TMZ Sports - Page 50

It's got diamonds and rubies and sapphires and more ... but who cares about that, the Nats World Series rings have BABY SHARK!

The team revealed their 2019 World Series championship rings over the weekend -- which are dripping in jewels ... 170 total stones and weighs 23.2 carats.

But everyone is talking about the Baby Shark design on the inside of the ring -- a tribute to the song that became the rallying cry for the team.

Remember, outfielder Gerardo Parra used the song as his walk-up music ... but it was later adopted by the fans as the unofficial song of the squad. Hence the tribute.

Here's the explanation of the rest of the design ...

108 Diamonds ... representing the team's 105 total regular-season and postseason wins PLUS one diamond for the World Series championship and 2 more diamonds to honor the cities where the team has been based (Montreal and Washington).

32 Sapphires ... the total of the team's 7 walk-off wins, 13 shutout wins, 8-game winning streak (their longest of the season) and 4 playoff rounds won.

(Yeah, that one is weird).

30 Rubies ... total number of runs the team scored during the World Series.

Michael Jordan is contradicting Michael Jordan ... and it's all on tape.

Remember when MJ said on "The Last Dance" that he didn't have any specific involvement in blocking Isiah Thomas from being on the legendary dream team?

Yeah, well ... now audio has surfaced from an old interview in which MJ says straight-up he told 1992 Olympics selection committee member Rod Thorn he's OUT if Thomas makes the team.

It's all on Jack McCallum's 'The Dream Team Tapes' iHeartRadio podcast -- here's the transcription.

"Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.' He assured me. He said, 'You know what? Chuck [Chuck Daly] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'"

So, which Michael Jordan do you believe?!

Of course, there was SERIOUS bad blood between MJ and Thomas after the Pistons walked off the floor without shaking hands with the Chicago Bulls in the '91 NBA Playoffs.

For his part, Thomas admits he's still "personally hurt" he was not asked to be a part of that legendary '92 dream team -- and back in April, he said it's all because he didn't shake Michael Jordan's hand.

There is NO bad blood between WWE and Ronda Rousey -- so says Triple H who says he'll welcome her back in a heartbeat ... "as soon as she's ready."

"Of course, we want her. Of course, we do! One of the greatest performers for us ever," Triple H tells TMZ Sports.

It seemed Ronda pulled the ripcord on her WWE career back in April saying she refused to dedicate her whole life for some "f*cking ungrateful" fans.

Ronda also complained about the grind of being a pro wrestler -- and then seemingly took some shots on Twitter at WWE stars, Alexa Bliss and Lana.

That's a wrap, right? Not so fast ...

We spoke with WWE exec Triple H who tells us he's definitely NOT closing the door on reconciliation with Ronda ... but understands she needs a break.

"I think Ronda's in a place in her personal life where she's figuring some things out," Triple H says.

"But, the thing with Ronda is you never know what she is saying. Is she attacking the business really or is she attacking the business because she knows that's what will light up the fans that love the business?"

Triple H went on to RAVE about Ronda's skills and work ethic -- telling us she picked up pro wrestling faster than ANYONE he's ever seen ... including Kurt Angle.

Bottom line ...

Get this kid on the court -- Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's youngest took her first solo steps, and the video will make you cheer like it was one of her dad's dunks.

Capri Bryant, the 11-month-old phenom, took 4-5 giant baby steps Sunday ... stumbling into her mom's waiting arms, and got a roomful of applause for her achievement.

Vanessa was beaming over the milestone, saying ... "My baby!!!! So proud of my Koko Bean. Capri took her first steps from her auntie Sophie to mama today."

It was just February -- less than 2 weeks after Kobe and Gigi Bryant perished in the helicopter crash -- that we saw Capri standing on her own for the first time. Kid's making big strides!

Vanessa hyped up Capri right after her latest accomplishment, telling her, "I knew you were gonna do it!"

Cliff Alexander was such a star H.S. basketball recruit ... one cop remembered him during the former NBA player's gun arrest this month -- and the interaction was all caught on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Alexander was pulled over at around 9:30 PM CT on May 6 in Chicago, Ill. after cops say he blew through a stop sign ... and shortly after, one officer realized who exactly he had detained.

"Oh, you're that hooper!" the cop said, before asking him about his high school recruiting ranking.

FYI -- Alexander was largely considered the top prospect in the country back in the 2014 recruiting class ... right alongside future Duke Blue Devil Jahlil Okafor.

In the video, you can hear the officer actually asks Alexander about the battle for the No. 1 spot with Okafor ... and the interaction is kind of funny.

"I remember that sh*t!" the cop said. "That's crazy! ... You went to Kansas, right!?"

Of course, the stop didn't go so well for Alexander outside of that convo ... cops say the 24-year-old illegally had a loaded firearm under his seat, which one officer said appeared to be a "Glock 21."

Alexander also admitted to cops during the stop he had "like 6 grams" of weed on him ... and you can see in video, he explained to an officer he stuffed it in his pants because "I'm paranoid."

Eventually, Alexander was arrested and booked on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also hit with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign -- but he was NOT booked on drug charges.

HERE WE GOOO!!!!

The biggest golf event of the year is finally underway ... with Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning facing off against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in "The Match" -- a COVID-19 charity golf showdown in Florida.

The whole thing was up in the air earlier Sunday morning ... with a massive rainstorm delaying the big event.

And, if golfing in the rain sounds like a fun time ... it definitely doesn't look like it.

The star-studded lineup just hit the links at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound for a fan-less affair ... braving the weather for the showdown.

Of course, Phil and Tiger faced off back in 2018 with Lefty coming out on top ... but adding the 2 Hall of Fame QBs will be sure to make things a lot more interesting in the tag-team format.

And, for those looking to tune in on the action, Charles Barkley is on board as an analyst for the Turner broadcast ... as if you needed any more reason to check it out.

FYI -- Peyton is reportedly a 6.4 handicap, while Tom is reportedly an 8.1 ... for those interested in putting some dough on the showdown.

BTW -- Tiger's wearing his Sunday Red ... so be ready for an EPIC performance.

The 14k gold-and-diamond ring Kobe Bryant gifted his mom 20 years ago has just sold ... and it brought in more than $206k!!!!

$206,080 to be exact.

As we previously reported, Kobe bought two identical, blinged-out rings for his parents to commemorate his first NBA championship with the Lakers following the 1999, 2000 season.

Kobe's mom, Pamela Bryant, famously tried to sell the rings, along with a bunch of other Kobe memorabilia back in the day ... and Kobe sued to try and stop the sale.

Kobe ultimately agreed to allow his parents to sell 6 items -- including the rings -- and, in 2013, they sold to a private collector (a big Lakers fan) for a total of $280,000.

Now, that private collector went to Goldin Auction to see what they could get for the rings ... and obviously, the value has skyrocketed.

The minimum bid was $15,000 -- and after 20 total bids, it sold for $206k.

AND ... the ring Kobe gave his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, is expected to hit the auction block soon and it could fetch even more than Pam's ring.

As for the identity of the new buyer, that has no been disclosed -- and may never be.

Floyd Mayweather doesn't think COVID-19 can give him his first loss -- at least judging by the way the boxer was PARTYING on Saturday in Arizona.

Floyd hit up the International Boutique Nightclub (aka INTL) in Scottsdale ... which was PACKED with people!!!

No masks. No gloves. No social distancing.

And, apparently, no worries from Floyd and his crew ... who were smiling and dancing in their own private VIP section.

The video is shocking considering we're still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Of course, Arizona had allowed restaurants to reopen their dining rooms on May 11 -- but we didn't know nightclubs were part of the plan too!

Earlier in the day, 43-year-old Mayweather was dancing a day party at a nearby hotel in Arizona.

The takeaway ... no fear from Floyd.

Arizona ain't exactly immune to the COVID crisis -- the AZ health department reported 431 new cases on Saturday ... bringing the total number of cases in the state to 16,039.

The total COVID death toll in Arizona is 799.

Tito Ortiz says he's been contacted by someone connected to Mike Tyson to set up a fight ... and tells TMZ Sports straight-up, "I'm in!"

The 45-year-old UFC Hall of Famer says he got the call recently after watching some of the new Tyson training videos and believes a tilt with Iron Mike could be "the opportunity of my life."

Ortiz -- an MMA legend -- says he doesn't know if Mike is interested in boxing or a mixed martial arts fight ... but he's down either way.

Tito says he's been boxing for 20 years as part of his MMA training and thinks at this point in their lives, he's better in the ring than Mike who hasn't been in a pro fight since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride.

Of course, if you've seen the new Tyson training videos ... he looks damn good for a 53-year-old.

"Has Tyson been punched in the face in the last 15 years? No he hasn't. And I have and I've been able to subdue everyone I've competed against over the past 4 years."

It's true ... Tito's on a 3-fight win streak with victories over Chuck Liddell, Chael Sonnen and Alberto Del Rio.

Tito says thinks a Tyson vs. Ortiz fight could DOUBLE the numbers Mayweather vs. McGregor did ... calling it "an amazing opportunity for both of our brands."

We spoke with Mike about the possibility of a Tito fight recently -- and he said he's down to fight everyone as long as the money goes to charity ... but it's clear nothing is in stone yet.

Thousands of people packed into Ace Speedway in North Carolina Saturday ... and it's a vision of coronavirus.

Check out the pics ... most people aren't wearing masks as they squeezed in like sardines to watch the race.

Around 4,000 fans paid $15 a pop in rural Alamance County. Only around 1 in 10 folks were wearing masks.

There were hand sanitizer stations available, but it doesn't seem many of the fans were into it as they watched the races and hit up the concession stands.

North Carolina's Governor has partially opened the state, but the point is to practice social distancing and wear protective masks when out in public ... that message was lost here.   This is the first big sporting event in the state since March.

Someone donated $40,000 to the family of the late WWE star Shad Gaspard ... and it's looking like the secret donor is none other than John Cena.

The family created a GoFundMe account for funeral and other expenses ... this after Shad tragically died last weekend off the Venice Beach shore. Lifeguards swam out to rescue Shad but he implored them to get his 10-year-old son first. They did, but when they came back Shad was gone -- swept out to sea. His body was found 3 days later.

Someone pledged a whopping $40,000. As for who, the person's identity was recorded as "CTC RIP."

Now the clues ...  CTC -- Cryme Tyme Cenation -- was a wrestling tag team comprised of Cena, Shad and JTG back in 2008. Cryme Tyme had existed before, but Cena joined -- though only for a short time. He suffered an injured early on and ended up dropping out, leaving Shad and JTG to continue their insanely popular tag team.

We're also told John and was extremely close to Shad and had commented to various people last week he wanted to do something for the family.

Now check out the photo John just posted ... a car with the letter CTC emblazoned on the smashed whip. It looks like Cena and Shad are spray painting the car. The pic is clearly from a match ... you see fans all around.

Mike Tyson showed some big-time wrestling stars who's boss Saturday night, and even a snake couldn't intimidate him.

Iron Mike was supposed to do the honors at the AEW "Double or Nothing" pay-per-view by handing the winners of the title match the championship belt -- he ended up doing a lot more.

The match -- Cody with Arn Anderson by his aide vs Lance Archer w/ Jake the Snake Roberts -- was back and forth. At one point Arn and Jake were hurled out of the ring and Jake was trying to make his way back inside with the ominous bag containing a snake.

That's all the former boxing champ needed to see, because Mike ripped off his shirt, revealing his amazing physique, and blocked Jack with intimidating force. It worked, because Jake and the snake retreated, giving Cody and Archer the win.

Mike then flexed for the viewers and then bestowed the honor on Cody by handing him the belt. He didn't have to throw a punch but he sealed the deal on the match -- Mike's THAT daunting.

Mike told us at "TMZ Live" he's open to fighting Evander Holyfield again.

Blake Griffin and Chandler Parsons are hoop-challenged these days -- what with coronavirus and all -- so they figured out a game that still involves a ball, though a little lower to the ground.

Blake, Chandler, "The Hills" star Frankie Delgado and a few other buds enjoyed a game of kickball Saturday, and it looked like a blast. Blake and Chandler were captains of their respective teams and, of course, and there was trash-talking galore.

Blake was fully into it, kicking a grand slam and yelling, "That's the most exhilarating thing I've ever done."

There were some issues. No one was wearing masks and they were high-fiving each other at various points of the game.

Blake and Chandler could be back in action. The NBA may be coming back at Disney World's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It's uncertain whether the remainder of the regular season will be played or just the playoffs.

Awesome gesture from Aldon Smith ... the new Cowboys star says he's going to read to kids to help brighten their days -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's just one way I can be a source of help."

Aldon's storytime is all part of a new charity initiative that was put together by WorkForce Software CEO Mike Morini and Jay Glazer's Merging Vets and Players program.

Morini tells us the charity work is pretty simple ... key execs and athletes from all over the country are signing up to read stories and books remotely to children directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Morini says Aldon -- along with a bunch of other athletes like Andrew Whitworth and Robert Griffin III -- jumped at the opportunity when he presented it to them ... saying, "Man, they were all happy to do it."

As for why ... Aldon tells us he understands just how big of an impact the small, charitable act can have on the kids.

"The first thing that went to my head was I was a Tennesee Titans football fan and a Chicago Bulls fan, and you know, I’ve always been a fan of sports and then music, so I loved all kinds of singers and artists," Smith says.

"So, if any of them would have hopped on a phone call or a video call and read a book, it's something I would remember."

Aldon, who was just reinstated by the NFL and will get another shot at pro football for the first time in years, added, "It just goes along with what I’m into and what I’m about."