TMZ Sports - Page 50

Monica is clamming up when it comes to questions about her divorce with ex-NBA baller Shannon Brown ... and it's pissing off producers on T.I.'s reality show.

Sources close to production on "T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle" tell TMZ ... Monica is refusing to talk about calling it quits on her marriage, and she won't even mention her ex-husband's name.

We're told Monica's decision to stay mum is frustrating the people tasked with crafting an interesting storyline for the singer ... and she's just not cooperating with producers begging for her to open up about her relationship with Shannon.

The trailer for the reality show's upcoming season makes it seem like Monica's an open book when it comes to her divorce ... but we're told that couldn't be further from the truth. In the trailer, she says she never imagined being a single mother in her 30s -- but that's all you're gonna get outta her.

We broke the story ... Monica filed for divorce from the former pro athlete back in March, after 8 years of marriage.

Nipsey Hussle will live on in the Crenshaw District with a public basketball court that now bares his image across 78 feet of pavement ... which is getting a ribbon cutting Sunday.

A court outside the Crete Academy charter school -- which is just blocks away from where Nipsey was killed -- is holding an event that'll unveil the gorgeous mural done by artist Gustavo Zermeno, which was put into motion by Venice Basketball League's CEO, Nick Ansom.

Ansom told the media that the court was done as a way to pay Nipsey back for all his work in the community. Nipsey was a big sports fan, especially of hoops.

After the ribbon cutting at 3 PM, there's gonna be some games ran on the new court. There will be a high school showcase at 4 PM, and then an All-Star game at 5 PM. There's no telling who might show, but ya gotta imagine some famous faces could surface.

The memorial court is just the latest tribute to Nipsey -- who was murdered two weeks ago in front of his Marathon Clothing store. He died at the young age of 33.

A Celebration of Life for Nipsey was just held at the STAPLES Center in DTLA, which drew tons of fans all over California. The procession that followed was a heavily guarded affair as fans flocked to see Nip pass through South L.A. one final time.

Tiger Woods' professional golf comeback might very well be complete -- 'cause the dude just won the Masters for the first time since 2005 ... ending a 14-year drought for that tournament.

TW ended Sunday's back 9 at Augusta National Golf Club with a score of 5-under 67, putting him in first place ... which he sealed with a final short putt on hole 18 that drew tons of cheers from the massive crowd that was watching him. As he stroked the ball into the hole, commentators called it a "return to glory."

After knocking it in, Tiger did his signature fist-pump into the air ... although it wasn't as enthusiastic as the iconic one in 2005 (the last time he won it). Still quite a sight to behold though.

Tiger's win marks the fifth time he's won the Masters in his professional career -- just one big win away from tying golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who's got 6 Masters under his belt. Sunday's back 9 were so captivating, in fact, that it captured the attention of President Trump ... who told folks to tune in.

It's been quite a journey back to the top of the golf for Tiger. He won the PGA Tour Championship last September and has been perfecting his game ever since.

As you might know, Tiger suffered a big dip professionally after his sex scandal blew up in the late 2000s. He also got busted for DUI in 2017.

Two professional athletes from the NBA and NFL, respectively, were busted by cops this weekend after allegedly getting into a brawl on the street.

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills and Washington Wizards forward Devin Robinson were both arrested early Saturday morning outside of the Opera Ultra Lounge in D.C. and cited for disorderly affray, which is cop talk to fighting in public.

It's unclear if either of the men were sent to jail, but Devin was reportedly taken to a hospital afterward.

According to a police report, obtained by the AP, Jalen and Devin were involved in a verbal altercation which escalated into a physical altercation on the sidewalk adjacent to Opera. No official word on what exactly led up to the alleged fight, but reports have come out suggesting Devin was pissed Jalen was in town ... but didn't play for a D.C. team.

Both players will probably feel the fallout of their alleged actions -- especially Devin, who's already out of a job next season.

The Wizards released a statement saying they wouldn't be extending Devin a contract for the 2019-20 season. He played seven games for the Wizards this year but mostly spent time playing in the G League.

Peanuts ... cracker jacks ... and bull testes?!?!

Yeah, MLB ballparks are featuring ALL THAT these days ... and now the craziest stadium food from baseball diamonds all over the country are heading to L.A. for a giant food fare.

It's called MLB Foodfest ... and it kicks off later this month from April 26-28 in Downtown L.A. -- and it features one unique food item from every MLB team in the country.

Some of the highlights that'll be in attendance? Colorado Rockies' Rocky Mountain Oysters, Cleveland Indians' Fat Rooster sandwiches and Seattle Mariners' toasted grasshoppers.

Don't worry ... it's not all weird dishes -- the Chicago Cubs are bringing their classic Chicago Dogs and the Philadelphia Phillies are bringing cheesesteaks.

Tickets for the festival cost between $45-$90 -- pending on if ya wanna wash down your Elote Nuggets with beer or not.

Lee Ann Yanni -- who suffered major injuries in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing -- is returning to course on Monday to run 26.2 miles ... all to raise money for military families in need.

Yanni was a spectator at the 2013 marathon when shrapnel from one of the bombs hit her leg causing broken bones, severed nerves and other major injuries.

But, Yanni is a beast -- and just 6 months later, she completed the Chicago Marathon in 5 hours, 43 minutes. Amazing!

She's since completed the Boston Marathon TWICE -- once in 2014 and again in 2015.

And, on Monday, she'll lace up her shoes to do it again -- not only to stick it to the scumbags behind the bombing but also to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund.

The Fund provides resources and support for combat-wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. It's a great cause.

So, where did Yanni find the physical and emotional strength to get back out there? We spoke with the 37-year-old who told us she couldn't have done it alone.

If you want to help Yanni ... click here to donate.

#BostonStrong

Anthony Gonzalez -- an ex-Ohio State star and current Republican congressman -- says he's fine with Nick Bosa deleting his pro-Trump tweets ... saying the NFL prospect should focus on football.

Bosa made the announcement this month that he was cutting back the political rhetoric on his Twitter page -- which used to feature Trump praise as well as scorn for national anthem kneelers.

His reason? Per ESPN, "I had to. There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco."

Enter Gonzalez ... who says he's cool with the ex-Buckeyes superstar making that call, telling TMZ Sports, "When you're playing football, I think the goal should be to focus on the game."

As for how Bosa's previously loud political opinions will impact his relationship with future teammates ... Gonzalez thinks it won't be an issue at all.

"There's not a lot that could really distract individual players. That was always my experience."

Fear not WWE fans ... Kofi Kingston says there's NO WAY IN HELL he's leaving The New Day just because he's the WWE heavyweight champion now.

Of course, Kofi made history at WrestleMania 35 earlier this month when he defeated Daniel Bryan -- becoming the first African-born WWE champ in history!!

Kofi tells TMZ Sports life has been "crazy" ever since he won the belt -- he says it's still strange to hear people call him the champ!

But, now that he's had such monumental individual success, some people are wondering if his tag-team is doomed ... kinda like 'NSYNC when Justin Timberlake left.

What will happen with Big E and Xavier Woods, the other members of The New Day?!

NOTHING BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT BREAKING UP!!!

"Everything we do, we do TOGETHER," Kingston says ... "Together. Together. Together."'

"The New Day is all about the group and that's the way it's gonna be."

"We ain't going nowhere but to the top ... and if we going to the top, we going together."

There's more ... Kofi also has a message for the WWE Universe -- telling people what they can expect from him now that he's got the belt around his waist and how he couldn't have done this without the fans.

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die ... and fans of HBO's wildly popular series are betting on Bran Stark to rule the seven kingdoms when all is said and done.

The cyber-gambling site, BetOnline.ag, is offering up tons of bets on the final season of "Game of Thrones" -- which kicks off Sunday on HBO -- and Bran is the front-runner to sit on the Iron Throne when season 8 ends.

Bran's not the runaway favorite though ... check out the top contenders to rule Westeros:

-- Bran Stark 2/1
-- Daenerys Targaryen 3/1
-- Jon Snow 7/2
-- Sansa Stark 9/2
-- Gendry 5/1
-- Arya Stark 8/1
-- The Night King 8/1

If you like rooting for the underdog ... Davos has the longest odds to win 'GoT' at 50/1.

Fans love the blood and violence 'GoT' provides ... so, naturally, you can bet on the first character to die in season 8. Yara Greyjoy and Tormund Giantsbane are favored at 9/4.

Still got the gambling itch? Here are some other prop bets:

-- First character to speak in the season premiere
-- Last character to speak in the season finale
-- First dragon to perish
-- First Greyjoy to perish
-- First Lannister to perish
-- First Stark to perish
-- Is Bran the Night King?
-- Who will Arya Stark kill first?

If you despise Cersei Lannister, you can bet on who will kill the Queen -- her brother, Jaime Lannister's favored at 3/2. The odds of Cersei making it through the season alive are 6/1.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... the winner of the Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier fight this weekend will be rewarded with a shot at Khabib Nurmagomodov in Sept.

In other words ... UFC 236 on ESPN+ PPV is the KHABIB-BOWL!!!

Of course, Conor McGregor was hoping to get a 2nd crack at Khabib as soon as possible after The Eagle wiped the floor with him at UFC 229 back in October.

But, he'll have to get in line -- because Dana says the winner of Max vs. Dustin will be the interim lightweight champion ... "and the next fight is Khabib."

It's a big deal because Khabib has become an international superstar since the Conor fight -- and it would seem whoever fights him next could cash a HUGE payday.

There's more ... Dana is also fired up for Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title -- and warns Israel that people have been underestimating Gastelum for years.

But, there's a huge upside for Israel too -- because Dana says he'd also like to see Israel fight Jon Jones ... and if he beats Kelvin, that fight could happen sooner than later.

Missing football? Here's something to fix your pigskin blues ... Genie Bouchard playing in a tiny bikini and a cowboy hat!!!

The tennis superstar has been livin' it up in Miami this week ... showin' off her insane bod -- and now, her arm too.

She hit the sand in South Beach for a football game with her two friends Friday ... and while she ain't gonna make anybody forget Tom Brady anytime soon -- we honestly couldn't care less.

Genie looks great catching ... she looks great throwing ... and she definitely makes a cowboy hat look just fine too.

Of course, this ain't anything new for Bouchard ... she's been known to slay bikinis while on vacation -- 'memba her November trip to Necker Island???

Luke Rockhold's firing back at Anthony Smith ... a fighter he says is a soft, talent-less bitch who'd get OWNED in a fight with the former UFC champ.

TMZ Sports talked to Luke after he was BLASTED by Smith at a UFC press conference ... where Anthony called him "a f**king piece of sh*t" and promised to "beat that dude's f**king ass.”

Smith hates Luke's guts ... and the feeling's mutual.

"I don't think much of Anthony Smith. I don't think he's very tough, technical, talented. He ain't got what it takes."

Rockhold thinks Smith sucks as a fighter, but he's still down to fight him ... especially after Smith said he'd "drill a hole thru Luke Rockhold’s f**king face."

Luke's response ... "He's not gonna be drilling nothing. I will own that kid from start to finish, anywhere he wants to go."

Both guys have fights booked this summer (Luke's fighting Jan Błachowicz at UFC 239) -- and seem to be on a collision course with each other -- but Rockhold says Smith should talk less about him and concentrate on his opponent, Alexander Gustafsson.

"He better focus on the fight coming up, cause my opinion is he's about to get his ass kicked," Rockhold says ... "So go out there go take your ass-whoopin', and come talk to me afterwards."

Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush are NOT the greatest college football players ever ... so says Brett Favre, who tells TMZ Sports that honor belongs to Southern Miss QB Reggie Collier.

"Not only is he the greatest player in Southern Miss history, he is, in my opinion, the greatest college football player ever."

So, who is Reggie Collier? He was a star quarterback for the Golden Eagles from 1979 to 1982 ... and he piled up 3,662 passing yards and 2,304 rushing yards in his 4 collegiate seasons.

Favre says he knows those numbers don't exactly compare to Tebow's and Bush's -- who, by the way, both won Heisman Trophies -- but he still says the guy is the best he's seen.

"Physically, he was second to none," Favre tells us ... "And would still be second to none at 6'4", 225, 230, ran a 4.4 40, could throw the lights out of it ... I don't think that any person watching him could not marvel at what he was able to do."

"I certainly wanted to be him."

Favre can't exactly be him these days ... but the Packers legend has a chance to BEAT him -- the two will square off as honorary coaches in this weekend's Southern Miss spring game.

As for the whole best college football player ever debate ... here's some vid of Collier. Does he look as good as Tebow or Bush to you???

The baseball Barry Bonds smacked for his last-ever home run is hitting the auction block ... and it could fetch $750,000 (!!!!!!!!!) -- TMZ Sports has learned.

Baseball's home run king launched the final dinger of his career -- No. 762 -- on Sept. 5, 2007 ... when Bonds took Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez deep at Coors Field in Denver.

It was a mad scramble to catch the ball -- and turns out, for good reason ... 'cause the first time the ball went up for sale back in 2008 -- it sold for $376,612.

Now, we're told the ball is set to hit the auction block on Monday at Goldin Auctions -- and it could fetch three-quarters of a million dollars by the time bidding ends!!!

The ball is a pretty remarkable piece of history ... it has dirt smudges all over it and comes with three separate affidavits that prove its authenticity -- and it could be all yours if ya got the cash.

Bonds -- in addition to being MLB's all-time home run leader -- was a 7-time MVP, 14-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove winner.

If you're somewhere in a barber shop comparing the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade, you're getting on Shawn Marion's last damn nerve ... and he wants you to stop.

Both Wade and Dirk called it quits this year, so of course, the NBA community had to start talking about which guy is higher on the all-time pecking order.

It's a pretty close race any way you slice it, with Dirk having more stats, and Wade having more rings (he also played defense) so people are pretty split.

Marion played with both men, on the Mavs with Dirk and the Heat with Wade ... and he has an opinion ... he thinks everyone should shut the hell up.

"Everybody gotta compare somebody to somebody. Stop that sh*t."

Marion's aggravated point is that the 7'0" Dirk and the 6'4" Wade had two TOTALLY different games and comparing them is pointless and almost insulting to their legacies.

"Respect what they done. They both were true professionals, and they left a legacy to live and continue to live out now that they're done."

Here's a video that could finally set up a boxing superfight EVERYONE wants -- with Vasyl Lomachenko calling out Gervonta "Tank" Davis right on camera.

"Let's do this! Let's do this," Loma said to TMZ Sports ... knowing full well there's a TON of interest in seeing Floyd Mayweather's prodigy step in the ring with "High Tech."

Lomachenko is 13-1 -- and has earned the nickname "No Mas Chenko" because he's made guys straight up quit in the ring.

Davis is 21-0 and he's the reigning WBA super featherweight champ.

There's one issue according to Loma -- boxing politics -- because Vasyl's promoter is Bob Arum and Tank is with Al Haymon ... two guys who don't exactly get along.

There is one thing both sides can agree on ... THEY ALL LIKE MONEY -- and if there's enough of it, we can finally get the fight we want.

Vasyl wants it -- and he's challenging Tank to talk to his people to get them on board.

In the meantime, Loma is fighting Anthony Crolla on Friday night -- but he's a MASSIVE favorite and should slice through Crolla with ease.

Davis just fought -- and destroyed Hugo Ruiz -- ending the fight in the 1st-round.