TMZ Sports - Page 50

This was no Mayweather vs. McGregor ...

UFC superstar Derrick Lewis told a boxer to PUT UP OR SHUT UP during an argument about MMA vs. boxing ... and the results did not go well for DL's opponent.

The 34-year-old heavyweight says he was working out in the gym on Wednesday, when the other man said, "He will knock me out because I’m a MMA fighter."

Lewis, not one for boring debates, told the guy to strap on the gloves and get in the ring ... and the rest -- well, just watch.

Lewis beats the guy up so badly, he almost punched him THROUGH THE ROPES!

Of course, Lewis -- aka "The Black Beast" -- is known as one of the toughest dudes in all of combat sports ... beating guys like Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, Travis Browne and Roy Nelson.

Joe Burrow says he's absolutely floored by the nearly $500,000 worth of donations to his hometown food bank ... but tells TMZ Sports he's already thinking of other ways to help.

23-year-old Burrow delivered a powerful speech after winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday ... bringing national attention to some very serious issues.

“Coming from Southeast Ohio it’s a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average," Burrow said.

"There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here too."

America was so inspired by Joe's words ... thousands of people donated more than $458k to the Athens County Food Pantry.

Fresh off winning the most desired award in college football, Burrow joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where he says he was shocked his words kick-started a half-million-dollar campaign.

"It's been crazy. I didn't expect that at all," Burrow said. "I was just speaking from the heart and just trying to bring attention to an area that kinda gets lost in the mud."

Chris Paul and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates were on scene when a shooting went down at a local mall on Thursday ... but luckily, the whole team is safe.

Cops reported to the scene after a man allegedly fired several shots in the Penn Square Mall in OKC. According to police, one person is critically injured at this time.

The entire Thunder team was at the mall's movie theater enjoying a private screening of the new "Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker" movie when the shots were fired.

OKC team officials released a statement ... saying, "Thunder security was made aware immediately. The team was never in any danger and was safe during the entirety of the event."

Thunder star Steven Adams was photographed leaving the scene -- while holding a miniature R2-D2 figure.

Matt Barnes asked Dwyane Wade straight-up what it's like raising a gay son coming from a hyper-masculine NBA background ... and what D-Wade says is powerful stuff.

Dwyane and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been publicly supportive of 12-year-old Zion (Wade's son from a previous relationship) over the past year ... even taking him to a Gay Pride Festival in Miami Beach last April.

So, when Wade appeared on Stephen Jackson and Barnes' "All The Smoke" podcast this week ... Matt asked Dwyane about his approach to parenting a gay son.

That's when Dwyane delivered a powerful message ... saying Zion essentially forced him to learn about accepting people for who they are.

"I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn't on the boy vibe that Zaire [Wade's other son] was on," Wade said.

"And, I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son come home and tell you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"

Wade says that conversation with himself wasn't easy ... the 37-year-old told Barnes and Jackson he grew up "ignorant" and had to lean on his wife to open his eyes.

"I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignorant. I grew up with a similar perspective," Wade says. "And, you meet people along the way that help you take those glasses off and put on some different ones. Look through life through a different lens. That's what my wife has been able to do. So, it's been cool."

Wade has been very vocal in defending his son and his family from critics ... and he tells Barnes and Jackson he feels a duty to be a voice for others who can't speak up the way he can.

"Everybody get used to it, man," Wade says. "This is the new normal. So if anybody different, we looked at as different. You know what I'm saying? The ones that don't understand it. The ones that don't get it. The ones that are stuck in a box. You're different. Not the people that are out here living their lives, man."

As for how his son is handling it all ... Wade said, "You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have."

Paulina Gretzky flew all the way to St. Barts to celebrate her birthday ... but don't fret -- Wayne's smokin' hot daughter packed the tiny bikini!!!

Dustin Johnson's baby mama just touched down in the Caribbean with the superstar golfer and some friends ... and it didn't take long for her to bring the birthday cakes to the ocean.

Paulina rocked an itty-bitty swimsuit and took an amazing photo ... and even Johnson himself had to gawk at the view, saying, "So beautiful!"

It's bday No. 31 for Paulina this year ... but she's partying like it's 21 all over again -- the Great One's daughter was seen tearing up a local nightclub Wednesday night!!

In fact, check out video of her getting some epic bottle service ... there's fire, Titanic music, a fake ship and booze -- it's amazing.

Of course, Paulina's been known to celebrate and party like a rockstar for big occasions ... remember when she smashed her "Bring It On!" cheerleader outfit for Halloween??

NFL rookie Devin White is doubling up as Santa off the field in Tampa Bay ... meeting up with kids for a night filled with pizza, bowling and toys at an awesome holiday party!!!

The 5th overall pick in the 2019 draft hosted 50 children from the local Boys & Girls Club for his first-ever Christmas Toy Giveaway with Strikes for Kids this week ... hanging out and showing off his bowling skills.

We're told the kids loved every second of it and were stoked to chill with the 21-year-old stud for an hour and a half.

The best part of the night came when White personally helped each kid pick out their own toy to take home ... and everyone in attendance was thrilled for something fun for the holidays.

White has been a beast when he's on the field this season ... and this makes it all even sweeter.

James Wiseman's NCAA career is officially over ... the Memphis superstar has left the school and will prepare for the NBA Draft.

It shouldn't come as a surprise considering the 18-year-old has been in a complicated battle with the NCAA when he was suspended earlier this season.

7'1" Wiseman was punished after the organization determined his family accepted $11,500 from now-coach Penny Hardaway in 2017.

FYI -- Hardaway was considered a Memphis booster due to a million-dollar donation he made to the school years before taking the coaching gig.

Wiseman was slapped with a 12-game suspension and was ordered to donate $11,500 back to charity in order to return to the court ... but has ultimately decided to leave school altogether and focus on his future.

Reporter Shams Charania broke the news ... saying Wiseman will hire an agent and prepare for the 2020 Draft. He's projected to be a Top-3 pick.

Wiseman addressed the suspension shortly after it was upheld, saying, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. God has never left me nor forsaken me throughout this process!"

"God knows my destiny and I feel that even though hardships may be upon me! It too shall pass in the Grace of God. My journey isn’t finished, and this too shall pass."

Shahdon Winchester -- international soccer star from Trinidad and Tobago -- died on Thursday at the age of 27 ... after the car he was riding in crashed and caught fire.

Winchester -- a soccer vet who made his international debut in 2010 (he has 23 international caps) -- died alongside a highway in Trinidad on Thursday morning.

The soccer star was reportedly riding with his girlfriend and 2 other men when the car crashed and became engulfed in flames ... killing all 4 passengers.

Firefighters responded to the scene ... but none of the passengers could be saved.

Maybe Chad Ochocinco's NFL career ain't over after all ...

The former superstar wide receiver showed he's still got at least some NFL talent left in his 41-year-old body ... hitting a 60-yard field goal -- without a cleat on his plant foot!!

Unclear where the insane boot went down at ... but you can see in the video, Chad went absolutely NUTS after flushing the ball over the crossbar with room to spare.

"Let's f**king go!!" Chad screamed.

As for why the kick happened ... Ochocinco was booting field goals as part of a Bleacher Report game show -- where one fan bet Chad could make a 60-yarder in three tries.

The other two attempts weren't so hot ... but it's clear the ex-Bengals superstar could probably kick better than some guys in the NFL today (looking at you, Brett Maher).

Of course, Chad certainly knows that ... 'cause on the show, he straight-up said on cam, "Make sure NFL teams get that video!"

Former President Barack Obama ripped a page out of Prez Trump's trolling playbook -- or so it seemed -- by chilling on a golf course while his successor got impeached.

POTUS 44 hit up the course at Mid-Pacific Country Club Wednesday in Hawaii -- nearly 5,000 miles away from where the House of Representatives made history by voting to impeach POTUS 45 ... just the third time in U.S. history.

Okay, we doubt Obama really was trolling Trump, but think about the optics. The one thing we KNOW Trump would always rather be doing is playing golf -- so while he was making the wrong kinda history ... his nemesis flaunted his retirement swing on the links.

If it really were a troll, even Trump might tip his hat to Obama -- that is, if he weren't so busy lashing out at the Dems during his Michigan rally.

Trump's Wednesday night speech -- immediately after the impeachment vote -- included a disgusting remark about late Rep. John Dingell that implied the congressman is "looking up" from hell ... because his wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell, voted to impeach.

Dallas Cowboys stud Antwaun Woods says getting busted with a ton of weed actually HELPED him dominate against the Rams ... saying the arrest "absolutely" motivated him.

Woods was a BEAST on the defensive line in the Cowboys' 44-21 rout over L.A. on Sunday ... and on Wednesday, Woods claimed getting arrested earlier this month contributed to that.

"I just wanted to get all the negativity out of the way and just put something positive on my life," Woods told reporters.

As we previously reported, Woods was pulled over in Frisco, Texas on Dec. 3 after cops say he was doing 77 MPH in a 60 zone.

During the stop, cops say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from Woods' car ... and when they searched it, they found a lot of weed.

According to the police report, Woods had 2 glass mason jars and a small gold cylinder container full of weed, along with several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

In video of the arrest obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the cop straight-up tell the 26-year-old, "Listen, you've got too much marijuana, okay?"

The stop happened just two days before the Cowboys' loss to the Bears, but Woods didn't play in the game because of a previous knee injury.

But, in his first game back against Jared Goff and Todd Gurley over the weekend, he logged 5 tackles -- a HUGE figure for a nose tackle -- and was grateful to still have the opportunity to play after the arrest.

Michael Thomas may be the best receiver in the game ... but he might very well be the best teammate in the NFL as well ... 'cause the superstar gifted his entire team new Jordan 11s!!

The New Orleans Saints WR revealed the dope holiday gifts for his squad on Wednesday ... and rightfully, his guys lost their minds!!

Thomas -- who has been on an absolute tear this season -- hooked his team up with the new Jordan 11 Breds that recently came out ... and it's safe to say he made the right choice.

Saints players like Tre'Quan Smith, Shy Tuttle and Wil Lutz documented the whole thing on Instagram ... and they were so excited that they were getting short on breath!!

The kicks ain't cheap ... they're currently going for around $300 a pop. But, that's okay ... Thomas signed a 5-year/$100 million extension this past offseason.

Ex-NFL star Deltha O'Neal broke his back and neck in a horrific car crash in August ... and now, prosecutors have hit the former DB with DUI after they say he was drunk during the fiery wreck.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, O'Neal and a passenger were on their way home from a Royal Palm Beach, Fl. bar on Aug. 7 when O'Neal lost control of his Mercedes.

Witnesses say the scene was wild ... claiming O'Neal's ride hopped a curb, slammed into a utility pole, ripped in half, skidded into trees and caught on fire.

According to the docs, O'Neal and his passenger were SERIOUSLY hurt ... with Deltha suffering a broken ankle, fractured back and neck, concussion, eye injury, brain bleed and an intestine injury.

The passenger, meanwhile, suffered even worse trauma ... with the docs saying the guy needed a 16-INCH ROD to repair a broken femur caused by the crash.

Cops say after the two were transported to the hospital ... O'Neal reeked of booze -- and when they got his blood tests back, one of the results revealed O'Neal's BAC was .195.

Cops eventually issued a warrant for his arrest ... and, according to Miami jail records, ultimately picked up the 42-year-old earlier this month.

O'Neal -- who admitted to having a few beers before the crash -- has been hit with two counts of DUI ... and is due in court next month to face the charges.

O'Neal was a STUD for years in the NFL ... recording Pro Bowl appearances in 2001 with the Broncos and in 2005 with the Bengals.

In his 9-year career, Deltha record 34 interceptions and 389 combined tackles.

Here's the World's Strongest Man overhead squatting the World's Best Tight End ... and yeah, it's GLORIOUS!!!

Rob Gronkowski and superstar strongman Martins Licis hit up Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Performance gym in L.A. on Wednesday ... and they bro'd down over some weights.

Unclear why the two got in a lift sesh ... but we're all sure as hell glad they did -- 'cause at some point, Licis decided to ditch the barbells and use 6'6", 268-pound Gronk as gym equipment!!

Licis -- a 29-year-old who's considered the future of strongman sports -- picked the Patriots legend up, put him over his head and squatted the guy like it was nothing!!

Of course, it kinda is nothing for the guy ... Licis famously lifted over 1,000 POUNDS of atlas stones in his World's Strongest Man win over the summer!!

Gronk's girlfriend, Camille Kostek, was impressed nonetheless, saying of the workout, "All the muscles in my entire body are equivalent to his one bicep . I have to step it up."

As for Licis, he clearly thought Gronk was a worthy gymmate ... writing on his social media, "Overhead squatting the lord of mischief, @gronk, is no easy feat of strength."

"This guy’s a unit."

By the way, if you want the key to looking like Gronk and Licis ... they seemed to reveal one of their gym secrets -- WORK SMALL MUSCLES FIRST!!

Does this look like a guy 4 days away from the biggest Cowboys' game of the season?!?

Ezekiel Elliott was sitting courtside at the Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics game in Texas on Wednesday ... showing ZERO concerns about his team's massive NFC East showdown with the Eagles this Sunday.

The superstar running back was seen smiling, chattin' it up with players and even doing his signature "Feed Me" dance on the jumbotron.

Yeah, didn't seem to be nervous for Philly at all!!!

Of course, perhaps on the inside he's feelin' differently ... 'cause this IS a huge game for the Cowboys this weekend.

If Zeke's squad loses, their season is essentially over. If they win, they get a home playoff game next month.

For his part, it ain't like Zeke isn't focused ... the guy was at Cowboys' practice earlier Wednesday and said his body feels GREAT ahead of the big game.

As for if he found any pregame inspiration on the hardwood? Doesn't seem he got it from Dallas, 'cause the hometown team lost 109-103.

"I'm pretty good at sniping, so we're going to send it."

FaZe Jarvis is finally moving on after his permanent Fortnite ban ... telling TMZ Sports he's gunning to be the next big thing in "Call of Duty" now!!!

"That game's pretty fun," Jarvis says. "I'm gonna snipe in that game. We're gonna get cracked, and yeah, we're going to send it!"

Of course, Jarvis has to find a new game now after he was exiled from the "Fortnite" world for cheating earlier this year.

The British teenager used aimbots -- an in-game hack that helps players shoot better -- during a recreational match, and when Fortnite officials found out about it, they banned him.

Jarvis was pretty sad over it all ... but when we got him out in L.A. this weekend -- he told us he's doing much better!!!