TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tajae Sharpe is paying tribute to King Von with his newest cleats ... repping the late rapper with an incredible custom paint job.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old rising rap star was shot and killed last month outside an Atlanta nightclub ... a tragedy that shook sports stars from LeBron James to Montrezl Harrell, Stephen Jackson and more.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Sharpe wanted to pay homage to one of his favorite rappers  .. and hit up artist Joe Castro from California to bless him with a pair dedicated to Von.

Castro -- who's worked with huge names like Chase Young and DeSean Jackson -- got to work on the special project ... and delivered an awesome product.

Each cleat has an image of Von on each side ... and features phrases that honor the rapper's background -- from the famous Chicago "O Block," which he repped, and his nickname "Grandson," which is also the name of his first mixtape in 2019.

Castro tells us Sharpe picked the perfect portrait of King Von for the cleats ... and the whole project took him 6 hours to complete.

Sharpe just signed with the Chiefs this week ... and you gotta assume he'll be hoping to wear them on the field in Von's honor.

Jake Paul says his $50 MILLION fight offer to Conor McGregor is "real as f*ck" -- and he's got the "proof of funds" email from the bank to prove it.

Paul says he's backed by bona fide commercial real estate billionaires -- and he's got an email from a Senior VP at Signature Bank in NY which shows the benefactors' money is legit and ready to be deployed.

The problem ... Jake says Conor has been radio silent since he made the fight offer.

"We're talking to his team," Paul said ... "[Conor] looked at my DM on Instagram. But, we're talking to his team."

Paul continued, "When we sent them the proof of funds they like put their tail between their ass … they’re like. 'This little crazy kid ain't playing.'"

Remember, Paul initially called out Conor after knocking out ex-NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson fight.

Since then, Jake's brother, Logan Paul, has secured an exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Tiger Woods' son, Charlie, truly is a chip off the old block ... 'cause the kid golfs just like his dad -- and by that, we mean he's leaving crowds absolutely stunned by his skill.

Tiger and Charlie are participating in the PNC Championship this weekend down at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando -- where pro golfers are teaming up with their kids for a showdown to see which father-son duo (or another familial duo) is actually the best.

While TW and CW are in 4th place as of right now ... you gotta like their chances after this amazing shot Charlie took on the 3rd hole Saturday, which landed his ball in an incredible position on the green and just a stroke away from sinking an eagle -- which he did.

Like father, like son is the appropriate analogy -- but Charlie might be even more impressive than dad ... 'cause the boy's only 11. Tiger was a child golf prodigy too, but didn't play in his first professional tourney until he was 16. So, Charlie's chugging along nicely.

As we said, Tiger and Charlie are by far the odds on favorites to win it all -- but they're actually trailing behind Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron, at the moment ... plus a few more. They've got time to catch up and surpass 'em, but it's moments like this that people come to see ... and, boy, are the Woods giving people a show (per usual).

Canelo Alvarez is clearly NOT amused by Jake and Logan Paul -- saying their foray into boxing is all about money, not glory ... and it's disrespecting the sport.

Logan Paul is set to take on Floyd Mayweather -- the only man to have ever defeated Canelo -- in an exhibition match in February.

So, we asked Canelo how he felt about the event -- considering he's been calling for a rematch with Floyd for years.

Shocker, Canelo ain't thrilled about it ...

"Ya know, it’s all about the money," Canelo told us through a translator ... "I don’t think we would agree that people that are basketball players, that are YouTubers get licenses. Ya know, I don’t criticize [the Paul brothers]. This is a very risky sport, and if you go up there, it’s very risky."

With Logan's brother Jake calling out top fighters for a high-profile boxing match -- we asked Canelo if he would be down for a quick payday.

"No," Canelo said matter of factly ... "I truly believe that it’s a lack of respect. It’s all based on money. It’s all for money. I’m focused right now on other projects."

"I have other stuff going on, and I would invite him for a sparring session so that he truly knows what it’s all about."

When asked if he felt the Paul brothers were disrespecting the sport -- Canelo summed up his feelings this way: "For true fighters, I do believe it is a lack of respect."

Canelo has achieved both fortune and fame from boxing -- not only is he one of the highest paid athletes in the world, he's also shared the ring with top level opponents.

There’s at least 1 person who isn't convinced Khamzat Chimaev is a killer in the Octagon ... UFC title contender Stephen Thompson.

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Wonderboy -- who was recently floated as a possible opponent for 26-year-old Chimaev -- and Thompson made it crystal clear Khamzat simply doesn't deserve all the praise ... at least not yet.

"There's a lot of hype around [Khamzat] at this point. He's won three fights, he's had one fight at welterweight, he's ranked #15 right now, he's gonna be fighting a guy who ranked higher than me."

FYI, Chimaev -- who has been hit a grand total of 3 TIMES in his 3 UFC fights -- is fighting #3 ranked Leon Edwards (the fight was scheduled for this weekend, but Edwards got COVID, so it's being rescheduled.)

Thompson -- the #5 ranked welterweight -- continued ... "It's definitely a big jump for him and a test for Khamzat. So, at this point, I'm not really sold yet. I just haven't seen enough and on paper. Leon Edwards wins this all day, so I'm going for my man Edwards."

Edwards is 18-3 and has won 8 fights in a row ... with dubs over guys like Rafael dos Anjos and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. But Thompson says if Chimaev can take LE out ... then it'll make him a believer.

"[Khamzat] may go out there and prove us all wrong, ya never know. He'll be the real deal. I will say he's the real deal if he goes out there and just does work, but at this point, I haven't seen enough."

Speaking of big time fights, Thompson has a scrap Saturday night in Vegas against 30-year-old striker, Geoff Neal -- aka "Handz of Steel" -- who's 5-0 since signing with the UFC.

Another huge milestone in Keyontae Johnson's recovery -- the Univ. of Florida basketball star just did the Gator Chomp from his hospital bed!!

It's been almost a week since Johnson collapsed on the court in a game against Florida State. He was hospitalized in Tallahassee and was eventually transported back to the UF hospital in Gainesville.

Johnson was placed in a medically induced coma after the incident -- but has since woken up and has made tremendous progress in his recovery.

You can see in the new video ... Johnson is talking, smiling and moving his arms (hence the "Chomp"). It's all great to see.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank God," Johnson says.

"I know you all have been sending your prayers out the last few weeks and me and my parents are very grateful for all the prayers that have been going out."

"To all the doctors and medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial and UF Shands, I just want to say thank you for all the support you gave me."

"To my Gator Nation and UF athletic family, I just want to thank you for all the prayers you gave out to me."

Great to see -- and hopefully he'll continue to get better ... and maybe even get back on the court sometime soon.

Jerry Rice ain't going to like this ...

Randy Moss says HE -- not the San Francisco 49ers legend -- is the greatest wide receiver that's ever lived ... and the ex-Patriot explained Rice isn't even #2 on his list!!!

Moss made the stunning announcement on Terrell Owens' "Getcha Popcorn Ready" podcast this week ... saying his Mt. Rushmore of NFL wideouts begins with himself and then T.O.

"I'll put myself first," Moss said. "I'll put T.O. second, and I would put -- I think Jerry is probably third or fourth."

Moss insisted the list wasn't meant as shade toward Rice ... the former Minnesota Vikings superstar simply believes he and T.O. changed the game more.

"I’m talking about dominating the game and changing the game of football," Moss said. "I don’t live on statistics because if you live on statistics and live on championships, that’s all political."

Moss added, "You’ve got to throw politics out of the game of football, and look at the impact of what each individual was able to make in the game of football."

For his part, Owens didn't have many problems at all with Moss' list ... saying Rice had amazing QBs for his whole career to help him with his numbers.

"He never had a drop-off in quarterback," Owens said of Rice, who played with Joe Montana and then Steve Young. "He went from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another."

Of course, most still believe Rice is #1 regardless of Owens' and Moss' opinions ... the guy has the most receiving yards EVER with 22,895 -- and he's a full 5,000-plus yards ahead of second-place Larry Fitzgerald!!!

But still, kind of hard to argue with Moss when he has games like this on his resume ...

NBA star Rajon Rondo is being sued by a woman who claims she was cussed out and beat up by Rondo and his girlfriend in a heated parking lot dispute -- and the accuser says she has video of the entire incident.

TMZ Sports has obtained the lawsuit filed by Toktam Jorshari, who claims she lives in the same L.A. apartment building as Rondo's girlfriend.

In her suit, Jorshari claims on July 28, 2020 ... Rondo parked his $300,000 Rolls Royce SUV in a handicapped parking space at the complex, despite the fact the car did not have a handicapped placard.

Jorshari says she had parked in the adjacent parking space to unload a newly purchased table -- inadvertently blocking access to the driver's side door of Rondo's vehicle.

When Rondo saw his car was blocked, he allegedly flew off the handle, according to the lawsuit.

"Bitch, why do you think you can park here?" Rajon allegedly shouted at Jorshari.

Jorshari claims Rondo was wearing a COVID mask at the time of the incident ... but was screaming so angrily, it slipped down under his nose -- causing her to fear for her health and safety.

But, Jorshari says things escalated from there -- and at one point, Rondo "with an extended arm, pushed and shoved [Jorshari] against her vehicle."

Jorshari says the push "was so violent and forceful that [Jorshari's] sandal shoe flew off her foot and her keys which she held in her hand flew out of her hand and broke into two pieces when the key fell onto the ground."

Once she was on the ground, Jorshari claims Rondo's girlfriend "proceeded to repeatedly physically attack [Jorshari] by striking her in the area of her head and upper body."

Jorshari claims she did not fight back -- and insists it was Rondo who gave his GF the "green light" to attack in the first place.

And get this ... Jorshari claims the entire incident was caught on surveillance video in the parking garage -- and she's currently in possession of the videotape.

Jorshari claims she was physically injured in the attack ... with some of the injuries resulting in "permanent disability."

Jorshari is suing both Rondo and his girlfriend for assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy. She's seeking unspecified damages in excess of $1 MILLION.

We've reached out to Rondo for comment, so far no word back yet.

Rondo was a member of the L.A. Lakers at the time of the alleged incident -- but was not inside the NBA Bubble in Orlando because he had left to tend to an injury on his right thumb.

Rondo is now a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

Notre Dame could REJECT an invitation to the College Football Playoff if officials don't allow players' families to attend ... so says Irish head coach Brian Kelly, who just made the threat on Friday morning.

Kelly spelled out his feelings on the matter in a heated Zoom sesh with reporters ... saying, "I'm not sure we'll play in the playoffs if the parents can't be there."

"Why would we play if you can't have families at the game? If you can't have families at bowl games, why would you go to a game where your families can't be part of it?"

Kelly continued, "What's the sense of playing a game in an area of the country where nobody can be part of it?"

The NCAA had planned to hold one of its CFP semifinal games at the Rose Bowl this season ... and, despite Los Angeles not allowing spectators at sporting events due to COVID, the org. is still pushing forward with that plan.

Kelly clearly believes that's a ludicrous idea ... saying the NCAA should just move the game to another site so players' family members can watch in person.

"Maybe they need to spend a little less time on who the top four teams are and figure out how to get parents into these games because it is an absolute shame and a sham if parents can't be watching their kids play," Kelly said.

"My kids have been on campus since June. They haven't seen their families very much at all. They've had to fight through COVID, some of them have had COVID. They can't be around their families for Christmas, and you're going to tell me we're going to have a playoff and maybe one site can have families and the other can't? Please."

Kelly added, "Somebody's got to wake up in that room and figure this out or you might as well call this the professional league. I am so sick and tired of this playoff committee talking about having sites where you can't have parents at and their families. It's ridiculous."

Cy Young winner Shane Bieber is spreading some holiday cheer this week ... by surprising some huge Cleveland baseball fans in the hospital with virtual meet and greets!!

The 25-year-old ace spent some 1-on-1 time with several children at Cleveland Clinic ... talkin' baseball, asking about their holiday wish lists and more.

And, get this -- the guy even got ROASTED by one fan over Cleveland's struggles in the postseason!!

"Welp, you haven't played too late into October, so I guess it wouldn't be that cold," the fan said with a smile ... clearly referencing the New York Yankees' quick 2-0 series win over Cleveland in the 2020 playoffs.

The star pitcher was able to laugh it off, saying, "I know right? it hasn't gotten that cold, but it gets cold early in the season."

The fan admitted he was just making a funny, replying, "I know, I was just messing with you."

The video is amazing ... and it's clear the fans are truly excited to speak with the 2019 All-Star MVP.

Bieber had one more surprise up his sleeve -- gifting each kid with a bunch of team merch.

The man suing Jerry West and the Clippers for his alleged role in landing Kawhi Leonard says West left him a voicemail message in 2019 acknowledging their relationship and trashing the Lakers in the process.

Johnny Wilkes tells TMZ Sports ... West left the voicemail for him on July 1, 2019, around 2 PM ... "expressing concern that Kawhi would choose the Lakers over the Clippers."

Wilkes says, "In the same message, Jerry thanked me for all my efforts in getting Kawhi to sign with the Clippers."

TMZ Sports has obtained the voicemail -- in which a man who sounds like West says, "Hey there, this is Jerry calling. I really want to thank you a lot for trying to help. I heard this morning that everyone over in the Lakers camp thinks they're gonna get him."

"I just find it hard to believe that he would want to go to that sh*t show where he would not even be ... wouldn't even get his name in the paper and he wouldn't be the face of the franchise that's for sure."

"He might be the best player on the team, but hope things are well and again, I really really appreciate everything you've done."

The man believed to be West is seemingly referring to the fact LeBron James is with the Lakers -- and there's zero shot Kawhi would overtake him as the face of the team.

The man also seems to think Kawhi is a better player than LeBron, Anthony Davis and other members of the Lakers.

FYI, West is an executive board member with the Clippers. He's also considered one of the greatest Lakers players of all time.

The voicemail continues ... "I will keep you apprised of what's going on. But, I do want to get together with you privately and would love to take you to dinner and even Sam if he's around. So I can at least pay my respects to you guys for being so generous and helpful. Take care, talk to you sometime soon. Bye-bye."

We're told the "Sam" in question is Sam Watson -- who Wilkes claims was also involved in the effort to land Kawhi with the Clippers.

As we previously reported, West has DENIED any wrongdoing connected to the signing of Kawhi Leonard -- but when contacted about this specific piece of audio, neither West nor the Clippers would comment.

The Clippers previously issued a statement saying, "The lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes is replete with inaccuracies and the allegations are baseless. The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA in its investigation, which is standard when these types of allegations are made.

"[The Clippers] are providing the NBA with evidence that the allegations are false."

Here's Nelson Agholor proving NFL players are still REALLY, REALLY freakin' tough ...

The Las Vegas Raiders receiver gruesomely dislocated his finger mid-game against the Chargers on Thursday ... but the dude barely missed any time over the gnarly injury!!

It all went down in the 3rd quarter of Las Vegas' loss to Los Angeles ... when Agholor dropped a pass and his hands came crashing down to the grass.

You can see in video of the incident, his whole body weight landed on his pinky ... and it looked like the digit snapped in half!!!

Agholor immediately knew something was wrong ... he waved his jacked-up finger to his sideline -- and trainers tended to him right away.

The craziest part about it all, though? HE RETURNED AFTER JUST ONE PLAY!!!

In fact, Agholor went on to record a couple more catches after trainers popped his finger back in place ... and the dude finished the night with a total of 49 receiving yards!

Drew Brees is BACK as the starting QB for the Saints -- just 4 weeks after being diagnosed with 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung!!!

The 41-year-old has missed the past 4 games due to the injuries -- and just this week, head coach Sean Payton suggested it would be another week or so before Brees was back under center.

But ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday morning that Brees has been cleared by doctors and will start at QB on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brees is NOT back to 100%, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini who says Drew is still dealing with soreness but plans on toughing it out.

"I was told that Drew has had a really strong week at practice," Russini said on "Get Up" ... "It started on Monday afternoon with trainers. They didn't expect him to look as good as he did. But they said he's sharp, he's healthy."

As for the soreness, Russini explained it this way -- "It's not so much about the health on the field, it's the next day -- dealing with that soreness."

"And while there is soreness there, [my source] made it very clear Drew is not 100%. He's more in the 85% to 90% range, he's able to handle it ... it's not something that's too overwhelming for Drew Brees."

The NBA has launched its own investigation into allegations made against the Clippers and Jerry West in a new lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

The allegations are spelled out in a lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes -- who says West promised him $2.5 MILLION for helping the Clippers sign superstar free agent Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

If the allegations are true, it would be a violation of NBA policy -- and West and the Clippers could be subject to league discipline.

For his part, West has DENIED the allegations -- telling TMZ Sports, "I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard.”

In his lawsuit, Wilkes says he has close ties with Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson -- and promised he had information that would give the Clippers an advantage in the battle to land the NBA's top free agent.

Wilkes says he also helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.

Kawhi ultimately signed with the Clippers -- but Wilkes says West never ponied up the $2.5 million fee ... so he filed a lawsuit for breach of contract and more.

Touching tribute from Darren Waller on Thursday night ... the superstar tight end honored his former teammate, Lorenzo Taliaferro, with a TD celebration after the 28-year-old's shocking death.

Waller -- who played with Taliaferro in Baltimore to begin his career -- scored on a beautiful 35-yard, go route early in the 2nd quarter of the Raiders' loss to the Chargers ... and he immediately got up and looked for cameras in the end zone.

DW then threw up a 3 and a 4 -- Taliaferro's old jersey number -- and then he gave a bow.

In the pregame, Waller also wrote a note to Taliaferro on his cleats ... putting in pen, "R.I.P. Zobot #34."

"To be real, I didn't even feel like playing tonight honestly," Waller said after the game. "I had no juice today. I thank God and the people that support me for speaking life into me today, and telling me to go out and play and represent him and to have him on my mind while I was playing."

"I feel like him and his presence and what his time on the earth meant to me is what motivating me to play football with a sense of urgency."

Taliaferro tragically died in Virginia on Wednesday ... a family member told Fox45 in Baltimore the former running back had suffered a heart attack.

Waller -- who finished Thursday night with a staggering 150 yards on 9 catches -- was teammates with the ex-Raven from 2015 to 2017.

Vanessa Bryant is lashing back at her mother -- claiming Sofia Laine only filed a lawsuit against her to "extort a financial windfall from our family."

Laine sued Vanessa earlier this week -- claiming Kobe Bryant had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life ... but after Kobe died in January, Vanessa left her out in the cold.

In her suit, Laine claims she worked as a nanny for Kobe and Vanessa -- and was "forced" to work around the clock for 18 years without proper meal or rest breaks.

Laine claims she was never paid for her work despite taking shifts on holidays and weekends.

She also claims Vanessa ordered her to move out of the home Kobe had allowed her to live in while he was alive.

But, Vanessa says her mom is lying -- saying, "I have supported her for nearly 20 years, and was never my or Kobe's personal assistant, nor was she a nanny."

"I have always been a stay at home mother and my husband and I were my daughter's full-time care givers."

Vanessa continues, "In reality, she only occasionally babysat my older girls when they were toddlers."

"As of ten years ago, our kids were full time students and athletes and I didn't have another child until 2016."

Vanessa says her mom's claims are "obviously false" -- and insists she repeatedly tried to "work things out with my mother" ... to no avail.

She concludes ... "This lawsuit is frivolous, disgraceful, and unimaginably hurtful. My husband never promised my mother anything, and he would be so disappointed in her behavior and lack of empathy."

We're told Sofia is planning to issue a response to Vanessa's statement soon.