TMZ Sports - Page 50

Byron Scott is ecstatic his old teammate Kobe Bryant was nominated for an Oscar -- and tells TMZ Sports he hopes people celebrate Mamba because people deserve 2nd chances in life.

Questions have been raised about how Kobe will be received at the Academy Awards on March 4 by a Hollywood crowd that's been cracking down on stars accused of sexual misconduct.

Obviously, Kobe has sexual misconduct allegations of his own in his past -- but Scott says he hopes people are able to forgive Kobe and let him move forward with his life.

Dana White isn't wasting time ... telling TMZ Sports he's calling up Nate Diaz TONIGHT to make him an offer to return to the octagon.

White joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1) -- and we asked about Nate's Instagram post where he called himself "The Real Champ" and vowed to return to fighting in "May or June."

"I'll tell ya what," White said ... "I’ll call him today and make him an offer."

"I will make Nate Diaz an offer to fight today."

White says he's not sure who he'd match Diaz up against -- "I gotta look at the rankings and see where everybody is."

What about a 3rd fight with Conor McGregor? Dana isn't ruling it out ... but says that fight ain't the priority for Conor.

"I think people would rather see Conor come back and either fight Tony [Ferguson] or Khabib [Nurmagomedov] -- whoever wins -- and the Nate Diaz fight isn’t going anywhere. We can do that thing any time."

What about Nate vs. Tyron Woodley? Dana says he has other plans for the welterweight champ.

Tyron Woodley says Nate Diaz calling himself "The Real Champ" is an absolute joke ... and if he's really serious about coming back, they can throw hands RIGHT NOW.

Tyron just had shoulder surgery 5 weeks ago, but he ain't kidding ... explaining why he can whoop Nate's ass at way less than 100% on "The Hollywood Beatdown" (full episode drops this Friday).

FYI, Diaz claimed he's making a return to the UFC in a social media post, saying -- "I'll see you around May, June. Sincerely, The Real Champ."

Tyron says he truly believes Nate's gonna come back ... but does he think Diaz will accept a fight with him after ducking out back in November?

He answers that question on the Beatdown, too.

Verne Troyer ain't messing around when it comes to his 2018 #FitnessGoals ... CRUSHING the weight room with NFL prospect Du'Vonta Lampkin!

Verne gives up 300 POUNDS to Du'Vonta ... but he did a damn good job keeping up with the former Oklahoma defensive tackle out at Sports Academy in Newbury Park -- flippin' tires and reppin' barbells like a regular frat bro.

Mini-Me got teamed up with one of the largest human beings in the draft thanks to Vayner Sports ... and we're glad they did.

Get it, Verne!!!

Simone Biles is giving the judge who signed Larry Nassar's "death warrant" a big, public thank you ... telling her, "YOU ARE MY HERO" for sentencing the ex-Team USA doc to 175 years in prison.

Simone -- who earlier this month revealed she was sexually assaulted by Nassar -- thanked judge Rosemarie Aquilina in a tweet just hours after Nassar learned his fate in a Michigan courtroom.

In the same message, she also gave a shout-out to all of Nassar's victims who gave impact statements in court "for being so brave and speaking like the queens that you are while looking at that monster."

Forget the water bottle flip challenge ... Todd Gurley just crushed the GATORADE COOLER FLIP CHALLENGE!!!

The Rams superstar was hanging' out at the NFL Pro Bowl practice in Orlando on Wednesday when he saw the cooler on a table and decided he needed to flip that bitch!!!

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram caught the whole thing on video (not sure Gurley even knew he was being recorded) ... and when he hit the flip, everyone went nuts!!!!

Gotta love Pro Bowl week.

Bonus: Remember when LeBron James pulled the water bottle flip off during a game? Good times.

After completing a week at an inpatient rehab center in Jersey, Dennis Rodman is out ... but swears to continue working on his sobriety.

Rodman had checked in to the Turning Point treatment center following his DUI arrest earlier this month. Now, his rep Darren Prince says he's moving to a nearby outpatient center operated by Turning Point before continuing his long-term treatment in California.

"He’s been working with psychotherapists as well as in group recovery classes," Prince says ... adding, "[Rodman] has finally been accountable for his behavior from alcohol over the years."

Rodman also commented ... saying, "The doctors and nurses at Turning Point were really cool and made me feel comfortable and understand how I got myself into this position and what I need to do to stay on this path."

Charles Barkley says it's impossible to pick between Michael Jordan and Tom Brady when it comes to the Greatest Of All Time ... but says there's a THIRD name that belongs in the conversation.

Sir Chuck was at LAX ... where he also heaped some praise on LeBron James for hitting 30k career points and Kobe Bryant for getting an Oscar nod.

By the way, neither of those guys are the 3rd G.O.A.T. Barkley referenced earlier.

9:40 AM PT -- Larry Nassar is going to spend the rest of his life rotting in a prison cell.

The judge in Nassar's sexual assault case says she just signed his "death warrant" ... sentencing him up to 175 years behind bars.

Before the judge sentenced the disgraced ex-Team USA doc, Nassar gave a statement to his victims.

Disgraced ex-Team USA doctor Larry Nassar will be sentenced Wednesday in his sexual assault case after his final victims give their impact statements ... and we're live streaming the proceedings.

Through 7 days, we've heard from over 150 women and girls who Nassar assaulted -- including former Team USA gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber.

Of course, the 54-year-old was already essentially going to be behind bars for life ... after getting 60 years in a separate child porn case. This time, he's facing a minimum of 25 to 40 years.

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk hit the beach with their 10-month-old daughter, and while they were laser-focused on her ... Bradley's clearly got his eyes on another prize, too.

The couple hit up L.A.'s Sunset Beach Tuesday to play in the sand with Lea de Seine. Of course, she was adorable in all-white and floppy hat. She also had some fun with dad's man bun. Ya can't knock her for that.

Bradley was wearing the same thing he'll probably be wearing for the next 11 days -- a Philadelphia Eagles shirt. The diehard Philly fan's clearly loving fatherhood as much as his team's run to the Super Bowl.

1:30 PM PT -- Tallahassee PD tells us Francois is no longer under investigation ... which means Francois and his girlfriend will not face criminal charges from the incident.

Florida State University QB Deondre Francois told police he's the VICTIM in a domestic violence incident involving his pregnant girlfriend ... and only got physical with her in an effort to restrain her.

It's all in the police report obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows cops responded to the QB's Tallahassee apartment late Tuesday night, an apartment which he shares with his GF.

Deondre claims ... he was hanging out in the apt. with fellow FSU football player Zaquandre White when his GF entered the pad and started going off on him over a previous argument.

Deondre told police his GF began to smash items, including a vase -- and then tried to pull the TV off the wall. That's when Deondre says he tried to "stop her by picking her up like a hug" to carry her outside so she couldn't break anything else.

Deondre says the GF began to "swing" on him, so he let her go. He claims the woman began to rip her own shirt while threatening to call the police and report domestic violence.

Deondre says that's when he called police himself to respond to the scene. When cops arrived, Deondre's friend, Zaquandre, corroborated every detail of Deondre's story.

But, the GF tells a completely different story ...

She told cops Deondre was upset that evening because another guy tried to talk to her and he flew into a jealous rage, breaking down the bedroom door.

She claims Deondre picked her up and threw her to the ground, cutting her forearm. He then tried to physically kick her out of the residence.

The woman claims she found out at the hospital (after the incident) she was 9 weeks pregnant with a child she believes to be Deondre's.

The responding officers ultimately couldn't determine who was telling the truth -- so no one was arrested.

Big Ballers come in all shapes and sizes ... so IG superstar The Fat Jew says LaVar Ball should hire him to be an official brand ambassador for BBB!!

"If they want like a heavyset guy with, like, a Shrek kinda body ... I would be down to rep for BBB," Fat Jew told TMZ Sports. "Yo, LaVar, let me know!"

Sounds like a joke, but we're pretty sure he's 100% serious. Fat Jew says he bought a pair of ZO2 slides in spite of their ridiculous price tag ... and ain't even mad they took almost a month to arrive.

Who the hell would wanna destroy the actual "Field of Dreams?"

That's what the people who operate the ballpark in Iowa want to know after some scumbag tore up the field during an evil joyride Monday night.

The field in Dyersville, Iowa touts itself as the "home of the iconic movie set" for the 1989 baseball flick -- thousands of fans visit the field every year.

But, field officials say someone drove a truck through the field -- putting 4-inch gashes all over the field and turf and damaging the sprinkler system.

"We cannot fathom why a soul on this planet would desecrate this holy ground," field operators said on social media.

"We pray for whomever did this to our special place that they find peace in their hearts. Before Opening Day, April 1, we will work toward repairing this damage."

Pam Anderson has jettisoned her American roots, and not because of Trump ... because she's in love.

Pam is living in Marseille, France with her boyfriend, soccer player Adil Rami. They met at the Grand Prix in Monaco last May and they have been inseparable ever since.

Pam literally packed a suitcase, hopped on a plane and left her life in L.A. to be with Adil.

50-year-old Pam and 32-year-old Adil are sharing a house with her Golden Retriever, Zuzu. And here's how serious it's gotten ... we found out she was shopping for engagement rings last month at Chrome Hearts jewelry store.

Pam is in regular contact with her 2 adult sons ... they visit her often. As for Adil, who plays for the Olympique de Marseille soccer team ... he has twins who live with their mom.

TMZ broke the story ... Pam is leasing her Malibu estate for $40k and she's gunning for a long term lease.

We're told she has no plans to move back to the U.S. Vive la France!

TMZ Sports broke the news to Bob Arum about the warrant out for Floyd Mayweather Sr.'s arrest -- and the boxing Hall of Famer could hardly believe it ... insisting Floyd's a really nice guy.

As we previously reported, Mayweather is facing battery charges in Vegas after he allegedly punched a woman in the leg following the GGG vs. Canelo fight back in Sept.

Arum -- who was Manny Pacquiao's promoter for the big Mayweather fight -- said he could barely believe it, "He's a nice guy. That's terrible."

David Beckham doesn't play by the rules when it comes to getting trimmed ... or he's got an incredible hair dresser.

Beckham said goodbye to his long coif with the help of a big glass of wine and his feet up on the counter, which had to make getting that perfect line around the ear difficult for the guy blading away.

Becks shared pics of what looks like the most laid-back cut Tuesday on his Instagram story, including one of what came off and it certainly looked like a lot.