TMZ Sports - Page 50

Hey Beyonce, got any plans this weekend??? Here's the self-proclaimed greatest female fighter on the planet giving you a personal invite to her big boxing match on Saturday!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with undefeated boxing star Claressa Shields leading up to her IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO middleweight unification bout with 24-0 Christina Hammer ... and she says she's out to prove she's the G.O.A.T.

"I consider myself the greatest woman of all the time," Shields (8-0, 2 KO) says. "Any woman who has laced up a pair of gloves can't beat me. If they want me to prove it, I've proven it."

Now ... clearly, Shields doesn't need any more motivation ... but we had to ask who she'd want in her corner showin' support at the Boardwalk Hall in Jersey this weekend -- and she's aiming for Queen Bey.

"I'd be so stoked if Beyonce was in the crowd and just to have her come and talk to me ... I'd be freaking out."

5:40 PM PT -- The procession is finally approaching Marathon Clothing -- at the intersection of Slauson and Crenshaw -- and the crowd is THICK. Thousands of fans are lining the streets leading up to the store ... where even more people have gathered.

Several Nation of Islam security guards are surrounding the hearse as it slowly rolls through the crowds. The Eritrean flag is draped on the roof, repping for Nip's heritage -- his father emigrated from the east African nation.

2:10 PM PT -- The memorial just wrapped after some rousing tributes from Snoop Dogg and YG ... followed by Stevie Wonder -- who performed "Rocket Love" and "Tears in Heaven."

The funeral procession is about to begin ... with the route looping through South L.A., and ending at the Angelus Funeral Home.

12:45 PM PT -- Lauren started her tribute to Nipsey by reading a text message she sent to him back in January, while she watched him sleep. In part, she said, "I want you to know I feel real joy in my heart when I'm around you. I feel safe around you. Protected. Like a shield over me when you're around."

She ended the text with ... "My truth is this. I'm never going to give up on you. My love and devotion is to you."

Lauren also talked about how Nipsey cared for his children and made sure his family left home each day with the right energy. She said, "My pain is for my 2-year-old who probably won't remember how much his dad loved him."

She shared something Nipsey always said to her ... "You can't possess people, that you experience them. I'm so honored and blessed that I got to experience him."

Then she closed her tribute with an incredibly moving message for all of Los Angeles you MUST see -- and a personal note to her love ... "Until we meet again ... the Marathon continues!"

Minutes after the funeral ended, Lauren showed off her new tattoo -- a tribute to Nip, with a caption, "Real Love Never Dies."

12:35 PM PT -- Nipsey's mom and dad just got onstage ... where his mom shared one of the final text message exchanges she had with her son. She also spoke of what a great man he was and how he was such a light in his community.

11:54 AM -- Lauren was onstage just moments ago with her and Nipsey's kids. Lauren's son, Kameron, shared a dream he had about Nipsey rising out of the ocean before leading the crowd to chant "respect." The family then gave way for Jhene Aiko to come onstage and sing.

11:07 AM PT -- The Celebration is now underway.

Nipsey Hussle's Celebration of Life is about to begin at Staples Center, and TMZ is live streaming what's expected to be a very emotional memorial service.

The slain Crenshaw rapper is being honored with a spectacular service in downtown L.A., where 21,000 people will turn out to pay their respects. So far Jay Z, Beyonce, G-Eazy, Big Sean, Big Boy, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook and Meek Mill have arrived for the event.

The silver hearse carrying Nipsey's body arrived outside the arena early Thursday ahead of the ceremony.

As you know, the free tickets to his memorial were hard to come by this week, as they were gobbled up within minutes after they were made available to Cali residents. It's also a heavily guarded affair, with a mix of muscle from LAPD and Nation of Islam, as well as Staples Center personnel.

Montrezl Harrell will be reppin' the late Nipsey Hussle when the L.A. Clippers take the court in the NBA playoffs ... honoring the L.A. artist with a pair of one-of-a-kind kicks!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Trezz wanted to pay homage to Hussle in the Clips' first playoff game this weekend ... so he hit up Marcus Rivero AKA Soles By Sir to whip up the special Js.

Rivero tells us the shoes are extra special ... and feature the names of people close to Nipsey -- his longtime GF Lauren London, his children ... as well as lyrics from some of Hussle's songs.

Trezz has been honoring Hussle since his tragic death late last month ... and even wore a custom Clippers jersey with Nipsey's name on the back.

Of course, other NBA stars like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook -- who dedicated his 20-20-20 game -- have honored Hussle.

We're told Trezz will wear them when L.A. takes on the Warriors.

#RIP

1:52 PM -- TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Fournette being arrested at the Easy Breezy Car Wash in Jacksonville ... where multiple cop cars responded to the situation.

A witness -- Kevonte Williams aka Kazethepharaoh -- tells us Fournette was driving a GMC Denali when he was pulled over by police.

When Fournette was taken out of the car, he was handcuffed and placed in a squad car while multiple witnesses shouted at the police, "Free Fournette!"

Eventually, Fournette was driven to a nearby station where he was booked. A friend of the NFL star drove the Denali away from the car wash.

NFL star Leonard Fournette was just arrested in Florida -- and it's all over an unpaid speeding ticket from back in November.

... A $204 TICKET!!!!!

Cops in Duval County were seen walking the Jacksonville Jaguars running back into a police station to be booked around 2:30 PM local time. He appeared to be in handcuffs at the time.

Fournette was initially pulled over Thursday for a routine traffic violation and when the cops ran his name, they noticed he was driving on a suspended license. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from the November citation, this according to WJXT.

The prior incident reportedly took place in Neptune Beach. Fournette was reportedly cited for going 37 mph in a 25 mph zone.

We pulled the records which show the penalty for the Nov. 17 incident was $204.00, which Fournette had 30 days to pay.

FYI, Fournette is currently in the middle of a 4-year, $27 MILLION contract.

The day after the Nov. speeding incident, Fournette rushed for 95 yards and a TD in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After Fournette was booked Thursday, he was released on $1,058 bond at 3:04 PM ... according to jail records.

The Jaguars issued a statement saying the team is "aware of the situation involving running back Leonard Fournette and are continuing to gather more information. No further comment will be provided at this time."

Fournette is coming off a disappointing 2018 NFL season where he only rushed for 439 yards in 8 games.

During one of the last games of the season, Fournette got fed up with a heckler and threatened to beat the guy's ass. Fournette later claimed the heckler had been shouting racial slurs at him.

You're looking at the NFL fan who's suing the L.A. Rams -- claiming he was brutally attacked by a drunk fan during a 2018 game at the Coliseum in an attack that SHOULD have been prevented.

The man is Peter Bergin -- who claims he was at the Rams-Vikings game on Sept. 27 when a drunk fan approached him and his girlfriend at a concession stand line and started causing problems.

Bergin alleges the wasted guy tried to punch another fan ... and when he stepped in to take the shot for her -- he suffered a broken nose and dislocated knee in the process.

Bergin says the attack was so violent, another person was knocked down in the melee and she slammed her head on the concrete floor.

Now, Bergin is suing the Rams ... saying the organization failed to provide enough security at the stadium to prevent these kinds of incidents.

Bergin's attorney, Barry Novack, tells us they believe the attacker was overserved alcohol, which "caused him to be a danger to those around him."

Bergin also claims the Rams failed to provide him with medical help immediately after the assault.

In his suit, Bergin is demanding unspecified damages claiming he's suffered permanent injuries which have hurt his ability to earn a living.

Move over Steph Curry -- robots have officially taken over basketball -- 'cause there's literally a 3-point shootin' machine coming for your job ... and it's cool and terrifying as hell at the same time.

Toyota has been working on this "CUE3" robot hooper for "fun" ... but really, all it's doing is making us question what's gonna happen when these things take over the sports world.

The robo baller -- who even has its own jersey -- made an appearance at the Japanese B.League's Alvark Tokyo game on Thursday ... taking a spot near half court, pulling up and draining a deep 3-pointer with ease.

Mr. Wonderful ain't exactly shy when it comes to his opinion ... and the "Shark Tank" star just let Magic Johnson know why the NBA legend done MESSED UP by quitting the Lakers.

Kevin O'Leary wasn't disrespectful -- in fact, he likes Magic a lot -- but he thinks the guy made a huge mistake Tuesday night by suddenly stepping down as Pres. of Basketball Operations.

"He made a decision which I think was the wrong one," Kev told us on his way out of ABC Studios in NYC.

"The Lakers are in chaos. The opportunity is to stay onboard during chaos and fix it ... and I think he should have done that."

O'Leary -- who's also close with Mavs owner Mark Cuban -- believes LeBron James played a role in Magic's decision to leave.

"I'm speculating like everybody else is ... but [Magic] probably had a disagreement between a very influential player and other management."

Ultimately, Kevin thinks the breakup is as nasty as they come -- comparing the split to a marriage falling apart.

We're one day into the NHL playoffs and we already have our first toothless interview ... courtesy of San Jose Sharks star Joe Pavelski ... who scored a goal OFF HIS FACE!!!!

Here's what went down ... the 3-time All-Star came in clutch in the 1st period of the game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday -- taking his teammate's shot right to his face and deflecting it into the net.

Does that sound like it hurts?? Hell yeah ... it LOOKED painful, too ... but somehow, Pavelski went into concussion protocol, got stitched up, and was cleared to come back on the ice by the 2nd period.

Pavelski -- minus a couple chompers -- talked about the incredible play after the game with a mouth full of blood, saying it was all worth it when he heard the fans cheering.

UFC star Israel Adesanya says a fight with Jon Jones "does tickle my loins" -- and he's warning the light heavyweight champ, "I already killed one G.O.A.T. and I'm hunting the next."

Of course, before Israel can fight Jones, he's gotta get through Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 on Saturday (on ESPN+ PPV) in a huge middleweight interim title bout.

But, if he beats Kelvin, there's a path to Jon Jones -- who's already told TMZ Sports he's very "excited" about a matchup with "The Last Stylebender."

When we spoke with Jon back in March, Israel was already on his radar -- and he told us, "I've got a feeling me and him will eventually fight each other."

Israel says he doesn't want to think TOO much about Jones because he's gotta stay focused on Gastelum ... who's chalked up some pretty impressive victories over guys like Michael Bisping, Johnny Hendricks and Tim Kennedy.

Israel's resume ain't too shabby either -- back in February, he defeated UFC legend Anderson Silva, the "G.O.A.T." he was referring to earlier.

By the way, the fight's going down in Atlanta -- home to one of the most famous strip clubs on the planet ... and if Israel beats Kelvin, he's already got a plan to celebrate!!

The UFC 236 card is insane -- it also features Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier ... but you can only watch it on ESPN+ PPV, which you can order by clicking this link.

Dwyane Wade's NYC retirement party turned into a good Bye-Bye-Bye Bash Wednesday night ... when Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel stopped by to celebrate D-Wade's career!

The party was crazy -- a '70s-themed rager at Catch NYC with costumes and great music and basketball stars ... including Wade's good friend, Carmelo Anthony!

TMZ Sports obtained video from inside the party where you can see D-Wade, Gabby and Justin all gettin' down on the dance floor!!

Earlier in the evening, Wade posted a triple-double as the Miami Heat lost to the Brooklyn Nets 113-94.

A ton of Wade's friends were in the Brooklyn crowd -- including LeBron James, Carmelo and Chris Paul ... the entire Banana Boat crew.

Wade also gave his jersey to Carmelo after the game.

So, this is it ... Wade has finally closed the book on his 16-year NBA career that features 3 NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP, 13 All-Star appearances, he won an Olympic gold medal for Team USA and he was also the NBA scoring champ in 2009.

He was also named to 8 All-NBA teams during his run.

So, what's next for Dwyane? Dude's got options in everything from fashion to TV announcing to acting ... and also helping his superstar sons as they get ready to play at the college level.

Israel Folau -- a star rugby player -- has been fired from Australia's national team after he said gays will burn in hell in a social media post on Wednesday ... Rugby Australia announced.

30-year-old Folau took to Instagram this week to post a picture that read, "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolaters," will all, "end up in hell unless [they] repent."

The post immediately went viral ... and caused such a backlash -- Rugby Australia acted swiftly, terminating his $4 million contract just hours after the post went up.

"As a code we have made it clear to Israel formally and repeatedly that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action," RA chief executive Raelene Castle said.

“In the absence of compelling mitigating factors, it is our intention to terminate his contract.”

Folau has repeatedly bashed gays in homophobic rants throughout his career ... reportedly writing in a separate social media post last year, "God’s plan for gay people was hell."

For his part, Folau has reportedly insisted he's not homophobic ... saying he's a devout Christian who believes the Bible condemns gays.

On that topic, Castle said, "Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport. We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts."

Sorry Jon Gruden ... Antonio Brown is going to cause MASSIVE headaches in Oakland -- so says Jack Del Rio, who says AB "has clearly shown that he's going to be a pain in the ass."

Of course, Brown's Steelers career was FILLED with drama ... and it got so bad in Pittsburgh, it's the reason he's actually in the silver and black today.

But, the trade from Pitt to the Bay Area hasn't quieted the NFL superstar -- in fact, he's kept up most of his beefs, even going after JuJu Smith-Schuster on social media this month.

Because of that ... Del Rio thinks it won't be smooth sailing with the Raiders, telling NFL.com, "If he continues doing the things he's been doing, just like he upset the Steelers, he's going to upset the next team he's on."

"I mean, this is America and he's free to do what he wants -- but those aren't the things that are indicative of a good teammate."

Del Rio says Brown IS a hard worker and a super talent, so it won't be all bad times in Oakland ... but the ex-head coach says he sees the writing clearly on the wall for the future Hall of Famer.

Magic Johnson has ZERO regrets after leaving the Lakers -- in fact, he's super happy about his decision ... so says his wife Cookie Johnson.

Just 24 hours after Magic shockingly stepped down as the team's President of Basketball Operations, Cookie and E.J. Johnson hit up Mr. Chow on Wednesday -- where they looked pretty relieved.

"Just know that [Magic Johnson] is happy and we're happy for him," Cookie told us on the way out of the restaurant ... "No regrets."

So, what's Magic gonna do with all of the free time he's gonna have? Put more work in with the Dodgers?

Brett Favre says he was surprised Mike McCarthy wasn't more successful as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers ... because his QB, Aaron Rodgers, is "the best player in the game."

"I just feel they should have won more," Favre told us ... "They were that good."

Now, in the wake of a Bleacher Report article that featured quotes from ex-Packers who were critical of Aaron's leadership skills, Brett says he thinks Aaron now understands why Favre was "guarded" back when they first started playing together in 2005.

"He's really at the stage now where I was when he came into Green Bay ... and now he sorta sees why I did the things that I did and was more reclusive than younger players."

"I think as you get older you're a little bit more guarded, maybe a lot more guarded for reasons like this."

Favre says when he left Green Bay back in 2007, "there was a lot of daggers being thrown both ways" -- but now that he's had time to reflect, he knows dagger-throwing isn't the best way to handle tough situations.

And, get this, now that McCarthy is out and Matt LaFleur is the new head coach -- Favre has some advice for the new guy on how to get the BEST out of Aaron.

"Any coach that will attempt to coach him has to tread lightly because you don't want to take away what he does so well -- which is a lot of good things -- and handcuff him."

If Conor McGregor wants another boxing superfight, Vasyl Lomachenko says he'll be his huckleberry ... telling TMZ Sports, "I can beat him easy."

Lomachenko is widely considered one of the best boxers on the planet -- he's the unified lightweight champion of the world ... and hasn't lost a fight since 2014.

Loma has a fight this Friday against Anthony Crolla on ESPN+ -- but he's an OVERWHELMING favorite and expected to beat the ever-loving dog snot out of the 32-year-old Englishman.

So, once he rolls through Crolla, ya gotta think Vasyl is looking for a payday fight -- and Conor McGregor would definitely get him the millions of dollars he wants.

And, the good news for Vasyl ... he thinks it'll be the easiest work of his career -- essentially saying Conor's boxing skills are "amateur" at best.

"I enjoy this fight," Loma said about possible McGregor matchup ... "I will go through this guy. No problem."

The big question ... what does Conor want? He "retired" from MMA but nobody believes he's done fighting for good. And, he seems to want another shot at a pro boxing match after losing to Floyd Mayweather.

Cops say they've found the guy who trained a laser pointer on Tom Brady's face during the AFC Championship game ... and shocker, the guy's a hardcore Chiefs fan.

Bonus shocker ... sources connected to the suspect tell us the guy had been boozing before he broke out the laser.

Remember, TB12 was hit with a green light during the wild 4th quarter of the Jan. 20 game at Arrowhead Stadium -- which the Chiefs eventually lost in overtime.

Cops investigated the situation and eventually cited 64-year-old Dwyan Morgan -- who we're told is a MASSIVE Chiefs fan.

Unclear how authorities were able to track Morgan down -- but we know there were a TON of cameras at the game both for the TV coverage AND for security purposes ... so that probably helped.

Morgan has now been hit with a disturbing the peace citation and faces up to ONE YEAR in jail plus a $1,000 fine if the judge decides to throw the book at him.

Sources connected to Morgan tell us ... his intention was never to hurt anyone, he was just trying to have fun and didn't expect things to blow up the way they did.

We're also told Morgan was drinking before the laser incident -- and we all know beer and lasers don't mix.

So, how does Morgan feel about the situation now? One source close to the Chiefs fan says he feels bad for embarrassing Chiefs Nation, but has no plans to apologize to the Patriots.

In fact, we're told he still hates the Pats and Tom Brady ... passionately and will continue to root against them -- just not from Arrowhead, because he's been banned.

We reached out to Morgan for comment -- but he ain't talkin'.