TMZ Sports - Page 50

Don't give up on Knicks draft pick Kristaps Porzingis just yet ... Carmelo Anthony isn't -- telling TMZ Sports, "I really love him."

Melo was leaving Madeo in L.A. on a double date with his wife La La Anthony, Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and his GF Ciara ... when we asked about C.A.'s newest teammate from Latvia.

"I really love him. I feel him. I'm gonna get with him tomorrow," Melo says ... adding that he's planning to squeeze in a workout with Porzingis.

It's big news considering there were reports that Anthony was pissed at the Knicks for using the 4th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Kristaps -- a player some experts see as a "project" who could take several years to develop.

How do you upgrade from a $3.8 million Ferrari?? Easy ... you get a $4.8 MILLION super car to take its place ... at least, that's what Floyd Mayweather's planning to do ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources close to the boxer tell us ... he's thiiiis close to closing the deal on an ultra-rare sports car called a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita ... one of only THREE of its kind in the entire world.

The car is lightning fast ... 0-60 in 2.9 seconds ... and tops out at 250 miles per hour!

Our sources tell us Floyd has had his eye on the car for a while -- but now, he's finally pulling the trigger ... and we're told his car guy Obi Okeke at Fusion Luxury Motors has already imported it to his L.A. showroom specifically for Mayweather.

Troy Aikman just took a baller vacation straight out of a Jay Z video ... chartering a $10 MILLION super yacht destined for Richard Branson's insane private island ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us ... Aikman and his GF, Tracy Ripsin, boarded a PIMPED OUT yacht earlier this month called the Sea Legend ... an ultra-luxury ship with a gym, hot tub, pool, kitchen and all sorts of baller stuff.

We're told the couple set sail for Necker Island ... owned by Branson ... though it's unclear if Troy actually hung out with the billionaire or just kicked it his private paradise in the Virgin Islands.

It's good to be rich.

People who are saying Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell will replace Kobe Bryant need to "stop that s**t" -- 'cause Kobe Bryant is irreplaceable ... so says Lakers superfan Ice Cube.

Cube says he's a fan of Russell -- and says he's exactly what the Lakers need -- but claims all the talk about Russell filling the Mamba's shoes when he retires of a giant crock.

"You can't replace Kobe," Cube says.

Adrian Broner REALLY thought he was gonna win that fight against Shawn Porter last weekend ... which is why he dropped $120k on diamond chains to be delivered to him right after the bout.

The bad news ... Broner lost the fight.
The good news ... he still got some pretty awesome jewelry.

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... Broner hit up Avianne and Co. in NYC and ordered three $40k chains (that weight 100 grams each) which each included diamond encrusted AB pendants.

The former NBA champ closed the deal on the massive, 7,373 sq. ft pad, which features six bedrooms and seven baths. It's located in a super exclusive Coconut Grove gated community.

Marion lost money on the deal -- he sold it for $1.8 million after buying it in 2008 for just under $2.5 million.

Marion's been trying to unload the place for years. He was so motivated, back in 2010 he offered up a private jet and four club seats to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas ... but no one bit.

Chris Paul's friends and family are doing it BIG for his belated SURPRISE 30th birthday bash Saturday night ... flying in Lil Wayne from Haiti to perform for a bunch of his closest friends ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Paul's birthday was actually in May ... but we're told Paul's family pushed off the celebration because he wanted to wait until after the NBA playoffs were over.

Sources connected to Paul tell us ... the NBA star's family is sparing no expense on the party -- we're told it's already running north of $200,000!

Among the expenses, we're told Paul's people paid for Wayne's private jet from Haiti -- where the rapper put on a free concert with Chris Brown and boxer Andre Berto.

As far as the guest list for Paul's big 30, we're told all of the Clippers are invited -- including DeAndre Jordan -- and all of Young Money.

Last year, Paul got an autographed pic from his hero Tiffani Thiessen. Wonder how he'll top that this year?

His teammate has done it ... but Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan says there's no way he's following in Kroy Biermann's shoes -- and won't appear on "Real Housewives of ATL."

Matt and his wife Sarah would be perfect for the show -- rich, famous, not afraid of NeNe -- but while the couple says they're fans of the franchise ... they don't see themselves as part of Andy Cohen's Bravo empire.

Don't count them all the way out ... they do have reality show experience on HBO's "Hard Knocks."

Plus, with former MLB superstar Jim Edmonds joining the cast in "Orange County" ... it could be the start of an athlete trend in the future.

Gilbert Arenas' ex demanded an emergency restraining order against him this week ... claiming he threatened her life ... but the judge shot her down ... TMZ Sports has learned.

It's no secret Gilbert and Laura Govan -- the mother of his 4 kids -- hate each other's guts. Arenas recently smashed the car she drives with a cinder block after she allegedly threw his computer in the pool.

Now, sources tell us ... Govan went to court this week telling the judge Gilbert threatened her on Monday -- allegedly saying, "I want you dead or in jail or broke."

Arenas obviously denied threatening her ... and the judge ultimately ruled there wasn't enough evidence to warrant an emergency restraining order.

Talk about the ultimate power play .... 4 hot chicks in bikinis grabbed champagne bottles and blasted away on Chicago Blackhawks star Kris Versteeg at a Vegas pool ... and we've got the footage.

Versteeg was at the Encore Beach Club at the Encore on Friday to celebrate his brother's bachelor party .. when the girls decided to douse the Stanley Cup champ in bubbly ... just for fun.

Versteeg obviously loved it.

Dude's having a good month.

New York Giants linebacker J.T. Thomas believes in the "Treat Yo Self" mentality ... because after he inked his new $12 MILLION contract ... he picked up $55k in brand new bling ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Thomas hit up Avianne and Co. in NYC -- and scored himself an 18 karat gold Cuban link chain for $35k.

And because he didn't want that chain to get lonely, he got a 2nd piece ... a 25 karat ruby, surrounded by diamonds ... which ran him another $20k.

Tom Haverford would be proud ...

While the Woman's World Cup is nothing to laugh at ... there's some pretty funny freeze frames of the soccer studs going full force!

How should newly drafted Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. deal with the fact he called Kobe Bryant a "rapist" on Twitter back in 2012??

He might need to "bow down" and beg for his forgiveness ... so says Bryant's former teammate Brian Shaw.

Shaw -- who played for the Lakers from '99 to '03 -- acknowledged things are gonna be awkward between the two players when we saw him at LAX on Friday ... but he says the real lesson is simple:

51-year-old Ken Shamrock says there NO WAY IN HELL he's retiring from MMA after his fight with Kimbo Slice ... telling TMZ Sports he would take a rematch "in a heartbeat."

Shamrock says he's still recovering from that massive wound to his face in the loss to Slice during Bellator 138 last weekend ... saying, "The cut was to the bone so they had to do double layer stitches."

But despite the injury, Shamrock says he felt GREAT in the ring -- "I looked better than I have in ten years! Imagine now after I get some fights under my belt?!"

Shamrock says he feels he dominated the fight, but made one mistake that cost him the match ... and he plans to learn from the error in his next fight.

"There's no way I'm going to stop after one fight. I'm going to push the envelope some more."

We also asked about allegations that the fight was fixed -- Shamrock said the accusations are complete B.S.

As for a possible rematch with Kimbo -- "I would take that in heartbeat."

Gift bags full of swag are nice, but NBA draftees Cameron Payne and Satnam Singh Bhamara hit up a party this week that actually gave out something useful ... free dental work!

Payne (who was 14th pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder) and Bhamara (who made history by being the first Indian born player to be drafted into the league) hit up an art show in Manhattan on Wednesday night where all the proceeds went to provide dental care for those in need.

It was your typical art show -- about 150 guests, invite only, Moet champagne passed around -- except for the dental chair set up by Dr. Lee Gause -- the dentist who hooks up Floyd Mayweather with his insane mouthpieces -- to provide guests with free cleanings for the guests.

The ballers -- including new Portland Trailblazer Mason Plumlee -- got an added bonus ... a complimentary, customized mouth piece, which usually runs around $300.

NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin says he's very concerned about his friend Warren Sapp ... saying he's reached out to Sapp several times ... but Sapp doesn't seem to understand the gravity of his situation.

Irvin appeared on The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz on 104.3 FM in Miami yesterday moments after we broke the story that Sapp had been charged with domestic violence for allegedly attacking his longtime GF.

"I worry about him man, there's no doubt," Irvin said ... adding that he texts Sapp all the time.

But the problem, Irvin says ... is that Sapp seems to be convinced that everything's fine -- even though he's clearly in a very bad place.

Irvin even brings up Sapp's prostitution arrest during Super Bowl weekend -- and says he tried to talk to the guy about it ... but couldn't seem to get through to him.

On a completely unrelated note ... Irvin also talks about his Hall of Fame jacket -- and how he accidentally got some "Lewinsky" on it while breaking it in with his wife on the night he was inducted.

Good times.