TMZ Sports - Page 50

Think Ninja is gonna sit around and mope about losing the opportunity to win a $30 MILLION Fortnite tournament????

HELL NO ... 'cause the legendary gamer is out in NYC for Epic Games' unprecedented event this weekend despite not being able to play in it -- and he says he's stoked for it!!

"It's gonna be nuts," Ninja says.

If you're unfamiliar, Fortnite is holding its World Cup event this weekend in NYC -- where 100 gamers are going to pack Arthur Ashe Stadium for the chance to win some serious cash.

Ninja -- arguably the greatest Fortnite player who's ever lived -- somehow missed the cut a few weeks ago ... but he ain't exactly hanging his head low about not qualifying.

When we got the 28-year-old out in the city -- he was smiling, laughing and even cracking jokes about how he's making video games sexy again!!!

Of course, Ninja says he makes more than $500,000 PER MONTH for playing the game recreationally ... so it ain't exactly like he's hurting for the dough.

But still, this is like Tiger Woods missing the Masters cut in his prime!!!

It's not all bad for Ninja, he's still playing the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am with Marshmello -- the two are defending their title from last year and are heavy favorites to win again!

There's a total of $3 MIL in prize money for the Pro-Am -- which the winners will donate to their charity of choice ... so it's a big deal!

By the way, if you're looking to find a new favorite for the World Cup champion ... 14-year-old Cody "Clix" Conrod is considered one of the tourney's top dogs now with Ninja out.

Kobe Bryant's quest to take over the non-basketball world continues ... this time the Oscar-winner (still feels weird) is dipping into J.K. Rowling's pond ... releasing a new series of young adult novels.

Mamba's multimedia company, Granity Studios, is putting out 2 works in the next 12 months, the first centered around a young female tennis prodigy who has to save a magical kingdom.

Both stories were created by Kobe himself, with the first, "Legacy and the Queen," to be written by ex-squash player Annie Matthew, and set to be released in September.

The second book "Epoca: The Tree of Ecof" comes out two months after that -- and it's about two kids from opposite sides of the tracks that form an unbreakable bond.

Here's the thing ... we know how deep Kobe is into the movies, and we also know how successful young adult books converted into movies are ('Hunger Games,' "Maze Runner" etc.) so who knows how big this could be for Mamba?!

This little piggy ... is putting Lionel Messi in the middle of a huge controversy involving Dolce & Gabbana and the country of China!!!!

The soccer superstar was rocking a $500 Dolce & Gabbana t-shirt Friday as he touched down in Barcelona for some vacation time with his family ... but he might not know that his shirt has some Chinese people very upset.

Long story short ... Dolce got in major hot water in China in Nov. 2018 for an ad campaign featuring a Chinese model bungling an attempt to eat Italian food with chopsticks.

The campaign was almost immediately deemed offensive by the masses in China and Dolce pulled it from Chinese social media in 24 hours. People were pissed and Dolce & Gabbana issued a video apology.

There's more ... Stefano Gabbana appeared to trash China in social media posts -- using the poop emoji to describe the country. He later claimed his account was hacked. But, most people weren't buying the excuse.

Fast forward to Feb. 2019 ... when Dolce & Gabbana releases new shirts celebrating the "Year of the Pig" in Chinese culture.

After the previous controversy, there was renewed outrage from Chinese consumers over the pig shirts ... with some people feeling the designs were offensive. One site explained Chinese consumers felt the designs depicted Chinese people as "pigs with money." Multiple fashion outlets (see here and here) covered the situation.

He's 8 months away from being back in fighting shape, but UFC warrior Thiago Santos says he REALLY wants a second crack at Jon Jones once he recovers from his double knee surgery.

35-year-old Santos tore ligaments in both knees during his July 6 fight with Jones -- and he just underwent surgery last week. In his left knee, Santos tore his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus. He also suffered a partial ligament tear in his right knee.

Despite the devastating injuries, Thiago went all 5 round with Jones -- throwing LEG STRIKES all the way up until the final bell.

TMZ Sports spoke with Santos while he was in physical therapy and he told us he's so mentally tough, he willed himself to keep fighting that night even though his body wanted to shut down.

"Even on pain, I had to continue kicking," Santos said through a translator.

Santos lost the fight via split decision -- but knows how close he came to pulling off the upset.

Now, with an 8-month recovery plan, Santos says he's REALLY hoping for a rematch with Jon.

"That's my will. I really want to fight him again but I want to be at 100% before that's happening."

Odell Beckham was just plain WRONG for thinking he was the main draw for the New York Giants last year -- so says Tiki Barber who says, in 2018, it was all about Saquon Barkley!

Of course, Tiki was a stud for the Giants from 1997 to 2006 -- he knows a little something about the franchise.

So, with Odell telling GQ he felt like he was the "main reason at keeping [the Giants] brand alive" -- we had to ask the former NYG running back to weigh in.

"Odell was hurt a lot last year. Saquon was Rookie of the Year. He's a spectacular player. If you were watching the Giants last year, you wanted to see what Saquon was going to do."

For the record, Odell was having a pretty solid season up until Week 12 -- when an injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. But at that point, he already had more than 1,000 receiving yards.

Still, Barber thinks Odell needs to stop thinking about the Giants and focus on his new team, the Cleveland Browns.

"He needs to move on," Barber said ... "The Giants have moved on. He will as well."

NFL D-lineman Malik McDowell -- the guy who fought police in a gas station convenience store -- has been ordered to wear a brand new piece of jewelry ... an alcohol monitoring bracelet.

The 23-year-old defensive tackle recently missed a routine alcohol test in connection to his DUI case ... and the judge was so upset about it during Wednesday's hearing, he ordered McDowell to be fitted with a SCRAM device.

The SCRAM -- which stands for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring -- is usually strapped to the ankle and continuously tests the skin for traces of alcohol in the body.

A bunch of stars with alcohol-related issues have been fitted with SCRAM devices in the past ... from Lindsay Lohan to Tracy Morgan.

We're trying to find out if McDowell is banned from consuming ANY alcohol -- or if there are exceptions.

As we previously reported, the 6'6", 300 pound lineman was arrested back in February after he got violent with a police officer during a routine traffic stop.

In surveillance footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see McDowell get physical with the cop ... even after the officer deploys his taser on the NFL player.

Cops say McDowell "had a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from his persons" -- and later said his BAC was .189, more than twice the legal limit.

McDowell was eventually charged with 2 counts of felony assaulting and resisting, 1 misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

His court date to begin trial -- if the case makes it that far -- is set for late October.

McDowell was a 2nd-round pick for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL Draft -- but he was released in 2018 ... and hasn't signed anywhere else.

The NHL is working to get the "Jackie Robinson of Ice Hockey" the Congressional Gold Medal -- and Willie O'Ree tells TMZ Sports he's THRILLED to be considered for the recognition.

O'Ree is a sports legend -- he became the first African-American NHL player back in 1958 when he took the ice for the Boston Bruins.

There's a movement in Washington to bestow the honor to 83-year-old O'Ree -- and several NHL execs flew into the Capitol to help the cause.

FYI, the Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to people "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement."

It's akin to the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- one of the top honors a civilian can receive -- but the CGM are only awarded by acts of Congress. Only 8 athletes have ever received the award.

So, when we spotted O'Ree on Capitol Hill on Thursday, we asked what receiving the award would mean to him.

"It would rank right at the top, the highest award probably that I'll ever get as far as my lifetime. I'm thrilled and if it happens, I'll be very honored to come back and receive this award."

One of the driving forces behind the movement is Senator Tim Scott -- who introduced the legislation to get O'Ree the Medal.

Sen. Scott met with O'Ree on Thursday and told him, “Thank you for being a trailblazer in a sport that I would imagine, even today, people are unaware of the significant role that you played in opening the door."

O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year ... and the NHL named its annual Community Hero Award after him as well.

Jordyn Woods likes what Khloe Kardashian likes ... stars on the hardwood, because she's hangin' with another of Khloe's exes.

Kylie Jenner's former bestie danced and smoked hookah alongside NBA star James Harden in Houston Wednesday night, and, if you're not keeping track ... Harden's another ex-boyfriend of Khloe's.

We're told Jordyn and James were partying together at Belle Station, and were cozying up in the same booth. At one point, Jordyn stood up and danced in front of him while taking a hookah hit.

We're told the 2 have hung out in the past -- pre-Khloe's split with Tristan -- and Jordyn allegedly told friends Khloe was cool with it ... our sources say Khloe never even knew about it. What's unclear is if Jordyn and James have taken it a step further.

Jordyn took Chernobyl-type heat for contributing to the breakup of Khloe's family after allegedly cheating with her baby daddy, Tristan Thompson, at a house party.

Woods claimed it was just innocent fun, though, and said he only kissed her once. Khloe first blamed Jordyn for destroying her fam, then took it back.

Things got so bad between Jordyn and Kylie ... Kylie kicked Jordyn out of her guest house.

How's Eli Manning feel about Odell Beckham saying he was the ONLY reason the NY Giants were popular the past few years??

"I won a few games before he was here," the QB said ...

SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEEEEEEEE!!!

Manning spoke with the NFL Network after NY's practice Thursday ... and when they asked about Odell's recent controversial comments in a GQ article, Eli didn't hold much back.

"I don't think they bothered me," Manning said of the quotes ... "You just kind of shake your head and laugh.

Then Eli dropped the bombshell -- "I won a few games before he was here."

Of course, Odell made the claim that New York was only in the limelight "because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That's just real rap."

But, Eli clearly feels differently ... and dude seems to have a point. Eli won nearly 100 regular season games before Odell was drafted -- and he also racked up 2 Super Bowl wins.

You're looking at the BIGGEST TENNIS PLAYER EVER!!!

... seriously, here's Reilly Opelka -- he's 6'11" tall and he just upset John Isner (the highest ranked American male in tennis) at the Atlanta Open!!!

So, what's the best part of being a GIANT on the court?

The 21-year-old stopped to talk to TMZ Sports about the pros and cons of being Shaq-sized ... and it's super interesting.

There's definitely one big advantage on the court ... and he put it on display during the Isner match.

Opelka was the 57th ranked player in the world going into the Isner match. Isner was #14.

Still, Reilly came out on the winning side of a tie-breaker in the final set and now, he's set to play Dan Evans in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Besides the tennis talk, we HAD to ask about the height! What's it like finding tennis clothes when you're a 7-footer? And, since he's got crazy athletic skills, was he recruited over to the basketball court?

We ran through it all with Reilly -- and the dude couldn't have been nicer.

Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife has pled GUILTY to facilitating the murder of the former NBA player -- and she'll be locked away for at least 9 years.

Wright -- the 7th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was shot to death in 2010. His body was discovered in a swampy field 10 days after he went missing.

Officials say his body was riddled with bullet wounds.

Investigators eventually pointed the finger at Lorenzen's ex-wife, Sherra Wright, and a male friend, Billy Turner. The two attended the same church.

But, officials say Sherra called the shots in a diabolical murder plot. Sherra initially planned to kill Lorenzen at his Atlanta home but when that plan failed, she conspired with Turner to murder him in Tennessee instead, prosecutors say.

Both Wright and Turner were charged with 1st-degree murder among other charges and she was facing up to 100 years behind bars.

But, Sherra cut a deal with prosecutors in which she agreed to plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit attempted 1st-degree murder.

In exchange for her plea, Sherra got 30 years in prison ... but will be eligible for parole after 9.

Outside court Thursday, Sherra's attorney told reporters she had planned to argue that Lorenzen was a violent man who beat her for years and she was pushed to the edge.

However, Lorenzen's family members have accused Sherra of offing the basketball player in hopes of collecting a $1 million life insurance policy.

Wright played in the NBA from 1996 to 2009 ... most famously playing for the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Arian Foster says the NFL was "logically inconsistent" for outlawing Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest ... and he's ripping Donald Trump for labeling protesting NFL players as "sons of bitches."

The progressive ex-Houston Texans RB faced off with Fox Nation conservative Tomi Lahren -- where Foster tee'd off on the idea that the NFL should be able to ban players from making political statements.

"It's a logically inconsistent stance on their part," Foster said.

"If you wanna say don't make political statements on the field, then don't have the military fly over at the beginning [of games] or don't have a deal with the Dept. of Justice that has millions of dollars advertising the military. It's a logically inconsistent stance."

Foster continued ... "That's my issue with people who take issue with the protests because it's not logically consistent and the NFL in general, they're emotionally driven. They're reactionary and not proactive."

Foster then brought up Trump's 2017 comments when he said NFL owners should fire any "sons of bitches" who don't stand for the anthem ... saying the comments are "demonstrably divisive to a nation that is already racially infused."

"The President of the United States is calling an American citizen a son of a bitch for exercising his 1st Amendment right," Foster said ... "There's a citizen protesting how he sees fit to protest whatever issue he feels is important to him, very silently and very respectfully."

Lahren explained her side of the argument ... saying she believes the NFL has the right to discipline players who don't follow its rules.

She also told Arian, who hosts the "Now What?" podcast, why she feels police officers and military members are offended by the kneeling.

Don't get it twisted, this was no screaming match -- the conversation was respectful and both sides felt it was productive.

Good news, bad news for Le'Veon Bell in his infamous jewelry heist case ...

The bad? The NY Jets running back says he never got his stuff back.

The good? He says it doesn't matter -- 'cause it was all insured!!!

As we previously reported, Bell claims he had at least $500,000 worth of jewelry and other items jacked from his Hollywood, Florida home on May 25.

In 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... Bell explained the situation, saying he believed 2 of his girlfriends (that he had left naked in bed earlier in the day) were the thieves.

Bell's been working with cops ever since to get his stuff back ... but the NFL superstar told media members Thursday law enforcement was never able to find his gear.

"No [I didn't get it back]," Le'Veon said Thursday morning ... "But, it was insured. Everything was good. So, I'm fine."

It's a bummer for Bell ... one of the pieces he had stolen was a SICK diamond Black Panther pendant that he had JUST gotten from one of his jewelers in the spring.

But, Bell says he's over the whole situation, and insists the drama won't have any impact on his on-the-field game this season.

"It was just frustrating when it happened, but I'm OKAY."

By the way, we've reached out to the Hollywood Police Department about the case ... but so far, no word back yet.

Russell Okung -- a 2-time Pro Bowl left tackle -- says he's lucky to be alive today ... saying a pulmonary embolism he suffered last month nearly killed him.

Okung has been out of L.A. Chargers workouts the last few weeks while dealing with "a serious medical issue" ... and on Thursday, he finally revealed the scary situation.

The 31-year-old says he had "unusual chest pain" during a Chargers practice on June 1 ... and decided to head to urgent care out of precaution.

Turns out, that trip saved his life ... because he says doctors discovered he had suffered a pulmonary embolism caused by blood clots that could have killed him if he waited longer to get it treated.

He's right ... pulmonary embolisms were to blame in the deaths of stars like Heavy D and ex-NBA player Jerome Kersey.

But, good news for Okung ... the 6'5", 310-pound lineman says he's doing well now and hopes to be on the field blocking for Philip Rivers again soon.

"While near death type experiences are certainly a wake-up call, I'm feeling great physically," Okung said.

The boxing world is dealing with its second tragedy in one week -- 23-year-old fighter Hugo Santillan died in Argentina on Thursday after suffering injuries during his fight over the weekend.

Santillan fought Eduardo Javier Abreu for the WBC Latino Silver lightweight title in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The bout ended in a draw after 10 violent rounds -- but it was clear something was wrong.

Santillan collapsed in the ring as the announcer presented the results of the fight ... and doctors rushed to give him oxygen. He was stretchered out of the venue and taken to a nearby hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a clot in his brain.

The boxer went into cardiorespiratory failure twice before ultimately succumbing to his injuries.

The doctor who treated Santillan issued a statement ... saying, "Upon admission to the hospital, he had successive kidney failure and he did not come out of his coma."

"He had swelling of his brain and he never recovered consciousness. The swelling continued to worsen and it affected the functioning of the rest of his organs."

The super lightweight succumbed to his injuries on Thursday ... just 2 days after 28-year-old boxer Maxim Dadashev died from injuries he suffered during his fight on Friday.

"We join Hugo’s family and friends in grief, support and wish prompt resignation," the World Boxing Council said in a statement.

Santillan had a 19-6-2 record as a pro ... with 8 KOs.

The boxing world is reeling from the two tragedies ... earlier this week, Gennady Golovkin told us Maxim's death wasn't only tragic on a personal level, but was also terrible for the sport of boxing.

It's been a full week since UFC fighter Thiago Santos had surgery on BOTH of his knees following his main event fight against Jon Jones ... and Santos says he's in so much pain, he fears using the bathroom.

Santos put up one hell of a fight against Jones on July 6 -- going 5 rounds with the champ despite severe ligament damage to both of his knees.

In left knee, Santos tore his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus. He also suffered a partial ligament tear in his right knee.

Santos underwent double knee surgery last Wednesday ... and while he's already back in the gym trying to exercise (beast!) ... he admits he's in a ton of pain.

"I must admit, these days are tough, filled with a lot of pain," Santos said.

"I can’t sleep or eat properly due to the medications. I even fear using the bathroom because the walk there is a battle. Thank God the pain is subsiding."

He noted in a video message that he's "very happy" -- but it's clear he's struggling.

The good news, the honchos at he UFC -- including Dana White -- were impressed with his performance against Jones, especially now that we all know he was fighting with such severe injuries.