TMZ Sports - Page 50

"Proper hiking attire not required 😎"

No lies detected here -- 'cause recently retired tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki did an impromptu photo shoot while on a hike in France ... and all she needed was a tiny yellow bikini!!

The 30-year-old and her ex-NBA player husband, David Lee, are enjoying a "Staycation" in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France ... just a quick 30-minute drive from one of their homes in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

Wozniacki and Lee recently had their 1-year wedding anniversary in June and celebrated her birthday last month ... so there's been a LOT to celebrate!!

Of course, Wozniacki decided to hang up her racket back in January ... but there's no retirement bod here -- her abs are as hard as the rocks she's laying on!!

The former #1-ranked tennis player has been a fan of bikinis for years -- see here, here and here -- and even posed in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue back in 2015.

Nice to see nothing has changed in retirement life!!

It's Tom Brady's 43rd birthday today -- soooo .... avocado ice cream cake for everyone!??!

The Tampa Bay Bucs QB is about to enter his 21st season in the NFL as the oldest active QB in the league. He's among the oldest to EVER play the game.

To celebrate his special day, Tom's supermodel wife, Gisele, posted a mushy birthday note to her hubby:

"Happy birthday love of my life! You are the best dad, the best partner and the best friend."

She added, "We are so lucky to have you in our lives and we are looking forward to all the adventures ahead. We love you so much!"

Brady -- who famously uses an iPhone 6 from 2014 -- joked about his birthday on Twitter saying, "Thank you for the bday wishes!! Might treat myself to a new iPhone this year."

It's not like he can't afford it ...

FYI, Doug Flutie played pro football until he was 43. Vinny Testaverde, Steve DeBerg and Warren Moon played until they were 44.

George Blanda played until he was 48!

Awful start to Philadelphia Eagles training camp ... head coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for coronavirus and is now self-quarantining away from the team.

The NFL squad made the announcement Sunday ... saying the 52-year-old is both "asymptomatic and doing well."

But, the Eagles added he's isolating ... and say people he's come into contact with at the Eagles practice facility recently will now have to follow protocols and testing before they can return.

Of course, it's a big deal for Philly ... training camps are getting underway this month -- and the Eagles will now have to figure out a way to maneuver through practices and workouts with a head coach they can only communicate with virtually.

Pederson is just the second NFL head coach to test positive for COVID-19 ... New Orleans Saints head man Sean Payton came down with the virus in March.

Payton had said he felt like he had the flu ... but was cleared a couple weeks later and has repeatedly said he's had no lingering effects from the virus.

LeBron James has taken his talents to the typewriter -- the Lakers superstar is now a children's book author!!

King James is set to release "I Promise" on August 11 -- a 40-page picture book featuring "upbeat, rhyming text," based on a poem written by LeBron.

The artwork was all done by famed illustrator Nina Mata -- who also worked with Team USA Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez on her kids book, "She's Got This."

Bron says the title is in inspired by his "I Promise" program -- which "motivates children everywhere to always #StriveForGreatness."

Of course, Bron opened his "I Promise" school for at-risk children in Akron back in 2018 ... where students made huge gains in statewide testing after the first year!

LBJ's book is super positive -- with simple, inspiring messages like:

"I promise to use my voice and stand up for what's right."

"I promise to ask for help whenever I need it."

"I promise to be me."

Oh, and Bron is also dropping a companion audiobook read by his mom, Gloria James!

Bron spoke about the project ... saying, "Books have the ability to teach, inspire, and bring people together. That's why these books, and the opportunity to get children and parents reading together, mean so much to me."

But, this isn't a one-and-done project for the King ... James is also working on a "middle grade" book which is due in 2021.

The NY Mets are concerned about their star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes -- saying he didn't show up to the ballpark for Sunday's game -- and hasn't checked in with team officials.

In other words, they're concerned he may have gone missing.

The Mets are currently playing the Braves in Atlanta. Cespedes WAS in attendance for Saturday's game ... but never made it back to the field on Sunday.

The Mets issued a statement saying ... "As of game time, Yoenis Céspedes has not reported to the ballpark today. He did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Our attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful."

Everyone's hoping there's a simple explanation for the situation ... like YS overslept his alarm -- but obviously, there are much more serious concerns at this point.

34-year-old Cespedes is a 2x All-Star and one of the most important players on the Mets.

Mike Tyson says he WILL be trying to knock out Roy Jones Jr. when they step in the ring in Sept. ... claiming his mentality is still "search and destroy."

The issue is, the head of the California State Athletic Commission recently told the media the guys will be going EASY on each other and WON'T be headhunting.

So, who ya gonna believe?!!?

Here's what CSAC executive director Andy Foster told Yahoo Sports -- "This isn’t a situation where they’re going out there to try to take each other’s heads off. They’re just going to be in there moving around the ring and letting fans see these legends."

But, when we saw Tyson leaving a training session in L.A. on Saturday, it didn't seem like he got that memo.

"This is search and destroy and I’m looking forward to recapturing my glory," a hulking Mike Tyson told us.

When we asked specifically if he'll be looking for a knockout, Tyson told us, "If the opportunity comes, I'm always looking for it."

Tyson is 54 and hasn't fought since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride ... and that concerns boxing legend George Foreman who recently told TMZ Sports he's worried someone might get seriously hurt.

Mike appreciates George's concern -- but says, "Don't worry about us."

"[George] wasn't worried about getting hurt when he went on his tour of coming back and fighting."

Foreman famously retired at 28 -- and after a 10-year layoff, mounted a legendary comeback at 38. He became the heavyweight champ at 45 and finally retired for good in '97 at age 48.

Tyson says both he and Jones know exactly what they're getting themselves into -- "We're both professionals. We know how to handle ourselves and whatever happens, happens."

He adds, "The fighting game is what I'm about and hurting people is what I'm about."

We've seen the training videos -- Tyson still looks like he could do some serious damage.

As for Roy, he told us he's expecting Tyson to be headhunting from the opening bell -- but insists he's got a HUGE conditioning advantage over Mike.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted MLB catcher Reese McGuire for allegedly masturbating in public ... and it's SUPER AWKWARD.

First off, police say cameras malfunctioned in the process of recording the video, which is why most of the picture is black ... but you can still hear audio of McGuire's encounter with officers in a strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 7.

The conversation begins with cops asking the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays player if he was aware that people had called them saying they had seen him while he was half-naked in his car pleasuring himself.

McGuire tried to explain the situation ... before telling the cops, "I realized, what an idiot. What a dumb place to be hanging out."

That's when one of the officers asked the MLB player straight-up, "Why would you come to a parking lot just to masturbate?"

Reese responded, "I just, I don't know."

To his credit, McGuire went on to tell the officer he was SUPER sorry for the incident ... saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing ... I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire was eventually charged with 1st-degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted.

Reese, though, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this month ... pleading no contest to a reduced 2nd-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County told us his punishment was nothing more than fines and court costs.

Undefeated boxing star Travell Mazion was speeding around a curve when he crossed over the centerline and slammed head-on into oncoming traffic ... this according to the crash report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Mazion -- who was just 24 years old -- was fatally injured in the July 15 wreck in Travis County, Texas at around 9:40 p.m.

In the crash report ... cops say the weather was clear and the road was dry -- but they add it was a dark and not well-lit area.

Officers say in the report, Mazion was speeding as he entered into a curve in the roadway ... crossed the centerline, clipped a car and then crashed head-on into another vehicle.

The report doesn't say how fast Mazion was going ... but the cops say he WAS wearing a seatbelt.

According to the report, Mazion was pronounced dead just a few minutes after the crash. He was not tested for drugs or alcohol at the scene.

The driver of the other car -- a 61-year-old male -- was pronounced deceased at a local hospital hours later.

Mazion was 17-0 as a pro -- and most recently defeated Fernando Castaneda in San Antonio in January. He was considered a rising star in the sport, and was once backed by NFL All-Pro Von Miller.

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which repped the fighter, said of Travell after the crash, "Mazion was a kind, charismatic young man who lit up every room he walked into and brought excitement to fans inside the ring."

The new NHL season during the pandemic has begun -- and we're already seeing some changes, as well as some traditions of combat ... and the latter ain't a good look.

Saturday marked the beginning of the 2020 season, which is being played in only two Canadian hub cities -- Toronto and Edmonton. Hockey is following in the footsteps of the NBA ... which is also being played in a bubble, unlike MLB and soon ... the NFL as well.

Anyway, two things of note went down to kick things off -- first off, we got our first glimpse of a classic hockey fistfight on the ice ... something that's actually allowed in the sport. Justin Williams and Ryan Strome -- of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers respectively -- went at it during their match, coming to blows, until referees eventually broke it up.

Neither guy was wearing a mask -- and no, we're not talking hockey masks or helmets. No distancing either ... so yeah, they were puffing particles right at each other, which ain't safe. On the flip side, they're all technically quarantined -- so perhaps no harm no foul?

At any rate, it was interesting to see ... even in the pandemic, old habits die hard in some sports.

Second, we saw the first showing of kneeling for Black Lives Matter -- but the gesture didn't go down en masse. It was just Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild, who gave a speech before the National Anthem was played ... and got some shoulder support from two Blackhawks and Oilers players.

Metta World Peace doesn't knock Jonathan Isaac for not kneeling for Black Lives Matter -- in fact, he says he'd probably do the same thing if he was still in the league.

MWP was at LAX Friday night when he dished his thoughts on the controversy -- namely, that the Orlando Magic player was the only one so far to not kneel during the National Anthem. According to Metta, the dude's entitled to his opinion.

He takes it even further though, telling our photog he probably wouldn't get on bended knee either if he was still playing. Metta tries explaining his rationale, saying he doesn't want to kneel for his enemy. Hard to say what he means, but we'll let him explain.

It sounds like he does support BLM -- shoot, we've seen the guy at protests early and often -- but it could be that he just doesn't believe in kneeling for anyone or any cause, period. Jonathan said he wouldn't kneel because it went against his Christian beliefs.

Metta's view seems to echo what Charles Barkley said earlier this week -- guys not kneeling doesn't necessarily make them bad people.

J. Cole is currently training his ass off in hopes of getting a shot to make an NBA roster ... so says Master P, who offered the rap star some pretty sound advice.

First, let's talk J. Cole -- the "No Role Models" rapper was a solid hooper back in high school and famously tried out for St. Johns during his stint in college, but ultimately decided to focus on music.

Cole is a regular on the celebrity basketball circuit and is widely known as one of the best non-pro celebrity ballers in the country.

The 35-year-old recently hooked up with Master P for a Puma commercial where it's strongly insinuated that Cole is training for a shot with an NBA team ... which makes sense since P basically did the same thing back in the day.

Master P says he earned an NBA contract with 2 different teams in the '90s -- after he was already a famous rap mogul -- and he knows what it takes to get to the top level.

P -- whose music and hoops careers are documented in BET's "No Limit Chronicles" -- tells TMZ Sports he had a lengthy conversation with J. Cole about his hoop dreams ... and says he's convinced the rapper is dead serious.

"When I talked to J. Cole, he was like 'You know, big dog you did it. What do you think I would have to do to make it happen?'"

"I said to get one of these NBA jerseys, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be a lot of hate, it's gonna be a lot of people not believing in you but you know J. Cole -- he got the right size, he in the gym!"

"But, what I told him ... this a different time we're in. They're going to pick you apart! You're gonna have to be able to hit every shot and if you don't hit every shot, they -- you know in the NBA, they don't hit every shot but they believe in them. So, you're gonna have to go somewhere where the team really believe in you and the players believe in you."

P says Cole won't get a pass just because he's famous -- in fact, he'll have to work even harder than everyone else to prove he's for real.

"They've been putting their whole life into this. So, you're gonna have to prove you're worthy of being on that court."

P adds, "I believe in him and I believe that he's a youngster that has a lot of desire."

Bottom line -- P says if Cole does get an opportunity, he's gonna have to show out.

"Either you're gonna be good enough to play or you're gonna get exposed."

Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Mahlon's wife tells us he died in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana after he suffered a heart attack last Saturday morning. Although he survived it, and was transported to a hospital ... he never regained consciousness.

His wife says the family decided Sunday to take Mahlon off life support. She says he was surrounded by loved ones.

We're told he had no existing health conditions his family knew of, so they're all completely shocked by the massive heart attack. His wife tells us Mahlon was cremated and his "Deadliest Catch" crew is going to spread some of his ashes in the Bering Sea.

We're told Mahlon was working his butt off to recover from a recently torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing on the boat, and was doing everything he could to get back to Alaska for another crab season.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office says his official cause of death has not been determined yet ... pending autopsy and toxicology results.

Mahlon, who worked on 2 "Deadliest Catch" boats ... the Seabrooke and Cape Caution. He's survived by his wife and 4 children.

Mahlon was only 38.

Have Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce and longtime girlfriend Kayla Nicole called it quits??

It sure looks that way ... with the TV host/model unfollowing the Kansas City Chiefs superstar and deleting all their pics on Instagram -- which is usually a strong indication it's over.

It's almost the same situation as Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers -- which started with a social media wipe ... and culminated in an official break up statement.

Kelce and Kayla have been together for YEARS ... and first went public back in 2017.

The couple has provided nothing but hot content in their time together -- from TikToks to boat parties to epic SB parades.

The couple even joined Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews in Lake Tahoe for a weekend of raging shortly after the QB signed his massive $503 MILLION contract.

Kelce famously tried to find love on the "Catching Kelce" reality show a few years back ... but ended up with Kayla shortly after instead.

Nic Naitanui -- Aussie Rules football's biggest star -- successfully completed 5 weeks in a bubble environment Down Under ... but cautions the mental health side of things is a real concern for athletes.

FYI, the Australian Football League (AFL) is currently running a hub system -- where teams are quarantined in separate bubble environments throughout the country.

Entry into each bubble requires 2 weeks of quarantine followed by strict testing -- and then it's off to a secure site, which in Nic's case was a Top Flight hotel.

The West Coast Eagles star admits it was "pretty tough" to adjust at first -- but he got into a routine and ultimately played really well on the field.

Now, Nic says sports leagues from all over the world have been contacting the AFL and the individual teams for advice on how to successfully pull off a bubble ... and he's got some solid tips.

The biggest warning, per Nic, is mental health for the players.

"The mental health side of things is massive because you are deprived of that social interaction with your family and friends and what not."

"I can tell why people probably do sneak out of the bubble. I see with the NBA boys because they're used to having that freedom and livelihood to do what they want and now you're being told -- its almost like a prison, albeit, a 5 star prison!"

The big question for us ... will the NFL follow the AFL's lead before time runs out?

The NBA, like the AFL, is having tremendous success so far in their bubble.

Sorry, Terry Bradshaw, Big Ben and Jerome Bettis ... NONE of you are the greatest Steeler of all-time -- so says Rod Woodson, who tells TMZ Sports that honor goes to Mean Joe Greene!

"Man, I'm just thinking Mean Joe," the legendary Pittsburgh defensive back says. "He's so classic!"

It clearly pains Woodson to make the choice -- there are a LOT of candidates ... everyone from Lynn Swann to Franco Harris to Troy Polamalu to Jack Lambert all has a legit claim to the title.

But, Rod says it just has to be Greene ... telling us, "He had the iconic Coca-Cola commercial throwing it to the kid. He was a heck of a -- heck of a -- player. He was really a good coach too!"

Woodson added, "If you think about it, the Steelers have only retired one number, and it's Mean Joe Greene. That's saying a lot."

FYI, Greene truly is an NFL legend ... he was a 10-time Pro Bowler, 4-time All-Pro and 4-time Super Bowl champ who won Defensive Player of the Year honors TWICE!!

Boston Marathon Bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet -- who lost her leg in the terror attack -- is FURIOUS after an appeals court Friday overturned the bomber's death sentence.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been sentenced to die for his role in the 2013 bombing which killed 3 people and injured more than 250 others, including Haslet.

Haslet -- a professional dancer at the time -- required emergency surgery and lost her left leg from the knee down.

Her comeback story has been nothing short of inspirational -- she trained up and completed the marathon on a prosthetic leg in 2016.

But, after learning that an appeals court had overturned Tsarnaev's death sentence Friday ... she WENT OFF in a heated IG post.

"I’m so livid at today’s ruling by the federal court," Haslet said.

"First and foremost, I cannot emphasize enough, without a shadow of a doubt, that the criminal justice system needs a complete overhaul to stop racial profiling, and the death penalty is used in far too many cases of injustice. AND. The death penalty should be used in this particular case."

"This terrorist admitted in court he was guilty of crimes committed against our country. He confessed, with his brother, to a man who testified in court that their plans were to drive to New York and bomb the city too. This terrorist gave the finger when asked if he felt guilty."

She added, "He is a threat to all of us and he needs to die."

As for Tsarnaev, the appeals court believed some of the jurors in his trial were not completely truthful about how much information they had about the case while being selected.

The death sentence was vacated -- BUT there will be a new penalty phase of the trial where it's possible the new jury could still sentence him to death.