TMZ Sports - Page 50

Did we just get Salley-Bombed?!

The 4-time NBA champ seems to know something about Carmelo Anthony's basketball future -- suggesting he'll sign with the Lakers before the NBA All-Star break.

... and then he winked at us like a guy who knows things.

Our photog smartly pushed John Salley to see what he knows -- but that's when John started to play coy ... and said Carmelo plus LeBron is the formula for Anthony to win his first NBA championship.

So, how would Salley know?

He's tight with Magic Johnson and he's still plugged in with a ton of important NBA people.

Then again, he might have just had something in his eye ...

34-year-old Anthony signed a 1-year $2.4 million contract with the Houston Rockets back in August -- but it wasn't a good fit and, in November, the team announced they were parting ways with Melo.

He's still technically on the roster -- but it's clear his days in Houston are done.

Melo and LeBron played together on the 2008 and 2012 Olympic team -- they won gold both times. The two are good friends off the court.

In fact, Melo was there during the infamous banana boat ride back in 2015 -- but Anthony never actually got on the raft.

KELLY SLATER IS A WARLOCK!!!

The 46-year-old surf legend pulled an UNBELIEVABLE move during a competition in Hawaii -- falling off his board and getting back on in the same ride -- and it was all captured on video.

Kelly was riding against Filipe Toledo at the Billabong Pipe Masters competition in Oahu over the weekend ... when he pulled a move that's already being dubbed, "Houdini Tube Ride."

Long story short ... Slater entered the wave and got knocked off -- but somehow managed to grab his board during his fall and placed it back under his feet during the ride.

He miraculously emerged standing on the board -- and looked at the crowd like he could barely believe it himself!!!

Dude is amazing!!!!

Slater later commented, "Well, that was interesting. I thought I just fell straight onto my belly and bodyboarded out. I didn't realize I had to grab for it!"

Conor McGregor wins again ...

The UFC superstar appeared in an Irish court Monday morning to deal with charges stemming from a July 10, 2018 incident when he was pulled over by cops in Dublin.

Unclear why McGregor was initially pulled over, but during the stop officials say McGregor failed to produce a valid driver's license and proof of insurance ... so he was cited and ordered to appear in court.

The good news for the 30-year-old ... Conor was able to get his ducks in a row and presented all the documentation he needed during the Dec. 17 hearing -- so the charges were dropped.

McGregor's court appearance was a big event in Dublin -- he rolled up to court in a blacked out BMW surrounded by a team of bodyguards ... while wearing one of his trademark slick suits.

Conor reportedly didn't have much to say inside the courtroom other than, "Thank you, Judge."

Conor's no stranger to the Irish legal system -- he appeared in court just last month to deal with a 2017 speeding charge. He got a 6-month driving ban in that incident.

Lil Pump gave his fans a preview of his new track ... and enraged a bunch of people in the process with a racist gesture mocking Asians.

The rapper posted this video Sunday previewing "Butterfly Doors" and he's getting skewered for the lyrics. He raps, "Butterfly door, they call me Yao Ming cause my eyes real low. Ching Chong." Pump then makes a racist gesture similar to what got a Houston Astros player suspended by MLB for 5 games.

Pump's video has amassed more than 2.5 million views and Asians are fuming ... flooding Pump's comments section in Chinese, demanding he "Apologize to us."

Others wrote, "Kiss my ass" and "Why are you so confident about your disgusting songs and gestures?Oh man, I think I need to wash my ears after listening [to] your f***ing words as a great Asian."

Pump was getting blasted on Twitter too. One person replied to the video saying, "I was gonna say this could be a banger until I heard the ching chong yikes."

"Hi, Mr. White ... the President was hoping to reach you by phone when you're available."

That's a real voicemail that Donald Trump's office left for UFC boss Dana White last week ... all because POTUS wanted to shoot the sh*t about the Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega fight!!!!

"He calls me on Tuesday," White said on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast ... "For 15 minutes he couldn't stop talking about the fight."

By the way, Tuesday was the same day Trump sparred with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi about possibly shutting down the government during a debate over his border wall.

Unclear if the conversation with White took place before or after the meeting -- but it sure sounded like Trump was in a good mood.

White said Trump praised both fighters for their toughness and called the bout at UFC 231, "The greatest fight I've ever seen."

White and Trump have been friends for decades -- with Dana even giving a campaign speech for Donald at the Republican National Convention.

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.