TMZ Sports - Page 50

Beyonce is now kickin' it with the three stripes ... cause she just signed with Adidas!!

The company just announced it's inked Bey to a new "multi-layered" deal. Adidas will also launch her signature sneakers and apparel. As part of the deal, Bey's gonna serve as a creative partner.

Beyonce had launched her own activewear line back in 2016 called Ivy Park -- a collaboration with Topshop. Her new plan is to relaunch Ivy Park under Adidas.

The singer says, “This is the partnership of a lifetime for me. Adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries. We share a philosophy that puts creativity, growth and social responsibility at the forefront of business."

Shoe companies signing artists is nothing new. Puma signed Rihanna back in 2014 and Reebok followed suit that same year with Kendrick Lamar. Of course, Adidas started the trend by teaming with Kanye West.

You'll recall the shoe giant signed Ye back in 2013 to produce his Yeezys ... after he bounced from Nike. In 2016, Adidas described its Kanye collab as "the most significant partnership between a non-athlete and a sports brand."

Sorry, Drake ... but for Bey, it's stripes over checks.

Anthony Davis gave a fan the bird on Wednesday ... and we ain't talkin' Pelicans.

The NBA superstar was caught flipping off a fan after the Pels vs. Hornets game in NOLA ... after he claims the person disrespected him first.

According to Pelicans Wave, the Instagram account that initially posted the encounter, AD alleges the fan said something that rubbed him the wrong way, which prompted the reaction.

Davis -- who publicly requested a trade earlier this season -- denies any bad blood toward the team or NOLA, saying, "Never disrespected the city and never will. But of course they not gonna show what the fan said"

However, the fan who captured the video, Bradley Wehmeyer, says the fan on the receiving end of the gesture flipped AD off first ... but never actually said anything.

Jahlil Okafor defended his teammate, saying, "People can’t possibly think AD just looked at a fan and decided to flip him off for no reason. Cmon now."

It's definitely not the first time we've seen these kinds of interactions between fans and players this season ... Tristan Thompson flipped off fans back in December, there were several incidents of Kevin Durant yelling profanities at fans, and Russell Westbrook threatened to "f**k up" a fan and his wife after receiving racial verbal comments.

It could get REALLY awkward at the Rivers family dinner table during the holidays ... 'cause Austin and Doc are prepping to face off in the playoffs -- and the NBAer is lookin' to embarrass his dad!!

If the NBA postseason started right now, Houston and L.A. would be set up to play in the first round. But, that possibility didn't prevent the 2 from breaking bread together at Craig's on Wednesday.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Rivers boys about the possible matchup ... and Doc jokes he hopes Austin will take it easy on the Clips ... but he ain't holding his breath.

So, we had to ask Austin if the Rockets would let up on the Clips a little bit, given it's his papa on the other side ... and uh, nope.

"Absolutely not. Bragging rights for the household, man. He's done enough in his career ... it's my turn to win something."

Prince Harry's officially in dad territory -- using his royal platform to blast Fortnite, calling it addictive and damaging to kids, and he's getting destroyed for it.

Harry took on, arguably, the world's most popular video game while visiting a YMCA Wednesday, saying ... "A game like Fortnite, for instance, may not be so good for children. Parents have got their hands up, they don’t know what to do about it. It’s like waiting for the damage to be done and kids turning up on your doorsteps and families being broken.”

He added, "That game shouldn't be allowed."

Twitter's response to Harry? Pretty simple ... Off with his head!!

Several users pointed out Harry's out of touch and doesn't realize many people play video games as escapism because, "Not everyone has the means to go wherever, whenever they want."

Others advise him to stick to killing animals on his royal hunts ... or maybe just try to get better at Fortnite.

As Twitter tees off on him ... it's worth noting Harry also ripped social media for being "more addictive than drugs and alcohol." He even said it's worse because there are no restrictions on it. He's been beating this drum about video games and social media since last year, actually.

Harry might still be weeks away from the joys of fatherhood -- Meghan Markle's reportedly due sometime this spring -- but he's already pissed off millions of kids who worship Fortnite.

Guess, Drake and Ninja won't be doing tea with Harry and Meghan anytime soon.

The Big Show is about to pin John Oliver's scathing critique about professional wrestling ... saying the sport is safer than it's ever been, and pointing to himself as proof.

Oliver DESTROYED the WWE on his HBO show, saying the organization is unsafe and exploitative of its workers, pointing to the untimely deaths of several of the past wrestlers as proof.

We got Big Show out in NYC -- gearing up for Wrestlemania35 -- and asked him what he thought of Oliver's 20-minute tirade ... and he said wrestling has cleaned up its act, and used himself as the proof.

"The industry's changed. It's done everything it can to protect the athlete and create longevity for the athlete. I'm 47 and I'm still rocking and rolling, so they're doing something right."

Show also says wrestlers -- including himself -- know the dangers before they sign up, and that's gotta mean something.

"I've had a lot of injuries, I knew from day one stepping through the ropes that it was not an easy job, it was a job that was gonna put myself at risk. I took the paychecks, I took the fame, I took the fortune."

Here's an amazing story to start your Thursday ... the dog UFC legend Frank Shamrock abandoned in a parking lot has been adopted and has a new, loving home -- TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported ... Shamrock tethered his mom's dog, Zelda, to a pickup truck at Dallas' Love Field Airport last month because he says, "I had no other solution to solve that problem."

Frank says his mother was so sick, she could no longer take care of her dogs ... and when Frank couldn't find a home for Zelda, his plan was to leave the pet in an airport parking lot for security to find.

The problem? Authorities never found her ... and the dog was left tied to the truck for 5 DAYS.

The SPCA of Texas immediately took her in once cops FINALLY located her ... and told us she was in good care, receiving plenty of "TLC."

Now ... SPCA officials say they've found a new home for her -- and believe it's a PERFECT match.

They tell us a woman who had read about Zelda's story received an alert that the pup had been officially put up for adoption Wednesday and immediately raced down to the shelter to meet her.

We're told it was love at first sight ... and, now, Zelda has a new mom and a loving home.

"Zelda’s new mom reports that Zelda is the spitting image of her beloved dog who passed away last November," an SPCA spokesperson says ... "We think that this was simply meant to be and so did she."

"According to Zelda’s new mom, 'We’re going to go home. Say goodbye to all the other doggies … they're waiting for their homes.'”

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman wants to get in a cage and beat the living hell outta someone ... and that person??? It's wrestling superstar Batista.

YES, Merriman wants to fight Dave Bautista ... the WWE legend turned Hollywood star in a real deal MMA fight.

"He looks good, man. I know that people will watch that," Merriman tells TMZ Sports.

"I know people wanna see that. If he was down to do it, I would do it in a second. I wouldn't even question that one."

Shawne knows Bautista's a busy guy -- he's fighting Triple H at Wrestlemania 35 this weekend and he's currently working on numerous films -- but still thinks they can make the fight happen.

"I know he's got other stuff going on, but why not give the people something they want to see."

The reason why we're even talking about this ... the former All-Pro linebacker just launched his own MMA promotion -- Lights Out Xtreme Fighting -- and he's seriously considering taking his first fight.

Thing is, 6'4", 265 lb. Bautista ain't ONLY a wrestler and actor -- he's actually won a pro fight -- and he still trains (peep this).

But, don't get it twisted ... Shawne ain't a chump. He's 34 (16 years younger than 50-year-old Batista) ... and he's a freak of an athlete.

Oh, and he's also 6'4", 265 lbs.

So, what's Shawne's message to Dave?

4/4-- Conor seems to want to put all this behind him and get back to fighting with his fists instead of his fingers ... tweeting, "I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds."

"All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all."

"Now see you in the Octagon."

4:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has a message for Conor if he continues to run his mouth.

"You're gonna get yourself f*cked up, your whole team f*cked up, your security f*cked up," Abdelaziz says.

"Get your sh*t together, boy, before you get everybody f*cked up. But, we don't want violence. We don't promote violence. We are promoting peace. Enough with the hate."

3:22 PM PT -- Conor and Khabib's boss, Dana White, is not happy with the 2 fighters ... saying he's aware of the social media back-and-forth and has reached out to them to handle the situation.

"The ongoing situation has escalated to a level that is unacceptable," White says.

"As such, we are taking the necessary steps to reach out to both athlete camps and this situation is being addressed by all parties internally

10:18 AM PT -- Khabib just fired back at his arch nemesis ... clearly alluding to the reports that McGregor is under investigation for sexual assault in Ireland (Conor's rep bashed the report as a "rumor," but did not address the allegations).

"Rapist, you are Rapist," Nurmagomedov tweeted.

"You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you. We will see."

Conor McGregor personally attacked Khabib's wife -- and seemingly mocked Muslim tradition -- tweeting a photo of the UFC champ and his bride ... and calling her a "towel."

McGregor went on a Twitter rampage Tuesday night ... unleashed a fury of Tweets directed at Paulie Malignaggi -- who slapped his good friend, Artem Lobov, earlier in the day -- and Nurmagomedov.

“Don’t be scared of the rematch you little scurrying rat" ... McGregor wrote.

Conor dug in, getting personal ... posting 2 photos from Khabib's wedding day -- along with the caption, "Your wife is a towel mate" -- appearing to make fun of Khabib's wife's clothing.

McGregor deleted the message minutes later.

Khabib and his wife are devout Muslims ... and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took the insult as a direct slight at Khabib's religion.

"Talking sh*t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re fucked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."

Conor's used racially and religiously charged rhetoric to sell fights and belittle fighters in the past ... so it's possible this entire incident is an attempt to goad Khabib into a rematch.

Conor McGregor and 26 other dudes have stepped in the cage with Khabib ... and exactly zero have walked away with anything besides an L ... but he's never fought Justin Gaethje.

The 30-year-old UFC star -- who's fresh off his insane KO of Edson Barboza -- laid out his blueprint for winning the lightweight title ... and it runs squarely through Dagestan.

"I'll take the winner of [Dustin] Poirier and [Max] Holloway. That's the fastest way to Khabib. I want Khabib. I want to fight the Russian. That's who I want to fight."

Dustin and Max are fighting for the Interim title at UFC 236 on April 13 ... and Gaethje is ready to fight whoever comes out on top -- with the ultimate prize being a crack at Nurmagomedov.

Justin says he's got something NOBODY else who's stood in the Octagon with Khabib has had ... the ability to whoop his ass.

"He's gonna have to fight a stand-up fight with me. He's not gonna be able to take me down."

Standing up with Gaethje -- who was an All-American wrestler in college -- is usually a bad idea 'cause he's known for his powerful hands ... but so was McGregor (and we know how his fight with Khabib turned out).

"Conor was terrified of being taken down."

Here's a peek into Rob Gronkowski's retirement life -- Camille Kostek channeling Margot Robbie for sexy photo shoots -- and we gotta say, giving up being a Patriots star doesn't seem so bad!!

Gronk's GF threw on her best 'Wolf of Wall Street' costume for a smokin' hot photo sesh ... and if the pics come out as good as these vids -- they're gonna be great.

Spoiler alert: That's gonna happen.

Unclear what the shoot was for ... but Camille KILLS Naomi's famous scene with Leonardo DiCaprio -- slaying everything from the makeup to the dress to the accent!!

Of course, doesn't seem Gronk's in any danger of being in the doghouse like Jordan Belfort ... the couple's relationship seems to be going as strong as ever.

In fact, when the New England legend announced his retirement last month ... Camille wrote, "I love you with all my heart, you allow me to take the term 'proud girlfriend' to a new level."

NFL star Michael Bennett is set to have his felony charge dropped in his injury to elderly case ... 'cause prosecutors flat-out admit they don't have enough proof to convict him of a crime.

Bennett was indicted by a Harris County, TX Grand Jury after being accused of pushing a 66-year-old female NRG Stadium employee who was controlling access to the field at Super Bowl 51 in February 2017.

Cops claimed Bennett -- who was on his way to celebrate his brother's Super Bowl win over the Falcons -- shoved a paraplegic woman's wheelchair as she tried to prevent him from getting to the field.

At the time ... cops said Bennett yelled, "I could own this mother f***er!" before he allegedly pushed her and injured her shoulder.

The charge was a big deal ... the New England Patriots pass rusher was facing YEARS behind bars -- the charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

But, prosecutors say "after looking at all the evidence and applying the law, a crime could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Prosecutors say they conducted an EXTENSIVE investigation -- including viewing surveillance tapes -- and ultimately decided to request to drop the case against the 33-year-old.

If you don't get a Tommy Lasorda bobblehead at a Dodgers game this season, now ya know why ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers are suing a promotions company after they claim they were stiffed out of 42,000 Lasorda bobbleheads ... this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

In a lawsuit filed by the team Tuesday ... L.A. says it entered into an agreement with Plan P2 Promotions to make thousands of "100% hand-painted, break-resistant poly-resin" Lasorda dolls.

The plan, it seems, was to give the 7-inch figurines away at a game later this season.

The problem?? The Dodgers claim the company never delivered the Tommy goods ... and now, the MLB organization is suing for $175,000 for breaking the terms of the contract.

The good news for L.A. fans?? The giveaways will still go on -- the Dodgers have already handed out a Walker Buehler figurine ... and have 11 more bobblehead nights planned.

Eight of those dolls are already set -- they include guys like Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen -- but the team's yet to say who will be a part of the final three bobblehead giveaways.

Does that leave the door open for another company to swoop in and save the day with the Lasorda bobbleheads???

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman is jumping from the gridiron to the cage -- launching an MMA promotion -- and he's considering fighting ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We talked to Shawne -- a 6'4", 265 lb. linebacker who made 3 Pro Bowls in his 8-year career -- about the creation of his new promotion, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.

Unlike Dana White, Merriman tells us -- if the opponent was right -- he'd be down to fight ... despite co-owning the biz.

The former Chargers star isn't new to mixed martial arts ... he's been around the combat sports game for years -- and was even scheduled to take a bare-knuckle fight in late 2018 before things fell apart.

Merriman isn't the 1st famous former athlete to launch an MMA promotion ... Oscar De La Hoya started Golden Boy MMA last year and put on Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz III.

Lights Out Xtreme Fighting's 1st card is going down May 11 in Burbank.

NFL QB Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will undergo surgery in the next few weeks ... the family announced on Wednesday.

Kelly shared the news on social media ... saying she had started to feel "dizzy & off balance" over the past year ... and ultimately went for an MRI that revealed she had a tumor sitting on her cranial nerves -- requiring surgery to remove it.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely terrified of brain surgery. I am," Kelly says. "I am terrified of them opening my head, I’m terrified of losing my hearing, I’m terrified of losing facial function."

She continues ... "I’m terrified of far worse things that could happen and I’m terrified that I won’t take the time I need to recover because the guilt I might feel of being absent from my kids for too long.. I am telling y’all this to ask for prayers and support."

Kelly says she will have surgery in the next 2 weeks and asks for prayers for her whole family.

"Please pray for matthew as I know his nerves will be high during this surgery. I couldn’t imagine being out in that waiting room."

JR Smith will permanently honor the late Nipsey Hussle everywhere he goes ... getting an insanely realistic tattoo of the slain rapper on his leg!!

The heavily-tatted NBA star showed off the fresh ink job on Wednesday ... posting a pic of his new art of Nipsey's face on his right leg.

Nipsey was shot and killed outside his L.A. clothing store on Sunday. Names like LeBron James, Odell Beckham and Russell Westbrook have posted tributes honoring the late rapper.

"Praying for your family bro!" Smith said on Sunday. "WE GOT TO STOP KILLING EACH OTHER MAN THE SH*T SAD!!"

Smith went one step further with the body art route to show respect for the Grammy-nominated artist ... hitting up Ink Studio in NYC for the job.

The finished product is sick ... and don't be surprised if more athletes follow suit.

Could there be a scenario where the New York Giants DON'T draft a replacement for Eli Manning in the first round later this month??

Sure seems that way ... 'cause Ohio State superstar pass rusher Nick Bosa tells TMZ Sports he just met with NY about possibly being their pick -- and he says the visit went well!!!

Of course, the G-Men have a ton of holes to fill in the April 25 draft -- they just traded away Odell Beckham AND Olivier Vernon -- but Eli ain't gettin' any younger and most figure they'll snag a QB with their selection.

But, Bosa sure seemed fired up about their meeting when we got him out in NYC ... signing autographs and looking right at home with the New Yorkers.

So, sorry Dwayne Haskins??

By the way, Nick wasn't just in New York for his big meeting with Big Blue ... he was celebrating the premiere of "Game of Thrones" -- where his NFL brother, Joey Bosa, actually got a role in the final season!!!!