TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kendall Jenner had a frog in her throat hands during a photo shoot that, unfortunately, didn't have the same magical effect the Brothers Grimm dreamt up once upon a time.

The supermodel -- who's been featured in some of the most high-end fashion campaigns this year -- sunk a little lower to swamp level this weekend during a shoot in Malibu, where she came face-to-face with Prince Charming himself ... the bullfrog version.

Don't worry -- she didn't plant one on the handsome amphibian (that'd be gross AF) ... but Kendall did seem pretty dang giddy to be holding the specimen.

Tim Riggins said it first but Minka Kelly's the one truly keeping "Texas Forever" alive ... by signing a bunch of "Friday Night Lights" memorabilia diehard fans can get their hands on if the price is right.

Lyla Garrity, err, Minka slapped her John Hancock on TONS of 'FNL' memorabilia that's up for auction over at Screenbid. The items -- which includes a Panthers football flag, t-shirts and even scripts from the hit show -- can also be viewed and bid on at Screenbid's center at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hardcore fans who win the bids will rest easy knowing their money's going to a great cause -- 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the Minority Humanitarian Foundation ... a nonprofit that aims to provide assistance to immigrants and refugees around the world.

Nearly 300 items will go up for auction -- from Lyla Garrity's bible to Coach Taylor's Panther football polo. Each item will include a certificate of authenticity from the studio. But, get your bids in fast ... the auction closes Tuesday.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose ... not with Minka heading your cause.

MLB superstar Christian Yelich says he'd be open to donating his MVP award to the Thousand Oaks bar where 12 people were murdered last month ... 'cause the tragedy hit way too close to home for him.

The Brewers outfielder went to school at Westlake H.S. in T.O. -- and tells TMZ Sports he actually used to party at Borderline Bar & Grill when he was a teenager just a few years ago.

That's why he says the tragic killing of 12 innocent people had "extra meaning" for him ... so much so, he says he'll consider donating his MVP award to the bar when it reopens.

"That's something that we'll have to talk about in the future," Yelich told us at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in L.A.

"I feel like you gotta let the grieving process play out. Let them take care of the many needs and things that they have to take care of just to get back to a sense of normalcy. And, then you can kinda see what you can do to help out."

In the meantime ... Yelich has teamed up with Ryan Braun, Rams star Jared Goff and others to not only raise money for the shooting victims but also those affected by wildfires.

"We tried to put together a California Strong charity just to raise money to help people out and get them back on their feet in any way we can. Just lend a helping hand in a time of need."

Props to Yelich and the guys ... they sold shirts, autographs and giveaways over the last month that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims.

The little boy who came over from the Congo -- with a major assist from retired NBA star Dikembe Mutombo -- is on the operating table right now, and by day's end, he could be tumor free.

TMZ has learned 8-year-old Matadi went into surgery Sunday at 11:30 AM PST at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. We're told the operation is expected to last around 6 hours. His family is at the hospital waiting on word from doctors.

The operation is being led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in L.A. Dr. Osborne has volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo.

The family has been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles Wednesday. TMZ was there at Mutombo greeted the little boy as he got off the plane from Africa.

As we reported, Mutombo met the boy during a trip to the Congo and was so moved by his story he arranged to have him brought to the US for surgery.

This picture was taken shortly after Matadi arrived at Ronald McDonald. In case you didn't notice, Dikembe is on the right.

The large tumor on Matadi's face is not only life-threatening, it created a horrible set of circumstances. He has been shunned in his community, removed from school and has basically lived in his room. The surgery, hopefully, will be life-changing.

Ex-USC wide receiver Joseph Lewis has been released from jail after serving nearly 6 months of his sentence in his domestic violence case ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, 19-year-old Lewis was arrested back in July after his GF told police he had punched, scratched and strangled her during an argument.

Lewis pled no contest to 1 felony domestic violence charge -- and also admitted guilt in a previous domestic violence incident.

He was sentenced to a year in county jail -- but got out after roughly 6 months due to overcrowding and good behavior.

Now that Lewis is out, he's still not allowed to contact the victim who obtained a 10-year restraining order against him.

Lewis had just 4 catches as a freshman for the Trojans back in 2017 but was expected to be a big contributor this season before he was booted from the team.

James Harrison says it ain't just Big Ben and the Steelers' D causing problems in Pittsburgh ... 'cause the legendary LB tells TMZ Sports it's time start pointing fingers at Mike Tomlin as well.

"I think now, a lot of it has to be put on to what the game plan is -- the coaching."

Tomlin's been Teflon in Pitt -- the dude does have a Super Bowl ring -- but a lot of people ... including Terry Bradshaw himself ... have grown tired of seein' him as head man.

Doesn't seem James is quite at that point yet -- but the ex-Steeler does tell us the coaching DEFINITELY needs to improve if Pittsburgh wants to end its 3-game losing skid.

"Now it's actually where you gotta kick it in -- and EVERYBODY has to be held accountable. From the top down."

Tomlin and the staff better get going quickly ... the Steelers have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick this week.

Sorry, ladies ... Alvin Kamara's smooth vocals won't be hitting the radio waves anytime soon -- 'cause the Saints RB says he has NO plans to pursue an R&B career despite his dope voice!!

Of course, Kamara SLAYED R. Kelly's "12 Play" at karaoke after beating up the Bucs on Sunday ... which caused some to wonder -- could the NFL star have a future in music??

We asked the New Orleans superstar straight-up at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year ceremony in L.A. Tuesday night ... and, sadly, he says no.

"Nah, nah. I play football!"

It's too bad ... Kamara can SANG -- and dudes like Cole Beasley and Le'Veon Bell have managed to do both football AND music!!

But, Alvin tells us that's gonna be a big no from him.

Soulja Boy tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to start his own Esports franchise in 2019 -- with teams competing in Fortnite, Overwatch and more ... and his mentor is none other than Ninja.

Soulja made headlines this week after he announced his own video game console -- the SouljaGame Consule, which will reportedly house more than 800 classic games from Nintendo and PlayStation.

But, Soulja says he's looking to make an even bigger dent in the video game world -- launching his own organization to rival giants like Team Liquid and 100 Thieves.

"We're gonna be finding talent, hiring talent," Soulja says ... noting plans to create squads for Fortnite, Call of Duty, Counterstrike and more.

As for Ninja, Soulja says gaming's biggest star is one of his good friends and has taught a lot about the business.

But, he also knows hiring Ninja to play for him would cost a FORTUNE.

Bernard Hopkins doesn't seem to care that Michael B. Jordan and Roy Jones Jr. squashed their beef ... 'cause the legendary boxer says he wants to train the actor to whoop Roy's ass!!

ICYMI ... Michael B. previously told us his boxing skills were so good after filming "Creed II," he wanted a scrap with Roy -- and then the 49-year-old boxer told him to set it up!!

But, when we got Roy out at LAX last week ... he said the beef has been squashed -- and it doesn't look like a fight will go down.

Enter B-Hop ... who says not only should the fight still happen -- he wants to train MBJ to beat that ass!!!

"I'd love to be his trainer. I'd love to be Michael B.'s trainer. ... Michael cannot beat Roy Jones unless he has B-Hop's assistance!"

Of course, Bernard and Roy have history ... the two fought in 1993 and in 2010 -- and Bernard says that most recent bout (the one Hopkins actually won) is the key for MBJ.

"You know what the first lesson I would show him? I wouldn't show him the first fight, I would show him the second one when I won!!"

Charles Barkley says Steph Curry is NOT the best player in the NBA ... and, in fact, he tells TMZ Sports the Warriors superstar ain't even IN THE TOP FOUR!!!!

We got The Round Mound of Rebound leaving Matsuhisa this week when he revealed the man some say is the greatest shooter in league history ain't among the NBA's elite right now.

"I love Steph, but he's not with those guys," Barkley says.

Sooo ... who the hell is above Curry??

Like Santa, Charles has a list ...

"Well, I think LeBron is the best player in the league. I think Kawhi, Kevin [Durant] and Giannis are all right there together."

Interesting ... considering Steph's a two-time MVP, a three-time NBA champ, a five-time All-Star AND he holds the record for most 3s made in a season.

The players don't get paid, but they do get perks ... serious ones ... 'cause some of the biggest teams in college football are getting the biggest gifts for making bowl games, and we've got a rundown for you.

Squads like LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson are all playing in big money games, and that comes with big money sponsors who give out some huge swag.

We ain't talkin' about cheap crap either ... PlayStations, designer backpacks, iPads and fancy gifting suites are all on the menu ... as long as you got a major bowl.

So enjoy, young men!! Play your video games and floss your watches, all while you eat Cup Noodles in your dorm rooms next year, you unpaid broke jokers.

Floyd Mayweather is wrong when he calls himself THE BEST EVER ... because, according to Sugar Ray Leonard, there's only one guy in that discussion ... the great Muhammad Ali.

A little backstory here ... Mayweather and Leonard ain't exactly the best of friends, having exchanged several barbs over the years over boxing, and the fact the Sugar Ray KO'd Floyd Sr.

The two men even reportedly traded insults IN PERSON once ... with Floyd reminding Leonard he's TBE, and Leonard telling Floyd he'd KO him just like he did his father.

Even still ... Sugar Ray has always been complimentary of Floyd as a boxer, so when we got him out in NYC we thought it was fair to ask him if Money has a legit claim to calling himself TBE.

"Muhammad Ali. Without question."

Sorry, Deontay Wilder ... Clubber Lang's son should not be the star of the next 'Creed' movie ... so says Dolph Lundgren, who tells TMZ Sports he's got a WAY better idea.

"What if Drago has a daughter?!"

Of course, all this Rocky talk kicked off last week when Deontay told us straight-up he wants a piece of the next 'Creed III' film as Lang's kid.

Dolph tells us he doesn't think the boxer's idea is the worst one ever ... he just doesn't seem ready to give up the Drago bloodline yet.

But, bad news for Dolph ... we got Sylvester Stallone out in Los Angeles just a couple days ago -- and he already seems all in on Wilder's vision for Adonnis' next foe.

It all begs the question ... why can't the next movie have both Drago's daughter AND Lang's boy???

This is Rachael Denhollander -- the very first woman to come forward with sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar.

She's a hero. A survivor. And, she was brutally honest when we asked her how she was holding up in the wake of all that's transpired since she went public with her story.

"It's been really hard. The last two years have been very painful," Denhollander told us.

"My husband has been an incredible support system, my family has been an incredible support system and I'm grateful for that. Not everyone can say that."

We asked Rachael if she thinks she'll ever really completely recover from the abuse -- and again, she didn't mince words.

"I think that something we really need to understand is that the scars still remain. Sexual assault changes the course of a person's life. While there is a great deal of hope after abuse, it's absolutely devastating."

Of course, Simone Biles also is speaking publicly about how she's still dealing with the trauma -- telling 'GMA' this week, "I still go to therapy and I'm on anxiety medication now."

The bottom line -- Denhollander, Biles and other survivors want officials in gymnastics and other sports to be proactive in protecting young athletes from predators like Nassar.

"The real test is what happens when the allegation is in your own community. When it happens against your favorite sports player, your favorite sports team, your favorite coach."

Tony Hawk didn't just slap his name on his "Skate Jam" video game -- he personally picked the soundtrack ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The skating legend just dropped the mobile game on Thursday -- continuing his legendary Tony Hawk video game empire ... and it's dope.

Not only does the game look sick -- and Tony approved the gameplay -- he made it his mission to load it up with sick music ... the same way the other game always deliver when it comes to the soundtrack.

Tony says he selected bands like Interpol, Cold Cave, Frontside Hanni El Khatib, Se Vende and more -- but there was a big challenge.

The game was being developed on the sly ... so, he wanted to contact the bands but didn't want to risk letting the secret out.

In the end, it all worked out ... and the game is dope as hell.

Wanna live like the owner of a prestigious MLB team?? Got $25 MILLION laying around?

Awesome ... 'cause you can gobble up the insane mansion John Henry owned down in Boca Raton, Florida!!

The Sox owner -- who's also the honcho of Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Globe -- is ready to move on from the pad and just put the 41,000 square foot place on the market.

The estate is absolutely epic ... seven bedrooms, 19 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) bathrooms and unreal pool that overlooks a lake.

It's also got a library, a theater, a recording studio ... AND AN INDOOR-OUTDOOR ROOM DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO MAKING PIZZA!!!

Oh, there's also a clay tennis court, sports bar room AND an underground wine cellar that promises to keep your booze at a perfect 53 degrees -- even in a power outage!!

Unclear why John's getting rid of the spot -- dude's owned it since 1999 -- but we do know one thing for sure ... being rich rules.

[H/T TopTenRealEstateDeals.com]