TMZ Sports - Page 50

Erin Andrews took a break from being yelled at by NFL superstars to remind you ... she's actually in pretty good shape.

Andrews and L.A. Kings star Jarret Stoll are on a little couples retreat at the moment -- and decided to spice things up with a stand-up paddle board session.

Not as exciting as getting screamed at by Richard Sherman ... but still, impressive.

Kobe Bryant didn't have to go through the regular NBA hazing rituals when he was a rookie -- in fact a bunch of retired Lakers GREATS came out to initiate the Mamba including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ... so says Cedric Ceballos.

The former NBA All-Star appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show and told us ... back when Kobe was drafted in '96, most of the team took it easy on the guy since he was fresh out of high school ... but he definitely had to pay his dues.

"We'd make him chase balls into the stands of the huge arenas, or take bags off the plane in the freezing cold. Or we'd say, 'I need coffee from Starbucks and donuts from Krispy Kreme' -- and it'd be 2am in a town we just arrived in."

And who was behind the hazing?

Cedric says Eddie Jones used to make Kobe bring him Gatorade right before every game ... but the fun didn't stop there!

"Even the veterans who are retired ... James Worthy, Kareem, Wilt Chamberlain ... all those guys came down to give him a little bit of rookie hazing, knowing that he was going to be the great player he is."

Cedric says Kobe "understood what it was all about" and didn't remember the Mamba resisting ... but says the hazing was all about having fun -- "We don't belittle the guys."

Word of advice to NBA players ... wrap it up TIGHT for All-Star weekend -- 'cause the gold-diggers are heading to New Orleans IN DROVES ... so says Mannie Fresh, one of the most powerful guys in rap.

Mannie -- who'll be judging a rap contest in the Big Easy this weekend -- tells TMZ Sports, "It's going down. There's gonna be a lot of chicks lookin' to get theirs ... ogling salaries."

He's right ... and one of the spots the wallet-chasers are sure to hit up is The Maison -- where Manny and Portland Trailblazers stud Damian Lillard are judging the "4-Bar Friday" freestyle rap contest.

FYI -- Lillard created the "4-Bar Friday" challenge on social media ... where people post videos of themselves trying to spit 4 lines of a rap.

Tons of NBA stars have posted their best "4-Bar Friday" attempts online in the past ... including LeBron James, Paul George, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and even Damian himself.

No word if all those superstars are hittin' up the party -- but Manny says one thing's for sure ... "There will be a lot of people with a lot of money."

This is CRAZY -- Rob Dyrdek just jumped his Chevy Sonic nearly 90 feet in the air WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE ... and it was all captured on video!!!

The "Fantasy Factory" star set up a ramp in front of Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA -- then he threw his ride in reverse and sent the car flying BACKWARDS ... sticking the landing 89 ft 3 in away.

Dyrdek claims the jump set a world record -- but so far, no official word from the Guinness people.

FYI -- Rob is no stranger to the W.R. books ... at one point the dude had 22 Guinness World Records to his name.

It's goin' DOWN in Sochi right now ... at least, some of the Olympic athletes are ... HARD.

Check out these pics of the worlds' greatest athletes takin' a spill -- at the very least, it'll make you feel better about sitting on your computer all day.

Before the Super Bowl, Jeremy Piven said Peyton Manning was the GOLD STANDARD for a celebrity pitchman -- but after his pathetic performance, is Peyton's star falling in Hollywood?

Piven was leaving Freewheel Sports in Larchmont today and made a strong case for why Peyton's still the man ... but not everyone's convinced.

Some people in the office think Peyton's marketing power took a serious hit on Feb. 2nd -- and it could open the door for other players like Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman to swoop in on those coveted sports-oriented endorsements.

Then again, no one rocks a pair of stunner shades like #18.

A New Jersey police chief is stepping up for Richie Incognito ... telling investigators he was there during an allegedly explosive night between R.I. and Jonathan Martin ... but the cop says Richie did NOTHING wrong.

TMZ Sports has a letter written by the police chief and sent to investigators connected to the Ted Wells investigation which was launched in the wake of the bullying allegations.

The letter describes an April 26 dinner involving Martin, Incognito, Will Yeatman and Anthony Fasano ... where Martin allegedly stormed out after Richie dropped the N-bomb.

In his letter to investigators, the police chief says he was also there that night ... and based on his years of experience as an officer and a detective, says he witnessed NO inappropriate behavior on Richie's part.

In fact, the chief says the Dolphins players all participated in a "fun" Vine video that night, in which they were all smiling and laughing.

"At no time did I ever hear Ritchie speak condescendingly to or attempt to intimidate Jonathan or anyone else at this restaurant."

The chief says Martin never stormed out -- or mentioned that he was uncomfortable in any capacity.

The chief also says he has spent a lot of time with both Martin and Incognito over the years and says, "They have always appeared to me to have a close and amiable relationship -- very much like best friends."

Charlie Sheen should tread lightly ... 'cause Ashton Kutcher has just earned his advanced blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu -- meaning, the guy can fight.

Kutcher has been training with MMA badass Rigan Machado ... and last night in Beverly Hills, the "Two and a Half Men" star was promoted to a "two stripe blue belt" -- which means he's spent hundreds of hours on the mat learning all sorts of new techniques.

Also in the house ... UFC fighters Josh Barnett and Cub Swanson. It appears Barnett was promoted to an instructor level.

Still, Kutcher is hardly the most dangerous sitcom star -- that honor probably goes to Ed O'Neil ... who's a frickin' BLACK BELT!!!

In fact, Rorion Gracie once described Ed as "As tough as they come."

With only 2 years left in his term, President Barack Obama should start planning for his next job ... and according to David Stern -- his first post-presidential gig could be NBA coach!!!

The ex-commish was leaving a State Dinner at the White House with his wife Tuesday night when we asked if he had any tips for B.O. when his term's up in 2016.

Stern's response: "Yeah, I'm gonna represent him ... he's gonna be a COACH!"

Stern wasn't the only sports figure at the State Dinner ... Kevin Johnson and Jason Collins were there too.

The Menu -- Guests dined on some pretty awesome food ... including caviar, quail eggs, 12 varieties of potatoes, a winter garden salad, dry-aged rib eye beef, chocolate malted cake made with bittersweet chocolate from Hawaii and tangerines from Florida and served with vanilla ice cream.

NFL superstar Ed Reed was jacked to the tune of $50,000 ... when burglars allegedly followed him out of a Houston bank and stole a big bag of cash from his car.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, the former Houston Texans star says he pulled the money out of a Bank of America ... and went to ANOTHER bank.

While Reed was in the second bank, he claims someone smashed the side window of his grey 2006 Audi and jacked the loot, which was in a bag.

It all went down around 2:00 PM -- in broad daylight.

Cops say they believe Reed was followed from the first bank to the second bank. Officials are now on the hunt for the suspects.

We're told cops are hoping bank surveillance video captured an image of the cash thief.

D.P.G. ... the sequel??? It's possible ... so says Snoop Dogg's football star son who tells TMZ Sports he's open to the idea of taking a football scholarship to the same school as Nate Dogg's kid.

Cordell Broadus -- one of the top high school WRs in the country -- was at LAX when we asked if he'd consider following Nate's son Naijiel Hale to the U of Washington.

He didn't exactly say no ... but Cordell did admit his dad's all about another PAC12 school ... one that's a little closer to home.

So, for now ... guess we'll just have to enjoy this Dogg/Dogg collaboration:

Now that Derek Jeter's announced he's ready to retire from baseball ... it's time to run down the Yankee captain's most important stats -- SLAYING BABES! Is he a Hall of Famer? Hell yeah, and you'll have no doubt after this.

Plus, Kanye West popped up at a high school basketball game in L.A. -- and shocker ... the guy looked like someone killed his dog. Can ANYTHING put a smile on Kanye's face?

It doesn't matter that Ben McLemore was the 7th overall pick in the NBA draft ... or the fact he's considered a legit future star ... he's still a rookie -- which means, he's gotta carry a "Hello Kitty" backpack around NYC.

We spotted the Sacramento Kings shooting guard on his way to the team bus -- but it wasn't the fact that he's 6'5" that drew our attention ... it was the bright pink bag on his shoulder.

The 21-year-old admitted, "It's a rookie thing right here" ... yeah, no kidding.

Could be worse -- at least he didn't have to shave his head like Friar Tuck, right Tim Tebow?

Terrell Owens' estranged wife was hospitalized this weekend after an apparent suicide attempt ... sources connected to the situation tell TMZ Sports.

Just days after Rachel Snider left T.O. and moved back to Texas, she was hospitalized for what she described on Twitter as "suffering from a broken heart."

Now, we're told ... Snider's condition was actually very serious and she's been in the hospital ever since. So far, no specifics on her condition or the nature of her injuries.

We broke the story ... Snider left Owens just two weeks after they tied the knot, claiming Owens was only using her for money. T.O. denied the financial allegations but says he wants out of the marriage just as bad as she does.

Team USA is obsessed with Tinder -- the app that helps you find people to bang -- but now, the company's co-founder is begging the athletes to KEEP IT IN THEIR PANTS until after their events.

Earlier this week, gold-medal winning snowboarder Jamie Anderson told US Weekly, "Tinder in the Olympic Village is next level ... There are some cuties on there.”

She added, "There was a point where I had to be like OK, this is way too distracting. I deleted my account to focus on the Olympics.”

We spoke with Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen, who has a surprising message for the Olympians: Focus on kicking ass ... not tapping it.

"Tinder is a great way to meet new people when you're traveling and want to get the most out of your experience in a new city, but for now, focus on giving it your all while competing."

"Tinder will always be here when you're done."

Of course, Olympic Village has a reputation for being a "debaucherous" sex party ... and the app only makes it that much easier to find an athlete to bone.

Former NBA player Quentin Richardson was just booted off his flight after a dispute with a flight attendant ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Q was in the 1st class section of a flight out of Orlando, FL headed for LAX ... but he never got off the ground.

We spoke with Quentin who confirms he was escorted off the plane and claims it was all over a failure to return his seat to the full and upright position.

Quentin says the flight attendant told him to move his seat up so the flight could take off ... and next thing he knew, he was being asked to leave the flight.

It's unclear exactly what happened between the two ... we suspect the flight attendant is going to have a much different story.

We do know Richardson was NOT arrested ... and the flight eventually took off without him.