TMZ Sports - Page 50

Michael Jordan is coming clean about his epic flu game performance in the 1997 NBA Finals ... saying he didn't actually have the flu -- it was some bad pizza.

Remember, #23 was dealing with "flu-like symptoms" before a crucial Game 5 against the Utah Jazz ... and fought through the pain for a 38-point performance to give the Bulls a 3-2 lead.

But, MJ's trainer, Tim Grover, revealed it was actually food poisoning -- not the flu -- that had Jordan under the weather ... after a late-night order from the only place that was open -- a pizza shop.

When the pie was delivered, Grover says 5 dudes pulled up to Jordan's hotel room ... and the trainer hinted there could have been something fishy going on, saying, "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Glover's instincts were right ... 'cause MJ woke up at 2 AM "throwing up left and right."

"So, it really wasn’t the flu game. It was food poisoning," MJ admitted on ESPN's "The Last Dance."

MJ's mom thought it was best he didn't play ... but as we all know, he didn't listen and went on to put up one of the most iconic performances of his career.

No, you can not have sex with the female plastic dolls in the crowd at FC Seoul soccer games.

Sorry.

Still, the club is apologizing to fans anyway ... expressing "sincere remorse" after allegations they put sex dolls in the bleachers Sunday for a game at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Here's the deal ... with no live fans allowed at games because of COVID-19, the South Korean soccer club put plastic butts in the seats instead as a funny way to make things look normal.

The team had contacted a company called Dalkom to get the dolls -- and since Dalkom also makes sex dolls, some fans thought the mannequins in the stands were plastic sex workers.

It's also worth noting that ALL of the mannequins in the stands were female.

But, FC Seoul claims the dolls are not actually bangable -- they're just normal, regular fashion mannequins ... and they've apologized for the controversy in the first place.

Unclear if the club will bring the non-sex dolls back for future games.

7. 16. 27. 44. 52.

Those are the numbers that Gilbert Arenas claims won him more than $300,000 last week in the California lottery!!!

$309,694 to be exact.

The former NBA superstar claims he hit all numbers (but missed on the Mega number) to cash in on the 2nd place prize on the May 12 Mega Millions draw.

The Mega Number was 5. Arenas picked 25 -- and had Gilbert gotten that right, he would've won the $248 MILLION grand prize.

The craziest part of the whole story ... Arenas -- who reportedly made more than $140 MILLION in NBA contract money -- says he didn't even buy the ticket himself.

Arenas says he had stopped at a gas station because he was low on fuel while on his way from the usual gas station where he buys his lottery tickets ... when he was approached by a homeless man.

Arenas says the guy initially asked for cash but Arenas told him he was on his way to buy lottery tickets and the man made a deal with Gilbert instead.

"After u WIN hook me up with $20."

By the time Gilbert got to his usual gas station, the place was closed -- and Gilbert thought he missed his chance to buy a ticket.

But, the next morning, he got a text from the gas station employee who says he played Gilbert's usual numbers for him anyway (figuring that's what Gilbert would want) ... AND THEY WON!!

So, Gilbert says he hooked up the homeless guy with his cut (as promised) ... and calls the whole thing a blessing.

NY Giants cornerback Deandre Baker has surrendered to officials in Florida in his armed robbery case, his attorney Bradford Cohen tells TMZ Sports.

Baker is facing multiple charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault for his alleged role in a May 13 incident at a cookout.

Officials say Baker along with Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar -- along with a 3rd masked man -- robbed several partygoers during a cookout, taking cash and jewelry before escaping in exotic getaway cars.

Cops say Baker brandished a gun during the robbery -- though Baker's attorney insists his client is innocent and he has multiple witnesses to back up his story.

Dunbar has also denied the allegations against him and like Baker, he also claims to have witness statements which back his story.

Michael Jordan's son, Marcus, says he once WHOOPED his dad on the court in a game of 1-on-1 ... and he's telling TMZ Sports all about the huge accomplishment!!!

Marcus -- MJ's 2nd son -- says he used to play a modified version of 1-on-1 called "Cutthroat" with his dad ... and one day, he actually came away with a WIN!!!

"I had a quick victory," Marcus tells us. "I can't remember the score, but I did win."

So ... how did the G.O.A.T handle it?? Exactly like you'd expect.

"He ran it right back and he obviously won on me and it was over," Marcus says. "We really didn't play too much after that."

Of course, Marcus has a TON of insane stories about growing up with MJ ... and we had to ask him about the craziest memories he had.

The dude didn't disappoint.

"When I was a kid, Jay-Z and Beyonce came to our house. My dad and Jay-Z actually really played 'around the world' in our gym."

The moment was even immortalized in a Hov track, "N***a Please" ... where Jay says "I damn near beat Jordan in around the world."

Somehow ... Marcus has another memory that can even top that ... saying he went to the White House when his dad got the Presidential Medal of Freedom ... and got to chop it up with the First Family!!

"But, being who I am, it's just so natural that you kinda interact with people on day to day so there's not a lot of other people other than them."

Can't relate.

Joe Giudice is in the market for a fight, and he's willing to take on ANYONE.

That's right, the former 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star has signed a deal with Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman who tells TMZ ... Joe's slated to fight on October 24th in the Bahamas. The opponent has not yet been determined. Any takers?

The match will consist of three 1 minute, 30-second rounds. Back to Joe's opponent ... Damon tells us he's open to anyone. Be careful what you wish for, Joe.

In any event ... Joe's looking like he's ready to knock someone out. Dude looks JACKED. Check him out in this video ... with the picturesque Italy countryside as the backdrop.

As for what Joe would be paid ... we're told it'll all depend on how many people purchase the Pay-per-view. But, one thing's for sure ... training for an upcoming fight will be a nice distraction. As we reported ... Joe's in the middle of his own legal fight over his deportation case.

Keep your head up, Joe. And, your hands too.

Nassau County chiefs want their residents to kick each other's balls if they must, but don't you dare go touching them ... tennis balls, that is. Hey, no giggling!

That was pretty much how it sounded when County Executive Laura Curran gave a rundown on how Nassau was going to navigate reopening tennis courts there, and what the new regulations would be when handling one another's balls. Again ... tennis balls.

In fact, you can tell Curran was trying her hardest to get the word "tennis" in there each and every time she mentioned "balls," but eventually she slipped ... and let a free ball run loose in her spiel, saying folks can kick other people's balls (back over to the owner if they happen to roll on over, is what she meant), but there is to be no touching of said balls!

That got a nice chuckle from the crowd who was listening, and finally ... Curran herself cracked up as well. She said she was gonna blush and again made another balls reference that got another giggle from just about everyone. Who says we outgrow sophomoric humor?!

This is the greatest balls moment since the 'SNL' classic ... of course, we're talking about Alec Baldwin's famous "Schweddy Balls" skit, where then too, it was balls galore.

Hope Solo claims some gun-toting maniac shot one of her dogs Wednesday night -- but the good news, the pooch survived the attack.

It all went down North Carolina, where the former Team USA soccer superstar lives with her husband, ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

"Our magnificent dog Conan (brown, on the far left) is in critical condition after being shot last night," Hope says.

"It’s hard news to share, but harder to make sense of this heinous act."

"Jerramy and I are shocked and heartbroken, but we want to say thank you to Wilkes Veterinary Hospital and their staff for rushing Conan into emergency care, as well as their COVID-19 care practices."

We're reaching out to police to find out what the hell happened and if they've identified a suspect.

In the meantime, Hope is optimistic about Conan's chances -- saying, "We‘ve heard that there are developments in canine prosthetics and would love any information about getting Conan a new front leg!"

Get well, Conan!!!!

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver Jr. was arrested Saturday night for Driving While Intoxicated ... and to make things worse, cops say he was also illegally carrying a GUN in his truck.

22-year-old Oliver was stopped in Montgomery County, Texas at around 9 PM after someone called 911 and said the truck Oliver was driving was swerving dangerously close to a construction zone.

When Cops approached Oliver -- who was driving a Ford Super Duty pickup truck that was hauling a trailer with a dune buggy -- they say the NFL player had an open can of beer between his legs ... not a great start.

Then he allegedly bombed a field sobriety test -- which included standing on one foot.

During a subsequent search of Oliver's vehicle, cops say they found a pistol.

Oliver -- the 9th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft -- was arrested for DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Cops say he was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw to get his blood alcohol level before he was ultimately taken to jail.

We reached out to the NFL players rep for comment ... so far, no word back.

Oliver was a 3-time 1st team All American in college during his days at the University of Houston.

Greatness comes at a price, but Michael Jordan greatness? That's more like the cost of a house down payment -- just ask the person who now owns MJ's cleats.

The folks over at Heritage Auctions sold a pair of size 13.5 baseball cleats worn and signed by His Airness when he played for the Chicago White Sox's minor-league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. The total cost ... a whopping $93,000!!!

MJ signed the cleats in bold silver ink. Legend has it ... the shoes were a gift from Michael to a White Sox announcer. The shoes were then obtained at MLB pitcher Jeff Reardon's Leukemia Charity Golf Tournament in 1995. The shoes come with a handwritten note from Reardon acknowledging the cleats are authentic.

As for the shoes, MJ -- whose first love was actually baseball and not basketball -- wore them during his short-lived campaign to reach the Major Leagues in 1994. You can clearly see the Air Jordan Nike cleats have incredible wear, with dirt and scuffs throughout. The Nike logo inside the heel is nearly worn off.

As we've reported ... tons of MJ memorabilia has hit the auction block, from a game-worn Bulls jersey to a $15k check Jordan signed over to Donald Trump's Indiana casino.

Is UFC star Henry Cejudo -- a 33-year-old champion in his prime -- actually retiring?!

The answer is a big hell no ... if you listen to his friend and manager -- Ali Abdelaziz -- who tells TMZ Sports there's no way he can see Triple C hangin' up his gloves.

"Do I think Henry's gonna retire? Absolutely not. I don't think Henry's gonna retire."

Remember, Cejudo TKO'd Dominick Cruz -- considered the greatest bantamweight of all-time -- at the end of the 2nd round at UFC 249 last weekend. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Cejudo announced he was retiring from the sport.

But, Abdelaziz says a lot of fighters have the urge to walk away right after going to war in the Octagon ... but that quickly fades.

"Khabib, every time he fights, 'I think I'm done,'" Ali says ... "2 weeks later, 'Who you think I should fight next?' Because these guys are at their prime. Henry's coming into his prime. How you gonna retire in your prime?"

Matter of fact, Ali believes Cejudo will not only fight again ... but it'll happen sometime over the next 3-4 months.

"Henry has everybody on their knees right now. I don't think he's gonna retire. You're gonna see him fight by the summer."

Question is, who will Cejudo take on next?

Triple C and boxer Ryan Garcia recently beefed online, and T.J. Dillashaw -- who comes off his drug suspension early next year -- has been crystal clear in his desire to avenge his Jan. 2019 loss to Cejudo.

But, Ali says that ain't happening ... ever.

"Henry will never fight T.J. I don't think any clean athlete should ever fight T.J. Dillashaw. The man cheated for a long time."

Abdelaziz continued ... "If you cheated this long, you think you're gonna come back and get a title shot? It doesn't even make sense."

"Henry for sure will never fight him. I know that for sure. Cause he beat the man while he was on the juice. Why's he gonna fight him?

Mark Henry has a warning for ex-WWE wrestler Lio Rush ... stop defaming me, or my (Harvard educated) lawyers are going to file a lawsuit against your ass!!

Let's explain ... earlier this week, Rush -- who was recently released by WWE -- fired off a barrage of Tweets attacking the Hall of Famer.

Rush accused Henry of torpedoing black wrestlers' careers, writing ... "This is why African American talent on the biggest platform will continue to not have equal opportunity because people like you constantly tear your own people down. A damn shame honestly.”

TMZ Sports talked to an extremely upset Mark Henry ... who says Rush's comments are straight-up nonsense.

"If you go down to the performance center at NXT, probably 25 I think, people of color in the facility, probably about 80 plus percent of them I helped get them there. I mean, it's completely opposite."

So, if it ain't true, why'd Rush write what he did?

Mark tells us Lio's clout chasing ... using his name and fame to promote his music career.

"He knew that I get a lot of attention. I have a lot of followers and he released the album, or song, or something, and he wanted to use that to get some attention. Get some buzz," Henry says.

Mark's adamant if Rush would've just asked for help, he would've plugged his music -- no problem -- but what he did instead was wayyy out of bounds.

"If he would've called me, I would've done it anyway. We would've just worked it. I would of really talked it up, we would of made world news, but now he said something slanderous."

"And, you can't question my blackness. Like nobody can question my blackness, pull my black card. No, not allowed. Nobody."

Mark's so mad ... he tells us he's seriously considering filing a lawsuit.

"My lawyer went to Harvard. I don't know what kinda lawyers he's dealing with, but I got those Ivy League people around me, and they're pissed!"

But, there is one thing Lio Rush can do before he finds his ass in a courtroom ... say sorry, and really mean it.

Washington Redskins star Cody Latimer was hauled off to jail this weekend after cops say he was involved in assaulting someone and illegally using a firearm.

The wide receiver was arrested early Saturday morning just after midnight in Englewood, Colorado, where cops were summoned to an apartment complex Cody was at. It's unclear what led up to the arrest or why police were called -- but Cody was taken into custody.

He was booked on several charges ... assault in the second degree, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of a weapon, reckless endangerment and menacing. He was processed at the Douglas County Detention Facility -- and has reportedly already bailed out on a $25,000 bond.

The Redskins have responded to Latimer's arrest, saying ... "We are aware of the situation and have informed the NFL League Office. We will continue to gather more information and have no further comment at this time."

Cody's had a run-in with the law before in Colorado -- he was arrested in 2016 during a domestic disturbance call he made on his GF ... back when he was a Bronco. Later, it was revealed Cody was only taken in on an outstanding warrant for a failure to appear in court from a traffic ticket.

Russell Westbrook's got a special birthday message for his little man -- and it's another side of Russ we really don't see too often on the court.

The Rockets star point guard posted a sweet message Saturday to his only boy, Noah, wishing him a happy third birthday -- while also throwing up a bunch of photos and videos of the two of them doing some father-son bonding.

He writes, "Noah, I love you more than life itself and everyday It brings me so much joy to see that beautiful smile and to know you are my son. Thank you God for this unbelievable blessing. HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY MANMAN!!!!!!! Daddy loves you forever and ever and ever and ever......🎉🎉🎉🎂🎂🎂🎁🎁"

Noah is Russ' first kid between himself and wife Nina Earl. They had him in 2017, and a year later ... they welcomed twin girls. Russ might not get as much pub as some of the other NBA dads in the league -- a la Steph Curry and LeBron James -- but he's quite the family man, it seems.

Justin Gaethje loves how the tables have turned with Conor McGregor ... telling TMZ Sports it's the Irishman's turn to wait in line for a fight.

"I get to pick between Conor and [Khabib Nurmagomedov] right now," Gaethje says.

"I can pick whichever one I want. That’s a spot every single person in the sport, I don’t care what weight class you’re in, would love to be in the spot that I am in right now."

"Timing is everything. To have Conor on his knees begging for a fight, it’s a testament for the hard work and believing in my ability to show up and perform."

As we previously reported, Gaethje had been calling for a fight with Conor for YEARS -- but the guy wouldn't sign a contract.

Now, it's McGregor who's been trying to bait Justin ... and JG loves it.

Justin says right now he's laser-focused on fighting Khabib to "prove that I'm the best"... but he isn't ruling out a brawl with Conor after that.

"I could fight those two fights and retire", Gaethje says. "Monetarily, that's huge for me."

"So, yeah, it's a great spot to be in."

As for Khabib, Justin shares a manager with the Dagestani superstar -- and they're all very cordial.

Still, Gaethje has a message for Khabib -- "When we fight, it's going to be huge."

"It’s going to be the two best in the world figuring out who's the best on that night for 25 minutes.”

As for where the fight could take place, Justin says he's down to have the scrap anywhere on the planet ... "Sh*t, I'll fight him somewhere in the heart of Dagestan or Russia."