TMZ Sports - Page 50

Could Michael Jordan be the next legend to hit iron shots with Phil Mickelson against Tiger Woods??

The lefty sure as hell wouldn't mind seeing it ... because Phil says he's trying to make "The Match" an annual event now -- hoping to get guys like MJ and Steph Curry to participate in 2021.

“I think you could showcase guys like Steph Curry and Michael Jordan or Tony Romo and Patrick Mahomes, who are all good golfers, elite talents and have great personalities," Mickelson told the LA Times after "The Match II's" wild success over the weekend.

"Those personalities are going to come out with this event. Or you could have someone who loves the game and is competitive but is really entertaining like Larry David and Bill Murray. I think that could shine.”

Of course, the possibilities seem endless right now ... given just how big of a success the Woods-Peyton Manning vs. Mickelson-Tom Brady outing went on Sunday.

According to multiple reports, MILLIONS of people tuned in to watch the event ... ultimately making it the most-watched cable broadcast in the sport's history.

Phil, Tiger and event organizers are all on board to run it back next year ... and it doesn't seem there will be a shortage of celebs lining up to join the golf legends -- in fact, Curry even tweeted during the event he wants in next year.

Soooooo ... Tiger and Steph vs. MJ and Phil in 2021??

UFC superstar Jon Jones is FURIOUS over the killing of George Floyd -- saying the police officer used a move called a "blood choke" ... and it's worse than torture.

"Anyone who has practiced the very basics of jujitsu recognizes a [blood choke] when they see this," Jones said.

"That was as clear as day murder, torture."

FYI, a blood choke is a stranglehold in which key arteries and jugular veins are constricted, cutting off blood flow to the brain ... as opposed to an air choke, which restricts breathing.

Jones -- who's been a top mixed martial artist for decades -- didn't stop there.

"That whole if you can talk you can breathe crap is bullsh*t. What that man went through was worse than drowning."

"I wouldn't wish the way George Floyd was murdered on my worst enemy. That officer applied just enough pressure to keep him alive for almost six minutes in that chokehold."

"In all my years of fighting I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture."

"There needs to be a nationwide policy change. When a man is in handcuffs and is screaming that he cannot breathe. Get the f*ck off his chest and/or neck. If you can't hold a man who is in handcuffs down by his feet you’re a p*ssy and probably shouldn’t be wearing that badge."

George Floyd was killed on May 25 when 4 police officers resounded to a "forgery in progress" call in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

During the incident, one of the officers put his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 MINUTES, despite his pleas that he couldn't breathe.

J.J. Watt says he's not sure whether the 2020 NFL season will take place as originally planned -- but he's training his ass off anyway because it's better to "stay ready."

"I don't know what's going to happen," Watt tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm just like everybody else. We're all kind of just waiting and seeing."

"The uncertainty is the worst part of it all. We don't know what's going to happen. But, I'm training like it's gonna happen on time. And, I'm looking forward to playing -- fans, no fans -- whatever it is. I'm just looking forward to competing and just doing what we do."

The Houston Texans superstar -- who's also hosting "Ultimate Tag" on FOX -- believes the return of football is super important ... but not at the expense of American lives.

"We love the game. We love the competition ... as long as it's safe for everybody," Watt explained.

"You have to remember we have coaches who are older. We have people helping out on the sidelines and staff members. So, as long it's safe for everybody and as long as everybody is comfortable and confident, I'm all for it because I think it does help return some normalcy and it gives people something to be excited about, to cheer for again."

"And, we're looking forward to that opportunity if it's safe."

Watt says he's been staying in touch with his teammates via Zoom meetings -- but jokes about some players not wanting to show off their homes to the rest of the team!

"One guy just points his [camera] at his ceiling fan for 2 hours straight during the meeting! Give us a little something. I mean geez, what are you hiding!?"

Besides training, we also talked to Watt about "Ultimate Tag" -- airs Wednesday night on FOX -- and says the athletes he's got on the show are FREAKS!

In fact, Watt says he doesn't think half the players in the League could keep up with the crazy athletes on "Ultimate Tag" ... which sounds like a challenge to us!!!

As for the NFL stars who would do the best on the show???

Here's a shocker -- Watt loves Lamar Jackson and Tyreek Hill ... some of the most talented players EVER!

But seriously, JJ -- pull some strings and get 'em on the show!!!

The NHL is planning to come back in a BIG way ... so says commish Gary Bettman, who just announced the league is looking to return this summer with an insane 24-team playoff!!!

The 67-year-old just revealed the plans ... outlining hockey's steps to resume play after it suspended action back in March over the coronavirus pandemic.

Bettman says the league is working on finalizing details ... but right now, the plan is for the regular season to be ruled officially over -- with only the top-12 teams in each conference returning to action for postseason play this summer.

FYI, there are only 31 teams in the NHL -- so how bad would that suck to be one of the 7 teams that didn't make the cut?!

(California would get skunked BTW -- the L.A. Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are the 3 worst teams in the West).

Training camps to prepare for the 24-team playoff would begin on July 1 under the new plan, Bettman says ... and the league is gunning to put all the action in two hub cities -- one in the East and one in the West.

Bettman stressed the league is taking all steps necessary to keep its players and staff healthy in a return to rinks, saying, "Ensuring health and safety has been central to all of our planning so far and will remain so."

Bettman says the top-4 teams in each conference will get automatic bids to the 1st-round of official playoff play ... and will face each other in round-robin games to determine seeding.

As for the other 8 teams in the conference, Bettman says they'll square off in head-to-head series to determine which 4 will move on to face the top 4 seeds.

A bunch of skaters in California blew off government orders and removed sand from an iconic park in Venice ... this just a few weeks after officials poured the grain in to stop illegal boarding.

Here's the deal ... back in April, some California lawmakers were so fed up with skateboarders violating stay-at-home orders, they dumped tons of sand into ramps at parks all over the state.

The move worked for over a month ... but on Monday in Venice, skaters took back the place -- removing the sand with nothing more than shovels, brooms, buckets and bare hands.

The scene was all captured on video by multiple witnesses ... showing dozens of people banding together to fish all the sand out of the popular skate park.

One person who was on the scene said of it all, "All the kids need to have this, because if they don't get it, it's going to be a sad day. You don't want that."

By mid-afternoon on Memorial Day, the park had been completely cleared of the sand ... and boarders performed tricks in the bowls well into the evening.

It's unclear if California officials will let the place remain open ... but video Monday captured several police officers who didn't stop the action as they passed by throughout the day.

This looks AWESOME!!

The Miami Dolphins have announced they're converting Hard Rock Stadium into a drive-in, outdoor theater ... so you can watch live events, movies, etc. from your CAR!!

And, the mock-up photos look pretty cool!

"[Hard Rock Stadium] will now feature both an open-air and drive-in theater that will showcase select Miami Dolphins matchups from the team’s 54-year history, classic motion picture films, host commencement ceremonies and other events," the team said in a statement.

"The family friendly experiences will provide a unique environment while staying in accordance with social distance policies."

The drive-in event space can hold up to 230 cars -- while the open-air theater "can host small groups for an intimate viewing experience on the complex’s south plaza."

Unclear when the drive-in theater is set to open -- but it seems like it's a priority, since it could be a long time until we get live fans back at NFL games.

Question is ... how much would you pay to drive-in to watch a football game or a movie?

Another emotional tribute to ex-WWE superstar Shad Gaspard ... this time, it's Arnold Schwarzenegger calling Shad "the ultimate hero."

Arnold knew Shad from the legendary Gold's Gym in Venice -- where some of the top bodybuilders from around the world go to train.

It's clear Shad made an impression on Arnold -- not just from pumping iron -- but for just being an all around good dude.

In fact, so many people at the gym had love for Shad, they set up a memorial right in front ... and Tuesday morning, Arnold showed some love.

"On my bike ride today I stopped to pay respects to Shad Gaspard," Arnold said.

"He was such a positive force in the gym and the world. He was a hero in bodybuilding, a hero in wrestling, and the moment he told lifeguards to save his son first, the ultimate hero."

"My thoughts are with his family."

As we previously reported, Shad was caught in a riptide during a beach swim in Marina del Rey with his 10-year-old son on March 17.

Lifeguards rushed out to help them -- but Shad directed them to rescue his son first. Moments later, a giant wave crashed on Gaspard, pulling him under.

His body washed up on shore a few days later.

Since then, stars from all over the world have paid tribute ... remembering Shad as a really nice guy, a solid wrestler and a great husband and father.

Did you know Tom Brady spends more cash than Gisele in their relationship ... AND has more clothes than the supermodel too?!?!

It's true ... the couple revealed the facts in a new video Tuesday -- and Tom's sheepish admission to both is HILARIOUS!!

Gisele posted the footage of the fun TikTok game on social media ... and we learned a hell of a lot about the power couple -- with a little extra help from Tom's son, Ben!!

A breakdown of the highlights ...

Who eats more ... and who eats healthiest?

• All three said Gisele eats the most between the two ... but it was a split decision on who eats healthiest, with Tom saying Gisele, and Gisele saying Tom.

Who's more spoiled?

• Brady won this category in a LANDSLIDE!!

Who's a bigger baby when sick?

• All three picked TB12 here too!

Who requires more attention?

• Yup, you guessed it, Tom won this one in handedly as well!!!

But, the best two parts of the clip? Check out the answers to "Who spends the most money?" and "Who has more clothes?" ... Tom's ashamed reaction is priceless!!

Cristiano Ronaldo -- arguably the most manscaped athlete on the planet -- has let himself go.

... and it's not a bad look!!

The 35-year-old soccer superstar is usually ultra-concerned about his appearance ... never going out in public with a hair out of place or a blemish on his skin (see here, here and here).

But, in this weird COVID-19 world we're living in ... seems CR7 is dialing back the self-maintenance a bit.

No crazy tan. No over-the-top greasy hair product. Did he go a few hours without shaving his face? Wow!

The Juventus star ain't letting his skills slip -- in fact, Ronaldo hit a crazy trick shot using a soccer ball and a basketball hoop during training over the weekend.

If the whole soccer thing doesn't work out, maybe he can get a job at Dude Perfect!

As we previously reported, Ronaldo returned to the Juventus training facility in Italy last week after spending 10 weeks in his native Portugal during the coronavirus pandemic.

Once Ronaldo flew to Italy, he had to quarantine for 2 weeks before he was allowed to rejoin his team.

Damian Lillard is threatening to sit out games if the NBA won't guarantee his Trailblazers a "true opportunity" for the playoffs in a return to play ... saying, "I'm not going to be participating."

"I'm telling you that right now," the superstar guard told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview Tuesday. "And you can put that [expletive] in there."

The NBA has been kicking around the idea of a shortened regular season for its comeback ... reportedly eyeing a possible plan of a few regular-season games followed by the playoffs.

But, Lillard says that just ain't going to fly with him ... because he says if Portland -- which is currently 3.5 games out of 8th place (and the final playoff spot) in the West -- doesn't get a fair shake to make the postseason, he's out.

"If we come back and they're just like, 'We're adding a few games to finish the regular season,'" Lillard says, "and they're throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don't have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I'm going to be with my team because I'm a part of the team. But I'm not going to be participating."

Of course, the NBA has also reportedly thrown around the idea of beginning its playoffs immediately ... and telling all the non-playoff teams to stay home.

Lillard says he'd rather see some sort of play-in-style tournament for squads on the bubble ... saying that would get him back on the court in 2020 no problem.

"If they come back and say it's something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we're playing for playoff spots, then I think that's perfect," Lillard says.

Michael Jordan memorabilia is ON FIRE -- a game-worn uniform from his legendary '96-'97 championship season just sold for $288,000 ... shattering the old record!

This particular uniform -- a jersey and shorts combo -- was rocked by MJ on April 14, 1997 ... when Detroit dominated the Bulls in a 108 to 91 smackdown.

Michael had an off-night -- only dropping 18 points (he averaged almost 30 PPG that season) ... but after the hype from "The Last Dance," collectors are paying TOP DOLLAR for all things Jordan.

The uniform hit the block at Goldin Auctions starting at $75,000 -- and when the final gavel banged, the price was at a cool $288,000!

We spoke with Ken Goldin who tells us the previous record for the most expensive MJ game-used threads was $173k for Michael's 1984 Team USA jersey.

The uniform is pretty sick ... a size 46 jersey made by Champion, with a black base and red pinstripes. It's pretty sweet.

And, get this ... Goldin Auctions also tells TMZ Sports a game-used Lebron James jersey also sold recently ... for $371,200!!!

How did that jersey fetch more than Jordan?

Goldin says Bron rocked that Cleveland Cavs jersey in 2003 (his rookie year) during his 5th and 8th games in the NBA.

In fact, LeBron wore this uniform during his first clash with his BFF, Dwyane Wade!

Joe Thomas -- a former 325-pound NFL offensive lineman -- DOMINATED the "Titan Games" on Monday ... and now he looks like a LEGIT contender to win the whole show!!

The former Cleveland Browns left tackle has dropped 50 pounds since retiring from pro football in 2017 ... and was personally selected by The Rock to compete on the show, going up against other high level athletes.

Well, turns out ... LINEMAN ARE WAY MORE ATHLETIC THAN YOU'D THINK!!

The 35-year-old Thomas started off slow ... narrowly beating out Denver firefighter Matt Chan in the first half of the show.

But then, he TURNED IT ON ... easily vanquishing his second opponent -- Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Shelby -- on the famous "Mount Olympus" course.

Mount Olympus is no joke -- competitors have to scale walls, move heavy objects, move a giant heavy stone with a steel chain, smash a coffin with a sledgehammer and much more.

Dwayne Johnson was so impressed with Thomas, he could barely hold his emotions together -- raving about the "Ironman" like an obsessed fan!

Thomas now moves on to the next round where he'll have more high-level competition from guys like NFL star Victor Cruz, UFC star Tyron Woodley and more!

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross insists the 2020 NFL season will NOT be canceled due to COVID-19 ... saying the 2020 season will "definitely" happen.

I think there will definitely be a football season this year," the billionaire real estate mogul said Tuesday morning on CNBC's ''Squawk Box.''

"The real question is will there be fans in the stadium?"

"I think right now today we're planing on having fans in the stadium but I think the NFL is looking at, and is very flexible, so that we will be able to start on time and really bring that entertainment that's really so needed to all of us in this country."

"I think that's one thing that we miss is our sports. I don't think a lot of people realize it until they no longer have it. Certainly the NFL I think will be ready to go and I think we're all looking forward to. I know I am."

"We've got a lot of things down in Miami here and we're prepared either way and hopefully there'll be fans in the stadium."

It's the most definitive statement we've heard from an NFL owner about the 2020 season while the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

Of course, the league has been moving forward as if everything will run according to schedule ... the NFL Draft took place in April and free agency began on time.

As we previously reported, Joe Buck recently said multiple networks are kicking around innovative ideas to make NFL broadcasts fun and exciting without fans ... one of the ideas is artificial fan noise. So far, nothing is set in stone.

The Korean Baseball Organization just laid the hammer down on ex-MLB player Jung Ho Kang for his multiple DUI arrests ... suspending the infielder Monday for 1 YEAR.

The former Pittsburgh Pirates stud -- who nearly won the NL's Rookie of the Year award in 2015 -- was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.

Kang, who's reportedly been arrested for drunk driving three times since 2009, accepted the punishment ... saying in a statement, "I took putting on a uniform and getting on the field for granted."

"And I was a fool not to see how precious that was. I know I don't deserve to be saying this, but I would love one final opportunity to play baseball."

Kang's been busted for drunk driving in August 2009 and May 2011, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, and he was also arrested for DUI in 2016.

In that case, South Korea officials accused the baseball player of crashing his car into a guardrail and then fleeing the scene. Kang later received a suspended jail sentence in 2017.

Kang was unable to obtain a work permit to return to the U.S. to play baseball after the incident -- missing the entire 2017 season -- and even after he finally made his way back to the States in 2018, he only went on to play in 68 total games.

33-year-old Kang is looking to revive his career in the KBO ... which reportedly will begin his 1-year ban as soon as he signs with a team.

Two alligators violently fought it out on a South Carolina golf course ... and the footage of the two beasts locking jaws and tossing each other around is INSANE!!

Check out video posted by The Golf Club at Hilton Head Lakes in Hardeeville, SC ... where two gators were caught in a crazy tussle right on one of the fairways.

According to course officials, the action all went down last week on the 18th hole ... when one golfer captured the wild scene.

You can see in the vid ... the two gators bit into each other's faces -- and wouldn't let go, even after they violently twisted!!!

And, if the action caught on video wasn't crazy enough for you -- a witness says the battle went on for roughly 2 HOURS!!

Thankfully, nobody was hurt during the on-course action ... but it's unclear if golfers' scores survived the melee as well.