TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nicki Minaj is being sued because time is money -- and NBA All-Star party promoters say she took $50,000 to make a one hour appearance, but came late and left early.

According to the court docs ... Nicki was supposed to appear at Siren Studios in Hollywood during the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend in L.A.. Lil Wayne, Drake, and Trey Songz were also slated to be there.

Nicki's contract said she would attend -- not perform -- from 12 AM to 1 AM. But in the suit, promoters say she didn't get there until after 1:30 and took off before 2 AM.

Now they want their $50K back, and then some to cover the cost of her hotel arrangements and other lost revenue.

Porn star Christy Mack and War Machine were still close enough 20 days ago that they were holding hands in public at an MMA fight.

TMZ obtained the pic taken in Temecula, CA while they were attending the fight ... and their coziness seems to contradict Christy's initial claim that they've been broken up for several months.

Christy's family and friends tell us although the pair "officially" broke up in May ... they still consistently hooked up from time to time. The pic may explain War Machine getting jealous of Christy's new boyfriend Corey Thomas.

The test results are in, and according to a DNA lab ... Nerlens Noel ... YOU ARE THE FATHER OF A BEAUTIFUL 14-MONTH-OLD BABY BOY!!!!

We broke the story ... the 20-year-old Philadelphia 76er initially acknowledged he fathered the kid in a legal doc -- but then backtracked and demanded DNA proof ... which TMZ Sports has learned he got done last month.

According to the docs, Noel admits he's had "limited contact" with his son -- and agrees Jamie, the boy's mother ... should have primary custody.

Noel is now asking the court to determine a "minimal level of child support."

The Rock is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and his old WWE tag team partner Mick Foley totally saw it coming. And while Rock's got "Hercules" … Mick's shooting his own cool flick.

Hellevator? C'mon, like you don't want to see that??!!

ASU backup offensive lineman Chip Sarafin has come out publicly as gay ... making him the first active NCAA football player to do so.

Sarafin revealed he was gay during a recent interview with Compete Magazine, and says he started telling his Sun Devil teammates a few months ago during Spring practice. He says opening up to them "was really personal to me, and it benefitted my peace of mind greatly."

NHL player Paul Bissonnette's plan to pull off the most badass ALS ice bucket challenge ever ... started where most extreme ideas do -- at a bar while throwing back a few rounds -- and he tells TMZ Sports the stunt was actually pretty cheap. Bissonnette says he and 4 other friends came up with the now legendary idea while chilling in a Vancouver bar -- partly because one of his drinking buddies owns a chopper and camera gear.

Bissonnette's heard Internet haters chirping that his caper was a waste of money, and he should have just donated the production cost to ALS research -- but turns out it was way less expensive than you'd think.

According to Paul ... he only dropped $175 to fill the chopper with gas, and a few other supplies.
He and his friends also donated $1000 to the cause.

Ray Rice won't ever have to revisit the scene of his infamous domestic violence incident ... that's because the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ is closing down.

The casino will close by September 10, making it the fourth casino in AC to shut down this year. Revel only opened in April 2012, at a cost of $2.4 billion.

Ultimately, the casino's legacy might end up being the place where Rice was caught on surveillance cameras dragging his seemingly unconscious fiancée out of an elevator ... before they were both arrested for domestic violence.

Rice struck a deal and served no jail time for the incident. He was suspended by the NFL for two games.

Steve Ballmer's purchase of the L.A. Clippers is already paying off -- huge sponsor State Farm is jumping back into bed with the team now that the old Sterling regime is dead ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep for the insurance giant tells us it reinstated its deal with the Clippers almost immediately after the NBA made the official announcement yesterday that Ballmer's $2 billion deal had been approved.

We broke the story ... State Farm suspended its relationship with the Clips after we posted Sterling's racist audio recordings.

More than a dozen advertisers jumped ship back in April.

The lucky SOB who caught two Chris Carter home run balls in the same game Tuesday night was prepared to give them back to the slugger, but TMZ Sports has learned ... he got to keep them.

In case you missed it ... Tim Pinkard, in his first ever visit to Minute Maid Park in Houston ... snagged home run balls in the third and fifth innings. Even crazier ... both homers were hit by Carter.

Pinkard met Carter before Wednesday's game and he tells TMZ Sports he offered Carter back the baseballs. But Pinkard says Carter refused and autographed them instead ... and even posed for a few pics with Pinkard and his family.

Pinkard won't be in the same seats for Wednesday's game ... the team got him primo seats right behind the dugout instead.

As for the balls, Pinkard has no intention of selling them, telling TMZ Sports, "The memory is more valuable."

Pinkard is from the Washington, D.C. area and said he plans to display them in his house when he gets home.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie center Nerlens Noel had no problem admitting to our photog he listens to Justin Bieber's music, but telling his teammates ... might be a different story.

Noel was in Midtown Manhattan when he volunteered that Bieber is his favorite celebrity baller, and he even copped to liking a few songs ... at home.

Corey Thomas -- the guy War Machine beat up before attacking Christy Mack -- has the distinction of being on a reality show riddled with tales of violent crime -- including murder.

Corey -- who made a fortune in web design -- was one of the stars of VH1's "Megan Wants a Millionaire." You may recall his co-star Ryan Jenkins hanged himself in 2009 ... days after killing his wife, cutting her up, and stuffing her in a suitcase which he deposited in a dumpster.

Corey's now got his own problems ... a broken nose and 2 black eyes. War Machine allegedly also bit him on the face.

As bad off as he is ... it pales in comparison to his porn star girlfriend Christy, who's in the hospital with 18 broken bones and a ruptured liver.

War Machine is still on the run with 7 warrants out for his arrest.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are gonna wear out opponents even more this season… if diet doc Reggie Miller knows what he's talking about -- and he's a Hall of Famer, so we'll assume he does.

Reggie -- one of the skinniest HOFers ever -- weighed in on the NBA trend of superstars trimming down … and told us LBJ shedding LBs means he won't be carried off the court with cramps anymore.

In fact, Reg explained why 'Melo and LeBron's thin-to-win plan will spell trouble for the NBA … for years to come.

Hard to argue. Reggie Miller knows skinny. And 3s … and Knick-killing.

Robin Williams did some of his finest work on a football field ... while wearing high-heeled boots and a bedazzled vest for the Denver Broncos cheerleaders -- and TMZ Sports has learned how he charmed the entire squad.

If you loved Shaquille O'Neal's "Kobe, Tell Me How My Ass Tastes" -- don't lose your copy, 'cause there will NEVER be a follow-up track ... according to Shaq himself.

We got the Diesel in NYC and told him about Russell Simmons' high praise. The Def Jam co-founder recently told TMZ Sports he wished he'd signed Shaq back in his heyday. We were hoping the news might coax him out of lyrical retirement.