TMZ Sports - Page 50

**WARNING -- VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE**

Snoop Dogg is already counting the Clippers out of the playoffs -- saying they SUCK -- and they'll never be as good as the Lakers.

The rap legend went OFF after the Clips got destroyed by the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night -- saying the series is a wrap already ... even though L.A. is only down 2-1.

"So what y'all made the playoffs, n**** , y'all ain't doing nothing," Snoop said ... "Same ol' Clippers."

Snoop is a hardcore Lakers fan -- and even though the Lake Show didn't make the playoffs, he still thinks it's WORSE to be a Clipper.

"Y'all still our little brothers, n****! Clippers gonna always be our little brothers ... No banners. No flags. Nothing!"

On the flip side, the Lakers have 16 championships and 31 conference titles ... plus, they've retired jerseys of some of the greatest players in NBA history -- from Magic to Kobe.

Keldon Johnson is expected to be a 1st round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft -- and he's already rollin' around Hollywood like a BALLER!!!!

The former University of Kentucky star hit up Catch in L.A. for dinner and EVERYONE noticed when he pulled up ... behind the wheel of what appears to be a McLaren 720S Spider, which usually carry a $300,000 price tag!!!

You gotta watch the video with the SOUND ON -- the engine purrs like a tiger ... it's incredible.

We asked Johnson if he's rooting for any particular team to draft him in June -- and he gave the answer any smart future NBA star would give!!

Many experts predict Johnson could be selected between the 10th and 25th pick -- which means his rookie contract with likely be a 4-year deal worth anywhere from $10 to $20 MILLION!

Johnson has been a stud basketball player for years -- he was ranked in the Top 15 high school players in the country back in 2018 ... and when he got to Kentucky, he led the team in scoring for most of the season.

He started 36 out of 37 games in his freshman year -- averaging 13.5 points per game in college with 5.9 rebounds.

Floyd Mayweather gave his neck a workout at the Clippers vs. Warriors game at Staples Center on Thursday ... busting out 4 HUGE GOLD CHAINS to floss in front of a star-studded crowd.

Mayweather -- who paired his chains with some funky checkered shorts -- sat courtside to watch Steph Curry and Kevin Durant put the smackdown on L.A. in a 132 to 105 blowout in Game 3 of their NBA playoff series.

There were a TON of celebs at the game ... including Meek Mill, who wore a shirt honoring rapper Nipsey Hussle.

Terrell Owens was also in the building along with Billy Crystal, Scottie Pippen, John Calipari, Maverick Carter and more.

Good news for Vince McMahon ... Johnny Manziel says he's down to play in the new XFL.

Oh, and Manziel also says the whole "John Manziel" thing is WRONG -- he's "Johnny for life!"

The QB was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood on Thursday when we asked about his football career -- and if he would be open to a stint in the XFL, which is set to launch in Feb. 2020.

"Any football," 26-year-old Manziel told us ... "Any football options."

Our photog followed up, "You just want to play football?" -- to which Manziel replied, "That's all it is man. Ball 24/7."

The only major issue for Johnny ... when Vince previously suggested Manziel wouldn't be eligible to play in the XFL due to his history of "criminality" -- which includes an allegation of domestic violence.

That charge was later dropped -- and recently, new XFL commish Oliver Luck said the league would be open to signing Manziel.

"If he is able to meet our standards and if our coaches think he’s one of the top quarterbacks out there that can help us,” Luck said ... “Certainly we have no reason not to believe he couldn’t be in the mix."

4/19 -- G Herbo was released from jail late Thursday night, and went on Instagram Live to talk about the altercation.

Rapper G Herbo is facing a battery charge after an argument with his baby mama, Ariana Fletcher, allegedly turned physical ... TMZ has learned.

According to Atlanta Police ... the rapper and Ari got into it Wednesday morning -- mostly yelling at each other -- but at some point, cops say Herbo assaulted her. Cops say he then left the location with their son but later returned ... and after officers spoke to him, they arrested him for simple battery.

Cops say Ariana sustained minor scratches during the altercation, and right now it's unclear what triggered the alleged assault. Cops are continuing their investigation.

Perhaps complicating matters for G Herbo is the fact Ari is now dating boxer Gervonta Davis ... and is actually about 14 weeks pregnant with his child.

What's interesting is Ari and Gervonta were out partying Tuesday night at Allure Gentlemen's Club where G Herbo also happened to be. The trio was NOT there together. It's unclear if any encounter there might have led to the alleged assault the next morning.

Herbo is still in jail. His bond has been set at $2,000.

Originally Published -- 4/18 10:06 AM PT

Boxing sensation Claressa Shields will have to find another male challenger to fight -- because Shawn Porter says he's NOT down to get in the ring with the female superstar.

Porter appeared on the "TMZ Sports" TV show after Shields told us this week she's 100% confident she could BEAT top male fighters like Porter, Keith Thurman and Gennady Golovkin.

So, we asked Porter for his reaction -- to which he smiled and replied, "It's cute!"

Make no mistake -- Porter says he has nothing but respect for Shields as a fighter, but claims boxing a top male fighter is simply "an animal that she's not really prepared for."

Porter says Shields would obviously be outmatched when it comes to strength and power -- but also explains that speed and movement in men's boxing is on a different level than what she's faced in the women's division.

When asked if he'd be down for a 3-round exhibition with Shields to let their fists do the talking -- Porter shot that down ... telling us he's just not interested.

In the full interview, Porter says if Shields is serious about fighting men she needs to start at the bottom and work her way up the rankings ladder like everyone else -- she just can't skip the line and fight a champ.

In the meantime, Shields is working on setting up a fight with the only other reigning undisputed female boxing champ, Cecilia Braekhus.

Danny Amendola is throwing some serious shade at Olivia Culpo's new fling, Zedd, with an assist from his rock hard abs and a famous Bruce Willis line from "Pulp Fiction."

As we first told you ... Olivia and Zedd got very flirty with each other during the first weekend of Coachella, getting super snuggly during some music sets and putting Danny firmly in the rearview.

Well, Danny just responded to his ex-girlfriend's new relationship ... posting a shirtless video on Instagram Thursday night and making sure to capture Bruce's famous line from the Quentin Tarantino flick, which is totally relevant to Olivia's new boo.

The NFL wide receiver is sending a loud and clear message to the former Miss Universe ... enjoy Zedd all you want, but the DJ ain't got nothing on these abs, baby!!!

Danny and Olivia have been dating on and off since 2016, but their relationship's been ice cold since he shipped out of Miami and joined the Detroit Lions in early March.

Tyreek Hill's 3-year-old child was temporarily placed in another home during an investigation into allegations the boy was physically abused at the NFL star's home ... this according to KCTV in Kansas.

The Kansas City Chiefs WR appeared in court on April 5 for an emergency hearing in the matter -- and that's when officials removed the child from Hill's care and placed him in another home, the report says.

Hill returned to the courthouse on April 17 -- holding hands with his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, the mother of the 3-year-old child.

The two did not comment when questioned by KCTV about the custody situation or the allegations of abuse.

We know Hill and Espinal were named in a police report filed on March 5. Cops described the incident as "child abuse/neglect."

According to police documents, neither Hill nor Espinal were prosecuted.

Another police report was filed regarding a March 14 incident -- cops responded to a call for a battery on an unnamed juvenile. Hill is not named in the report. Espinal is listed as an "involved person."

Both incidents occurred at Hill's home in Overland Park, Kansas.

Now, the Kansas Dept. for Children and Families is investigating the allegations at Hill's home. That investigation is expected to wrap up soon.

The Johnson County D.A.'s office is also investigating. Unclear where that investigation stands at this point.

Kofi Kingston becoming the 1st African-born WWE champ has inspired a generation of young black wrestlers to kick ass ... WWE legend Mark Henry tells TMZ Sports.

We talked to the WWE Hall of Famer -- who was promoting his "Busted Open" show where he's ranking the greatest black wrestlers EVER (hint: The Rock ain't #1) -- about Kingston's impact on wrestling, and what the belt actually means ... aside from looking really cool.

Remember, Kingston beat Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 ... becoming only the 2nd black WWE champion (and the 1st African-born champ.)

"15 years from now there might be another 2 or 3 black wrestlers that come into the industry, and they were inspired by Kofi Kingston," Henry says.

"It's a powerful thing to have representation, and it's also a powerful thing to be able to see somebody that looks like you, and have them tell you first hand the struggle and what it took for them to get there."

We also asked Mark about diversity in the WWE ... and whether black wrestlers are fairly represented across the roster of Superstars.

Mark says there's NO problem ... in fact, he's seen a massive improvement over his decades in the WWE.

"When I came into wrestling there were 3 people, 3 black people in the company. There is growth. There is a future for the African-American in pro wrestling, and ya know, I want to be a part of that as much as I can."

It ain't always great being a giant ... just ask 7'6" NBA draft prospect Tacko Fall ... who's telling TMZ Sports what sucks most about being incredibly tall!!

The ex-UCF Knights star was towering through LAX on Thursday ... when he gave us the lowdown on the pros and cons of being one of the tallest people on the planet.

Tacko says it comes in handy at the grocery store whenever he needs to reach the top shelves and "look over everything" ... but when it comes to bathing, it really stinks ... 'cause he's taller than the shower!!

Fall -- who had a big showdown with Zion Williamson in the NCAA Tournament last month -- doesn't have a custom shower to accommodate his size just yet ... but if he gets drafted, expect that to be one of his first purchases.

A Legends Football League fan learned the hard way to not storm the field this month ... 'cause a security guard straight-up choked him out for the offense!!!

It all went down on April 5 at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., when a couple fans got a little TOO into Seattle's win over the L.A. Temptation.

The guys bum-rushed the turf ... and when they were met by security guards -- the dudes didn't take it easy on them.

One of the guys was immediately put in a chokehold ... and ate a few elbows. The other dude didn't fare much better -- he was grounded and pounded on!!!!

TMZ Sports has obtained police body cam footage showing Conor McGregor being handcuffed and arrested at a private home by Miami Beach PD over the cell phone smashing incident.

The footage was shot on March 11 ... hours after Conor got into it with Ahmed Abdirzak outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

As we previously reported, McGregor went after Abdirzak around 5:21 AM -- snatching the guy's phone and then stomping it multiple times. McGregor eventually left the premises with Abdirzak's phone.

Abdirzak filed a police report and the Miami Beach PD tracked down McGregor at a private residence nearby -- eventually arresting him just before 10 AM.

In the footage, McGregor is cooperative and quiet as cops instruct him to place his hands behind his back while they place him in handcuffs and put him into a squad car to be transported to jail.

McGregor has since been charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.

Conor has pled not guilty on all charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in May.

The leaked sex tape allegedly featuring WWE superstar Lana is NOT her -- sources connected to the wrestler tell TMZ Sports.

Multiple reports surfaced Thursday that Lana's personal Snapchat page was hacked -- with some scumbag leaking a private sex tape from the account in an attempt to publicly embarrass her.

But fortunately, sources close to Lana tell us she's adamant she's NOT in the video -- and neither is her WWE superstar husband, Rusev.

In fact, we're told the Snapchat account that published the video does NOT belong to Lana -- though, it was intentionally created to look like it does.

There's a female voice in the sex video -- but as one Lana source puts it, "The voice in the clip is clearly not her."

Bottom line -- sorry, perverts ... not this time.

Naomi Osaka is VERY close to being off the market ... 'cause the #1-ranked women's tennis player in the world is getting REAL close with rapper YBN Cordae!!!

In fact, Cordae made a recent cameo on Naomi's IG -- leading many to think the appearance was their public coming out party.

But, sources close to the two tell TMZ Sports ... while they're spending a lot of time together lately -- and they like each other -- they're not "officially" an item. At least, not yet.

As one source put it, "Just give it a week."

21-year-old Osaka has been a BEAST on the pro tennis circuit -- famously beating Serena Williams at the U.S. Open back in 2018. She was also just named in Time's 100 most influential people.

21-year-old Cordae is a fast-rising star in the rap game -- he's backed by Dr. Dre and recently hung out with Diddy. He's the real deal.

Cordae is part of the YBN collective -- one of the hottest young groups in music. He is also expected to be named to XXL's Freshman list in 2019.

Just this week, Osaka posted a video with Cordae -- and captioned it, "Can’t take this guy anywhereeeee lol"

Forget coming back from a 2-year baseball career to win an NBA championship ... Michael Jordan says Tiger Woods' Masters victory last weekend is the greatest comeback of all-time!!!

"He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit," M.J. told The Athletic ... "To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."

Of course, Michael knows a thing or two about comebacks ... he ended a 2-year MLB career to return to the hardwood to win 3 straight NBA titles in the 1990s.

But, even Jordan admits that can't compare to what Tiger did this past weekend ... returning from all kinds of injuries and off-the-course issues to be the best golfer in the world again.

"I never thought he’d get back physically,” Jordan said ... “He didn’t think he’d get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now."

M.J. added, "He’s probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that’s a major accomplishment. To me, it’s unbelievable."

Jordan ain't the only one feeling that way ... everyone from Donald Trump to Tom Brady to Michael Phelps commented on their amazement over TW's 15th major championship win.

As for the debate between who's the greatest athlete of all time between Tiger and Jordan ... we actually asked Scottie Pippen that this week -- and you'll wanna hear his answer ...

Jordan Clarkson is following up on his passionate nightclub speech on the late Nipsey Hussle with a more permanent tribute ... honoring the slain rapper with a tattoo on his body.

As we previously reported ... the Cleveland Cavaliers guard gave an emotional tribute to Nip at a Scottsdale nightclub hours after Hussle was murdered ... calling for an end to gang and gun violence.

Clarkson decided to go one step further to show love for Nip ... getting the rapper's face tattooed on his left arm on Wednesday ... along with "TMC," for Hussle's "The Marathon Continues" slogan.

JC already has a bunch of body art -- he's almost fully covered now -- but this one has to mean a lot to the baller, hitting up Canada-based artist Steve Wiebe for the job.

You've probably seen Wiebe's work before -- he also works with stars like Future, Kelly Oubre Jr., Rita Ora and P.J. Tucker.

Clarkson joins fellow NBAer J.R. Smith with the permanent tribute to Nip ... who also paid homage with body art.

#RIP