TMZ Sports - Page 50

DeAndre Hopkins' mom is getting a movie made about her inspirational life ... and now, the Houston Texans superstar is giving TMZ Sports his perfect fit for her role -- Oprah!

If ya missed it ... Sabrina Greenlee is set to be the subject of a new Hollywood picture -- 'cause her story is amazing.

Back in 2002, she was ambushed by a woman who threw a dangerous mixture of drain cleaner and Clorox bleach at her face ... which blinded her immediately.

The attack nearly killed her -- and sent her into deep depression afterward -- but she battled back to be an awesome mother and an active community leader.

So, when we got her famous son, DeAndre, out in Bev Hills this past weekend ... we had to ask, who should play Momma in the flick??

DeAndre first threw out Issa Rae ... but then said Oprah would be a GREAT fit, telling us, "My mom's older, so Oprah would be dope."

Of course, the decision won't be up to the football star ... he tells us BRON Studios will be the ones making the call there.

But, DeAndre is stoked for the new movie and his mom regardless, telling us, "Man, it's awesome."

This year's Met Gala once again brought out the good, the rad and the funky.

The annual event's fully underway right now in NYC at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ... and once again it did NOT disappoint. As usual, TONS of celebs poured into the annual and glitzy fundraiser with some intense outfits. From French Montana and Harry Styles to Ashley Graham and Serena Williams.

Check out the pics ... Tons of other celebs also dressed to the nines. Some were a little more laid back -- looking at you, 21 Savage -- while others were not shy going with a little bit of flair -- yes, like Lady Gaga.

"Pose" star Billy Porter might rival Gaga with his royal entrance. Ya really gotta see it to appreciate it. We've also got some pics what celebs will see once inside the Met. It's an eclectic exhibit.

Forget American Pharoah and Secretariat's legendary Kentucky Derby runs ... Saturday's DQ finish was the MOST shocking moment in race history, so says the HOF jockey, Jerry Bailey.

"By far," Jerry tells TMZ Sports ... "This Derby will be remembered for a long time."

You've seen the story by now ... Maximum Security's epic Derby victory this past weekend was vacated after a review showed the horse impeded others on the race track.

A lot of people -- including President Donald Trump -- called the decision to overturn the result BS ... but Jerry tells us race officials weren't wrong.

"The video clearly shows, at least in my opinion, that the stewards made the right call."

Jerry says it's a bummer for everybody involved -- from the owners to the fans to the bettors -- calling it "a shame."

But, Bailey says they got the ruling ultimately right in the end ... saying, "As soon as we looked at the tape, we saw it."

Donald Trump has just presented Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- and joked about how the two always remember the good things ... and never the bad.

Tiger was emotional as he accepted the award in front of his family and girlfriend -- and choked back tears as he spoke about his late father.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States -- and is given to people who make an especially great contribution to American society.

Trump had announced Woods would be receiving the award after Tiger won the 2019 Masters in Augusta.

Trump couldn't have been more complimentary to Woods -- hailing the 43-year-old as an extraordinary athlete and "also a great guy."

Trump says Woods inspired millions of Americans with his thrilling victories on the golf course -- including that amazing win at the 2019 Masters ... which Trump described as an "incredible comeback" after all of the physical ailments he's dealt with over the years.

POTUS also said Woods is the embodiment of the American spirit -- "always striving for greatness."

Woods thanked his kids, his mother and his girlfriend -- and shouted out the people who stuck with him through "the good and the bad, the highs and the lows."

Unclear if he was specifically referencing golf -- or his other issues over the years.

Anthony Joshua is turning up the heat on Deontay Wilder -- telling TMZ Sports he wants a crack at the Bronze Bomber ASAP ... and inviting the boxing superstar to "come see me."

Joshua and Wilder have been trading verbal jabs for years but have never been able to come to terms on a fight contract. A Joshua vs. Wilder matchup could be one of the biggest fights in PPV history.

Anthony invited us onto his tricked out sprinter van in NYC moments ago ... and walked us through his fight plans -- including some tough talk for Deontay.

Long story short ... Joshua says he wants to unify the heavyweight titles -- and since Wilder is the reigning WBC heavyweight champ, he wants to fight Deontay as soon as possible to get that belt.

"If he's ready and wants to prove he's the best in the world, [Wilder] can come see me," Joshua says.

Wilder is slated to fight Dominic Breazeale on May 18 -- and if he gets through D.B., he's got options ... including a rematch with Tyson Fury.

As for Joshua, he'll be fighting 29-year-old Andy Ruiz on June 1 -- after his original opponent, Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, tested positive for a bunch of banned substances.

But, Joshua says he ain't holding a grudge -- he hopes Miller can turn his life around and get right.

In the meantime, Joshua says he ain't taking Ruiz lightly -- despite the fact most people don't know who he is.

UFC champ Rose Namajunas says she wouldn't rule out a superfight against Valentina Shevchenko ... but first, she's gotta get through Jessica Andrade.

Rose is the reigning UFC strawweight champ (115 lbs) after posting two amazing wins over UFC legend Joanna Jędrzejczyk.

She's gearing up for a title defense against Andrade this weekend at UFC 237 -- and despite being the champ, Rose is the betting underdog going into the fight.

"It's definitely a familiar feeling. This is not something new. I'm always the underdog. Not always, I shouldn't say that, but generally speaking," Namajunas told us.

"And, it makes sense. Andrade, when you look at her highlights, when you look at her physique, and you look what she does to girls, it's pretty intimidating."

Andrade's a beast ... but if she wins, would Rose -- who's cleaned out her division -- go up a weight class and fight the 125 lb. champ, Shevchenko?

"I've trained a lot with Valentina. Definitely, the training sessions, the way she trains, she's an animal. Of course, I'd love to test myself against her."

The issue? They're friends ... but Thug Rose ain't above punching her buddies.

"She's also my friend too, so that would kinda be strange. But, it's whatever, like I've fought friends before multiple times."

The deal isn't officially done ... but seems Ty Lue ain't worried about jinxing his shot at the Lakers head coaching job -- at least judging by his Lakers-themed birthday cake.

Lue -- the reported frontrunner to replace Luke Walton -- celebrated his 42nd birthday at a fancy Las Vegas restaurant over the weekend.

We're told Lue rented out the entire restaurant and celebrated with his closest friends and family -- less than 10 people at the party.

But, the biggest moment of the night was the cake -- which sported a giant Lakers logo and a basketball hoop ... along with the message, "Happy Birthday Coach."

Ty laughed when the cake was brought out -- but we're told he never really said anything to dispute the insinuation he's gonna be the next coach of the Lakers.

So, either his pals were just trying to get a laugh ... or they all know something that hasn't "officially" been reported yet.

We'd ask what he wished for when he blew out the candles ... but it seems his wish may have already come true.

Lue last coached for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- but he was fired back in Oct. 2018 after an 0-6 start.

But, the buzz is that LeBron James is pushing the Lakers to hire Lue -- because they get along really well.

Conor McGregor spent his Monday training his ass off in his MMA gym in Ireland -- and sources connected to the UFC star tell us he's "ready to fight right now."

Conor had a sparring session with Hans Molenkamp -- who created the MMA equipment company, Triumph, and runs the Monster Energy combat program. He's also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who trains with some of the best fighters in the world.

Hans and Conor have been tight for years -- so, when Hans touched down in Ireland, Conor invited him to Straight Blast Gym for a workout.

Our sources at the gym tell us ... Conor looked sharp in sparring sessions -- even cracking Hans in the face with that legendary left (you can see it in the video).

We're told Conor is training like he's getting ready for a fight -- and he's been talking about how badly he wants the rematch with Khabib.

One source extremely close to McGregor put it this way -- "He's ready to fight now. He's in training. Everything needs to line up correctly ... opponent, place and of course, money."

Conor was called out this weekend by UFC legend Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone -- McGregor has yet to respond.

Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati turned into a nightmare scene straight out of "My Girl" on Monday ... when a swarm of bees invaded the stadium -- forcing officials to delay the start of the game.

The Reds were gearing up to take on the San Francisco Giants when the bees came ... you can see in photos and video there are THOUSANDS (maybe millions?) of the flying insects on the field.

In one shot captured by NBC Sports Bay Area, you can see just how close the bees came to the Giants dugout. Scary stuff.

At one point, Reds outfielder Derek Dietrich grabbed some beekeeping stuff and charged out on the field -- jokingly trying to help officials get rid of the bees.

No word if it actually helped ... or not. Also, unclear if anyone was stung.

The good news ... officials say the swarm eventually moved on and the game is now underway.

FS1 star Colin Cowherd desperately wants Baker Mayfield to know he doesn't hate him ... telling TMZ Sports, "Baker thinks I don't like him. I love Baker."

Of course, the two have had a rocky relationship over the past few years -- and the beef flared up again on Friday when Baker attacked Colin on Twitter.

Colin posted a video clip from 'The Herd' explaining why he thinks Baker and Browns GM John Dorsey are the perfect couple for Cleveland ... and that's when Mayfield responded, "you’re a donkey man."

Cowherd fired back saying, "I wish you would LISTEN before ruining my weekend" ... which prompted Baker to write, "Why would I listen to you instead of just reading the quote?"

"That’s exactly what you do when you go on air... skip all the details and important stuff, then go for the irrational opinion for clicks."

But, when we got Cowherd out at LAX just hours after the spat ... he told us he has NO beef with Baker -- and says he just wants to be friends!!!

"Send my best to Baker," Colin says ... "Baker thinks I don't like him, I love Baker."

As for Mayfield's side of the feud ... doesn't seem like the feeling's mutual -- 'cause he's gone after Colin SEVERAL times in the last couple years.

Paul Pierce says he ain't worried about the Celtics being down 2 games to 1 to the Milwaukee Bucks ... telling TMZ Sports his guys will WIN the whole series in 6.

The Truth was leaving Meek Mill's birthday party at 1 OAK in L.A. on Sunday -- when we asked about his Boston Celtics losing 2 games in a row to Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.

Remember, the Celtics started off strong -- with a dominating 112 to 90 victory over the Bucks in Game 1.

But, the last 2 games have been all Milwaukee ... and now Vegas is highly favoring Milwaukee to win the series. The winner of this series will play the winner of the 76ers vs. Raptors series in the next round.

But, Pierce doesn't give a DAMN about the odds -- telling TMZ Sports he expects his guys to rally back and the take the series.

"Celtics in 6, homie. Stop playin'."

People at a Florida nightclub got a HUGE surprise Saturday night -- a 7-foot-1, over 300-pound one to be exact -- 'cause Shaq jumped into a mosh pit with them ... and danced his face off!!

It all went down at Celine in Orlando ... where DJ Diesel serenaded a Cuatro De Mayo crowd with a late-night set.

Shaq broke out his signature beats ... but then took the party one step further -- jumping into a sea of people going insane!!!

The clip's awesome ... clubgoers are hanging all over Shaq -- and he's loving it!!!

Don't worry, no one was injured!!

Of course, Shaq has been spinning the 1s and 2s professionally for several years now ... and has earned all kinds of praise from world famous DJs for his sets.

In fact, Diplo just told TMZ Sports a few months ago he's a huge fan of what Shaq's doing ... saying, "He's great, Shaq Diesel, man. He's killin' it right now. Very heavy music."

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says he will NOT join the team to visit Donald Trump on Thursday ... and several Red Sox players are boycotting with him.

The team was invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to be honored for winning the 2018 World Series -- and it's all set to go down on Thursday -- but Cora says he ain't going.

The 43-year-old issued a statement in Spanish saying he doesn't feel "comfortable" visiting Trump after the way POTUS handled recovery efforts in his native Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane.

"Puerto Rico is very important to me," Cora said ... "Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting. Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane María struck."

"Even though the United States Government has helped, there’s still a long road ahead and that is OUR reality."

"I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence [from the White House] is no different."

"As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House."

Cora said he told Red Sox officials about his decision before informing the media.

Other Red Sox stars who will NOT go to the White House include shortstop Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Mookie Betts.

Trump has hosted a bunch of athletes recently -- including NASCAR champ Joey Logano.

Topless saxophone, drunk push-ups, booze chuggin' with his bro ... yeah, retirement is going GREAT for Rob Gronkowski!!

The future Hall of Famer turned all the way up at the JEMAA, The NoMad Pool Party at the Park MGM over the weekend ... where Gronk decided to put a full SHOW on for the crowd.

Someone gave him a sax -- so he played it!

Someone told him to do push-ups -- so he did 'em.

Someone gave his brother a bottle of vodka -- so he slammed it onstage!

Rob's bikini model girlfriend, Camille Kostek, was also at the party -- and helped Gronk celebrate by handing him a beautifully-crafted retirement cake ... which Gronk later smashed to pieces.

Sources at the party tell us Gronk's group had a private VIP area stocked with champagne and Don Julio 1942 ... because ... well, it's awesome. That's why.

Congrats on retirement, Gronk -- and remember to drink water!

Legendary horse trainer Bob Baffert is breaking his silence on that insane Kentucky Derby ending --measuring his words carefully ... but telling TMZ Sports the whole thing was "crazy."

"Hell of a way to lose," Baffert said about Maximum Security -- who crossed the line first Saturday but was later DQ'd after officials say MS illegally impeded the path of other horses.

Maximum Security's owner, Gary West, now says his horse will NOT run in the Preakness later this month.

What's interesting ... Baffert says he worked for West this year -- training West's other horse, Game Winner, for the Kentucky Derby. Game Winner finished 5th in the race.

Game Winner was one of THREE Baffert-trained horses that ran in the 2019 Derby, running with Improbably and Roadster.

Look, Baffert's horses have won FIVE Kentucky Derbies over the years -- and he plans on having more horses run the race in the future ... so you can probably understand why he wouldn't go scorched Earth on Derby officials.

As for Baffert's other horses -- Improbably finished 4th and Roadster finished 15th.

Someone who didn't hold back? Donald Trump ... who said the Derby sucked.

"The Kentucky Derby decision was not a good one," Trump tweeted over the weekend.

"It was a rough & tumble race on a wet and sloppy track, actually, a beautiful thing to watch."

Great news for UFC star Brian Ortega ... the 27-year-old says he's been medically cleared to return to the Octagon -- and he's got his sights set on a rematch with Max Holloway.

Ortega suffered a broken nose and a broken thumb after his Dec. 8 bloodbath with Max at UFC 231 ... a fight Brian ultimately lost when the doctor stopped it at the end of the 4th round.

Brian fought his ass off -- and later said he was "willing to die" in the Octagon.

After the fight, Ortega underwent surgery -- which was successful -- and now the featherweight star tells us he's looking to book a fight as early as July.

Unclear who the opponent will be -- but Ortega says the ultimate goal is to earn another crack at Holloway, an opponent he has tremendous respect for.

Ortega says he's replayed the Holloway fight in his head -- and knows he can win the second time around.