TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's some great news going into your holiday weekend ... Shareef O'Neal could be back on the UCLA basketball court in 4 to 5 months!

... this according to his dad, Shaq.

The Diesel was at the Magic Wheels Toy Giveaway in L.A. doing his Santa Shaq thing (awesome, BTW) when he gave us the update on his son who underwent heart surgery on Dec. 13.

As we previously reported, UCLA doctors detected an abnormality during a routine check up and advised O'Neal that a heart procedure was crucial.

Shaq told us Shareef is continuing to focus on his recovery and hopes to be back on the floor as early as April -- which is fantastic news!

There's more ... Shaq also weighed in on Lil Wayne recently saying he thinks Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.

When we asked Shaq to pick his #1 -- he went with someone else entirely ... not Magic Johnson, not LeBron, not himself!

But, the best part of this clip is the great work Shaq continues to do in the community -- making sure every kid has a Merry Christmas!

Shaq has been doing toy drives for 26 YEARS -- and you can tell from the video ... he's just as passionate about helping out now as he was when he started.

Josh Gordon's substance abuse issues run deeper than weed ... so says Dr. Drew, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the WR is dealing with something far more serious than pot.

Gordon announced Thursday he's stepping away from football to focus on his mental health -- but the NFL says he violated the league's substance abuse policy, once again.

Dr. Drew says it just can't be a weed issue that the Patriots WR is dealing with ... telling us Josh is most likely hooked on something much more powerful.

"I'm certain a lot of people think, 'Could this be cannabis? Could this be pot?' There's no way they'd be this harsh with him if it were."

"It's gotta be something more here. What he's talking about and the way he's talking about it, it sounds like he's really struggling with something more serious."

Dr. Drew says he's happy Josh is taking time away from the game to get sober ... but warns if Gordon returns too soon -- it could be dire for the superstar wideout.

"It's a high-risk game for him to be in the NFL. If he returns to work too early, it's definitely a risk to his sobriety."

BTW ... Dr. Drew also ripped the NFL for it's handling of players with mental illnesses -- telling us Roger Goodell and co. need to learn a lesson from the NBA.

Al Sharpton says video of high school wrestler Andrew Johnson getting his dreadlocks cut before a match is "outrageous," and shows a tremendous bias against minorities in high school sports.

The Rev. ain't buying the argument that the ref was simply enforcing the rules -- and accuses Alan Maloney of having a "bias" against black people.

But, Sharpton also believes the hair rule itself it ridiculous -- saying, "I think that it clearly discriminates against people that have a certain cultural bend, and come from a certain identity and racial background."

Sharpton compares the situation to discrimination cases where black employees had been told to get rid of dreadlocks and cornrows to comply with workplace standards.

Ron Jaworski says it's evident Tom Brady's in decline ... 'cause the football analyst says it's obvious the Patriots legend has lost strength in his throwing arm.

"Watching tape and watching games on TV, I think there's a little bit lost in his fastball," Jaws tells TMZ Sports.

The ex-Eagles QB says it's most apparent when Brady throws the deeper balls -- 'cause Ron is seeing a whole lot more rainbow passes than TB12's normal line drives.

"He's missing throws that I see him normally make ... I think at this point -- and it shouldn't be shocking -- he's losing a little bit of his fastball."

Jaws tells us Brady's decline is only ONE of the reasons the panic button needs to be pressed in New England ... 'cause Ron's got major concerns about the roster overall.

"I think Bill [Belichick] probably misplayed a few of his hands in building this football team."

Good news for the Pats?? They end their season with two of the worst teams in football -- the Bills and the Jets.

So, even if dynasty's coming to an end -- 11-5 ain't the worst way to go out, right??

Michael B. Jordan really doesn't want to believe Travis Scott's joining Maroon 5 for the Super Bowl 53 Halftime Show ... because he thinks it goes against what Trav should be standing for.

Much like Al Sharpton -- who flat out called Scott a hypocrite when we talked to him -- Jordan implies Travis is betraying the boycott against the NFL for how it's treated Colin Kaepernick and its handling of the kneeling controversy.

MBJ says, "We're still trying to stand behind something right now," and suggests by taking the Super Bowl gig ... the rapper's setting the cause back.

The child Dikembe Mutombo flew to the U.S. to remove a massive tumor from his face has sadly died after he suffered a "rare and unpredictable genetic reaction to anesthesia" during surgery ... TMZ has learned.

8-year-old Matadi Sela Petit from the Democratic Republic of Congo died Friday night after complications from his delicate surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. ... according to The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

The foundation says ... "We are devastated by the loss of Matadi and our heart goes out to his father, his mother and the rest of his family, and all his old and new friends."

We broke the story ... Matadi went into cardiac arrest during his surgery and was transferred to the ICU, but we didn't know why his operation wasn't completed. Now we know it was due to his bad reaction to the anesthesia, but despite the best efforts of his medical staff ... he was never able to recover.

Matadi's operation was led by Dr. Ryan Osborne from Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Osborne volunteered his services, after being inspired by the good work of Mutumbo. The family had been staying at the Ronald McDonald House since arriving in Los Angeles last week.

As we showed you ... the former NBA star flew Matadi to the U.S. a week ago for free surgery in hopes of removing the life-threatening, massive tumor on his face. We captured their meeting at LAX.

Mutombo told us the boy had been shunned in society -- pulled out of school and secluded to his home -- because of his condition, so he wanted to help him out.

His foundation says Matadi was "was a pioneer, and his memory will inspire us to continue to develop efforts and partnerships to improve the lives of the children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

He was 8 years old.

Logan Paul hates everything about the wrestling story out of New Jersey, where a white referee forced a black high school wrestler to cut his dreadlocks before his match ... and says that ref should be out of a job for good.

We asked the YouTube star for his thoughts on the incident as he leaving The Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills Friday, and he summed it up pretty good, saying ... "That's f***ed!"

Paul was a stud wrestler himself back in H.S., and tells us he was never asked to cut his hair, so he thinks it's ridiculous Andrew Johnson was put in that position ... and feels badly for him.

As we reported ... NJ state athletic officials are investigating the ref, Alan Maloney, and he will not be working any matches while they do so. Maloney had previously been disciplined for making a racist comment in 2016, and obviously many believe what he did to Johnson was racially motivated.

Al Sharpton is calling out Travis Scott for agreeing to perform at the Super Bowl ... in fact, he's calling him a hypocrite.

We got the Reverend Friday in a rainy NYC, and he couldn't be stronger ... he says Travis is betraying the NFL boycott by drawing people to the game by his presence with Maroon 5 during the halftime show.

Sharpton feels strongly that people need to turn their backs on the NFL for what they did to Colin Kaepernick and others who expressed themselves by taking a knee to protest injustice.

The white referee who ordered a black high school wrestler to either cut his hair or forfeit the match is now being investigated by NJ state athletic officials, TMZ Sports has learned.

And, while the investigation is active, sources tell us the referee will NOT be working any matches.

The incident involves Buena Regional High School athlete Andrew Johnson -- who was seen on video getting his dreadlocks chopped off before a match this week.

In the footage, Johnson looks distraught. People are furious, claiming the ultimatum was racially motivated since the ref, Alan Maloney, has previously been disciplined for making a racist comment in 2016.

The way it's being explained to us ... Maloney has not been formally suspended or disciplined for the Johnson incident, but officials feel it's best to keep him off the mat while they gather information.

A source connected to Maloney tells us his position is that he was merely enforcing a rule about hair maintenance -- and insists race was not a factor.

Meanwhile, we spoke with a rep for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association -- which oversees high school sports in NJ -- a who gave us the following statement.

"The NJSIAA has been in direct contact with school officials and is now awaiting official incident reports. A report also has been requested from the referee involved. In addition – and as per its formal sportsmanship policy – the NJSIAA has provided initial information to the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and will continue to send updates as they become available."

"At this point, the NJSIAA is working to determine the exact nature of the incident and whether an infraction occurred."

"As a precautionary measure, given the degree of attention being focused on this matter, the NJSIAA will recommend to chapter officials that the referee in question not be assigned to any event until this matter has been reviewed more thoroughly in order to avoid potential distractions for the competing wrestlers."

LeBron James railed on the NFL, saying the owners are a bunch of white guys who treat their players with extreme disrespect.

LeBron made the comments on his HBO show, "The Shop," contrasting the football league with the NBA. James said, "In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality ... and it's a little like, 'This is my team. You do what the f*** I tell y'all to do. Or we get rid of y'all.'"

The Lakers star is clearly referring in part to Colin Kaepernick allegedly getting blackballed by NFL owners who were outraged by the kneeling movement the QB triggered.

Jermell Charlo says he's down to fight Conor McGregor for his next big scrap ... and tells TMZ Sports it can be boxing OR MMA!!!

"We always on standby," Charlo says ... "Especially for an MMA fight. Why not?!"

Of course ... Conor's next opponent IS up in the air after he got mauled by Khabib in October -- and Charlo's also lookin' for a fight after he takes on Tony Harrison Saturday night.

So, could it happen? Maybe ... especially 'cause Charlo seems down to sweeten the pot by steppin' out of the ring and into the Octagon.

"It's wherever he want to fight. Conor's a grown man. He knows what to do. And, he knows who to call!"

DC Young Fly says he's down with Maroon 5 and Travis Scott performing at halftime of the Super Bowl ... but he still feels the NFL made a huge mistake by passing over Atlanta rappers.

The 'Wild 'N Out' star isn't going full Jay-Z -- trying to talk Travis out of performing -- but he supports Colin Kaepernick and thinks the NFL is slapping ATL in the face by snubbing its hip-hop scene ... and he warns a TON of people are gonna raise hell when the big game comes to town.

We broke the story ... the "SICKO MODE" rapper will join M5 at the big show. Travis' new gig is drawing praise and scorn.

DC makes it clear his beef is not with Travis ... he suggests two music icons should join the show and ease tensions in Hotlanta. Hint: think gospel.

UFC star Aljamain Sterling says the haircut incident with high school wrestler Andrew Johnson is "so f*cked up" ... but he was so impressed with the kid, he wants to train him personally.

"It's so messed up on so many levels," Sterling tells TMZ Sports ... "I felt bad."

Sterling says he's spent a lot of time coaching high school wrestling and has NEVER seen a situation where an athlete was forced to cut his hair.

In fact, Sterling says if he was the coach that day, he would have pulled his team out of the gym in protest and forfeited the rest of the match.

"We're not gonna stand for no sh*t like this," Sterling says.

The good news ... Sterling trains with other huge UFC stars like Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman with the Serra-Longo fight team in Long Island, NY -- not too far from Johnson's high school in New Jersey.

Everybody in New England, chill ... 'cause Tom Brady is NOT in decline and the Patriots are STILL the favorites to win the Super Bowl -- so says Asante Samuel.

Of course, the ex-Pats corner is biased ... dude played with TB12 and Bill Belichick for five seasons -- but he says Tom's been just too good for too long to write him off now.

"It's never the end of a dynasty as long as they've got TB," Samuel tells TMZ Sports ... "TB is the man!"

There ain't a lot of NFL experts that would agree right now ... New England's lost two in a row and is in danger of not having a playoff bye for the first time since 2009.

But, Samuel says it's gonna be all right ... 'cause No. 12 is still under center.

"Tom has never let me down as a fan of him. And, I would imagine he's never let any other fans down. So, you just keep believing in him."

In fact ... Samuel is so confident in the G.O.A.T. -- he tells us he's still putting his money on New England to win the Super Bowl in February!!!

Michael Rapaport has no business suing anyone for saying he has herpes ... because he himself has said it ... according to the countersuit Barstool Sports just filed against the actor.

Barstool is firing back at Rapaport's September lawsuit against them, saying it's impossible to defame the guy because his reputation's already "so badly tarnished that it cannot be harmed any further." In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Barstool points out Michael commented on a 2015 photo of himself, saying, it "looks like" I have "a herpe."

Of course, the Barstool guys included the photo as an exhibit in their lawsuit.

For the record, Michael said in his lawsuit he "does not suffer from herpes."

Barstool Prez Dave Portnoy told us back in September, Rapaport "claims to be the king of trash talk and then cries when people respond in kind." Now, he's included tons of examples of that in the docs. For example, Barstool calls out Michael for calling a sports show host a "twinkie-eating f**k boy" and a producer for the show a "Long Island Jew."

In the suit, they also include social media posts where MR caught flak for racist comments about 'Real Housewives' star Kenya Moore ... and sexist comments about Fox News host Laura Ingraham. According to the docs, he also called a female sports reporter a "rail thin, no ass ... looking to get piped at an R. Kelly concert ... backstage and at the hotel."

You get their point ... Rapaport's no choir boy, and has said enough vile things to make him defamation-proof.

And, Barstool insists it did NOT breach his contract by firing him -- quite the opposite. In docs, they say his contract included a clause that allowed for his firing if he put Barstool in "public disrepute" with his public comments ... including several about Barstool staffers.

Barstool is suing Rapaport to get back the $400k it paid him.

Sorry, Nick Foles ... even though you've got the Philly train back on track (again) -- Carson Wentz is STILL the Eagles' future ... so says Ron Jaworski.

The legendary Eagles quarterback says there is no QB controversy in his mind ... telling us despite Foles rescuing Philly yet again this season -- Carson's still the man.

"Carson Wentz is the Eagles' future," Jaws tells TMZ Sports.

In fact ... Ron says he believes the team thinks so highly of Wentz -- they'll let Foles walk in the offseason to another team.

"I believe his next opportunity will be somewhere else, not in Philadelphia," Jaworski says.

Don't get it twisted ... Ron LOVES Nick, saying what the QB has done for the Eagles is "legendary" -- and he even wore a St. Nick tie in the QB's honor!!