TMZ Sports - Page 50

UFC superstar Cris Cyborg says she learned A LOT in her court-ordered anger management class ... and wants to use the knowledge to "be an example for other people."

As we previously reported, Cyborg was ordered to complete an "impulse control program" as part of her sentence in the battery case stemming from a 2017 altercation with UFC fighter Angela Magana.

Cyborg completed the program and the battery charge has been dropped. So, when we saw her outside Cobrinha Fitness in L.A., she was proud of her accomplishment,.

"I studied the anger management," Cyborg said ... "Every mistake you do, you learn."

Cyborg says she knows other people will try to make her snap in the future -- and she plans on using her new skills to avoid a physical confrontation.

"I have to control myself."

As for her fighting future, Cyborg talked about that too ... and told us she thinks she's on a collision course for a rematch with Holly Holm.

Cyborg also got a new Tesla -- and couldn't wait to show off one of her car's new tricks!

The man who allegedly punched a police horse outside a Philadelphia Eagles 2018 playoff game is suing the team and police ... claiming he was brutally beaten by cops for NO REASON.

And he's adamant he did NOT intentionally punch that horse.

The man behind the suit is Andrew Tornetta ... who was arrested Jan. 21 outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philly before the Eagles crushed the Vikings in the NFC Championship.

At the time, cops said Tornetta punched a police horse with a closed fist TWICE while mounted officers were attempting to break up a violent tailgating situation.

But, Tornetta says the allegations are horse crap ... claiming he was innocently hanging out when the mounted cops rode up on him, grabbed him and started dragging him.

In the lawsuit, Tornetta says at least two cops unsheathed their batons and began beating him multiple times -- and he suffered serious injuries to his back, skull and face.

Tornetta says cops then provided a misleading statement to investigators -- saying he punched the horse -- when in fact, he never intentionally struck anyone ... human or equine.

On top of the injuries, Tornetta says he was "demonized on social media and internet sites reporting upon his assault on police and his cruelty towards an animal."

Tornetta is suing the two cops involved (a State Trooper and a Philly PD officer) and the Eagles organization -- claiming the security officers weren't properly trained.

Peyton Manning says he couldn't throw a football the same way after his neck injury a few years back -- but he adjusted his game and found success ... and he's convinced Tiger Woods will do the same.

The NFL legend played with Tiger at PGA's Memorial Pro-Am in Ohio -- when he was asked if he thought Tiger could return to greatness after back fusion surgery.

"I can certainly relate," Manning said ... "It's about being flexible, being adaptive."

"I couldn't throw the ball the same way after my injury, but you learn to use your experience and football intellect. That's what he's doing. He's adjusted his game and his swing and using his experience and using other parts of his body to get some strength and power."

"For a golf fan, it's great to see him back out here."

Manning was also REALLY impressed with some of Tiger's shots -- and judging from the video ... you can see why.

Rudy Giuliani says his feelings aren't at all hurt he got BOOED ON HIS BIRTHDAY in Yankee stadium ... telling TMZ Sports the boo birds are a sign of affection in the Big Apple.

"I know Yankee fans ... they boo you when they love you," the former NYC mayor tells TMZ Sports.

We got RG out in D.C. and he told us he wasn't bothered by the booing one bit. He even laughed about it!

Johnny Damon says he LOVES how President Trump has been performing since taking office -- and when asked for a specific reason ... he told us, "Well, do you like having more money in your pockets?"

The ex-MLB star was recently appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition --- and spent his Wednesday visiting the White House.

And since Damon's been getting a lot of online hate from anti-Trumpers on Twitter ... we asked how he's handling the criticism.

"That's all right," Damon said ... "Half the people aren't supporters, but he's doing a great job."

He also fired off his top reasons why he's still Team Trump -- from his tax plan to his pro-life stance.

Two of the greatest winners in pro sports couldn't pull it off today ... with Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods LOSING a PGA Pro-Am to a team led by Phil Mickelson.

Tiger and Peyton (and 2 other guys) were teamed up at The Memorial Pro-Am Tournament in Dublin, Ohio on Wednesday ... where they faced off with Phil's foursome.

PGA officials tell us ... Tiger's team finished 2 under par -- while Phil's team finished 7 under.

Still, both Tiger and Peyton hit some pretty decent shots during the tourney ... and Tiger even gave away one of his golf balls to a little girl in the crowd!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has condemned Roseanne ... while praising her sitcom as a "very good" liberal show -- and is now questioning if canceling the program was really the right move.

Kareem says his immediate reaction to Roseanne's tweets was to "punish her" by taking away her show -- and notes Disney and ABC "cut off the rotting appendage before it infected the rest of the body."

But, when thinking it through, Kareem says it's important to consider the other options ...

"'Roseanne' is a very good show," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the Hollywood Reporter ... "Ironically, it's one of the most liberal shows on TV, with a clear agenda of tolerance and compassion."

"To punish Roseanne, we’ve removed the louder, smarter, more influential voice of the show itself."

"Roseanne’s tweets may give solace to other racists, but they have no real impact in changing minds. The show, which reaches millions, can affect people by showing tolerance and compassion on a weekly basis."

Kareem also questions if ABC should have fired Roseanne and kept the show running without her. He points to other shows that continued to air without the main star ... like "Two and a Half Men" and "Valerie" which continued after Valerie Harper left.

Mark Geragos says he knows "beyond a shadow of a doubt" the NFL blackballed his client Colin Kaepernick ... and it's entirely because of Donald Trump.

Kaep's attorney -- who's reppin' the former QB in his collusion case against the league -- revealed some of the ammo he's usin' to prove his case on Amy Dash's podcast Tuesday ... and he says it all starts and ends with Trump's disdain for anthem protests.

"[We] got an owner under penalty of perjury testifying that he changed his mind after he was told what Trump said," Geragos said.

The league's new anthem policy ... the blackballing of Kaep ... the unwillingness to sign fellow anthem kneeler Eric Reid -- Geragos says it all stems from POTUS.

"The only reason -- and the owners will admit that -- they haven't signed [Kaepernick] is they're afraid of Trump, and they've colluded because of Trump."

LaMelo Ball just changed his image in a big way -- losing his signature shaggy hairstyle ... and replacing it with some killer waves!

There had been rumors LaMelo axed his Odell Beckham-style hairdo after he came back from Lithuania ... but now he's confirmed the change -- posting the pics on Instagram.

Looks like 'Melo's hair inspiration could be his own brother, Lonzo ... who has a similar wavy cut of his own.

It's a bizarre move for 'Melo, considering the hair was part of his signature look -- and helped him stand out from the rest of his family.

If LiAngelo Ball can help the Lakers win, Josh Hart tells TMZ Sports he'd love to have Lonzo's little bro as a teammate!

We got the Lakers rookie leaving Craig's just hours after Lonzo's bro wrapped up his workout at the Lakers practice facility on Tuesday and had to ask ... would he be open to a second Ball in the purple and gold??

"Hey man, if he's going to make us win, it don't matter," Hart told us. "I want him."

If it does go down ... we'll have to check back with Hart's feelings on the matter ... 'cause he and 'Gelo play the same position -- and you just know LaVar Ball will have something to say about that.

Meanwhile, enjoy LiAngelo's dunk session ... it's impressive.

NBA star Ben Simmons had a fancy dinner date in Bev Hills on Monday night ... and the woman in his car sure looks a lot like Kendall Jenner.

It makes sense ... considering new reports the Philadelphia 76ers star has broken up with Tinashe and moved on to Kendall. The romance has been going on for a few weeks, according to Page Six.

Our video was shot outside the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills -- where our sources say Simmons and the mystery woman had a bite to eat together. We're told the woman tried like hell to stay low key -- using her hoodie to cover her face.

Kendall's been connected to basketball players before -- most recently, she was with Blake Griffin and before that she was reportedly dating Jordan Clarkson.

If that really is Kendall (and it really seems like it is) ... welcome to the Kardashians, Mr. Simmons!

FYI, we last saw Simmons with Tinashe in Philly earlier this month -- riding in a Ferrari together.

The mother of basketball player Zeke Upshaw is suing the Detroit Pistons and the NBA -- claiming the league and the team could have saved her son's life after he collapsed on the court earlier this year.

Upshaw was playing for the Pistons' G-League team -- the Grand Rapids Drive -- when he collapsed on the court during the final minutes of a March 24, 2018 game.

The 26-year-old guard -- a former star at Hofstra -- never regained consciousness and died 2 days later from sudden cardiac death.

But Zeke's mom says he could have been saved if medical staff had rushed in and treated him immediately.

Instead, Jewel Upshaw says ... it took 4 crucial minutes before a doctor tended to Zeke -- no CPR, no chest compressions, no life-saving measures of any kind.

In fact, she claims the team doctor had "stepped out before the end of the basketball game and was not present nor available when Zeke collapsed."

Jewel claims when doctors finally tended to Zeke, the treatment was so poor -- she later learned Zeke's body "went without oxygen for another forty minutes ... leaving his brain completely oxygen deprived."

"At this point, there was no healthy brain left to save."

Jewel claims the NBA has had so much experience with players suffering sudden cardiac death over the years -- from Reggie Lewis to Conrad McRae -- there should be a proper protocol to handle these types of situations.

In her suit, Jewel says "there is simply no good reason for the defendants to have been unprepared for sudden cardiac death events such as Zeke's, and for their failure to react quickly to save a life."

"Had properly trained medical professionals administered expeditious and proper treatment, Zeke would still be alive."

Ex-NFL star Arian Foster basically spoke for everyone when he saw the Drake blackface photo that Pusha T posted on Tuesday ... "WTF is this g?"

Foster was tweeting about Pusha's diss track, "The Story of Adidon," with his former Houston Texans teammate, Charles James, who said:

"Pusha T is like that one dude who doesn’t tell jokes well so he just gets personal

Drake: I wrote for Kanye

Pusha T: that’s why your best friend about to die"

Foster said he can't wait for Drake's clapback but said he's not really rooting for either side -- "Got no dog in the fight."

But, James added this piece of wisdom for any other rapper thinking of getting involved ...

"If I’m any other rapper stay the F**K out of the way. Don’t get hit by a stray bullet trying to play sides."

A couple other NFL stars also weighed in ...

Chad Ochocinco: "I personally think it’s awesome for hip-hop, old school lyrical battle between two creative dudes."

The Philadelphia 76ers have announced they've launched an investigation into team honcho Bryan Colangelo ... to find out if he was REALLY leaking confidential team info through burner Twitter accounts.

Colangelo was allegedly using 5 secret accounts to trash various 76ers players -- including Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and former players Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, according to The Ringer.

In the case of Okafor, Colangelo allegedly leaked private medical information that only a few people in the organization would know.

The team has now issued this statement ...

"An online media outlet filed a story linking multiple social media accounts to 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo."

"The allegations are serious and we have commenced an independent investigation into the matter."

"We will report the results of that investigation as soon as it is concluded."

Colangelo has denied trashing players on Twitter -- but 'fessed up to owning one of the Twitter accounts in question.

Good news, Houston Rockets fans -- you may have lost Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, but all early signs point to your star PG Chris Paul returning next season ... including the fact he's selling his L.A.-area home.

CP3, who's set to be a free agent next season, put his Calabasas property on the market just months after buying a massive mega-mansion in Texas about 30 miles from where the Rockets play ... and he's asking for a cool $11.5 million.

The Calabasas pad -- which Paul bought in 2015 for nearly $9 mil -- is more than 11,000 sq. ft. with 6 beds and 8 baths ... featuring a master bedroom with a private courtyard, a chef's kitchen with a pizza oven, a refrigerated wine closet and a home theater.

The ballin' grounds boast a pool & spa, fountain, waterfall, fire pit, BBQ island ... and a full-size outdoor basketball court. Oh, and Khloe Kardashian is the next-door neighbor.

UFC legend Michael Bisping isn't planning on fading away now that he's retired from fighting -- dude has BIG plans ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm taking over Hollywood."

Oh, and yeah ... he definitely FaceTimed us from the sauna.

But Bisping's not joking about his acting career -- he's got 3 big action movies in the works including a new 'xXx' movie and a sequel to the Gerard Butler, 50 Cent flick, "Den of Thieves."

39-year-old Bisping says he's truly touched by the outpouring of support from the MMA community after announcing his retirement ... saying, "I didn't realize I wasn't hated that much!"