TMZ Sports - Page 50

Big Baller Brand is going to Eastern Europe ... LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball have just signed 1-year contracts with a team in Lithuania.

LaVar Ball's 2nd and 3rd sons will play for Prienu Vytautas -- a pro team that competes in the Lithuanian LKL league.

Both Balls signed 1-year contracts, according to The Vertical ... and are expected to report to the team in early January. The Balls reportedly got multiple offers but felt this team was the right fit due to expected playing time and length of contract.

The team is reportedly based in a city of roughly 10,000 people.

Unclear how much cash the Balls will make -- but LaVar has previously said the longterm goal is to get both of his sons into the NBA with big bro Lonzo.

Before Lithuania, 19-year-old LiAngelo was on the UCLA basketball team -- but left the squad following the China shoplifting scandal. His 16-year-old bro LaMelo was a high school star -- but his father pulled him out of Chino Hills High School in favor of training him on his own.

Charles Barkley is stepping up for Roy Moore's opponent for the open U.S. Senate seat -- this after blasting Moore for his close ties to Steve Bannon.

Barkley is appearing with Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones Monday evening in Birmingham ... the eve of the election. The NBA Hall of Famer, and Alabama native, will be at a Jones rally -- along with "Orange Is the New Black" star Uzo Aduba.

Charles made his feelings about Moore clear last month when he got heated about the support he gets from Bannon -- an alleged white separatist, in Barkley's opinion.

The Bannon factor alone is enough reason to NOT vote for Moore, never mind the allegations of sexual misconduct with minors ... according to CB.

Chris Bosh's mom tells TMZ Sports allegations she's trafficking drugs out of the Texas home owned by her NBA star son are ridiculous and untrue ... but acknowledges there is a rift with Chris.

We spoke with Frieda Bosh and her son, Joel Bosh, about the police raid on the home where she lives in DeSoto, Texas ... in which cops claim they found evidence connecting Freida's house with a drug trafficking operation.

Frieda says she "built" the home with Chris roughly 12 years ago -- but since then, their relationship has deteriorated and he's been trying to evict her. Frieda says the two haven't spoken in 5 years.

To combat the eviction, Frieda says she's had to hire lawyers -- and has been forced to rent out the home to various tenants to cover the pricey legal bills.

Long story short ... Frieda says the person who brought trouble to the home is a former short-term tenant -- and she had NOTHING to do with his alleged illegal activity.

FYI, cops believe crack cocaine and heroin were being trafficked out of the home. No arrests have been made, but we're told that could happen soon.

Joel Bosh says he's been trying to help his mom work things out with Chris -- but his priority is helping her clear her name in the drug trafficking case because he believes she's 100% innocent.

It's over for Matt Barnes ... the scrappy NBA star has announced he's retiring after a "cool 15 year run."

"Traveled the world met alota cool people, some will be brothers for the rest of my life," Barnes posted on social media.

Barnes was drafted by the Memphis Grizzles in the 2nd round of the 2002 NBA Draft -- and went on to play with the Clippers, Kings, Lakers, Warriors and more.

He was a part of the Warriors team that won the championship in 2017.

37-year-old Barnes says he'll be focusing on expanding his businesses and spending more time with his kids ... and hopes to be a billionaire by the time he's 50!

He reportedly made more than $31 mil during his career ... so, not a bad start!

Jermaine O'Neal knows all about player vs. fan fights (Malice in the Palace, anyone??) ... so when we got J.O. at LAX, we had to get his reaction to Quinton Jefferson almost going full Ron Artest at Sunday's Seahawks-Jaguars game.

"Just because we’re professional athletes doesn’t mean we should be treated like animals," the ex-NBA star told TMZ Sports. "We're there to do a job, whether you like us or not."

You've probably seen the video ... some d-bag Jags fans threw their drinks at Seahawks lineman Quinton Jefferson after he got ejected -- and he got dangerously close to going in the stands and giving them the business.

Jermaine says actions like that can't fly -- 1) 'cause it's wrong and 2) 'cause it might get your face broken.

Case in point ...

Conor McGregor actually had a shot against Floyd Mayweather ... but he would get straight-up SMASHED by Manny Pacquiao -- so says ex-UFC star Brendan Schaub.

We got Schaub -- an analyst on the MayMac media tour -- to weigh in on McGregor vs. Pacquiao with rumors of the super-fight swirling ... and he told TMZ Sports Conor doesn't have a chance in hell of upsetting Manny.

"I actually think it's a tougher fight for Conor," Brendan said. "Pacquiao's more of a pressure fighter, bigger puncher. Floyd Mayweather was the perfect matchup."

The big question -- will the fight actually get made?

Like Thanos with the Infinity Stones ... the Dallas Cowboys will elevate into legit GALAXY DESTROYERS when Ezekiel Elliott returns -- so says Michael Irvin.

The Playmaker is sending a warning to the league ... when Zeke returns from his suspension ONE WEEK FROM TODAY ... it'll "make the world to the Cowboys."

Irvin says Elliott has been "in hiding" ever since he began serving his 6-game domestic violence suspension back in November ... but he's confident the RB will return to form immediately in his first game back on Dec. 24.

Troy Aikman has Drew Brees' back when it comes to "Thursday Night Football" -- telling TMZ Sports the 4-day turnaround presents real player safety concerns ... but he's not convinced it's going away anytime soon.

FYI, Brees came out swinging at 'TNF' last week -- saying the mid-week game is "absolutely" unsafe for players ... and puts them at greater risk for injury.

So, when we saw Aikman at the famous Matsuhisa sushi joint in L.A. this weekend -- we asked the "NFL on FOX" star if there were plans to do away with Thursday night games in the future.

"I'm not sure they'll do that, but you know ... I'm not sure the players are really on board with it. It's hard, there's no question."

'"At a time when we're talking about players' safety ... to turn around in 4 days and play another game, it's a challenge for all of them. It's really tough."

Aikman added, "I think the challenge in today's times is that the owners and the league are constantly trying to find ways to grow the revenue and although it sounds good -- player safety sounds good -- I think sometimes there's contradictions to that and I think the Thursday night games are proving that out."

12/11/2017 -- Rich Swann was released from jail on Sunday and his case has been assigned to a judge, PWInsider reports.

The WWE superstar faces up to 5 years in jail for false imprisonment.

Former WWE cruiserweight champ Rich Swann was arrested this weekend for allegedly battering and falsely imprisoning his wife -- who's also a pro wrestler -- and now he's suspended.

According to cops, Swann was driving his newlywed wife, Vannarah Riggs, back home after a match of hers in Florida when they got into an argument in the car, which got heated.

She reportedly exited the vehicle and Swann stopped the car in the middle of traffic to go get her, allegedly grabbing her by the arm and then putting her in a headlock to drag her back as she screamed for help.

Witnesses told police the car was not in park during all this and continued to roll until it hit a telephone pole. Swann denied touching his wife, telling cops she got back in the car on her own.

He was booked for simple battery and false imprisonment, and is reportedly set to be released on his own recognizance Sunday. ProWrestlingSheet broke the story of Swann's arrest.

WWE issued a statement saying they had a zero tolerance policy regarding domestic violence, and that Swann is suspended indefinitely.

Here it is ... video of Simone Biles' DEBUT as a Houston Texans cheerleader -- and it's awesome!!

The Team USA gymnastics superstar grabbed her pom-poms and hit the sidelines with the team on Sunday as the very first "honorary" member of the squad.

Biles did pretty well outside of missing a couple of steps ... but given the fact she only had a few days to practice, it's super impressive.

And get this ... Biles trained with the team AFTER gymnastics practices, where she's putting in work for the 2020 Olympics.

Giancarlo Stanton wasn't in a hurry to leave Miami after he was traded to the Yankees -- he stuck around an extra day to rage in Miami with 2 Chainz.

The big trade news was announced late Friday night -- but less than 24 hours later, Stanton was at Rockwell x 1OAK Art Basel pop up event in Miami on Saturday ... where he got onstage and partied with the rapper.

Also, CHECK OUT THAT PINKY RING -- LEGENDARY!!!!!

2 Chainz also hooked Stanton up with a magnum sized bottle of Ace of Spades bubbly.

The ex-Marlins superstar is set to be introduced as the new face of the Yankees Monday ... so, this could have been his unofficial "goodbye" to the city he ran for half a decade.

It's almost kinda sad -- until you remember his $325 MILLION contract.

J.R. Smith is taking his hoodie beef with Stephen A. Smith to the next level -- dropping brand new "ugly sweater hoodies" for the holiday season ... and TMZ Sports has the first pics.

In the spirit of the "ugly sweater" holiday traditions -- J.R. decided to evolve the look to the hoodie ... complete with the phrase, "Merry Swishmas."

Remember, J.R. and Stephen A. beefed a few months ago when the ESPN star ripped J.R. for wearing a hoodie on the bench during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Stephen A. said, "You've got a lot of those white folks in the audience that are going to think this is Trayvon Martin being revisited and I'm not joking about it. The bench is no place for someone to be wearing a hoodie."

Smith fired back on Twitter saying Stephen A. was "reaching."

J.R.'s reps at New Generation Management tell us the NBA star plans on rocking the new hoodie on Thursday (when the Cavs play the Lakers) and will offer them up for sale on Fresh Brewed Tees.

Wonder what Stephen A. will think?

Don't stick a fork in Eli Manning just yet ... his brother, Cooper, says the NY Giants QB still has another Super Bowl run left in him.

Of course, the G-Men suffered another brutal loss this weekend -- losing 30-10 to the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium ... but Cooper says there's a legit explanation.

"They're a little understaffed," the 43-year-old "NFL on FOX" star told us at LAX.

Despite the team woes, Cooper says he expects Eli to start the rest of the season -- and clearly believes Eli is one of the elite QBs in the league.

Ty Dolla $ign and YG's alleged beatdown of an Australian soccer star apparently cost 'em big-time -- 'cause the guy says they dropped at least $100k to keep the matter out of court.

Aussie footballer Nelly Yoa tells TMZ he settled with Ty and YG for a low six-figure amount to avoid a potential lawsuit against them for allegedly beating the crap out of him in 2015.

We broke the story ... Nelly says the rappers punched and kicked him in the head when they tried clearing out a VIP room at a nightclub in Melbourne that he refused to vacate. He claimed the alleged beating cost him a soccer deal that woulda made him a fortune.

Nelly put T&Y on official notice a couple months ago, letting them know a lawsuit was coming.

Michael Sam went straight "Over the Top" in a Dallas bar -- arm wrestling a dude who called him a "p*ssy" ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

Here's the deal ... Sam (the 1st openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team) was hanging out at Bottled Blonde when he started chatting it up with Miami designer Jared Lang.

Lang playfully challenged Sam to a test of arm strength -- and Sam obliged. They clasped hands, Lang teased Sam by jokingly calling him a "p*ssy" ... and then it was on!

Sam was clearly in control the entire time -- and casually provided resistance while Lang used his body weight to slam Michael's hand down.

At one point, Sam was watching TV while Lang struggled to get the upper hand.

Sam eventually loses (seems like he let the guy win) ... but the 2 were cool and dapped it up afterward.

But here's a warning -- CAREFUL WHEN ARM WRESTLING ... remember what happened when Larry the Cable Guy did it ...

Yeah, tensions are high ... but there's one thing Russian and American superstar athletes have in common -- they LOVE expensive jewelry.

Case in point ... Aleksandr Kokorin -- the biggest soccer star in Russia, a 26-year-old striker on the World Cup team.

He's also rich as hell -- and just dropped a cool $100,000 on a custom Rolex watch and diamond necklace combo.

Kokorin hit up Dave Bling and Big Will at DWS Jewelry & Co. in NYC for a "Rainbow Rolly" -- comprised of multicolored VS-1 diamonds on the bezel.

Kokorin issued a statement about the pieces through the jeweler ... saying, "I always want to create something that feels unique to me. This watch reminds me that even though time is expensive and serious, it can also be fun and enjoyable."