TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James is making his already incredible home even more fit for a king ... 'cause the NBA superstar is adding some crazy renovations to his new Brentwood mansion, TMZ Sports has learned.

ICYMI -- LBJ bought the 15,846 square foot house back in December for $23 mil ... and it came with a theater room, wine cellar, cigar room with air purifying technology and an onyx bar.

But, King James is takin' it even further ... our sources tell us he's adding a basketball court, indoor wine tap (dude LOVES his wine), and is working on the paperwork to get a pizza oven ... while also making changes to the theater and pool.

Remember ... this is LBJ's 2nd Brentwood mansion. After all, he spends his offseasons in L.A. working on his entertainment career (and might be here year-round next season, right Laker fans?).

Chase Elliott's day job is driving a race car 200 freakin' MPH ... but he tells TMZ Sports that ain't nothin' compared to his gig this weekend ... judging the Hooters pageant!!

We talked to the NASCAR star days before this weekend's 22nd Annual Hooters International Pageant in Charlotte, NC -- featuring 80 of the hottest Hooters girls from around the world -- which Elliott is judging.

So, how does meticulously grading dozens of hot chicks compare to driving a race car at ridiculously high speeds?

"I feel like it has to top it, for sure. The challenge of judging that many beautiful ladies is pretty difficult."

FYI -- Chase isn't the only athlete getting in on the fun. UFC star Ovince Saint Preux (who we also talked to), NFL player Mario Addison and NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney are also judging.

While you wait for this year's contest ... enjoy some photos from last year's pageant.

Wanna REALLY piss off an NFL lineman? Here's how ...

Ask 'em -- seriously -- if they can bench press 315 lbs. and then watch their reaction.

Mike Pouncey and Carlos Dunlap were so offended we had the audacity to call their strength into question, they shut us down right in front of Catch in West Hollywood!

Obviously, they were just playin' ... but you can tell they weren't ALL THE WAY playin'.

What's even funnier ... we asked if Odell Beckham's 315-pound bench press should count (because of the 2-finger spot from his trainer) ... and Dunlap hit us with the real talk -- HELL NO!

Don't get it twisted, both Pouncey and Dunlap think Beckham is a stud receiver -- but when it comes to weightlifting, they don't mess around!!!

The woman accusing Nick Diaz of domestic violence claims the UFC star has been using cocaine ... and that's what sent him into a violent rage ... this according to law enforcement sources.

Multiple sources connected to the case tell TMZ Sports ... Diaz's accuser claims she's been in an "on-again, off-again sexual relationship" with Nick for years. But it took a turn for the worse in the last few days ... because she claims Nick has been using cocaine.

The woman told police Nick attacked her at a Las Vegas home Thursday night ... slamming her to the ground and choking her by the neck. Cops were called to the home and found the alleged victim with red marks around her neck and eyes. We're told the woman was transported to a nearby hospital where she was treated for multiple injuries. We're told the victim claimed she suffered a hip injury in the altercation with Diaz.

Nick Diaz was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas for domestic violence ... and he'll remain behind bars until at least Saturday morning ... TMZ has confirmed.

The UFC superstar is in custody at the Clark County Detention Center and he's been charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation as well as misdemeanor domestic battery ... according to MMAJunkie, which first reported the arrest.

The outlet reports 12 units were dispatched to the scene and the 34-year-old was combative with cops during the arrest. The alleged victim was taken to a local hospital.

Bail's been set at $18k but Nick can't post bail until after his court hearing ... scheduled for Saturday at 9 a.m. local time.

Ayesha Curry says she had a physical altercation with a Rockets fan moments after the Warriors' nail-biting loss ... claiming the heckler bumped her 8-month pregnant belly.

In a video shot Thursday night in Houston, you can hear the fan talking all kinds of smack while holding a cigarette. Ayesha jumps at the opportunity to turn the tables ... grabbing the guy's cig and flicking it in his direction.

Ayesha took to Twitter Friday to call out the video's poster, saying, "The fact you have the audacity to post this after this man bumped me in my 8 month pregnant belly asking and I quote 'doesn't losing feel like getting punched in the gut?' And continued to follow me and taunt me with his camera is beyond me...but 'This is America' right."

She followed up a series of tweets by explaining, "I thought it was an accident at first because it was crowded and then he made that gut comment and continued to follow me."

Ayesha continued, "I shoul'dve got him in the face instead of saving his life by removing that cigarette he was swinging around in my face. Wish there was full footage."

Dwyane Wade's best buddies LeBron James and Chris Paul are still on the hunt for an NBA Championship ... but D-Wade's doing just fine with wifey Gabrielle Union.

Gabby and the 3-time NBA Champ soaked up the sun in the South of France Friday ... and Union was totally hamming it up for the camera. Wade -- who just wrapped his 15th season in the league -- acted as Gabrielle's personal photographer while she posed on the rocks and in the water.

Dwyane got in on the photo shoot too, posing for a selfie with his wife of 4 years.

Reggie Bush says President Trump has no idea what in the hell he's talking about by suggesting players who don't stand for the National Anthem should be booted from the country.

We got the former NFL star leaving TAO Thursday night in Hollywood and wanted to get his take on Trump supporting the new NFL policy on the national anthem. Remember, Trump told "FOX & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade, "You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing. You shouldn't be there ... maybe you shouldn't be in the country."

Watch ... Bush says it's a huge deal because it's a clear violation of the First Amendment and rips 45 for not having a clear grasp of many issues. Case in point -- free speech.

Travis Scott gave a huge shout out to the Texas school shooting victims with a powerful message.

The rapper and Houston native had a mic in hand as the Rockets honored Santa Fe High School before Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. After a moment of silence and the Santa Fe HS choir singing the national anthem, Travis wanted the spotlight directly on the Santa Fe HS students sitting in the crowd before delivering this speech.

LiAngelo Ball believes his NBA hopes and dreams are alive and well ... telling TMZ Sports there are definitely NBA teams interested in retaining his services.

'Gelo just killed a private combine at the IMG academy down in Florida ... turning in a 37-inch vertical leap, and draining 3's with ease.

Question is, was it enough to make NBA teams think about taking a flier on the middle Ball brother?

We asked LiAngelo if the workouts had drawn any interest from NBA teams when we saw him out at LAX with LaVar, and his answer was simple.

"Yeah, of course."

There were reports that both the Lakers and the Warriors have agreed to workouts with 'Gelo ... but the Warriors refuted those claims soon after they were made public.

That's cool by LaVar, because he told our guy he'd rather 'Gelo play for a California team a little further south.

Calum Von Moger took the WFF Mr. Universe title in 2015, and doesn't look like he's skipped chest day once since taking the crown -- but he was still put to the test by TMZ.

We got Calum Wednesday in Calabasas, where he was shirtless and on crutches. He explained both. We also asked if he can do that pec dance thing -- ya know, flexing to make 'em bounce. Of course Calum can, but the real shocker ... so can our camera guy.

So the stage was set -- in a mall parking lot -- for a good ol' fashioned pec-off!

BTW, Calum's story behind the crutches is pretty freaky. He also shouts out bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he recently played in "Bigger" ... a movie about Ben and Joe Weider.

Roger Goodell is doing a helluva job as NFL commish ... and that's coming from a guy who ran the NBA for 30 years, David Stern.

TMZ Sports saw Stern in NYC ... and with the debate over the NFL's new rule on the National Anthem protest raging ... we asked the former commish how he'd handle the controversy.

Stern didn't exactly answer the question ... but he did offer a ringing endorsement to the NFL's head honcho.

"I think that commisioner Goodell is doing a great job in difficult circumstances."

He went on to say ... "I think every league needs rules to cover every situation. I don't know what rule I would implement, but there should be a rule that treats everyone fairly, and uniformly."

FYI -- the new regulation has been polarizing. Prez Trump and VP Pence applauded the league ... while others have been super critical of Goodell and the NFL.

Screw the Jumpman logo, Russell Westbrook went FULL FACE to honor Michael Jordan.

The OKC Thunder star was spotted out in NYC during a late-night shopping spree this week wearing a special hoodie that's a collaboration between Jordan Brand and NY-based fashion line Public School.

The back says, "We Need Leaders."

True that.

Jordan and Russ are fans of each other -- not only is Russ signed to Jordan Brand, but MJ sent him a personalized note last year to congratulate him on his first NBA MVP award.

UFC Champ Tyron Woodley says Kendrick Lamar should've let a white concertgoer get away with saying the n-word ... saying the young lady deserved a pass.

It happened last week during a concert in Alabama ... Kendrick admonished the fan when she let the word slip during a performance of "M.A.A.D. City," and of course it instantly went viral.

Woodley was on his show "The Hollywood Beatdown" when the topic came up ... and Tyron took the wrong less traveled by black dudes, saying he thought the young lady was GREAT.

"I thought it was hilarious. I thought how confident she was, no reservation, no hesitation, she came right off the nugget. She didn't miss one line."

Hope you didn't think he'd stop there ... Tyron went to explain that he routinely gives n-word passes when he does stand-up comedy, and tries to get his co-host Evan (white dude) to says the word.

Evan passes ... which is UNDOUBTEDLY the smart decision.

Former Cincinnati Bengals star T.J. Houshmandzadeh claims he got bamboozled into fronting hundreds of thousands of dollars for a bogus weed business.

The retired WR filed suit against two men -- Damien Marzett and John Wiegman -- for allegedly convincing him to invest $200K into construction for their new dispensary under false pretenses.

In the docs obtained by TMZ Sports, T.J. claims Marzett and Wiegman approached him in 2015, trying to get him to fund a new weed club in L.A. ... which they said would make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

He also claims they signed a contract to pay him back interest of $180K by Dec. 2017 if he floated them the dough.

Well, he says he paid ... but never saw any of that money by the due date -- and eventually learned they didn't even have a license to operate a weed club in the state.

Deion Sanders has a message for people worried about Tom Brady skipping organized team activities (OTAs) this week ...

WHOOOOO CARES!?!?!?

TMZ Sports asked Primetime -- who claims to have only attended OTAs twice during his Hall of Fame career -- about TB12 no-showing at the voluntary practices ... and he says it's NBD because Brady's already proven what he can do.

ICYMI -- Bill Belichick seemed pissed about Tom's absence from Patriots OTAs ... telling reporters, "I'm not gonna talk about the people who aren't here," on Tuesday.

Sanders ain't looking into that either ... saying that's always how the coach acts.