -- namely, his disgusting tweet calling LeBron James and Don Lemon dumb and dumber -- and Toobin thinks there's a pattern here that can't be ignored.

Bottom line ... Trump has a track record of going after blacks both on Twitter and at rallies. He's called out LaVar Ball as being a "poor man's version of Don King" and has constantly referred to Rep. Maxine Waters as a "low IQ" person. And, don't forget the NFL's SOBs.

Toobin doesn't want to get into name-calling -- unlike the Prez -- but says 45's barbs reek of racism.

He also praises his coworker's eloquent response to Trump after getting attacked this weekend.

On the field, Steve Smith Sr. appeared to be the most confident NFL player on the planet -- but privately, the WR was struggling with depression and admits he felt "trapped, inferior and alone."

The ex-Ravens and Panthers star went public with his mental health issues on NFL.com -- revealing he REALLY began to "take ownership" of the situation when he retired following the 2016 season.

Smith says, despite his carefree demeanor, he never really enjoyed any of his football accomplishments and often felt "mentally, physically and emotionally broken."

Smith says he first tried counseling in 2013 -- but didn't really take it seriously.

But, since he hung up his cleats, Smith says he's been able to focus on his mental health and has learned a lot about himself.

"I find myself, as an extreme introvert defined by my counselor, looking for excuses on how to avoid large crowds and retreating during public appearances, big events and even family gatherings," Smith says.

"Being in public is a constant struggle, not because I don't want to attract attention or think I'm 'important,' but because of my inner battle."

"This is all proof that I still face my demons often, but I'm gradually learning how to cope with them."

Smith says he has a message to other people suffering from mental health issues -- ask for help.

Jake Paul ain't just training for his superfight with YouTube star Deji by pummeling his friends in his living room boxing ring ... he tells TMZ Sports he's getting LEGIT coaching from "Sugar" Shane Mosley too!

We got the Internet sensation (and his smokin' hot GF, Erika Costell) leaving a workout with world class trainer Phil Paolina in the Valley on Monday when he revealed one of boxing's all-time greats is giving him pointers.

He says there are others in his corner as well -- including his own version of Mr. Miyagi -- all getting him ready for the Aug. 25 fight that could be bigger than McGregor-Mayweather.

EA Sports has fixed the Colin Kaepernick "mistake" -- removing the edit that scrubbed the QB's name from a song that's on the soundtrack for the Madden NFL 19 video game.

As we previously reported, Colin's name is a part of the original lyrics for YG's track, "Big Bank" -- which is featured in the game. But, on the version released on Madden, Kaep's name was mysteriously absent.

EA Sports claimed they made "an unfortunate mistake" when "members of our team misunderstood the fact that while we don’t have rights to include Colin Kaepernick in the game, this doesn’t affect soundtracks."

EA added, "We messed up, and the edit should never have happened. We will make it right, with an update to Madden NFL 19 on August 6 that will include the reference again."

Turns out, EA kept their word on that -- and now, Colin's name can be heard on the song in the game.

O.J. Simpson says there's a silver lining to having a kidnapping felony on your record ... you can still get the royal treatment in Vegas!

Simpson clowned with a guy at a Sin City restaurant ... a place O.J. frequents. Fact is ... he's the local celeb in restaurants and bars off the Strip. Think Norm from "Cheers."

We've been told by multiple people Simpson is NOT treated anything like an ex-con. He's bombarded by tourists and locals who beg for selfies, autographs and high-fives.

Remember ... O.J. served 9 years in prison for kidnapping in a botched robbery attempt where he was trying to recover his old football memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room ... pulling a gun didn't help.

Sorry, Ronda, Rampage, Lesnar and Liddell -- any fight you've ever had won't even come close to what goes down in October between Conor and Khabib ... so says Mark Wahlberg.

Wahlberg was out in Bev Hills where he told us there's never been a more anticipated fight in UFC history than the upcoming McGregor-Nurmagomedov superfight at UFC 229.

In fact ... Wahlberg says it's gonna make the two fighters (and Dana White) some SERIOUS bank.

"This is going to be the biggest pay-per-view fight in the history of UFC," Mark tells TMZ Sports -- and that's great news for him since he's a UFC minority owner.

FYI ... McGregor reportedly holds 4 of the top 5 most-bought UFC fights ever -- with his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202 topping the charts.

Ronda Rousey destroyed TWO chicks at the same time Monday night -- punishing WWE Raw champ Alexa Bliss and then making Alicia Fox tap out!!

It all went down in Jacksonville, Florida -- where Ronda wrestled her first ever match on Monday Night Raw. She came out to her theme song, "Bad Reputation," by Joan Jett and the crowd went nuts.

Bliss and Fox were inside the ring -- talking A LOT of trash after Fox slammed Rousey into a wall last week -- and Ronda was hell-bent on revenge ... and she got it.

Rousey is a beast in the ring -- bigger, stronger and more athletic than both Bliss and Fox combined and it's pretty awesome to watch her dominate.