TMZ Sports - Page 50

Get the coffin and start making flower arrangements ... 'cause Shaq's son says Damian Lillard's rap career was just murdered by the NBA legend in their battle this month!!

"My dad bodied Dame Lillard," Myles O'Neal tells TMZ Sports ... "That's all I need to say. It's over, he won."

If ya missed it ... Shaq and Lillard have been at each other's necks the last couple weeks -- each releasing TWO rap tracks with a bunch of disses aimed at each other.

It all started after Dame went on "The Joe Budden Podcast" and questioned the NBA legend's rap skills ... which led to Shaq dropping this track a few days later.

Listen up, Marlins fans ... Derek Jeter says Miami WILL have a playoff squad to cheer for eventually -- he tells TMZ Sports it's just going to take a little more time!!!

"I preach patience," Jeter says. "I don't have any myself, but we'll get there!"

The Marlins have been pretty awful since DJ took over as part-owner of the team ... and a lot of people are bent by the fact that No. 2 has traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto AND Marcell Ozuna in the last few years.

But, when we got Jeter out at his annual Turn 2 Foundation Dinner in New York Monday night ... he told us he's got a plan -- and he's sure it's all going to work out.

Every UFC superstar has an origin story -- a fight experience that convinced them they could brawl for a living ... and 5 of the toughest guys in the sport told their stories to TMZ Sports.

Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, Kelvin Gastelum and Ottman Azaitar joined the TMZ Sports crew for a 30-minute, no-holds-barred convo about everything from upcoming fights to real-life fight stories and how UFC fighters REALLY feel about Conor McGregor.

Gaethje walked us through how he's been trying to draw out Conor into a fight -- but the Irishman seems to be ducking him. He also wants a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Kamaru explained why his beef with Colby Covington is 100% real ... and why he wants to "separate him from consciousness" when they fight at UFC 245 on December 14.

Henry told us why he believes he's the greatest combat sports athlete of all time ... better than Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and more!!!

Kelvin called out Israel Adesanya for a rematch ... and revealed for the first time that he was sick and way less than 100% when they fought the first time at UFC 236 in April.

Snoop Dogg ain't apologetic about his raunchy booty and money-throwing performance at the Univ. of Kansas this weekend ... saying he had one hell of a time, and the school should've known what they were getting into!

Of course, the rap legend pulled out all the stops for the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team's annual Late Night in the Phog pep rally on Friday ... complete with pole dancing women and money guns.

After the show, KU officials apologized saying Snoop's camp assured them before the show that his performance would be more family-friendly than his usual schtick.

D-O-Double-G addressed the show on the Howard Stern show Tuesday ... saying EVERYONE was loving it, and he was shocked when the school released an apology.

"The audience enjoyed that sh*t," Snoop said. "I don't know what the f*ck they talking about."

Stern asked Snoop about being asked to leave after the performance ... which he denies.

"That's a motherf**king lie. I had the time of my life. I enjoyed myself, hung out with the basketball teams."

Snoop believes the apology came from the backlash the school got after the performance ... and insists his time there was nothing but positive.

"I think it was more the publicity of what I did. they had to cover it up. And, I respect them, and I wasn't gonna put no smut on their name and say they did anything wrong because they invited me to come do what I do."

"And, when you pay for Snoop Dogg, you gon' get Snoop Dogg."

Broncos cornerback De'Vante Bausby says he temporarily couldn't move after he took a scary hit during Sunday's game ... but he's doing much better and eventually wants to "come back and play."

Bausby and teammate Alexander Johnson accidentally made helmet-to-helmet contact in the 2nd quarter of the Broncos' game against the Chargers ... when both players tried to tackle Austin Ekeler.

Bausby was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital to get checked out ... and while he says he was awake for the whole thing, the 26-year-old explained he couldn't move for 30 minutes.

“I was never unconscious," Bausby told reporters on Tuesday. "I just couldn’t move, but I was still talking and everything. The [doctor] said I would be fine. I just kind of trusted him."

"After 30 minutes I was able to wiggle my toes and after a couple hours I gained full mobility. So, I was straight, I was fine.”

Bausby was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury ... and there's no timetable for his return.

“Right now, we’re just going to take it really slow and just gain my strength back," Bausby said.

A Penn State fan ain't apologizing for a letter he sent to a football player that many found offensive ... in fact, the guy is DOUBLING DOWN on it, saying, "Get the guys cleaned up."

In case you missed it ... a man named Dave Petersen wrote a letter to Nittany Lions team captain Jonathan Sutherland -- begging him to cut his "awful" hair.

"Watching the Idaho game on TV we couldn't help but notice your -- well -- awful hair," Petersen wrote ...

"Don't you have parents or girlfriend who've told you those shoulder length dreadlocks look disgusting and are certainly not attractive."

Sutherland's teammate tweeted out a picture of the letter ... writing, "Explain to me how this isn't racist."

A bunch of Penn State players -- both current and former -- chimed in blasting the letter as offensive ... and even the school got involved, with Sandy Barbour issuing a statement backing the players.

But, Petersen, who was contacted by The Tribune-Democrat on Tuesday, refused to back down from his note ... and said he just wants Penn State players to cut their hair.

Ellen DeGeneres says there's a pretty good reason she was hanging with George W. Bush at the Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday ... they're friends -- and she's damn proud of it!

Cameras captured Ellen and Dubya laughing together in Jerry Jones' owner's box at AT&T Stadium ... leaving some people wondering why "a gay Hollywood liberal [is] sitting next to a conservative Republican president?"

Ellen says she took a lot of heat on social media from people who were angry over the affiliation ... so she took to her show on Monday to explain herself.

"Here's the thing. I'm friends with George Bush," Ellen said.

"In fact, I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have. We're all different. And, I think that we've forgotten that that's okay that we're all different."

Yo, POTUS ... got plans in December?? MMA legend Tito Ortiz has one wish for his fight against Alberto El Patron -- and that's for President Donald Trump to be there!!

Of course, The Donald and Ortiz go WAY back -- Trump's been a major UFC supporter since the early days. And, he even tapped the Huntington Beach Bad Boy to compete on Season 7 of 'Celebrity Apprentice' in 2008. He's remained tight with the First Fam ever since.

Matter of fact, 44-year-old Ortiz is texting buds with Donald Jr. and invited him to his Dec. 7 Combate Americas fight against the 42-year-old ex-WWE superstar.

The Las Vegas A's?!?

It's possible ... because MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is threatening to move the club if the city of Oakland doesn't drop their lawsuit over the future of their stadium.

The A's currently play at RingCentral Coliseum -- which is widely considered an outdated stadium without cool stuff like modern luxury suites, dope restaurants and other modern amenities.

The A's want to completely renovate the stadium as part of a major upgrade because they believe a new stadium would help with attendance. Oakland's current attendance is among the worst in baseball.

But, here's the problem ... the A's don't own the Coliseum. It's owned by Alameda County and the City of Oakland.

The city recently filed a lawsuit to block the county from selling its share of the Coliseum to the A's so the club could redevelop the 155-acre site to help finance a privately owned ballpark elsewhere in the city, roughly 6 miles away from the current site.

Enter Rob Manfred ... who earlier this week made a veiled threat to move the team to Vegas if Oakland didn't drop their lawsuit.

And now, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has confirmed Manfred's threat ... saying he did, in fact, tell officials he would consider moving the team.

The next hearing in the lawsuit is set for Nov. 14 -- but Schaaf said on Monday that she's confident about working something out to keep the team in Oakland.

"I've been clear about the path to keeping the A's in Oakland -- build a privately-financed ballpark that's responsible to taxpayers and enhances neighborhood vitality."

Kevin Durant is twisting the knife on the New York Knicks ... saying it's no longer "cool" to play for New York ... just months after rejecting them for the Brooklyn Nets.

KD spoke about his free agency decision on HOT 97 in NYC Tuesday morning ... saying he was ready to move on from dominating with Golden State to take on a different challenge with a younger team.

“Basketball is the most important thing for me," Durant said. "Kyrie [Irving], DeAndre Jordan, the young players they got was key."

"Playin' with Golden State, playing with a older group I thought it was time for me to impose my will on a younger team.”

This is the part where Knicks fans might wanna look away, 'cause it's about to get ugly.

KD was asked why he went with BK over the NYK ... and he didn't mince his words.

“It's hard to get the best players to play [for the Knicks]. It's hard," KD says.

"I think a lot of fans look at the Knicks as a brand and expect these younger players who, in their lifetime, don’t remember the Knicks being good."

"I saw the Knicks in the Finals, but the kids coming up after me didn’t see that. So, that whole brand of the Knicks, to them, is not as cool to them as, say, a Golden State Warriors or even the Lakers or the Nets now. The cool thing right now is not the Knicks.”

KD says he did, in fact, consider playing for New York ... but it was a very brief "thought" and he didn't explore it that much ... which hurts, given the rumors that he was destined to be a Knick.

"I thought about it, yeah -- just a thought. But, I didn’t do any deep full analysis on the Knicks. I heard it every day -- media in the Bay Area were talkin' about it every day. Tough to dodge, but can’t control it.”

Naturally, Durant is GETTING IT from NY fans on Twitter over the comment ... but he's sticking by his words.

Lamar Odom was feeling a little contained below the belt as he waited on deck at "Dancing with the Stars" -- so he made a BIG adjustment ... which was caught on camera.

The former NBA superstar grabbed his crotch and aggressively shifted the family jewels Monday night during the live broadcast. The 'DWTS' cameras caught ALL the action ... to be fair, it was hard to miss ... right after Hannah Brown finished her dance.

Towering Lamar paso'd his doble right behind Erin Andrews as she interviewed Hannah. It seems like he didn't know he was in the frame during his not-so-low-key move.

Here it is ... the last moments of Jay Gruden in D.C. right before he boarded a plane and got the hell out of town.

The footage was shot Monday at Dulles International Airport ... just hours after Jay got the chop in Washington. Jay was heading for Orlando, where he has a home.

And, ya gotta hand it to the guy, because despite JUST losing his job -- we're told he couldn't have been nicer to people who recognized him in the airport.

He even posed for pics and shook some hands before getting on the plane.

One witness described the scene this way ...

"He was ready to leave and kept his head low. I talked to him for a few minutes and wished him good luck on his next job. He was at the bar with his wife. It looked like he was having a long day."

A troubling twist in the Jeff Hardy drunk driving arrest ... cops say the WWE star had a bloody nose during the stop and told officers it was from an earlier "fight" with his wife.

It's all spelled out in the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports ... which describes how the Carthage Police Dept. in North Carolina received a tip about a careless and reckless driver around 8:40 PM on October 3.

When cops found the car, they noticed the driver (Hardy) was parked in front of a liquor store ... and when he came out, he was carrying a case of beer.

42-year-old Hardy got into his car and began to drive while cops followed closely -- and finally pulled him over when they observed him weaving badly in his lane.

During the stop, the officer noticed Hardy had "what seemed to be dried blood on his nose" -- and asked what had happened.

"The driver advised that him and his wife got into a fight."

Surprisingly, the police report doesn't give any more details about the possible domestic violence incident ... instead the officer proceeds to question Hardy about alcohol.

RIP OFF YOUR SHIRT AND BEAT ON YOUR CHEST LIKE KING KONG, NICK TURTURRO!!!!

The "NYPD Blue" star lost his friggin' mind Monday night when the Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins out of the playoffs ... and Nick busted out the broom at his home to make the point!

Of course, Nick is a diehard Yanks fan ... like, probably in an unhealthy way.

But, the dude couldn't have been happier watching the Yanks hang 5 on the Twins -- the adrenaline took hold, the shirt came off and the self-flagellation began!

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is going to Shanghai to try and repair the league's relationship with China ... but says he won't bend when it comes to protecting freedom of expression.

"The NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues," Silver said ...  "We simply could not operate that way."

Silver spoke with the media on Tuesday to discuss China essentially blackballing the Houston Rockets after team G.M. Daryl Morey tweeted out support for protesters in Hong Kong.

The NBA initially issued a statement saying it was "regrettable" that Morey's tweet offended some Chinese people, which caused a firestorm of criticism back in the U.S.

"I recognize our initial statement left people angered, confused or unclear on who we are or what the NBA stands for," Silver said in a new statement.

"Essentially, what I've said in that statement is the long-held values of the NBA are to support freedom of expression, and certainly freedom of expression by members of the NBA community," Silver explained.

"And in this case, Daryl Morey, as the general manager of the Houston Rockets, enjoys that right as one of our employees."

"What I also tried to suggest is I understand that there are consequences from that exercise of, in essence, his freedom of speech. We will have to live with those consequences."

As we previously reported, China's state broadcaster said it was pulling Houston Rockets games off the air. Sponsors have abandoned the Rockets and the NBA is scrambling to try and smooth things over ASAP.

Silver says China is also now refusing to air the Lakers vs. Nets preseason game set to go down in Shanghai on Thursday ... but he sees the event as an opportunity.

"My plan all along has been to travel to Shanghai tomorrow, and I plan to attend the Lakers-Nets game Thursday night. It's my hope that when I'm in Shanghai, I can meet with the appropriate officials and discuss where we stand, and again, put those remarks from Darl Morey and my remarks in an appropriate context of a many-decades-long relationship and see if we can find mutual respect for each other's political systems and beliefs."

"But I'm a realist as well, and I recognize that this issue may not die down so quickly."

Another boxing superfight is on the horizon ... because Terence Crawford is calling out Errol Spence, telling TMZ Sports the two sides need to cut the crap and make a deal already!!!

After Spence beat Shawn Porter on Sept. 28, boxing fans have been hoping and praying Spence and Crawford can get in the ring for a showdown at 147 pounds.

Well, we spoke with Bud who tells us he's ALL THE WAY DOWN -- sending this message to the undefeated Spence:

"Take off them panties and pull your pants up, and let's sign the contract!!!"

Crawford says he's been trying to get the Spence fight for a while but feels like Errol's camp is always full of excuses. Terence says the real reason is Errol knows he'll lose.

"I honestly believe when it comes to him ... deep down in his heart, he knows what he's up against when he goes up against me."

And, get this, Crawford -- the reigning WBO welterweight champ -- says he's not convinced Spence deserved to get the split decision victory over Porter either.

In fact, Crawford thinks Porter should have WON that fight!!!

"It was a close fight. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't say it was a big-time robbery. But, it was a close fight and if I had to give anybody the victory, I think Shawn deserved it."