TMZ Sports - Page 50

Shaq's no stranger to taking the stage, but audience members at his inaugural charity event got a never-before-seen performance when the NBA legend collabed with Snoop Dogg on a hip-hop classic.

The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation held their first-ever "'The Event' Presented by Pepsi Stronger Together" Saturday night in Vegas. Jimmy Kimmel took over hosting duties, but Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop were among the performers to grab the mic.

At one point during Snoop's set, Shaq jumped on stage to perform "Nuthin' But A G Thang" ... and as expected, the crowd went wild.

The event raised $2.7 million to benefit The Boys and Girls Club and Communities in Schools throughout Las Vegas and Atlanta ... including ticket sales and a live auction.

Speaking of the auction, Shaq wowed the crowd when he bid $90k of his own cash for a walk-on role in an upcoming Adam Sandler movie.

Tragic news ... MMA fighter, Justin Thornton, has died at 38 years old, just weeks after he was violently knocked out in an August fight.

Thornton was seriously hurt after Dillon Cleckler KO'ed him during a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event on Aug. 20.

The scene in the ring was very scary ... after taking multiple punches to the face, Thornton crashed headfirst into the mat and didn't move for several minutes.

BKFC officials confirmed Monday that Thornton -- who had reportedly been battling serious injuries from the fight -- has died.

It's unclear, however, if the KO had anything to do with the passing, as a cause of death has yet to be revealed.

"This morning we were very saddened to be notified of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021," BKFC president Dave Feldman said in a statement.

"We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."

Thornton had been professionally fighting for over a decade ... compiling a 6-18 record.

Ben Simmons just can't catch a break.

The NBA star is now the butt of another joke ... with the guy who famously caught an alligator in his trash can taking a major shot at him on local news, saying he's way more clutch under pressure!!

Remember -- 26-year-old Eugene Bozzi out of Florida went viral when he captured an alligator with an open trash container. It was equally scary and super badass.

CBS Philly caught up with Bozzi -- who is originally from Philadelphia -- to ask him about how the whole ordeal went down ... and his recounter started off totally tame, before getting savage.

"Imma be honest, I didn’t think," Bozzi said. "My father instincts kicked in."

"I just jumped into action and I said, 'You know what? I’m not gon' be Ben Simmons, Imma go capture this basket.'"

HAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Of course, Bozzi is referencing the infamous play in the Eastern Conference semifinals, where Simmons opted to pass up a wide open layup against the Atlanta Hawks ... and while guard Trae Young was in the picture, no one actually thinks he would have made a difference.

Who says Kevin Holland can't wrestle?!

The MMA star thwarted an alleged carjacking Monday morning -- just 2 days after the wild ending at UFC Fight Night -- tracking down the accused thief in his car, and holding him down until police in Saginaw, TX arrived on the scene.

TMZ Sports talked to the 28-year-old fighter ... and he gave us a play-by-play of the crazy scene.

Holland details how he immediately sprang into action after being flagged down by the guy whose car was allegedly taken, and found himself in the middle of a wild chase.

It's a crazy story made even crazier by the timing ... Holland was just involved in a controversial fight Saturday night against Kyle Daukaus.

Less than 3 minutes into the fight, Holland and Daukaus accidentally clashed heads, briefly knocking Kevin out.

He quickly regained consciousness, but the brief moment Kevin was out allowed Kyle to get his neck, ultimately choking KH out, forcing him to tap.

Referee Dan Miragliotta consulted with fellow ref Herb Dean, the Nevada Athletic Commission, and UFC officials before deciding to declare the fight a no contest.

Despite the wild past few days, Holland is in good spirits, and gives a hysterical breakdown of the situation.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley has a bone to pick with Bills Mafia ... calling out the diehard fan base for jeering at him during Sunday's home game for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Only place I get boo'd is at our home stadium," Beasley tweeted Monday. "Then some of the same people want me to take pictures and sign autographs. I thought bills fans were the best in the world? Where'd they go?"

FYI -- Highmark Stadium currently requires fans to have at least one shot of the COVID-19 vax in order to attend games.

The 32-year-old wideout has not gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 ... and seems to believe that he is being booed by the vaxxed fans at home as a result.

"If the vaccine works then why do vaxxed people need to be protected from unvaxxed? #letemin," Beasley added.

CB has been openly passionate about his decision to not get vaccinated, saying "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

A beat reporter for the Bills played devil's advocate and asked Beasley if the fans were actually chanting "Beaseeeeeeee?" ... to which Cole replied, "Some are. Then I got some right behind the bench yelling at me to get vaccinated and talking s***."

Bills fans have certainly had a lot to cheer about recently ... winning 3 straight games after dropping their Week 1 opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It doesn’t seem like this drama is going anywhere anytime soon ... that is, unless Beasley decides to get vaccinated.

But, the chances of that happening appear to be VERY slim.

Adam Thielen paid homage to the late Norm MacDonald in a big way Sunday ... by rockin' a pair of amazing "Turd Ferguson" tribute cleats during the Vikings vs. Browns game.

The NFL star got the custom spikes made by celeb shoe artist Mache -- and they're awesome, with one featuring an image of MacDonald from his famous "Celebrity Jeopardy!" skits on "Saturday Night Live."

The yellow and white shoes also had the quote, "Yeah that's right. It's a funny name" written next to a script "Turd Ferguson."

On the other shoe, Mache painted on, "Norm MacDonald 1959-2021."

Thielen is clearly a big fan of MacDonald's work ... but Mache tells TMZ Sports the NFL star is also hoping the cleats help encourage people to get tested for cancer.

Mache says Thielen is trying to help people catch the disease early, so they have a better chance of getting treatment and recovering.

Of course, Thielen and Mache made a similar gesture last season ... when they honored Alex Trebek with some tribute cleats following the former "Jeopardy!" host's death from pancreatic cancer.

Urban Meyer says he's sorry for the "distraction" he caused his team after video surfaced of him dancing with a woman -- who wasn't his wife -- surfaced over the weekend.

A video of the former Ohio State head coach turned Jacksonville Jaguars play caller went viral Saturday ... showing a young, blonde woman grinding on Meyer at an Ohio bar. Meyer has been married to his wife, Shelley, since 1986.

Speaking to media Monday, Urban said he had apologized to his team, calling the incident a distraction and saying it was "stupid."

Urban's Jaguars were in Cincinnati Thursday where they lost to the Bengals 24-21, and he said he stayed in town to see his grandkids and grab dinner while the Jaguars have the next 10 days off.

Another photo from that night showed Urban with another blonde woman who seemingly jokingly captioned it, "Who is this he keeps flirting with me."

Prior to the dancing video going viral, Shelley Meyer had commented on another photo of the coach out with friends, sharing that she had stayed home to babysit the couple's grandkids with the hashtag "BuddyDeservedANightOut."

Andrew Wiggins just made a nearly $15 million decision -- the Warriors forward has officially put his COVID-19 standoff to rest and is vaccinated, Steve Kerr confirmed Sunday.

The 26-year-old was previously hellbent against getting the jab ... saying he had nothing against other folks being vaccinated, but it was his personal decision to elect against it.

Considering the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health currently requires anyone 12 or older to be fully vaccinated to attend indoor events, Wiggins would have missed every Warriors home game this season -- and the paycheck that comes with it.

But, Kerr says the saga is over ... telling reporters the star decided to cave in and get the vaccine.

"Andrew got vaccinated," Kerr said. "He just told me today that he was fine with us acknowledging it and that will be the end of it. I'm not going to answer any questions beyond that."

As we reported before, Wiggins had applied for a religious exemption with the NBA ... which was denied.

Now that Andrew is vaccinated, the Warriors can put their focus on the upcoming season as they look to some noise in the Western Conference this season.

Enes Kanter is making it clear, he's pissed over LeBron James' COVID vaccine stance ... saying this weekend he thinks the Lakers star should be urging everyone to get the shots.

"When I heard it," Kanter said during a television interview with CNN, "I was very disappointed, and it’s ridiculous."

James told reporters last week he would NOT try to convince anyone to get the vax -- despite receiving it himself -- saying, "That's not my job."

Kanter, who started 35 games for the Portland Trailblazers last season, disagreed -- explaining he thinks it's obviously Bron's duty.

"LeBron James, he's one of the faces of the league," Kanter said, "and he should be the first one to go out there and say, 'Listen, everyone. I got the vaccine, and I'm encouraging everyone, my community, everyone, basketball fans, non-basketball fans and sports fans are just going out there and get this vaccine, so we can save other lives.'"

Kanter added, "When I heard that, I just couldn't believe it. But, I hope he can educate himself about this vaccination and inspire and encourage other people around him."

For his part, LeBron said he felt uncomfortable urging others to get the jab because he felt he shouldn't "get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and their livelihoods."

Tom Brady and Robert Kraft clearly have no bad blood ... 'cause the Bucs quarterback and Patriots owner just shared a moment in the bowels of Gillette Stadium, hugging it out before the team's battle on Sunday Night Football.

TB12 will play his old team -- in New England -- for the first time since bolting for Tampa Bay before the start of last season.

Many football fans wondered what the interaction between Brady and Kraft and Bill Belichick would be like... would there be hard feelings or a warm reaction?

A few hours before kickoff, Tom and Robert met up in a back hallway, spoke briefly, and embraced each other before going their separate ways.

Of course, the Bucs won the Super Bowl last season -- Brady's 7th -- while his old squad struggled without him, going 7-9 with Cam Newton at the helm.

During the week leading up to tonight's game, Belichick -- who reportedly had tension with Brady during his last years in NE -- was extremely complimentary of the G.O.A.T.

Despite the reported beef, Brady seems happy to be back, posting about returning to Foxborough on social media earlier Sunday, saying ... "Good to be back"

Kraft previously said the Pats plan to honor Brady before what's become the most anticipated game of the 2021 NFL season.

Brady -- a 6th round draft pick of NE in 2000 -- played 20 seasons with the Patriots ... winning 3 NFL MVPs and 6 Super Bowls with Belichick and Kraft.

Claressa Shields says a knockout isn't enough for her 2nd MMA fight ... she's trying to BREAK BONES, telling TMZ Sports she's been putting in a ridiculous amount of work in the gym, and is ready to go!

26-year-old Shields -- regarded by many as the greatest female boxer in the world -- is set to return to the cage for her 2nd MMA fight on October 27 at a big PFL event in Hollywood, FL ... taking on 21-year-old Abigail Montes.

"She a decorated amateur kickboxer. Even though she only has 2 fights in MMA, she's been kickboxing for I don't know how many years in Mexico," Claressa says.

"She comes forward with a lot of punches, so, we're definitely gonna see a very, very entertaining fight and I know I'm gonna handle business and I'm trying to break Abigail's jaw, for sure."

😲😲😲😲😲😲

Shields flashed potential in her first MMA fight against Brittney Elkin in June ... winning via 3rd round TKO. However, she faced adversity ... repeatedly being taken down by the more experienced MMA fighter.

We asked Claressa how much time she's spent defending the takedowns ... and lets just say she's really been bustin' her ass.

"Every day. Every day. That's something we work on every single day, and I've gotten very good at it. Very good."

But, Shields isn't just working on her defense ... she tells us she's also drilled her takedown offense AND kick game.

"If I can stop the takedown, a lot of people's in trouble. If I can go for the takedown, people are in trouble. When I start adding those kicks to my punches, people are in trouble."

Big trouble.

Lamar Odom didn't get the knockout he predicted, but the NBA champ looked good in the boxing ring Saturday night, beating up Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband, Ojani Noa ... before being called out by Benzino!

41-year-old Odom beat 47-year-old Noa, who was hitched to Lopez from 1997-1998, by decision in a 3-round exhibition Celebrity Boxing fight in Miami, FL.

6'10" Lamar had a 9-inch height advantage over J Lo's 6'1" ex-hubby ... and wisely used his length to stay on the outside and jab Ojani, keeping him at a distance where Noa couldn't get close enough to hit Odom.

Even though he didn't get the stoppage, Lamar looked considerably better than in his first fight in June against Aaron Carter.

Odom knocked out the pop star in the second round.

Noa, who is in good physical shape, clearly presented a tougher challenge.

But, 56-year-old Benzino, who was calling the fight ringside for FITE, clearly didn't think Lamar looked very good.

"I wasn't impressed with that fight," Benzino yelled in the ring following the bout, "I want a shot at the champ!"

The champ ... at least unofficially is Lamar Odom.

And, there's a good chance this fight will go down. Celebrity Boxing tells TMZ Sports the hip-hop star is under contract to fight in March.

Of course, we broke the story on Saturday ... Odom recently became a part-owner of Celeb Boxing and told us he was willing to continue fighting.

Lamar Odom vs. Benzino would make for an interesting fight ... if CB can hammer out all the details.

If Eazy-E gets a shout-out during the Super Bowl Halftime Show in L.A. it will be a touching and monumental tribute ... so says the late rapper's daughter.

Ebie tells TMZ ... she's ecstatic about the entertainment lineup for Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, less than 15 miles from Compton, where Eazy-E grew up and formed N.W.A. with Halftime Show headliner, Dr. Dre.

Ebie, who feels her father would probably have been part of the Halftime Show lineup if he were alive, says Eazy-E would be proud because he would see an extension of himself on that stage in Compton icons Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

For that reason, she'd love for there to be some kind of acknowledgment of her father during the performance. She says Eazy-E, once the leader of N.W.A., broke barriers and revolutionized gangsta rap ... paving the way for so many other rappers.

Kendrick certainly agrees with that sentiment -- he once penned a tribute to Eazy-E in 2015 saying, "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Eazy."

Dre and Eazy, of course, had a falling out that culminated with Dre leaving the group and going solo. They later mended the childhood friendship to the point of reuniting N.W.A. but, sadly, Eazy-E died soon after in 1995 due to complications from HIV/AIDS.

Ebie knows the Halftime Show is not long .... especially trying to fit 5 huge stars in a roughly 20-minute slot. That being said, she hopes a simple shout-out -- even a "RIP Eazy-E" -- would mean the world to her.

Travis Kelce says there IS concern in the Chiefs' locker room over their poor, 1-2 start ... but he tells TMZ Sports he believes that's actually a good thing.

The star tight end revealed K.C. is upset after falling to both the Ravens and the Chargers in back to back games ... saying, "You have to be concerned, right?"

Kelce, though, added, "That's how you find what's wrong, you fix what's wrong."

The 31-year-old said there's nothing too complicated about their issues ... describing them to us as simply small mistakes here and there.

"You know, we've turned the ball over a lot, we missed tackles and it is what it is," Kelce said. "We have to be better all-around on the football field."

Kelce says for him personally, he knows he has to be a better blocker and better route runner even when plays aren't designed for him.

The good news? The Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes -- and they won't be playing the Ravens and Chargers every week.

There will be nothing but cheers for Tom Brady in his return to New England, so says Deion Branch, who tells TMZ Sports he expects NO boos from the Patriots faithful on Sunday.

Brady is making his first trip to Gillette Stadium as a Pats opponent after dominating for the home team for years ... and many are wondering, what will the reception be like when he hits the field in Buccaneers jerseys this weekend?

Branch, a Pats legend, says it'll be nothing but love -- at least initially -- explaining to us, "I think these guys are going to be received well."

"They've earned that," Branch added.

Now, as the game goes on, Branch says he can see things going a little bit differently.

"There's no way that the Boston fans will just sit back and be ok with Gronk catching a 40-yard, 50-yard pass," Branch said. "No, there will be some boos."

"But, in the beginning, I do believe deep down inside these guys will be received well."

Boos or not, Branch is expecting the Patriots to pull off the upset -- despite being a heavy underdog in the game.

As for all the hooplah and festivities surrounding the evening, Branch tells us he's envisioning plenty of tears flowing -- but believes all of the players will be ready to go by kickoff.

Baseball fans have a chance to straight-up buy an autographed Babe Ruth photo that's over 100 years old ... if they got a solid $54k lying around.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a rare photo of The Bambino has been hidden in a private collection until recently ... and is being sold by Moments In Time.

In the photograph, you can see Ruth rockin' a Red Sox uniform -- when he played for them from 1914 to 1919 ... and we're told experts believe it was signed while he was a member of the Boston organization, which would make this pic 100+ years old!!!

The former outfielder left a message on the bottom left corner of the pic, reading, "To Sal, Sincerely Babe Ruth."

This one-of-a-kind piece can be all yours for only $54,000 -- and, we say "only" because a handwritten letter by Ruth to his mistress sold for over $201k at auction in April.

This is unquestionably a great deal for Ruth fans who want to possess a token from the beginning of his legendary baseball career.

Ruth won his first three of seven World Series in Boston as a left-handed pitcher before becoming a star outfielder with the New York Yankees from 1920 to 1934.