TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jim Nabors, who starred in the massive '60s hit, 'Gomer Pyle,' died Thursday.

Nabors became famous as the bumbling mechanic on "The Andy Griffith Show" and then went on to do his own show, which ran for 5 years.

He also appeared in movies, including "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Cannonball Run II."

He also was an accomplished singer, who recorded dozens of albums and scored 5 gold and 1 platinum records.

One of his iconic songs is the staple of the Indy 500 ... "Back Home Again in Indiana." He last appeared at the race in 2014.

Nabors was gay and long before social media there was gossip -- which was false -- that he secretly married Rock Hudson.

In real life, Jim was married to his partner of more than 40 years. They lived in Hawaii.

Nabors was 87.

RIP

Johnny Manziel is finally free and clear of his domestic violence charge in Texas ... almost 2 years after the alleged assault went down.

Manziel's then-GF, Colleen Crowley, told cops JM hit her several times after a day of boozin' in January 2016. He was indicted for misdemeanor assault.

JM struck a deal with prosecutors in Dallas last December ... agreeing to take an anger management course and keep his nose clean -- in addition to other terms -- in exchange for having the charge dropped.

In court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the Dallas District Attorney asked the judge to dismiss the case ... and he signed off.

Britney Spears -- lookin' smokin' hot -- was the real MVP of Lakers vs. Warriors on Wednesday ... smooching the night away with 23-year-old BF Sam Asghari courtside at Staples Center.

The Dubs and Lakeshow had an epic OT battle ... but it's pretty obvious Britney and Sam were more into their own 1-on-1 matchup -- while her 2 boys watched the action on the court.

Tons of other huge celebs were in attendance -- including Will Ferrell, Diddy, Jack Nicholson (of course) and proud papa LaVar Ball.

The Lakers lost ... but Lonzo Ball actually knocked down some shots!!

Moral victory?

Drake looked like a Degrassi High student who got busted by a teacher when he was caught sneakin' a drink at Wednesday night's Raptors game.

Yeah, it was a soft drink -- very soft ... looks like Perrier, but Drizzy hammed it up for the camera as he sat courtside in Toronto. The vid's actually gone viral with the Internet wondering what kinda drink he was hiding.

After the game Drake tried his hand at sports reporting, interviewing Kyle Lowry. Someone tell the new guy he's gotta share the mic with the athlete!

Justin Bieber and his newly blonde girlfriend, Selena Gomez, seemed to be sticking to their follicle roots by going on a quick date after church.

The Biebs and Selena hit up the Montage hotel in Bev Hills Wednesday after attending the Hillsong Church, where services are held inside the hotel.

Selena scurried inside when she saw photogs and Bieber followed shortly thereafter.

Conor McGregor knows how to make an entrance, but it's his exit that stole the show at a court appearance for a speeding violation -- by peeling out of the parking lot and relaying this message ...

"Come and get me."

The UFC superstar was ordered to appear in court on Thursday after reportedly getting busted for driving 158 km per hour (that's 98 mph) in a 100 km zone in Dublin earlier this year. He pled guilty to the offense and was handed a 400 euro fine ($475 U.S. bucks), according to local reports.

But The Notorious didn't seem fazed one bit by the violation ... speeding outta the parking lot in his BMW i8 ... which starts at $150k!!

Meek Mill kicked it with a VIP visitor -- Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Meek being a famous Philly native, has become friends with Embiid, who's now joining the public outcry against Meek's 2 to 4 year prison sentence for violating parole. Joel went to visit Meek last Friday, along with 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, and we're told the visit went as good as it could.

As one Sixers source put it, "They really lifted Meek's spirits."

Meek has also spoken with Colin Kaepernick recently, and Colin said Meek "wanted people to know regardless of his unjust situation, he’s in good spirits and humbled by the support the people have shown him."

John Cena is great at pretty much everything -- wrestling, acting, being the nicest guy on the planet, etc. -- but there's one thing the WWE superstar is NOT good at ... and TMZ Sports has proof.

Cena visited the Sydney Thunder professional cricket team in Australia recently ... but the dude didn't just observe the team's training, he threw on a jersey and swung the bat a bit!!

Cena's biggest challenge came against a young female bowler (basically like a baseball pitcher) ... and the results are absolutely hilarious.

Check out the clip (even though you can't see him).

Dodgers star Alex Wood and his red hot wife have ditched the L.A. "winter" for the sunny sands of Saint Lucia ... makin' it rain MLB money all over their Caribbean honeymoon!!

The newlyweds are droppin' around $3K PER NIGHT for their "Galaxy Sanctuary" suite at the Jade Mountain Resort -- which comes equipped with a 900-SQUARE FOOT infinity pool.

As you can see in the video ... the sunset views are a 10/10 -- as is Mrs. Wood, Suzanna Villarreal -- one of the MVPs from our World Series WAGs showdown.

Yeah ... guessing Alex is over Game 7.

Congrats!

Terrell Owens is absolutely right when he says Carson Wentz is better than Donovan McNabb ... and that's not us saying it, it's another one of McNabb's former targets, ex-Eagles wideout Freddie Mitchell.

You might remember, we got T.O. out earlier this month and asked him who he'd take between the two guys and he didn't hesitate to say Wentz.

Mitchell was on that 2004 Eagles Super Bowl team with Owens, and when we asked who he'd pick to win one game with everything on the line ... McNabb got the short end again.

"I gotta have Carson."

Remember, Mitchell didn't have the personal issues with McNabb that Owens did, so his choice -- taking the 2nd year Wentz over McNabb -- he says is all about football.

Still though, cold world.

Colin Kaepernick ain't on an NFL roster, but he'll be taking the field against the Texans this Sunday ... courtesy of Tennessee Titans star Rishard Matthews' cleats!!

The 28-year-old receiver revealed his custom kicks for the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign this weekend ... which allows players to wear any creative design supporting a charity of their choice on their cleats during the game.

Matthews explained his decision to support Kaep's Know Your Rights Camp ... saying "I don't have a foundation so I have chosen to support my brother (Colin Kaepernick's) foundation."

"He has paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to bring true everyday issues to light."

Chicago Bulls player Nikola Mirotic says he's ready to bury the hatchet with teammate Bobby Portis ... saying he's accepted Portis' apology for punching him during a practice last month.

Mirotic -- who had been sidelined since Oct. 17 with 2 broken bones in his face -- returned to practice on Wednesday ... and told reporters he's ready to move past the incident.

“We are teammates. We’re fighting for this team. We’re going to do what we need to do to make it work," Mirotic said.

“Bobby and me, and the team, we’re doing what we’re supposed to do and being professional.”

Floyd Mayweather's Beverly Hills Mansion got hit in a high stakes burglary ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The jacking was discovered Tuesday afternoon when someone on Floyd's team found a broken window at the $26 million crib. According to law enforcement ... the staffer found a bunch of stuff was missing, including luggage, sunglasses and other accessories.

That might not sound like much, but this is "Money" Mayweather's place. We're told the minimum value of the stolen property is at least $10k, and likely more than that. They're still taking inventory.

These L.A.-area burglaries are an epidemic now with Jason Derulo, Yasiel Puig, Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, Demi Lovato, Drake, Nicki Minaj all getting hit ... to name just a few.

Floyd just bought the 15,000 sq. ft palace in September, and our sources confirm there is a state-of-the-art alarm system. It's unclear if it was on. Floyd is out of the country right now touring China.

Eric Reid -- the first player to kneel with Colin Kaepernick -- says Malcolm Jenkins and Anquan Boldin are playing members of their Players Coalition ... privately negotiating with NFL execs on the league's proposed $100 million donation for social justice reform.

As a result, Reid says he's out ... and possibly doing more work with Kaepernick.

"When we agreed to be a part of the Players Coalition, we were under the impression that it would be our organization. We were under the impression that we would all have equal say," Reid told ESPN.com.

"But we've come to find out that it's actually Malcolm and Anquan's organization. Nobody else really has a stake in the organization. Malcolm actually wants us to -- he calls it invest, I call it donate -- to the company to pay salaries for his staff. But again, we would have no equity."

Reid says he and other members aren't happy with how only Jenkins and Boldin have consulted with commissioner Roger Goodell on how the money should be allocated ... and don't get why players have to green-light the proposal now when NFL owners have 'til March to decide.

So, while the coalition members are expected to discuss the proposal tonight ... it appears Reid is turning his attention to Kaep -- who's working on his own community initiatives.

Georges St-Pierre isn't just one of the most badass fighters in the world ... he's the HOTTEST DUDE in the UFC -- so says fellow UFC smokeshow Michelle Waterson.

We got Michelle out in L.A. ... and our guy had the balls to ask who, in her opinion, was the studliest cage warrior (in front of her husband).

Lucky for us, "The Karate Hottie" and her hubby agreed -- GSP's the guy!

As for Waterson ... she's got a big fight coming up at UFC 218, and says she's coming for her rematch with Rose Namajunas after she takes out Tecia Torres this weekend.

7:56 AM PT -- A source close to Jennifer says the singer would have no issue testifying in court because she has witnesses to back up her account of the altercation that went down the night before she filed the order of protection.

Further, the source says Jennifer would never make up something like this, and put her child through such an ordeal.

Jennifer Hudson dropped the protective order against David Otunga so she could avoid a courtroom grilling about the abuse allegations he's always denied ... at least that's how people connected to him see it.

Sources close to Otunga believe Jennifer was NOT being generous, or looking out for their son, when she dropped the order. If she didn't, she would have to show up in court and testify, under oath, to what she wrote in docs -- that she was in fear for her "physical and emotional safety and that of my son."

Our Otunga sources insist he did not behave threateningly toward David Jr. or Jennifer. They say she knows that, and that's why she dodged saying it on the stand.

As we reported, sources on Jennifer's side say she made the move in the best interest of their kid ... avoiding a messy court battle.

One source connected to David says Jennifer simply didn't expect him to defend himself so vigorously -- and she had to back down or admit David was right ... he was NOT a danger to her or their child.